Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic made a throat-slitting gesture to a woman who lost her son, husband and brothers in the Srebenica massacre at the start of his trial on Wednesday for some of the worst atrocities in Europe since World War Two.
Mladic, now 70, flashed a defiant thumbs-up as he entered the courtroom - the last of the main protagonists in the Balkan wars of the 1990s to go on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
A hero to Serb nationalists, the "Butcher of Bosnia" to his Muslim and Croat victims, the pugnacious general eluded justice for 16 years until his capture in a cousin's farmhouse in Serbia last May.
The list of 11 charges stemming from his actions as the Serb military commander in the Bosnian war of 1992-95 ranges from genocide to murder, acts of terror and crimes against humanity.
He is accused of orchestrating not only the week-long massacre of 8,000 unarmed Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica but also the 43-month siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, in which more than 10,000 people were killed by snipers, machine guns and heavy artillery.
In the public gallery, Munira Subasic, whose 18-year-old son, husband and brothers were killed in Srebrenica, stared at him from behind a glass barrier, crossing her wrists to imitate handcuffs.
Mladic stared back and drew a hand across his throat.
Authorities from England’s Ministry of Defense have supposedly sent a ‘D notice’ to the BBC and other media establishments as a warning to censor coverage of surveillance tactics employed by U.K. and U.S. intelligence agencies.
European Parliament members talk of constructively criticizing Turkey, while canceling a projected visit due to the situation caused by protests. 
The Turkish-American ‘Everything for Turkey Platform’, left a black wreath which read "The Turkish public will never forget CNN’s manipulations” in front of the CNN building in New York on Saturday. 
A foundation entitled the “Every Thing for Turkey Platform” (Her şey Türkiye İçin Platformu) has announced they will be holding a demonstration in New York aimed at preserving Turkey’s best interests.
Muhammed Alabasy, who has been working for Iran’s Al Alam television station for the past eight years of his 36-year career in journalism, has resigned due to being pressured to use the term “Turkish Spring” in reference to the nationwide protests in Turkey. 
Prime Minister Erdoğan, whose trip took him to Algeria criticized Assad stating that “His father massacred Humus. His son is doing far more. These workings are not forgivable.”
Syrian President Assad has announced that they have reaceived the initial delivery of S-300 missiles from Russia. Russian Defense Minister Shoigu stated “Russia may deliver new assault weapons to Syria.
A meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the upcoming second Geneva Conference which aims to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria failed to reap a precise date for when the summit will actually take place. 
After a marathon negotiating session of EU Foreign Ministers, a ban on arming the Syrian opposition in order to protect the innocent public has in effect been lifted. England’s unyielding stance in favor of the embargo’s expiration was influential in the decision-making process. 
Iran has issued a four billion-dollar worth credit to Syria. 
The allegations the Syrian regime is using chemical warfare against the opposition, which have been put forth by Turkey, the United States and Israel, have now been confirmed. Reporters from Le Monde which spent months on the opposition front lines say the weapons are being masked by tear gas to make detection that much harder. 
Myanmar opposition leader and pro-democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi condemned on Monday a policy by a district government to limit Muslim Rohingya families to two children in an effort to curb their population growth, calling it both discrimination and going against human rights.
President of the Syrian National Council George Sabra says they are not hopeful regarding Geneva II and that there is no way they will attend a conference while the situation in Syria remains as it is. “You win a war on the battlefield and not at the table,” says Sabra. 
Days after Prime Minister Erdoğan called on U.S. President Obama to take action against the ongoing massacres suffered by Muslims in Myanmar, during a meeting held in the Oval Office of the White House, the U.S. leader hosted Myanmar President Thein Sein for a meeting in the very same location. 
