Severe explosion hits UN headquarters in Baghdad

The blast at the UN’s Canal Hotel headquarters occurred at 16:40 (1240 GMT), said a UN spokeperson, adding: "There are several injured. Benon Sevan, director of the UN oil-for-food programme in Iraq, who was giving a press conference, was injured."
UN special representative for Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello is among the wounded people, but it is not known whether he was seriously injured.