BBC Online
The wife of the gunman who killed 49 people at an Orlando gay nightclub knew of his plans for the attack and could soon be charged in connection with the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, a law enforcement source said.
The source told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday that a federal grand jury had been convened and could charge Omar Mateen’s wife, Noor Salman, as early as Wednesday.
Britain’s jobless queue shrinks to 11-year low
AFP, London
Britain’s unemployment rate dipped to 5.0 percent in the three months to April, the lowest level since 2005, official data showed on Wednesday.
The unemployment rate had stood at 5.1 percent in the three months to March, which had also been a near 11-year low, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.
Dilma open to elections if survives impeachment
Reuters, Brasilia
Brazil’s suspended President Dilma Rousseff said she is preparing a letter to Brazilians that will offer a new political pact that could include a referendum on calling early elections if she survives an impeachment trial in the Senate.
In an interview with foreign news agencies, Rousseff said she must first survive an upcoming trial in which senators will decide whether to permanently remove her from office.
Turkey, Russia leaders in first contact since plane crisis
AFP, Ankara
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin marking Russia’s national day, in their first contact since Ankara downed a Russian warplane in November, an official said Tuesday.
The letter was the most significant in a series of signals from Ankara in recent weeks that it is keen to repair ties that plunged to historic lows after Turkey shot down the Russian war plane on November 24.
Israel cuts water supplies to West Bank
Al Jazeera, Nablus
Israel’s national water company has cut crucial water supplies to large areas of the occupied West Bank, leaving tens of thousands of Palestinians without access to safe drinking water during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan.
Mekorot, the main supplier of water to Palestinian towns and cities, siphoned off water supplies to the municipality of Jenin, several Nablus villages and the city of Salfit and its surrounding villages.
Japan says Chinese vessel entered its waters
Reuters, Tokyo
A Chinese navy reconnaissance vessel briefly entered Japan’s territorial waters early Wednesday off the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima, a Japanese government spokesman said.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko said the vessel had been spotted by a Japanese patrol plane around 3:30 a.m. local time and that it had left around 5 a.m.
