this is newsday. i'm babita sharma in london. the headlines: british police confirm that a couple who became critically ill have been exposed to the nerve agent novichok. the pair were found unconscious on saturday in amesbury in southwest england close to where the former russian spy sergei skripal and his daughter were poisoned by the same nerve agent in march. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. also in the programme: footage of the boys trapped in a flooded cave system in thailand appears to show them in good spirits as the mission to get them out continues. and the us secretary of state mike pompeo is heading back to north korea, for another meeting with kim jong—un. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. we start with breaking

news from here in the uk where within the last few hours british police have confirmed that two people who've fallen critically ill have been poisoned with a novichok nerve agent. the couple were discovered in the town of amesbury in south west england — the town is a few kilometres from where the former russian spy, sergei skripal and his daughter, yulia, were poisoned in march. police say the substance had been identified by chemical weapons research experts. counterterrorism police are now involved in the investigation. in a moment, we'll have the latest from lebo diseko here in the studio but first this report from duncan kennedy. four months to the day after the salisbury attack, and dawn sturgess and charlie rowley have become the new victims of nerve agent poisoning in britain. the couple were taken ill from their home on saturday are now critically ill in hospital.

this is the moment the emergency unfolded on saturday night. the bbc has been given these phone images of the fire and ambulance services at the property. this man says he is a friend of the couple and saw what happened. he was sweating, dribbling and he couldn't speak and was making funny noises and was rocking back and forwards, there was no response, he didn't even know i was there. it was like he was in another world, hallucinating. the nerve agent was identified in porton down near amesbury in the same place used to identify the novichok liquid in march. tonight the metropolitan police counterterrorism unit confirmed the latest findings. following the detailed analysis of those samples, we can confirm the man and woman have been exposed to the nerve agent novichok, which has been identified as the same nerve agent that contaminated both julia

and sergei skripal. the latest update we have from hospital is that both patients remain in a critical condition. for the past four months, salisbury has been a scene of massive decontamination, after the poisoning of sergei and julia skripal and a police sergeant. a number of sites were handed back to the public, but the cleanup is still going on in the places with the highest concentrations. everyone had assumed that cleanup would be the end of the contamination story, so the revelation tonight there is a fresh nerve agent incident will come as a shock to many people. although public health england have stressed again today that the risk to the public remains low. wiltshere police say five sites are being investigated in this latest novichok incident, including this church in amesbury and this park in salisbury. both of which, it is thought, the couple caught up in this latest poisoning had visited.

they are being treated in the same salisbury hospital as the skripals were, dawn sturgess and charlie rowley now receiving world—class care to fight this deadliest of substances amid an extraordinary twist in this potent sequence of events. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in amesbury. joining me now here in the studio is our correspondent, lebo diseko. quite something to work out what is going on here. we don't know with this investigation under way. what more can you tell us about what's happened? you will know the police are very cautious in a press conference that they gave a couple of hours ago. they did confirm this was the same nerve agent used against the skripals but they say they don't - whether it against the skripals but they say they don't- whether it came against the skripals but they say they don't - whether it came from they don't know whether it came from they don't know whether it came from the same batch but the possibility

that two cases are connected is something they are looking into. they will be trying to retrace the steps that lead to victims and the steps that lead to victims and the steps they took in the days before and they have cordoned off some sites in both towns, amesbury and also where the skripals were poisoned to work out that there is any contamination. amesbury isjust any contamination. amesbury isjust a few kilometres away from salusbury, which was the focused of the skripals in march and that nerve agent attack. police again very careful to reassure the public and say that none of the places that we re say that none of the places that were decontaminated after the skripals case in salusbury were thought to be contaminated but around 11 kilometres, so very close indeed and as i said, sites in both

towns are being looked at by police. we know there is a counterterrorism unit involved in this investigation, the government announced there would be an emergency meeting session chaired by the home secretary on thursday but the fallout from the case, we remember theresa may asking for accountability, will there be the same likelihood 7 for accountability, will there be the same likelihood? the interior minister, very interesting how he worded things. he thanked the emergency services and said police need to be given space to pursue their investigation but he also mentioned the skripals and condemned russia again search was an interesting juxtaposition and you will know that relations between russia and the uk have really deteriorated since the cold war,

since the skripals. i came down to see if there was any reaction to russia, nothing from the government as yet but interestingly, from state tv, quite sarcastic comments basically saying they think russia is going to get the blame. they called it groundhog day, the new skripals of salusbury. russia seems already to be thinking it will get the blame but we'll have to see how this pans out. we will have more on this pans out. we will have more on this coming up in the next few minutes, speaking to a chemical nerve agent expert to find out more. the other major news today — in thailand, attempts to rescue a group of teenage boys and their coach continue. ten—thousand litres of water an hour are being pumped out of the flooded cave complex where

they are trapped . and above ground, medical teams have been rehearsing their role in the rescue effort. thai officials have stressed they do not intend to take any risks with the safety of the group, as our south east asia correspondent, jonathan head, reports. no longer alone. the trapped boys now have an army doctor treating them. they even manage a smile. they're being given foil blankets to keep them warm. they are painfully thin. "the food is coming", promises one of the divers. up on the surface, they've been rehearsing for the scenario everyone here is hoping for — getting the boys out and off to hospital. but it won't happen soon. translation: we need to be 100%

confident in order to get the boys out, and they don't have to come out at the same time. we are assessing the situation and if there is a risk, we will not move them out. the options confronting this rescue operation are just as tough as when they found the boys. they are healthy enough, but they say giving them some basic diving training and pulling them through the flooded tunnels one by one is feasible, and yet we've spoken to sources inside the thai diving team who say that's still too risky, that they may still have to leave those boys down there for the full four to five months of the rainy season. we visited the class of dom, the football team captain, and mick — both

trapped in the caves. did they have a message for their classmates? translation: i want them to get healthy, to be patient, and to come back safely so they can be with us again. come back quickly, there's lots of homework waiting for you! singing. other school friends have been down to the cave entrance to see the rescue effort and to sing them good wishes. spirits are high here. but the task of the divers, either in extracting the boys or sustaining them underground, is formidable. they will need all the help they can get. the bbc‘s sophie long is in tham luang outside the cave entrance and she joins us now. we can see that the rescue effort is still very much a round—the—clock

behind you. we did see the video of the boys smiling and laughing but it doesn't track from the gravity of the situation in that it's going to be incredibly challenging to get them out. exactly, and in the last few moments, we saw members of the thai army go down towards the cave entrance. they had people there overnight. this is a round—the—clock operation. they are pumping out up to 10,000 litres of water an hour in an effort to try and bring the water level down. the best and safest way to bring those boys out, they have spent 12 nights, bringing the water levels down and get them to come out in the way they came in but that is very difficult and it's all fine here at the moment but we are expecting rain in the afternoon and at the end of the week, what they

mean by big rain, monsoon rain, grating flash flood conditions which caused this problem in the first place and not only does that bring water levels up, it makes any rescue attempt very complicated. at the moment, there was huge euphoria here on monday. cheers from the families, of course. it's almost impossible to imagine what the families have been through. very quickly, all the attention turned to what next and three days on, we are still in the same position. working around the clock to find the best and safest way to get the boys and their coach out of the cave complex. one other thing is drilling into the cave from another cabin but that is time—consuming and complicated. the rockis time—consuming and complicated. the rock is very thick. they would have to build new roads in order to get the heavy machinery up this hill so that's another option they are looking at and we heard a lot about the theory that they could be taught

to swim, many of these boys can't swim, they certainly don't have diving experience, and get them to swim out. even the expert divers, you remember those two british guys, hugely experienced? they described it as complicated and problematic, tight passageways underwater. even if they provided the boys with full face masks and glow sticks, it's very hazardous and if they were to panic, it would be risky for them and the people performing the rescue. sophie, thank you, outside the cave entrance where those attem pts the cave entrance where those atte m pts to the cave entrance where those attempts to get them out are still continuing. let's just give you a recap of some of the day's other stories and analysts say the death of the wang jiang, the head of china's vast hna conglomerate, will complicate the group's attempts to restructure. rescue teams in indonesia

are continuing their search for survivors after a ferry sank in bad weather near sulawesi island. at least 29 people are known to have died. the accident comes just a few weeks after another indonesian ferry sank on lake toba — one of the worlds' deepest volcanic lakes — with the loss of more than 200 lives. the french president, emmanuel macron, says the eu's plans to set up centres in north africa to process asylum claims won't work unless the countries there lead the initiative. on a visit to nigeria, mr macron said solutions had to come from the continent. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we'll have more on the anti terror investigation in southern england, where it's been confirmed that two

more people have been exposed to the nerve agent which poisoned a former russian spy and his daughter. china marked its first day of rule in hong kong with a series of spectacular celebrations. a huge firework display was held in the former colony. the chinese president, jiang zemin, said unification was the start of a new era for hong kong. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly, that was cloned in a laboratory using a cell from another sheep. for the first time in 20 years, russian and american spacecraft have docked in orbit, at the start of a new era of cooperation in space. challenger powered past the bishop rock lighthouse

at almost 50 knots, shattering the record that had stood for 34 years. and there was no hiding the sheer elation of richard branson and his crew. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: british police say two people who've fallen critically ill were exposed to the same type of nerve agent used in the attempted murder of a former russian spy and his daughter. appears to show them in good spirits, as the operation to get —— footage of the boys trapped in a flooded cave system in thailand appears to show them in good spirits, as the operation to get them out safely continues. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world.

the new york times takes an in—depth look at the real cost of attempting to enter the us illegaly. from the bribes and shakedowns to days spent without food. they follow the progress of a man escapting violence in el salvador for a better life in america. the japan times looks at hawaii's decision to ban the sale of some suntan lotions, as they get tough with coral—killing chemicals. scientists say that two common ingredients can be toxic to the reefs. so now only sun worshippers with a prescription will be allowed to use them. and china daily reports on the crawfish craze that's been scoring big points at the football world cup. although beijing's team may be missing from the tournament — the country's crustaceans are winning over fans. millions have already been snapped up. us secretary of state mike pompeo will make his way to pyongyang

later, as work towards north korean denuclearisation continues. the white house confirmed mr pompeo will meet north korean president kimjong—un to "continue consultations and implement the forward progress" following last month's summit in singapore. meanwhile north and south korea have come together for a friendly basketball game as a show of goodwill amid the diplomacy. a short time ago i got the latest from the bbc‘s mariko oi in seoul. various quite a rash on the us secretary of state to get some kind of concrete action, because all we have got so far is words. north korea's commitment to denuclearisation, but evidence such as satellite pictures, according to experts, show otherwise that north korea might still be continuing to work on its nuclear programme, possibly to use it as leveraged as

these negotiations continue. so there has been quite a lot of russia on mike pompeo, what he can get out of this trip. meanwhile, we have people likejohn bolton in the administration saying that it will get done in a year, whereas mike doesn't want to put a timeline on it. quite a lot of pressure there. we don't know whether he will be accompanied by a foreign journalist like he was last time. he is leaving washington, dc today, he will arrive in pyongyang tomorrow and because of this accompanied journalist, last time we had some information but it might be this time, the first time we will hear from him might be this time, the first time we will hearfrom him is in tokyo when he gets there over the weekend to meet with the japanese and south korean foreign minister ‘s. returning now to our top story, where british police have confirmed that two people who've fallen critically ill have been poisoned with a novichok nerve agent. so what do we know about this toxic nerve agent, and what risk it poses

to those who come in contact with it? bruce bennett is a senior analyst. tell us what you know about the nerve agent and how it came about and how it was produced? the soviets discovered that during the cold war, the united states and its allies had taken actions to protect ourselves from traditional nerve agent. they developed a new class called the novichok, which was intended to ove rco m e novichok, which was intended to overcome the us and allied protection is. these tend to be very persistent, stay around for a long while, they are highly toxic, really bad things are. when you say they are known to hang around for a long time, in comparison to other nerve agents, what is the timeframe that we are looking at here? the nerve agent that was used by north korea

against the brother of kim jong—un in february last year is called vx, it is often persistent in a0 days or so it is often persistent in a0 days or so in it is often persistent in a0 days or soina it is often persistent in a0 days or so in a liquid form. novichok is persistent for many times that period of time. in this case, it could be the case that the couple made contact with something that had been planted by the original perpetrators and theyjust accidentally ran into it. as i am sure you are aware, we are at accidentally ran into it. as i am sure you are aware, we are at threat to established the circumstances of this. but in terms of that coming into contact, how much of the public using should be village of —— be vigilant at this hour, knowing that it can linger and the spread? —— and spread. it won't spread easily, assuming they came into contact with

something that the perpetrators set. the chemical is like we all, it doesn't move easily or vaporise or if it is a solid version, it could just be a powder. —— isn't —— is like oil. eating goat through the skin. what can the public to? not a lot. you cannot detect it very easily, you cannot see it, it is unlikely to be in places where most people are, so people should be generally safe but somewhere out there there was this chemical that this couple ran into. in terms of your understanding of how it is used as an attack, as we saw in the case ofjulia and her father sergei skripal, is there a sense that novichok is more superior to the nerve agents that have torn before? — gone nerve agents that have torn before? —— gone before. nerve agents that have torn before? -- gone before. it is superior in

that it -- gone before. it is superior in thatitis -- gone before. it is superior in that it is persistent and highly toxic than before. the vx chemical that was used to kill kim jong—un's brother, roughly one tenth of a drop was used to kill him put on his cheek. so we are talking about very small quantities, even less with novichok. very small quantities that are very novichok. very small quantities that are very difficult to detect. thank you so much forjoining us. the exposure was released by a late—night press conference. the bbc‘s daniel sandford was at scotland yard for that press conference, here's his take on it. detectives are in a position where they thought they had a contained area in march, there was a reason

and a motive for attacking sergei skripal and his daughter became contaminated. the police officer that was investigating them became contaminated and after that it was trying to work out who had done it. suddenly, four months on they find themselves in a situation where it doesn't appear to be contained. two new people who have been named in the media as charlie rowley and dawn sturgess became contaminated on saturday by what appears to be the same nerve agent, though police cannot be certain it was from the same batch — and that leaves police facing two possibilities. one is that there is some other area that they didn't decontaminate that they were previously unaware of, where some kind of object or some part of the environment is still contaminated with this nerve agent and that these people became contaminated from that — or — perhaps less likely and more unnervingly, the possibility that they has been some kind of second attack to muddy the waters around the first attack. i think detectives at the moment are concentrating on the first of those possibilities, trying to work out what kind of secondary contamination these people may have experienced and where that may have happened, is it some discarded bit

of equipment or some place the nerve agent had been stored or something like that. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. can bollywood give netflix a happy ending? the streaming service has premiered its first original series in india, upping the stakes in its battle against amazon prime for a potential1 billion viewers. we will keep you abreast of the breaking news this hour. hello there.

29 degrees celsius was the high yesterday. that was in northern ireland. there will be a dramatic dip in the temperature here during the day ahead. we had and will have a dramatic drop in temperature for parts of scotland. you can see we had a few shower clouds yesterday. we had a few light showers across the southern half of the country. a smattering of rain for some of the gardens. we will see perhaps a little bit more during the day ahead. the change in scotland and northern ireland was brought about by this band of cloud. the odd spot of drizzle. the noticeable change is a dip in temperature. for many of us, temperatures are higher than wednesday morning. a bit more comfortable for sleeping, i'm sure. this weather system is not bringing much weather. just a line of cloud. most of the rain is further north. but it is bringing

the fresher atlantic air in. you can see the delineation between the hot air and that is the atlantic influence. that is why temperatures in scotland and northern ireland could be 10 degrees lower than those yesterday. there should not be as much weather on that system. more cloud as it goes gradually east through the day. things will brighten up. cloud is building for the south to be a few showers in the pennines. more likely in the southern half of the uk, parts of wales in southern and central england. they could well be heavier than yesterday. thunder, given the heat building. it looks like the heat will be higher on the temperatures by a degree or two for the bulk of england and wales to be a contrast after the 29, only 18 or 19 during the day ahead. there will be a refreshing sea breeze around the coast. thursday and friday. the change in the wind on thursday today should see the low cloud shift away from the east coast more quickly. early—morning mist will burn away. then it's a lovely day. the odd shower in the east. temperatures are gradually starting to recover across scotland

and northern ireland as we lose the atlantic influence, building the heat by the day and therefore by night. it will be uncomfortably hot. many of us once again with temperatures in central and southern areas getting towards 30 degrees. high pressure ensures lots of dry weather through the weekend. the fly in the ointment is more cloud at times, producing patchy rain on these weak weather fronts towards the north and west. hot further south. refreshing sea breezes around the coast. still strong sunshine. looks as though fine weather will last into the early part of next week. this is bbc world news. our top story: anti—terrorist police have been called in to a small english town near the site of the skripal poisonings after two more people were exposed to the nerve agent novichok. the victims, a local couple in their aos, are critically ill in hospital.

the metropolitan police assistant commissioner, neil basu, said anti—terrorism officers were now leading the inquiry. footage of the boys trapped in a flooded cave system in thailand appears to show them in good spirits as the operation to get them out safely continues. the us has been celebrating the ath ofjuly, independence day. in traditional style, with parades and parties, and for one man, spray painting the stars and stripes onto his front lawn. it took arthur mccann about two hours to complete the work of art in massachusetts. that's all. stay with bbc world news.