Ukraine: In the biggest firefight so far, Ukrainian forces killed three pro-Russian protesters, wounded 13 and captured 63 in the eastern city of Mariupol. The government said the separatists tried to storm a base occupied by the Ukrainian National Guard.  The Ukrainian forces have difficulty dealing with crowds that are a mixture of  civilians and Russian troops or operatives. Yesterday an members of an armored force simply surrendered or retreated rather than confront protesters in Sloviansk.

  In response to increasing Ukrainian military activity,  Russian President Vladimir Putin said his Parliament has authorized him to use force if necessary in Eastern Ukraine. Speaking on television Putin referred to the area as “New Russia” and lamented that it had ever become part of Ukraine.

Ferry Disaster: Only nine people are confirmed dead but  287 are still missing in the sinking of a South Korean ferry. Hundreds of divers are trying to reach the interior of the overturned ship, but they’ve been hampered by rough seas and strong currents. Survivors say they were told to stay in place and no order to abandon ship was ever given. Only one lifeboat was launched.  Some of the 325 high school students on board texted family as the ship went down.

Student: “Dad, don’t worry. I’m wearing a life vest and am with other girls. We’re inside the ship, still in the hallway.”

Father: “I know that the rescue is under way, but shouldn’t you be waiting outside the rail? Try to get out if you can.”

Student: “The ship is too tilted. The hallway is crowded with so many people.”

That girl is among the missing.

Nation: A federal judge has blocked the North Dakota law that bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be heard, as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. The law, considered one of the country’s most restrictive anti-abortion laws, was challenged by the state’s only abortion clinic. Judge Daniel Hovland wrote in his decision that, “The state of North Dakota has presented no reliable medical evidence to justify the passage of this troubling law.” Hovland noted that for the past 40 years the law of the land has been that abortion is legal until the baby is capable of living outside the womb.

Payback: Robert Rizzo, 60, the former administrator who bilked the city of Bell, Calif., was sentenced yesterday to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay back $9 million. The Bell scandal became national news in 2010 when reporters discovered Rizzo was paying himself $1.5 million a year, the highest municipal salary in California, and possibly the whole country. Other city officials also were involved. Rizzo had a home in Huntington Beach and a ranch outside Seattle.

Dislike: The NY Times reports that General Mills has issued a new policy blocking lawsuits and binding its customers to arbitration if they have a complaint or action against the company. General Mills posted a new “Privacy Policy” saying its new legal terms “require all disputes related to the purchase or use of any General Mills product or service to be resolved through binding arbitration.” The policy also says customers give up the right to sue if they download a coupon or join the cereal maker’s Facebook group.  The old Betty Crocker slogan was “Say it with cake.” Now General Mills says it in legal boilerplate.

Flush: The City of Portland, Ore. is emptying one of its reservoirs of 38 million gallons of water after a teenager was caught on surveillance video peeing into the water. The head of the water department said he would not deliver “deliberately contaminated water.” The people in charge of the city’s public swimming pools had no comment.

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