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
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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2. GM: FACEBOOK ADS NOT WORTH IT
Generals Motors says it will cease advertising on Facebook because the ads have had little impact on consumers. GM is the third largest advertiser across all media in the country; its decision to stop advertising with Facebook comes as the social media giant prepares for its initial public offering and has been working to convince investors that it is worthy of a valuation as high as $104 billion. While it will no longer pay for ads on Facebook, GM will still use free profile pages the social network provides. [Wall Street Journal]
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3. MEDICAL REPORT: ZIMMERMAN HAD BROKEN NOSE
A new medical report says that Florida teen Trayvon Martin's killer, George Zimmerman, had a broken nose, two black eyes, and two lacerations on his head a day after the shooting. The report was compiled by Zimmerman's family physician, and may support the defendant's claim that he was acting in self-defense when he shot Martin. Zimmerman is set to stand trial for second-degree murder. [ABC News]
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4. FEDS LAUNCH PROBE INTO JPMORGAN LOSS
The Justice Department has reportedly started a probe into JPMorgan Chase's $2 billion trading loss. While it's not clear whether any laws were violated, federal officials seem to be increasing the pressure on JPMorgan, and its chief executive Jamie Dimon, to explain how the mammoth loss came to be. [Washington Post]
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5. GREEK DEBT WORRIES DRAG DOWN MARKETS
European shares are down Wednesday as investors and analysts fret over Greece's politics and finances. Greek politicians have failed to agree on a coalition, and the country's president, Karolos Papoulias, said that new elections would need to be held. The new vote will likely come in mid-June, a fact that could jeopardize Greece's chance of securing international aid. On Tuesday, the Dow closed near its lowest point in four months. [Wall Street Journal]
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6. NEW FRENCH PRIME MINISTER TAKES OFFICE
Jean-Marc Ayrault, France's new prime minister, took office Wednesday, a day after President Francois Hollande was sworn in. Ayrault is a moderate socialist with a fondness for Germany, which should prove helpful for Paris-Berlin relations. [Associated Press]
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7. ROMNEY TAKES ORE., NEB. PRIMARIES
Unsurprisingly, Mitt Romney easily won Tuesday's primaries in Oregon and Nebraska. The presumptive GOP nominee is now a reported 171 delegates shy of the 1,144 need to secure the nominaition. [Politico]
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8. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS HOME HIV TEST
An advisory committee unanimously recommended that the Food and Drug Administration approve an in-home HIV test. If the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test is indeed approved, it will be the first over-the-counter test on the market for any infectious disease. [CNN]
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9. SORKIN TO WRITE STEVE JOBS MOVIE
Sony has tapped Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The West Wing) to adapt Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography for the big screen. Sorkin is said to have been the studio's top choice from the beginning to write Steve Jobs. Meanwhile, Ashton Kutcher is set to play Jobs in a different biopic on the Apple founder. [The Hollywood Reporter]
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10. RUSSIA CAPTURES SHARPEST PHOTO OF EARTH
A Russian satellite has snapped what is believed to be the highest resolution image of Earth ever taken from space. The 121-megapixel picture was reportedly made by overlaying four images taken at different wavelengths of light. The overlay process makes the planet's vegetation look orange, contrasting with the more true colors seen in NASA's "Blue Marble" images of the planet. [NewsCore]
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