Rain fury claims 240 lives in three states

STAFF WRITER 15:29 HRS IST

Vijayawada/Bangalore, Oct 5 (PTI) The heaviest flood in over a 100 years in India's southern and western part, Monday hit the Prakasam Barrage on Krishna River threatening several villages downstream even as the toll due to heavy rains and rampaging floods in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra climbed to 240

River Krishna virtually turned into a sea in all its fury as a record 10.61 lakh cusecs of flood water reached Prakasam Barrage.

This is the heaviest flood in river Krishna in more than 106 years as the previous record stands at 10.30 lakh cusecs in 1903, irrigation authorities said in Vijayawada.

The water level touched 21.

Sensex up 3.92 per cent on optimism over US stimulus packages

Mumbai, Mar 23 (PTI) The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex surged 3.92 per cent at midsession today touching a one-month high on optimism that the US stimulus measures would help stabilise markets and restore investor confidence.

The Sensex surged by 351.67 points to 9,318.35 at 1330 hrs with heavy-weight Reliance Industries rising 5.08 per cent to Rs 1,406.50, and financial stocks ICICI Bank and Housing Development Finance Corp too going up on improving sentiment in the sector.

The 50-share National Stock Exchange index Nifty shot up by 109.95 points, or 3.92 per cent, to 2,817 at the same time, with stocks in sectors like metals, oil and gas, and banking recording handsome gains.

Futures on the US Standard & Poors 500 Index climbed 1.4 per cent. The US will outline regulatory changes this week aimed at avoiding a repeat of the financial crisis.

Crude oil advanced to its highest level in almost four months and copper jumped to its peak since November as the dollar dropped against the euro, bolstering demand for commodities as a hedge against inflation. PTI