i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. the headlines: the us is to place sanctions on russia in response to the poisoning of the former russian double agent sergei skripal and his daughter in the uk. the death toll rises in indonesia. at least 150 people are now known to have died in the lombok earthquake. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: total drought. the entire australian state of new south wales suffers its driest start to the year for five decades. remembering amiens. a ceremony is held to commemorate the campaign which helped bring about the end of the first world war. good morning.

it is 8:00am in singapore, 1:00am in london, and 8:00pm in the evening in washington, where the state department has announced fresh sanctions on russia. it comes as the us says it has determined that it was russia which used the nerve agent novichok against former double agent sergei skripal and his daughter in the uk in march. the sanctions are to take effect on or around 22 august. britain has welcomed the sanctions, while russia has always strongly denied playing any role in the attack. chris buckler in washington has more. well, three months ago they were asked by congress to look and see whether russia had broken international law. now, normally there's a two—month time limit for that determination to come, but actually it's taken three months.

but the state department have come back and have said, as far as they're concerned, russia has broken international law, and therefore these sanctions should come into effect. now, as you mentioned there, they won't come into effect immediately. it takes two weeks, there is a notification period. but, beyond that, there is also something that goes beyond even that. because there's potentially a second wave of sanctions that could be put into effect if russia cannot show that it, a, will not use chemical weapons again, and b, not open up its own sites to potentially inspectors, which i think is something russia will not want to do, be they un inspectors or whatever. but it does mean that a new wave of sanctions is coming, and potentially that second wave could be tougher than the first wave. and what exactly do these current sanctions involve, exactly? well, there are a number of exceptions to them, but it's basically sanctions

against russian state—owned or funded companies, which is a significant proportion of the economy. and it also specifically goes to anything that regards national security. as i mentioned, there are a couple of exemptions to that. but what they're specifically doing is trying to send a message to russia here, and certainly, by striking those companies that are funded in some way by the state, it is going to do that. our other top story this hour: more than 150 people are now known to have died in the earthquake that struck indonesia on sunday. rescue efforts have been hindered by destroyed roads and bridges in the worst—hit areas on the island of lombok. many villagers have been left stranded, unsure of what the future holds for their homes and businesses. it is not easy to get hold of people on the island, but earlier we managed to speak with bevita dwee mayidityawarti, who works for the humanitarian foundation wahana visi indonesia, a partner organisation to the charity world vision. bevita explained how difficult the rescue efforts are. so currently we're on the ground

looking for the children. at the moment, more than 400 are in a building which has been collapsed, and we are actually focusing on giving support for this group of children. and we have mobilised our specialists, and we are doing the training for the community volunteers, where they can manage by chopper. how challenging has it been for you to get help to the people that need it most? it is challenging, because we are also becoming the victim of the earthquake themselves. for the children, it's also because they have experienced — witnessed two earthquakes already, within a week.

they have lost their houses, they have lost their school activities and their playground. so this kind of situation is becoming emotionalfor them. so they need a place where they can feel safe and protected. and this is where, actually, the charity will be active in giving them social support. and the situation also with the adults — they're also now traumatised. so essentially we try, step—by—step, to actually engage them to give also support for the children, because the children cannot recover if the environment is becoming also negative for them. so for us, it is also becoming important to get the support from the community, from the adults, and also for the teachers, to support the children, so they're becoming safe and protected.

also making news today: 0pposing demonstrations are being held in the argentine capital, buenos aires, as senators debate whether to allow abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. the law in argentina currently allows the procedure only in the case of rape or if the woman's life is in danger. more than half of the senators have already indicated they will vote against the bill. katy watson has more. it looks like the majority of senators, they said that their intention is to vote against this bill. a lot could change, actually on the hour of the vote. it is a big party down there. people don't seem to be put off by the rain and the cold. they're still waiting and watching what is happening in the senate. but, as it stands, it does look like the senators in the majority will be voting against this bill. china has announced plans to impose tariffs on a further $16 billion worth of imports from the united states. this follows similar measures unveiled by washington. the new tariffs will target coal, oil, chemical imports and medical equipment.

in venezuela, opposition lawmaker juan requesens has been arrested after president nicolas maduro accused him of being involved in saturday's alleged drone attack against him. the arrest came as a government official revealed plans to strip two other mps of their immunity. seven people have been detained so far in connection with the alleged assassination attempt. and thailand has granted citizenship to the coach and three members of the football team who were dramatically rescued from a flooded cave last month. during their ordeal, it emerged that some were among around 480,000 stateless people living in the country. it led to calls to fast—track their citizenship applications. australian officials have confirmed that the entire state of new south wales, which produces around a quarter of the country's agricultural output, is now in drought. it is the driest start to a year

there in five decades. less than 10mm of rain were recorded in some areas last month. phil mercer sent this report. australia is a land well used to nature's extremes. it is the world's driest inhabited continent. but the resilience of its farming communities is being severely tested. official figures show that australia's most populous state, new south wales, is now entirely in drought. two years ago, there were floods on gary sunderland's farm near the town of condobolin. how quickly things can change. now, it's just the opposite story. lambs are going dry, no feed, stock are dying. some farmers have been carting up to 100,000 litres of water to their livestock since january. this video taken earlier this year shows cattle swarming around a water tanker. farmers in the small towns

across new south wales are helping each other out with donations. many here say it is the worst they've ever known. all the climate gurus, that know all about the weather, still can't tell us when it's going to break. they've got no idea, so wejust — we run blind. you know, we'vejust got to plan and hope and pray that it rains. government aid will ease the financial burdens, and the prime minister is promising more help. i do understand these water challenges, and clearly we will work with state and local governments to ensure that water is provided. the fear is that a dry spring will be followed by another hot and punishing summer for australia's farmers.

i spoke to the mayor of a town on the border of queensland and new south wales and asked him how bad it was. our shire is roughly 300 kilometres square, and it is normally amazing grazing country. we produce high—quality wool. we have lots of beautiful beef cattle and lots of beautiful beef cattle and lots of beautiful beef cattle and lots of sheep for export. so we are 110w lots of sheep for export. so we are now down to around about 20% of the stock in the shire. so thatjust flows through to a very dramatic economic consequence for all the businesses inside our shire. 20%, you say, and considering that the forecasts do not look good and climatologists suggest that temperatures will continue to rise, do you think your particular shire, your town, can continue doing what it does in the future, in terms of producing the rich agriculture you mentioned? well, we are very

resilient lot. we don't run the white flag up, and we are not asking for the welfare state, either. what we are asking for is an investment in the productive capacity of the farmers in this district, and the community. so i think we have lived with droughts for a long time. we are on the edge of a 12 inch 214 inch rainfall, so we are used to droughts. at this one is particularly difficult. and what is so particularly difficult. and what is so particular difficult? you call it, for instance, and exceptional circumstances drought. how is that different from a regular drought? well, there are obviously droughts and droughts. it depends how long they have been going. so we know that we have a mechanism that sets when it is exceptional by measuring the one in 25, one in 50 year rainfall events. so we are used to drought, but we can live with them. when you get these droughts that go on for three orfour or

when you get these droughts that go on for three or four or five years, every 50 years, then that's when we need some policy to invest in the farmers, to keep them and allow them to come out the other side. you mention the policy. you have been involved, as i mentioned earlier, in this industry for over 30 years now. we know the government announced about 140 million us dollars to try to help farmers. do you think that is enough? i mean, if you had the ear of the prime minister, what would you suggest? well, i would be suggesting that these droughts that come along every 50 years, say, be treated as a natural disaster. for us, it is every bit as bad as a fire ora us, it is every bit as bad as a fire or a flood or earthquakes or anything else that happened to affect our businesses. this is just as bad as any other serious event like that. so that's what i would be asking them. and then to set up some relief and some investments into the

farmers, to let them get through to the other side. firefighters in california say they have made good progress in tackling what has become the largest wildfire in the state's history. it has scorched an area in the north almost the same size as los angeles. nine people have died since the fires started injuly. john blackston from cbs news is with the firefighters. more than 4000 firefighters continue to battle this conflict is fires. almost two weeks after the blazes began. so this is one of your lives of defensive. yes, this is a secondary line... this fire chief, ross fowler, and his team, says fighting these fires has been like waging a war. we are on the battleground and trying to make sure our troops stay safe, but we are all dell are also trying to save people's lives and property. stopping these claims as they came down this ridge. they will need many more of these victories before this fire is out. crews have been setting

up fire is out. crews have been setting up multiple lines of defence, clearing away vegetation to create firebreaks, and keeping a close eye on where the fire might be spreading. our hope is that that plume will collapse back on itself and not bend too much more to our north. plume like that is what has helped this fire grow so much in the past. absolutely, plume like that, and you add a wind to it, it turns horizontal, and the fire is off and running again. the predictable nature of the fires is why thousands have been evacuated, but not overrun has decided to leave their home. have been evacuated, but not overrun has decided to leave their homelj am going to stay. if i think it is going to come to me, that i will leave, but i don't feel that threaten now. the threat to homes he was real. this fire has already destroyed 75 residences and more than 10,000 structures are still considered threatened, but the battle here is far from over. considered threatened, but the battle here is farfrom over. fire officials don't believe that this fire will be fully contained until september. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we will bring you the latest

on the special election in the us state of ohio, which is still too close to call. also on the programme: commemorations are held to remember those who took part in the campaign that helped bring about the end of the first world war. the question was whether we want to save our people, and japanese as well, and win the war or whether we want to take a chance to win the war by killing all our young men. the invasion began at 2am this morning. mr bush, like most other people, was clearly caught by surprise. we call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all the iraqi forces. 100 years old and still full of vigor, vitality and enjoyment of life. no other king or queen in british history has lived so long, and the queen mother is said to be quietly very pleased indeed that

she's achieved this landmark anniversary. this is a pivotal moment for the church as an international movement. the question now is whether the american vote will lead to a split in the anglican community. welcome back to newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. the headlines this hour: more than 150 people are now known to have died in the earthquake that struck indonesia on sunday. the us is to place sanctions on russia in response to the poisoning of the former russian double agent sergei skripal and his daughter in the uk. and a 23—year—old has

become the world's most expensive goalkeeper. kepa arrizabalaga isjoining chelsea from athletic bilbao for a fee in the region of 91 million us dollars. more on that at bbc.com. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the south china morning post picks up on a story we mentioned earlier, the warning from beijing that it will hit back at the us with new tariffs. it also refers to an editorial by chinese state media which insists the country could weather any storms ahead. the gulf news looks at the impact climate change has had across the world. they feature this image of the dried—up river bed of the rhine in germany, caused by the ongoing heatwave. and the japan times

reports that the president of japan's amateur boxing federation has resigned, it follows multiple allegations of misconduct, including pressuring referees to fix matches. that brings you up to date with some of the papers. now, babita what stories are sparking discussions online? yes, sharanjit. airbnb has got into a bit of bother in china. the holiday rental website has scrapped a contest offering people the chance to spend a night at a section of the great wall of china. critics condemned it as a publicity stunt that could have led to the ancient monument being damaged. according to chinese media, airbnb never received approval from local authorities to run the event. let's bring you the latest on a special congressional race in ohio, which is still too close to call. republicans have declared themselves the winners already but the party spent millions on what should have been a safe seat but as it stands. democrats have closed the gap to less than 1%, which they say is an ominous

sign for republicans in november's midterm elections. separately, a republican member of congress who was one of president trump's earliest supporters has been charged with insider trading. rajini vadyinathan reports. he's a really hard worker. troy balderson, come on up. just a few days ago, president trump was on the campaign trailfor this man. it was meant to be an easy win for republicans but tuesday's vote is still too close to call in this 0hio congressional district, which backed mr trump in the presidential race. can you believe how close this is? cheering we are in a tied ball game. democratic candidate danny 0'connor‘s strategy was to get republicans to switch sides. in some cases, that task was easier. reporter: how are you doing it? i'm engaged to one

first and foremost! you know, we'll go anywhere, we'll talk to anyone about issues that matter. to many, the issue that mattered was the presidency of donald trump. i voted for troy balderson. i think that he'll support the president's agenda, which i support, that's basically the reason. danny o'connor. reporter: and why'd you do that? he is going to bring the change that we need, and he's ready to put some checks and balances on the current president that i think we desperately need. as ballots were still being counted, the president and troy balderson were already claiming victory. i'd like to thank president trump! cheering the fact democrats have gained ground in ohio is a worrying sign for republicans ahead of november's midterm elections, which are the first electoral test of the trump presidency. both parties are continuing to select their candidates for those crucial races. in kansas, votes are still being counted to see if trump ally

kris kobach or incumbentjeff colyer will be the republican candidate for governor. and in michigan, gretchen whitmer one her primary to become the democratic candidate for governor there. i'm the oldest of 14... and rashida tlaib won her race in the same state to represent democrats, and looks set to become the first muslim woman in congress in a year which has seen a record number of female candidates. thank you, my fellow new yorkers... but for some of those who already serve, the road to november looks unpredictable. chris collins was the first member of congress to back candidate trump in 2016. he's now been charged with insider trading. prosecutors say he called his son during the annual congressional picnic, telling him to sell shares in a pharmaceutical company. he denies the charges and said he will still fight in the midterms. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, washington.

3,000 people have attended commemorations at amiens cathedral in north eastern france, marking the centenary of the battle that turned the tide of the first world war. the battle of amiens lasted just four days, but it was one of the most successful for the allies of the whole conflict. theresa may and the duke of cambridge were among those who paid tribute to the fallen, and hundreds of descendants of the troops that took part were also there. robert hall was at the ceremony. this is a landscape where the course of a terrible conflict was changed. in amiens cathedral, music and personal accounts combined to tell that story. the attack at amiens was a total surprise. at dawn, a huge allied bombardment systemically destroyed german guns. the smoke barely clearing before 500 tanks led

men from six countries in an advance which took some of them eight miles into enemy territory. amiens was symbolic of the entente cordiale... a battle whose significance was underlined by the duke of cambridge. today, we return to learn more about the experience of those involved during the historic summer of 1918. to honour the fallen of all nations. the amiens attacks were planned to the last detail. as the clock ticked down, commanders penned their final messages. "every man will carry on to the utmost of his powers until his goal is won." "to those who fall, i say will you not die, but step into immortality." by lunchtime on the first day, men could hardly believe the contrast with the chaos of previous offensives. "the americans swept everything before them and the german resistance colla psed." "the sun broke through,

we began to see the countryside that we hadn't seen for quite some time. it was unscarred. all sorts of cultivated land. we began to feel, byjove, the war's coming to an end." at least 30,000 german lives were lost, thousands more surrendered, convincing commanders that that the time had come to consider a ceasefire. age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. today's ceremony remembered the fallen, but also served to highlight a crucial moment in a long and costly conflict. robert hall, bbc news, amiens. lots more on the commemorations that

took place in amiens on the website. you've been watching newsday. stay with us. coming up: ikea launches its first store in india. after years of waiting, the swedish furniture store is finally set to take on one of the world's biggest markets. i'm babita sharma in london. thanks for joining i'm babita sharma in london. thanks forjoining us. and before we go, let's take a look at these pictures from florida, where police received some unusual assistance in catching a suspect. they were chasing a stolen car when it crashed into a ditch and the female suspect ran into a field to try to escape, but she was confronted by a herd of cows who began chasing her. the encounter was caught on the police helicopter camera, the cows herded her across the field to a nearby road where officers were waiting to arrest her. that's all for now, stay with bbc world news. hello there.

things are looking cooler and fresher now for the rest of this week, particularly across northern and western areas, with a mixture of sunshine and showers. some of the showers will continue to be quite heavy as well, maybe with the risk of thunder. the reason for the cooler air, area of low pressure has driven out the heat into the near continent, introducing something cooler and fresher off the atlantic, and we'll maintain a west or south—westerly airflow. early on thursday, we will see further showers returning to western scotland and northern ireland, some of them could be quite heavy, and across central and southern and eastern parts of england, thickening cloud from the south will bring a few showers or even some patchy rain. across scotland and northern ireland, it's going to be a chilly start to this morning, temperatures in low single figures in some areas. for thursday itself, it's looking bright with plenty of sunshine around. there'll continue to be some blustery showers across the north

and west of scotland, into northern ireland. then across the south—east, an area of rain moving up across the near continent could just graze south—east england and also east anglia. now, the winds will generally be light, i think, across england and wales. blustery across scotland and northern ireland. there's a chance as this area of low pressure deepens here it could turn windier for a time across the very far south—east, so it could be quite a soggy end to the day here. pretty nasty evening commute i think for some. bit of uncertainty into the west with the extent of the rain, looks like the heaviest of the stuff will be across into the near continent. that area of low pressure pushes on in towards the north sea as we head on in towards friday. a ridge of high pressure tries to build in, and an area of low pressure looms out into the atlantic and will arrive just in time for the weekend. for friday's picture then, we're in between the weather systems. it's going to be a day of sunshine and showers,

and some could be the heavy side with a rumble of thunder. but hit and miss, some areas staying dry altogether, and in the sunshine, not too bad, temperatures from 17 to 22, cooler than what we've been used to, particularly in the south—east. this area of low pressure hurtles in from the atlantic, arrives across northern and western areas on saturday. meanwhile, area of high pressure establishes itself across the south—east. there's still some uncertainty to this weekend as to where the rain will be. we're thinking at the moment it will be wet in the north and west of the uk. the further south and east you are, the better chance of staying dry. it could be much of scotland and northern ireland quite windy with outbreaks of rain, some of it could be quite heavy. for central, southern and eastern parts of england in particular, you could get away with seeing good spells on sunshine and feeling quite warm. you are watching bbc news. our top story: the us is to place sanctions on russia in response to the nerve agent attack on a former russian double agent in the uk. the state department says it determined that the russian government violated international law by using lethal chemical or biological weapons against sergei skripal and his daughter.

britain has welcomed the development. more than 150 people are now known to have died in the earthquake that struck indonesia on sunday. rescue efforts have been hindered by destroyed roads and bridges in the worst—hit areas on the island of lombok. and this video is trending on bbc.com: the 23—year—old who has become the world's most expensive goalkeeper. kepa arrizabalaga isjoining chelsea from athletic bilbao for a fee in the region of $us91 million. more on that at bbc.com. stay with bbc world news. and the top story in the uk: senior conservatives have strongly criticised former foreign secretary borisjohnson for his comments