World News Update, what you need to know

British actor-director Richard Attenborough has died at the age of 90, his son has told the BBC.

ELSEWHERE:

SAN FRANCISCO - California's governor has declared a state of emergency following a strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake that seriously injured three people including a child and ignited fires in the scenic Napa valley wine region.

ISTANBUL - A US journalist held in Syria since his abduction in October 2012 has been released to UN representatives, according to Al Jazeera.

LONDON - Britain's ambassador to the United States says police and spy agencies are close to identifying the English-accented militant depicted on video showing the killing of US journalist James Foley.

FREETOWN - The UN's World Health Organisation on Sunday announced a first Ebola infection among the health experts it has dispatched to battle the raging epidemic in West Africa that has killed at least 1427 people with few signs of abating.

REYKJAVIK - Iceland has removed a ban on air traffic around the nation's largest volcanic system after fears of an imminent eruption subsided.

WASHINGTON - The United States has used aircraft and drones to strike targets in northern Iraq to try to rein in Islamic State militants, who have seized a large swath of territory in the region.