extraordinary scenes in thailand as 12 boys and their football coach are found alive in flooded caves, nine days after they went missing. divers finally managed to reach the boys who were trapped six miles inside a flooded cave network after being caught out by rapidly rising waters. now rescuers have to decide how to get them out safely. we'll have the latest from the scene on this breaking story. also tonight. hundreds of firefighters and soldiers continue to battle huge wildfires in north west england as the heatwave continues. the prime minister is under pressure to reveal how customs will be handled after the uk leaves the eu. england arrive in moscow ahead of tomorrow's crunch match against colombia as they look to secure a place in the world cup quarterfinals. coming up on sportsday on bbc news... we are live from wimbledon as defending champion roger federer attem pts defending champion roger federer atte m pts to defending champion roger federer attempts to go for his ninth men's

singles title and serena williams makes her return to the all—england club. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. they've been missing in caves in thailand for nine days. but this afternoon, 12 boys and their football coach were found alive after a mammoth search operation prompting scenes ofjubilation. divers have been trying to reach them for days after water levels rose suddenly, trapping the boys. they're all said to be safe but after nine days it's not known what condition they're in. richard galpin has the latest. for more than a week, diving teams from thailand and other countries have been picking their way through this long cave complex. in the hope of finding the boys and their football coach. and now it seems

thailand's navy divers have succeeded, just as that hope was fading away. translation: about the missing of 13 persons, the divers found the beach was flooded. then they went deeper, around 300 or 400 metres further. it's another high ground and we found the boys safe. this photograph of the boys, aged between 11 and 16, was taken by their coach shortly before they went into the cave nine days ago. on what was supposed to be a fun adventure for them. but inside, was supposed to be a fun adventure forthem. but inside, it's was supposed to be a fun adventure for them. but inside, it's thought they were caught in flash floods, forcing them to move further into the cave complex in search of high ground. for their families, who the cave complex in search of high ground. for theirfamilies, who have been waiting outside throughout this ordeal, at last it seems there is some good news. this grandmother of one of the children says she's so grateful to the authorities for

persevering with this rescue operation. but it remains unclear how they are going to get the children out without the boys needing to use scuba equipment. one hope is the authorities will succeed in pumping enough of the flood water out of the cave system to enable them to get out safely. but it will need to be quick, as more monsoon rains are on their way. richard galpin, bbc news. our correspondentjonathan head has been following the resuce operation since it began nine days ago and join us now. it's incredible they have been found alive in the cave, but the big question is how on earth they get them out. that is a huge challenge, but actually this in itself is extraordinary. nobody knew for sure where these boys were. it's been an incredibly challenging operation just getting as far as the divers have right now. things picked up in the last few days and they made breakthroughs. the water levels have gone down. but even then, there was

a real fear that if they reach this point they were aiming for under enormous difficulty, maybe the boys wouldn't be there or maybe they wouldn't be there or maybe they wouldn't be there or maybe they wouldn't be alive, but they are, that's what people are focusing on. they plan to get medics in their who have diving experience to treat the boys. they need to get food and other medical treatment in there and figure out what to do. frankly at the moment it's probably not practical to think about bringing them out. they are not trained to use air tanks. the pumping operation will be vital. a huge operation, 10,000 litres per hour. whether that is enough to combat the heavy rains expected later this week isn't clear. this is still a precarious operation and the big thinking about how to get them out still has to be done. but for the moment, this seems like the most miraculous of endings toa like the most miraculous of endings to a story looked increasingly worrying. jonathan head, thank you, and we will have updates on their progress throughout the evening on bbc news. more than 200 firefighters and soldiers are continuing

to battle moorland fires across greater manchester and lancashire as they try to contain the huge wildfires burning across winter hill near bolton and saddleworth moor near oldham. it comes as most of britain continues to swelter in the heatwave. the met office says last month was the driestjune on record in large parts of southern england. and scotland experienced its highest temperature ever recorded — 33.2 celsius in motherwell. danny savage has the latest. the full extent of the damage to the moors above bolton is astonishing. several square miles have been destroyed by fire. the bbc was given permission to fly a drone over the area. the flames burned fiercely all weekend. today is day five. we've got over 120 firefighters out firefighting on the moor. we retract slightly from our operations through the hours of darkness, but as of four o'clock this morning we're back in offensive firefighting operations and using our specialist equipment to try and extinguish this huge scale, ongoing fire. helicopter pilots have reported

seeing people trying to deliberately start new fires, which has infuriated the mayor of greater manchester. i think itjust beggars belief, doesn't it, to hear that people may have been coming on to this land over the weekend adding to the burden of the emergency services and, basically, taking risks with people's land, property. it's just an unbelievable state of affairs. and as this heatwave continues, there's concern that there could be more hosepipe bans in the coming days, not because there's any shortage of water, but demand has risen so much over the last couple of weeks that utility companies are struggling to get enough treated water through the system and into our homes. northern ireland is the only place so far to have implemented a hosepipe ban. tankers used to suppling an altogether different type of liquid are now moving water around. in north—west england, united utilities has messaged its customers,

appealing for them to use less water in an effort to avoid a ban, but the weather outlook is not on the side of the utility companies. there's a lot more left of this heatwave. people are, of course, still enjoying the weather, but this is a very different summer. june was the driest on record in parts of england and the hottest ever in scotland. danny savage, bbc news, bolton. the prime minister has come under pressure to reveal more details about a possible new plan to break the deadlock over how customs will be handled after the uk leaves the eu. details have not been revealed publicly but senior ministers will discuss it at chequers, the prime minister's country retreat, on friday. this afternoon theresa may has been making a statement to mps following last week's eu summit, as laura kuenssberg reports. a mirrored in the heatwave, or could it, could it really in the outline

of brexit emerging? —— a mirage in the heatwave. the government sweating to publish a new plan next big. the prime minister festival has to get her sparring cabinet to sign it off. statement, the prime minister. the eu and its member states will want to consider our proposals seriously. we both need to show flexibility to build the deep relationship after we have left that is in the interests of both our peoples. this government has mishandled these negotiations every step of the way. another summit has gone and another opportunity missed. but are we know for sure is that number ten says it has a new plan for sorting out customs and the irish border after we leave the eu. —— but all we know for sure. even ministers were not aware of all the details. it's thought even brexit secretary david davis may not yet have agreed all the lines. you wouldn't be blamed for thinking that you've heard this many, many times

before. the tories have been trying to sort this out for months and months and months. but this week matters because the government is promising decisions. and number ten believes it has found a way out, out of some of the brexit conundrums, a way through the tensions that have been frying the tories in the westminster heat. and remember, it's not only conservatives staking out their territory. i will put the handbag down. the prime minister needs northern irish allies on board. we don't give blank cheques to anybody, and it's clear we don't oi'i to anybody, and it's clear we don't on brexit, we want to see a proper brexit that fulfils the referendum result. we have been fairly clear it has to be on the basis of the whole united kingdom. but number ten's next steps may not survive the full glare of the rest of the eu and there is no sign brussels will accept downing street's mooted compromise. at first the prime minister must try to corral the

cabinet, some on tour today, with beasts big and small. but whether theresa may is really in charge of her party is, let's just say it, the elephant in the room. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. brazil are through to the quarterfinals after beating mexico at the world cup. meanwhile, england have been in training ahead of tomorrow's crunch knock out match against colombia. our sports editor dan roan is in moscow where the game will be played. there is a real sense that this is a defining moment of english football, arguably england's biggest match for 22 years, because of the potential prize at stake. rarely before, if ever perhaps, have england has good opportunity to go all the way to play world cup final, with only one of the remaining teams in their side of the remaining teams in their side of the remaining teams in their side of the draw ranked above them, switzerland. but before that, they have to overcome the danger men of colombia, and as natalie pirks reports, they have plenty support. chanting.

they're loud, they're proud, and they're bringing south american flair to the streets of moscow. commentator: goooooal! yes, the colombians are here for a good time — and, they hope, for a long time. this is one of the biggest chances that colombia has to go to the next stage and, maybe, why not semifinals? we are positive and we're going to do it. we're going to make it. yeah. if we win this match against england, we think we will get to the final. england have other ideas. they may not have won a knockout game for 12 long years, but the spirit in camp has never been higher. this is their time to shine. this is a brilliant opportunity to go beyond where more experienced teams have gone before. and i think they are relishing that chance. you want to be involved in the games that matter. you know, the lads have the chance to write their own stories now. well, last night, these streets were buzzing after russia's surprise win over spain. today, they have returned to their usual mix of tourists, including england fans, and they are growing ever more confident.

it is hard not to think about the final. we have got to beat colombia first. it is coming home. we're dreaming at home and we're dreaming here. surely it's coming home, surely it's coming home. the last time england played colombia in a world cup, this happened. no golden balls this time, just a golden opportunity. natalie pirks, bbc news, moscow. one other results to bring you from today, brazil beating mexico in samarra. we can show you the second goal, neymar scored the first and liverpool striker roberto firmino with the seconds to seal a 2—0 victory meaning brazil go through to the quarterfinals. but tomorrow attention will turn very much to england as they attempt to do something which no england side has done for 12 long years, and win a knockout match at a major tournament. it will not be easy, but if they can deliver when it really

counts, who knows how far it can ta ke counts, who knows how far it can take them. dan roan, thank you. roger federer has launched his defence of his wimbledon title after storming to a straight—sets victory over serbia's dusan lajovic. the 36—year—old is hoping for a record—extending ninth title in sw19. and in the past few minutes, serena williams has just sealed victory over ara ntxa rus on court one. joe wilson has a round—up of the action from the first day at wimbledon. viewed from space, the wimbledon queue this would give a lesson in human patients for any alien life form. these people will walk in line to the tennis, whoever is playing. and we all know who is missing. for british tennis right now, andy murray may seem irreplaceable and his absence certainly leaves a hole. who to fill it today? what about the greatest male player of all time? roger federer is playing his 20th consecutive wimbledon. while others sprint, he stilljust glides. federer said he felt happy with his

focus and mentality against dusan lajovic, which is worrying for all the other players. three sets, just 79 minutes. perfect? well, the perfect gentleman would notice that girl's sign and make her day before he left centre court. of course he did, he's roger federer. londoner harriet dart is at the start of her wimbledon career. she took a set of seventh seed caroline of the pliskova before losing at court 12 with credit. serena williams, her status pulis and herform here fascinating to watch as she resumes her career, now a mother of course. she took herfirst her career, now a mother of course. she took her first set against ara ntxa she took her first set against arantxa rus she took her first set against ara ntxa rus in she took her first set against arantxa rus in five, but she was digging deep. serena prevailed against her determined that opponent. a timeless starts to the championships. joe wilson, bbc news, wimbledon. time for a look at the weather with alina jenkins.

the sunshine and warmth continues in wimbledon throughout the week and we can apply that forecast too much of the country. for most of us, a dry and fine evening with some welcome showers lingering across south—west england. clear skies overnight but missed and low cloud returning across eastern coasts and temperatures lower than last night, particularly across central and southern england, 14—17 here and 10-11 southern england, 14—17 here and 10—11 further north. tomorrow we do it again, the most a dry and fine day with plenty of sunshine. a breeze from the north sea pushing mr gloag cloud to the east coast and maybe a scattering of showers for south—west england. but dry for most. those orange colours showing where the highest temperatures will be. not as high as today, 25—28dc, a lwa ys be. not as high as today, 25—28dc, always cooler on the north—east coast. that's potentially lasting all through this week, mainly dry and warm with plenty of sunshine and

light wind. if you are after rain, the best i can offer is a small chance of a shower. that's all from the bbc news at six. so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s hello. this is bbc news with carole walker. let's hear more now on theresa may's promise to set out the government's latest plans for a future customs arrangement with the european union after brexit. the prime minister has also been making a statement to mps following last week's eu summit in brussels. she said she wanted a good trading relationship with both europe and the rest of the world but is under pressure, to give more details. the cabinet is due to meet at chequers later this week in an effort to break the deadlock between ministers over the way forward. our chief political correspondent, vicki young, is in westminster. so, the prime minister has been talking to the house of commons this

afternoon. any hints about this new plan that she hopes will somehow unite her ministers? no, this seems to bea unite her ministers? no, this seems to be a real air of mystery surrounding this third way, this new option to try and break the deadlock. she is being extremely tight—lipped about it, as was her spokesman, he said earlier that there will be a lot of speculation between night and friday, some of it may well be correct, but he wasn't willing to engage in that speculation. that is really still where we are. we know that david davis, the brexit secretary, went into number ten this morning known nothing about this new idea, which seems in itself pretty extraordinary. he apparently left the meeting having not discussed it, but we are told that

both he and theresa may are working very closely on whatever this plan is. it really is a case of mps wandering around over there not knowing what this new plan might well be, but it is clear theresa may has to come up with something. she is summoning her entire cabinet to chequers to try to get a breakthrough. compromise will be the word of the week. but we don't know is where those compromises are going to come. at the same time we have more infighting. we have had jacob rees—mogg really calling on the prime minister to stick to those red lines, to stick to leaving the single market, the customs union, not having the european court of justice in charge of anything. some of his colleagues said that he is not being supportive of theresa may. borisjohnson, the not being supportive of theresa may. boris johnson, the foreign secretary, has this afternoon, giving support to jacob rees—mogg saying it is vital that all mps can airtheir saying it is vital that all mps can air their views on brexit, and i hope we can all agree thatjacob rees—mogg is a principled and dedicated mp who wants the best for oui’ dedicated mp who wants the best for our country. pretty striking the borisjohnson is our country. pretty striking the boris johnson is coming our country. pretty striking the borisjohnson is coming out supporting someone who other

geordies think is being treacherous towards theresa may and threatening towards theresa may and threatening to bring down the government. through all of this, theresa may needs to find a way and bring it to brussels. so we have senior ministers openly sticking out their positions and these very fundamental differences of opinion as to how britain should remain to the european union, it is really difficult to see how she will find a compromise without infuriating one side or the other within the cabinet. yeah, what is interesting today as we have had other conservative mps who read and hear from very often making their views known. some of them argue that on either side you have those who are former remainers who are now really pushing to have a very close alignment with the eu after brexit. on the other side you have the arch brexiteers. but they argue is that in between there are dozens of tory mps who want a sensible, pragmatic

brexit. it wanted to be to the detriment of businesses in this country. they say it is time for them to speak out and you need to ignore the dozen on the extremes, as they would put it, and find a way through all this. that is where theresa may is trying to forge a path. there are people over there who are not ruling out cabinet resignations, maybe on friday, if they don't get their way. that is where we are. we talk about crunch moments but it does appear that in the next few weeks decisions will need to be made. theresa may is going to the netherlands to meet the minister there, and on thursday going to berlin to meet angela merkel, then friday the meeting at chequers, then the long waited for white paper putting out what britain once for richer relationship with the eu. one of the first firefighters into grenfell tower has told the public inquiry that he believed the stay—put advice given to residents to stay in their homes

"failed" barely half an hour after the fire began. thomas abell was part of the north kensington crew that was called to reports of a fouth floor kitchen firejust before 1.00am on 14th june last year. the inquiry heard how mr abell found a flat on the fifth floor of grenfell tower "fully involved" in the fire just before 1.30am in the morning. thomas abell was part of the north kensington crew our correspondent tom burridge is at the inquiry. tom, clearly it was a very moving account from the firemen who were on the scene in the early stages of this fire. that's right. today we have had two firefighters, the first temp three giving evidence this morning. he described vividly going into the flat above for the fire started. when he entered the flat he was surprised that he was confronted

with thick, black smoke. he tried to douse the flames, the burning area on the outside of the building, but u nsuccessfully. on the outside of the building, but unsuccessfully. eventually, he thought he needed to get out of that flat because he feared for his life. he was on his own at that point. it was dark, smoke—filled, to. he wasn't with his be a partner, as he puts it now. that is essentially his firefighting buddy. at this point i was basically dragging myself along the floor trying to drag at the hosepipe that i brought in. that's not easy. i could hear some commotion, some shouting, some muffled shouting from what i imagined would be the stairway. i think i made out somebody shouting i can find might bea somebody shouting i can find might be a partner. that obviously preferred to me. i essentially followed the voices as a guide to

make it back out to the door to the stairway. and what was your error level like at that stage, do you remember? at this time, i don't remember. i have seen it since under records but didn't know at the time. had your whistle gone off? no. given the conditions in the lobby that you encountered when you exited the flat, did alert anybody else on that floor to the presence of fire in the flat. in other words, flat on the fifth floor. could you repeat the question? given the condition due experienced in the lobby that you experienced in the lobby that you experience when he came out of that flat on the fifth floor, did you alert anybody else in those fats on the fifth floor that there was a fire? no. is there a reason why you didn't do that? to be honest, i was ina bad didn't do that? to be honest, i was in a bad way. my legs felt like

jelly, in a bad way. my legs felt like jelly, the adrenaline had worn off andl jelly, the adrenaline had worn off and i was pretty much shot trying to carry everything right with me. i was dragging my way out because i thought i might not get out of there. thomas abell to get out of the building and he looked back at the building and he looked back at the building and he looked back at the building and said it was going up like it was rocket fuel. one of his collea g u es like it was rocket fuel. one of his colleagues described tom weeden —— he went up through grenfell tower in the early stages and on every thought he encountered there were signs that the fire was spreading internally. he said he had a sinking feeling between thought 11 and 12 only realised that people are going to die there. he did reveal the commander on the ground at various points to say about the fire spread within the building but those m essa 9 es within the building but those messages did not get through. he was asked at that point today for the mass evacuation was the right strategy, but he said more firefighters with breathing equipment were needed to get into

the building to extract people. we also heard evidence from firefighters today about how they rescued two men using a ladder the fifth floor and how firefighters had to shut up to a man on the 15th 16 thought he was using tethered sheets, and looked as if he was trying to escape from that high up on the firefighters shout about to persuade him not to go ahead with what would have been in there a few are what would have been in there a few a re powerless what would have been in there a few are powerless attempts. more firefighters will give evidence throughout this week. tom, many thanks. campaigners say budget cuts by councils have left bus services across england and wales in crisis. the campaign for better transport says funding for buses has almost halved since 2010. the government insists it provides £250 million each year to support services. victoria fritz reports. it is the most popular form of public transport in britain. five million bus journeys are made every year. half are in london.

while the city services are thriving, the picture outside the capital tells a different story. the bus connects passengers to jobs and schools, shops and hospitals. it is a lifeline to students and pensioners in particular, people who do not want or cannot use a couple of the funding that local authorities in england and wales received to front roots has fallen for eight consecutive years and that is putting pressure on the whole network. over £182 million has disappeared from bus budgets since 2010, a decrease of 45%. almost 200 routes altered or withdrawn in england and wales in the last year alone. are you going to york? ticket sales pay for only part of this journey. it depends on council subsidy and the bus company being reimbursed for those travelling on a free bus pass. in whitby, volunteers have stepped in to provide

services up to the moors, where people feel abandoned. i think that somebody like us will always be needed and we are happy to do it. but, we do not really want to have to keep taking overfailing bus services because that should not be the case, should it? campaigners say the government must wake up to the crisis is hitting local services before late. the solution is to have proper funding and for the government to have a national coach investment strategy. more people travel by bus than rail and that already has a national strategy. the government says it has given local councils extra powers to work with bus companies to bridge the funding gap. but it is more money, not power, that councils say they need to keep route open. time for a look at the weather now. hello.

only very subtle weather changes day to day this week. most m ost pla ces most places will stay dry and very warm. not quite as one tonight as it was now slight, most noticeably so in southern parts of the uk. temperatures falling about the war than they did on sunday night. some cloud moving into parts of south—east scotland as the week goes on. here it could be missed the murky to start the day tomorrow. more cloud in scotland tomorrow compared to today and there will be some look like lingering for the north sea coasts. it will be cooler here than elsewhere. for the channel islands, parts of south west england, there is the chance of picking up an isolated showers and thunderstorms. added on the breezy cyber parts of england and wales, but the wind will he says the week goes on, and it will be warmer in

the west and south. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: 12 boys and their football coach, who have been missing for a week,