Top story: ‘Many people are coming’

Good morning – this is Alison Rourke bringing you the top stories on Tuesday 3 July.

Two veteran British cave divers were at the forefront of the mission that found 12 Thai boys and their football coach after nine days missing in a vast cave system. In footage of the moment the divers arrived in the chamber where the boys were huddled on a ledge above flood waters, the rescuers told the boys that help was coming: “Many people are coming ... we are the first.”

The two British divers, Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, worked with Thai navy seal teams to reach the boys. “They managed to dive the last section and get through into the chamber where the missing party were on a ledge above the water,” said Bill Whitehead, head of the British Cave Rescue Council.



The logistical effort to get the boys out may prove much harder than getting in. Experts warn it may take months. None of the children can swim. The military is sending in food and provisions to last for more than four months. A medical team has been sent in to assess the children but they are all reported to be in good health, but hungry.

Petrol prices going up? – Theresa May is close to lifting an eight-year freeze on fuel duty and considering ending the cap on alcohol taxes to raise billions of pounds to help boost public spending and reduce the deficit. An inflation-linked increase would raise £800m to help pay for the PM’s promise to spend an extra £20bn on the NHS by 2023 (which May had said would be partly funded through a “Brexit dividend”). Senior government sources told the Guardian that the plan to scrap the freeze would ease pressure on public finances, with a number of ministers lobbying for funding for their own departments since the news of the NHS boost.

‘Appalling treatment’ – MPs have called for a total reform of the Home Office following the handling of the Windrush scandal. A damning report from the home affairs select committee said the office needed “root and branch reform”. The introduction of a barrage of hostile environment policies at the same time as legal aid was removed for immigration cases meant the Windrush generation were unable to get help when they found themselves classified as illegal immigrants. Many lost their jobs and homes, and were denied NHS treatment and unable to travel, the report found.

LGBT health adviser – The UK is to appoint a national adviser to end so-called conversion therapy as part of an action plan published by the Equalities Office today. The 30-page document includes pledges to improve police responses to LGBT hate incidents, and more support for LGBT students and teachers as well as improving gender identity services for adults. It follows a UK-wide survey of LGBT people that had more than 108,000 responses, billed as the largest study of its kind. Stonewall’s chief executive, Ruth Hunt, said she was “really pleased that the government is listening to the thousands upon thousands of LGBT people who responded to this survey”.

Trump defends tariffs – Donald Trump has defended his controversial tariffs and trade policies, calling on the World Trade Organisation to “change their ways”. He said the WTO had “been treating us very badly for many, many years and that’s why we were at a big disadvantage”, adding that if the organisation didn’t treat the US properly “we will do something”. Trump’s comments came as signs mounted that administration policies on global trade were beginning to bite. Goldman Sachs warned the second half of 2018 would be tough for investors as they grapple with rising tariffs and interest rates. There’s more on this in the business news below.

Voyeurism epidemic – As the UK prepares to introduce legislation banning upskirting, South Korea is confronting a wave of secret filming of sexual images, known as “molka”. From filming in public toilets with hidden cameras, to pen and watch cameras, websites carry a deluge of footage showing women being filmed without their knowledge – some having sex, others relaxing at home or walking along the street. The president, Moon Jae-in, recently acknowledged it had become a “daily part of life”. One victim tells the Guardian of her horror when discovering a secret camera hidden in a toilet seat, which had been recording her every move.

World Cup

Strap yourselves in, England’s moment of truth is here. Gareth Southgate’s side face Colombia in the last 16 tonight (kick-off 7pm BST) when the manager will hope his team can justify the decision to rest several players in their last outing. Southgate has urged his players to avoid the traps of the past when they take to the pitch in Moscow looking to reach a first knockout win at the World Cup in 12 years.

The good news is that James Rodríguez is a doubt for Colombia; the bad news is that José Pekerman is confident of winning even without their star player. Either way, this being England and the knockout stage of a World Cup, so it’ll probably end in a gut-wrenching penalty shootout defeat anyway. Buildup to the big game has begun already.

Aready safely into the quarter-finals are Brazil, after Neymar and Roberto Firmino goals knocked out Mexico, although accusations of diving and feigning injury continue to dog Neymar, who later said the hum of talk around his behaviour was just opponents trying to put him off his game.

A mouthwatering last-eight tie against Belgium is the reward for Brazil, after Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli helped Belgium to a miraculous 3-2 comeback win over Japan. The pair, who play bit-part roles at their clubs, proved their worth with goals to crush Japanese hopes and add weight to the argument that this World Cup is absolute chaos.

Lunchtime read: noise pollution isn’t just annoying, it’s deadly

From heart disease to type 2 diabetes, noise is having a dire effect on people’s health. Richard Godwin writes that he “never wanted to be the sort of person who got angry about noise”. But, he says, it’s not simply that noise accelerates the “grumpification process” – it’s a pollutant, with well-established effects on multiple aspects of physical and mental health, from cardiovascular disease to depression.

“There’s consistent evidence that road traffic noise leads to heart attacks,” according to Dr Yutong Samuel Cai, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London who recently analysed the health data of 356,000 people in Britain and Norway, and found that long-term exposure to traffic noise affects our blood biochemistry, over and above the effects of exhaust fumes. Another study, from Barts and the London School of Medicine, has linked noise pollution from road traffic to instances of type 2 diabetes. One of the compounding factors is inequality, Godwin writes; houses next to busy roads tend to be cheaper. So what can you do if noise is driving you crazy? Complain ... to the right person who can do something to fix it.



Sport

Chris Froome is clear to attempt a record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory but anti-doping experts are unhappy with the lack of information in the resolution of his case.

Serena Williams shook off some rust to make the second round at Wimbledon, where she will be joined by 19-year-old Briton Katie Swan, who stunned world No 36 Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets on the opening day of play. French Open finalist Sloane Stephens became the first major casualty of the tournament after defeat to Donna Vekic, but there were no such worries in the men’s draw for Roger Federer who swatted aside Dusan Lajovic to begin his title defence.

Meanwhile, Britain’s lack of depth in the men’s draw was highlighted by defeats for both Cameron Norrie – to Aljaz Bedene, who used to represent Great Britain – and Liam Broady.

And Australia’s national basketball team “feared for their safety” during and after an “alarming” brawl during a World Cup qualifier in the Philippines that was called off after 13 players were ejected.

Business

Donald Trump’s trade war with the EU is costing manufacturers in the US and the eurozone, new figures show. According to the latest survey of American factories by IHS Markit, the president’s tariffs added to the cost of raw materials and components in June. It also contributed to the lengthiest delays for supplies reaching factory production lines since the poll was started in 2007. A parallel survey of eurozone manufacturers found economic activity dropped to the lowest level for 18 months in June, with the worst of the slowdown coming in Germany, France and Greece.

Low-income families need their disposable income to rise by nearly a third in order to meet rising transport, childcare and energy costs, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It said government benefit cuts were hitting lower-earning households in the UK, making it increasingly difficult for them to keep up with the rising cost of living.

Asian shares dropped in tentative morning trade on Tuesday as sentiment remained fragile in the face of tense trade relations between the United States and major economies, with investors braced for another potentially rocky day for Chinese markets.

The pound was buying $1.313 and €1.287.

The papers

The amazing story of the 12 Thai boys and their coach trapped deep in a cave system features on the front of several of the papers, including the Guardian and the i, which both carry a large picture of one of the relieved relatives. The Guardian’s caption reads: “We found them safe”. The Times splashes on a picture of the boys perched inside the cave, nine days after they went missing.

The Telegraph focuses closer to home, leading on what it says is a “Cabinet schism as May seeks Brexit deal” with the FT reporting that Tesco and Carrefour have struck a deal to take on German rivals, including Aldi and Lidl.

The tabloids are united in their coverage of England’s do-or-die match against Colombia tonight. “Now write your own history, boys ... ” screams the Mirror’s front page, reporting Gareth Southgate’s rallying cry to the team, with a full-page picture of Harry Kane. The Sun also carries a full-page photo of the England striker, with the headline “Go Kane”. The Express carries a photo of Kane and two team-mates laughing with the caption: “Harry’s happy band of brothers ... now put a smile on all our faces”.

The Daily Mail dissents from World Cup coverage with its front page splashing on Anger about town centre shops forced to pay four times as much in business rates as online giants.

For more news: www.theguardian.com



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