91.   It has hardly rained for a month in northern Italy, affecting cereal crops, while paradoxically in the south a cold spell has hit fruit and vegetables.

92.   Meanwhile, with some electricity workers also on strike, the possibility of electricity cuts increased Tuesday as a biting cold spell hit the country.

93.   Oil prices began the new year on a firm base due to a cold spell in the United States and lower stockpiles.

94.   Rescue officials at the site said the cold spell currently over Europe may have caused a railway switching system to malfunction.

95.   The fact that an expected cold spell had not materialised in Brazil helped explain the fall in prices, dealers said.

96.   The floods have been exacerbated by a rapid succession of cold spells with heavy snowfall and periods of thaw.