welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is ben bland. our top stories: the 12 boys and their football coach rescued from a cave complex in thailand — are now being treated in hospital. officials say they're in good health — and high spirits. translation: no one thought we could make it, but we did. it was a first for the world. also ahead: president trump arrives in brussels for a key nato summit — and bashes europe again on its record of defence spending. and les bleus are through! france make it to the world cup final after beating belgium. people in thailand are relieved and celebrating

as the final four members of a football team and their coach emerged from a flooded cave system. it was a perilous rescue. for three days, thai military and international divers guided the 12 boys in small groups to the surface, through narrow, flooded tunnels. they are now under constant medical observation while they recover from their ordeal. sophie long is outside the hospital in the thai city of chiang rai for us. thanks very much, ben. i'm just outside the hospital on the eighth floor, the final four footballers and their football coach will be waking up for the first time in what must seem like a long time in a nice comfortable bed. it was a massive operation. some people said it was too dangerous and two context to work but they pulled it off and now there are congratulations around the world. there have been tweets from the president of the us, saying congratulations on their behalf. he said it was such a beautiful moment, all freed, greatjob.

theresa may, the british prime minister, has tweeted her last congratulations. when the last ambulance arrived last night there were cheers and applause from people who gathered in the streets, asjonathan head reports. would this be the day that saw all the boys and their 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've seen and, behind it, the third on this, we're hoping, 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 hasn't been a cave rescue this big or this ambitious before. the boys were fed and treated

underground by an army medic to strengthen them for the difficultjourney out. even so, some divers said it was too dangerous to try. only the threat of renewed flooding forced them to push ahead. cheering these men run the boys‘ football team. 17 days of worry, of ups when the boys were found and downs when they couldn't get out, were over. translation: i want to hug them first. i want to cheer them on. i want to tell them how worried i've been. i don't know what to say.

we had something else to tell coach nopparat. from manchester united... ah, man u? an invitation from manchester united to the rescued boys, most of them man u fans, to visit old trafford next season. this is the man who's run the rescue operation from the start. thai bureaucrats rarely get this kind of reception but he pulled off a rescue the whole country had longed for. translation: today thais, team thailand, the government, the private sector and the media have been supporting one another, while the international community has been providing us moral support. we accomplished a mission that was deemed by many as impossible. it was the first time in the world. cheering everyone involved in this huge and complex mission was celebrating. these are engineers who'd 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 a week ago,

when they were found, trapped and exhausted, who would have believed this was possible. jonathan head, bbc news, chiang rai, northern thailand. this always was a high—risk operation, elite divers, some of the best in the world, came here to jamraya and they said to the thai authorities they could do it. on sunday they were given the go—ahead and thai authorities said with the support of their parents. then the nation held its breath. on day one they brought out for boys safely. day two, another four boys but still it wasn't until last night we had a visual confirmation that all 12 boys had been brought out not only alive but also relatively healthy given their ordeal and people celebrated —— official confirmation. you heard injonathan‘s report the cheers that rang out here last night. cavers and divers from around the world came together in chiang rai to help the thai authorities get the boys and their coach out.

the bbc‘s lucy williamson has been speaking to some of the rescuers. congratulations. how are you feeling? exhausted. their elation hidden by exhaustion, erik, mikko and paire, arrived back from the mountain tonight with barely the words or energy to tell their story. how did it go? err, good, very good. these are the men who won against a mountain. heroes from all walks of life, all corners of the world. united not in a single act of bravery, but in dozens of them. earlier today, they were among the last divers to leave the mountain with the thai navy seals. the cheers marking the end of a crisis that gripped the world and took a global team to solve. their organiser, a thai rock singer who drew donations from her followers.

breathing tanks, regulators and hiking equipment. i asked her what she would do tonight. oh, celebrate! all country, maybe all around the world celebrate for us, for the team, you know? for government, for everybody who has worked very hard. down the road, navy seals were celebrating. we've had to blur theirfaces. after weeks of holding its breath, tonight thailand is celebrating. they say faith can move mountains, thailand chose to put its faith in the men who venture inside them. lucy williamson, bbc news, chiang rai. all the while, teammates being reunited on the eighth floor of the hospital behind me and what a dramatic few weeks. they were stuck in a cave and waved goodbye to their teammates. they are being given soft and digestible foods and the first aid have seen their parents

through a glass screen. health authorities are worried about infection. soon they can be in the same room as families, but they are going to have to wear protective clothing and be two metres away. it must be difficult. one, 11 years old, has been away for so long and has been through such a traumatic experience. they also have so much to look forward to. they were invited to the world cup final. it doesn't look like they will make that, doctors have been asked and they chuckled and said they will be probably watching it on tv. they will be kept in hospital for at least seven days but other invitations are there as well, one to old trafford, with the majority being man united fans, that will make them very happy indeed. let's get some of the day's other news.

the number of people who've died in flash floods and landslides injapan has risen to 156. searches continue as dozens of people are still missing. downpours triggered mudslides and left homes flooded — hiroshima and okayama were among the worst affected. us secretary of state mike pompeo has dismissed accusations by north korea that he engaged in "gangster—like" behaviour during a visit there. he's now in the vietnamese capital hanoi, and stressed that denuclearisation was a condition for lifting sanctions. mr pompeo urged north korea to follow the example of vietnam, saying president trump believed pyongyang could replicate its path to normal relations with washington and to prosperity. the british man poisoned by the novichok nerve agent has regained consciousness, two days after his partner dawn sturgess, who was also poisoned, died. doctors treating charlie rowley in a hospital in southern england say there's been a small but significant improvement in his condition.

police are investigating a possible link to the case of russians sergei and yulia skripal — who were poisoned with the same substance in nearby salisbury. hollywood star george clooney has suffered minor injuries in a scooter crash in sardinia. the 57 year old's scooter was hit by a car that failed to stop — and he slammed into its windshield. clooney was taken to hospital, but is now recovering at home. president trump has arrived in brussels, ahead of a wednesday's nato summit. he's been trying to persuade european nations to spend more money on defence — making his point on twitter before he left and when he landed. but that prompted a rebuke from the president of the european council who told mr trump to ‘value his allies‘ because he ‘didn‘t have that many‘. from brussels, our europe editor katya adler reports. (tx) the united states‘ self—appointed dealmaker—in—chief has landed

on european soil. long—awaited but also kind of dreaded by his allies here, who wonder, after the iran deal and the climate change accord, will nato be the next trans—atlantic agreement to be trampled by president trump? his tweets this morning weren‘t exactly encouraging. "nato numbers don‘t add up for us tax payers," he fumed. he‘s not wrong in terms of domestic military spending. president trump points to europeans as the worst offenders. the us always tops military spending charts. this year, seven european countries will hit nato‘s target of 2% of gdp. but a host of others come nowhere near, including three of the eu‘s biggest economies — germany, italy and france.

forget decades of peace and tra ns—atla ntic partnership, nato‘s secretary general has honed in on cash and flattery ahead of tomorrow‘s summit in the hope of persuading donald trump of nato‘s merits. nato is a good deal for all 29 allies. i have thanked president trump for his leadership on defence spending, and it is having a clear impact. all allies have stopped the cuts, all allies have started to increase and more allies spend 2% of gdp on defence. donald trump‘s ambivalance towards nato and his general unpredictability has europeans spooked and feeling exposed. they‘ve relied on the us for security since the second world war, but feel now nothing can now be taken for granted. fearing russia, cyber attacks and cross—border terror, the eu is now beginning modestly to boost its own defence capabilities. today, eu leaders signed a co—operation agreement with nato, with some blunt european words for the us president. dear president trump, america does not have and will not have a better

ally than europe. today, europeans spend on defence many times more than russia and as much as china. dear america, appreciate your allies, after all, you don‘t have that many. at nato headquarters, a packed agenda awaits leaders tomorrow, but a show of unity is what really matters most. the question hanging heavy here, will donald trump deliver? katya adler, bbc news, brussels. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: france edges past its european neighbours belgium to secure a spot in the world cup final. central london has been rocked by a series of terrorist attacks.

police say there have been many casualties and there is growing speculation that al-qaeda was responsible. germany will be the hosts of the 2006 football world cup. they pipped the favourites south africa by a single vote. in south africa, the possibility of losing hadn't even been contemplated and celebration parties were cancelled. the man entered the palace through a downstairs window and made his way to the queen's private bedroom, then he asked her for a cigarette. and on the pretext of arranging for some to be brought, she summoned a footman on duty, who took the man away. one child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. education is the only solution. this is bbc world news.

the latest headlines: divers have rescued all twelve boys and their football coach from flooded caves in northern thailand, seventeen days after they got trapped underground by heavy rains. and president donald trump has arrived in brussels ahead of a high stakes nato meeting. let‘s get more main story now, and go live to california and dr paul auerbach, professor of emergency medicine at stanford university. as for as the conditions of these boys and coach, do we know why they will be held in hospitalfor such a long time? i have not been in communication but they are being

careful. the boys, having been in that isolated cave for that period of time, are probably suffering from a bit of indian suppression, fatigue, malnourished. —— immune. but not want to expose them to unnecessary viruses that they can pick up from bystanders. in terms of the effects of being in that cave and not having the cleanest and freshest water to drink, what might be the concerns physically? they drank water that was seeping down into the cave which is good, instead of drinking the water which was flowing into the cave which would

have been bad. they could get infections from that, water contaminated by animals but the water that came down was in effect filtered by the earth and the rock. you mentioned the risk of contamination but does that explain why they may have been prevented from immediately seeing their pa rents ? from immediately seeing their parents? i think that is a really the reason. any of their parents, like you and me, the point is to get the strength back, be healthy enough to withstand normal germs and environment we have around us and i believe that is what they are doing and it makes perfect sense to me. believe that is what they are doing and it makes perfect sense to mem

terms of the route they took out of the, when you look at how narrow some of the gaps were, there was a real risk of injury actuallyjust getting them out to safety. absolutely, if you have ever been in a cave oi’ absolutely, if you have ever been in a cave or dived through rocks, the edges can be very sharp and this was an absolutely masterful rescue. my hats are off to all of them. they essentially guided these boys through. i ensure they were carried by the rescue divers, told to stay calm and follow the signals they we re calm and follow the signals they were given and led through those caves. it is an incredible story and oui’ caves. it is an incredible story and our hearts go out to the family of the rescue diver who perished. to everybody else, just an amazing performance. really good to talk to you. thank you very much indeed.

thank you. a day after suffering two high—profile resignations, the british prime minister, theresa may, held the first meeting of her new cabinet. she described it as "productive" while senior ministers on both sides of the brexit debate insisted they stood behind mrs may‘s brexit strategy. meanwhile president trump, heading to the uk for a visit later this week, said britain was a country in turmoil. our political editor laura kuenssberg has this report. the prime minister might wish she had been able to zoom away — the deafening marvel of an raf fly—past. after two of her squad abandoned her, theresa may and her reshaped team are doing their best to carry on. business as usual. how do you think, though, the government can look credible to leaders arriving here, when it seems so chaotic and theresa may is having ministers abandoning her? well, we all know that this is a complex system, and feelings run very deep. but i think she is the only person who can hold all this together. this is very difficult moment in our history. ooh—la—la!

ooh—la—la indeed — britain‘s travails don‘t go unnoticed. some are fighting for her to leave. others are working hard to get in the union. but look who then 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 putin. frankly, putin may be the easiest of them all. who would think — who would think? that‘s right — president trump said it might be easier to deal with russia than the uk. and... borisjohnson‘s a friend of mine. he‘s been very very nice to me, very supportive. and, maybe we‘ll speak to him when i get over there? i like boris johnson. i‘ve always liked him. friend of boris johnson? hardly a way to make nice and theresa may. she had to answer for her relationship with the president, her party, and the eu. i‘m looking for the positive discussions with president trump. there‘s a lot of issues that we will be talking about. yes, we will be talking

about the trade issues, and we‘re looking for the time when we leave the european union. we‘ll be able, in the implementation period, to negotiate and sign trade deals with the rest of the world, which can then come into effect after the end of december 2020. but a hint of help from this mrs merkel — she said it is good the chequers proposals are on the table, and the irish leader also saying today that it might be time to budge. as we‘ve always said in the past, if the united kingdom was able to relax from some of its red lines, then the european union should be flexible too, and i think perhaps we‘re now entering that space. but theresa may‘s struggles and strains with her party are certainly not over. two more mps quit their party posts today. maria caulfield and ben bradley, on the far right of your screen, were party vice chairs — two more names on the list of those who think the prime minister‘s brexit compromise won‘t work. two mps walking away from relatively junior posts aren‘t going to bring theresa may down on their own.

but the danger is, for number ten, there is evidence of a co—ordinated push to force her to drop her 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, 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. football and we now know the identity of at least one team playing in the world cup final. it‘s france — who beat belgium in the first semi—final in st petersburg. samuel umtiti getting the only goal of the game. the bbc‘s tim allman watched the action. when you get to this stage of the world cup, anything seems possible. all chant: so we tell them. .. we're from belgium! spirits were high, the odd spirit was consumed,

as fans looked forward to the match. whether you were in red or blue, you were hoping, hoping, hoping. translation: i think france have a good chance of getting to the final. after a slow start, we are getting stronger. we will beat our belgian neighbours, our belgian friends. then, a great party, and straight on to moscow. if we play in the final, we have to win the cup. we've come so far, now we have to do it. we know that we have a really good team, in the past there was always something, and now is the moment to win the cup. perhaps unsurprisingly, this is what they would call a cagey game. but, when chances did come, both goalkeepers rose to the challenge. eventually, though, a breakthrough. early in the second half, samuel umtiti leapt up,

putting the french ahead. that was all they needed — france back in a world cup final for the first time in 12 years. in paris, there was pandemonium. it felt like an entire nation had come out to celebrate. translation: we feel a lot of joy. we‘re really happy. we knew they were going to win. it was perfect. translation: i experienced this 20 years ago. i told my kids about it. now they're grown—ups. it's going to be my second final, and i hope my second victory. at the champs elysees, a sea of supporters, all with dreams of glory. france will now be favourites for the cup. only croatia or england can stop them. but who will play the

french in the final? we‘ll find out later on wednesday when croatia take on england in the second semi—final. that match is taking place in moscow. for more on the build—up to that game — go to for more on the build—up to that game — go to the bbc sport website. there‘ll be the latest from both the english and croatian squads as they try to reach the final. you can reach me on twitter — i‘m at ben m bland you can get more on the stories we have covered and others as well. see you soon. hello again.

yesterday‘s fresher weather brought an end to a run of remarkable heat, really. somewhere in the uk over the last six days has seen temperatures into the low 30s, with the exception of yesterday‘s maximum temperature, which was at chivenor, in devon. we only got up to 26 degrees celsius. so for most of us, yes, there was much less humidity around. it did feel a good deal fresher than recent days. and it was a beautiful end to the day. this was the scene of the setting sun there in lincolnshire. now, looking at the weather picture for the early risers today, we do have a weather front across western scotland that will threaten to bring some rain into northern ireland as well. otherwise, it‘s a dry start to the day, and a fresher feel to the weather, as well. now, this rain early wednesday morning is actually going to get a little bit heavier, particularly across south—west scotland. it might well just about scrape into antrim and down in northern ireland as well. but, although it turns heavier for a time during wednesday morning, it will then begin to ease off

as the moisture gets spread out along the front, and probably bring in a risk of a few showers across wales and south—west england as we head on into the afternoon. apart from that, really, it‘s a dry looking day, with the early day cloud tending to break up, with some spells of sunshine. again, it‘s not going to feel cold in the sunshine but it will continue to feel pleasantly fresh, really. temperatures reaching a high of around 25 degress celsius or so in the warmest spots. but underneath that thicker cloud in scotland and northern ireland, generally high teens to low 20s here, but it will get warmer over the next few days. now, if you‘re planning to watch the football later on this evening, should be a fine end to the day if you are at some of these outdoor venues, and temperatures holding up quite reasonably, as well. and actually, should be a comfortable night‘s sleep ahead as well. now, we‘ll look at the weather charts on into thursday, and we‘ve still got our wiggling weather front out towards western areas of the uk, but it‘s a very weak affair. just really a zone of moisture lying down across the western side of the country, though it will provide the focus of a few very isolated showers.

the broad picture, though, is a lot of dry weather underneath a ridge of high pressure. so, yeah, quite a bit of cloud around again with some spells of sunshine coming through. probably more sunshine generally as we get towards the latter part of the week, and that will help boost the temperatures. so highs on thursday reaching around 27 degrees celsius in london, 25 in cardiff, then a 2! in edinburgh. but again, there will be a few isolated showers across these western areas. that theme continues on into friday. most of us having a dry end to the week, but there will be a few showers knocking around, before it turns warmer and sunnier into the weekend. that‘s your weather. this is bbc world news, the headlines:

the 12 boys and their coach trapped in flooded underground tunnels, in northern thailand have been receiving treatment in hospital. they were found by british divers last week. it‘s not known whether the coach, a former monk, will face negligence charges. the boys‘ parents have urged him not to blame himself. president trump has begun a week—long trip to europe by intensifying his criticism of america‘s european allies. he sent out a series of tweets as he crossed the atlantic ocean complaining that eu nations were not spending enough on their own defence. mr trump will attend a nato summit later today. football — and we now know the identity of at least one team playing in the world cup final. it‘s france — who beat belgium in the first semi—final in st petersburg.

samuel umtiti getting the only goal of the game. now on bbc news, panorama. more than 20 women have accused the president of the united states of being a sex pest. i see donald standing there. i‘m thinking, this son of a bitch just grabbed me. it was an assault. it was a very physical attack. now a court is being asked to decide whether president trump is a sexual predator. the truth is always the right option. and we will win out in the end. tonight we reveal details of his parties with teenage models. this particular party, there were four men and probably 50 models.