the moment has come, england are about to take on croatia in the world cup semi final here in moscow, their biggest match for more than a quarter of a century. gareth southgate‘s young team have arrived at the stadium with the hopes of a nation on their shoulders. there is nothing that competes with the world cup, so for these players it is enormous. but let's hope they enjoy it, they have done so far and just capture the moment. thousands of england fans have poured into moscow for a moment they're determined to be here for. we are live in bristol, people gathering here like they are across the whole country. you can almost feel the heart pumping almost as loud as the music. and the day's other main stories on bbc news at six... the first images have emerged from the hospital where 12 thai boys and their football coach

are being treated after their remarkable rescue from a flooded cave. at the nato summit president trump criticises germany, accusing it of being far too dependent on russia. and a fine for facebook for breaches of data protection law after details were improperly accessed by a third party. and coming up in the sport here on bbc news we will have all the build—up ahead of that crucial semifinal involving england at the world cup and we will have the latest on quarterfinals day here at wimbledon. good evening from moscow from the luzhniki stadium where england are about to take on croatia in the world cup semifinal. it's their biggest game for almost thirty years. the atmosphere here is incredible.

thousands of england fans are in the stadium tonight — thousands more decided at the last minute to travel to russia just hoping to get tickets. if they win, gareth southgate‘s men will make history as england's first team in a world cup final since 1966. if they don't, it will be heartbreak for england, but what a tournament they've had. we'll be live inside the stadium in a moment, but first here's our sports editor dan roan. last month, she came to russia unheralded, but unlike these players arrived at the luzhniki stadium on the verge of sporting immortality. just one more win from becoming only the second england team ever to reach football's greatest ever stage. it is a privilege leading a country into a semifinal, not many people have had the opportunity to do it. but equally we do not want it to end here. 28 years have passed

since england's last world cup semifinal appearance. gary lineker‘s goal was ultimately in vain, was to germany's win on penalties in turin still embedded on england's football conscious. today he told me they could make amends. there is nothing that competes with the world cup. for these players is enormous, but let's hope they enjoy it, they have done so far, butjust enjoy the moment. their memories will be entirely based on what the result is. they will either be the best memories they have, or possibly some of the worst. meanwhile, an estimated 10,000 england fans have descended on the capital, all wanting to witness footballing history. in 1990 remember being with my dad and in tears. 28 years later iam my dad and in tears. 28 years later i am with my son and it is priceless, a once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. will they go all the way? they have a good chance of

doing it. yes. if we did it, words cannot dojustice. england doing it. yes. if we did it, words cannot do justice. england win the world cup and you can die happy. standing in england's way, are croatia, a country of 4 million people, but among them several world —class people, but among them several world—class footballers. they are unbeaten and desperate to reach their first ever world cup final. translation: we are doing our best for ourselves and for our country. we still believe in ourselves, we believe that we can do better and this is the most precious thing. once before an england team reach the final and then claimed football's ultimate prize. now more than half a century on a new generation had the chance to emulate that fabled side, but first they must win here tonight in this, the game of their lives. must win here tonight in this, the game of their lives. and dan's now live inside the luzhniki stadium.

dan, what an extraordinaryjourney for the england team. yes, it has indeed. when you consider where england have come from, four years ago i was in brazil to see them crash out of the world cup to see them crash out of the world cu p after to see them crash out of the world cup after five days and two matches. two years ago they were humiliated by iceland at the euros. they have confounded this time around, historically low expectations, but they have been together, with their mindset, their talent and their determination. maybe gareth southgate knew something we did not. but england are not meant to get through on penalties, they are not meant to get beyond the quarterfinal stage, but who would ever see the likes of kieran trippier or harry maguire orjordan pickford come of age in the way they have? can this journey continue? england will have to play better than they have so far here in russia. they are about to

come up against a team in croatia thatis come up against a team in croatia that is their sternest test to date and the player in real madrid's star player, luka modric, that they have not encountered yet. but croatia have had to go to extra time and penalties in their last two matches and they are ranked below england and they are ranked below england and they are ranked below england and they may well be tired. i do not think england will ever have a better opportunity to reach a world cup final. it is the biggest match for years, it is the game fans have been waiting 28 years for. only sir alf ramsey has led an england side and on to that stage. we are about to find out if gareth southgate can join him. to our sports editor in the stadium, thank you. to our sports editor in the stadium, thank you. back home tens of million of fans are expected to watch tonight's semi—final either at home, in pubs or on big screens across the country, many having raced back from work to make it in time. jon kay has spent the day with fans in bristol getting ready for tonight's match. here we go. the working day is over,

but this is where the sweating starts. a big screen for the biggest match. the whole country is together and we cannot wait for the game. it will be a brilliant night tonight. how is the heart? i hope it does not break later on, it is like this. are you all right? i can't all right. is he free tonight? a primary school just down the road. these kids have been inspired by the new generation of england players. they speak more than 20 languages here. croatia is not one of them. 1000% i think england will win. 1000%? that not one of them. 1000% i think england will win. 100096? that is a lot. yes. that is confident. 0k, 1

billion. i want them to come first 01’ billion. i want them to come first or second. second? first. what would it mean to you if england won this? everything and i would scream around the house and go crazy. how loud? give mea the house and go crazy. how loud? give me a shout. there is no way margaret is going to miss it. she is 101, a lifelong fan and never thought she would see england get this far again. we have got to win. we can win. yes, of course, they can win. they are good enough to win. so, a prediction place. 2—0 to england. we are going to win? yes, we are going to win. i am sure of

that. is it coming home? yes, yes, it deserves to come home. i mean, it is the lifeblood of england. yes, it is the lifeblood of england. yes, it is coming home. #itis is coming home. # it is coming home, it is coming. football is coming home. so they agree with margaret, there is no doubt, but you can feel the excitement here. you ask everybody can they win? they all say yes. but there is a realism here and there is a nervousness. but can england do this? yes! you can feel the excitement here. with under an hour to go now until kick off, england and croatia fans are beginning to pour

in to the luzhniki stadium. our sports correspondent natalie pirks is outside. natalie, is the excitement at fever pitch yet? it certainly is very busy. it is a nine o'clock kick—off here, so two more hours for fans to build, nine o'clock kick—off here, so two more hours forfans to build, to bite nails, to think about what might be. the air is thick with nervous tension. you can occasionally hear it punctuated by songs. i will give you three guesses, 01’ songs. i will give you three guesses, or should i say three lions, about what those songs are? we cannot get any official figures about the number of fans, but we are expecting about 10,000 or more. that is because these fans believe this tea m is because these fans believe this team matches their hopes, and their ambitions. all it needs now is for them to go out onto the pitch and reach that match that has eluded england for 52 years. natalie, thank

you. natalie, thank you. well, they're the fans gearing up for the match here in moscow. but across england, supporters are gathering to watch the game. manchester is hosting its first big screen of the world cup in the city centre ? 8,000 people have got tickets for this sold out event. after 3,000 fans watched the quarter final at nottingham castle, it's once again opening its doors to england supporters tonight. in liverpool up to 8,000 fans are expected to cheer on the three lions at the pier head fanzone. and in the capital, 30,000 england supporters will watch on as england play croatia this evening and they ll be treated to a special performance from the lightning seeds. that is in hyde park. the stadium behind me is full and so many england fans have travelled here at the last minute. we'll hear more from them later, but for now, back to huw with the rest of the day's news. the first images have emerged

from the hospital where 12 thai boys and their football coach are being treated after their remarkable rescue from a flooded cave. and new details have been released about the complexity of the rescue operation. it's been confirmed that the boys were heavily sedated ahead of the rescue effort to prevent them panicking in the dark, narrow, passageways which were underwater in parts as our correspondent lucy williamson reports. these are the luckiest boys in thailand. still weak, still in quarantine, these pictures the first we've seen since a rescue diver filmed them huddled together in the cave. their schoolboy poses for the camera hiding the miracle that they are here at all. what happened here at the cave over the past two weeks inspired horror, then awe, and now curiosity. a dozen boys who couldn't dive or even swim, trapped two miles inside the cave. rescuers said the biggest risk was that they would simply panic. so how did they get them out?

the incredible story of their rescue from tham luang is onlyjust emerging. this is the first footage of the mission itself. each boy wrapped in a special kind of stretcher and carried along by hand. in parts of the cave where it was impossible to stand, rescuers built a complex system of pulleys to transport them out. and where it was flooded, scuba divers strapped the children underneath them and carried them through. a feat described by one rescuer as superhuman. several sources have told the bbc the boys were sedated during the journey. watch his arm. not unusual for normal mountain rescues, experts say, but much riskier with children and scuba diving conditions. you have to be real. we think that our plan is perfect. we try and try and try. we test and test and test. it's ok.

and you've got the best team so you have to believe them. leaving from chiang rai airport tonight, the british cave diver who starred in a rescue denied he was a hero. it's not like that. if you could do the same for someone else's child, you would. i hope. but what most people see when they look at the rescuers and the boys is the most incredible show of courage from one, from the other, incredible trust. lucy williamson, bbc news, chiang rai. our top story this evening: england are one game away from a world cup final — in the next hour they take on croatia in moscow. and a fine for facebook for breaches of data protection law — after details were improperly accessed by a third party. coming up on sportsday on bbc news... we will have all the build—up ahead

of england's semifinal against croatia and we will have the latest on what has been men's quarterfinal day here at wimbledon with all of the big three in action. president trump has argued publicly with chancellor merkel of germany about levels of defence spending, and alleged russian influence over germany. the two leaders are in brussels for a nato summit, following which mr trump will travel to helsinki to hold talks with president putin of russia. the president said it was totally inappropriate for germany to pay russia billions of dollars for oil and gas while failing to spend sufficient money on defence. our europe editor katya adler reports on the tense opening to the nato summit. such careful choreography. not showy, but precise. disciplined detail at this opening ceremony for the nato summit. nato boasts that it's in control and ready to take

on modern—day threat. cybercrime, cross—border terror. concerns about russia. but there's one big element here that nato can't control, donald trump. the man who openly scolds his allies, who speaks warmly of the presidents of russia and north korea, and who clearly wants to upend the workings of this decades—old alliance. newsreel: the north atlantic defence committee composed of the 12 atlantic pact nations, meets for the first time... nato, the north atlantic alliance, was set up to guarantee european security after the horrors of world war ii. thank you. the united states has always been the groups most powerful member. but donald trump now demands european countries pay their way. you know, we're protecting germany, we're protecting france, we're protecting everybody and yet we're paying a lot of money to protect. i think it's very unfair to our country, it's very unfair to our tax payers.

then this astonishing, blistering attack on nato ally germany, for its plan to build a pipeline with russia. but germany is totally controlled by russia. because they will be getting from 60 to 70% of their energy from russia and i think that's very inappropriate. for her part, the german chancellor was mentally prepared today for a ding—dong with donald trump. he has attacked her before over trade and nato spending and now her country's admittedly controversial energy deals with russia. water off a duck‘s back, was the subtext of her response. germany makes its own decisions and decides its own politics, she said. so is nato, the cornerstone of european security, falling apart before our eyes? n ot exa ctly. the us is more involved than ever in nato missions and donald trump blows hot as well as cold when it comes to the alliance. beset by problems at home, the prime minister came

here determined not to trip up. at least when it came to president trump. we're announcing today that we will be deploying an additional 440 personnel to nato's resolute support mission in afghanistan and i think that shows when nato calls, the uk is one of the first to step up. the right honourable theresa may... just for good measure, theresa may also underlined that the uk was paying its way when it comes to military spending. nato leaders are off now for dinner where they will keep talking and possibly arguing. a big question donald trump's allies have for him is about his one—to—one meeting with russian president vladimir putin next week. katya adler, bbc news, brussels. for the second time the bbc has revealed salary details of some of its presenters — but it said the figures do not yet fully reflect some pay changes, which won't filter through until next year's list. the match of the day presenter gary lineker has overtaken chris evans as the best—paid

person on the list — the highest—earning woman is claudia winkleman. some prominent names are not on the list because they work for bbc studios — which has been classed as a commercial entity since last year. our correspondent david sillito explains. it's been a year of protest and lobbying from many of the bbc‘s best—known women presenters. they were outraged when the bbc was forced to come clean about its pay deals and revealed how much more its top male stars were earning. 12 months on, the bbc has now revealed that jeremy vine's £700,000 has dropped by around a third. john humphries' publicly reported salary has fallen from around £600,000 to £400,000. and the number of women being paid over £200,000 has doubled. last year men outnumbered women on this list three to one. we are now told that the situation is closer to 60—40 with an ambition to make it 50—50 in the next year or so. but still at the moment

the top ten highest paid stars are all men. these things take time. especially when you're dealing with people who are the voices and the faces of the bbc to millions and millions of people. what i am concentrating on is also ensuring we are seen to make real progress. gary lineker is now the bbc‘s highest—paid star on £1.7 million. the highest—paid woman is claudia winkleman. tess daly doesn't appear at all because she, like many actors and presenters, are either paid by an independent firm, or the bbc‘s private production arm. which explains why bbc names such as david attenborough and david dimbleby don't appear. and amongst viewers in cardiff, there was another concern. i just think it's far too much that they are paid, far too much for the little bit they do. if you trust what they say and they know what they say, then it's worth paying them the money to do the job.

who is worth that sort of money? they are not saving lives. so some progress on the gender gap but the bbc women campaigning for equal pay say there is still a long way to go. david sillito, bbc news. police in wiltshire say they've begun speaking to charlie rowley — one of the victims of the novichok poisoning who's regained consciousness and is no longer in a critical condition. officers say they spoke briefly to him in salisbury district hospital. over 100 counter—terrorism detectives are trying to establish the source of the nerve agent contamination. mr rowley‘s partner, dawn sturgess, died on sunday. facebook is to be fined a record £500,000 by the information commissioner, the maximum fine possible for misuse of data in the uk. the regulator has been investigating how the details of tens of millions of users ended up in the hands of the political consultancy cambridge analytica. and concerns have been raised about political parties, buying personal information

from so—called ‘data brokers'. the fine is modest compared with previous sanctions on facebook as our technology corrspondent rory cellan—jones reports. personal data. a vital new weapon in election campaigns. but now the information commissioner has found its been misused and a social media giant is facing a record fine. the data of 87 million facebook users was harvested by the now—defunct political consultancy cambridge analytica. the half—a—million pound fine for allowing that to happen will hardly make a dent in the social media giants profits, but the watchdog says the penalty is still significant. it sends a very strong message to facebook and other online platforms about what is expected of them and that the regulator will step in with sanctions. this report shows just how much of our data can potentially end up being used for political purposes. it's not just about your facebook details, every time you interact

with a credit reference agency or even a mother and baby club, your data could be sold to a political party. the information commissioner is planning to fine emma's diary, a service for mums to be for passing the data of1 million people to the labour party. the company says it doesn't agree with the regulator's findings. labour insists the party has done nothing wrong. there is no suggestion that the labour party has behaved unlawfully. all 11 political parties have been contacted by the information commissioner and asked to review their policies. the watchdog is also looking into whether the leave.eu campaign founded by aaron banks may have used data from his motor insurance business for political purposes. this enquiry has some way to run. rory cellan—jones, bbc news. at wimbledon the reigning champion roger federer has been knocked out in a thrilling quarter final lasting more than four hours.

he was beaten by south africa's kevin anderson by three sets to two and by 13 games to 11 in the deciding final set. time for a look at the weather with ben rich. thank you and good evening, even the weather watchers getting into the world cup spirit, this is how it looked in shropshire earlier but let me take you to the stadium in moscow for a look at how the forecast is shaping up, there has been quite a lot of cloud, showers not far away but they should fade away, looks mostly dry through the match with temperatures around about 20 degrees. if you are watching at home most degrees. if you are watching at home m ost pla ces degrees. if you are watching at home most places are dry but across scotla nd most places are dry but across scotland we've had more client, the odd spot of rain which will continue to sink slowly south and east, cloud

for northern ireland, the odd shower elsewhere but mostly dry, clear spells and tim butchers of 13—17d, not chilly by any means. a lot of cloud plaguing the northern part of scotland, they are part of drizzle but nothing much more than that, down into england and wales we will see spells of sunshine but look closely and you can see a scattering of showers, some of the heavy that many will not catch them. temperatures 19—26. look at friday's forecast, more showers at this stage across southern scotland, east wales, the midlands down towards the south coast, some of them could be lively with hill stone ‘s thunder roman, if you want rain for the garden that this will not be particularly reliable, many will be dry. we get into the weekend, high—pressure broadly in charge towards the south—east, a bit of cloud to the north—west with patchy rain but across southern areas watch

the orange redeveloping, the heat is going to return. southern areas up to 29, maybe 30, cooler further north but it should be dry. perhaps in time for the world cup final, maybe? let's return to our main story — in just over half an hour england takes on croatia in the semifinal of the world cup. sophie is in moscow. england and croatia havejust england and croatia have just come out to start warming up, can england do it? i have been talking to some of the many fans who have made the journey to make sure they are here for england's big night. two, three, four... # it's coming home. # it's coming. # footballs coming home. # footballs coming home #. here we go darling, let's go. hello, hello, hello. come on, you get a bit closer. ok come on, when did you guys come here? we've come from qatar monday night. we live in qatar at the moment, so it was about a six hour journey. but we are here, we're back. i spent all my money to come

here for one reason, i might be dead the next time it happens. so this is why, we're going to win! operatic singing. i'm in red square now, the sun is out, and hopefully i'll be still here sunday. i'm not going back till monday. so yeah, rocking and rolling. can't wait. love it. you're not going back till monday? you're a confident man! spur of the moment after the saturday result, we got really caught up with it and thought sod it. booked flights and then frantically trying to get tickets. managed to get them about an hour and a half ago. you've just got tickets? yeah. what a moment this is going to be for you, how are you feeling about it? i'm feeling a bit nervous. but quite excited. did you ever think england would get this far? never. i never thought at my tender age of 58 i'd ever see england at this stage again. and i cannot thank mr southgate and that young england team enough. operatic singing. england! come on england!

well that was red square at lunchtime. you can imagine the atmosphere inside the stadium right now. i'll be back at ten — will gareth southgate's team be through to the world cup final? we'll know soon. that's all from us here in moscow for now. here on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. this is bbc news. the headlines... with less than one hour to go into lingen's semifinal against croatia, the atmosphere is building in moscow. millions of fans back home will be watching to see whether england's world cup team could be on the verge of making history. england's world cup team could be on the verge of making historylj england's world cup team could be on the verge of making history. i was thinking if we got to the quarterfinals we would have done quite well, but to get to the finals, obviously we will win today and still be here on monday, hopefully. —— sunday. hopefully. -- sunday. president trump has caused consternation at the united nations ahead of his meeting with angela merkel, saying germany is

controlled by russia. dramatic pictures of the operation to rescue the boys and football coach from caves and thailand have been issued. they had to be sedated to stop them from panicking. roger federer crashes out of wimbledon after missing a much point against kevin anderson. —— match point. with the wimbledon shocker and the build—up to the world cup semifinal tonight, sportsday will be here