The Thai boys trapped in a cave for two weeks have written letters to their parents, saying “don’t worry… we are all strong.”
The handwritten notes include requests for food, including fried chicken.
“Teacher, don’t give us lots of homework!” read one. The team’s coach also offered his “apologies” to the parents in a separate letter.
The 12 boys and their coach were exploring the cave when they became trapped by flood waters on 23 June.
In his letter, the 25-year-old coach Ekkapol Chantawong reassured parents, saying: “Dear all kids’ parents, now all of them are fine, the rescue team is treating us well.
“And I promise I will take care of the kids as best as I can. Thank you for everyone’s that come to help.
“I also sincerely apologise to the kids’ parents.”
The notes are the group’s first communication with their families, after attempts earlier this week to establish a phone line inside the cave failed.
The group were found inside the cave by British rescue divers on Monday, 10 days after they went missing. They were perched on a rock shelf in a small chamber about 4km (2.5 miles) from the cave mouth.
Teams of Thai and international divers have since supplied them with food, oxygen and medical attention, but there are mounting concerns about the oxygen level in the chamber, which officials said had fallen to 15%.
The usual level is 21%.
The authorities in Thailand say an air line into the cave has now been successfully installed.
Above ground, a huge military and civilian rescue operation is racing against the clock to bring the boys to safety.
Heavy monsoon rains are expected on Sunday, threatening further flooding.
Officials had initially considered leaving the boys in the chamber to wait out the rainy season, which could have seen them trapped there for up to four months.
However, with the diminishing oxygen levels, other rescue plans look more likely.
Speaking on Friday, the governor of the Chiang Rai region, where the cave is situated, said the boys had enough strength to walk but could not swim to safety.
Narongsak Osotthanakorn said the health of most of the boys had “improved to normal,” and that divers were continuing to teach them diving and breathing techniques.
Meanwhile, rescuers outside the cave have dug more than 100 holes in an attempt to reach the cave by a direct route.
There were 18 promising ones, the deepest at 400m, but Mr Narongsak said he was not sure if it would reach the boys, who are believed to be about 600m below the surface.
Read also: Foreign Titbits: Phuket boat sinks: Divers search for missing tourists in water off Thailand
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Woman behind Trudeau groping allegations stands by account
The woman who accused Canadian PM Justin Trudeau 18 years ago of groping her says she stands by her account.
She released a statement on Friday to CBC News, her first public comment on the allegations that resurfaced over a month ago.
She said the incident, described in August 2000 in an editorial in a local newspaper “did occur, as reported.”
Mr. Trudeau has denied any wrongdoing, saying he is confident he did “not act inappropriately.”
The woman was a journalist at the time and covering an event attended by Mr. Trudeau.
The editorial and its allegations resurfaced after a blogger posted an image of the article on Twitter in June.
The event in Creston, British Columbia, was held to raise money for an avalanche safety charity with which Mr. Trudeau was involved.
Days afterwards, an unsigned editorial appeared in a local paper, accusing him of “groping” a young female reporter.
Mr. Trudeau first responded to the nearly 20-year-old incident on July 1 when questioned by journalists.
The prime minister said he did not recall any “negative interactions” at the event, though he said he remembered the day in Creston well.
On Thursday, the prime minister offered a more detailed response.
“I have been reflecting very carefully on what I remember,” he said. “I feel I am confident I did not act inappropriately.”
Mr. Trudeau said if he apologised at the time it was because he must have sensed the woman in question felt differently about their interaction.
“The same interactions can be experienced very differently from one person to the next,” he said.
Published in the Creston Valley Advance newspaper, the piece accused Mr. Trudeau of “inappropriately handling” the reporter, who felt “blatantly disrespected” by the actions, which were not described.
According to the editorial, Mr. Trudeau apologised for his behaviour and said: “If I had known you were reporting for a national paper, I never would have been so forward.”
Mr. Trudeau was a 28-year-old teacher at the time of the event.
He became involved with the charity Avalanche Foundation after his brother Michel died in an avalanche in 1998.
In her statement, the woman – who has not been named – confirmed Mr. Trudeau did issue an apology to her on the day after the festival, as was published in the editorial.
“I did not pursue the incident at the time and will not be pursuing the incident further,” she said.
“Beyond this statement, I will not be providing any further details or information. The debate, if it continues, will continue without my involvement.”
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Brexit: Cabinet agrees ‘collective’ stance on future EU deal
The cabinet has reached a “collective” agreement on the basis of the UK’s future relationship with the EU after Brexit, Theresa May has said.
Ministers have signed up to a plan to create a free trade area for industrial and agricultural goods with the bloc, based on a “common rule book.”
They also supported what could amount to a “combined customs territory.”
BBC report said the plan, agreed after a 12-hour meeting, would “anger many Tory Brexiteers.”
According to the report, the prime minister had “picked a side” by opting for a closer relationship with the EU than many colleagues desired – and she now had to sell it to her party and the other European leaders.
No 10, it said hoped the new commitments would unlock the next phase of talks with the rest of the EU but it was not yet clear how many, or what kind, of objections were raised.
Downing Street said the proposals marked a “substantial evolution” in the UK’s position and would resolve outstanding concerns about the future of the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
“This is a proposal that I believe will be good for the UK and good for the EU, and I look forward to it being received positively,” Mrs. May told the BBC.
One pro-Brexit cabinet minister told the BBC there was “no point” pushing for a vote as “we were well and truly outnumbered by 20 to seven.”
The minister also warned that “it will be a problem” if there is any attempt to “water down plans even further” should the EU reject the UK’s proposals.
The UK said it now wanted to accelerate the negotiations in an effort to secure an agreement by October, but also warned it will step up preparation for leaving on March 29, 2019 without a deal.
The UK said it now wanted to accelerate the negotiations in an effort to secure an agreement by October, but also warned it would step up preparations for leaving on March 29, 2019 without a deal.
Read also: Foreign Titbits: Melting road’ damages cars in Australia
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Nazi U-boat wreckage found off Galicia by Spanish divers
Divers have found wreckage from a Nazi World War Two U-boat near the coast of Galicia in north-western Spain.
U-966 was heavily damaged by Allied bombers in November 1943, so the crew blew it up with timed charges and all but eight reached dry land.
US Navy and RAF Liberator bombers targeted U-966 with depth charges for a whole day, as the German submarine zig-zagged and fired its anti-aircraft gun.
One Allied plane was shot down – reportedly an RAF Catalina flying boat.
An RAF Wellington bomber also took part in the submarine chase and dropped depth charges.
The three divers’ discovery in late June followed years of searching in a very rocky area where rough weather often makes diving impossible.
The debris was photographed at a depth of 24-26m (79-85ft).
One of the divers, naval historian, Yago Abilleira, said they had found the wreckage near Estaca de Bares and it was spread over a wide area.
They are not revealing the exact location, as it is a war grave.
He told the local paper La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish) that the crew had scuttled U-966, nicknamed “Gut Holz” (Good Wood), “in desperation, as Allied planes were attacking them on all sides and they knew time was running out.”
Spanish media say the divers now want to find the downed Allied plane, believed to be near the U-boat wreck.
A German naval history website, Ubootarchiv.de, says (in German) that three local fishing boats rescued submariners who were clinging to rocks offshore.
The crew totalled 52, eight of whom died.
U-boat commander Eckehard Wolf flew back to Germany in November 1944 from Spain under a false name, the website reports.
The U-boat was returning from an operation off the coast of North America when it was detected by the Allies.
Bombers attacked it repeatedly on November 10, 1943, crippling it.
U-boats had inflicted enormous damage on Allied shipping earlier in the war.
- They attacked supply convoys as well as naval vessels.