Need to know

Your morning five: Ukraine unrest turns deadly

Also: Quebec Liberals are under criminal investigation

Alexander Ermochenko/AP

Alexander Ermochenko/AP

We tell you five things you need to know this morning.

1. Ukraine unrest turns deadly. Ukrainian forces killed three pro-Russian attackers in Mariupol, a port town on the Sea of Azov. BBC and Al Jazeera both report that the Ukrainians snuffed out an overnight raid by 300 assailants, wounding another 13 and taking dozens prisoner. The fatalities come as diplomats from Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union sit down to resolve the crisis. Should the talks fail, Western governments could impose further sanctions on a Russian side they blame for supporting and encouraging unrest in Ukraine’s east.

2. Mike Duffy might face charges. Leaky sources in Ottawa told reporters yesterday that the RCMP has concluded its investigation into suspended Sen. Mike Duffy. The likelihood that Duffy will face criminal charges remains unknown, though it won’t be long before he finds out. The Toronto Star‘s sources say the Mounties will make a decision within weeks. The Globe and Mail‘s sources say investigators will release their findings imminently. Only Global News reports that charges are likely. Meanwhile, ex-Harper chief of staff Nigel Wright was cleared of wrongdoing earlier this week.

3. Hundreds remain missing in South Korea. A day after a ferry sank off the country’s coast, officials say they’ve rescued 179 passengers—which leaves 287 people still missing. Nine are confirmed to have died, and many more were injured. A coast guard official told the BBC that rescuers are skeptical anyone else will be found alive, as challenging weather hampered efforts. The incident’s cause remains unknown.

4. Quebec Liberals are under investigation. Premier-elect Philippe Couillard’s party, which won power in Quebec on April 7 after the Parti Québécois disintegrated in broad daylight, was only booted out of office 18 months ago—mired in corruption allegations. Didn’t take long for investigators to remind Quebecers of the now-governing party’s alleged indiscretions. An anti-corruption squad has opened investigations into a quartet of Jean Charest Liberals, including an unnamed sitting MNA, in connection with the construction of a water-treatment plant.

5. Heartbleed’s first hacker is allegedly Canadian. Stephen Arthuro Solis-Reyes, 19, is the first person in the world to face charges related to the security bug that had millions of Internet users in a nervous frenzy for much of last week. The Canada Revenue Agency suspended service on its website after a hacker, allegedly Solis-Reyes, stole 900 social insurance numbers by way of Heartbleed, a bug that exploits gaps in OpenSSL encryption software. A lawyer for Solis-Reyes, who attends Western University, said the straight-A student felt “suckerpunched” by his arrest.

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