Simon Furness

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, targeted by obscene chants during the World Cup opening match, says “verbal aggression” will not bother her.
BBC News – Latin America & Caribbean

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko vows to retaliate after pro-Russia separatists shoot down a military plane in the east, killing 49 people.
BBC News – Europe

The UK will provide an initial £3m of emergency humanitarian aid for civilians fleeing the insurgency by Islamic extremists in Iraq, the government says.
BBC News – UK

President Barack Obama says he will take several days to decide what action to take over the Iraq crisis, but says no US troops will be deployed.
BBC News – US & Canada

The survival of Africa’s elephants is under threat, with estimated poaching levels well above their birth rate, an environmental report says.
BBC News – Africa

Oklahoma City Thunder

One of the European Union’s top officials, Michel Barnier, intervenes in the controversy over a potential huge US fine on BNP Paribas bank.
BBC News – Business

A court in Egypt clears former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly, who served under ousted President Hosni Mubarak, of corruption.
BBC News – Middle East

The 2014 Fifa World Cup opens with an extravagant ceremony before hosts Brazil beat Croatia 3-1 in the first match.
BBC News – Latin America & Caribbean

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tells President Putin that reports of three Russian tanks moving into Ukrainian territory are unacceptable.
BBC News – Europe

The Bank of England’s governor hints that interest rates may rise earlier than expected, while the Chancellor George Osborne says he will give the Bank new powers to cap mortgages.
BBC News – UK

President Obama says his government is looking at “all options” to help fight Islamist militants in Iraq, including military action.
BBC News – US & Canada

Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the UN, accuses Sudan of stepping up its attacks on civilians in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
BBC News – Africa

After being acquired in March, Caron Butler instantly made a positive impact on the Thunder locker room.
Oklahoma City Thunder

The UK jobs market continued to improve in the three months to April, although the rate of wage increases slowed sharply, official figures show.
BBC News – Business

Islamist militants in Iraq seize Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, north of Baghdad, after overrunning the second city, Mosul, officials say.
BBC News – Middle East

Brazil is ready, on and off the pitch, for the football World Cup which starts on Thursday, President Dilma Rousseff says in a TV address.
BBC News – Latin America & Caribbean

A strike against a mobile taxi service prompts protests by cab drivers across Europe, while rail services are disrupted by action in France.
BBC News – Europe

Hundreds of thousands of people have been hit by a benefits backlog, a minister says.
BBC News – UK

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel tells a House committee the release of captive Sgt Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five Guantanamo Bay detainees was in US national interests.
BBC News – US & Canada