Rain or Shine...

UKRAINE, BATTERED by floods last year, was hit by further disaster yesterday when melting snows and heavy rain left more than 230 homes flooded.

Officials in the western Ukrainian region of Zakarpattia issued flood warnings as river levels continued to rise and also warned that there was an increased risk of avalanches on the region's mountain slopes. Floods killed 17 people and destroyed more than 2,000 houses last autumn.