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Turkish mine bosses arrested
5/18/2014 9:51:49 PM
- NEW: Four people, including engineers and a manager, are arrested, says prosecutor
- Search efforts are now over with a confirmed death toll of 301, government officials say
- "If you boo the country's prime minister, you get slapped," Turkey's PM says in video
- Mine owner says the Soma site met the standards required by Turkish law
(CNN) -- Four people have been arrested in connection with last week's coal mine fire in Soma, Turkey, that killed 301 miners, the country's semiofficial Anadolu news agency reported.
Soma Coal Mining Company operating manager Akin Celik, engineers Yalcin Erdogan and Ertan Ersoy, and security chief Yasin Kurnaz were taken into custody Sunday, the agency said, citing Turkish prosecutor Bekir Sahiner.
Twenty-five people were detained and questioned, Anadolu reported.
The search for victims of Tuesday's fire ended Saturday. Authorities believe they have now recovered the bodies of all the workers who perished.
The investigation into what caused the deadliest disaster in Turkish mining history continues, the Natural Disaster and Emergency Coordination Directorate said.
The last bodies were pulled out Saturday afternoon, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said.
However, as the recovery effort comes to an end, controversy over Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's response to the tragedy refuses to blow over.
On Friday, police in Soma used tear gas, plastic pellets and a water cannon on protesters angered by the government's response.
The protesters, dressed mostly in black, chanted "Don't sleep, Soma, remember your dead!" as they passed through city streets a few miles from the disaster site trying to reach a statue honoring miners.
Amid a rising tide of discontent, local authorities have banned protests in Soma and apparently clamped down on those taking part.
Lawyers' representatives told Turkish broadcaster DHA that eight lawyers and 25 other citizens were detained Saturday. The lawyers were in town to try to help represent families of the dead miners.
Abdurrahman Savas, the governor of Manisa province, where Soma is located, declined to say how many people had been detained over the protests.
But he told reporters that the authorities decided Friday to ban rallies and demonstrations in Soma to maintain peace and security.
"This is not to prevent freedom of expression," he said.
Distrust of the government is running high in certain sectors of society, with some voicing doubts about the official count of those missing, while others question the fact no one has yet taken responsibility for the tragedy.
Some are also critical of the authorities' use of tear gas and the water cannon against demonstrators.
Erdogan's missteps
Public anger has been fueled in part by Erdogan's own missteps while visiting the scene of the disaster Wednesday.
First, Erdogan's comments to relatives of dead and injured miners, in which he described the disaster as par for the course in a dangerous business, were seen as highly insensitive and drew scathing criticism.
Then video taken on the same day in Soma showed Erdogan telling a man "don't be nasty," according to the footage aired Friday by DHA. The remarks initially reported and translated by DHA were confirmed by a CNN native Turkish speaker.
"What happened happened. It is from God. ... If you boo the country's prime minister, you get slapped," Erdogan is heard saying.
That was after another video clip emerged showing a crowd outside a grocery store angrily booing Erdogan. As the Prime Minister entered the crowded store, he appeared to put his arm around the neck of a man who was later identified as a miner.
After the confrontation, the video captured what appeared to be Erdogan's security guards beating the same man to the floor. The miner said later that Erdogan slapped him, possibly by mistake. He wants an apology for the way he was treated by the Prime Minister's staff.
In addition, a photograph of an aide to Erdogan kicking a protester surfaced Wednesday, an image that quickly became a symbol of the anger felt by many against the government, and amid mounting questions over safety practices at the mine.
Huseyin Celik, a spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party, dismissed the grocery store incident and said the image of the aide, Yusuf Yerkel, kicking the protester was misleading.
Yerkel was quoted by the Anadolu news agency Thursday as saying that he had been deeply saddened by the previous day's events. "I am sad that I could not keep my calm in the face of all the provocation, insults and attacks that I was subjected to that day," he reportedly said.
Questions over safety chambers
The mine complex exploded in flames for unknown reasons Tuesday, trapping many miners deep underground.
Among other issues, mine officials indicated Friday that workers may not have had access to an emergency refuge where they could have taken shelter from the flames and choking fumes.
The owner of the company, Alp Gurman, said the mine met the highest standards laid out by the law in Turkey. The company, he said, had no legal obligation to build safety chambers.
Asked about that issue, Minister of Labor and Social Security Faruk Celik defended Turkey's workplace safety act and said it was set up within the framework of EU regulations, according to CNN Turk.
"This is a dynamic area," he said, adding that it is the duty of each company to ensure workers' safety needs are met. "Could people be sent to death because a certain sentence is not in the regulations?" he asked.
Istanbul Technical University said it had dropped Gurman and a fellow Soma Holding manager, Ismet Kasapoglu, from an advisory panel in its mining faculty, following protests and an occupation by students at the university, CNN Turk reported.
Political bonfire
Hundreds also took to the streets last week in anti-government protests in Istanbul and Ankara, with police answering, in some cases, with water cannons and tear gas.
As Erdogan took a stroll through Soma, onlookers showered him with deafening jeers as well as chants of "Resign, Prime Minister!"
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu defended Erdogan in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday.
"He was feeling all these pains in his heart," he said. "Everybody knows that our Prime Minister is always with the people, and always feels the pain of the people. Otherwise, he wouldn't get such a high support in eight elections in (the) last 10 years."
But the disaster opened up an old political wound.
Opposition politician Ozgur Ozel, who is from the Manisa region, which includes Soma, filed a proposal in late April to investigate Turkish mines after repeated deadly accidents.
Erdogan's government rejected the proposal. It claimed that the mine, owned by Soma Komur Isletmeleri A.S., had passed recent inspections.
A Turkish engineers' association criticized mine ventilation and safety equipment last week as being "insufficient and old."
A lack of safety inspections has caused 100 coal mines to be closed in the last three years, according to Turkey's Energy Ministry.
President Abdullah Gul, speaking as he visited Soma on Thursday, said he was sure the investigation already begun would "shed light" on what regulations are needed. "Whatever is necessary will be done," he said.
Despair, anger, dwindling hope after Turkey coal mine fire
Gul Tuysuz and Ivan Watson reported from western Turkey, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported from London. CNN's Diana Magnay, Talia Kayali and Ben Brumfield contributed to this report.
Search for yacht with 4 aboard ends
5/19/2014 1:26:26 AM
- Four British sailors are believed to have abandoned ship Friday
- The 40-foot Cheeki Rafiki began taking on water Thursday
- Coast Guard suspends efforts after searching more than 4000 square miles
(CNN) -- The U.S. Coast Guard said Sunday it has suspended its search for four British sailors missing since Friday.
The 40-foot (12 meters) Cheeki Rafiki was sailing from the Caribbean to the United Kingdom Thursday when it began taking on water, according to the yacht's managing agent.
"Unfortunately, we lost contact during the early hours of Friday morning, and we believe the crew abandoned to the life raft," Doug Innes said in a statement.
Royal Yachting Association identified the missing yachtsmen as skipper Andrew Bridge, 21; Steve Warren, 52; Paul Goslin, 56; and James Male, 23.
The Coast Guard's Boston-based 1st District coordinated a multinational search of 4,146 square miles for the crew.
"Although the search efforts coordinated by Boston were exceptional, we are devastated that search has been called off so soon after the abandonment to a life raft," Innes said.
The Coast Guard said in a Sunday news release that a merchant vessel located an overturned hull the day before that matched the description of the Cheeki Rafiki, but there was no sign of the sailors.
"We appreciate the assistance of the U.S. Air Force, Canadian and the three merchant vessels helping us to conduct a thorough search so far from shore," said Capt. Anthony Popiel, 1st Coast Guard District chief of response. "We are extremely disappointed that we were not able to locate the sailors during the course of this extensive search. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families during this difficult time."
Innes describes the Cheeki Rafiki on his company's website as "a performance racer/cruiser and suitable for both the inshore and offshore circuit" and that she is "equipped for trans-Atlantic sailing and racing."
Sailor so 'rich' he forgot $100k yacht
CNN's Haimy Assefa and Jo Shelley contributed to this report.
'War declared' on Boko Haram
5/18/2014 4:36:29 AM
- NEW: France will not intervene militarily in Nigeria, president says
- Cameroon soldier killed, 10 Chinese missing, one injured after Boko Haram attack
- Boko Haram acts as an al Qaeda operation in central Africa, Nigeria says
- "We're here to declare war on Boko Haram," Cameroon leader says at summit
Full coverage of CNN international correspondent Nima Elbagir's Chibok journey will screen on CNN International on Saturday 17 May at 2100 CET, Sunday 18 May at 0030 CET, 0400 CET and 1200 CET and Monday 19 May at 0730 CET.
(CNN) -- Nigeria and four neighboring countries will share intelligence and border surveillance in the hunt for more than 200 Nigerian girls still held by Boko Haram, and Western nations will provide technical expertise and training to the new regional African effort against the extreme Islamists.
The plan was announced Saturday at the conclusion of a security summit in Paris hosted by French President François Hollande.
Hollande described Boko Haram as now a bigger terror threat than first portrayed -- beyond Nigeria and even Africa.
"Boko Haram is an organization that is linked to terrorism in Africa and whose will is to destabilize the north of Nigeria, certainly, and all the neighboring countries of Nigeria and beyond that region," he said.
Cameroon President Paul Biya was more forceful in describing how partnering countries will "take stronger measures to eradicate" the extremist Islamist group.
"We're here to declare war on Boko Haram," Biya said.
As the summit took place Saturday, reports emerged about the latest apparent Boko Haram attack, this one in Cameroon.
Hollande said one Cameroonian soldier was killed in the Friday night attack against Chinese nationals in northern Cameroon, which is known as a stronghold for the Islamic extremists.
Ten Chinese nationals are missing after the attack, a Chinese official said Saturday. One injured person was being treated by a Chinese medical team in the Chadian capital of N'Djamena, said Lu Quinjiang, first counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital.
Nigerian military
France "will not intervene" militarily in Nigeria because Nigeria "has military forces that are available and efficient," Hollande said during an interview with France 24 that aired late Saturday.
The Nigerian military suffered an embarrassing setback in April when it retracted a report that nearly all the kidnapped girls were released. In fact, the girls, taken from a boarding school in Chibok, were still missing.
Nigeria now has 20,000 troops, plus aircraft and intelligence sources, in parts of its nation where Boko Haram is active, said President Goodluck Jonathan.
"Boko Haram is no longer a local terror group," Jonathan said. "It is clearly operating as an al Qaeda operation" in central Africa, he said.
"The major challenge that we have faced in our search and rescue operation so far has been the deluge of misinformation about the whereabouts of the girls and the circumstances of their disappearance," the President added.
Boko Haram's guerrilla campaign has claimed 12,000 lives, with 8,000 people injured or maimed since 2009, Jonathan said.
Nigeria will coordinate patrols, pool intelligence and exchange weapons and human trafficking information with Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, according to the agreement reached at the summit.
France, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union "will coordinate their support for this regional cooperation" through technical expertise, training programs and support for border-area management programs, a summit statement said.
The participants agreed that the United Kingdom will host a follow-up meeting next month to review the action plan.
In the meantime, participants committed to accelerating international sanctions against Boko Haram and its leaders through the United Nations.
Boko Haram translates as "Western education is a sin" in the Hausa language. The militant group says its aim is to impose a stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south. Boko Haram's attacks have intensified in recent years.
The summit
The Nigerian President joined Saturday's summit of African presidents and U.S., UK and EU representatives on the growing threat from Boko Haram as American officials expressed concerns about his military's ability to rescue hundreds of schoolgirls abducted last month.
The terror group abducted an estimated 276 girls on April 14 from a boarding school in Chibok in northeastern Nigeria.
Dozens escaped, but more than 200 girls are still missing. Nigerians have accused their government of not acting swiftly or efficiently enough to protect the girls seized in the dead of night.
And the criticism shows no signs of abating, even from allies who've pledged to help in the rescue mission. The United States, China and Britain are among a handful of nations providing advice.
The United States is using drones and manned surveillance aircraft in the search, but has said Nigeria is reluctant to use the information provided.
"The division in the north that mainly is engaging with Boko Haram, the 7th Division, has recently shown signs of real fear," said Alice Friend, African Affairs director for the Department of Defense. "They do not have the capabilities, the training or the equipment that Boko Haram does, and Boko Haram is exceptionally brutal and indiscriminate in their attacks."
"I would say an even greater concern is the incapacity of the Nigerian military and the Nigerian government's failure to provide leadership to the military," Friend said Thursday at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
For now, the United States is not sharing raw intelligence from its surveillance aircraft with Nigeria's armed forces because the countries have not established the intelligence-sharing protocols and safeguards needed for such an agreement, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said Wednesday.
There's also concern about how the information will be used by a military that's been accused of human rights violations itself.
"We have sought assurances from them... that they will use any information that we pass to them from this (intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance) support in a manner consistent with international humanitarian and human rights law," Friend explained.
Nigeria has been accused of not doing enough to protect the girls abducted from a militant hotbed that was already under a state of emergency.
But a spokesman for the military defended the nation's response.
"Borno State is under a state of emergency, over 90,000 square kilometers," said Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade. "Are you saying we should deploy ... soldiers in over 90,000 kilometers -- one soldier per kilometer? You can imagine that expense for one of the states under a state of emergency."
CNN's Mariano Castillo, Nana Karikari-apau and Christabelle Fombu contributed to this report.
F1 legend Jack Brabham dies at 88
5/19/2014 3:30:03 AM
- Australian Formula One legend Jack Brabham has died aged 88
- Brabham is the only driver to win the title in a car he built himself
- He won three drivers' world championships and founded a successful racing team
- McLaren boss Ron Dennis said his achievements would never be matched
(CNN) -- Australian motor racing legend Jack Brabham -- a three-time Formula One world champion and the only driver to win the title in a car bearing his name -- has died aged 88.
Over the course of a 15-year Formula One career beginning in 1955, Brabham won three drivers' world championships, becoming the first Australian to win the title despite coming late to the sport.
The first two titles, in 1959 and 1960, were earned as a driver for the Cooper team.
The third and most notable occurred in 1966, when, at 40-years-old, he won racing for Brabham, the successful car manufacturer and racing team he founded.
The team won the constructors' championships that season and the following year, with teammate Denny Hulme following in Brabham's footsteps to finish top of the drivers' standings in 1967.
"He lived an incredible life, achieving more than anyone would ever dream of and he will continue to live on through the astounding legacy he leaves behind," Brabham's youngest son, David, wrote in a message on the family's website.
David, who, like his two brothers, followed his father into a career in motorsport, said the racing legend had passed peacefully at his home on Australia's Gold Coast. He had eaten breakfast with his wife, Lady Margaret.
"It's a very sad day for all of us," said David, who spent two seasons in F1 in the 1990s but made a name for himself in sports cars, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2009.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott declared that "Australia has lost a legend" as the news of his passing was announced. "With his pioneering spirit, Sir Jack Brabham personified many great Australian characteristics. He was respected and admired for his spirit and for his great skill as an engineer."
Late bloomer
The son of a Sydney greengrocer, Jack Brabham was an engineer by trade, working as a flight mechanic for the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War, as well as running a small engineering workshop.
He moved to Britain to pursue his racing career in the 1950s, and was eventually given his chance behind the wheel by Cooper in 1955, his appearance in the cockpit coinciding with the end of front-engined cars in the sport.
Four years later, he won the first of his three drivers' crowns, famously sealing his 1959 victory in the driver's championship by pushing his car to the finishing line after having run out of fuel on the last lap at the inaugural U.S. Grand Prix. He finished the race in fourth place to secure the title.
Brabham retired at the end of the 1970 season, the year of his 14th and final grand prix victory, selling his racing team at the same time.
In 1979, he became the first driver to be knighted for services to motorsport.
Brabham, the team he founded with Australian designer Ron Tauranac, won four Formula One drivers' championships and two constructors' championships during its three decades in operation.
Noted figures associated with the team included Hulme, Nelson Piquet, Bernie Ecclestone and McLaren chairman and CEO Ron Dennis.
'Most illustrious'
Dennis paid tribute to the man who gave him his first break in a statement on McLaren's website, calling him "one of the most illustrious names in motor racing history" and said Brabham's achievement in becoming Formula One champion in a car he built himself "will surely never be matched."
"The word 'legend' is often used to describe successful sportsmen, but often it exaggerates their status. In the case of Sir Jack Brabham, however, it's entirely justified," he wrote.
"When I started out in Formula One in the late 1960s, I worked first for Cooper and then for Brabham. Even as a callow youth, I could recognize greatness when I saw it, and I'll always regard it as an honor and a privilege to have worked for Sir Jack. I learned a lot from him too."
Mick Doohan, a five-time motorcycle world champion, said he was in awe of Brabham's achievements. "He set the bar pretty high," said Doohan. "He was a great guy and, looking back on what he achieved, it was just amazing."
Red Bull racer Daniel Ricciardo tweeted: "Sorry to hear about Sir Jack Brabham. A great Australian who inspired many Aussies to pursue our dreams."
Australian actor Eric Bana, himself a keen racer, also paid his respects. "Build them, race them, win them. We will never see another like the great Sir Jack Brabham," he tweeted.
People we've lost in 2014
Scores arrested in global crackdown on hackers
5/19/2014 1:53:43 PM
- FIRST ON CNN: FBI and police in several countries make arrests, conduct searches
- The crackdown involves the malicious software called Blackshades
- The targeted software was used to spy on Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf
- Word of a crackdown emerged last week on Internet forums used by hackers
Reigning Miss Teen USA and "creepware" victim Cassidy Wolf will be live with Anderson Cooper tonight at 8 p.m. ET on CNN.
Washington (CNN) -- It is nicknamed "creepware," and more than half-a-million people around the world have been prey to its silent computer snooping.
Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf was one of them in a well-publicized case of hacking associated with the malware called Blackshades.
Now, an international crackdown by the FBI and police in 19 countries has brought more than 90 arrests in what authorities say is a serious strike against a widespread and growing problem.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in New York told reporters the global investigation "exposed and crippled a frightening form of cyber crime that has affected hundreds of thousands of users around the world."
The sweep, capping a two-year operation, was coordinated so suspects didn't have time to destroy evidence. It included the arrest of a Swedish hacker who was a co-creator of Blackshades, Alex Yucel, who was apprehended in Moldova.
In total, one of the largest global cyber-crime crackdowns has yielded the arrests of more than 90 people linked to the Blackshades malware, with more than 300 searches conducted, Bharara said.
Others arrested included Michael Hogue, who was nabbed in Arizona in 2012, pleaded guilty last year and now was cooperating with federal authorities, according to Bharara.
Two arrests in New York picked up Kyle Fedorek and Marlen Rappa, who both were charged with conspiracy to commit computer hacking and computer hacking, said documents posted on the website of Bharara's office. Fedorek also faces a charge of access device fraud, his charging document said.
'Creepware'
The malware, which sells for as little as $40, can be used to hijack computers remotely and turn on computer webcams, access hard drives and capture keystrokes to steal passwords -- without the victim ever knowing it.
According to Bharara and the FBI, criminals have used Blackshades for everything from extortion to bank fraud, and it has become one of the world's most popular remote administration tools, or RATs, used for cybercrime in just a few years.
"The RAT is inexpensive and simple to use, but its capabilities are sophisticated and its invasiveness breathtaking," Bharara said. "For just $40, the BlackShades RAT enabled anyone anywhere in the world to instantly become a dangerous cyber criminal, able to steal your property and invade your privacy."
To prove his point, the FBI released screen grabs showing how the malware works, including an ungrammatical message that would pop up on the computer screens of victims that said: "Your computer has basically been hijacked, and your private files stored on your computer has now been encrypted, which means they are impossible to access, and can only be decryped/restored by us."
Leo Taddeo, chief of the FBI's cyber crime investigations in New York, said the unprecedented coordination with so many police agencies came about because of concern about the fast growth of cyber crime businesses.
"These cyber criminals have paid employees, they have feedback from customers -- other cyber criminals -- to continually update and improve their product," Taddeo said recently. While he spoke, agents took calls from counterparts working the case in more than 40 U.S. cities.
Blackshades had grown rapidly because it was marketed as off-the-shelf, easy-to-use software, much like legitimate consumer tax preparation software.
"It's very sophisticated software in that it is not very easy to detect," Taddeo said. "It can be installed by somebody with very little skills."
Miss Teen USA spied on at home
For victims whose personal computers were turned into weapons against them, the arrests bring reassurance.
Wolf, the reigning Miss Teen USA, received an ominous e-mail message in March 2013.
The e-mail, from an unidentified sender, included nude photos of her, obviously taken in her bedroom from her laptop. "Either you do one of the things listed below or I upload these pics and a lot more ... on all your accounts for everybody to see and your dream of being a model will be transformed into a porn star," the e-mail said.
And so began what Wolf describes as three months of torture.
The e-mail sender demanded better-quality photos and video, and a five-minute sex show via Skype, according to FBI documents filed in court. He told her she must respond to his e-mails immediately -- software he had installed told him when she opened his messages.
"I felt completely violated," Wolf said in an interview. "I felt scared because I didn't know if this person was a physical threat. My whole sense of security and trust was gone."
A former classmate she knew, Jared Abrahams, had installed Blackshades malware on Wolf's laptop. In March, the 20-year-old computer science student was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to extortion and unauthorized access of a computer.
Abrahams had been watching her from her laptop camera for a year, Wolf later learned. The laptop always sat open in her bedroom, as she played music or communicated with her friends.
According to FBI documents, Abrahams had used Blackshades to target victims from California to Maryland, and from Russia to Ireland. He used the handle "cutefuzzypuppy" to get tips on how to use malware and told the FBI he had controlled as many as 150 computers.
Hackers issued warnings
Computer hacker forums lit up last week as law enforcement officials around the world began knocking on doors, seizing computers and making arrests around the world.
On the popular websites where cybercriminals buy and sell software kits and help each other solve problems, hackers issued warnings about police visits to their homes.
The hackers quickly guessed that a major crackdown was under way on users of Blackshades.
In New York City, about two dozen FBI cybercrime investigators holed up in the bureau's special operations center tracked the investigation.
Rows of computer screens flickered with updates from police in Germany, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and elsewhere. Investigators followed along in real time as hundreds of search warrants were executed and suspects were interviewed.
Six large computer monitors displayed key parts of the investigation. Agents kept an eye on one screen showing a popular website where Blackshades was sold. The FBI has taken down the site.
Another monitor showed a map of the world displaying the locations of the 700,000 estimated victims whose computers have been hijacked by criminals using the Blackshades software. Splotches of green on the map indicated concentrations of infected computers in highly populated parts of the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Weak security, victims' mistakes
Cybercriminals often rely on weak links in computer security and mistakes by victims to infect computers.
Many computer users don't update anti-virus software. Many click on links sent in messages on social media sites such as Facebook or in e-mail without knowing what they're clicking on. In seconds, malware is downloaded. Often, computer users have no idea infection has taken place.
Taddeo, the FBI cybercrime chief, said the most common way criminals have used Blackshades to target victims is by sending e-mails that seem legitimate, perhaps with a marketing offer, and with a link to click. "Anyone who signs on to the Internet is potentially a victim of this tool," he said.
In Wolf's case, she received a Facebook message related to teen pageants. When her computer was infected, it sent messages to other friends, whose computers also became infected.
The episode has made Wolf a campaigner to urge young people to be better educated about online safety. She said her passwords are now more complicated and unique for each account, and she changes them often. She uses updated security software.
"I really didn't think that everything I worked for could be lost because of this," she said. "This can happen to anybody."
U.S. to file charges against Chinese officials in hacking case
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Immigrants perish on desert trek
5/18/2014 6:14:19 AM
MERS 'transmitted inside U.S.'
5/18/2014 10:45:37 AM
- An Illinois man has tested positive for a past MERS infection, a doctor says
- It is not being counted by the World Health Organization as an official MERS case
- WHO requires a live active infection be present to be counted
Atlanta (CNN) -- The first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome believed to be transmitted within the United States has been identified in an Illinois man who was infected and is no longer sick, a doctor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday.
The unidentified Illinois man had "extended face-to-face contact" during a 40-minute business meeting with an Indiana man who was diagnosed with MERS after traveling from Saudi Arabia, Dr. David Swerdlow told reporters during a telephone briefing.
A blood test confirmed the Illinois man had been previously infected, and he reported suffering only mild cold-like symptoms and did not seek or require medical care, Swerdlow said.
"We think that this patient was likely infected with MERS. But technically he doesn't count as an official case of MERS," he said.
The case does not meet the World Health Organization definition of an active case, which requires evidence of a live virus, according to Swordlow.
Even so, U.S. health officials appear to be treating it as one.
MERS: 5 things to know
U.S. investigation
The case was discovered as part of an investigation by U.S. health officials to track people who came in close contact with the Indiana man, who became the first person diagnosed with MERS in the United States. He was diagnosed with the virus on May 2.
MERS, first found in the Arabian Peninsula in 2012, is a coronavirus -- the same group of viruses as the common cold. It attacks the respiratory system.
Symptoms, which include fever and a cough, are severe and can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea have also been seen, according to the WHO. There is no vaccine or special treatment, and it can be fatal in up to one-third of cases, Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general for the U.S. Public Health Service told CNN recently.
To date, there have been more than 570 confirmed cases of MERS, including 171 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The number of countries with confirmed cases expanded to 18, with a case in the Netherlands, according to the WHO.
Many of the cases are in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
No one knows exactly how the virus originated, but evidence implicating camels is emerging. In a recently published study in mBio, researchers said they isolated live MERS virus from two single-humped camels, known as dromedaries. They found multiple substrains in the camel viruses, including one that perfectly matches a substrain isolated from a human patient.
2 health care workers exposed to MERS patient
Indiana case
The Illinois case was discovered as part of an investigation by U.S. health officials who tracked the movements and contacts of the Indiana man, who was an American health care provider who had been working in Saudi Arabia and was on a planned visit to Indiana to see his family.
He traveled April 24 from Riyadh to London, then to Chicago, and took a bus to Indiana, officials said.
The Indiana man "had extended face-to-face contact with a business associate (Illinois man) on April 25, and then another brief contact on April 26," Swerdlow said.
The Indiana began experiencing shortness of breath, coughing, and fever on April 27, the Indiana State Department of Health has said.
He was admitted to Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, on April 28, the same day he visited the emergency department there, the health department said. The man was released from the hospital last week.
Health officials tested 53 health care workers, six family member and an additional business associate.
The MERS virus appears to have presented differently in the Illinois man, who reported only mild-like cold symptoms.
"There is a broader spectrum of MERS than first thought... you can have no symptoms," Swerdlow said.
There are no travel restrictions to the Arabian Peninsula; however, the CDC suggests that people who visit there monitor their health and watch for any flu-like symptoms. If you do feel unwell after such a trip, be sure to tell your doctor about your travel.
Second MERS case confirmed in Netherlands
Outbreak becomes more urgent, WHO says
CNN's Elizabeth Landau contributed to this report.
Disaster exposes Turkey's fragility
5/19/2014 4:11:38 AM
- Karabekir Akkoyunlu: Disaster exposes Turkey as 21st-century Dickensian dystopia
- Those in power have displayed a brazen lack of humility and sense of responsibility, he says
- Akkoyunlu: Erdogan views such "accidents" as unfortunate but unavoidable side effects
- Erdogan cannot sustain his popularity through nationalist propaganda, he writes
Editor's note: Karabekir Akkoyunlu is researcher at the London School of Economics where he focuses on socio-political change in Turkey and Iran. Follow him on Twitter. The views expressed in this commentary are solely the author's.
(CNN) -- The Soma mining disaster is already the deadliest industrial catastrophe in Turkey's history. Yet Turks are unable to grieve for the appalling loss of human life. Utter shock and fury are the overriding public sentiments against the brazen lack of humility and sense of responsibility displayed by those in positions of power, both in the government and private sector.
But Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's scandalous attempt to justify the death of more than 280 miners by pointing to mining disasters that occurred in France, Britain and the United States more than a century ago reveals more than the worldview of a ruthless politician with a skewed sense of chronology.
It also exposes Turkey for what it has become: a grim 21st-century Dickensian dystopia, where a new class of political and business elite grows rich and powerful on the back of cheap labor and expendable lives.
The comparison with 19th century Europe is hardly superfluous: worker's rights have been systematically weakened and are routinely violated in Turkey since the 1980s, to the extent that the country was "blacklisted" by the International Labor Organisation (ILO) in 2008. Trade unions, once powerful and influential, have been emasculated and seen their ranks dwindle. Over a million subcontracted workers in the public and private sector are without job security, deprived of their right to join unions and participate in collective bargaining.
Cheap labor and weak regulation make Turkey an attractive destination for industrial production and fuel the country's construction sector, which has been driving growth over the past decade. Yet they also come with a terrible price tag: the ILO ranked Turkey first in Europe and third in the world for fatal work accidents in 2012. Coal mining is among the deadliest of professions. According to a 2010 report by the Turkish think tank TEPAV, the ratio of deaths to production capacity in Turkey was five times the figure for China and 361 times the figure for the U.S., two of the world's leading coal producers.
An overwhelming majority of the work related deaths are caused by poor working conditions, inadequate training and a general lack of job security, and are thus preventable. Erdogan seems to disagree. "Dying," he declared following an explosion that killed 30 workers at a Zonguldak mine in 2010, "is the fate of the miner." In Soma, he casually suggested that accidents were in the nature of this work; they were "usual things."
As he spoke, his normally animated face remained calm and expressionless, devoid of any visible sign of remorse or empathy. He accepted no responsibility, including for his party's rejection of a parliamentary proposal by the opposition CHP only three weeks ago to investigate a string of past accidents and deaths at the very mining facility in Soma.
It would appear that Erdogan views such "accidents" as unfortunate but unavoidable side effects of Turkey's rise as a regional power under his leadership. After all, no empire is built without the blood and sacrifice of the nation, whose "will" he claims to embody and grandeur he seeks to restore.
As in Britain and France at the turn of the last century, tales of imperial glory constitute a central part of the ruling AKP's populist discourse. And in a country that is deeply divided along identity issues, especially along the secular versus religious fault line, such discourse has powerful appeal.
But even Erdogan cannot sustain his tremendous popularity through nationalist propaganda and perpetuated feelings of social resentment, if he and his aides continue to dismiss the plight of "his people" and respond to their ultimate sacrifice with kicks and punches.
In this regard, the Soma disaster may turn out to be a watershed moment. Numerous times in recent years, the government's security apparatus harassed those who were experiencing unspeakable agony for having lost loved ones, some at the state's own hands. The families of those killed in an airstrike near the Kurdish village of Roboski in December 2011, in the terror attack in Reyhanli in May 2013, or during the anti-government protests across the country since last June have been deprived of their right to grieve and forced into a continuous state shock and outrage.
But these were mostly poor Kurds, Alevis or secular Turks, who are unlikely to support Erdogan's party. In Soma, on the other hand, the AKP is popular. It carried the town comfortably both in the general election in 2011 and the municipal election held in March this year. And it is here that the AKP's headquarters have been ransacked, and the prime minister hackled and called on to resign by furious residents.
In Huxley's Brave New World, "soma" was the hallucinogenic substance used by the state to induce a feeling of contentment and happiness among citizens. It remains to be seen whether in Erdogan's Brave New Turkey, Soma will have the opposite effect.
READ: Image of PM's aide kicking protester stokes anger over Turkey mine fire
READ: Despair, anger, dwindling hope after Turkey coal mine fire
Who is India's Narendra Modi?
5/19/2014 4:12:15 AM
- India's Prime Minister-in-waiting Narendra Modi is a polarizing figure
- Critics say the pro-business Hindu nationalist is a threat to secular, liberal traditions
- He led the state of Gujarat through a period of strong economic growth
- But his relationship with the country's huge Muslim minority has come under scrutiny
(CNN) -- What will Narendra Modi's India look like?
The country's prime minister-in-waiting -- a staunch Hindu nationalist and the Chief Minister of the western state of Gujarat since 2001 -- is a deeply polarizing figure and an unproven commodity on the international stage.
Analysts predict his arrival in the country's top office will bring a marked change in direction for the world's most populous democracy, a nation whose modern character has been defined by the inclusive, secular and liberal approach of the Congress Party, which has governed for most of the post-independence era.
The only question, they say, is how great a departure Modi's premiership will be from what has come before.
"There will be a big change," analyst and journalist Arati Jerath told CNN ahead of the announcement of his Bharatiya Janata Party's (Indian People's Party) sweep at the polls.
"The desire for change very clearly (is there)... I think people are looking for another kind of government.
"His vision for India is not the kind of inclusive, secularist vision that we have been used to -- it is a much more right-wing, pro-Hindu vision," she said.
"I ... see an increase in social tension with groups that are not included in his vision."
Administrator-in-chief
The 63-year-old former tea seller's immense popularity -- a Pew survey ahead of the elections found nearly 80% of respondents held a positive view of him -- stems in large part from his reputation as a tough, "can-do" administrator, the man with the medicine to kickstart India's stuttering economy.
Analyst and journalist Arati Jerath
"Modi is a good administrator," said Ramesh Menon, author of an unauthorized biography of the politician. "He is very strict, gets things done. There is a fear element."
His popularity comes in spite of a lack of strong personal charisma. Seen as hardworking and conservative, Modi had failed to establish an "emotional connect" with voters during campaigning, said Jerath.
Instead, his claim to the nation's top office has largely rested on his track record since 2001 in charge of Gujarat, a state of some 60 million people whose China-like rates of growth in recent years have been eyed enviously by the rest of the country.
'The Gujarat model'
The so-called "Gujarat model" of development means a focus on infrastructure, urbanization and eradicating red tape -- seen as a much-needed tonic for a country ranked 179th in the world by the World Bank in terms of ease of starting a business.
A sharp contrast to the traditional approach of the outgoing Congress Party -- which has focused on promoting inclusive growth involving a raft of welfare schemes -- it's proven highly attractive to business. India stocks have risen almost 18% this year at the prospect of a Modi-led government.
India's largest conglomerate, the Tata Group, relocated a car plant into the state four years ago, a move the company's former chairman Ratan Tata credits in part to Modi's involvement.
"In effect, (Modi) delivered in three days what other states which were also trying to woo us could only offer their best endeavors to do," he told CNN's Fareed Zakaria. "No side deals, no quid pro quos."
Ramesh Menon, Modi biographer
The promise of economic development is just as enticing to the public, and resonates particularly with the aspirations of the 100 million young voters who were eligible to cast their ballots for the first time in 2014, said Dilip Dutta, director of the South Asian Studies Group at the University of Sydney.
"These young voters are exposed through electronic media to the whole world, and have a dream of moving forward -- not lagging behind as their fathers and grandfathers have for decades."
Greater inequality?
But not everyone is convinced about Modi's economic prescription.
Mohan Guruswamy, a political analyst at Delhi's Center for Policy Alternatives, told CNN that Modi's record in Gujarat has been overhyped.
"There is no 'Gujarat model,' and there are other states with faster economic growth," he said during an interview in the build-up to the election.
Moreover, many feel that economic development in the state has been unequally distributed, and not matched with corresponding gains in human development.
"It really is a model that favors people who already have access to things like education and business possibilities," said Jerath. "He offers very little to the poor, to the weaker section and I think that this is a major weakness."
While she believed Modi's leadership would see an increase in foreign and domestic investment, his corporate agenda would also likely lead to conflict with India's vocal civil society groups.
Analyst and journalist Arati Jerath
"I see a rise in social tension because people have become much more conscious and they don't want to to give up their land so easily just because Modi wants to clear the way forward for business," she said.
"There will be tension over forest land, there will be tension over agricultural land... It will be a very interesting thing to see how he manages the challenges."
Too autocratic?
Modi's hard-nosed, occasionally abrasive leadership style will also present a marked departure for a country accustomed to a more consensus-driven approach, analysts believe.
"I see Modi as an extraordinarily ambitious man, quite ruthless in the pursuit of his ambition," said Jerath.
Guruswamy, who knows Modi personally, likens his vision of a "right-wing, authoritarian corporate state" as closer to the model in China, and questions whether his divisive, autocratic tendencies will translate well in a country as boisterously democratic as India.
"It's not a place where you can press buttons -- you have to work with people," he said. "The prime minister of India has to be the supreme conciliator, reconciling the aspirations and demands of thousands of groups. It's not like China where you can turn off Weibo one day -- you can't be autocratic or they'll cut you out."
Mohan Guruswamy, analyst
Journalist and blogger Sunny Hundal also sees Modi as a challenge to the country's established liberal, secular order, writing in a CNN opinion piece that the signs were there that his government would "be much less tolerant of criticism, hostile towards press freedom, and further polarize the country along religious lines."
OPINION: Does Modi threaten secular and liberal India?
Modi and Muslims
The greatest concerns about a Modi premiership revolve around his ability, as a hardline Hindu nationalist, to lead a country as culturally and religiously diverse as India.
Since he was a boy -- the third of six children born to a family of grocers in the city of Vadnagar -- Modi has been a supporter of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing pro-Hindu social movement.
His track record with India's 180 million-strong Muslim community, the country's second largest religious group, has come under intense scrutiny.
Less than a year after Modi assumed office in Gujarat in late 2001, the state was wracked with anti-Muslim violence, in which more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.
Modi was criticized for not doing enough to halt the violence, but a Supreme Court-ordered investigation absolved him of blame last year. Modi subsequently expressed regret over the riots but was criticized for not apologizing.
The U.S. State Department denied Modi a visa in 2005 over the issue, and has since not said how it will handle a future visa application from him.
The tensions are not merely a relic of the past. As recently as September last year, more than 60 people were killed and tens of thousands displaced in religious riots in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh state. Most of the affected were Muslims.
Mohan Guruswamy, analyst
Hundal notes that during the election campaign, Modi appeared alongside associates including a Gujarati politician who made inflammatory speeches speaking of "revenge" for the 2002 riots and called on voters to reject parties with Muslim candidates.
Amid what many see as a rising tide of intolerance drummed up by Hindu nationalist groups, some Muslims fear what a Modi-led government means for their community.
"We all remember what he did in Gujarat," one unnamed Muslim man told CNN. "For Muslims, Modi represents death."
Jerath said she saw religious tensions becoming more inflamed under Modi's leadership. "I see these Hindu groups getting much more active; I think there will be renewed agitation to build the temple at Ayodhya."
Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh, is the site of plot of land that has been the subject of a longstanding dispute between Hindus and Muslims. Hindu hardliners destroyed an historic mosque on the site during a political rally in 1992, triggering riots across the country in which more than 2,000 people were killed.
Noisy neighborhood
Modi's nationalist outlook -- informed by "a sense of victimhood, that we've been victimized by foreigners" -- would also likely be reflected in India's foreign policy, Guruswamy told CNN.
"Internationally, he would be a little more hardline on everything -- Pakistan, China, America. Indian interests would be aggressively asserted," he said.
Jerath said Modi's foreign policy focus would be on India's neighborhood, which had been "in a lot of turmoil." It's politically quite unstable and a lot of India's internal terrorist problems stem from the fact that our borders are so porous," she said.
"That has to be the primary challenge for anybody who comes to power."
READ MORE: What India can learn from China
CNN's Mallika Kapur contributed to this report.
Putin 'orders Russian troops back from Ukraine border'
5/19/2014 7:26:44 AM
Troops ordered back from border
5/19/2014 7:07:52 AM
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops near the border with Ukraine to retreat back to their bases.
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Apology for North Korea collapse
5/19/2014 4:41:09 AM
- NEW: Dozens of families may have been in the building, a South Korean official says
- North Korea state media report "casualties" but don't provide any specific numbers
- The accident took place at an apartment building under construction in Pyongyang
- KCNA: Leader Kim Jong Un "sat up all night, feeling painful" after hearing the news
(CNN) -- An apartment building in the North Korean capital collapsed in what state media described as a "serious accident" that caused an unspecified number of casualties.
The unusual, apologetic report Sunday from the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the collapse took place Tuesday at the construction site of an apartment building in Phyongchon, a central district of Pyongyang.
"The accident claimed casualties," the agency reported without providing details on the number of peopled killed and injured. Rescue efforts were abandoned on Saturday, the agency said.
A South Korean government official said the building had 23 floors, estimating that as many as 92 families might have been living inside. It's common for people to move into North Korean buildings before construction is completed, the official said.
The South Korean government closely monitors activities in North Korea.
The construction of the building "was not done properly and officials supervised and controlled it in an irresponsible manner," KCNA reported. Pyongyang residents were "greatly shocked" it said.
Kim Jong Un upset
The secretive North Korean regime rarely calls attention to problems within its borders.
The publication of the state media report, which contained a series of apologies from senior public officials, suggests it was a severe calamity.
Kim Jong Un, the country's leader, "sat up all night, feeling painful after being told about the accident" and put aside "all other affairs," KCNA reported, citing Kim Su Gil, the chief secretary of the Pyongyang City Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
Minister of People's Security Choe Pu Il described the accident as "unimaginable," according to the news agency.
Kim Su Gil said authorities are taking steps to help the families of the victims and provide them with new housing, supporting the conclusion that people were living in the building while it was still under construction.
Among the disasters that North Korea has taken the rare step of acknowledging publicly are floods in 2012 that killed scores of people and an explosion at a train station in 2004 that caused hundreds of casualties.
CNN's KJ Kwon contributed to this report.
Tiananmen: Activists arrested
5/18/2014 5:20:40 AM
David McKenzie reports on the arrests of several activists that has raised concerns of a rising crackdown in China.
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SNL takes on Solange, Jay Z fight
5/18/2014 5:56:45 AM
"Jay Z" and "Solange" take a moment to clear the record and play back their infamous elevator brawl with new audio.
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Media makes Boko Haram 'superstars'
5/19/2014 8:25:33 AM
- Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani: Why must citizens be bombarded with Boko Haram "rantings"
- Group's aim is glamorised, misrepresented by media, she argues
- Conduct is as Islamic as that of preacher who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart was Christian, she writes
- Media must stop fuelling their inner psychopaths, offering them stardom on a plate
Editor's note: Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani is the author of "I Do Not Come to You by Chance," a debut novel set amidst the perilous world of Nigerian email scams. Her book won the 2010 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book (Africa), a Betty Trask First Book award, and was named by the Washington Post as one of the Best Books of 2009. The views expressed in this commentary are solely the author's.
Abuja, Nigeria (CNN) -- My friend's eight-year-old daughter burst into tears while watching a Boko Haram video release on TV the other evening. The terrorist group has been receiving the kind of local and international media coverage that could make even a Hollywood megastar explode with envy. At the current rate, the group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, might as well be given his own reality show.
I understand the reporting of a bomb blast: the need to let the world know about 234 missing school girls is obvious. Updating us on the world's efforts to rescue the abducted girls definitely makes sense. But why should law-abiding citizens be bombarded with the megalomaniac audio and video rantings of every Shekau recording forwarded to the press?
As news organizations around the world scrambled to make amends for their belated coverage of the kidnapped school girls, Boko Haram contributed to the media frenzy by releasing a video in which Shekau boasted that he would sell the girls for the equivalent of $12 each.
Since then, many of us have had to endure, from local and international media, several replays of the villain's Idi Aminesque gloating into the camera.
The group's earlier video released days after the bombing of a bus park in an Abuja suburb (which took place a few hours before the abductions) featured Shekau barking bombastic statements such as: "We are in your city but you don't know where we are", "(President) Jonathan, you are now too small for us. We can only deal with your grand masters like Obama, the president of America ... even they cannot do anything to us ... we are more than them," and "So, because of that tiny incident that happened in Abuja, everybody is out there making an issue of it across the globe?"
These taunts and other details of the video were broadly reported by international news organizations, even at a time the world was paying little attention to the missing girls -- when Nigerians were yet to know exactly how many students had been abducted, their names, and what they and their families looked like.
The media has also been sophisticating its coverage of Boko Haram's activities. What looks to me like the effort of steamy thugs to stock up on females to meet their physiological and domestic needs -- while grabbing major headlines in the process -- has been glamorised as "an attack on the right of girls to education." Additional reports that more girls were stolen from their homes -- not school, this time -- in Warabe and Wala villages of Bornu State, should have caused the media to finally acknowledge the abductions for the common criminality that they really are. Besides, anyone following the news closely might have heard that these abductions of females have been carrying on for quite some time, though never on the scale that has recently shocked the world.
Opinion: How Islam can fight back against Boko Haram
Similarly glamorous motives were ascribed to Boko Haram's bombing of two newspaper offices in Nigeria. Headlines described the April 2012 incident as "an attack on freedom of the press." However, Shekau's video release, which followed soon after, gave his actual, rather primitive reasons: "...Each time we say something, it is either changed or downplayed...I challenge every Nigerian to watch that video again. There is no place our imam either said he will crush President Jonathan or issued an ultimatum to the government in Nigeria, but nearly all papers carried very wrong and mischievous headlines."
I can imagine the AK47-clad hoodlums scrambling to Google after each fresh aggression, frantically typing their leader's name and some relevant key words. There was nothing complex about the group's motives: The newspaper office bombings were a mere act of raw revenge.
Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
Boko Haram is probably just a gang of plundering hoods masquerading as a group with higher motives that could warrant dialogue -- never mind that they may have attracted the alliance of more sinister sponsors with more strategic purposes. The group claims "Western education is a sin" yet records its threats with hi-tech video equipment and employs advanced ammunition to destroy; it has no clear target and attacks willy-nilly, a la Wild Wild West; and its conduct is as Islamic as that of the street preacher who kidnapped and raped Elizabeth Smart was Christian.
The media and expert analysts are the ones who seem to be supplying Boko Haram with all the grand motives they may never really have thought about in the first place. As an author, who has had expert reviewers dissect my book and ascribe to my writing various meanings of which I had absolutely no idea, I am quite familiar with how something straightforward can suddenly be accorded impressive complexity.
We may not be able to take the guns and bombs out of the hands of Boko Haram and their ilk yet, but since they are not content to take full advantage of Instagram or Facebook -- as many other attention-seekers of this age are -- the media must stop fuelling their inner psychopaths. If they won't travel to Hollywood and patiently wait tables until they get noticed by Quentin Tarantino, we must not offer them stardom on a platter. There has to be a better way of passing on the relevant information and awareness of danger about terrorists to the public, without creating superstar monsters.
Separatist Ukraine: Who's in charge?
5/19/2014 4:10:06 AM
- An easy calm has settled over Mariupol, a city in the eastern part of Ukraine
- Separatists battled government supporters last month for control
- The strife has mostly come to an end, but no one seems to know who's running the city
- Key players in the drama are the city steelworkers
Mariupol, Ukraine (CNN) -- It's a hot, sunny Sunday morning, and birds are chirping in the trees over the heads of children playing on swings and in a pile of sand in a small park in front of City Hall. Or what used to be City Hall, anyway.
Today, it's a burned-out husk of a building, the ground around it thick with ash and crunchy with broken glass, official documents strewn around and covered with footprints. Windows are shattered. Walls are stained black by smoke and fire.
A dozen or so young men lounge around on the front steps of the building, asserting that they are part of the militia of the Donetsk People's Republic. But they look more like drunks with nowhere else to go after a night out.
But they're not the only ones hanging around the remains of City Hall in Mariupol, recently the scene of clashes between supporters of the central government and backers of either independence or union with Russia for this part of eastern Ukraine.
Yevgeny Bulgakov, a steelworker, is here too, wearing his thick Ilyich factory work jacket despite the heat of the day. He's here to help re-establish order in the city, he said.
And indeed, despite the destruction of City Hall, the scene is much calmer than it was a month ago, when the building stood behind a makeshift barricades of tires, bricks and paving stones.
That's gone today. The only remnants are a coil of barbed wire discarded among spring flowers and a small pile of tires by the street corner.
Did the steelworkers bring calm?
Some are giving credit for the restoration of order here to the steelworkers. There are tens of thousands of them in this industrial city where factories spew brown and gray smoke along the road into town.
About 11,000 of them signed up to help patrol Mariupol along with local police, according to the company MetInvest, which employs them.
The patrols come alongside an agreement signed by a wide range of leaders in Mariupol to try to de-escalate the situation. The deal came five days after violence in the city left at least seven people dead and 40 wounded, according to Human Rights Watch.
The steelworkers are backed by their boss, Donetsk-based billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, who came out against both independence and union with Russia last week. Many of them are paid for the time they patrol, MetInvest said.
But steelworkers are not the only ones on patrol. They only make up about a third of the total volunteer force, locals say.
And hard-core supporters of independence for the region don't give them credit for restoring order. A group of about a dozen steelworkers was jeered as several hundred supporters of independence gathered for a march Sunday to mark the killings on May 9 that seem to have been a turning point in the city.
Hard questions for separatist leader
But the separatist crowd also has hard questions for the local separatist military commander, Andrey Borisov, an angular man with a shaggy beard and close-cropped hair under a beret.
They surrounded him and peppered him with questions as he smoked and sweated in the hot sun.
He didn't seem to be able to say who's in control.
"Who will govern? You will be the first one to come up to me when you don't have your pension paid. The transition of power is a complicated process," he said.
And he admitted that the separatists need more men.
"We need guys who are able to take arms and fight," he said to the crowd, composed mostly of people middle-aged and older, none of whom volunteered for the job.
That could be a problem for the self-declared local political leader, Denis Kuzmenko.
Kuzmenko vowed firmly Sunday that the people of Mariupol would not participate in Ukraine's presidential election scheduled to take place in a week.
The friendly, slightly chubby man wore a pistol in a holster on his hip as he spoke to journalists outside his headquarters, a tightly secured brick police station taken over by the separatists.
His words were firm.
"We consider trying to open up a polling station and trying to establish an opportunity to vote as a provocation. We will treat it as such," he said.
But can he carry out the threat? He all but admitted he doesn't have enough men to control the city when asked whether he needed the steelworkers to help maintain order.
"Of course we need everyone," he said, saying there are 50,000 steelworkers in the area, and that the majority support independence.
He denied there was a divide between "the steelworkers" and the people.
"They are patrolling because they support the Donetsk People's Republic and they want order," he said.
As Kuzmenko spoke, his security guard, a clean-cut man with shiny gray trousers, violet shirt and AK-47, came over to a journalist, tugged his arm and spoke English.
"Our citizens are the steelworkers," he said. "It is the same."
READ: Russian President Putin orders troops from the border with Ukraine
READ: Ukraine favors Europe over Russia, new CNN poll finds
READ: Opinion: Putin's empire building is not a new Cold War
Erin McLaughlin and journalist Lena Kashkarova contributed to this report
Native Americans 'not your mascots'
5/19/2014 8:24:50 AM
- Simon Moya-Smith: People recognize prejudice, but not against Native Americans
- Moya-Smith: Hollywood, Thanksgiving inspire "playing Indian" caricatures
- He says "redskins" is a racist slur, "braves" and "warriors" are denigrating stereotypes
- Moya-Smith: Campaign is on to put real Native Americans in the public eye
Editor's note: Simon Moya-Smith is a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation and a writer living in New York City. He has a master's degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism. You can follow him on Twitter @Simonmoyasmith. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer.
(CNN) -- I once wondered why we indigenous peoples of North America must break it down when it comes to why something is anti-Native American.
On the whole, people can recognize what's anti-black, anti-gay, anti-Latino, anti-Asian, and so on: But when it comes to racism directed at Native Americans, we, the first peoples of this continent, are left having to explain why Indian mascots and painting your face red at a Cleveland Indians game denigrate us.
Years of studying and observing this situation have led me to an unfortunate conclusion: People have been conditioned to ignore racism directed at Native Americans.
But, I'm not sure I can consciously blame them ... at least not all of them.
Think about it: Thanks to Hollywood, I'm supposed to have long hair, bronze skin and a very limited vocabulary. Courtesy of Thanksgiving and Halloween, it's possible someone might believe it's "just in good fun" to dress in faux Native American garb and play Indian. So when I walk in a room, nobody looks at me and sees a Native American. Why? Because people have been conditioned to believe I look, act, and even talk a certain way, and believe playing Indian is OK.
Lo, it's not.
So here's the solution: We are going to be seen.
As social media and the web continue to grow exponentially, so too do the voice and face of Native America. The National Congress of American Indians has just launched yet another campaign to put our faces and those of our allies in the public eye.
NCAI's hashtag, #ProudToBe, is a video and photo campaign that uses the web and demonstrates that we are more than a costume. We are more than a mascot. In fact, the second half of the campaign against the dehumanization of Native Americans in the form of sports mascots is aptly called "#NotYourMascot." And many of this nation's leaders have joined in the growing chorus of conscientious objectors who see Indian mascots for what they are: racist.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sen. Maria Cantwell, and Washington, D.C., Councilman David Grosso have each been photographed holding signs that read "#ProudToBe Standing With #NotYourMascot." And, according to the folks at the National Congress of American Indians, more photos continue to stream in.
Grosso, who's a Washington Redskins season ticket holder, recently told me he predicts the team name will, in fact, be abolished in the next five years.
"Ultimately we're going to have to right this wrong," he said. "The word 'redskins' has never been used in a positive way. It's been a racist and a derogatory term since forever."
Sen. Reid told me: "The degrading team name inflicts pain on Native American populations. The name is going to change; it's only a question of when. The NFL and Dan Snyder have to realize they are on the losing side of history."
Opinion: NFL may throw flag on N-word, but what about the 'R-word'?
Several days ago, I was asked: "Why are you picking on the Redskins? What about the Cleveland Indians or the Atlanta Braves?"
First, the term "redskins" is a pejorative, a racial slur.
We are told by our elders that the eastern Algonquian word for woman is shunksqaw, and that "squaw" in the English usage came to signify that part of the woman the settlers wanted during negotiations. It's a pejorative. It always has been, just like the word "redskins."
The term "Indian" isn't a racial slur, even though it's incorrect; and neither are the terms "brave" or "warrior."
But that's missing the point.
When the status of a Native American is demoted to that of a caricature, we are objectified and diminished as a people. We become entertainment, not fellow citizens. How are you supposed to take me seriously if all you see is the stereotypical image of the Hollywood or sports mascot Indian?
Courtesy of the Web, we are no longer out of sight. We are no longer canceled out of the American conversation. Also, more Native Americans live in urban settings than ever before. More than 70% of us work, live and thrive in big cities. Native Americans on reservations have smartphones and laptops, so geographic isolation is slowly becoming a thing of the past as well. And we use these new technologies to speak out against the macro- and micro-aggressions directed at Native Americans.
Today, we are lawyers, doctors, teachers, business owners, professional athletes, artists, and maybe your neighbor next door. We are proud to be Diné, Lakota, Choctaw, Crow, Cherokee, Ojibwe, Cheyenne, Navajo, Zuni, and many more.
And so the momentum builds against the racism aimed at us, leaving the question: Will you tell your children or grandchildren you are on the side of the Native American and allies who believe we deserve the same respect afforded to others? Or will you tell them we were just a group of politically correct Indians and Indian-lovers who were infringing on other people's privilege?
Right. The Redskins fan, the Indians fan, the Braves fan -- they're upset because they demand said privilege. We're upset because we demand respect.
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Scores arrested in global crackdown on hackers
5/19/2014 11:46:48 AM
- FIRST ON CNN: FBI and police in several countries make arrests, conduct searches
- The crackdown involves the malicious software called Blackshades
- The targeted software was used to spy on Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf
- Word of a crackdown emerged last week on Internet forums used by hackers
Washington (CNN) -- It is nicknamed "creepware," and more than half-a-million people around the world have been prey to its silent computer snooping.
Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf was one of them in a well-publicized case of hacking associated with the malware called Blackshades.
Now, an international crackdown by the FBI and police in 17 countries has brought more than 90 arrests in what authorities hope will be an initial dent in a widespread and growing problem.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in New York told reporters that the global investigation "exposed and crippled a frightening form of cyber crime that has affected hundreds of thousands of users around the world."
The sweep, capping a two-year operation, was coordinated so suspects didn't have time to destroy evidence. It included the arrest of a Swedish hacker who was a co-creator of Blackshades and who was arrested in Moldova.
In total, one of the largest global cyber-crime crackdowns has yielded the arrests of more than 90 people linked to the Blackshades malware, with more than 300 searches conducted, Bharara said.
His figures were slightly lower than figures provided earlier to CNN by U.S. officials.
'Creepware'
The malware, which sells for as little as $40, can be used to hijack computers remotely and turn on computer webcams, access hard drives and capture keystrokes to steal passwords -- without the victim ever knowing it.
According to Bharara and the FBI, criminals have used Blackshades for everything from extortion to bank fraud, and it has become one of the world's most popular remote administration tools, or RATs, used for cybercrime in just a few years.
Leo Taddeo, chief of the FBI's cybercrime investigations in New York, said the unprecedented coordination with so many police agencies came about because of concern about the fast growth of cybercrime businesses.
"These cyber criminals have paid employees, they have feedback from customers -- other cyber criminals -- to continually update and improve their product," Taddeo said recently. While he spoke, agents took calls from counterparts working the case in more than 40 U.S. cities.
Blackshades had grown rapidly because it was marketed as off-the-shelf, easy-to-use software, much like legitimate consumer tax preparation software.
"It's very sophisticated software in that it is not very easy to detect," Taddeo said. "It can be installed by somebody with very little skills."
Miss Teen USA spied on at home
For victims whose personal computers were turned into weapons against them, the arrests bring reassurance.
Wolf, the reigning Miss Teen USA, received an ominous e-mail message in March 2013.
The e-mail, from an unidentified sender, included nude photos of her, obviously taken in her bedroom from her laptop. "Either you do one of the things listed below or I upload these pics and a lot more ... on all your accounts for everybody to see and your dream of being a model will be transformed into a porn star," the e-mail said.
And so began what Wolf describes as three months of torture.
The e-mail sender demanded better-quality photos and video, and a five-minute sex show via Skype, according to FBI documents filed in court. He told her she must respond to his e-mails immediately -- software he had installed told him when she opened his messages.
"I felt completely violated," Wolf said in an interview. "I felt scared because I didn't know if this person was a physical threat. My whole sense of security and trust was gone."
A former classmate she knew, Jared Abrahams, had installed Blackshades malware on Wolf's laptop. In March, the 20-year-old computer science student was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to extortion and unauthorized access of a computer.
Abrahams had been watching her from her laptop camera for a year, Wolf later learned. The laptop always sat open in her bedroom, as she played music or communicated with her friends.
According to FBI documents, Abrahams had used Blackshades to target victims from California to Maryland, and from Russia to Ireland. He used the handle "cutefuzzypuppy" to get tips on how to use malware and told the FBI he had controlled as many as 150 computers.
Hackers issued warnings
Computer hacker forums lit up last week as law enforcement officials around the world began knocking on doors, seizing computers and making arrests around the world.
On the popular websites where cybercriminals buy and sell software kits and help each other solve problems, hackers issued warnings about police visits to their homes.
The hackers quickly guessed that a major crackdown was under way on users of Blackshades.
In New York City, about two dozen FBI cybercrime investigators holed up in the bureau's special operations center tracked the investigation.
Rows of computer screens flickered with updates from police in Germany, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and elsewhere. Investigators followed along in real time as hundreds of search warrants were executed and suspects were interviewed.
Six large computer monitors displayed key parts of the investigation. Agents kept an eye on one screen showing a popular website where Blackshades was sold. The FBI has taken down the site.
Another monitor showed a map of the world displaying the locations of the 700,000 estimated victims whose computers have been hijacked by criminals using the Blackshades software. Splotches of green on the map indicated concentrations of infected computers in highly populated parts of the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Weak security, victims' mistakes
Cybercriminals often rely on weak links in computer security and mistakes by victims to infect computers.
Many computer users don't update anti-virus software. Many click on links sent in messages on social media sites such as Facebook or in e-mail without knowing what they're clicking on. In seconds, malware is downloaded. Often, computer users have no idea infection has taken place.
Taddeo, the FBI cybercrime chief, said the most common way criminals have used Blackshades to target victims is by sending e-mails that seem legitimate, perhaps with a marketing offer, and with a link to click. "Anyone who signs on to the Internet is potentially a victim of this tool," he said.
In Wolf's case, she received a Facebook message related to teen pageants. When her computer was infected, it sent messages to other friends, whose computers also became infected.
The episode has made Wolf a campaigner to urge young people to be better educated about online safety. She said her passwords are now more complicated and unique for each account, and she changes them often. She uses updated security software.
"I really didn't think that everything I worked for could be lost because of this," she said. "This can happen to anybody."
U.S. to file charges against Chinese officials in hacking case
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Army denies plans to seize power
5/19/2014 10:39:03 PM
- NEW: Analyst: Military is trying to convince protesters to go home, "dial down the tensions"
- Government aide calls the situation "half a coup d'etat," says military's action was unilateral
- Thailand's Army has declared martial law but stresses the move is not a coup
- Professor: The situation is "very volatile"
Bangkok (CNN) -- The Thai army declared martial law throughout the country Tuesday in a surprise move that an aide to the embattled Prime Minister said the government didn't know about beforehand.
"They took this action unilaterally. The government is having a special meeting regarding this. We have to watch and see if the army chief honors his declaration of impartiality," the aide said, describing the situation as "half a coup d'etat."
Lt. Gen. Nipat Thonglek told CNN the move was not a coup.
"The Army aims to maintain peace, order and public safety for all groups and all parties," a ticker running on the army's television channel said. "People are urged not to panic, and can carry on their business as usual. Declaring martial law is not a coup d'etat."
Martial law went into effect at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, the ticker said.
All Thai TV stations are being guarded by the military, Thai public television announced, showing pictures of soldiers and armored vehicles taking positions outside broadcast facilities in the country's capital.
In a statement read on Thai television, the military declared that all of the country's radio and television stations must suspend their normal programs "when it is needed."
The dramatic announcements come days after the head of the army issued a stern warning after political violence had surged in the country's capital.
Political tensions have been running high in Thailand. Supporters and opponents of the country's government have staged mass protests in recent days, and earlier this month a top court removed caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office, along with nine cabinet ministers.
It's too soon to tell whether the military's declaration of martial law will ease tensions or heighten them, analysts said.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor, described the situation as "very volatile."
"This is a precarious time now for the army," he said. "They have to be even-handed."
If the military appears to be favoring one side, he said, violence could escalate rather than cool down.
"If it's seen as favoring one side or the other side, then we could see more violence and turmoil against the military," he said.
Paul Quaglia, director at Bangkok-based risk assessment firm PQA Associates, described the situation as "martial law light."
"Right now the military has deployed troops around key intersections of the city. Traffic is a real mess here at the moment, but there's no violence," he said. "I think what the military is trying to do with this...is to convince protesters to go home. They're trying to dial down the tensions here as well as preempt several large rallies and strikes that were scheduled for later this week."
But what happens next will depend on how protesters react, he said.
"The military is taking a step by step, gentle approach to see if they can get things to improve," Quaglia said. "If not, they'll of course have to ratchet up their actions."
Nipat said the precise restrictions of martial law were being worked out.
The government's "red shirt" support base, many of whom hail from the country's rural north and northeast, view Yingluck's ouster as a "judicial coup" and have been protesting what they consider an unfair bias by many of the country's institutions against their side.
Anti-government protesters are seeking a new government -- but not through elections, which the opposition Democrat Party has boycotted, arguing the alleged corruption of their political rivals makes widespread reform necessary before any meaningful vote can be held.
Increased government efforts to improve security are a positive step, Quaglia said.
"That being said, martial law will not solve the political problems that continue to haunt this country," he said. "The differences are stark, and I don't think the military can step in and by force fix the political issues."
CNN's Kocha Olarn reported from Bangkok. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet reported from Atlanta. CNN's John Vause, Saima Mohsin and Tim Hume contributed to this report.
Army steps in after protests
5/19/2014 7:56:04 PM
CNN speaks to Thitinan Pongsudhirak about the Thai military's decision to implement martial law after months of protests.
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S. Korea president's tears over ferry
5/19/2014 11:57:03 AM
- President Park Geun-hye sheds tears as she recalls ferry victims
- She says the coast guard "failed in its duty to carry out the rescue operation"
- The Sewol ferry sank in the Yellow Sea en route to a resort island on April 16
- Most of the passengers were students on a high-school field trip
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korea's President made an emotional apology Monday over the ferry disaster that killed close to 300 people last month and said she would dismantle the country's coast guard.
"As the President who should be responsible for people's life and security, I am sincerely apologizing to the people for having to suffer pain," said President Park Geun-hye in a televised speech. "The final responsibility for not being able to respond properly lies on me."
The Sewol ferry sank en route to the resort island of Jeju on April 16, leaving more than 304 people dead or missing. Most of the passengers were high school students on a field trip.
"As a President, I feel a sense of sorrow for not being able to protect them during their family trip," said Park, whose approval ratings have dropped significantly in the weeks since the sinking.
The Sewol disaster caused widespread outrage in South Korea over lax safety standards and the failure to rescue more people as the ship foundered.
Questions have been raised over the government's oversight of the ferry industry and its handling of the crisis.
Coast guard under fire
Park slammed the coast guard for its role in the disaster, saying it "failed in its duty to carry out the rescue operation."
The coast guard has been criticized amid suggestions it could have saved more passengers as the ferry was sinking into the frigid waters of the Yellow Sea.
"After serious consideration, I've decided to dismantle the coast guard," Park said. "The investigation and information roles will be transferred to the police while the rescue and salvage operation and ocean security roles will be transferred to the department for national safety which will be newly established."
Shedding tears, she proposed building a monument to the victims and setting aside April 16 as a day to focus on safety.
"I, again, pray for those who passed away during the incident and express my deep condolence to the families," Park said.
She singled out people -- both passengers and crew members -- who perished trying to save the lives of others.
"I believe these people are the real heroes of our generation," Park said.
Captain, others charged
The captain and crew members who survived have come under particularly heavy criticism. They are accused of telling passengers to stay put as the ferry began to capsize and then being among the first people to leave the stricken vessel.
A chief prosecutor announced last week that the captain and three other crew members have been charged with murder. Eleven other crew members have been indicted on charges of abandonment and violating a ship safety act.
Investigators have identified problems with the cargo, including overloading and the failure to secure it properly, as being among the likely reasons for the Sewol's sinking. They have said modifications to the ship last year, in which passenger cabins were added to increase its capacity, may have contributed to problems with the ship's balance.
The chief executive of the ferry operator is facing charges of causing death by negligence, as well as causing the capsizing of the ship in the line of duty.
The investigation into the disaster is ongoing, as is the underwater search for the 18 people who remain missing from the sinking.
Captain, 3 crew members face murder charges
What went wrong on the ferry?
CNN's K.J. Kwon and Paula Hancocks reported from Seoul, and CNN's Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Dana Ford contributed to this report.
Man Utd appoints van Gaal
5/19/2014 5:03:01 PM
- Louis van Gaal appointed as manager of Manchester United
- The Dutchman succeeds David Moyes after he was sacked last month
- Van Gaal brought in to bring success back to the club after a difficult season
- He appoints Ryan Giggs as assistant, and Welshman ends playing career
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(CNN) -- He is the Chosen One MK II -- and he is hoping to make history of a more notable kind than his predecessor achieved.
After waiting 27 years to appoint a new manager, Manchester United's attempts to fill the void left by Alex Ferguson now focus on Louis van Gaal -- who on Monday was named to succeed David Moyes, sacked in April after enduring a miserable campaign in charge.
While Moyes' short tenure was marked by morale-sapping defeats against lesser teams United previously brushed aside, Van Gaal brings an authority earned by stamping his mark on some of the world's biggest clubs.
"It was always a wish for me to work in the Premier League," the Dutchman said in a United statement after a signing a three-year contract with the 20-time English champions.
"To work as a manager for Manchester United, the biggest club in the world, makes me very proud.
"I have managed in games at Old Trafford before and know what an incredible arena Old Trafford is and how passionate and knowledgeable the fans are. This club has big ambitions; I too have big ambitions. Together I'm sure we will make history."
While Moyes arrived at Old Trafford without a major trophy to his name, Van Gaal, who will step down from his role as Netherlands coach after the forthcoming World Cup, comes with real European pedigree.
Making his name as a manager at Ajax, he led the Dutch club to three Eredivisie titles, the UEFA Cup and the Champions League.
The 62-year-old enjoyed further success at Barcelona -- winning back-to-back La Liga titles -- while another Eredivisie title followed at AZ Alkmaar, before he claimed a German league-and-cup double at Bayern Munich.
Van Gaal will be expected to take United back to the summit of English football after the club slipped from winning the 2012-13 Premier League title by a margin of 11 points to missing out on Champions League qualification this term, for the first time since 1995.
"In Louis van Gaal, we have secured the services of one of the outstanding managers in the game today," declared United chief executive Ed Woodward. "He has achieved many things in his career to date and Old Trafford provides him with a fitting stage on which to write new chapters in the Manchester United story."
In his bid to restore the club to its former glories, Van Gaal has retained Ryan Giggs as his assistant manager.
The Welshman is a veteran of over two decades at United, winning 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns in 963 appearances, and took over as manager for the final four games of the 2013-14 season after Moyes was dismissed.
"I am thrilled to have the chance to serve as assistant manager," the 40-year-old said Monday, before announcing his retirement from playing. "Louis van Gaal is a world-class coach and I know I will learn a lot about coaching from being able to observe and contribute at such close quarters.
"Manchester United has been a huge part of my life and I'm delighted to be able to continue that relationship in such a key role.
"Today is a new chapter filled with many emotions -- immense pride, sadness, but most of all, excitement towards the future. United fans I hope will share and echo my belief that the club, the management and owners, are doing everything they can to return this great club to where it belongs, and I hope to be there every step of the way."
Despite Van Gaal's impressive track record, his appointment is potentially risky. Former Germany international Mehmet Scholl, who worked with the Dutchman during their time together at Bayern, warned United players not to expect an easy ride.
"He's very strict and severe. So the players just have the chance to follow him or they are out, and he takes the next players," Scholl recently told UK newspaper The Guardian.
"(Players) are not computers. Sometimes the brain is full. And he still wants (you) to learn, to learn, to learn, high level, every day. Is it annoying? No. It's exhausting. They lose power. That's what happened at Bayern Munich."
Although Van Gaal impressed during his first stint in charge at Barcelona -- between 1997-2000 -- he lasted less than a year in the job upon his return in 2002, with a string of bad results proving to be his downfall.
"If you treat your people bad, they remember," Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano, who worked alongside the Dutchman at the Camp Nou, told Britain's Daily Telegraph.
"One day you make an error and they kill you. I've seen this in many clubs. Louis van Gaal has been a very good coach in many clubs but his style is very difficult. The same thing happened to him in Barcelona as in Bayern Munich.
"He is very tough, people don't like him, but he wins. And one day you don't win -- and when you don't win, everybody that is angry with you will come back to you and try to kill you.
"In the movies this works, in real life it doesn't."
Van Gaal, who had been linked with Tottenham Hotspur until the United job became available, will be given a large transfer budget as he attempts to bring success back to the club.
The likes of Bayern midfielder Toni Kroos and Southampton's England World Cup defender Luke Shaw have been linked with moves to Manchester.
Read: Neymar not taxed by poor form
Read: Villarreal ban fan who threw banana at Alves
Thai Army declares martial law
5/19/2014 7:02:49 PM
- NEW: Report: All Thai TV stations are being guarded by the military
- Thailand's Army has declared martial law
- "People are urged not to panic," the army's TV channel says
- Protests have surged as political tensions run high
Bangkok (CNN) -- The Thai Army declared martial law throughout the country Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Nipat Thonglek told CNN.
"The Army aims to maintain peace, order and public safety for all groups and all parties," a ticker running on the Army's television channel said. "People are urged not to panic, and can carry on their business as usual. Declaring martial law is not a coup d'etat."
Martial law went into effect at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, the ticker said.
All Thai TV stations are being guarded by the military, Thai public television announced, showing pictures of soldiers and armored vehicles taking positions outside broadcast facilities in the country's capital.
The developments come days after the head of the army issued a stern warning after political violence had surged in the country's capital.
"If the situation turns more violent, it could lead to riots," Army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said in a national address last week. "The Army will have to use military forces to resolve the situation for peace and order."
Political tensions have been running high in Thailand. Supporters and opponents of the country's government have staged mass protests in recent days, and caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was removed from office, along with nine cabinet ministers, by a top court earlier this month.
Nipat said the move to impose martial law is not a coup, adding that the precise restrictions of martial law were being worked out.
The government's "red shirt" support base, many of whom hail from the country's rural north and northeast, view Yingluck's ouster as a "judicial coup" and have been protesting what they consider an unfair bias by many of the country's institutions against their side.
Anti-government protesters are seeking a new government -- but not through elections, which the opposition Democrat Party has boycotted, arguing the alleged corruption of their political rivals makes widespread reform necessary before any meaningful vote can be held.
CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report.
Miss Universe Thailand in protest row
5/19/2014 6:34:10 PM
- Thai beauty queen accused of hateful comments against pro-government protesters
- Weluree Ditsayabut won the Miss Universe Thailand beauty pageant Saturday
- On Facebook, she reportedly called for red shirt supporters to be "executed"
- Weluree has apologized for the "careless" remarks
(CNN) -- She was only crowned Miss Universe Thailand on Saturday but Weluree "Fai" Ditsayabut has already become caught up in the political crisis engulfing her country, after comments were found on her Facebook page referring to pro-government demonstrators as "dirty," "evil activists" that should "all be executed."
According to news site Khaosod English, the 22-year-old has often published scathing comments about the "red shirt" movement on her Facebook page, which now appears to have been deleted.
"I am not neutral. I am on the side of His Majesty the King," Weluree said in a comment from November, Khaosod English reported. "I'm so angry at these evil activists. They should all be executed."
Weluree reportedly said Thailand would be cleaner if the "dirty" red shirts left the country.
Pro-government supporters have questioned Weluree's pageant victory on popular online forums and social media sites. A Facebook page in protest of her winning the competition had over 10,000 "likes" on Monday -- although some users criticized her appearance and claimed she won because of her connections, rather than raising concerns about her anti-red shirt comments.
The deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, Phil Robertson, condemned Weluree's remarks on Twitter. "Perhaps (a) better title is Miss Politically Divided #Thailand? Shameful when beauty queens are calling for executions," he wrote.
Perhaps better title is Miss Politically Divided #Thailand? Shameful when beauty queens are calling for executions http://t.co/e1uSU498dR
— Phil Robertson (@Reaproy) May 19, 2014 Weluree -- an actress, talk show host, and English student -- apologized Monday for the remarks in an interview on Thailand's Channel 3. "I was careless. I was young. I did it recklessly," she said. "It won't happen again."
Weluree beat the pageant favorite Pimbongkod "Ellie" Chankaew who placed second in Saturday's competition.
The pageant organizers have not responded to the controversy, nor have the leaders of the pro-government movement.
Thailand's political turmoil began in November when the government attempted to pass a controversial amnesty bill that would have cleared the way for the return of then-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's brother, Thaksin, to politics. The former prime minister and tycoon has been living in self-imposed exile to avoid a corruption conviction after being overthrown in a military coup in 2006.
Since November, the People's Democratic Reform Committee has led anti-government protesters, who are mostly middle-class royalists, in calling for Yingluck's government to be replaced with an unelected "people's council."
Competing rallies have been held by pro-government supporters, many of whom come from the country's rural north and northeast and view Shinawatra's ouster as a "judicial coup."
Yingluck was found guilty of abuse of power and removed from office along with several cabinet ministers on May 7, and indicted by Thailand's anti-graft body. If the Senate votes to impeach her, she could be banned from politics for five years.
Monday marks a particularly sensitive day for the red shirt movement as the anniversary of a military crackdown that left more than 90 people dead and thousands injured in 2010.
Army chief issues warning as violence returns to Bangkok
Protesters descend on Thai capital seeking government's ouster
CNN's Karla Cripps and Tim Hume contributed to this report.
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