News Headlines - 17 September 2016

▽Powerful Blast Injures at Least 29 in Manhattan; Second Device Found - The New York Times

A powerful explosion caused by what the authorities believe was a homemade bomb injured at least 29 people on a crowded sidewalk in the bustling Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on Saturday night.
A few hours later, the authorities found and removed what they described as a second explosive device four blocks away, raising the possibility that two bombs had been planted in the heart of the city.

▽Sinkhole causes 980 million litres of radioactive water to leak into Florida aquifer

A sinkhole has opened up at a fertilizer plant in the US, causing about 980 million litres of radioactive water to leak into one of Florida's main underground sources of drinking water.

▽Trump finally admits it: 'President Barack Obama was born in the United States' - CNNPolitics.com

Donald Trump finally admitted Friday that "President Barack Obama was born in the United States," reversing himself on the issue that propelled him into national politics five years ago.

▽Sponsor of helmet law repeal dies in motorcycle crash, was wearing helmet | Michigan Radio

Michigan State Police report that State Representative Peter Pettalia was wearing a helmet when he died... Pettalia was the sponsor of the 2012 law that repealed the helmet requirement for motorcyclists.

▽Rodrigo Duterte: Philippine leader's office denies claims he ordered death squad hits - CNN.com

The man, who identified himself as Edgar Matobato, testified that he was part of the 300-member "Davao Death Squad" (DDS), which he alleges was run on the orders of Duterte.
Matobato testified the DDS killed alleged drug dealers and criminals in the southern city of Davao, on the order of Duterte when he was mayor, between 1988 and 2013. More than 1,000 people were killed in Davao City alone, he claimed.