welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is ben bland. our top stories: showdown in brussels. president trump demands nato countries double their defence spending. the first pictures of the rescued thai boys recovering in hospital, as more details emerge of their dramatic escape. dozens are still missing after japan's worst floods in decades. the death toll has now passed 170. and croatia come from behind to beat england and book their place in the world cup final. they will face france on sunday. hello and welcome to bbc world news. president trump has called on nato allies to double the amount they have committed to spend on defence from 2% to 4%

of national income. mr trump was commenting after he clashed with the german chancellor, angela merkel, at the nato summit in brussels, singling out her country for not paying its share and accusing berlin of being a captive to moscow because of its reliance on russian energy. our europe editor katya adler sent this report. such careful choreography — not showy, but precise. nato boasts that it is in control and ready to take on modern—day threats — cyber—crime, cross—border terror, concerns about russia. but there was one big element today over which nato had no control at all. donald trump, a man determined to shake up this alliance, which has guaranteed european security since world war ii. thank you very much.

thank you. the morning here started with a jolt. germany is totally controlled by russia, because they were getting from 60% to 70% of their energy from russia, and a new pipeline. a blistering and not entirely factually correct attack by donald trump on nato ally germany for its plan to build a gas pipeline with russia. so we're supposed to protect you against russia, but they're paying billions of dollars to russia, and i think that's very inappropriate. but the german chancellor was mentally prepared today for a ding—dong with donald trump. her reply was swift. translation: i myself experienced living in part of germany when it was occupied by the soviet union, but i'm happy today that germany is united in freedom, so we can make our own independent policies and our own independent decisions. so what does this all mean?

is nato, the cornerstone of european security, falling apart before our eyes? well, not quite. the us remains as involved as ever in nato missions, and donald trump blows hot as well as cold when it comes to this alliance. but he did stamp his foot today about his favourite nato bugbear, military spending, a message above all for europe. "you want us protection," he insists, "you start coughing up a lot more for defence." nato has a military spending target of 2% of gdp for all its members. most european countries don't make the grade, including big beasts germany, france and italy. with all her problems at home, the prime minister came here determined not to trip up. at least with regards 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. and, just for good measure, theresa may also underlined that the uk is paying its way when it comes to military spending. nato leaders then headed off for dinner, to 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. 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. the boys were heavily sedated ahead of the rescue to prevent them panicking in the dark, narrow, passageways, which were underwater in parts. 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 believe. we think that our plan is perfect. we try and try and try, we test and test and train. 0k, 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 the 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 their boys is the most incredible show of courage from one, from the other, incredible trust. lucy williamson, bbc

news, chiang rai. croatia have beaten england to reach sunday's world cup final. the balkan team fought back from a goal down, to win 2—1, and ended english hopes of glory after extra time. it is the first time croatia have ever reached a world cup final, in their fifth appearance at the tournament. they will now play france, who beat belgium in the other semi—final on tuesday. joe wilson reports. england flew into the semi—final. croatia conceding a freekick in a position where the world's best players would fancy their chances. lionel, cristiano, here comes kieran . when you are only 1—0 up, then there is always the chance that this can happen, perisic‘s foot eating the england head, and suddenly it was level. so who has the energy for

extra time? southgate relatives men again, but with 11 minutes left, england lost sight of mario mandzukic, a croatian striker too good to miss this. injury time of extra time, one last freekick cleared, and that was it. the final whistle blew on england's world cup with the memory of huge progress, but overwhelmingly a sense of missed opportunity. the final, they knew, could have been days. —— theirs. let's get some of the day's other news: british police say they have begun speaking to one of the latest novichok poisoning victims. charlie rowley has regained consciousness and is no longer in a critical condition. authorities are still looking at a possible link to the case of russians sergei and yulia skripal, who were poisoned with the same substance in march. india's supreme court has criticised the government for failing to protect the taj mahal. judges accused the state and central government of lethargy and described the current strategy to protect the monument as a hopeless cause. environmentalists say air pollution

is damaging the building. in wimbeldon, defending champion roger federer has been knocked out. he was beaten by eighth seed kevin anderson, who fought back from two sets down in a gripping quarter—final. top seed federer, who was aiming for a record—equalling ninth singles title, missed a match point in the third set which proved pivotal. dozens of people are missing in japan, after torrential rain caused flooding and landslides in central and western areas. rescuers are still trying to find them. at least 179 people have died in the worst weather for decades, and around 8 million people have been ordered to evacuate their homes. on wednesdayjapan‘s prime minister, shinzo abe, visited the city of okayama to inspect the damage, as michael bristow reports. when the scale of the flooding became clear, mr abe cancelled a planned trip abroad.

he went to see this natural disaster for himself. he visited a shelter for people who have been washed out of their homes. the prime minister promised them everything they needed to rebuild their lives. the government has put aside extra money, and pledged to make sure they get it quickly. the emotion of the ordeal told in the voices of some of those mr abe met. the clean—up has now begun. people are sorting through the items that can be saved and those that must be discarded. there are constant reminders of more carefree times. somehow, the floodwater that this miniature horse stranded on a roof. she fell off, but was unharmed. the search is now on for her foal. japan's worst flooding in decades is being blamed on more unpredictable weather caused by climate change.

japan is one of the best—prepared countries in the world when it comes to disaster risk reduction, disaster risk response. they are supremely well prepared, and so the magnitude of the casualties of the destruction that we're seeing now really is an indication ofjust how big and how extreme this was. nearly 200 people have died. tens of thousands of homes were still without clean water. others had no power. japan has detailed plans to cope with earthquakes, but some say it has done far less to get ready for flooding. when the rebuilding is finished, that will no doubt change. michael bristow, bbc news. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: 70 years of the special relationship between the us and the uk. we take a look at what it

means in the trump era. 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, and 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: president trump has demanded nato countries double their defence spending. only five countries meet the current target of 2% of gdp. the first images have emerged from the hospital where 12 thai boys and their football coach are being treated after their rescue from a flooded cave. a german neo—nazi has been sentenced to life injailfor her part in ten murders. beate zschaepe belonged to a gang that carried out racist killings over a period of seven years. the police initially thought the victims — mostly of turkish descent — were caught up in gang violence. lebo diseko has more. the only surviving member of a

neo—nazi terrorist cell. beate zschaepe was found guilty of ten racially motivated murders. for the families of the victims, this day has pink —— has been a long time coming. the five—year trial almost two decades after the first telling. called the nationalist socialist underground murdered eight ethnic turkish people, a greek citizen and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007. she denied taking part in the murders, saying she only knew of them after they had happened. she blamed two members of the ms you, they killed themselves in an apparent suicide pact. but the court found she was possible and gave a verdict that carried an automatic life sentence at. translation: verdict that carried an automatic life sentence at. translationzlj believe that the sentence imposed on herfor believe that the sentence imposed on her for life imprisonment is a substantial and right. she is not a woman who was in the wrong place at

the wrong time. she is a nazi, a racist and a murderer. there has been anger at what many see as the failures of the police, who at first blamed the killings on immigrant and violence. any families believe institutional racism hampered the investigation and betrayal. so while they may well —— welcome this verdict, questions remain unanswered. how the killer selected their victims and just why authorities did so little to protect them. his mother was assassinated in a terrorist attack, his grandfather was executed by a military dictator, but now bilawal bhutto zardari is following their footsteps — and leading their party's campaign ahead of elections in pakistan at the end of the month. but, as secunder kermani has been finding out, levels of support for the party have dropped over the past decade. bilawal — the third generation of pakistan's most famous polticcal

dynasty takes to the streets in a rally. his mother and grandfather both served as prime minister and he is now emphasising on his party's focus on delivering socialjustice. this is bilawal‘s first election campaign, many have praised his energy, but ever since his mother's death, the party have faced serious challenges. having once dominated the political scene, polls predict they will now finish in third place. bilawal is fighting to keep his family's political legacy alive. my vision for pakistan is a peaceful, prosperous, progressive and democratic pakistan. it's a pakistan my mother fought for 30 years of her life, struggled for and ultimately lost her life in this struggle. it is what motivates me, it drives me to continue to push for this message. bilawal‘s father — a former president — leads the ppp party alongside him but is more divisive. he has been dogged by allegations of corruption, although none

have been proven. analysts say his image has lost the party votes. but they still have their supporters, especially in the southern provinces and could be crucial in forming a ruling coalition. for now though, the campaign has been overshadowed by the conviction of the former prime minister on corruption charges, and allegations, it was engineered by pakistan's most powerful army. i wouldn't say that the conviction is a soft coup. what i am concerned about would be the decreasing space for human rights in pakistan, the freedom of the press and the freedom to campaign. those things do concern me. the best way to overcome these challenges is to take them into parliament and that is why i am running for parliament. the family's history has

been marred by tragedy, but bilawal says he is determined to be a progressive political voice for years to come. the former ‘keeping up with the kardashians' reality tv star, kyliejenner is on track to become the youngest—ever self—made billionaire. forbes magazine estimates the social media celebritry is currently worth about $900 dollars atjust 20 years of age. jenner, who is currently not old enough even to legally drink alcohol in the us, will turn 21 in august. our correspondent peter bowes is in los angeles. how has she achieved this?” how has she achieved this? i think, in part, because she is a

kardashian, the youngest, the half sister of kim kardashian, the daughter of bruce jenner. the sister of kim kardashian, the daughter of brucejenner. the big thing for her, the cosmetics company she launched just two years ago. a cosmetics company that started by selling relatively cheap cosmetics, focusing on lip products that produce about full lip appearance. —— that full lip appearance of. it has been hugely successful, the company is worth 800,000 dollars —— 800 million. nearly $1 billion she is worth, she has got their faster than the likes of mark zuckerberg, he was 23 before he became a billionaire and now she is ahead on the list of self—made rich women in america, ahead of barbra streisand, beyond say, taylor swift. it is

another world. i wonder what the reaction is to this on social media. there has been a mixed reaction and some people objecting to this phrase, self—made, pointing out that she comes from a very rich family, a family of millionaires and maybe it is not that difficult to become a billionaire. others are applauding herfor her achievements billionaire. others are applauding her for her achievements at a very young age and is saying that she is a great role model for other young women who have an idea and want to pursue it. is there any comment on what people think this says about celebrity culture today?” what people think this says about celebrity culture today? i think it says that if you have a very recognisable name you can make money from that. but i think we are seeing the melding of celebrity, reality television and the social media

world, which is family have collectively managed to master all of these different areas of media to make a lot of money from it. couldn't do that without people liking what they do and providing a huge fan base for not only their appearances on television but buying products like this, people of what celebrities have to offer and she is grateful for that. the special relationship was a phrase used by sir winston chrurchill in a speech in 1916, when he referred to political, diplomatic, cultural, economic, military, and historical relations between the united kingdom and the usa. on the eve of president trump's visit to the uk — our special correspondent allan little reports on how the relationship between britain and america was nurtured in the past — and how it's now seen in the age of trump. in st paul's cathedral, this memorial chapel remembers

the americans stationed in britain who died in the second world war. the roll of the dead has 28,000 names. newsreel: britain and america join together in persons of high and lowly estate... it was inaugurated in 1958, and by then, a new world had emerged from the shared sacrifice of war. the american—led atlantic order has endured and evolved over seven decades. its founding fathers were president franklin roosevelt and winston churchill. the institutions of global governance, the imf and world bank, the world trade organization, the marshall plan, nato and the european union, would all emerge from their victory. at the heart of the international system that america built after the second world war was the idea that nations should live by a set of agreed rules, in politics, economics, security and trade. america was the principal author of those rules,

and has spent the last 70 years using its power in the world to enforce them. not anymore. donald trump believes that america is not the beneficiary of those rules, but the victim, that the rest of the world uses those rules to cheat america, and that the european allies are among the worst offenders. the question those allies are now facing is this — is the rules—based order that roosevelt launched ending with donald trump? he doesn't know the history, and he doesn't care. he takes a very transactional approach to international relations, which seems to come from his sort of real estate background, where he is — where everything is a deal. the essence of the american support for the international order is that you're investing in it. but that investment allows them to sustain the rules—based order, and nobody else could do that, and that rules—based order is something which the united states benefits from tremendously. that's hard to measure in dollars and cents. it's a long—term proposition, and trump doesn't look at transactions that way. but does this mean he wants to tear up the rule book,

or just rewrite it? i think trump's role is to be a disrupter in all things. it is to look at how these relationships either help or hinder america. he literally wants to put america first. i think the whole idea of this international, globalist worldview has taken hold of government, and he wants to shake that up and say, well, is it really in the best interest of america to do it this way? for the first time in 70 years, europe will look across the atlantic at an america no longer willing to carry what it sees as the costs of an alliance forged in the sacrifice of a different age. allan little, bbc news. the duke and duchess of sussex are visiting dublin in theirfirst official overseas engagement since getting married. prince harry and meghan markle met the irish

president and first lady at their residence alongside their two dogs. they also attended a garden party at the british ambassador ‘s residence and went to the gaelic athletic association where they met young fa ns association where they met young fans there as well. just a reminder of our top story: president trump has demanded that nato members should immediately start donating 2% of their national income on defence. he made his comments after several companies at a nato summit in brussels, saying they would not hit the target even by 202a. he also said nato states should double their defence spending to 1t% of national income. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @benmbland. hello there.

temperatures dipped a little bit at the start of this week. wednesday was a warm one, and those temperatures are going to continue to rise towards the end of the week. some places could be really quite hot during the course of the weekend. we also had a few showers around. they will tend to fizzle out, but we could start thursday morning with one or two across some western areas, maybe north—west england, in towards wales. there could be quite a muggy start to some of the larger towns and cities across southern england and southern wales. now, we start thursday, then, on a rather cloudier note. clouds will tend to break up with some sunny spells developing, although the eastern coastal areas remaining a little bit cloudy through the day, and then showers will develop, and we think most of these will be across more western areas. now, some could be quite heavy, particularly across south—western scotland, maybe the western side of england to the west of the pennines, in towards wales and south—west england. and they will be very slow moving, almost stationary. some areas could get quite a lot of rainfall. the ground being so dry could lead to some local flooding, so watch out for that. but be warned, though — where you get the sunshine, especially in the south—east, 26 or 27 celsius. as we hurtle towards friday,

looks like the risk of showers and thunderstorms begins to increase, and some of them could be on the heavy side. friday starts off mainly dry, with the sunshine, although there will be showers from the word go across parts of north—west england and southern scotland. these will become more widespread across parts of wales, into the midlands, maybe southern england as well. like i mentioned, some of them could be quite intense, with the risk of some local flooding. temperature—wise, around 25, maybe 26 celsius, and some eastern coastal areas may hold onto that cool breeze. now, as we head on in towards the weekend, a big area of low pressure will be anchored to the north—west of the uk. this may bring further cloud, maybe outbreaks of rain, to scotland and northern ireland, but it's also going to draw much warmer air from the near continent. on sunday it's a similar picture — breezier, with more cloud from northern ireland and western scotland. with outbreaks of rain, could see a few showers pushing into wales, north—west england. but elsewhere, across most of england and eastern wales, a hot day to come. we could see one or two locations in the south—east reaching 30 or 31 celsius. so for the end of the week it looks like we will see an increase of showers and thunderstorms

for a time, and then it starts to hot up as we head on into the weekend. this is bbc world news. the headlines: president trump has urged nato member states to commit 1t% of their annual gdp output to military spending — double the current target. he made the remarks during the western military alliance's summit in brussels. of nato's 29 members, just five met the current target this year. 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. meanwhile, reports say the boys and the coach were sedated to stop them panicking as they made their escape. croatia have reached the world cup finalfor the first time, ever after beating england. a strike from mario mandzukic in extra time gave croatia a 2—1 victory. the win sparked euphoric celebrations across croatia as fans filled streets and squares waving flags and chanting. now on bbc news,

wednesday in parliament.