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The U.S. is ready to use violence against North Korea, but would prefer to defuse tensions with Pyongyang through diplomacy, said the country’s UN ambassador, Nikki Haley. "One of our capabilities lies with our considerable military forces. We will use them if we must, but we prefer not to have to go in that direction," Haley told the UN Security Council. The U.S. will ask the UN to impose new sanctions on North Korea in the coming days, Haley said. The U.S. wants to impose a tighter blockade on North Korea by cutting off the country's sources of hard currency. “We will look at any country that chooses to do business with this outlaw regime,” Haley said. – REUTERS

Armed with clubs and pipes, supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stormed the opposition controlled Congress and attacked lawmakers. Some 15 people were injured, including lawmaker Americo de Grazia, who had to be treated in hospital after being hit in the head and losing consciousness. Security forces fired tear gas to expel the attackers from the building. Some 90 people have died during three months of anti-government protests. Opposition lawmakers accuse Maduro of ruining the economy and are calling for a general election. They won control of Congress in 2015 but they have been unable to usher in change, in part because Supreme Court justices have frequently sided with Maduro. – WAPO

U.S. President Donald Trump criticized China on Wednesday for failing to reduce trade with North Korea. “Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40% in the first quarter. So much for China working with us — but we had to give it a try!” Trump tweeted. When the leaders met in April, Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for help to rein in North Korea. But in recent weeks he has lashed out at China for not putting enough pressure on Pyongyang. China is North Korea’s main trading partner and data shows that trade between the countries picked up in the first quarter, after months of steady decline. – CNBC

Chess legend Garry Kasparov will take a break from retirement to play in a US tournament. “Ready to see if I remember how to move the pieces! Will I be able to announce my re-retirement afterwards if not?!,” Kasparov tweeted. At 54, Kasparov will be the oldest of ten players competing for the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis, Missouri. He may play against the world No.2 player, Hikaru Nakamura, or against Russian chess prodigy Sergey Karjakin. Kasparov retired in 2005 after being a leading figure in the sport for 15 years. He has spent the last few years involved in Russian politics and he is a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin. – GUARDIAN

The European Union and Japan have signed a free trade agreement. Under the deal, tariffs on most of the products that the economies exchange will be eliminated in the coming years. The agreement is still under negotiation, but officials said that the main points have been agreed upon. These included fears that Japanese cars could flood the EU market, or that Japanese dairy producers would struggle to compete with their EU rivals. "Ahead of the G20 summit tomorrow, I believe Japan and the EU are demonstrating our strong political will to fly the flag for free trade against a shift toward protectionism," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The deal comes in contrast to U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies. – REUTERS

At least 14 people were killed in gun battles between rival drug gangs in Chihuahua, northern Mexico. Security forces were shot at when they arrived at the area, where drug cartels grow marijuana and opium. The security forces called a Black Hawk helicopter to help them regain control of the site. Rifles, grenades and grenade launchers were found at the scene of the battle. Authorities said 14 bodies were recovered but “there could be more”. Oscar Alberto Aparicio, the Chihuahua state security commissioner, said the rival gangs killed two police officers in the area last week. – AP

The health of U.S. Republican lawmaker Steve Scalise is deteriorating and he is back in intensive care. Scalise was shot last month during practice for a GOP charity baseball game. He was shot in the left hip and suffered damage to his internal organs, as well as broken bones. His condition has deteriorated from “fair” to “serious”, doctors say. Four people were shot in the attack, and two more were treated for other injuries. The gunman, James Hodgkinson, was killed by police. – CNN

A gigantic iceberg the size of Delaware could soon break off from Antarctica, scientists warn. The rift between the iceberg, known as the Larsen C section, and the main ice shelf has grown from 300 feet in November 2016, to 124 miles according to the European Space Agency. Now there are only 3 miles of ice preventing the iceberg from setting adrift. If the iceberg breaks, the entire Larsen ice shelf would be more vulnerable to the warming climate. Scientists say Larsen has lost 75 percent of its mass since the 1990s as large chunks of ice become loose. If Larsen C breaks of it could pose threats to shipping in the area, researchers say. – LIVESCIENCE

Arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby has agreed to pay a $3 million settlement for acquiring relics that were smuggled from Iraq. The company will also forfeit thousands of artifacts that it bought without proper documentation in countries such as Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The 5,500 artifacts were purchased in 2010 for $1.6 million. They included cuneiform tablets and bricks, clay bullae and cylinder seals, the Department of Justice said in a statement. The acquisition was “fraught with red flags”, the DOJ said. For example, Hobby Lobby paid for the artifacts by wiring funds to seven personal bank accounts instead of paying money directly to the UAE-based dealer from which it bought the relics. ISIS militants make tens of millions a year by selling antiques smuggled from Iraq. – NBC

Archaeologists in Mexico have unearthed 650 skulls that reveal that Aztec human sacrifices included women and children - and not only captured rival warriors. The crania were found in one of the main temples of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, in what is now Mexico City. "We were expecting just men, obviously young men, as warriors would be, and the thing about the women and children is that you'd think they wouldn't be going to war," said Rodrigo Bolanos, a biological anthropologist. Aztecs and other pre-Columbian cultures killed animals and humans as offerings to their gods. They also sacrificed people they had captured. – NPR

A newly revealed photograph purportedly shows that Amelia Earhart did not perish in a plane crash in the Western Pacific Ocean, as it has long been thought. The claim is made by “Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence,” a documentary by the History Channel. The film argues that Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were held captive by the Japanese military after their plane crash landed in the Marshall Islands. They might have died in custody, the film claims. Earhart and Noonan disappeared while trying to circumnavigate the world and their remains were never found. – AP

A lone gunman in rural Maine went on a shooting spree and killed his partner, their son and a neighbor before being shot and killed by police. Investigators believe the shooting was the result of domestic violence, and they are trying to understand what prompted Carroll Tuttle, 51, to kill three people and injure another family member. According to a neighbor, Carroll and his partner lived in a trailer, and some of their relatives lived in a camper in the property. – AP