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A loud explosion has shaken the busy Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, injuring 29 people. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has confirmed the blast was an intentional act. Manhattan streets were cordoned off after the blast Speaking to the press late Saturday evening following an explosion on 23rd Street in Manhattan's Chelsea district, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the "serious" incident had left a "significant" number of injuries. "Tonight, New York City experienced a very bad incident," de Blasio told reporters near the scene in Chelsea. "We have no credible and specific threat at this moment." De Blasio said the blast was an intentional act, but added that at the moment there was no evidence of a connection to terrorism or to a pipe bomb explosion in New Jersey earlier in the day.

At least 29 people have been injured in an explosion in a crowded district of New York City. The cause of the blast late on Saturday in Chelsea remains unclear. Mayor Bill de Blasio described it as "intentional" but said that there were no known links to terror. The force of the blast blew out windows and could be heard several blocks away. Another device, reportedly a pressure cooker rigged with wires, was later found in the same district. Live updates 'People running for their lives' None of the injuries is life-threatening but one is serious, New York's fire commissioner said. Most of those hurt suffered cuts and other minor injuries from glass and other debris. The explosion occurred around 21:00 (01:00 GMT on Sunday). Witnesses said people ran in all directions following the "incredibly loud" blast. Unconfirmed reports said the blast went off in a dustbin. Several blocks have been closed down by police. "The initial indications is this was an intentional act," Mr de Blasio said. But he added: "We also want to be upfront saying that there is no evidence at this point of a terror connection to this incident." Law enforcement officials said that the device found at the second Chelsea location appeared to be a pressure cooker attached to wiring and a mobile phone. Police said it had been removed safely. Chelsea is among the most fashionable districts of Manhattan and its bars and restaurants are usually crowded at the weekend. Those in the area described being rocked by the explosion. "It was an extremely loud noise, everything was shaking, the windows were shaking, it was crazy,'' said Rudy Alcide, a bouncer at a nightclub nearby. Another local, David McKay, said New Yorkers would remain defiant. "The city's built upon grit and whoever perpetrated this act of lunacy I would say that their message would fall on very deaf ears." President Barack Obama is being kept up to date on the investigation, a White House official said. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton told reporters she had been in touch with New York officials. "Obviously we need to do everything we can to support our first responders and pray for the victims," she said. "I'll have more to say about it when we actually know the facts," she added. Speaking at a rally in Colorado before police had commented on the cause of the blast, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told supporters that a "bomb" had gone off. He said: "Nobody knows exactly what's going on, but boy, we are living in a time - we better get very tough, folks." The blast comes after a pipe bomb explosion in neighbouring New Jersey hours earlier along the route of a planned charity race. No injuries were reported, and Mr de Blasio said there was no evidence of a link. On Tuesday President Obama and other world leaders are due to attend the UN General Assembly in New York.

Edward Snowden has dismissed a report by the House of Representatives intelligence committee that heavily criticised his activities. It rejected his view of himself as a whistleblower, and said he was a disgruntled employee whose actions did nothing more than help US enemies. The report comes a day after two rights groups launched a campaign for President Obama to pardon Mr Snowden. The White House has rejected the possibility of a presidential pardon. The release of the report, two years in the making, also coincides with that of the film "Snowden", directed by Oliver Stone. In a series of tweets, Mr Snowden dismissed the report's findings, writing: "Their report is so artlessly distorted that it would be amusing if it weren't such a serious act of bad faith." Profile: Edward Snowden Oliver Stone tries to sell Snowden film to DC Snowden: Russia probably behind NSA leak Whistleblower 'smeared by UK officials' Mr Snowden, the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, has been living in Russia since 2013, when he gained notoriety for releasing thousands of classified documents that revealed mass phone and internet surveillance put in place after the 9/11 attacks. Releasing a summary of its 36-page investigation into the case, the House committee said Mr Snowden had fallen out with his colleagues and lied about his background while at the NSA. It says that most of the material he leaked related to military secrets that had nothing to do with Americans' privacy but were to "protect American troops overseas and... provide vital defenses against terrorists and nation-states". Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union launched their 'Pardon Snowden' campaign on Wednesday, urging President Obama to do so before he leaves office in January 2017. Amnesty said no-one should be prosecuted for exposing human rights violations, which, it claimed, is what "indiscriminate mass surveillance of communications" amounts to. The ACLU acts as Snowden's legal adviser, and called him "a great American who deserves clemency for his patriotic acts".

Ukrainian President Poroshenko said his country has agreed to a ceasefire proposal announced by pro- Russian rebels. Despite a 2015 peace deal, the war in Donbass has continued to plague Ukraine. The protracted conflict in eastern Ukraine will see a fresh attempt at a truce, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday that government troops would adbide by a ceasefire agreement proposed by pro- Russian rebels earlier this week. The ceasefire was set to come into effect Thursday and last for at least one week. Germany was amongst the first foreign powers to hail the decision. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, "We are happy and pleased that President Poroshenko has agreed to maintain a cessation of hostilities." He added that the International Monetary Fund has expressed its willingness to support Ukraine if it sticks to the deal. Although a formal peace deal was drawn up and signed in February 2015, scattered violence has continued between pro- Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops. While both sides have largely held to the agreement to withdraw heavy weapons from the frontline, the war in the Donbass region has joined the ranks many post- Soviet territorial conflicts that are frozen without any real solution. The conflict has claimed at least 10,000 lives since a popular uprising in early 2014 against Ukraine's former President Viktor Yanukovych, who was perceived as being in Moscow's pocket. The unrest was then compounded by the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula, eventually resulting in all-out war.

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The two sides reached agreement after 10 months of tense negotiations, as both sides saw advantages to closing a deal now. Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's misgivings, Israel made some notable concessions. The United States and Israel have agreed to a record- setting military aid package worth $38 billion over 10 years. The deal comes after months of behind-the- scenes negotiations. Under the terms of the current 10- year deal, which expires in 2018, the US provides its Middle East ally with $3.1 billion worth of annual military aid. The US State Department said on Tuesday that the agreement "constitutes the single largest pledge of bilateral military assistance in U.S. history." There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government.

Pope Francis has held a special Mass to honor Father Jacques Hamel, the French priest killed by Islamic extremists at his altar in July. The pontiff urged all religions to denounce killing in God's name as "satanic." Pope Francis described Father Jacques Hamel as a "good, gentle man" at the intimate morning Mass attended by around 80 pilgrims from the northern French diocese where the priest was murdered. Two jihadi militants slit Hamel's throat after storming into his church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, outside the city of Rouen, on July 26. A photo of the 85-year-old was placed on the altar during the homily in the chapel of Francis' guest house in the Vatican. "He accepted his martyrdom there on the altar," the pope said in his Italian-language sermon, which was translated into French for the visitors, including Hamel's relatives, members of his parish and the Rouen bishop. "A good, humble man, a man of brotherhood who always sought to make peace, was assassinated as if he were a criminal," Francis said. He also lamented the persecution of Christians today, and called on all people of faith to pray for peace and "the courage to tell the truth: killing in the name of God is satanic."

Chelsea Manning, the US soldier jailed for passing data to WikiLeaks, says she has ended a hunger strike because the Army has agreed to provide her with gender transition surgery. Psychologists recommended in April that she should receive the treatment, commonly known as a sex change. The move comes after the US military in July lifted a ban on transgender people in the armed forces. The 28-year-old was convicted in 2013 of leaking secret documents. "I am unendingly relieved that the military is finally doing the right thing. I applaud them for that. This is all that I wanted - for them to let me be me," Ms Manning said in a statement . The US Army has so far declined to comment. But the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) , which represented Ms Manning, confirmed that she would be provided with medical treatment. ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio, said: "This is a monumental day for Chelsea, who can now enjoy some peace knowing that critically needed medical care is forthcoming. "Thankfully the government has recognised its constitutional obligation to provide Chelsea with the medical care that she needs." Chelsea Manning began her hunger strike on Friday, saying she was being bullied by the US government and denied treatment for gender dysphoria - the sense of one's gender being at odds with one's sex at birth. In July she attempted suicide over the lack of treatment. She will now be treated under the US military's new transgender policy, which also allows troops to transition gender while serving and aims to set standards for medical care. However her campaign team said she could still face being put in solitary confinement as punishment for having tried to commit suicide. Ms Manning, who was arrested as Bradley Manning, is serving a 35-year sentence at the all-male Fort Leavenworth military facility in Kansas. She was convicted in a military court of leaking more than 700,000 secret files to Wikileaks after having worked as an intelligence analyst in Iraq. Shortly afterwards she announced she would start living as a woman.

A UK parliamentary report has severely criticised the intervention by Britain and France that led to the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The foreign affairs committee accused the then PM David Cameron of lacking a coherent strategy for the air campaign. It said the intervention had not been "informed by accurate intelligence", and that it led to the rise of so-called Islamic State in North Africa. The UK government said it had been an international decision to intervene. The action had been called for by the Arab League and authorised by the UN Security Council, the Foreign Office added. Why is Libya so lawless? Cameron defends Libya decisions An international coalition led by Britain and France launched a campaign of air and missile strikes against Muammar Gaddafi's forces in March 2011 after the regime threatened to attack the rebel-held city of Benghazi. But after Gaddafi was toppled, Libya descended into violence, with rival governments and the formation of hundreds of militias, while so-called Islamic State, also known as Isil and Daesh, has gained a foothold. Mr Cameron has defended his handling of the situation, telling MPs in January action was needed because Gaddafi "was bearing down on people in Benghazi and threatening to shoot his own people like rats". But the foreign affairs committee said the government "failed to identify that the threat to civilians was overstated", adding that it "selectively took elements of Gaddafi's rhetoric at face value". The government also failed to identify the "militant Islamist extremist element in the rebellion", the MPs said. "The possibility that militant extremist groups would attempt to benefit from the rebellion should not have been the preserve of hindsight," the committee said, adding: "UK strategy was founded on erroneous assumptions and an incomplete understanding of the evidence." Crispin Blunt, chairman of the committee, told the BBC: "We were dragged along by a French enthusiasm to intervene, and the mission then moved from protecting people in Benghazi, who arguably were not at the kind of threat that was then being presented... "Indeed, on the basis of the evidence we took, the threat to the people of Benghazi was grossly overstated." The committee said "political options" were available once Benghazi had been secured - including through ex-PM Tony Blair's contacts with Gaddafi - but the UK government "focused exclusively on military intervention". By the summer of 2011, the limited intervention to protect civilians had drifted into an opportunist policy of regime change, the committee said. "That policy was not underpinned by a strategy to support and shape post-Gaddafi Libya. "The result was political and economic collapse, inter-militia and inter-tribal warfare, humanitarian and migrant crises, widespread human rights violations, the spread of Gaddafi regime weapons across the region and the growth of Isil in North Africa. "Through his decision-making in the National Security Council, former prime minister David Cameron was ultimately responsible for the failure to develop a coherent Libya strategy." The MPs said Libya had been the "first test " for the NSC, which was set up in 2010 to coordinate responses to security threats and integrate the work of various relevant government departments. The committee said there should now be an independent review of the operation of the NSC, which is chaired by the prime minister, to see if it had succeeded in addressing the weaknesses in government decision-making identified in the run- up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Foreign Office defended the intervention. "Muammar Gaddafi was unpredictable and he had the means and motivation to carry out his threats," a spokesman said. "His actions could not be ignored and required decisive and collective international action. Throughout the campaign we stayed within the United Nations mandate to protect civilians. "After four decades of Gaddafi misrule, Libya undoubtedly faces huge challenges. The UK will continue to play a leading role within the international community to support the internationally recognised Libyan Government of National Accord."

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has condemned Russian hackers for leaking confidential medical files of US Olympic athletes. Athletes affected include tennis players Venus and Serena Williams and teenage gymnast Simone Biles. A group calling itself "Fancy Bears" claimed responsibility for the hack of a Wada database. Wada said in a statement that the cyber attacks were an attempt to undermine the global anti- doping system. Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "out of the question" that the Kremlin or secret services were involved in the hacking, Russian news agencies reported. The hackers accessed records detailing "Therapeutic Use Exemptions" (TUEs), which allow the use of banned substances due to athletes' verified medical needs. 'Compromising trust' Russia's track and field team were banned from the Rio Olympics over an alleged state-backed doping programme. "Let it be known that these criminal acts are greatly compromising the effort by the global anti-doping community to re-establish trust in Russia," Wada director-general Olivier Niggli said. Simone Biles, who won four gold medals in Rio, had obtained the necessary permission to take prescription medicine on the Wada banned drugs list, USA Gymnastics said in a statement. "By virtue of the TUE, Biles has not broken any drug-testing regulations, including at the Olympic Games in Rio," it said. "Simone and everyone at USA Gymnastics believe in the importance of a level playing field for all athletes." Fancy Bears said TUEs amount to "licences for doping". US Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart called the hack "cowardly and despicable". "In each of the situations, the athlete has done everything right in adhering to the global rules for obtaining permission to use a needed medication," he said. The US Olympic Committee has had "zero adverse findings from the Rio Olympic Games that weren't 100% within the medical guidelines set forth by anti-doping authorities," spokesman Patrick Sandusky said. Earlier this month, Mr Niggli said Wada was experiencing almost daily cyber attacks originating from Russia. Fancy Bears, which is also known as Tsar Team (APT28), has pledged to release confidential records from other national Olympic teams. Analysis: Dave Lee, BBC North America technology reporter It's an old adage in cybersecurity that the weakest point of any supposedly secure system is the people that use it. Wada says it believes this hack was made possible thanks to a successful spearphishing attack. Phishing is a term given to the technique of tricking a user into giving up crucial information - often by clicking a link that takes them to a malicious website disguised as a familiar one, such as the log-in page for a bank or social network. Spearphishing takes this one significant step further. While a phishing attack is often aimed at many people in the hope some will fall for it, spearphishing is highly targeted. Hackers perhaps identified a small number of people, or even just one person, and wrote a phishing attack specifically designed to trick them. Other than pushing a message of vigilance among staff, spearphishing is incredibly difficult to defend against. Attackers often scour the internet, looking for added information on the target that might make an email more believable. Sometimes even knowing a person's favourite football team is enough to tip the balance in making a spearphishing email seem genuine.

Entertainment correspondent in Toronto 10 September 2016 Entertainment & Arts Oliver Stone says his political thriller about whistleblower Edward Snowden explores a "secret underworld". The director was speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Snowden had its world premiere. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the US National Security Agency contractor who fled to Russia in 2013 having revealed extensive internet and phone surveillance by US intelligence. The cast includes Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto and Shailene Woodley. "This is a secret underworld and no one in the NSA has come forward," Stone told a press conference on Saturday. "It's a detective story - it goes into something we don't know. "The government lies about it all the time and what they are doing is illegal - and they keep doing it. "This is a very upsetting story but at the same time it's a drama - it's a great combination." 'Another kind of patriotism' Gordon-Levitt, who flew to Russia to meet Snowden in preparation for his role, said he was interested in the film's exploration of patriotism. "It shows two different kinds of patriotism - there's the one where you're allegiant to your country no matter what. You don't ask any questions. "But there's another kind of patriotism that is what I really wanted to show. "The kind that he grows into over the course of the nine years we see in this story, where he does ask questions. "That's the privilege of being from a free country like the United States of America." Asked what he thought might happen to Snowden, Stone hoped the whistleblower might be granted a pardon by President Barack Obama. "Mr Snowden would come back and face trial if he could get a fair trial," he said

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Zika virus: Florida cases 'likely' to be first US-based infections

Four people suffering from the Zika virus in Florida are probably the first cases contracted within the US, health officials say. So far, cases outside of Latin America and the Caribbean, where the virus is prevalent, have been spread by travel to that region or sexual transmission. The four Florida cases mean US mosquitoes may be carrying the virus. Zika causes only a mild illness in most people but the virus has been linked to severe brain defects in newborns.

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Donald Trump's wife, Melania, took centre stage on the first night of the Republican National Convention amid accusations that a portion of her speech was plagiarised. Commentators noticed similarities between her remarks and an earlier speech by Michelle Obama. It was Mrs Trump's first major speech in what she called her husband's "unlikely" campaign. Mrs Trump has reportedly been working with a professional speechwriter. "He's tough when he has to be but he's also kind and fair and caring," Mrs Trump said of her husband. "The kindness is not always noted, but it's there for all to see. That is one reason I fell in love with him to begin with." Mrs Trump, a former model who was born in Slovenia, has kept a lower profile compared with other spouses of major candidates. Mr Trump's adult children have filled the role usually inhabited by the candidate's wife. Mrs Trump's mostly personal speech contrasted with the night's other speakers who spoke about "making America safe again". "If you want someone to fight for you and your country, I can assure you, he is the guy," Mrs Trump said touching on the theme. A wide range of speakers, including a county sheriff, a decorated combat veteran and a former model, told stories of military service, urban crime and the dangers of illegal immigration. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton took aim at presumptive Democratic nominee State Hillary Clinton, questioning her judgement in foreign affairs. "Who would trust Hillary Clinton to protect them?" said Mr Giuliani, whose rousing speech fired up the crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. "I wouldn't." Many Republican party leaders - such as Ohio Governor John Kasich whose state is hosting the convention - have decided not to attend this year's festivities, turned off by Mr Trump's controversial stances on immigration and foreign policy. Mr Trump has called for a ban on Muslims entering the US and also advocated deporting almost 11 million undocumented immigrants. A speech by Wisconsin police sheriff David Clarke strongly defended police officers in the wake of the deadly shooting in Baton Rouge, which killed three officers over the weekend. "Blue lives matter!" Mr Clarke said to huge cheers from the delegates in the convention hall. The killings prompted Mr Trump to say the country was falling apart - a claim strongly disputed by President Barack Obama. Earlier, anti-Trump delegates failed in their final push to block Mr Trump's nomination. The vote that would have allowed delegates to back a candidate of their choice was quashed when three states reportedly backed out. Some said the Republican Party officials had sabotaged their efforts on purpose. The push was the last gasp for those who hope to see a different Republican candidate get the nomination.

Five people believed to be linked to the man who killed 84 people in Nice are in police custody, the Paris prosecutor's office says. Three arrests were made on Saturday and two on Friday, Le Monde reported . Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove a lorry through crowds marking Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais on Thursday before he was shot dead by police. So-called Islamic State claims the lorry attack was carried out by one of its followers. A news agency linked to the group, Amaq Agency, said: "He did the attack in response to calls to target the citizens of the coalition that is fighting the Islamic State." French President Francois Hollande will chair crisis talks later. Mr Hollande, who says the attack was a terrorist act, has already extended a state of emergency by three months.

An attempted coup by a faction of the armed forces has been quashed, Turkey's acting military chief of staff says. Umit Dundar said 104 coup plotters had been killed and 1,563 arrested in a night of gunfire and explosions in Ankara, Istanbul and elsewhere. A further 90 people died and 1,154 people were injured as thousands of Turks heeded President Erdogan's call to rise up against the coup- plotters. It is not known who was behind the attempted putsch. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed a "parallel structure", in a clear reference to Fethullah Gulen, a powerful but reclusive US- based Muslim cleric he accuses of fomenting unrest. However, in a statement, Mr Gulen rejected any suggestion he had links to the events, saying he condemned "in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey".

– A lorry struck a crowd after Bastille Day celebrations in the southern French city of Nice, killing at least 80 people, including children – President Francois Hollande said the attack was of a “terrorist nature” – The driver of the lorry was shot dead after which guns and grenades were found inside the lorry Horror has come down on France once again as a lorry struck a crowd after Bastille Day celebrations in the southern French city of Nice, killing at least 80 people, including children, and injuring dozens last night, July 14. According to officials, the incident happened on the famous Promenade des Anglais after a firework display. Although the driver was shot dead, the discovery of guns and grenades inside the lorry has prompted President Francois Hollande to describe the attack as that of “terrorist nature”. The “terroristic character” of the attack “cannot be denied,” Hollande said. He added: “It is clear that we must do everything we can to fight against the scourge of terrorism. “France was hit on the day of her national holiday, July 14, symbol of liberty, because the rights of man are denied by fanatics and France is inevitably their target.” Following the attack, President Hollande extended a state of emergency across France by three months. The state of emergency had been due to end on 26 July. “All of France is under the threat of Islamic terrorism,” Hollande said, adding that “several children” were among those killed. France had been on high alert following last November’s attacks in Paris in which 130 people died and hundreds were wounded. The country recently hosted the Euro 2016 championship in which Portugal emerged as champions.

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South China Sea: Tribunal backs case against China brought by Philippines

South China Sea: Tribunal backs case against China brought by Philippines

An international tribunal has ruled against Chinese claims to rights in the South China Sea, backing a case brought by the Philippines. The Permanent Court of Arbitration said there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or resources. China called the ruling "ill-founded" and says it will not be bound by it. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including reefs and islands also claimed by others. The tribunal in The Hague said China had violated the Philippines' sovereign rights. It also said China had caused "severe harm to the coral reef environment" by building artificial islands.

Theresa May has said she is "honoured and humbled" to have been chosen as the new leader of the Conservative Party and UK prime minister. Speaking outside Parliament, the PM-in-waiting pledged to build a "better Britain" and make Brexit a "success". David Cameron is to tender his resignation to the Queen on Wednesday. It comes after Mrs May's only rival to succeed Mr Cameron as Conservative leader, Andrea Leadsom, pulled out of the contest earlier on Monday. Mrs May paid tribute to Mrs Leadsom for her "dignity" and praised Mr Cameron's "leadership" of the party and country. Mr Cameron, PM since 2010, decided to quit after the UK's Brexit vote.

South Sudan is "back to war", a spokesman for the vice-president has told the BBC, as rival factions clash and hundreds have been reported killed. Forces loyal to Vice-President Riek Machar say government troops attacked their positions in the capital, Juba. Col William Gatjiath, Mr Machar's military spokesman, told the BBC President Salva Kiir "isn't serious" about a peace agreement. The government has not responded to Col Gatjiath's comments. He said "hundreds" of Mr Machar's troops had died on Sunday, and that troops loyal to Mr Machar were advancing on Juba from different directions. UN representatives have reported heavy exchanges of gunfire near their headquarters in the suburb of Jebel. A tweet by the UN's official mission in South Sudan, posted on Sunday afternoon, said fighting had lasted several hours and that "all sides responsible have proven relentless". The clashes follow days of fighting in the world's newest country between supporters of Mr Kiir and Mr Machar. At least 150 people were killed in fighting on Friday, before calm was restored on Saturday. Local radio station Radio Tamazuj reported on Sunday that the death toll from those clashes may be as high as 271.