sunshine. more sunshine indeed for eastern england, but further cloud and outbreaks of rain over scotland and outbreaks of rain over scotland and northern ireland. then some showers developing later in the day across the pennines and across wales. it is set to get warmer towards the end the week especially the south. although with an increase in clouds and thunderstorms. crowds cheer as the last of the ambulances carrying the boys race to hospital. the boys aged between eleven and seventeen were trapped below ground for over 2 weeks. translation: no one thought we could make it, but we did! it was a first for the world. we'll be looking at how a team of experts from across the world turned mission impossible into mission accomplished. also tonight... the prime minister gathers her new cabinet in a show of confidence but two senior party members resign. people around salisbury and amesbury are warned not to touch

unknown objects containing liquid or gel after the nerve agent death. counting their chickens? england take an unusal approach to training ahead of tomorrow's semi final against croatia. and written in the sky — a flypast of up to a hundred planes marks the centenary of the raf. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. so they've all made it out, the twelve thai schoolboys and their football coach after seventeen days trapped underground. they're now together in hospital undergoing check ups. their rescue operation was as daring as it was dangerous, taking them through 2 miles of underground caves, at times underwater, in at least one section having to squeeze though a tunnel just a few inches wide.

surely terrifying for any but the most experienced divers — and some of the boys couldn't even swim. jonathan head is in chaing rai where the last of the boys emerged today. the world has been watching this rescue and now can celebrate with them. absolutely. it is astonishing. all of us who followed it from the very start and have been here for more than two weeks could hardly have dared to hope it would end as well. the boys are now in the hospital behind me, they are all in reasonably good health and we thought this mission was so difficult. last week, professional divers were telling us it was too dangerous to try, some seriously considered leaving the boys for months, but that was abandoned. it took a lot of planning and in the last couple of days, there was

impressive progress but today was the most difficult, it had rained heavily and they had to get the remaining boys and the coach out. the diapers who stayed bravely with them came out as well —— the divers. would this be the day that saw all the boys and coach out safely? with the boys and coach out safely? with the sky darkening, it had to be today. helicopters in the afternoon told us they were getting ready. then the tell—tale flashing lights. this is the second ambulance we have seen and behind it, the third on this, we hope that being the last day of this truly remarkable operation. and every ambulance we have seen so far has meant another life saved. inside the caves, dozens of divers have been working in wet,

claustrophobic conditions to support the rescuers. there has not been a cave rescu e the rescuers. there has not been a cave rescue this big ambitious before. and then the news we had all been waiting for. these men run the boys football team. 17 days of worry, of apps when the boys were found and downs when they could not get out were over. translation: i want to have them first. i want to cheer them on and tell them how worried i have been. i don't know what to say. we have something else to tell the coach. an invitation from manchester united to the rescued boys. most of them were fans. to visit old trafford next season. fans. to visit old trafford next season. this is the man who has run the rescue operation from the start. bureaucrats in thailand rarely get

this reception but he pulled off rescue the whole country had longed for. translation: today that people of thailand, the government agencies and the private sector, together with media and all the international support, no one thought we could make it, but we did. it was a first for the world. everyone involved in this huge and complex mission was celebrating. these are engineers who had been diverting streams to lower water levels in the caves. people came out to cheer the ambulances as they brought the last of the boys into hospital, safe and sound. only one week ago, when they were found, trapped and exhausted, who would have believed this was possible. jonathan head, bbc news, chiang rai,

northern thailand. cavers and divers from around the world,led by the uk, came together in chiang rai to help the thai authorities get the boys and their coach out. seemingly against the odds, how did they manage to pull such a daring rescue mission off? fergus walsh has been looking at how they turned mission impossible into mission accomplished. heroes all, the 90 divers who took part in the search and rescue, including thai navy seals, british cave divers and other international experts. it has gripped the world's attention. the british cave rescue council said seven of its divers had been part of the cave rescue team helping to bring the boys out. they've done something that i think we all thought was barely possible, you know, and they have pulled it off. the challenge, getting the 12 boys and their coach to swim 2.5

miles through these narrow and flooded caves to safety. it began 17 days ago when the boys and their coach went missing. they had gone to write their names on the walls of the cave. a huge international rescue operation began. they were alone for nine days until found by two british cave divers. this was the moment. onjuly the 6th, a former thai navy seals died while returning through the caves, underlining how perilous the rescue would be. then on sunday, the first four boys were rescued. each was accompanied by two expert divers for the five hours or more trek through the flooded sections, they were strapped underneath one of the divers. but in the narrowest part, just 38 centimetres, they had to squeeze through alone with their air tank in front of them. at home in brighton, the mother of an elite diver

listening again to the moment her son and another british diver discovered the missing thai boys. i'm very proud of him. john is a very kind, modest person and i knew that they would do a good job and i kept my fingers crossed for both of them. all the thai navy seals and the international divers are safely out. mission accomplished before the monsoon rains will flood the caves for months to come. fergus walsh, bbc news. well let's go back now to jonathan who's outside the hospital. what can we expect to happen over the next fewdays , any word as to when we will see the boys? none at all, the authorities have kept them behind curtains and we have not had a single glimpse of them. it is partly about privacy and

control, even their parents did not see them at first. the government says they have to be concerned about their health and welfare, they are worried about infections. over the next couple of days, i think we will hear from the parents, next couple of days, i think we will hearfrom the parents, certainly more from the government, we do not know if we will hear from the divers, they may come back to britain, but we will hear how the boys are doing and if the parents have seen them. it will be a slow process , have seen them. it will be a slow process, it has been such a big job getting them out, the thai government and the health authorities are very protective and will make sure that their welfare comes first and seeing them come second. jonathan head in chiang rai, thank you. the prime minster made it business as usual today as she met with her new cabinet — a day after foreign secretary boris johnson and david davis, the brexit secretary resigned over the government's brexit strategy. senior ministers have rallied round the prime minister, but two vice—chairs of the conservative party have now also resigned. meanwhile president trump,

who's heading to the uk for a visit later this week said the uk was in turmoil and described borisjohnson as a "friend" who he may speak to. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. the prime minister might wish he had been able to zoom away the death marvel of a raf fly—past. after two of her squad abandoned her, theresa may and reshaped team are doing their best to carry on. business as usual. how do you think the government can look credible when it seemed so chaotic? we all know that this is a very complex issue and feelings run very deep, but i think that she is the only person who can put all this together. this is difficult moment. britain's travails do not go unnoticed. some are finding it hard to leave, others are working hard to get into the union. look who strolled into the

discussion, just days before he is flying here. i have nato, i have the uk, which is in somewhat turmoil and i have uk, which is in somewhat turmoil and ihave vladimir uk, which is in somewhat turmoil and i have vladimir putin. frankly vladimir putin would be the easiest of them all, who with thing? that is right, president and said it might be easier to deal with russia than the uk. am... boris johnson is a friend of mine and he has been nice and supportive to me. maybe i will speak to him when i get there. i like borisjohnson. speak to him when i get there. i like boris johnson. a friend of borisjohnson? like boris johnson. a friend of boris johnson? hardly wait to like boris johnson. a friend of borisjohnson? hardly wait to make nice with theresa may. she had the a nswer nice with theresa may. she had the answer with her relationship with their president, her party and the eu. i am looking forward to positive discussions with president trump. we will talk about the trade issues and we are looking for the time when we leave the european union, we will be able in the implementation period to negotiate and sign trade deals with the rest of the world which can then come into effect by december 20 20.

angela merkel said that it is good that the chequers proposals are on the table and the irish leader also said today it might be time to budge. as we have always said, if the uk was able to relax from some of its red line, then the eu should be flexible as well and i think perhaps we are now entering into that space. but the struggles for theresa may are not over. two more mps quit their party posts this afternoon. maria caulfield and ben bradley word vice chairs of the tories. now adding their names to those who think the prime minister ‘s's brexit compromise will not work. two mps walking away from relatively junior posts work. two mps walking away from relativelyjunior posts will not bring theresa may down on their own, but the danger is for number 10 that there is evidence of a coordinated push to force her to drop brexit compromise and with no majority, a small number of tory mps can cause

big trouble. the prime minister is surrounded by foreign leaders to please and with parliament to manage and the clashing sides of her party, it is not impossible, but an enormous task to find a safe way through the middle. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. the former conservative politician, lord carrington, who was the last surviving member of churchill's 1950s government, has died at the age of 99. he resigned as foreign secretary in 1982, after taking responsibility for the argentinian invasion of the falkland islands. he had previously chaired the lancaster house talks in 1979 which led to the establishment of the state of zimbabwe, and later served as secretary general of nato. the prime minister led the tributes to lord carrington, describing him as a "statesman who was respected globally, for his remarkable lifetime of public service." the chief medical officer for england has warned people in the salisbury and amesbury areas, particularly children, not to pick up "any foreign object which could contain liquid or gel". the comments follow the death of mother of three dawn sturgess from nerve agent poisoning.

her partner charlie rowley has regained conciousness but remains in a critical condition in hospital. our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds has more. this is thought to be charlie rowley the day before he fell ill, buying drinks in salisbury. what happens next? and what was the object that he and his partner touched, which left her dead and him fighting for his life? police don't yet know. they are still searching for it. hence today's new and specific warning. in quiet corners of parks like this one in salisbury, it's not hard to find all sorts of things lying around, often in places where people take drugs. including, things that might be of interest to children, like this. the advice today is clear, do not pick up anything that you haven't dropped yourself. that includes containers, but also syringes, even cosmetics. what sort of advice do you think that is? personally, i don't think you should pick up anything that isn't yours. what about theo here?

i teach him every day, don't talk to strangers, don't pick things up that aren't yours. it's pretty tough with a little one like that. it is but you've just got to keep eyes on, i guess, at the moment. i think it's sensible advice. in terms of getting little kids not to pick up things... good luck! exactly. we are sitting yards from where the skripals fell ill in march. at the time, nearby in a corner of this car park, we saw people sleeping rough. now, it's closed off. a friend says charlie rowley sometimes hung out here. could he have picked up something dropped then by the skripal‘s attackers? ordid he find a contaminated object? this weekend, in his local park, sealed off by police officers. today, the family of dawn sturgess mark their loss with the statement. but, tonight, doctors reported

a small and significant improvement in the condition of charlie rowley. he's now conscious, which means he may be able to give the police critical information. tom symons, bbc news, salisbury. the time is quarter past six. all 12 schoolboys in thailand under football coach are rescued in a feat of extraordinary ingenuity and courage. and the red arrows streak over the skies of london to celebrate the centenary of the raf. so much history, in ten minutes. it's wonderful. actually makes you want to cry knowing it's all there. to protect you.

absolutely brilliant. something to be proud of. england's footballers have arrived in moscow for theirfirst world cup semifinal in nearly 30 years. the team trained this morning at their base in repino before setting off for their clash with croatia. our sports correspondent natalie pirks is at the luzhniki stadium in moscow where tomorrow's game is taking place. i don't know if the players can feel it over there but the anticipation here is nearfever pitch. they can certainly feel it although their bases very remote and calm. they were playing and larking around with a rubber chicken in training this morning, all very high spirits and the mood is being replicated by the fans that start to arrive in moscow by their numbers now. this is the biggest england match in three decades. and so to moscow. the venue for both the semi—but also the final. on the pitch of the luzhniki stadium ambitions will be realised. and, for once, it feels like the dreams of fans

are shared by the team. our country has been through some difficult moments recently, in terms of its unity and i think sport has the power to do that. and football in particular has that power to do that. so, for us, we can feel the energy and we can feel the support from home and that's a very special feeling. it's a privilege for us. already this morning, some fans have been arriving without tickets, hoping to buy them at the collection offices but, instead, finding smiling volunteers with little information. have you any tickets for the england game? no. no tickets, sorry. england's first world cup semifinal in 28 years is a hot ticket but, as of this morning, fifa's website wasn't even showing the game. so it's left england fans having to get in the dreaded queue. booked the flights, went to the website, just kept crashing.

all it does is open up the black market. with as many of the people as this. they released about a hundred tickets in the last 20 minutes. we'll get tickets. we'll be in that ground, 100%. those with hope in their hearts are a tout‘s favourite prey. but fans believe it will be worth the expense to see another piece of history, even if croatia will be a stern test. croatia have got some wonderful players. probably the best midfield that i've seen in this tournament. but they have never really unlocked anybody. the two penalty shoot outs to get this stage. we can beat them. england/new order — "world in motion". a return to the semifinals has taken is all down memory lane. a summer heatwave, fuelled by the nostalgia of italia ‘90. we all know how that night finished. but this team isn't ready for it to be the end of their russian fairy tale. many of those who can't get here to

moscow will watch the creation match in many special fan zones across the uk. many are pulling out all the stops to get there, however. a manic move to moscow. and the flag goesin a manic move to moscow. and the flag goes in first. it's important to me because it's been part of my life all my life, following england. to go to the semifinal, potentially the final, it means so much. he's already been out there, spent £1000, now borrowed another £1000 and is missing his wedding anniversary. people watching this might think you are crazy. is it really worthwhile to sacrifice so much to go to this game tomorrow? it certainly is. 10096 worthwhile. you can see that the way

the country is great, it is going to be worth it. you can see it on the telly and every part was full at the weekend for the quarterfinal. every body in the nation is gripped by the world cup and so i am just very lucky to be able to go. after 10,000 england fans are expected to attend the showdown tomorrow. at fan zones around the country, prices are being dramatically increased and if england are victorious tomorrow, supermarkets will close early on sunday so that staff can watch the final. we wanted to ensure that our colleagues could celebrate with the re st of colleagues could celebrate with the rest of the nation if we get to the final. we want to ensure that all out final. we want to ensure that all our customers and colleagues can get home and get behind the team. for the england fans, a large dent in their savings isn't putting them of a potential once—in—a—lifetime

experience. i don't know howl can keep it together and not feel emotional. not everybody is enjoying the ride. for then it is likely to feel incredibly tedious but it is difficult not to get caught up in the football fever which is only going to get higher over the next 2a hours. in other news today, portugal captain cristiano ronaldo has signed forjuventus in a deal worth £105 million after a decade and a51 goals at real madrid. the 33—year—old had at real madrid. the 33—year—old had a great start to the tournament with a great start to the tournament with a hat—trick but portugal were not doubt at the quarterfinal stage. gareth southgate said today that they are still not at the level they are capable of but they are still only one game away from a world cup final. who would have predicted

that? who indeed. thanks very much. the uk's economy grew by 0.3 percent in may, according to the latest figures. the office for national statistics says warm weather and the royal wedding helped growth. the improvement has lifted expectations that the bank of england could increase interest rates in august. it was the women's quarter finals at wimbledon today and — with most of the top 10 seeds out — it's proving to be one of the most open tournaments for women in years. one familiarface did prevail however, and that was serena williams as she survived a scare to make it through to the semi finals. joe wilson reports. on this honours board, some of the players who made wimbledon, who made modern tennis, but this year's women's champion, there is a space, waiting for a story. it could still be the great serena comeback. williams was truly stretched today by camila giorgi of italy, three fierce sets, but serena was up to it. her seeding 25 is temporary. the power seems permanent. reaching a wimbledon

semifinal is almost unimaginable territory for germany's julia goerges. another winner today. and jelena ostapenko becomes the first latvian woman to reach a wimbledon semifinal. unpredictable is often good. none of the top ten seeds were even in these quarterfinals, but the players we did see rose to the occasion. daria kasatkina is at the bottom of the screen. playing angelique kerber. now there were breathless rallies to end this match. kerber triumphed. she has earned over $20 million in her career. well, billiejean king pioneered forjust this kind of thing and the honours board mayjust have a space for kerber. joe wilson, bbc news, wimbledon. 100 planes, from the iconic spitfire to the latest stealth fighter jet, have flown across buckingham palace to mark the centenary of the raf. thousands gathered to watch

the the biggest display of british airpower in over 30 years. the centrepiece, watched by the queen and other members of the royal family, was the largest ever formation of typhoon fighters, spelling out "one hundred" in the skies above the palace. robert hall was there watching too. telling a 100 year story with aircraft. from the sedate progress of wartime icons to the thunder of sleek 21st—century technology, months of preparation brought a procession from past to future. it's great, really impressive. great to see so many. wonderful. i wish i was up there again flying. we wanted to pay our respects and say thank you for everything they have done over the years. the raf plan for this centenary was to commemorate,

celebrate and inspire. at westminster abbey, the queen, whose father had flown with the fledgling raf in 1918joined herfamily and the raf family to remember those who had served in the air and on the ground. i remember today, my grandmother's brother, jock, killed in a wellington bomber in 19a3. my grandfather's brother, charles, who commanded the royal air force for much of that war and my father, who flew low level sorties in burma. i read his log book again last week. how right and proper that we should each remember all who served. but this was also a day to celebrate the present. as the crowds joined the men and women of the 21st—century raf, parading their new colours

outside buckingham palace, the queen spoke of her own links with the service. that family tradition continues to this day. the duke of edinburgh, the prince of wales and the duke of cambridge have all earned their wings and wear them with great pride. this journey has taken the raf from the first world war to space. its motto, "through adversity to the stars" lies at the heart of this spectacular birthday. robert hall, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos. cloudy skies. we haven't seen that in weeks. and a little cooler. but a different story to the west. we can see the parched grass here. we saw

25 celsius across the west midlands into parts of wales. considerably cooler, the first day since the ath ofjuly that we have seen temperatures around 30 celsius. temperatures are expected to rise by the end of the week but there is some rain in the forecast. it has been quite wet in the north and west of scotla nd been quite wet in the north and west of scotland today. tomorrow, a good deal of dry weather again. some warm sunshine. also some showers breaking out. it's going to start quite damp across western scotland into northern ireland. it will end up fizzling a little bit and becoming more sharif. plenty of sunshine and feeling quite warm. some showers developing particularly over higher ground, the pennines and in towards parts of wales. as we head into thursday, there will be varying

amounts of clouds and showers. anywhere could see showers but mainly across western areas. some could be heavy and thundery. warmer in central and southern areas on thursday. in fact, in central and southern areas on thursday. infact, it in central and southern areas on thursday. in fact, it gets warm as we head into friday and the weekend, particularly in england and wales. northern ireland and other parts would be immune from a heavy shower. that's all from the bbc news at six. there's more at 10pm. until then, goodbye. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. rescuers in thailand free all 12 boys and their coach