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BBC news 2014-07-30

BBC News with Neil Nunes.

The United States and the European Union have agreed to the toughest sanctions yet against Russia over its support for rebels in Ukraine. President Obama said existing sanctions had already weakened Russia's economy and the new measures would weaken it further. His announcement came hours after the EU announced similar sanctions. “We're blocking the exports of specific goods and technologies to the Russian energy sector, we're expanding our sanctions to more Russian banks and defense companies, and we're formally suspending credit that encourages exports to Russia and financing for economic development projects in Russia. At the same time, the European Union is joining us in imposing major sanctions on Russia. It's most significant and wide-ranging sanctions today.”

The military wing of Hamas has rejected a truce with Israel. In a defiant message the leader of the al-Qassam Brigade said they would continue fighting until Israel stopped its bombardment and lifted the blockade of the territory. His speech came on the deadliest day of the three-week Israeli offensive in Gaza with more than 100 Palestinians reported killed. Egypt is working on a revised version of the truce Israel earlier accepted. From Gaza, Martin Patience. “These were the first comments by Hamas' military commander since this conflict began. In an audio message broadcast on Hamas TV Mohammad Deif said the militant group would only agree to a ceasefire if the blockade was lifted, but the blockade has thrashed the local economy and it stopped many Palestinians from leaving the territory. Despite growing international pressure on both Israel and Hamas to end fighting, either side appears willing to back down.”

Jihadist rebels in Syria are pressing forward with their offensive against government forces as they set their sites on a military airport in the province of Hama. The Islamic State militants are reported to have overrun another Syrian army base, the third they have taken in the past week. The past two weeks of fighting with the Islamic State has seen the army suffer some of its heaviest losses in the entire conflict.

The doctor leading the fight against the Ebola disease in Sierra Leone has died days after contracting the virus. Doctor Sheik Umar Khan caught the disease while treating infective patients. More in this report, from Thomas Fessy. “Doctor Khan had been working on tropical fevers for a long time including participating in international conferences. He was credited with treating more than 100 Ebola victims in eastern Sierra Leone, the new epicenter of this West African outbreak which started in neighboring southern Guinea earlier this year. The Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone described him as a national hero.”

World News from the BBC.

Pacific leaders have urged industrialized countries to do more to limit climate change and to protect the world's largest ocean. Palau is hosting this year's Pacific Forum and its president said many of the group's 50 members are highly vulnerable to rising sea levels.

One of Brazil's most important indigenous leaders has called for urgent police protection following a series of death threats in the last few weeks. Davi Kopenawa of the Yanomami tribe in the Amazon rainforest said armed men had raided the offices of lawyers working with him stealing equipment and threatening the staff. He added they wanted to kill him because he had been fighting to remove illegal gold miners from his people's lands.

The head of Formula One Racing Bernie Ecclestone has offered to pay ＄63 million dollars to settle his corruption case in Germany. David Mcgueanis has more. “The proposal from Bernie Ecclestone to pay tens of millions of Euros to settle the case is not an admission of guilt. Mr. Ecclestone denies bribing a former German banker eight years ago in order to keep his grip on Formula One. The banker in question is now in prison. Mr. Ecclestone's lawyers described the charges against him as questionable and say there is a lack of evidence, but it appears the 83-year-old Head of Formula One is finding the trial a strain and under German law charges may be dropped in certain cases if both sides agree to settlements.”

The stepfather of the Argentine football player Carlos Tevez has briefly been kidnapped on the outskirts of the capital Buenos Aires. Juan Alberto Cabral was taken from his car by a number of men in the early hours of the morning. He was safely released eight hours later. Argentine media say a ransom of nearly ＄50,000 dollars have been paid, but this has not been confirmed.

BBC News.