UK unemployment total falls to 2.16m
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
Craig Taylor
Brazil ‘ready’ for World Cup
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
Iraqi insurgents ‘seize new city’
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
US defence chief defends Bergdahl swap
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
Thousands hit by benefits backlog
Hundreds of thousands of people have been hit by a benefits backlog, a minister says. BBC News – UK
European cities hit by strikes
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