Here are some of the stories making headlines this Thursday.
Thailand cave rescue: Boys appear in new video, ‘I am healthy’
The teenage soccer team trapped in a cave system in northern Thailand will spend another night almost a kilometer underground, after officials coordinating the rescue said they won’t attempt to move them before Thursday.
UK investigates alleged Russian links to Brexit campaign
As the largest backer of the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union, Arron Banks rejoiced in being called one of the “Bad Boys of Brexit.” Now the UK’s National Crime Agency is investigating his financial support for the campaign and his contacts with Russian officials, according to three sources familiar with the probe.
UK police declare ‘major incident’ near Salisbury after 2 found unconscious
A “major incident” has been declared in the southern English town of Amesbury after two people may have been exposed to what authorities describe as an “unknown substance.”
Football world urges boys in Thai cave to ‘be strong’
The video shows them wrapped in foil blankets. The footage is grainy but underneath the foil blankets two of the boys are clearly wearing replica football shirts — one sports a Real Madrid top, another a red England national team jersey.
Facebook shutters the teen app it just bought
In a blog post, the social network said it would shutter the tbh, Hello and Moves apps due to “low usage.” Facebook will delete user data from the apps within 90 days. “We know some people are still using these apps and will be disappointed,” the company said in a blog post late Monday.
Angela Merkel: US auto tariffs could start trade war
”We now have tariffs on aluminum and steel and we have a discussion that is far more serious,” Merkel told German lawmakers on Wednesday. “This is taking on the contours of a trade conflict – I don’t want to use words that go any further.
Guy Pearce reflects on working with Kevin Spacey, calls him ‘handsy’
Guy Pearce has something to say about Kevin Spacey.
WhatsApp fights hoax messages in India after rumors led to killings
The Facebook -owned service is testing a tool in India that will show users when a message has been forwarded rather than composed by the sender, it said in a letter to the Indian government on Wednesday. WhatsApp shared the letter with CNNMoney.
Macron warning on Africa migrant centres
French President Emmanuel Macron has told the BBC that EU plans to create migrant processing centres in North Africa will not work unless the process is led by those countries. Speaking during a visit to Nigeria, Mr Macron said many African countries were worried that such centres would act as a pull factor for migrants.
Chinese tycoon dies from fall in France
The co-founder and chairman of the giant Chinese conglomerate HNA Group has died in a fall in southern France, while touring the Provence region. Wang Jian, 57, had climbed on a high parapet to take photographs in the picturesque village of Bonnieux when he fell, police said.
Two collapse near nerve agent attack site
A man and woman feared to have been exposed to an unknown substance are in a critical condition, prompting police to declare a major incident. The pair, in their 40s, were found unconscious in what was thought to be in a drugs-related incident in Amesbury, Wiltshire, on Saturday.
Why men might want to eat more nuts
Eating nuts regularly could improve sperm health, a study suggests. Men who ate about two handfuls of mixed almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts daily for 14 weeks improved their sperm count and had more viable “swimmers”, scientists found. The study comes amid a decline in sperm counts across the Western world, linked to pollution, smoking and diet.
Star Wars actor: ‘I considered suicide’
The actor who played Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars franchise has revealed how the vicious backlash against the character left him close to suicide. Ahmed Best provided the voice and motion capture for the gawky CGI alien in the Star Wars prequels, beginning with 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
Woman, 92, kills son over care home plan
A 92-year-old US woman shot and killed her son, 72, in order to avoid being sent into a care home, police say. Anna Mae Blessing, who is charged with murder, contemplated her son’s intentions to put her into care for days, according to court documents.
Almost Half The Country Thinks Donald Trump Is A Racist
Nearly half of voters think President Donald Trump is a racist, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday. Forty-nine percent of voters said Trump is racist, while 47 percent said he’s not, according to the poll.
After Promises Of ‘Transparency,’ Pentagon Under Scrutiny For Troop Number Blackout
After quietly scrubbing troop numbers for Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria from the Defense Manpower Data Center’s website earlier this year, the Pentagon – which has repeatedly promised to improve “transparency” regarding troop statistics- is under renewed scrutiny over its public information blackout.
Scarlett Johansson’s Decision To Play A Transgender Man Isn’t Going Over Well
Scarlett Johansson’s upcoming movie already has fans talking … and not in a good way. The “Lost in Translation” actress has signed on to star in “Rub & Tug,” which is being billed as an “American Hustle”-like mob drama.
Google says no one is reading your emails, except…
Google would like you to know that no one is reading your emails on Gmail without your permission. While that may be true, things aren’t that simple. After a Wall Street Journal report (published Monday) described how third-party developers might be reading your emails on Gmail, Google on Tuesday responded with a blog post, describing the measures the company takes to ensure your security and privacy within the service.
This 1 photo perfectly sums up just how obsessed England is with the World Cup
If you want to get a sense of just how caught up in World Cup fever the UK is, you don’t need to look far. A good place to start would be Ian Wright’s delirious reaction to the England Vs. Columbia result, or the footage of people across the country celebrating that final penalty.
Disney is creating robots that can do acrobatic flips in the air
And land.
World Cup presenter’s delirious reaction to England winning on penalties is everything
It’s fair to say this year’s World Cup has produced some nail-bitingly tense games. Tuesday night’s knockout match between England and Columbia has to be one of the most nerve-shredding so far, though. Nobody summed up the sweet, sweet feeling of relief when England finally won on penalties better than pundit (and former England striker) Ian Wright.
Siri rudely interrupts parliament, triggered by the word ‘Syria’
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was rudely interrupted by Siri during his address to MPs in the UK Parliament’s House of Commons. According to the BBC, Williamson was making a statement on the fight against Islamic State, when his iPhone smart assistant sprang into action, triggered by the word “Syria.”
