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Nadal in 'bizarre' French Open snub
5/25/2014 3:29:07 PM
- First round of the French Open begins at Roland Garros
- Federer, Isner, Berdych, Tsonga, Raonic all through
- eight time champ Nadal begins tomorrow, on second court
- Furious reaction on social media by fans
(CNN) -- There were no shocks in the first round of the French Open Sunday, except for one: eight time champion Rafael Nadal will begin the defense of his title in the secondary Suzanne Lenglen court, a move dubbed as "bizarre" by one player.
As world number one and reigning champion, not to mention arguably the greatest player to ever grace the clay of Roland Garros, Nadal would have expected to start his campaign -- a match against American wild card Robby Ginepri -- on the Philippe Chatrier court.
John Isner
But organizers decided to host Novak Djokovic versus Joao Sousa and Stan Wawrinka versus Guillermo Garcia-Lopez instead, a move which has prompted a furious reaction on social media, and amongst some players.
"That's really bizarre," John Isner told AFP, after the American had needed two tiebreaks to beat tough Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4), 7-5.
"I mean, how many times does the guy have to win the tournament to be able to have his first match on Chatrier?"
Sunday's matches saw Roger Federer play in his record 58th consecutive grand slam. It was easy pickings for the 33 year old who beat Slovakia's Lukas Lacko 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Sixth seed Tomas Berdych also won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, against the Canadian Peter Polansky.
Another Canadian, exciting young prospect Milos Raonic who came close to shocking Djokovic at the Rome Masters recently, had a slightly tougher time beating Australia's Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3.
World number one Serena Williams began her campaign with a simple 6-2, 6-1 victory against Alize Lim of France whilst sister Venus beat Switzerland's Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-1.
The action now moves on to Monday for Nadal and Djokovic.
"It's a big court, there is television, so you can put it everywhere, you know, in the world," said French number two Jo-Wilfried Tsonga when asked about Nadal's court allocation.
"I hope it's okay for him."
Poroshenko looks to Europe, amid pro-Russia unrest east
5/26/2014 5:07:06 AM
- NEW: Petro Poroshenko says Russia needs to help bring peace to eastern Ukraine
- NEW: Russian FM Lavrov says Russia respects choice but has some concerns about vote
- Separatist gunmen storm airport terminal building in Donetsk
- Obama accuses Russian-backed groups of trying "to disenfranchise entire regions"
Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) -- Billionaire Petro Poroshenko leads all candidates with 54% of the vote counted in Ukraine's presidential election, the Central Elections Commission reported Monday.
He declared victory a day earlier, following preliminary exit polls that suggested he had secured a majority of the vote.
His closest challenger, Yulia Tymoshenko, a former Ukrainian prime minister and the leader of the Batkivshchyna party, conceded the election after exit polls showed her with 13% of the vote, which matched Monday's early official tally.
Poroshenko, a candy tycoon known as the "Chocolate King," is also a seasoned politician known for his pro-European Union views.
At a news conference in Kiev, he reiterated that European integration would be his priority. He added that in Sunday's vote, the President and the whole of Ukraine had changed.
He said Russia needs to participate in bringing peace to eastern Ukraine.
Voters were picking a successor to the ousted pro-Moscow President, Viktor Yanukovych, in a country torn apart by Russia's takeover of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and a bloody conflict involving pro-Russia factions.
The unrest has centered in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where separatists have claimed independence following a disputed referendum earlier this month -- and many there did not get to cast ballots Sunday.
Reports from the region indicated that perhaps 75% of polling stations were closed, according to regional officials.
And more violence was reported overnight as authorities suspended flights at Donetsk airport, after separatist gunmen stormed the terminal building, airport spokesman Dmitriy Kosinov said Monday.
While armed militia members took up positions inside the terminal building, Ukrainian government forces continued to hold their positions around the airfield.
Intimidation in Eastern Ukraine
Increasing violence in the East has led the authorities in Kiev to accuse Russia, which they say is backing the armed separatists, of seeking to disrupt the vote. Russia denies having direct influence over the militants, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will respect Ukrainians' choice in the election.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated that stance Monday during a news conference in Moscow.
But Lavrov also said Russia hopes that the new president will put an end to all "extremist activities" in eastern Ukraine and end the anti-terrorist operation in the eastern regions.
Amid heightened tensions, instances of intimidation in eastern Ukraine appeared widespread.
A large separatist rally was held in a central Donetsk city square around lunchtime on Sunday. The protesters, who chanted pro-Russia slogans as they were addressed by separatist leaders, were joined by a substantial number of militants on trucks, some firing guns into the air.
On the back of some of the trucks were armed men who appeared to be Chechen. Two told a CNN team they were from the Chechen capital, Grozny, and one indicated that he was formerly a policemen in Chechnya and was in Donetsk to serve the Russian Federation.
The men, who as Chechens are Russian citizens, said they were there as "volunteers." But if their accounts were true, their presence in Donetsk would appear to indicate some kind of acquiescence by the Russian government at the least.
Residents of Ukraine's southeastern city of Mariupol saw new billboards on the streets Sunday urging them not to cast their ballots. The billboards were not at those locations the night before, residents said.
Also in Mariupol, people talked on social media about being asked by local Russia supporters to boycott the election. The city is one of several where deadly clashes have erupted in recent weeks.
The self-declared mayor of rebel stronghold Slovyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, has said that anyone who tried to vote there would be arrested.
Also, an Italian journalist was killed Saturday near the flashpoint town, the Italian Foreign Ministry announced Sunday. The man, named as Andrea Rocchelli, was killed along with a Russian citizen, the ministry said. Reports suggested there had been mortar fire in the Slovyansk area.
International monitors
Besides the presidential race, candidates were also running in municipal elections in some cities. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe deployed 900 observers for the election -- the largest such mission in its history.
Oleksandr Turchynov, Ukraine's acting President, called the polls open and transparent.
"The voting was free, without artificial restrictions and administrative pressure," Turchynov said in a statement.
U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated Ukrainians for casting their ballots Sunday and criticized Russia-backed separatists, whom he accused of trying to block voting.
"Despite provocations and violence, millions of Ukrainians went to the polls throughout the country, and even in parts of eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatist groups sought to disenfranchise entire regions, some courageous Ukrainians still were able to cast their ballots," he said in a written statement.
"We commend the resolve of all those who participated, as well as the efforts of the Ukrainian government to conduct these elections in the face of those threats."
But Russia's Lavrov offered a different view Monday, saying that not all candidates were given an equal opportunity to present themselves to the nation and campaign properly. He said many even faced threats to their lives and others were assaulted.
Ukraine's 'Chocolate King' aims for top job
Opinion: Free elections good for Ukraine, but could be bad for Putin
Putin's 48 hours in St. Petersburg
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reported from Donetsk, and Ed Payne wrote and reported from Atlanta. CNN's Laura Smith-Spark and Jethro Mullen; journalist Lena Kashkarova; and translator Tatyana Drotenko contributed to this report.
Gunmen storm Ukranian airport
5/26/2014 5:07:43 AM
Armed militia have taken up positions inside the airport in Donetsk, Ukraine. CNN's Nic Paton Walsh has the details.
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Poroshenko says Russia needs to help bring peace
5/26/2014 7:49:45 AM
- Petro Poroshenko says Russia needs to help bring peace to eastern Ukraine
- NEW: Russian FM Lavrov says Russia respects choice but has some concerns about vote
- Separatist gunmen storm airport terminal building in Donetsk
- Obama accuses Russian-backed groups of trying "to disenfranchise entire regions"
Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) -- Billionaire Petro Poroshenko leads all candidates with 54% of the vote counted in Ukraine's presidential election, the Central Elections Commission reported Monday.
He declared victory a day earlier, following preliminary exit polls that suggested he had secured a majority of the vote.
His closest challenger, Yulia Tymoshenko, a former Ukrainian prime minister and the leader of the Batkivshchyna party, conceded the election after exit polls showed her with 13% of the vote, which matched Monday's early official tally.
Poroshenko, a candy tycoon known as the "Chocolate King," is also a seasoned politician known for his pro-European Union views.
At a news conference in Kiev, he reiterated that European integration would be his priority. He added that in Sunday's vote, the President and the whole of Ukraine had changed.
He said Russia needs to participate in bringing peace to eastern Ukraine.
Voters were picking a successor to the ousted pro-Moscow President, Viktor Yanukovych, in a country torn apart by Russia's takeover of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and a bloody conflict involving pro-Russia factions.
The unrest has centered in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where separatists have claimed independence following a disputed referendum earlier this month -- and many there did not get to cast ballots Sunday.
Reports from the region indicated that perhaps 75% of polling stations were closed, according to regional officials.
And more violence was reported overnight as authorities suspended flights at Donetsk airport, after separatist gunmen stormed the terminal building, airport spokesman Dmitriy Kosinov said Monday.
While armed militia members took up positions inside the terminal building, Ukrainian government forces continued to hold their positions around the airfield.
Intimidation in Eastern Ukraine
Increasing violence in the East has led the authorities in Kiev to accuse Russia, which they say is backing the armed separatists, of seeking to disrupt the vote. Russia denies having direct influence over the militants, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will respect Ukrainians' choice in the election.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated that stance Monday during a news conference in Moscow.
But Lavrov also said Russia hopes that the new president will put an end to all "extremist activities" in eastern Ukraine and end the anti-terrorist operation in the eastern regions.
Amid heightened tensions, instances of intimidation in eastern Ukraine appeared widespread.
A large separatist rally was held in a central Donetsk city square around lunchtime on Sunday. The protesters, who chanted pro-Russia slogans as they were addressed by separatist leaders, were joined by a substantial number of militants on trucks, some firing guns into the air.
On the back of some of the trucks were armed men who appeared to be Chechen. Two told a CNN team they were from the Chechen capital, Grozny, and one indicated that he was formerly a policemen in Chechnya and was in Donetsk to serve the Russian Federation.
The men, who as Chechens are Russian citizens, said they were there as "volunteers." But if their accounts were true, their presence in Donetsk would appear to indicate some kind of acquiescence by the Russian government at the least.
Residents of Ukraine's southeastern city of Mariupol saw new billboards on the streets Sunday urging them not to cast their ballots. The billboards were not at those locations the night before, residents said.
Also in Mariupol, people talked on social media about being asked by local Russia supporters to boycott the election. The city is one of several where deadly clashes have erupted in recent weeks.
The self-declared mayor of rebel stronghold Slovyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, has said that anyone who tried to vote there would be arrested.
Also, an Italian journalist was killed Saturday near the flashpoint town, the Italian Foreign Ministry announced Sunday. The man, named as Andrea Rocchelli, was killed along with a Russian citizen, the ministry said. Reports suggested there had been mortar fire in the Slovyansk area.
International monitors
Besides the presidential race, candidates were also running in municipal elections in some cities. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe deployed 900 observers for the election -- the largest such mission in its history.
At a press conference Monday, OSCE Parliamentary President Joao Soares said the election was fair and represented the will of the Ukrainian people, despite major problems in two eastern provinces. He said the election sent a message to the pro-Russia militants: "You cannot win by breaking the rules."
Oleksandr Turchynov, Ukraine's acting President, called the polls open and transparent.
"The voting was free, without artificial restrictions and administrative pressure," Turchynov said in a statement.
U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated Ukrainians for casting their ballots Sunday and criticized Russia-backed separatists, whom he accused of trying to block voting.
"Despite provocations and violence, millions of Ukrainians went to the polls throughout the country, and even in parts of eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatist groups sought to disenfranchise entire regions, some courageous Ukrainians still were able to cast their ballots," he said in a written statement.
"We commend the resolve of all those who participated, as well as the efforts of the Ukrainian government to conduct these elections in the face of those threats."
But Russia's Lavrov offered a different view Monday, saying that not all candidates were given an equal opportunity to present themselves to the nation and campaign properly. He said many even faced threats to their lives and others were assaulted.
Ukraine's 'Chocolate King' aims for top job
Opinion: Free elections good for Ukraine, but could be bad for Putin
Putin's 48 hours in St. Petersburg
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reported from Donetsk, and Ed Payne wrote and reported from Atlanta. CNN's Laura Smith-Spark and Jethro Mullen; journalist Lena Kashkarova; and translator Tatyana Drotenko contributed to this report.
Shooting spree in U.S. resort city
5/26/2014 7:32:16 AM
- There were six shootings in the resort town Saturday night, police said
- Three people were killed at a motel on the famed beach
- One witness said a wounded man tried to escape but collapsed as he ran away
- Shootings aren't connected, police say
(CNN) -- Myrtle Beach authorities responded to six separate shootings Saturday that left three people dead and five people wounded in the popular South Carolina resort city, police Capt. David Knipes said Sunday.
The deadly incident occurred at the beachfront Bermuda Sands motel, where three men were killed and one person was wounded. Knipes said no one has been arrested.
A witness told CNN affiliate WPDE that one of the victims ran after the shooting but eventually collapsed.
"It was like to the point where he had a lot of blood everywhere and he was just trying to breathe" and he died, Jamont Samuel told the station.
At the time of the shooting, people lined the sidewalks of Ocean Boulevard, which was jammed with Memorial Day vacationers and people who came to the area for Atlantic Beach BikeFest.
"I was scared to death. I just took off and started running. I was scared," Debra Lovack told WPDE.
In one of the other nearby incidents, a woman was shot in the chin and a man in the shoulder. There were four other shootings where two people were wounded, police said.
Knipes said police don't believe the shootings are connected.
Shooting rampage in California kills 6
Poroshenko says Russia needs to help bring peace
5/26/2014 9:11:39 AM
- Ukraine troops clearing separatist gunmen from Donetsk airport, state media report
- Separatist reinforcements seen moving toward airport
- Poroshenko says Russia needs to help bring peace to eastern Ukraine
- Russian FM Lavrov says Russia respects choice but has some concerns about vote
Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) -- Billionaire Petro Poroshenko leads all candidates with 54% of the vote counted in Ukraine's presidential election, the Central Elections Commission reported Monday.
He declared victory a day earlier, following preliminary exit polls that suggested he had secured a majority of the vote.
His closest challenger, Yulia Tymoshenko, a former Ukrainian prime minister and the leader of the Batkivshchyna party, conceded the election after exit polls showed her with 13% of the vote, which matched Monday's early official tally.
Poroshenko, a candy tycoon known as the "Chocolate King," is also a seasoned politician known for his pro-European Union views.
At a news conference in Kiev, he reiterated that European integration would be his priority. He added that in Sunday's vote, the President and the whole of Ukraine had changed.
He said Russia needs to participate in bringing peace to eastern Ukraine.
Voters were picking a successor to the ousted pro-Moscow President, Viktor Yanukovych, in a country torn apart by Russia's takeover of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and a bloody conflict involving pro-Russia factions.
The unrest has centered in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where separatists have claimed independence after a disputed referendum this month -- and many there did not get to cast ballots Sunday.
Reports from the region indicated that perhaps 75% of polling stations were closed, according to regional officials.
More violence was reported overnight as authorities suspended flights at Donetsk airport after separatist gunmen stormed the terminal building, airport spokesman Dmitriy Kosinov said Monday.
The national news agency of Ukraine, Ukrinform, reported that the separatists ignored a Ukraine anti-terrorism operation ultimatum to vacate the premises. A Ukraine military plane "made a preliminary shot," and paratroopers landed and began clearing the airport, Ukrinform reported. A separatist anti-aircraft gun was destroyed, Ukrinform said.
A Ukraine combat helicopter flew over the airport and fired at something, according to a CNN team who witnessed the action. Black smoke billowed up from the area, though it is unclear whether the target hit was the airport proper. Pro-Russian militants shot at the helicopter as it flew overhead, the CNN team reported.
Gunfire could be heard in the city. Separatist reinforcements could be seen moving toward the airport.
Intimidation in Eastern Ukraine
Increasing violence in the east has led the authorities in Kiev to accuse Russia, which they say is backing the armed separatists, of seeking to disrupt the vote. Russia denies having direct influence over the militants, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will respect Ukrainians' choice in the election.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated that stance Monday during a news conference in Moscow.
But Lavrov also said Russia hopes that the new president will put an end to all "extremist activities" in eastern Ukraine and end the anti-terrorist operation in the eastern regions.
Amid heightened tensions, instances of intimidation in eastern Ukraine appeared widespread.
A large separatist rally was held in a central Donetsk city square around lunchtime Sunday. The protesters, who chanted pro-Russia slogans as they were addressed by separatist leaders, were joined by a substantial number of militants on trucks, some firing guns into the air.
On the back of some of the trucks were armed men who appeared to be Chechen. Two told a CNN team they were from the Chechen capital, Grozny, and one indicated that he was formerly a policemen in Chechnya and was in Donetsk to serve the Russian Federation.
The men, who as Chechens are Russian citizens, said they were there as "volunteers." But if their accounts were true, their presence in Donetsk would appear to indicate some kind of acquiescence by the Russian government at the least.
Residents of Ukraine's southeastern city of Mariupol saw new billboards on the streets Sunday urging them not to cast their ballots. The billboards were not at those locations the night before, residents said.
Also in Mariupol, people talked on social media about being asked by local Russia supporters to boycott the election. The city is one of several where deadly clashes have erupted in recent weeks.
The self-declared mayor of rebel stronghold Slovyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, has said that anyone who tried to vote there would be arrested.
Also, an Italian journalist was killed Saturday near the flashpoint town, the Italian Foreign Ministry announced Sunday. The man, named as Andrea Rocchelli, was killed along with a Russian citizen, the ministry said. Reports suggested there had been mortar fire in the Slovyansk area.
International monitors
Besides the presidential race, candidates were also running in municipal elections in some cities. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe deployed 900 observers for the election, the largest such mission in its history.
At a news conference Monday, OSCE Parliamentary President Joao Soares said the election was fair and represented the will of the Ukrainian people, despite major problems in two eastern provinces. He said the election sent a message to the pro-Russia militants: "You cannot win by breaking the rules."
Oleksandr Turchynov, Ukraine's acting President, called the polls open and transparent.
"The voting was free, without artificial restrictions and administrative pressure," Turchynov said in a statement.
U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated Ukrainians for casting their ballots Sunday and criticized Russia-backed separatists, whom he accused of trying to block voting.
"Despite provocations and violence, millions of Ukrainians went to the polls throughout the country, and even in parts of eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatist groups sought to disenfranchise entire regions, some courageous Ukrainians still were able to cast their ballots," he said in a written statement.
"We commend the resolve of all those who participated, as well as the efforts of the Ukrainian government to conduct these elections in the face of those threats."
But Russia's Lavrov offered a different view Monday, saying that not all candidates were given an equal opportunity to present themselves to the nation and campaign properly. He said many even faced threats to their lives, and others were assaulted.
Ukraine's 'Chocolate King' aims for top job
Opinion: Free elections good for Ukraine, but could be bad for Putin
Putin's 48 hours in St. Petersburg
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reported from Donetsk, and Ed Payne wrote and reported from Atlanta. CNN's Laura Smith-Spark and Jethro Mullen, journalist Lena Kashkarova and translator Tatyana Drotenko contributed to this report.
India's Modi sworn in as PM
5/26/2014 5:13:28 PM
- NEW: Narendra Modi is sworn in as prime minister
- The unprecedented event brings together regional leaders including Pakistan's PM
- Invitation to leaders described as a "terrific" move
- Modi is seen as hawkish by some political watchers
New Delhi (CNN) -- Narendra Modi took the oath of office Monday to become the 15th prime minister of India.
The swearing-in took place in a tightly guarded ceremony at the Colonial-era presidential mansion in New Delhi.
For the first time, leaders of an entire South Asian region attended, including Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister of India's traditional archrival, Pakistan.
But it's not just the guest list that makes this inauguration historic.
Never in the past three decades has a political party taken up the reins of the world's largest democracy with an absolute majority.
And never before has a provincial chief with no federal experience become head of a national government.
Unprecedented invitation
In attendance on the sprawling forecourt of the sandstone palace were the premiers of Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Mauritius; the presidents of Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives; and the speaker of Bangladesh, officials say.
"A promising gesture," read the headline of an editorial in the Indian Express on Friday about India's unprecedented invitation to the leaders of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation bloc.
Until his election to Parliament this month, Modi, a chief minister of the prosperous northwestern state of Gujarat, has been seen as hawkish by some political watchers, especially over relations with nuclear archrival Pakistan.
His Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has often accused the administration of outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of being soft on its western neighbor, which New Delhi blames for a number of terror attacks in India, including the deadly 2008 assault in Mumbai. Both countries have fought three wars, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both claim as their own in its entirety.
An editorial in the Indian Express said Modi's "terrific" move to invite regional leaders "should help generate a more realistic appreciation of India's foreign-policy trajectory in the coming years."
"What matters in the end, however, is the prospect of a more self-assured government in Delhi that is ready to engage the neighbors without standing on protocol and precedent," it added.
Economic hope
Jahangir Aziz, J.P. Morgan
Credited for his pro-business approach as the chief of Gujarat, India's new leader has also raised expectations that his government will succeed in turning around India's slowing economy, generate more jobs and rein in soaring prices and deeply entrenched corruption, issues that are widely believed to have brought about the fall of Singh's government.
Modi's party won 282 seats of the 543-seat lower house of Parliament on its own, the first independent win by any single political party in three decades. India has since been ruled by coalitions of national and regional groupings with varied political and economic philosophies.
"The BJP's single-handed majority in the new parliament ensures at least one thing: no more excuses of fractured coalition politics compromising policies and reforms," said Jahangir Aziz, J.P. Morgan's chief Asia economist, in a column in the Indian Express.
"More growth, more employment, more infrastructure, lower inflation is just motherhood and apple pie. Identifying and articulating the binding constraints holding these back is the heart of the problem," he wrote.
Political analysts also describe the debacle of Singh's Congress Party government as a vote against crushing prices.
"Moderation in prices of essential commodities is a potential challenge for Modi's government in a market-driven economy," political commentator K.G. Suresh said. "The honeymoon period will not last longer if measures are not taken in the next 100 days to bring costs down," he added.
Modi's Cabinet, observers say, will signify his government's model and course.
"It has to be a dream team that balances demands and side effects of growth with promises of low prices to millions of poverty-stricken Indians. It has to be a smart mix of youth and experience with a cohesive approach. With pressures of coalition politics no longer there, the last thing India would expect the new prime minister's core team to be is a chariot pulled by horses running in different directions," Suresh said.
Friend or foe? India's Narendra Modi an unknown quantity abroad
Securing India's energy a major challenge for new PM Modi
Memo to Modi: How to reboot India
Thai general warns of crackdown
5/26/2014 10:59:00 AM
- NEW: The leader of rallies against the former government is released on bail
- Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha urges people to stop protesting or risk crackdown
- He says he has the King's approval to head the ruling military council
- The military took power last week after months of political turmoil
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- The general who seized control of Thailand in a coup last week said Monday that he has received royal endorsement to run the politically unstable country and warned of a potential crackdown on people protesting military rule.
Dressed in a white uniform and flanked by more than a dozen other military officials, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha addressed reporters in Bangkok, saying he had received a royal command from the country's deeply revered King to head the ruling military council.
Saying there was "no set time period" for when new elections might be held, Prayuth outlined the steps he said his junta plans to take, including setting up a committee to introduce reforms.
But he also issued a warning to the groups of protesters who have gathered in Bangkok in recent days to voice their opposition to the coup and call for democratic elections.
The demonstrators, who numbered in the hundreds on Sunday, have scuffled with soldiers in the streets. So far, the military has allowed the small-but-growing protests to take place, even though martial law forbids gatherings of more than five people.
With more protests expected Monday, Prayuth suggested the military wouldn't tolerate public displays of dissent indefinitely, saying the situation was reaching a "boiling point."
He urged people to stop demonstrating, warning that they risk a stricter enforcement of martial law and prosecution in military courts, and told journalists and social media users not to transmit provocative messages.
Coup criticized
The Thai military carried out the coup Thursday -- tearing up the constitution and imposing a curfew -- after months of unrest that had destabilized the elected government and caused outbursts of deadly violence in Bangkok.
But the sudden intervention by the armed forces -- the latest in a series of coups that have punctuated modern Thai history -- has been criticized by human rights activists and foreign governments, including the United States.
Receiving endorsement from King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand's ailing but widely admired monarch, adds legitimacy to Prayuth's credentials.
But it appears unlikely to change the opinions of many of the protesters who have been taking to the streets to demonstrate against the coup. Other Thais have expressed hope that the military will succeed in bringing an end to the crisis that has plagued the country for months..
Politicians, academics summoned
Since taking power, military authorities have summoned -- and in some cases detained -- scores of leading political officials and other prominent figures, such as academics and business leaders. Travel bans have also been imposed.
Among the most high-profile figures who've turned themselves in is former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was in office when the current phase of political turmoil began in November.
Yingluck, who was removed from office by the courts earlier this month, was released from a military facility over the weekend after she followed a summons to report to military authorities on Friday.
A military source said Yingluck was asked to "help us maintain peace and order and not to get involved with protesters or any political movement" and now has freedom of movement and communication.
But a close aide to Yingluck disagreed with the assertion that she was free to move and communicate. She is yet to make any public statement since the coup.
Thaksin's influence
The recent unrest was driven by months of protests against Yingluck's government.
The protest leaders said they wanted to rid Thailand of the influence of Yingluck and her wealthy brother, the exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in the country's last military coup in 2006.
The Shinawatras' powerful political movement, which has dominated elections for more than a decade, draws its support from Thailand's populous rural regions in the north and northeast.
But it is unpopular among the Bangkok elites, who accuse it of buying votes through ill-judged, populist policies.
The protesters who campaigned against Yingluck's government claimed Thailand needed reforms to be imposed by an unelected council before any further elections could take place.
With the military's intervention, they appear to have got their wish, although some of the protest leaders were taken into custody after the coup.
Suthep Thaugsuban, the ring leader of the anti-Yingluck protests, was released on bail of 600,000 baht ($18,000) with instructions he can't leave the country, his organization said Monday on its Facebook page.
It remains unclear how the pro-Thaksin red shirt movement, which held mass rallies in central Bangkok in 2010, will respond to military rule. Some of the top red shirt leaders are also among those who were detained by military authorities.
READ: Soldiers, selfies and a military coup
READ: Is Thailand safe for tourists?
READ: Thai military: Think before you tweet
CNN's Paula Hancocks reported from Bangkok, and Jethro Mullen reported and wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Kocha Olarn and journalist Kiki Dhitavat contributed to this report.
Mideast leaders to meet at Vatican
5/26/2014 10:50:33 PM
The Pope's recent three day trip to the Middle East may have set the stage for new peace negotiations in the Holy Land.
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China: 200 extremists arrested
5/26/2014 4:13:08 AM
(CNN) -- Police in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have busted 23 "terror and religious extremism groups and caught over 200 suspects," state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the regional public security department.
This comes as China embarks on a crackdown against terror in the volatile region amid a recent series of attacks, including blasts in an open-air market in the city of Urumqi.
Police busted groups in the region's Hotan, Kashgar and Aksu prefectures, where "the majority of the population" are Muslim Uyghurs, Xinhua said. Authorities seized more than 200 explosive devices in the raids, according to the state news agency.
Ethnic tensions between Uyghurs and Han Chinese people, millions of whom have migrated to resource-rich Xinjiang in recent decades, have repeatedly boiled over into deadly riots and clashes with authorities in recent years.
Some Uyghurs have expressed resentment over what they say is harsh treatment from Chinese security forces and Han people taking the lion's share of economic opportunities in Xinjiang. The Han are the predominant ethnic group in China, making up more than 90% of the overall population.
Graduation speech energized U.S.
5/26/2014 11:15:23 PM
- Controversy led three speakers to drop out of commencement talks this year
- Julian Zelizer: It would be a shame if colleges only invited those who give bland, inoffensive speeches
- Commencement speeches can be an opportunity to introduce bold ideas, he says
- President Lyndon Johnson made a stirring case in 1964 for his vision of a "Great Society"
Editor's note: Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and "Governing America." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- In this year's season of commencement speeches, these academic rites of passage have become the subject of fierce political controversy.
Just over the past few months, several prominent invited speakers, including Condoleezza Rice, Christine Lagarde, and Robert Birgeneau have withdrawn following a campus backlash to news they would be coming to Rutgers, Smith, and Haverford, respectively. This trend is not entirely new, since college students have been protesting proposed speakers for many decades.
But there is some indication that in the age of social networking and the Internet, where news spreads around campus and across state lines quickly, the controversies will continue to intensify.
Regardless of what one thinks of the politics of any of the speakers at the center of this year's debates, these and other incidents could have the unfortunate impact of producing future invitations only to those who will not be controversial or say anything bold.
Rather than big ideas or stimulating thought as a result of commencement exercises, we could head down a road where parents and students congregate to hear a few jokes and milquetoast comments before heading home with their degrees.
This would be a loss. In fact, sometimes commencement speeches have been the venue to introduce bold ideas to the American public.
Fifty years ago, toward the end of May 1964, President Lyndon Johnson -- just six months after becoming president following the assassination of JFK -- stepped up to the podium at the University of Michigan. On a bright sunny day, Johnson spoke to about 85,000 people who were packed into Michigan stadium, celebrating the class of '64, to introduce them to the idea of a Great Society, an idea that would guide a transformation in public policy that lives on today.
The speech had been a long time in the making. For months Johnson had been struggling to come up with a concept that would describe his legislative agenda. Richard Goodwin, who had worked as a special counsel to the House Legislative Oversight Committee that had investigated the quiz show scandal in 1959 and who had worked as a speechwriter for President Kennedy, was given the task of solving Johnson's problem.
Goodwin had kept a close eye on the growing ferment on the college campuses in the early 1960s, including the establishment of the left-wing Students for a Democratic Society which was committed to achieving civil rights and participatory democracy. Goodwin met with the best experts he knew to come up with a phrase that summed up Johnson's program.
Princeton historian Eric Goldman, whom Johnson had recruited as an adviser, said that Johnson should focus public attention on issues other than economic growth. He mentioned the title of a book by the journalist Walter Lippmann, called "The Good Society." Goodwin shared the concept with adviser Bill Moyers who then used it in a number of smaller speeches for LBJ leading up to the graduation.
On May 22, 1964, Johnson delivered his 20 minute commencement address, which was only finished the night before, to the exuberant students at Michigan. The speech was a smash hit. The students interrupted Johnson several times to applaud.
Johnson told the students that the nation had the possibility of reaching beyond merely being a "rich" and "powerful" society to becoming a "Great Society" that delivered something more.
He said: "The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But that is just the beginning. The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents. ... It is a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce, but the desire for beauty and the hunger of community."
"Will you join in the battle to give every citizen the full equality which God enjoins and the law requires, whatever his belief, or race, or the color of his skin? Will you join the battle," Johnson asked, "to give every citizen an escape from the crushing weight of poverty?"
President Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Goodwin, who watched the speech from the White House, felt as "if I were hearing the words for the first time, experiencing the exhilarating revelation of suddenly widening horizons. ... I clapped for the president, and for our country." Johnson was exhilarated by the response. On Air Force One, he walked to the back of the plane to recap the key points with reporters so that they did not miss them for their stories.
The speech provided powerful motivation to legislators and activists who struggled over the next few years to pass legislation that enhanced the power of the federal government to provide support for education, medical care, voting rights, environmental programs, housing support and more.
Today, liberals can certainly look back at the speech for inspiration, finding a powerful set of arguments to use to justify government intervention through programs such as the minimum wage, health care, and green jobs.
Johnson's vision in the speech was that the government could help make the quality of life better for all Americans and provide the tools that every citizen needed to become self-sufficient and independent actors. Some of the programs didn't turn out as well as he hoped. But others, such as Medicare for the aged and voting rights for African-Americans, proved to be stunning successes.
The ideas that Johnson proposed were certainly controversial. At the time a powerful bloc of Southern conservative Democrats and Republicans controlled Congress and had little appetite for growing government. Republicans were about to nominate Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater as their nominee for the 1964 election, indicating that the right-wing was a growing presence in national politics. For every organization like the Students for Democratic Action there was another, like the conservative Young Americans for Freedom that saw the future through a much different lens.
Commencement talks can be more than about celebrity, funny quips, and attention-gaining opportunities for colleges. They can be moments that truly inspire and change the national conversation. A little over 50 years ago, Lyndon Johnson was able to accomplish that in Ann Arbor.
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After months, MH370 raw satellite data is released
5/26/2014 11:51:08 PM
- Inmarsat and Malaysian officials held back the raw data for weeks
- Families have been clamoring for the information
- The data will allow for an independent analysis of what happened on March 8
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) -- Data from communications between satellites and missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was released Tuesday.
For weeks, the satellite company Inmarsat said it didn't have the authority to release the data, deferring to Malaysian authorities, which are in charge of the search for the plane that disappeared more than two months ago over Southeast Asia.
Last week, the two sides announced that they would aim to make the information available to the public. They released a 47-page document on Tuesday.
The satellite signals -- called "handshakes" -- with MH370 were part of a larger set of data that investigators have used to try to establish the whereabouts of the Boeing 777 that went missing on March 8 with 239 people on board.
A team of international experts used the data -- in combination with other information, including radar data and engine performance calculations -- to conclude that the plane ended up in a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean.
Searchers have so far found no wreckage and have not been able to say for sure where MH370 might be.
CNN aviation analyst Jeff Wise has said that "the box is going to open" when the satellite data gets publicized.
"It could produce more theories. It will probably cancel out a lot of theories," he said.
Either way, the release will hopefully give "a much better understanding of what's been going on all this time," Wise said.
Relatives of people who were on the passenger jet, scientists studying its disappearance and media covering the search have become increasingly critical about the lack of public information about why the search has focused on the southern Indian Ocean.
They have been calling for the release of the data that has informed the search efforts.
For a while, there was confusion over who could make it public and how.
Malaysian officials told CNN earlier this month that their government did not have the raw data. But Inmarsat officials said the company provided all of it to Malaysian officials "at an early stage in the search."
"We've shared the information that we had, and it's for the investigation to decide what and when it puts out," Inmarsat Senior Vice President Chris McLaughlin said earlier this month.
But a senior Malaysian official told CNN that the government needed Inmarsat's help to pass on the data to families "in a presentable way."
"We are trying to be as transparent as possible," the official said. "We have no issues releasing the data."
Did Inmarsat data point Flight 370 searchers in wrong direction?
Cannes: Movie maker courts controversy with MH370 thriller
CNN's Saima Mohsin reported from Kuala Lumpur; Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta.
Battle rages at Donetsk airport
5/26/2014 2:32:16 PM
- NEW: Clashes have caused some casualties, a statement from the mayor's office says
- NEW: Authorities advise residents to stay in their homes as violence erupts
- Pro-Russian separatists seized Donetsk airport terminal
- In response, Ukrainian air and ground forces attacked the airport
Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) -- Intense fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine on Monday when government air and ground forces attacked pro-Russian separatist gunmen who had seized an airport terminal.
The clashes between Ukraine's Army and separatists in Donetsk have caused some casualties, according to a statement posted on the official website of the city's mayor, which also advised residents to stay in their homes.
A CNN team in the city observed a Ukrainian combat helicopter flying over the Donetsk airport and firing at something. It was unclear what the target was. Black smoke billowed up from the area.
Pro-Russian separatists shot at the helicopter as it flew overhead.
Gunfire and explosions could be heard in the city.
The violence Monday came one day after billionaire Petro Poroshenko declared victory in the presidential election, though separatists disrupted voting in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Authorities canceled all flights after separatists stormed and seized Donetsk's airport terminal, according to the national news agency of Ukraine, Ukrinform. The separatists ignored a government ultimatum to vacate the premises, Ukrinform reported.
After a Ukrainian military plane "made a preliminary shot," paratroopers landed and began clearing the airport, Ukrinform reported. In the fighting, a separatist anti-aircraft gun was destroyed, Ukrinform said.
Though the Ukrainian government said it was taking control, CNN reporters who witnessed the action saw separatist reinforcements moving toward the airport in trucks.
Officials claimed flights would resume by 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
The State Border Service of Ukraine said that up to 40 trucks with gunmen had been spotted on Russian territory within 10 kilometers of Donetsk.
Nick Paton Walsh and Andy Care reported from Donetsk. Ralph Ellis wrote and reported from Atlanta. Victoria Butenko and Elena Sandryev contributed to this report.
Fierce battle for Donetsk airport
5/26/2014 5:30:32 PM
- Clashes have caused some casualties, a statement from the mayor's office says
- Authorities advise residents to stay in their homes as violence erupts
- Pro-Russian separatists seized Donetsk airport terminal
- In response, Ukrainian air and ground forces attacked the airport
Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) -- Intense fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine on Monday when government air and ground forces attacked pro-Russian separatist gunmen who had seized an airport terminal.
The clashes between Ukraine's Army and separatists in Donetsk have caused some casualties, according to a statement posted on the official website of the city's mayor, which also advised residents to stay in their homes.
A CNN team in the city observed a Ukrainian combat helicopter flying over the Donetsk airport and firing at something. It was unclear what the target was. Black smoke billowed up from the area.
Pro-Russian separatists shot at the helicopter as it flew overhead.
Gunfire and explosions could be heard in the city.
The fighting marked the worst violence that this key population center in eastern Ukraine has seen since the start of the crisis. And the violence came hours after newly elected Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he'd potentially like to negotiate a way out of the crisis.
Authorities canceled all flights after separatists stormed and seized Donetsk's airport terminal, according to the national news agency of Ukraine, Ukrinform. The separatists ignored a government ultimatum to vacate the premises, Ukrinform reported.
After a Ukrainian military plane "made a preliminary shot," paratroopers landed and began clearing the airport, Ukrinform reported. In the fighting, a separatist anti-aircraft gun was destroyed, Ukrinform said.
Though the Ukrainian government said it was taking control, CNN reporters who witnessed the action saw separatist reinforcements moving toward the airport in trucks.
Both sides later claimed they held the airport.
Government officials claimed flights would resume by 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
The State Border Service of Ukraine said that up to 40 trucks with gunmen had been spotted on Russian territory within 10 kilometers of Donetsk.
Nick Paton Walsh and Andy Care reported from Donetsk. Ralph Ellis wrote and reported from Atlanta. Victoria Butenko and Elena Sandryev contributed to this report.
Fierce battle for Donetsk airport
5/26/2014 6:42:04 PM
- Clashes have caused some casualties, a statement from the mayor's office says
- Authorities advise residents to stay in their homes as violence erupts
- Pro-Russian separatists seized Donetsk airport terminal
- In response, Ukrainian air and ground forces attacked the airport
Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) -- Intense fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine on Monday when government air and ground forces attacked pro-Russian separatist gunmen who had seized an airport terminal.
The clashes between Ukraine's Army and separatists in Donetsk have caused some casualties, according to a statement posted on the official website of the city's mayor, which also advised residents to stay in their homes.
A CNN team in the city observed a Ukrainian combat helicopter flying over the Donetsk airport and firing at something. It was unclear what the target was. Black smoke billowed up from the area.
Pro-Russian separatists shot at the helicopter as it flew overhead.
Gunfire and explosions could be heard in the city.
The fighting marked the worst violence that this key population center in eastern Ukraine has seen since the start of the crisis. And the violence came hours after newly elected Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he'd potentially like to negotiate a way out of the crisis.
Authorities canceled all flights after separatists stormed and seized Donetsk's airport terminal, according to the national news agency of Ukraine, Ukrinform. The separatists ignored a government ultimatum to vacate the premises, Ukrinform reported.
After a Ukrainian military plane "made a preliminary shot," paratroopers landed and began clearing the airport, Ukrinform reported. In the fighting, a separatist anti-aircraft gun was destroyed, Ukrinform said.
Though the Ukrainian government said it was taking control, CNN reporters who witnessed the action saw separatist reinforcements moving toward the airport in trucks.
Both sides later claimed they held the airport.
Government officials claimed flights would resume by 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
The State Border Service of Ukraine said that up to 40 trucks with gunmen had been spotted on Russian territory within 10 kilometers of Donetsk.
Nick Paton Walsh and Andy Care reported from Donetsk. Ralph Ellis wrote and reported from Atlanta. Victoria Butenko and Elena Sandryev contributed to this report.
Can Ukraine's 'Candy Man' deliver?
5/26/2014 11:15:37 AM
- Election promises are made to be broken or ignored altogether, writes Alexander Nekrassov
- Nekrassov: The point of the election was to introduce some sense of normality in Ukraine
- Petro Poroshenko will be held responsible for anything that happens in the country, he says
- But his biggest challenge comes from Ukraine's own oligarchs, writes Nekrassov
Editor's note: Alexander Nekrassov is a Russian commentator and former Russian presidential and government adviser. The views expressed in this commentary are his own.
(CNN) -- The thing about presidential elections, be it in Ukraine or anywhere else for that matter, is that it makes sense to ignore everything that was said during the election campaign and, especially, in the immediate aftermath.
Election promises are made to be broken or ignored altogether -- remember "Yes We Can?" And in the first few days, or even weeks, after results are announced lots of things are said that mean pretty much nothing.
To say that the presidential election campaign in Ukraine produced a lot of statements and pledges that made little or no sense would be an understatement. If you summarise them all, then Ukraine should be in fine shape to join the G7 group of industrialised nations, replacing Russia, in about five years' time.
The election winner, confectionary billionaire Petro Poroshenko, and his nearest rival, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko - the two have received 57 and 12 per cent of the votes respectively - have promised to unite Ukraine, suppress the rebellion in the east, return Crimea grabbed by Russia, revive the country and put it smack at the heart of Europe while practically no-one even bothered to contradict them. And even Darth Vader -- one of 17 candidates for the presidency, walking around in full Star Wars costume -- didn't really sound over the top compared to others.
The whole point of the hastily-arranged election in Ukraine was to get a "legitimate" president, of sorts, to emerge in Kiev, even if he would be the best of the worst, as someone said, and attempt to introduce some sense of normality in Ukraine which has been rocked by violence and upheaval since November last year after the then President Viktor Yanukovich walked away from a free association deal with the European Union, and was later ousted as a result.
All the talk of a possible second round if no-one won more than 50 per cent of the vote was obviously intended to put a bit of "competitiveness" into elections that were predetermined from the moment one of the favourites, former heavyweight boxer Vitaly Klitchko, stood down from the race, throwing his impressive weight behind Poroshenko.
Not to mention the approval of his candidacy by Washington (President Barack Obama's cover was blown when he congratulated the winner before the votes had been counted -- he really needs some coaching in the art of diplomacy.)
Announcing his victory late on Sunday, Poroshenko said all the things that he had been saying during his election campaign: That under his presidency Ukraine would be united, that the economy would grow, that the country was going to join Europe, that he was prepared to deal with Russia but would never accept the annexation of Crimea and the two referendums on independence that had been conducted in Donetsk and Lugansk regions in the east on May 11.
In fact, the "Candy Man" as he was dubbed during the election campaign, said that the anti-terrorist operation in the east against the anti-Kiev rebels would be intensified, although hinted that it won't be running for months but would be wound up relatively quickly. If that wasn't a hint to Moscow that the soon to be crowned new leader was open to suggestion, then I don't what is.
The big challenge that Poroshenko, a clever political operator who has managed to steer through troubled waters under four presidents, is facing comes from the mere fact of his victory. As of now, the buck stops with him and he will be held responsible for anything that happens in the country.
That was why the cunning Tymoshenko, when she accepted defeat in the election, pointed out that her former opponent was now in charge and would be taking on the weight of responsibility. (Tymoshenko still fares her chances of becoming president quite highly and, as I was informed, plans to highlight all the problems that Poroshenko would no doubt start encountering with gusto.)
Seasoned Ukraine watchers, who have slept through the current revolution in Kiev and failed to predict the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovich in February, have now got a new spring in their step, pointing out that a lot would depend on how the Kremlin will play its cards and whether it would be serious in dealing with Poroshenko.
Although Moscow has already signalled, on all levels, that it is prepared to give the new Ukrainian leader a chance, and a possible visit to Russia in June has already been mentioned.
But, ironically, the biggest challenge facing Poroshenko in the next several months comes not from Russia or the so-called separatists in the east but from Ukraine's very own oligarchs, who now see the newly-elected president as a potential threat to their business empires.
It was one thing when Poroshenko was just a candidate, but once that inauguration comes, he will have the power to not only to put financial pressure on the oligarchs but also to order their arrest and put them in prison for the many sins they have committed. And the example of Tymoshenko ending up in the slammer in the times of President Yanukovich must be still fresh in their minds.
Make no mistake, the oligarchs with their vast wealth, their personal armies and their people in the government machine, the police and the intelligence services will not stay idle. The horse trading and the scratching of backs was going on ever since Poroshenko emerged as the favorite for the presidency.
But that doesn't mean he can't be pragmatic and go back on his promises. And it sure doesn't mean that the rest will keep their word as well. Especially as some of the oligarchs actually prefer a situation of instability and uncertainty, as they thrive under such conditions and find it easier to jostle for power.
So what can happen in the next year or so? Well, the parliamentary elections will obviously take place this year in Ukraine, with Poroshenko promising to "see them through." The talks with Russia will commence very soon, if only to resolve the gas supply issue, but won't bring any dramatic results on most other subjects in the foreseeable future, with the prospect of Crimea coming back to the Ukrainian fold looking as likely as Joe Biden winning the next presidential election in the U.S.
So the only realistic way out could be agreeing some sort of compensation, paid out by Russia to Ukraine, say something like $500 billion over a period of 10 years or more, in return for Kiev accepting the loss of the peninsula and the world recognising it as part of Russia.
The resolution of the problem with the separatist Donetsk and Lugansk regions promises to be a thorny issue, but if Poroshenko and President Putin were able to negotiate a ceasefire in the next few weeks or so, this would be seen as a great achievement. And although Poroshenko is telling everyone that the idea of federalism and giving Donetsk and Lugansk greater autonomy is totally unacceptable to him, things, as has been pointed out above, do tend to change a lot after elections, so he might change his mind on this one as well.
Finally, a lot will depend on whether the U.S. and the EU would actually allow Poroshenko some serious room for manoeuvre to deal with President Putin. If he is boxed in by the demands of his Western patrons to keep the pressure on Moscow high, then his chances of achieving anything will be quite slim and the other oligarchs might just be tempted to bring him down.
READ: Leading in Ukraine election, billionaire Petro Poroshenko declares victory
READ: Ukraine's 'Chocolate King' aims for top job
READ: Opinion: Free elections good for Ukraine, but could be bad for Putin
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Alexander Nekrassov.
Nigerian military official: We know girls' location
5/26/2014 8:54:32 PM
- The official says the Nigerian military will not use force to try to rescue the girls
- "We can't kill our girls in the name of trying to get them back," he reportedly says
- More than 200 schoolgirls were abducted in northern Nigeria last month by Boko Haram
(CNN) -- A top Nigerian military official believes he knows the whereabouts of girls kidnapped last month, but he says the nation's military will not use force to try to rescue them, a state news report said Monday.
"We want our girls back. I can tell you that our military can and will do it, but where they are held, can we go there with force?" asked Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh.
"Nobody should say Nigerian military does not know what it is doing; we can't kill our girls in the name of trying to get them back."
His comments were reported by the News Agency of Nigeria, a state-run news service.
Badeh continued: "The good news for the parents of the girls is that we know where they are, but we cannot tell you.
"We cannot come and tell you the military secret, just leave us alone, we are working to get the girls back," he reportedly said.
In response to the news, Pentagon spokesman Adm. John Kirby told CNN U.S. officials were not able to confirm the report.
More than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped in northern Nigeria last month by Boko Haram, an act that drew international condemnation.
Kidnapped girls: How you can help
The terror group abducted an estimated 276 girls on April 14 from a boarding school in Chibok. The Nigerian military suffered an embarrassing setback when it retracted a report that nearly all the kidnapped girls were released.
Dozens escaped, but more than 200 girls are still missing.
Girl: 'How I escaped Boko Haram'
Nigerians and others have accused their government of not acting swiftly or efficiently enough to protect the girls seized in the dead of night.
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.
Hagel: No 'solid evidence' on whereabouts of Nigeria schoolgirls
CNN's Jim Sciutto contributed to this report.
Official: Rescue not imminent
5/26/2014 8:47:36 PM
Nigeria's Chief of Defense tells state news he knows where the kidnapped girls are but that a rescue is not imminent.
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Colombian candidates face runoff
5/25/2014 10:12:58 PM
- NEW: Santos: Voters will choose "between the end of the war and a war without end"
- NEW: Zuluaga: "My pledge is to work for a serious, responsible and lasting peace"
- Colombia's presidential vote will need a second round to pick a winner
- Key question voters are weighing: How should government handle the FARC?
(CNN) -- Colombians cast ballots in a hotly contested presidential vote on Sunday, but none of the five candidates running received enough support to win the election.
In the preliminary tally, Oscar Ivan Zuluaga was in the lead with 29.3% of votes, officials said, while incumbent President Juan Manuel Santos had secured 25.6% of votes.
To win a presidential election, Colombian law requires a candidate to obtain more than 50% of votes. That means Zuluaga and Santos will face off in a runoff election on June 15.
A key question voters are weighing: Should Colombia's government keep negotiating with leftist guerrillas or force them to surrender?
Santos was first elected in 2010 on a platform of continuing an offensive against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, leftist guerrillas that have been at war with the government for decades.
But since late 2012, peace talks with the group have become a hallmark of his presidency.
On Sunday, Santos said that in the second round, voters will choose "between the end of the war and a war without end."
"We are going to choose between those who respect the opposition and the free press, and those who prefer intolerance," he said.
Zuluaga has called for an end to the peace talks and is against giving any political space to the rebels.
On Sunday, he stressed that he also wanted peace for Colombia.
"Peace, yes, but peace that benefits the people," he said. "My pledge is to work for a serious, responsible and lasting peace."
"The difference regarding the candidates' position in the economy and other issues is minimal, but when it comes to how to handle the guerrilla, it's abysmal," pollster Javier Restrepo told CNN last week. "Santos is advocating for a continuation of the peace talks he started in 2012, while Zuluaga's position is that there should not be a dialogue with an illegal guerrilla until its fighters surrender to government forces and lay down their weapons."
Election observers from the Organization of American States said there was a high level of abstention in Sunday's vote, with around 60% of eligible voters deciding to stay home rather than cast ballots, CNN en Español reported.
As candidates debated the issues, a scandal involving a hacker and a video sent shockwaves through the final days of campaigning last week.
The video published by the weekly news magazine "Semana" in Bogotá allegedly shows Zuluaga getting secret military information from a man who was arrested earlier this month and accused of illegal hacking activities.
Zuluaga told reporters the five-minute video was "a vulgar montage" put together to smear his campaign.
CNN's Mariano Castillo and CNN en Español contributed to this report.
Indian soldier kills 2 colleagues
5/25/2014 8:59:43 PM
- Indian army trooper uses service rifle to kill fellow troopers and himself
- The incident took place in the Poonch district of Indian-administered Kashmir
- In a similar incident in February, a trooper shot five colleagues and himself
Srinagar, India (CNN) -- An Indian army trooper gunned down two of his colleagues with his service rifle in the frontier Poonch district of Indian-administered Kashmir on Sunday before turning the gun on himself.
"Senior army officers have rushed to the spot to investigate," an Indian defense spokesman said.
"The army has also ordered a court of inquiry to ascertain the facts," defense spokesman Col. Manish Mehta told CNN.
This is the second fratricidal incident in Indian-administered Kashmir this year. In February, five troopers were shot dead by a colleague before he killed himself.
Senior security force officers attribute the problem to stress because of long duty hours.
Several remedial measures -- including granting periodic leaves, bringing in counselors and providing recreational facilities -- have been put in place.
Kashmir is a mountainous region that has long been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan. Both sides keep large numbers of troops in the region.
Since 1989, India has also been fighting against a violent separatist movement in the mainly Muslim area it controls, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people.
Good for Ukraine, bad for Putin?
5/25/2014 5:39:30 AM
- Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Rep. Peter Roskam are in Ukraine for the presidential elections
- They feel Russia's continued interference in the region undermines democracy
- Vladimir Putin has been deliberately seizing ground in Georgia and Ukraine
- They say the U.S. must not allow Putin to use force to meddle in Ukrainian affairs
Editor's note: Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire, serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Illinois, represents that state's 6th District, serves as chief deputy whip and chairs the House Democracy Partnership. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the authors.
(CNN) -- On Sunday, Ukrainians will go to the polls to elect a new president three months after the ouster of corrupt former President Viktor Yanukovych.
We will be there in Ukraine to observe the elections as members of an International Republican Institute delegation, witnessing a vote that is an important step not only for the Ukrainian people's struggle for democracy, but for the entire region's hopes for long-term stability and democratic development.
In the lead-up to this critical vote, pro-Russian separatists, taking their cues from an increasingly aggressive Moscow, have attempted to undermine the elections in parts of eastern and southern Ukraine through threats and violence.
In Donetsk and Luhansk, separatist leaders announced they will not participate in the presidential elections, while heavily armed militia fighters seize control of election offices and government buildings.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly called the election "a step in the right direction," but tens of thousands of Russian troops remain near the Ukrainian border, Russian intelligence forces continue operating in eastern Ukraine and Putin has been noncommittal about whether his government will recognize the outcome of the presidential vote.
As other countries in the region can attest, Russian interference in territorial sovereignty is nothing new. Since 1992, long before Putin came to power, Russia has occupied parts of Moldova, and for many years Moscow fostered a breakaway rebellion on Georgian soil, which eventually led to war in 2008.
Shortly before this year's Sochi Olympics, Russian forces used the pretext of security for the games to advance miles farther into Georgia, pledging to return to the ceasefire lines once the Olympics had ended. Instead, Russia's military has fortified its gains in Georgia and shows no indication of withdrawal.
Putin understands that successful elections and a new government committed to democratic ideals and anti-corruption will have a ripple effect throughout the region, including Russia.
In a recent interview, Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Alasania said, "If they [Ukrainians] survive this crisis there will be a future for all the countries in the region that border Russia." That is why Putin has undertaken extraordinary measures to undermine Kiev's effort to solidify its status as a sovereign, independent, and democratic nation.
To deter Putin's aggression, the United States must inflict immediate and serious economic consequences on Russia's financial, energy, and defense sectors. We must also expand and strengthen sanctions on Russian officials who were involved in the illegal annexation of Crimea. And Putin must know that additional acts of aggression will be met with even greater costs.
The vast majority of Ukrainians -- like the citizens of so many countries in the region -- envision their future as a united democracy, free from foreign intervention and intimidation, and integrated with the rest of Europe.
It is critical that Western nations support these aspirations through democratic assistance and economic development programs that support the new Ukrainian government as it enacts political and economic reforms to root out corruption, restore the rule of law and promote growth and prosperity for the Ukrainian people.
The United States and our European Union allies must not allow Putin to continue to meddle in Ukrainian affairs and use the specter of military aggression to undermine the safety and liberty of millions of people seeking democracy in the region.
It is our responsibility to stand with the Ukrainian people and their aspiration to live in a free and democratic society without fear of repression.
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French PM: EU vote result is 'an earthquake'
5/26/2014 11:07:10 AM
- NEW: Vote shows the French "no longer want to be directed from the outside," Le Pen says
- "The result is a shock, an earthquake," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says
- France's far-right National Front party poised to win a nationwide vote for the first time
- Voters across Europe have been casting ballots for 751 seats from 28 countries
Editor's note: Explore Europe's main protest parties in the map above. Click on each country to find out more. Watch The Business View with Nina dos Santos, weekdays at 12pm CET, for more on the European elections. This interactive map may not work on all mobile devices.
(CNN) -- France's far-right National Front has won a nationwide election for the first time, as far-right parties across Europe caused a political "earthquake," with a string of victories in voting for the European Parliament.
The National Front, led by Marine Le Pen, notched up 24.95% of the vote in France, according to official estimates, well ahead of mainstream parties UMP and the Socialist Party. Le Pen said the win showed that people want to see change in Europe.
France's Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the result was "more than a warning. It is a shock, an earthquake."
Right-wing parties also gained ground in the UK, Denmark and Austria, according to projections posted on the European Parliament's official elections website.
Voters across Europe have been casting ballots for days in the parliamentary vote. There are 751 seats from 28 countries up for grabs.
With most of the ballots counted, provisional results indicate that left-center and right-center parties will still hold a majority of seats in the European Parliament, which plays a key role in shaping European laws and will weigh in on who the European Commission's next President should be.
But right-wing parties and other so-called Euroskeptic groups who oppose the European Union are gaining ground, said Simon Usherwood, an expert on European politics at the University of Surrey.
"I think what's really changed is you're seeing a lot more groups on the edges, particularly with the far right, who are going to be much more of a feature of the next five years of the parliament," he said.
So what does that mean?
"They don't have enough votes to stop legislation going through," Usherwood told CNN, "but what they will get, particularly on the far right, is the time for speaking in debates, the chairmanship of certain committees, which means that they're going to have much more of a platform on which they can sell their message to voters."
In France, which has 74 seats in the European Parliament, the National Front won 24.95% of votes, according to official estimates, coming in ahead of the center-right UMP, which scored 20.8%, and President Francois Hollande's Socialist Party, which came in third with 14%.
Even though the vote was for a regional legislative body, the potential impact on France's national political landscape was clear on Sunday. The results sparked stunned reactions from some French politicians and triumphant victory speeches from others.
PM Valls described the election as "a very serious moment for France and for Europe," noting that projections indicate that voters are skeptical of the European Union. "None of us can shirk their responsibilities," he said, according to a summary of his remarks posted on the French government's website.
Meanwhile, National Front leader Marine Le Pen said the results showed that French voters wanted more control.
"The sovereign people have proclaimed that they want to take back the reigns of their destiny into their hands. Our people demand one type of politics: politics of the French, for the French, with the French. They no longer want to be directed from outside," she said.
She said the vote shows that President Francois Hollande should dissolve France's parliament, where most lawmakers come from mainstream political parties.
Nearly 400 million Europeans were eligible to vote in the parliamentary elections. Turnout was just over 43%, slightly higher than it was during the last vote in 2009, Parliament spokesman Jaume Duch said.
"The clear message here is that people are unhappy with the way mainstream political parties have handled the economic crisis, and they're giving them a good kicking," said Petros Fassoulas, chairman of the pro-Europe European Movement.
Before the election, analysts predicted that protest parties were likely to triumph at the polls.
Those parties are demanding tighter border controls, nationalized decision-making and a dissolution of the currency union.
But they have little in common aside from a dislike of the Brussels bureaucracy, so it's difficult for them to find much common ground, Usherwood said.
"They can agree they don't like the EU," Usherwood said, "but they can't agree what they like and what the answer is."
CNN's Pierre Meilhan, Jim Bittermann, Ivana Kottasova, Jonathan Mann and Bryony Jones contributed to this report.
Gadhafi's spy chief rejects charges
5/25/2014 10:20:00 PM
- Saif al-Islam Gadhafi continues to be tried while being held in western Libya
- Dozens of other Moammar Gadhafi regime officials are on trial in Tripoli
- The International Criminal Court rejected Libya's bid to try the younger Gadhafi
(CNN) -- The trial of the son of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and dozens of other former regime officials resumed in Tripoli on Sunday, in continued defiance of the International Criminal Court that last week rejected Libya's plea to try Saif al-Islam Gadhafi domestically.
Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, once his father's heir apparent, has been held in the western mountain city of Zintan by the militiamen who captured him in 2011. The group has refused to hand him over to the central government, citing security concerns and lawlessness in the capital.
He appeared via videolink from a courthouse in Zintan, while more than 20 former officials were in the south Tripoli courtroom. Eight other former regime members being held in Misrata also appeared on a videolink.
The officials are facing charges relating to the 2011 revolution and attempts to suppress the uprising, including the killing of protesters, a crime punishable by death.
The fourth session of the trial comes less than a week after the ICC's appeals chamber upheld an earlier decision by the international court demanding that Libya hand over Gadhafi to The Hague.
Libya submitted put in a legal request to try Gadhafi domestically in 2012, but it was rejected by the ICC last year and later appealed by the North African country. Wednesday's decision by the ICC appeals chamber is a final.
The ICC had indicted both Gadhafi and former spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi for alleged war crimes in 2011.
Al-Senussi, who was extradited to Libya from Mauritania two years ago, also appeared in court on Sunday, looking frail and as if he had lost weight.
Although the international court granted Libya the right to try al-Senussi last year, his ICC- appointed lawyer was appealing the ruling.
Libya has insisted that unlike under the Gadhafi regime, the defendants will receive a fair trial.
But rights groups have raised concerns about the ongoing trial, especially the use of videolink that they say does not allow them to communicate with their lawyers before and during sessions.
Other concerns include limited access of some defendants to legal counsel, and some defendants still have no lawyers.
During Sunday's session Gadhafi still did not have a court-appointed lawyer, and al-Senussi's attorney was absent. Without the presence of defense lawyers, the two did not enter a plea or respond to charges read by the judge.
The other defendants denied the charges. Some of them became emotional as they addressed the court.
Buzeid Dorda, the former head of foreign intelligence, denied the charges calling them "fabricated" and "politically motivated."
The trial was adjourned to June 22 after the prosecution and defense attorneys requested more time to prepare their cases.
Libya's government, which has been in the midst of its worst political and security crisis since the revolution, has not yet commented on the ICC's latest decision.
Legal experts say the country could face consequences for its refusal to hand over Gadhafi to The Hague, but only if steps are taken by the international community.
"Sanctions can be imposed on Libya by the UN Security Council for Libya's non-compliance, and Libya's membership in various international organizations could be suspended and/or made conditional on Libya surrendering Saif Gadhafi to the ICC, if states wish to insist on it," John Jones, Gadhafi's ICC-appointed defense lawyer, told CNN on Saturday. "Therefore the matter is in the hands of the international community, in particular states like the UK and France, which are both members of the ICC and permanent members of the Security Council."
Jones insisted that Libya must hand Gadhafi over to the ICC, saying his rights have been "gravely violated" since his capture more than two years ago.
Violations include Gadhafi being held in solitary confinement in a secret location and being denied visits by friends and family, according to Jones.
"Libya is paralyzed and unable to protect the rights and security of Libyans, including judges, lawyers and judicial police and detainees, much less the rights of a person like Mr. Gadhafi," Jones said.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, who have also raised concerns about the deteriorating security situation in the country, have also renewed their call for Libya to hand over Saif al-Islam to The Hague.
"The ICC appeals decision only reinforces Libya's long overdue obligation to surrender Saif Gadhafi to The Hague," said Richard Dicker, international justice director. "Libyan authorities should show the same respect for ICC procedures as they did when they first engaged the court on Gadhafi's case."
Crowds rally in Libya to support retired general's campaign
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Battle rages at Donetsk airport
5/26/2014 1:42:14 PM
- Pro-Russian separatists seized Donetsk airport terminal
- Ukrainian air and ground forces attacked the airport
- Plumes of black smoke rose over the airport
- Ukraine reported that its troops destroyed an anti-aircraft gun
(CNN) -- Intense fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine on Monday when Ukrainian air and ground forces attacked pro-Russian separatist gunmen who had seized the Donetsk airport terminal, according to the national news agency of Ukraine, Ukrinform.
The violence came one day after billionaire Petro Poroshenko declared victory in the presidential election, though separatists disrupted voting in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The separatists stormed and seized the terminal, leading to the cancellation of all flights. They ignored a Ukraine anti-terrorism operation ultimatum to vacate the premises, Ukrinform reported.
After a Ukraine military plane "made a preliminary shot," paratroopers landed and began clearing the airport, Ukrinform reported. In the fighting, a separatist anti-aircraft gun was destroyed, Ukrinform said.
Though the Ukraine government said it was taking control, CNN reporters who witnessed the action saw separatist reinforcements moving toward the airport in trucks.
The State Border Service of Ukraine said that up to 40 trucks with gunmen aboard had been spotted on Russian territory within 10 kilometers of Donetsk.
A Ukraine combat helicopter flew over the airport and fired at something, according to the CNN team. Black smoke billowed up from the area, but it was unclear whether the target hit was the airport proper. Pro-Russian separatists shot at the helicopter as it flew overhead, the CNN team reported.
Gunfire and explosions could be clearly heard in the city of Donetsk.
There were no early reports of casualties.
Nick Paton Walsh and Andy Care reported from Donetsk. Ralph Ellis wrote and reported from Atlanta.
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