good afternoon. a rescue effort is under way to save 12 boys and their football coach trapped in a flooded cave network in thailand. divers, including a group from britain, have started the attempt to save them ahead of a forecast of more rain which could made the situation much more dangerous dan johnson has just sent this report with the latest. after report with the latest. more than two weeks stuck the after more than two weeks stuck in the same spot, now it is time to move. the man in charge called this d—day because it is a daring evacuation plan that has now been put into action. translation: this morning 13 visual cave divers entered the cave to carry out extraction of the kids including five navy seals. they have been fully briefed on how the instruction would be carried out. been fully briefed on how the instruction would be carried outm is expected to take 11 hours to get the first boy to the service and it could take much longer to read more

to safety. a team of 18 cave divers from around the world will guide the boys under water ran through the narrow passages one at a time. the last few days have been spent teaching to swim and to use scuba—diving equipment. translation: i confirmed that all 13 children and coach are ready health—wise and in good spirits. all 13 are aware of our operation and they are ready for this. they are ready to come out with us, no matter what difficulties they may face. earlier this morning the area around the cave entrance was cleared, as more equipment and reserve dive teams were brought in. everyone here isa teams were brought in. everyone here is a much more on edge today. you can tell it is a very sensitive time, and the tension is building. of course there is hope this rescue may now be reaching an end, but there is still so much uncertainty here. the nearest hospital is preparing to treat the boys and their code. families are heading

there, ready to meet them. everyone here knows the risks and how challenging this rescue will be. officials think the time is right, but the toughest part of this operation is still to come. dan is still at the scene for us this lunchtime, what is the latest on the rescue? yes, it has been very quiet here during the morning and most of the afternoon. just in the last couple of minutes two ambulances have left the cave. this is the road that leads to it, and two ambulances have driven from there, heading to hospital, we think that might be the first of the boys to be freed from this cave. this is a really tricky operation. it really is. it'll take a lot of time to get the best of the boys and their coach out. if they have read the first two successfully thatis have read the first two successfully that is a positive development and shows that this method of getting the boys to swim out themselves using scuba—diving gear can be

successful, but by no means are we at the end of this rescue. if they have been successful with those two who are presumably on their way to hospital, there are still 11 more people to be free. this operation is not over yet. parts of western japan hit by deadly floods and landslides are facing unprecedented danger as more downpours are expected, officials warn. more than 60 people have been confirmed dead, and dozens missing, after record rainfall caused rivers to burst their banks in hiroshima and other areas. two million people have been ordered to evacuate. here, the environment secretary michael gove has defended the government's agreed brexit strategy. it follows criticism from the foreign secretary borisjohnson, who used some colourful language to suggest the deal fell short of what most brexiteers wanted. but mr gove said it's important to be realistic, although he said britain should be prepared to walk away next march if agreement can't be reached with the eu. peter saull reports.

it's two days since ministers gathered in picturesque surroundings. in the buckinghamshire countryside, they managed to reach a deal. with more battles ahead, theresa may called for collective responsibility and who best to display that than one of the most ardent brexiteers in the cabinet? he admitted it was not everything he'd hoped for. i'm a realist and one of the things about politics is that you mustn't, you shouldn't, make the perfect the enemy of the good. and one of the things about compromise is that it unites the cabinet. everyone before friday wanted to ensure that coming out of chequers was an agreement which honoured the referendum result, and this absolutely does that, and could also command the support of people across the country. in public, ministers are on message. but on friday, it is understood the foreign secretary accused theresa may of asking them "to polish a turd". an ally of borisjohnson said he needed to stay in the cabinet to make

the arguments for brexiteers. and while most eurosceptic backbenchers will wait for more detail in the coming days, some are not holding back. i can't support this deal. the offer is so bad that i wouldn't be supporting it if the european union were paying us. if she sticks with this deal, i'll have no confidence in it and if the prime minister sticks with this deal, i will have no confidence in her. some businesses, though, think the plan is not soft enough. bosses at more than 100 companies including innocent drinks, waterstones and zoopla, say it is unworkable. they would prefer a more formal customs union, and labour's brexit spokesman agrees. i'm afraid it's got fudge written all over it. if you look at the facilitated customs arrangement, the sort of heart of this, it is a rebradging of the partnership and it's based on the idea that at the border, you can distinguish between goods that are going to stay in the uk and those going to the eu. it is unworkable. it's a bureaucratic nightmare. with the country basking in the summer sunshine, there's a need for cool heads.

this week will provide more stern tests as westminster and brussels digest the chequers deal. from all sides, theresa may continues to feel the heat. a police officer tested for possible exposure to a nerve agent in salisbury has been given the medical all—clear. the soap —— the home secretary sajid javid has visited amesbury. a couple remain ina javid has visited amesbury. a couple remain in a critical condition after being exposed to novichok. june kelly is there for us this morning. this ministerial visit began in salisbury. the home secretary met medical staff, first responders and local business people. there is much concern amongst business people about the affect this second

novichok incident is having on their trade. this is rather couple collapsed last saturday, at amesbury. this was a brief visit. he said there were no plans for any further sanctions against the russians. he then went behind a corden and met a couple of the residents, we are told. the cameras we re residents, we are told. the cameras were not allowed to get up close. other residents said that they were angry that he had not spoken to them, and they felt that the whole exercise had been for the benefit of the media. gareth southgate's team have returned to their base in repino following yesterday's 2—0 win over sweden. it set up an historic world cup semifinal against croatia on wednesday — the three lions' first for 28 years, as david ornstein reports. he's the orchestrator of england's very young russian odyssey, and with gareth southgate calling the tune, a tone has been set. the players dancing to his beat, a nation starting to believe that football may well be coming home.

none of us fancied going home. we've got to be here for another week, so it's up to us, now, which games we play in. i'm so proud of what all of the players and all of the staff have done. if the sky really is the limit for this young squad, then the aerial route appears their most likely way of reaching it. harry maguire the latest to pounce from a set piece. and another famous victory was confirmed when dele alli also put his head to fine use and let supporters, wherever they were, create scenes that are fast becoming a theme of the summer. this is amazing. so exciting. we've not done it for so long, have we, so this is just really good. i can't believe that. that is the best thing i have ever witnessed in following this country all over the world. i love them. england were, however, indebted to jordan pickford, and the keeper could again prove crucial against croatia in the last four.

respect them, absolutely. fear them, not. because i just feel as if this england team are on a roll, and long may that continue. the happy camp returned to base overnight. theirjourney, however, goes on. next stop, moscow, and the opportunity of a lifetime. england have spent the day repairing a recovering. croatia have decided to move the account to moscow. it'll be interesting to see if england are fresher and have an advantage on wednesday. they stand on the verge of something spectacular. can they turn the almost on thinkable into a reality? that's it for now. the next news on bbc one is at 6.35 this evening. have a good afternoon. lets get more on the world cup. john

acres has more. well, away from the football, another englishman in search of glory is lewis hamilton, who is on pole for the british formula one grand prix. he's looking for a record 6th victory in the race, and azi farni is live at silverstone, azi, it would round off a fairly special sporting weekend if hamilton can win there? absolutely, edward. injust one hour at the silverstone circuit, lewis hamilton will be hoping to put his own name into a bit of history this weekend, with a record sixth win here for any driver at the british grand prix. he will have the ferraris of sebastian vettel and

kimi raikkonen hot on his tail. sebastian vettel pushed him to the limit in qualifying. hamilton really had given it everything he got. you could see at the end just how much it meant to him to get the top spot. he will start in front as he looks for the record sixth win, what would also be a record fifth win in a row, but more importantly than anything, victory here would mean he would regain the championship lead from sebastian vettel. fernando hierro, who managed spain at the world cup, has stepped down after declining to stay on in his former role as sporting director of the national team. he stepped into lead the team just two days before the competition began afterjulen lopetegui was sacked following his negotiations to become real madrid boss. spain went out to russia in the last 16. there's a selection headache for the england cricket captain eoin morgan ahead of the third vitality t20 international against india which starts in just under an hour's time. ben stokes is back in

contention after recovering from injury but alex hales' unbeaten 58 in england's win on friday will make it hard for stokes to step straight back in. it's currently 1—1 in the three—match series. just time to remind you that day two of the tour de france is under way. you can follow it live on the bbc sport website. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. more now on news of reports that the first two boys from the thai football team trapped in a network of caves have been rescued. we have seen a couple of angelus is leaving the mouth of the cave. we haven't got any confirmation on that yet. joining us from thailand is our correspondent, dan johnson. they

will be open to international help. there has been a lot of assistance from the thailand military. they've had to work to improve the communication and power connections, to build new roads to bring in specialist equipment because the infrastructure here is quite bad. it's a very remote, mountainous area. that is why going down from above wasn't an option. these are steep cliffs and the hillsides are covered in thick vegetation, so the last couple of weeks were first about finding the boys, then about working out exactly what the best most realistic way of rescuing them was and, just today, they have decided on a strategy and gone for it. this was d—day, the manager of the operation said, underlining how daring the operation is. everyone acknowledges that all options were risky but they thought this was the right time, they had a window, and they had progressed far enough in terms of teaching the boys this and use scu ba—diving terms of teaching the boys this and use scuba—diving equipment to be in that. they thought that they had got

about the right time. they did not wa nt to about the right time. they did not want to wait too long because any more rain could give the threat of rising water levels, meaning the boys were at even more risk so it looks like they have taken their opportunity today, and this is starting to pay off. you can see another ambulance going in. that's presumably to collect someone else. that ambulance is heading towards the cave, where is the last two we saw headed out and along to the main road. there are helicopters on standby ready to fly the boys to hospital if their care needs are very urgent. there have been preparations at the hospital to receive them and that is where their families are waiting. chiang rai is the main town, about one hour's drive from here. we know that families are waiting there to be reunited with their boys as soon as possible. there will still be a lot more time taken here, because it ta kes more time taken here, because it takes five hours even for a professional diver to make that 1.5 mile journey out of the cave. looks like the first boys have managed to get out and about nine hours, which

is quicker than officials estimated this morning, but to get the rest of the group out will take lots more time, certainly into tonight and possibly into tomorrow. this is such an extraordinary story. how have they decided which children to bring out first? we understand doctors we re out first? we understand doctors were on the cave yesterday, doctors who have died in capability, went to examine them, to look at their physical condition and assess their mental strength as well. and they decided on a priority breast in which the boy should be brought out, starting with the weakest, the ones in most need, we understand they have formed into small groups to be guided out by the expert divers. that seems to be the way they plan to do this. we heard yesterday the boys had received letters from their families, and letters had been brought out that they had written. that was the first contact they had had with their families since this

two—week ordeal began, and that was a morale boost for them and for theirfamilies outside a morale boost for them and for their families outside and for eve ryo ne their families outside and for everyone who has been watching this rescue operation so closely, something that has captivated the world, and there really has been something of a rising tide of optimism during the last few weeks since they were discovered alive. that surprised everyone after they we re that surprised everyone after they were cut off in darkness without food. they have spent the last few days building up their strength. hopes were dashed on friday when we heard that that navy diver had lost his life. that underlined how dangerous this would be, how tricky, but everyone was determined to carry on and find a successful solution to this rescue, and it looks like they have started to find some real success , have started to find some real success, if they are actually managing to get the boys free. but they will need more treatment, more time to recover from this ordeal, and this is still, there are still active rescue work going on to bring the rest of the group, and that will be the priority, to get everyone out as quickly as possible. let'sjust

surely some live pictures that we have coming through. this is the scene were dan has been reporting from. we know that some ambulances have been going through towards the cave, possibly indicating that there is some knees. we are waiting for independent confirmation of any developments at the mouth of the cave. as you can see, ambulances, rescue teams, waiting. and it is a scene that we will be watching closely as well. we can speak now to the editor of the bbc‘s thai service. let's just rewind a little bit. remind us how the football team actually went into the cave in the first place. they went out into the cave are couple of saturdays ago as

pa rt cave are couple of saturdays ago as part of, cave are couple of saturdays ago as pa rt of, after cave are couple of saturdays ago as part of, after they had finished their soccer practice, then they we re their soccer practice, then they were planning to visit this cave, it was their second or third time that they have done so. they thought it was going to be quite a short trip but in fact the drain quite heavily that they and they could not find their way out in the water so they kept going further inside the cave, then they could not find their way out. that is how they ended up so deeply entrenched in the k. they went a very long way. extraordinary. tell us what you know about the young boys. sorry to interrupt, carry on. we have a slight delay on the line... ok, we're going to try

and fix that line and we will come back to you shortly. just a reminder, this is bbc world news and we have some breaking news. reuters is reporting that two boys have been rescued from a thai cave after being trapped for two weeks. try —— divers have been helping the children through the dark, submerged, narrow passageways with bad visibility. we will bring you some more from our reuters correspondent who we were speaking to earlier. joining me now is panu wongcha—um, senior correspondent. he described the scene as reports started to emerge that two boys might have been rescued. the entire operation relies on many factors. the children have to go through a very difficult one kilometre stretch of diving. it is an extraordinary

undertaking, even for an experienced diver. as we speak there was a little bit of rain coming down here, near the complex which means that over the next few days the water level inside the cave would potentially rise, as well. it'll be interesting to see how the weather impacts that rescue operation the bbc does not have independent confirmation reconfirming the news that those boys have invested safely. this story has gripped the world. i can only imagine what an emotionally charged atmosphere must be on the ground. certainly, for those covering the story, there has been very little information coming out of the operation. understandably, because of the complexity of it, because of the line of communication, it is very difficult to the caves, because it

involves many different departments and government officials, and we are talking about a group of 13 national divers as well, the thai navy seals, but the operation involves more than these people. there are countless departments involved in the operation. it involves draining the water, drilling, examining the mountain, as well as other support functions inside the cave by other rescu e rs functions inside the cave by other rescuers and agencies. it is a very complex operation. it has been well drilled over the past few days, as the head of the rescue operation is said to the media this morning. hopefully there will be a happy ending to this story as things develop. that is what we all wishing for. tell me more about why the authorities change their mind. they are now calling this the right

window of opportunity. in the early days we were told that this could ta ke days we were told that this could take months. why did things james? things changed because heavy rain is forecast over the next few days —— why did things change. we are in the middle of the monsoon season right now. so they would have to do battle now. so they would have to do battle no water. on that front, the draining operation has achieved some success inside the cave. we were told that water levels had been the lowest since the boys had gone missing inside the cave. these two factors combined, as well as the health condition of the boys, the authorities decided that this was d—day. authorities decided that this was d-day. water authorities decided that this was d- day. water levels authorities decided that this was d-day. water levels are at their lowest but more rain is expected. how could this impact the rescue operation? because there are still many more boys to be found safely. in the last two weeks we have seen during the initial search operation that heavy rain would be followed by

a huge amount of water coming from underground to inside the caves. so the authority which is monitoring this weather patterns said that, onceit this weather patterns said that, once it rain, we need to bring them out, now, before this water rises again because the last time that happened, they had to retreat back from the cave and it took them many days, before they could reach whack to the position they were, when it was drier. —— back to the position. the key is the battle against the weather and the water. what i am fascinated by is that this is a testing journey even for experienced divers. an 11 hour round trip. how will these young boys cope? divers. an 11 hour round trip. how will these young boys cope ?m divers. an 11 hour round trip. how will these young boys cope? it is difficult to say, because we have very few details of the operation and how it is proceeding in terms of

what goes on in the cave, but we know that there are doctors with the boys. we are told that these doctors, at least one thai doctor did an initial assessment to choose who is more fit to go through first. this is based on the press statement released by the thai authorities here. this is the process they do. they said they would select the fittest first and guide them, one by one, out of the cave. apart from the 18 divers, they have other rescuers and divers in other sections of the cave, the less hard section of the cave, the less hard section of the cave, guiding them through, a pooling system in some parts, guiding these boys out to safety. bill white house is from the british cave rescu e bill white house is from the british cave rescue council. he has been helping coordinate the rescue operation from here in the uk. what more can you tell us, and what war have you been hearing from collea g u es

have you been hearing from colleagues on the ground? —— what more have you been. we are having problems with those lines. back to the live pictures from the scene. it is getting incredibly dark there. our correspondent on the ground said it was getting very dark but the operation continues as they try to rescue more boys coming out of the caves. reuters have confirmed a local report saying two of the boys have come out. we don't have further information. let's try and return to bill. let's carry on bringing you those like pictures, we haven't got him. visibility is very difficult, there. let's bring you up to speed. as to what that thai mission has started to rescue those 12 boys and their football coach. it started at ten o'clock on sunday. they were trapped by monsoon floods in the north of thailand. i believe we have

got bill again. i was asking whether you not heard from your colleagues and what more information you have. i haven't heard anything direct. it may be that some on the team back here have said something. the important thing is that two of them are out and hopefully others will follow, but i think, a reality, it is going to be quite a long time before they are all out, even if everything carries on going well. what has been the biggest challenge of this operation? the challenges, they have been huge numbers of challenges. the diving is not easy. the diving is bad enough, having to plan and carry out a rescue of a single person out of a flooded cave. it has happened on occasions. but

13, particularly 13 who have been stuck in theirfor 13, particularly 13 who have been stuck in their for several days, not easy at all. it has taken a lot of planning, a lot of trying out of techniques and thinking about the best way of going about things, before it could be undertaken, and clearly it has been very well thought out, because it has been successful. i don't know the details of the operation exactly, what process they used to get the boys out, whether the boys were involved at all themselves or whether they we re at all themselves or whether they were packaged, in a way, so that they could not panic and thrash about and dislodge their air and breathing supplies or anything, no detail like that, but the fact is, whatever it is they did, the divers got it right. and they have used

what were obviously the right methods in the circumstances, to do it, which is an incredible undertaking, quite frankly. absolutely incredible. bill, a practical question. how do you teach these young boys how to dive when we have been hearing that many of them cannot even swim? i'm not a diver, soi cannot even swim? i'm not a diver, so i don't know exactly what's involved, but i would think that being able to do it in the cave itself would be extremely difficult. we don't know that that's what they've done. it will be very interesting to hear what process the divers used to bring the children out, whether they did sort of swim and accompany them alongside them, and accompany them alongside them, and guide them out, or whether they we re and guide them out, or whether they were effectively secured or even, you know, giving drugs, to make them

unconscious or at least comatose. i don't know what they've done. it will be very interesting to hear. whatever it was they did, they seem to have got it right. what kind of training might they have been given, evenif training might they have been given, even if it is emotional, emotional and physical? i understand that since they were discovered, there has been a party of the thai navy seal divers in with them who have been looking after them and keeping their spirits up so i presume they have been working on that with them, keeping them happy on explaining, as far as they can, what is going to happen, and keeping their morale up. but, apart from that, as to whether any attempt has been made to get them in the water and i don't know. more will come out in due course as

to the techniques that were actually used on the rescue. i think we'll have to wait and see. bill, some of these passageways inside the caves are extraordinarily narrow. i'm just wondering how the divers and the boys are going to get through them. again, there will be different techniques for different obstacles. asi techniques for different obstacles. as i understand that there will be areas in there, where, clearly, they areas in there, where, clearly, they are only going to be able to pass one in front of the other one behind the other and it may be