Monday, November 23, 2009 DUBLIN: A car carrying a 400-pound bomb was driven through barriers at the Policing Board headquarters in Belfast, Northern Ireland, police said Sunday.Two men ran away from the vehicle, and there was a small explosion about half an hour later, as the building was being evacuated, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a statement. They believe the bomb exploded only partially.PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott condemned the attack as "reckless."Barry Gilligan, the chairman of the Policing Board, called it "an attack upon the entire community."He said the target was "not just an empty office building on a Saturday night," as a significant number of people who lived nearby were "put at risk.""Had this device functioned as the terrorists planned, there would have been widespread damage and destruction," an unnamed police spokesman said in the PSNI statement.There were no injuries, the police said.The car crashed through barriers at Clarendon Dock in Belfast at about 7:10 p.m. (2:20 p.m. ET) Saturday night, police said.They said there was no warning before the attack. Irish terrorists often -- but not always -- send messages warning about bombs before they explode.
Sunday, February 28, 2010 HAVANA: Hundreds of wealthy merchants and cigar aficionados from all parts of the world gathered in Havana this week to bid high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars. Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 800,000 euros ($1.09 million dollars). Habanos S.A. executives this month said cigar sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos. But even with the creation of the Julieta, Garcia said Habanos has only modest hopes for 2010 sales, due largely to a weak economy in Spain, the biggest market for Cuban cigars. The flavor of premium tobacco relies on the soil and climate in which it is grown. The western province of Pinar Del Rio, famous fo...
Comments