Sevastopol, May 9
President Vladimir Putin flew in to Crimea on Friday, marking the Soviet victory in World War Two and proclaiming the success of the peninsula's seizure from a Ukraine that Russia says has been taken over by fascists.

In east Ukraine, where pro-Moscow rebels plan a referendum on Sunday to follow Crimea in breaking from Kiev, several people were reported killed in the port of Mariupol, one of the bloodiest clashes yet between Ukrainian forces and separatists.

Ukraine's interior minister said security forces had killed about 20 pro-Russian rebels in the port city of Mariupol on Friday, in what appeared one of the biggest actions in Kiev's attempt to end an insurgency in the country's east.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said an attempt by "terrorists" to seize police headquarters turned into a pitched battle inside the building with Ukrainian army, national guard and security forces.

Mariupol, an important industrial and shipping centre in the Donetsk region that is planning to hold a secessionist referendum on Sunday, has been the focus of frequent skirmishes in recent days.

The head of NATO, locked in its gravest confrontation with Russia since the Cold War, condemned Putin's visit to Crimea, whose annexation in March has not been recognised by Western powers. He also renewed doubts over an assurance by the Kremlin leader that he had pulled back troops from the Ukrainian border.

The government in Kiev called Putin's visit, his first since the takeover of the region two months ago, a "provocation" that was intended deliberately to escalate the crisis.

Watching a military parade in Sevastopol on the Black Sea, Putin said: "I am sure that 2014 will go into the annals of our whole country as the year when the nations living here firmly decided to be together with Russia, affirming fidelity to the historical truth and the memory of our ancestors. "Much work lies ahead but we will overcome all difficulties because we are together, which means we have become stronger."

Earlier in the day, he had presided over the biggest Victory Day parade in Moscow for years. The passing tanks, aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles were a reminder to the world, and Russian voters, of Putin's determination to revive Moscow's global power, 23 years after the Soviet collapse.

"The iron will of the Soviet people, their fearlessness and stamina saved Europe from slavery," Putin said in a speech to the military and war veterans gathered on Red Square. But NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said: "His visit to Crimea is inappropriate."

The head of the US-led defence pact was speaking in formerly Soviet Estonia, one of a host of east European nations that joined after the collapse of communism, seeking refuge from the power of Moscow, which many in the region regarded as having enslaved them following its victory in World War Two. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, in office since an uprising overthrew the Kremlin-backed elected president in Kiev in February, rejects Russian allegations that his power is the result of coup backed by neo Nazi Ukrainian nationalists.

"Sixty-nine years ago, we, together with Russia, fought against fascism and won," he said after a Victory Day church service in the capital. Now, he added, "history is repeating itself but in a different form". — Reuters

Pretoria, May 9
South Africa's ruling ANC today notched up a commanding victory in the fifth post-apartheid election, giving President Jacob Zuma a second term in office after the first was marred by controversies, including claims of corruption and a sluggish economic growth.

With about 99 per cent of the results out, the African National Congress had won 62.2 per cent of the vote, down from 66 per cent in 2009 elections.

The Democratic Alliance, which is the main opposition group, got 22.2 per cent, up more than 5 per cent since the last election.

Julius Malema's populist Economic Freedom Fighters party bagged 6.25 per cent of the votes.

The elections are the first since the death of Nelson Mandela, the country's first black president, in December and mark 20 years since the end of apartheid rule.

With a record number of 29 parties contesting the polls, opposition to the ANC was hugely fragmented, paving the way for 72-year-old Zuma to return to power, despite controversies including claims of corruption, unemployment and a sluggish economic growth during his first tenure. — PTI

Abuja, May 9
US experts have arrived in Nigeria to help rescue more than 200 schoolgirls being held hostage by Boko Haram Islamists, an embassy spokeswoman said today.

"They are here...the team is on the ground," Rhonda Ferguson-Augustus told AFP, without specifying the precise make-up of the group.

US officials have previously said Washington would send military personnel as well as specialists from the Justice Department and the FBI.

Britain, France and China have also offered varying levels of assistance, including planning and coordination specialists as well intelligence and satellite imagery.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Nigeria's capital Abuja today, President Goodluck Jonathan restated that his country was "totally committed to getting these girls back."

Nigeria's initial response to the April 14 mass abduction in the northeastern town of Chibok was widely criticised, and for several days Jonathan said very little about the shocking attack.

But this week outrage over the girls plight has spread across the world, helped by a growing social media campaign with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.

The campaign has drawn support from celebrities and prominent personalities ranging from US First Lady Michelle Obama to the actress Angelina Jolie. — AFP

Bangkok, May 9
A buoyed Thai opposition today launched an "all out final battle" to topple the government as five persons were injured in clashes with police, raising concerns that the country's prolonged political crisis could worsen.

Police fired teargas and used water cannon to disperse several protesters, including a senior monk, trying to force their way into government's Centre for Administration for Peace and Order (CAPO).

The protesters also attempted to occupy television stations and force them to air their announcements. Five protesters were injured by the teargas.

The People's Democratic Reform Committee, which has been campaigning for six months for the ouster of the government, launched its "all-out final battle" after Yingluck Shinawatra was ordered to step down as Premier on Wednesday by the Constitutional Court over the illegal transfer of her security chief.

Another court yesterday indicted her for negligence over a controversial rice subsidy scheme and will face impeachment that could see her banned from politics for five years.

The two court decisions have bolstered the opposition which has been demanding Yingluck's ouster for months. Though Yingluck has been dismissed, her Pheu Thai party's caretaker government remains in place and says it is working towards a July 20 election.

The court also dismissed nine members of Yingluck's government. Protesters now want to chase the remaining members of her cabinet from power. — PTI