5 things you need to know

• Tensions are running high in Ukraine's Crimea peninsula


• The region has historically been part of Russia, but it's Ukrainian now


• A lot of ethnic Russians live there, but so do Ukrainians and Tatars who are anti-Russian


• Part of the Russian Navy is based in Crimea

(CNN) -- Just when it looked like Ukraine was settling down after toppling pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych over the weekend, tension flared again in Crimea, the southern part of the country where support for Russia is strong. Armed men seized regional government buildings in Crimea and hoisted the Russian flag.

Rival demonstrators chanted "Crimea is Russia" and "Crimea is not Russia" back and forth at each other.

With the peninsula turning into a flashpoint, here are five things you need to know about Crimea.

1. Crimea isn't legally part of Russia now, but it has been in the past.

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Moscow has had an interest in Crimea for hundreds of years, with its rich farmland and its access to the Black Sea. Russia gave Crimea to Ukraine in 1954, when both Russia and Ukraine were part of the Soviet Union.

After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, there was some local desire for Crimea to leave Ukraine and become part of Russia again, but lawmakers in Ukraine and Crimea voted for it to stay part of Ukraine.

Gunmen seize government buildings in Crimea, raise Russian flag

2. A lot of Russians still live in Crimea.

There are actually three main groups in Crimea: ethnic Ukrainians in the north, Russians in the south, and a third group called Tatars in the middle. The Tatars represent 15 to 20% of the population and suffered badly under Stalin in the Soviet era. They're "deadest against annexation by Russia," Alexander Motyl of Rutgers University told a Council on Foreign Relations audience last week.

3. Part of the Russian Navy is based in Crimea.

Any talk about the importance of Crimea to Russia quickly turns to the Black Sea Fleet. The Russian Navy has had a base at the Crimean city of Sevastopol, on the Black Sea, for 230 years. Ships and subs based there are just north of Turkey and can reach the Mediterranean to influence the Middle East and the Balkans.

An expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies has been arguing that the importance of the Black Sea Fleet can be overstated. It is the smallest of the Russian Navy's four fleets, and Russia has a Black Sea coast of its own. In fact, Russia is expanding its Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and moving military vessels there, Christian Le Miere argues.

And yet Sevastopol clearly remains significant for Russia. In 2010, Moscow gave Ukraine a good deal on natural gas, partly in exchange for Kiev extending the Russian Navy lease on the base in Ukraine.

4. Crimea has played a vital role in world history before.

Even if you don't know anything else about the Crimean War, you've heard of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. It was in the Crimean War in the 1850s that she became known as the Lady with the Lamp, caring for soldiers wounded in the war that Britain, France and Ottoman Turkey fought against Russia.

Generations of British schoolchildren have memorized a poem dating from the war: "The Charge of the Light Brigade," by Alfred Lord Tennyson. The poem commemorates a blunder when British troops attacked the wrong Russian position and were slaughtered, memorialized by Tennyson in the lines: "Theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die."

That same battle added a word to the English language: It was called the Battle of Balaclava.

5. And don't forget Yalta, of course.

When World War II was grinding to an end in 1945, the Allied leaders -- U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin -- met to divide up Europe. That meeting, which laid the groundwork for the Cold War, took place in the Crimean resort of Yalta.

Opinion: Will Crimea be Europe's next 'frozen' conflict?

CNN's Ben Brumfield contributed to this report

These 6 kids will give you hope

• Rare Disease Day is held on the last day of February each year


• CNN asked readers to share their stories about living with a rare disease


• Families shared stories of perseverance and hope, despite illness

(CNN) -- Being diagnosed with a chronic disease -- any disease -- is hard. But imagine first spending months or years going from doctor to doctor, trying to figure out what's wrong. Then, in the end, being diagnosed with a disease few people have ever heard of.

Now think about all that happening when you're just a kid.

Nearly 30 million people in the United States have a rare disease. What qualifies something as a rare? It's a specific disease or disorder that affects fewer than 200,000 Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Rare Diseases Research. Scientists have identified more than 6,800 of these diseases worldwide.

In honor of Rare Disease Day, CNN asked readers to submit their stories. We were inspired by these children living with rare diseases. They endure stares, disbelief and debilitating symptoms as they find joy in life's simple pleasures. Here are a few of their stories:

Mitochondrial myopathy

The fact that Sam Brinneman, 16, is alive and well is inspiring all on its own, says his mom, Chris. The Brinnemans knew something was wrong within days of Sam's birth -- he had a weak cry, wasn't nursing well and was "floppy," Chris says. It took three years for doctors to diagnose Sam with mitochondrial myopathy.

Sam Brinneman has mitochondrial myopathy.

Since then, Sam has exceeded everyone's expectations. He's currently a sophomore at a rigorous college-prep high school in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He participates on the school's speech team and in architecture club. Last year he was the state's Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

"He was so deathly ill at times as an infant and toddler, that he constantly amazes me with his abilities," Chris said. "The thing that makes me most proud is the fact that he teaches acceptance wherever he goes. Because he is so open about his disease and so willing to share, he has rarely -- next to never -- been teased by his peers."

Sam struggles on a daily basis to get enough calories for optimal nutrition. He wears a breathing machine to bed to treat his sleep apnea. His parents are diligent about keeping him away from sick people, as his immune system is weak.

Yet Sam never uses his disease as an excuse, his mom says. "He has spoken with groups of all sizes, spreading the message about (mitochondrial diseases), including the need for quicker diagnosis, the need for treatment and the hope for a cure."

Read more about Sam's story on iReport

Cyclic vomiting syndrome

"I never expected my little girl to have to fight a battle with a foe she couldn't see," Tricia Andersen said. But when her daughter, Ali, was 13 months old, she started throwing up and couldn't stop. For a day and a half, Tricia watched as Ali retched painfully and was admitted to the hospital for dehydration. When she was discharged the vomiting episodes continued -- every three weeks like clockwork.

Ali Andersen has cyclic vomiting syndrome.

After a year of doctors' visits, Ali was finally diagnosed with cyclic vomiting syndrome. It took the family another six months and a trip to another state to find a medication combination that would work to ease her symptoms. Even then, she was hospitalized half a dozen times by the time she was 9.

Ali is now 11 years old, and doesn't let CVS dictate her life, Tricia says. She does robotics at school, plays basketball and participates in several track and field events, even though she has to wear an ice vest to keep her body temperature from getting too high.

"She gets involved with the activities that make her happy," her mom said. "[This] allows her to be a 'normal' kid despite having a chronic illness. Having CVS is a part of her life, not what controls it."

Read more about Ali's story on iReport

Cutaneous mastocytosis

When Kellie and Josh Ewell saw their baby, Gage, for the first time, they were shocked.

"His sweet body [was] covered from the tip of his head to the soles of his feet with blisters, hives, knots, and raw places where the blisters had come open," Kellie wrote on iReport. "His skin the texture of an orange and fire-engine red."

Gage Ewell has pediatric diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis.

Gage, now 2, has pediatric diffuse cutaneous mastocystosis. An overabundance of mast cells in his body causes severe allergic reactions to just about everything. His skin turns purple, he struggles to breathe and his parents can only watch as he tears at his skin, trying to find some relief. He is in constant pain, Kellie says.

Despite his illness, Gage is "a little boy anxious to learn and explore the world," his mom said. He loves people, laughing, playing outside and with the family boxer, Colt. He has never known a life without itching, aches or pains, but doesn't let that stop him.

"I want him to be anything that he wants to be and go after any dream that he has," Kellie said. "I never want him to hold back out of fear of what might happen."

Read more about Gage's story on iReport

Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita

Kailen Carpenter is a ladies' man. The 12-year-old learned early that women love to help him with things like carrying his lunch tray or holding his hand as he climbs steps -- and takes full advantage of their companionship.

Kailen Carpenter has arthrogryposis multiplex congenita.

Kailen was diagnosed with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, a condition that affects joint movement, shortly after birth. The condition was caused by his cramped quarters next to his twin in utero, his mom Kayawna says.

His arms are locked in a straight position. He cannot bend his arms to put on his clothes, use a knife and fork, comb his hair or touch his face. Yet he teaches everyone around him the meaning of perseverance, she says.

He's also a terrific dancer and a nearly straight-A student.

"This is an able-bodied world, and people like me have to learn how to live in it," Kailen said. "I can't move like you do, but I hold my own... (People) should take every day and live it like you're awesome. I do."

Read more about Kailen's story on iReport

Leukodystrophy

MRI scans of Ryan Wright's brain show he has the white matter of a 6-month-old baby. Yet he speaks in five- to six-word sentences, rides his bike and goes to preschool.

Ryan Wright was recently diagnosed with leukodystrophy.

Ryan is 4 years old.

He was recently diagnosed with a rare form of leukodystrophy, a progressive genetic disorder that affects the development of myelin in his brain. Myelin is fatty tissue that protects the brain's nerve fibers. The disorder affects Ryan's balance and muscle strength, and causes hand and eye tremors.

His parents try to keep his life as normal as possible in between therapy sessions. He sees an eye doctor every three months, and a neurologist and geneticist every six months.

"It is very hard to tell the prognosis for children with leukodystrophy," his mom, Tricia, said. "Some children stay the same for the rest of their lives, some children decline fast, and some children decline slow."

Ryan never gives up, Tricia says, and is fiercely independent. His geneticist says these traits will keep Ryan healthy longer.

Read more about Ryan's story on iReport

Juvenile dermatomyositis

Tristan Coffey is 5 years old. In July, he developed a mysterious rash on his hands. Three months later, he was diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune disorder.

His immune system is attacking itself, causing painful inflammation in his joints, muscles and internal organs. The Coffeys call it the "invisible illness" because except for the rashes on Tristan's hands and feet, there is little obvious to the eye.

Tristan Coffey has juvenile dermatomyositis.

"Everyone looks at him and says 'Oh, he looks so great,' but they can't see his body attacking his heart, or his liver, or his veins, or his muscles," his mom Brianna said. "They can't see how much he is in the hospital, all that he endures, all the treatments."

Juvenile dermatomyositis is treatable, but not curable. Tristan takes 11 to 14 medications a day. He has a catheter port in his chest for weekly steroid infusions and monthly IVIg therapy. These medications cause huge mood swings, and limit Tristan's ability to be outdoors in the sun.

Despite all this, Tristan is always first in line to play soccer and at the playground with his friends. He's also one of the funniest kids you'll ever meet, Brianna says. "He will always light up a room, the hospital, the grocery store -- wherever we may be."

He's also super sensitive to other people's feelings, she says. "Occasionally he will catch me crying. He will put his little hands on my cheeks and wipe away my tears and say "Mom, I just love you and I'm going to be OK. Don't cry, Mom."

Read more about Tristan's story on iReport

Man dies in Almeria after drinking a bottle of whisky found in rubbish

A MAN, 30, died in Almeria, after drinking a bottle of whisky found in a rubbish container in El Ejido.

According to initial reports, six people found the bottle and drank from it, as did two Moroccan illegal car park attendants, one of them the deceased.

Although they drank in El Ejido, the death and poisonings occurred in Almeria city.

At around 2.20 am the emergency services were called and six people were taken to hospital. An hour later, they were called to the scene where the man died. His friend was taken to hospital.

Four remain in intensive car and three in the A&E department under observation.

The Government Delegate in Andalucia, Carmen Crespo, has reported that there was a toxic substance in the bottle. Police are investigating where it came from.

Child, five, died after house fire in Mallorca this morning

A CHILD, five, died from the effects of smoke inhalation in a house fire in Mallorca in the early that started around 07.00am this morning.

The house, in Calle Rei Jaume 1, in Porreres, caught fire for reasons as yet unknown. An investigation has been opened to determine the causes of the fire.

The first hypothesis by the Judicial Police however is that the fire may have started on the stairs that connect the first floor to the second in the dwelling.

Two adults and four children had to be treated at the scene. One of the children had been invited to stay at the home for the weekend.

Service station gang who targeted tourists in Valencia, Murcia and Andalucia arrested

GANG members who targeted tourists at service stations along the AP-7 motorway, have been arrested.

The 15 Romanians and one Spaniard were charged with stealing from cars and is believed to be responsible for at least 18 separate robberies across Valencia, Murcia and Andalucia.

Police also carried out house searches recovering cash, drugs, travellers cheques and jewellery.

The arrests mark the end of a police operation which began last Autumn.

Guardia Civil detained two people for making chocolate cakes with “magic mushrooms”

In an operation called “SATZ” the Guardia Civil in the province of Valencia detained two people who were making chocolate cakes using hallucinogenic mushrooms.

The investigation began after the police located a person suspected of selling the drug in Tavernes of the Valldigna (Valencia).

The agents carried out a search at his home address where 43 plants of marihuana were seized, 100 grams of marihuana that was prepared for sale, as well as diverse materials used for the preparation and commercialization of this narcotic substance.

Later, in another search in the Valencian municipality of Algemesi, the agents found 110 plants of marihuana, 178 hallucinogenic mushrooms and €3,500 in notes of different denominations.

They then searched the home of the proprietor of a garden centre, where they seized 500 grams of dry marijuana prepared for sale, precision scales and different materials for the preparation and sale of this drug, as well as €390 in different bank notes.

Two Spanish nationals aged 23 and 38 were detained following the investigation accused of illegal supply of drugs, drug trafficking and the illegal cultivation of narcotic substances.

The detained will appear before the Courts of Instruction nº 1 of Alzira and nº 6 of Sueca, located in the province of Valencia.

Armed men guard Crimean airport

• NEW: Ukraine's interior minister accuses Russia of staging an "armed invasion" in the Crimea


• Ousted Ukraine leader Viktor Yanukovych set to give news conference Friday in Russia


• Armed men stand guard outside main airport in Ukraine's southern Crimea region


• "We are checking to make sure that no radicals come to Crimea from Kiev," one man says

Have you witnessed the protests in Ukraine? Share your experiences, but please stay safe.

Simferopol, Ukraine (CNN) -- Armed men in green camouflage uniforms stood guard outside the main airport in Ukraine's southern region of Crimea on Friday, but reports conflicted on whether they had taken control of the facility.

Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsen Avakov accused Russian forces of staging an "armed invasion" in the Black Sea peninsula, claiming they had blocked one military air base and entered an airport overnight.

Avakov, writing on his Facebook page, said Russia's actions in Crimea were "an armed invasion and occupation," and "a direct military provocation on sovereign Ukrainian territory."

But it's still not clear who the armed men are.

"We are checking to make sure that no radicals come to Crimea from Kiev, from the Ukraine," said one man, who didn't give his name.

"We don't want radicals, we don't want fascism, we don't want problems."

Since President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted Saturday, Ukraine has been showing a deepening schism.

Those in the west generally support the country's interim government and its tilt toward the European Union.

And many in the east prefer things as they were -- a Ukraine where its larger neighbor, Russia, casts a long shadow.

And nowhere is that feeling more intense than in Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula with an ethnic Russian majority. It's the last big bastion of opposition to the new political leadership. And there are fears that tensions in the autonomous region might escalate into a bid for separation by its Russian majority.

Voting out the premier

On Thursday, dozens of armed men seized government administration buildings in Simferopol, the Crimean capital. They planted Russia's flag atop the parliament building.

Then, in a vote of no-confidence, pro-Russian members of the Crimean parliament dismissed the government of Premier Anatolii Mohyliov, who was perceived as pro-Kiev.

The lawmakers also scheduled a referendum on greater autonomy for the region within Ukrainian territory.

The date of the referendum? May 25 -- the day Ukraine is scheduled to hold its presidential elections.

Crimea was handed to Ukraine by the Soviet Union in 1954. Just over half its population is ethnic Russian, while about a quarter are Ukrainians and a little more than 10% are Crimean Tatars, a predominantly Muslim group oppressed under former Soviet leader Josef Stalin.

Conflicting reports

Next came the contradictory reports Friday -- both in Russian media -- about the developments at Simferopol airport.

Some news sites said the airport had been seized by pro-Russian gunmen. RIA Novosti, an official Russian news agency, said it spoke to airport staffers who refuted the assertion.

Yanukovych's whereabouts

Amidst the dizzying developments, Kiev has gone about its business of governing.

On Thursday, lawmakers approved opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk as Prime Minister. He made clear that he believes the country's future rests in closer ties to Europe, not Russia.

Immediately, Yanukovych condemned the interim government as illegitimate.

Yanukovych, who has not been seen since his ouster, is in Russia where authorities have accepted his request for security, according to RIA Novosti, which attributed the information to anonymous government sources.

He is expected to give a news conference Friday in the southwestern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, near the border with Ukraine.

CNN's Ingrid Formanek reported from Simferopol and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London. CNN's Saeed Ahmed and Alla Eshchenko contributed to this report.