1. Mladic on trial for genocide charges

Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic taunted* Srebrenica survivors on May 16 at the start of his trial for genocide, running his hand across his throat in a gesture of defiance* to relatives of the worst massacre in Europe since World War II.

Mladic, 70, flashed a thumbs-up and clapped his hands as he entered the courtroom in The Hague, where he faces possible life imprisonment for allegedly leading the slaughter of 8,000 unarmed Muslim boys and men in Srebrenica in 1995.

2. Greece to hold new elections

Greece headed into a month of political uncertainty after power-sharing talks collapsed on May 15, triggering new elections that could determine whether the country retains its tenuous* position in Europe’s currency.

Nine tortured days of fruitless talks to build a coalition government fueled increasing doubt that Greece can make enough reforms to prevent the world’s largest currency union from fracturing. The elections will be held on June 17 — the month in which Greece must make more spending cuts to ensure it meets the terms of its international bailout.

3. Limbless man begins world swim

A limbless Frenchman planning to make four challenging swims to circle the world finally got his epic* journey under way on May 17 after sorting out paperwork problems in Papua New Guinea.

Philippe Croizon, who lost both his arms and legs in an electrical accident in 1994, entered the water in the Pacific country’s remote west at 6 a.m. on his way to Indonesia’s Papua province.

4. North Korea resumes work

on nuclear reactor

North Korea has resumed construction work on an experimental light water reactor in a move that could expand its capacity to produce material for nuclear weapons, Web site 38North reported on May 17.

The construction activity comes as Pyongyang has stepped up progress toward conducting a third nuclear test, perhaps using highly enriched uranium* for the first time, despite warnings from the United States and China.

5. Thai Red Shirts want justice

Thailand’s Red Shirts took to the street over the weekend to mark the anniversary of the army’s bloody repression* of their mass rally in Bangkok in 2010 amid growing signs of a rift with the government they helped elect last July.

Many Red Shirts are angry at the failure of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to bring to account those responsible for the 91 deaths during the 2010 events. Some are threatening action that could destabilize her government and start another period of political upheaval*.

6. Powerful quake rocks northern Italy

A magnitude-6.0 temblor s rattled* Bologna in northern Italy on Sunday, killing at least four people, toppling buildings and sending residents running into the streets, emergency services and news reports said.

The quake was one of the strongest to shake the region, seismologists said, and initial television footage indicated that older buildings had suffered damage: Roofs collapsed, church towers showed cracks and the bricks of some stone walls tumbled into the street.

7. Yemen clashes kill 34

At least 22 al-Qaida-linked militants and 12 Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes and airstrikes overnight during a U.S.-backed offensive against insurgents in the south of Yemen, officials said on Saturday.

Fighting erupted on late Friday and carried on into Saturday on the outskirts of the southern city of Jaar, held by Islamist militants who have stepped up their campaign during months of political turmoil*.

(SD-Agencies)