More than 30 die in ‘criminal’ blaze in Ukraine city Odessa

Fierce clashes ... Ukrainian government supporter holds a stone and a stick during a clash with pro-Russians in the Black Sea port of Odessa, Ukraine. Source: AP

MORE than 30 people have died in a “criminal” blaze in Ukraine’s southern city of Odessa after a day of violent clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian militants.

Ukraine’s interior ministry gave a toll of at least 31 dead, revising down an earlier tally of 38 killed.

It said the fire had a “criminal” source but did not elaborate, nor did the ministry immediately identify the victims.

Deadly ... this still grabbed on TV images released by INTER, shows a man covering the bloodied body of a man with an Ukrainian flag during a demonstration in Odessa. Source: AFP

Some local media reported that pro-Russian militants were believed to have been in the building at the time, and that petrol bombs were lobbed between the building and a group of pro-Kiev militants.

That information could not be immediately confirmed.

The interior ministry said most of those killed died of smoke inhalation, while others were killed trying to escape by jumping out of windows.

United stand ... Ukrainian government supporter walks past a line of self-defence activists during a clash with pro-Russians in the Black Sea port of Odessa. Source: AP

Earlier, clashes between the pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian protesters killed four people — the first eruption of violence in the south after weeks of mounting unrest in Ukraine’s east.

Odessa, a city of one million inhabitants, is located on the Black Sea coast, close to the border with Moldova and its breakaway state of Transdniestr, where Russia has troops stationed since a short war in 1992.

Ukraine’s Western-backed government accuses Russia of fomenting the rebellion taking over swathes of its eastern territory.

Earlier, the Kremlin warned of “catastrophic consequences” after Kiev authorities ordered a counter-terror operation against the siege city of Slavyansk.

Fearless ... a Ukrainian government supporter carries stones during a clash with pro-Russians in the Black Sea port of Odessa, Ukraine. Source: AP

Insurgents shot down two army helicopters, killing two service-men. And a third helicopter was hit but managed to land safely.

Kiev claimed one chopper was hit by a surface-to-air missile, proving Moscow’s involvement.

The crisis has increased fears of a Russian invasion — with 40,000 of President Vladimir Putin’s troops gathering at the border.

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Pro-Russian insurgents shoot down Ukraine helicopters as crisis deepens

PRO-RUSSIAN insurgents have shot down two Ukrainian helicopters, sparking a retaliatory military assault as the crisis deepens.

Ukraine has launched a military assault on the flashpoint town of Slavyansk, raising the stakes in the showdown with Russia, which has vowed “catastrophic consequences” if Kiev stepped up operations.

Insurgents shot down two army helicopters, killing two servicemen, including a pilot, as the army tightened its noose around the rebel-held town of 160,000 people.

The pre-dawn offensive drew a sharp response from Moscow, where a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said it dealt a “final blow” to a deal clinched last month in Geneva meant to ease the crisis.

A spokeswoman for insurgents in Slavyansk, the epicentre of tensions in eastern Ukraine, said the army had staged a “full-scale attack” on the town.

Crisis deepens ... Ukrainian soldiers take position at a checkpoint they seized in the early morning in the village of Andreevka. Picture: VASILY MAXIMOV Source: AFP

An AFP reporter on the scene saw a column of eight armoured vehicles breaching a rebel-held checkpoint just south of Slavyansk and heard explosions and sporadic small arms fire as helicopters circled overhead.

The raid marked a dramatic escalation in the crisis and jeopardised negotiations to release seven European OSCE inspectors being held by Slavyank’s insurgents.

The Kremlin said it had an envoy in east Ukraine negotiating for their freedom. A day earlier, Ukraine’s interim president reintroduced conscription amid fears of an imminent Russian invasion.

Oleksandr Turchynov has also put his armed forces on “full-combat alert” in response to the estimated 40,000 Russian troops massed on the border.

Full combat mode ... Ukrainian soldiers arrive to reinforce a checkpoint which troops seized in the early morning in the village of Andreevka, as Ukraine's military lost two helicopters and two servicemen. Picture: VASILY MAXIMOV Source:AFP

He has admitted police are powerless to stop a growing insurgency in the eastern part of the country, where pro-Russian rebels have seized control of more than a dozen towns and cities.

As the crisis rapidly spirals into the worse East-West confrontation since the end of the Cold War, US President Barack Obama was due to discuss the tensions with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House later Friday.

- ‘Determined not to surrender’ —

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced the Slavyansk death toll on his Facebook page, adding that there were also personnel wounded in the operation.

“It’s a real battle we are waging against professional mercenaries,” he wrote, warning local residents to stay indoors and keep away from windows.

“Our demands for the terrorists are simple: release their hostages, lay down their arms, leave administrative buildings and restore the normal functioning of the urban infrastructure.” One Slavyansk resident, Vladimir Pader, told Russian television: “Everyone — rebels and Slavyansk residents — is determined not to surrender the city.” Eight armoured vehicles and several soldiers were seen retrenching positions at checkpoints and warned off anybody trying to approach.

Authorities said they had retaken nine rebel checkpoints.

Attacks continue ... an armed pro-Russian man walks past burning debris at a checkpoint in the southern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk. Picture: VASILY MAXIMOV Source: AFP

Central Slavyansk remained relatively calm, although rebels parked a previously captured armoured vehicle in front of the town hall where the OSCE monitors are being held.

In what they called an “anti-terrorist” operation, the Ukrainian forces had for days encircled the town to prevent the insurgents receiving reinforcements.

Russia’s foreign ministry warned Thursday that any effort by Kiev to intensify its military operation “against its own people” in the east could have “catastrophic consequences”.

And Russian news agencies quoted Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that while Moscow was “making efforts to de-escalate and settle the conflict”, Kiev had launched a “reprisal raid”.

He said the raid was “essentially finishing off the last hope for the feasibility of the Geneva accord”.

Russia’s envoy to the OSCE, Andrei Kelin, said Moscow had urged the pan-European body to “take steps to stop this reprisal raid,” according to the ITAR-TASS news agency.

Hopes had been raised in recent days that the seven OSCE hostages in Slavyansk — four Germans, a Dane, a Czech and a Pole — might soon be released but Ukraine has accused the rebels of wanting to use them as human shields.

Chopper down ... a Ukrainian military helicopter lands at a checkpoint which troops seized in the early morning in the village. Picture: VASILY MAXIMOV Source: AFP

Russia ‘won’t do anything stupid’

The West and Kiev believe the chaos in eastern Ukraine is being sown by Moscow in a bid to destabilise the former Soviet republic ahead of planned presidential elections on May 25.

The Kremlin denies the charges, but has reserved the right to use troops to protect Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine, a region with deep cultural and historical ties to Moscow.

The Western response has been to launch sanctions against members of Putin’s inner circle and target key firms in a bid to attack Russia’s already recession-hit economy.

Moscow has reacted angrily, threatening to retaliate against Western interests in the lucrative energy sector but has vowed a measured response.

All eyes are now on Obama and Merkel’s meeting in Washington to see what the West’s next move will be.

Also later Friday, Russia, Ukraine and the European Union will hold talks over debts running into billions of dollars that state-run Russian gas firm Gazprom says Kiev owes.

Standing their ground ... a Ukrainian soldier stands guard near a checkpoint which troops seized in the early morning in the village of Andreevka. Picture: VASILY MAXIMOV Source: AFP

Putin has warned that not paying the bill, which Gazprom estimates at $3.5 billion, could lead to him turning off the taps, which would also affect several European countries.

Kiev is expected to use part of a $17-billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, announced on Wednesday, to settle the bill.

Financial market analyst Holder Schmieding said the situation in Ukraine was “a whale of a risk” for the European economy.

The unrest in Ukraine, which started with peaceful demonstrations in Kiev in November against pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to ditch a pact for closer integration with the EU, has rapidly degenerated into a full-blown global crisis.

After a deadly crackdown on protesters, Yanukovych was forced out in February, sparking fury in Moscow which responded with a blitz annexation of Crimea.

The pro-Russia rebels who have been steadily taking more ground in the east vow to hold their own Crimea-style “referendum” on independence on May 11 — two weeks before the nationwide presidential vote.

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John David LaDue, 17, arrested over alleged plot to kill family, bomb school in Minnesota

Massacre plot ... Waseca Police Captain Kris Markeson details John David LaDue’s alleged plan to kill his family and massacre students at a local school. Source: AP

A 17-YEAR-OLD student has been arrested over an alleged plot to murder his family and carry out a school massacre inspired by the Columbine shooters he idolised.

John David LaDue, of Waseca, Minnesota, was charged on Thursday with four felony counts of first-degree attempted murder, six felony counts of possessing explosive or incendiary devices while under 18 years old and two felony counts of first-degree attempted damage to property, according to the local Mankato Free Press .

LaDue’s elaborate plot and preparations were detailed in a 180-page notebook obtained from the boy’s bedroom, said police, who believe he was ready to carry out the attack within the next two weeks.

Waseca Police Captain Kris Markeson said authorities believe LaDue was acting alone and would have succeeded if he had not been caught.

Training ground ... bombs were allegedly found in March at Hartley Elementery School playground in Waseca. Source:AP

“He intended to set off numerous bombs during the lunch hour and kill the school resource officers and set fires and shoot students and staff,” said Capt. Markeson, who was visibly shaken.

According to USA Today , the investigation began on March 24, when two explosive devices were discovered in the playground at Hartley Elementary School in Waseca, about 115 kilometres south of Minneapolis.

A third device, hidden inside a stuffed toy, was found detonated there four days later.

LaDue’s arrest was set in motion on Tuesday, when a tipster called police to report a suspicious person going into a storage unit near the school wearing a back pack.

Shocked ... students, parents and community members listen as Capt. Markeson outlines the terrifying plan. Source:AP

Authorities said they apprehended LaDue at the unit on Thursday, surrounded by materials to make explosives.

According to authorities, LaDue came clean in an interview with police later that day, revealing an elaborate plan to shoot his mother, father and sister, start a diversionary fire, set off bombs at the junior and senior high school, then open fire on staff and students.

Police said they recovered seven guns — including a SKS assault rifle and a Barretta 9mm handgun — ammunition, and three bombs from LaDue’s home, along with black clothing and a ski mask.

LaDue allegedly told authorities that he was fascinated by the school shootings at Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech and Columbine.

Horrifying details ... Capt. Markeson, flanked by Waseca School Superintendent Thomas Lee, answers questions.Source: AP

The boy is said to have plotted to carry out his school attack on April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine school shooting, but his plan was disrupted by the anniversary falling on Easter Sunday this year, according to the Free Press.

Police said the teen expected to die in the attack.

Those who knew LaDue, like his guitar teacher, Ryan Lano, couldn’t believe the news.

“I taught him guitar, met him when he was 13 years old,” Mr Lano said, adding that LaDue was a model student and a talented musician.

‘We tried’ ... Waseca school superintendent Thomas Lee says LaDue was known to staff as a shy student. Source: AP

“Only adjective I can come up with is I’m shocked at the information, this is new to me,” he said.

School Superintendent Thomas Lee said school officials hadn’t had any major issues with the 11th grader, who he described as shy.

“It’s not like he was unknown to us,” Mr Lee said. “He was known. People made lots of contact with him. We tried to do everything we possibly could do to build relationships with him as well. But sometimes even when you’re trying to do everything possible it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to.”

His mother spoke briefly to CNN by phone.

“I’d rather not (provide a statement) at this time. Our family is dealing with a lot of grief. I appreciate your concern,” she said.

LaDue is in juvenile custody. His next court date is May 12.

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Dead whale washes ashore in New Jersey promptly tagged 'by local frat’

Final insult ... a whale that washed ashore on a New Jersey beach has been tagged with graffiti. Picture: Twitter Source:Supplied

A DEAD whale that washed ashore on a New Jersey beach suffered another indignity — it was promptly tagged with graffiti.

The 4.5-metre Minkie whale was discovered below an Atlantic City pier. The markings appeared to be Greek letters of Tau Epsilon Phi, a local college fraternity.

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Meet ‘Corpse Ripper’ Mihaela Zagrean, the Romanian woman obsessed with death

Mihaela Zagrean became infamous when she managed to take photographs with her hands inside the body of a dead man. Source: Austral International Press Agency

SHE tricked her way into a morgue and was photographed with her hands inside a dead body ... now the woman who became notorious as the ‘corpse ripper’ has turned scandal into success.

Mihaela Zagrean was just a teenager when she conned a doctor into believing she was a medical student, gaining access to a morgue so she could do an autopsy on a dead body.

She posted on her Facebook page a macabre picture of her with her hands inside a dead body. Not surprisingly, the image went viral and she was sued by the family of the man whose corpse she defiled.

Far from ruining her life, the bizarre incident has given Zagrean fame and fortune.

Now 23, the Romanian with a death fetish is married to a wealthy benefactor, her appearance transformed by a raft of cosmetic procedures paid for by her new husband.

The Romanian girl with a death fetish snapped up a rare Spyhnx cat and a husband to boot. Source: Austral International Press Agency

After the incident in the morgue, Zagrean parlayed her notoriety into online chat rooms, in which fellow fetishists would pay top dollar to hear her views on life and death.

She eventually married one of her online admirers, boasting that her wealthy husband loved her so much that he was prepared to give her anything she wanted.

And it appears that’s exactly what he’s done. Zagrean is now almost unrecognisable from the notorious photo in the morgue, with silicon implants, Botox, a sexy new hairstyle, tattoos and piercings bringing her death fetish look to life.

She changed her name to Michelle and recently, she completed the look with the addition of a rare Sphynx cat worth about $A2,000. If its piercing green eyes and hairless features aren’t scary enough, consider this ... the Sphynx is named after Egypt’s legendary guardian to the realm of the dead.

That’s fairly appropriate for a death fetishist whose ‘career’ is well and truly alive.

Nicknamed the corpse ripper "Michelle" transformed herself. Source: Austral International Press Agency

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Cyber extortion ring busted in Philippines

DOZENS of people have been arrested in the Philippines for their involvement in a giant, global Internet "sextortion" network, local police and Interpol say.

Victims have been lured by people posing as attractive, young women into giving sexually explicit photos or videos of themselves online, then blackmailed sometimes repeatedly for thousands of dollars, the authorities said at a joint press conference in Manila on Friday.

The 58 arrested in the Philippines were just a small part in an expanding global phenomenon that is being fuelled by the explosion of social media, the director of Interpol's Digital Crime Centre, Sanjay Virmani said.

"The scale of this extortion network is massive," Virmani said.

Philippine police chief Alan Purisima said the 58 Filipinos arrested would be charged over a range of crimes, including engaging in child pornography, extortion and using technologies to commit fraud.

He said authorities from the US, Hong Kong, Interpol, Scotland, Singapore and Australia last year established "Operation Strikeback", which led to the 58 arrests.

The joint taskforce was created at an Interpol meeting to tackle the "growing number of sextortion victims in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States", according to Purisima.

He said the taskforce was also focused on potential victims in Australia, South Korea and Malaysia.

Purisima said the scam typically involved the fake woman making contact with people overseas via Facebook and other social media, then seeking to establish a relationship with them.

"After getting acquainted with the victims ... they engage in cybersex, and this will be recorded unknown to the victims," he said.

"They then threaten to release it to friends and relatives."

Purisima said victims paid between hundreds or thousands of dollars, sending payments via money transfer remittance companies.

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Cunningham from the Scottish police force said one 17-year-old in Scotland had committed suicide after being extorted.

More than 530 people in Hong Kong, many aged between 20 and 30, have fallen victim to the scam since the beginning of last year, according to Chief Inspector Louis Kwan, from Hong Kong police.

He said victims had paid up to $US15,000 ($A16,230) in desperate attempts to keep the sexually compromising material private.

Kwan said some victims paid up to three times before going to the police, "when they realised they could no longer afford to continue paying".

Authorities emphasised the Philippines was not the hub of the global "sextortion" scams, only that the current investigation had focused on the Southeast Asian nation.

"These crimes are not limited to any one country and nor are the victims. That's why international cooperation in investigating these crimes is essential," Interpol's Virmani said.

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Max Clifford jailed for eight years in UK

UK's top PR guru Max Clifford faces up to two years in jail for sexually assaulting young women. Source: AAP

DISGRACED PR guru Max Clifford has been jailed for eight years in the UK for a string of indecent assaults on four women.

The 71-year-old finally fell from grace after decades influencing the media when he was convicted on Monday of eight counts of the crime, carried out between 1977 and 1984.

Passing sentence at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, Judge Anthony Leonard told him

"These offences may have taken place a long time ago, when inappropriate and trivial sexual behaviour was more likely to be tolerated, but your offending was not trivial, but of a very serious nature."

The judge said that due to the age of the offences that occurred between 1977 and 1984, Clifford was charged under an act from 1956, which set the maximum term at two years.

Under later legislation passed in 2003, the maximum term would have been 10 years, and for the worst instances would have been charged as rape or assault by penetration, which attract a maximum life term, the court heard.

Clifford repeatedly shook his head as the judge made his comments to a packed courtroom.

Judge Leonard added that he thought Clifford's personality and position in the public eye were why the crimes had not been made public sooner.

"The reason why they were not brought to light sooner was because of your own dominant character and your position in the world of entertainment which meant that your victims thought that you were untouchable, something that I think you too believed," he said.

Clifford, who branded his accusers "fantasists", remained defiant ahead of his sentencing.

"I stand by everything I have said in the last 17 months," he said.

A string of his clients have moved to distance themselves from the veteran agent in the wake of his conviction, the first under the sex crime inquiry Operation Yewtree.

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NYC memorial to be held for L'Wren Scott

DESIGNER L'Wren Scott is to be remembered at a Manhattan memorial service, expected to be attended by longtime companion, Mick Jagger, family and friends.

It is understood the service for the noted fashion designer and stylist who committed suicide March 17, was to be held at St Bartholomew's Church on Park Avenue on Friday evening.

A small and private funeral was held for Scott in late March in Los Angeles, after which she was cremated, per her wishes.

Scott left her entire estate to Jagger, the Rolling Stones frontman, according to the Daily News.

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