10 things you need to know today: May 16, 2012

Ratko Mladic's war crimes trial begins, General Motors pulls its Facebook ads, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion

Former Bosnian Serb military commander Gen. Ratko Mladic at the start of his trial in The Hague on May 16
(Image credit: AP Photo/Toussaint Kluiters)

1. MLADIC WAR CRIMES TRIAL OPENS

Bosnian Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic went on trial at The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday. He faces 11 charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, relating to his role in the Bosnian War, which saw more than 100,000 casualties by its end in 1995. Mladic is accused of leading his forces to massacre some 8,000 unarmed Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995. The 70-year-old has said he is not well enough to stand trial and dismissed the charges, calling them "monstrous." A non-guilty plea has been entered on his behalf. [Reuters]

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