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Five of seven men who entered cave seeking gold are now out after being trapped for 10 days.

Rescuers have pulled four more men from a flooded cave in central Laos, bringing to five the number freed from a group of villagers who became trapped while searching for gold. Two others remain missing.

The four were brought out on Saturday, a day after the first man was rescued, ending a period of about 10 days during which the group was cut off underground.

The Thailand Rescue Diver Facebook page said that “rescue officials were able to bring out four more people trapped” at about 3:10pm (08:10 GMT).

Rescuers said the water inside the cave had finally dropped low enough for the men to walk and swim out alongside the divers who had reached them.

The operation has drawn diving teams from several countries, but the danger is far from over, with two members of the group still unaccounted for deep inside the flooded passages.

Lao and Thai rescue groups posted images of the men being carried out on stretchers, caked in mud, wearing oxygen masks and wrapped in foil blankets.

Footage shared online showed some of them collapsing as they emerged, before being embraced by rescuers.

The five had been located alive on Wednesday, huddled on a rocky ledge in a chamber about 300 metres (980 feet) from the entrance. Unable to bring them out straight away, rescuers passed in water, soft food and blankets to keep them going.

“The first one is out. Safe and sound!!!” Manat Artmongkron, a technician with a Thai rescue group, wrote on Facebook after the first evacuation on Friday.

Divers described treacherous conditions in the narrow, flooded tunnels, where visibility was almost nil. One stretch was a 25-metre passage too tight to turn around in.

The group had entered the cave around May 19 or 20, to look for gold and other minerals, according to local officials, before heavy rain triggered flash flooding that sealed off their way out.

An eighth villager who escaped in time alerted the authorities to those left behind.

Rescue teams said they were now preparing to push deeper into the cave – about 20 to 25 metres beyond where the survivors were found – to look for the two missing men, though that section remained heavily flooded.

Local officials said residents of the remote, mountainous province of Xaisomboun often forage for a living and enter such caves in search of gold, despite repeated warnings about the risks.

An ‘outstanding’ and ‘clever’ detective series is now streaming for free and it boasts an 89% Rotten Tomatoes score

Death in Paradise fans looking for their next detective series need look no further.

New Zealand-set show, The Brokenwood Mysteries, has been likened to Midsomer Murders and it is currently on UK screens as the crime drama’s 12th season airs.

Viewers can catch up from series one on Channel 4 and U&DRAMA with new episodes airing on Mondays at 8pm on the latter channel.

The Brokenwood Mysteries sees the “seemingly quiet town of Brokenwood slowly being riddled with murders” and it is up to Detective Mike Shepherd, played by Neill Rea, to get to the bottom of the crimes.

Other characters include Detective Kristin Sims, played by Fern Sutherland, Detective Constable Sam Breen, played by Nic Sampson, Dr. Gina Kadinsky, played by Cristina Ionda, and Detective Constable Daniel Chalmers played by Jarod Rawiri.

The show was first released in 2014 and its currently airing its 12th season. The detective series has received rave reviews and boasts an impressive 89% Rotten Tomatoes score with many viewers claiming it is “better than Death in Paradise”.

One person said: “If you like a great mystery, well written with lots of twists and turns as well as colorful characters populating a simply stunning locale, I can confidently recommend you visit the quirky world of Brokenwood.”

A different viewer put: “I really enjoy this series and agree with the positive reviews I’ve read” while another show watcher added: “I was pleasantly surprised, the lead actors were excellent and supporting cast very good in my opinion.”

Another fan commented: “I have given The Broken Wood Mysteries a 9 out of 10. For me this is extremely rare, it’s not often something catches my attention and keeps it, as well as Broken Wood does.”

They added: “BUT the Broken Wood Mysteries in my humble opinion, Is That Good!. To Conclude, Wonderful Trio of exceptionally good Actors!, Delightful Script Writing (quality writing), wonderful Scenery which shows delightfully the beauty of New Zealand. ALL IN ALL, A very deserved 9 out of 10.”

Elsewhere, a different viewer wrote: “I look forward to future episodes of this refreshing NZ ‘whodunnit’, which for me rates better than Midsomer, definitely better than Death in Paradise, but perhaps not quite as good as Lewis, Frost, or the Swedish version of Wallander. Well done NZ!”

Meanwhile, another fan added: “Came across this well done series from the “you may like ” section and was pleasantly entertained.

“The show built the characters quickly and the result was a wonderful mix of personalities with a nice mix of serious and humour ,especially from Fern and Neill. The Medical Examiner is like someone everyone knows, and the banter between all the cast is the strongest part of the show.”

While a different viewer wrote: “Outstanding Kiwi police series, reminiscent of some British country police dramas. The cast work well together and over the 11 seasons we see a development in the characters. If you like country music you’ll love the soundtrack.”

The Brokenwood Mysteries series one to 11 are available to watch on Channel 4 and U&DRAMA now. Season 12 airs on Mondays at 8pm on U&DRAMA with episodes also available to watch on Channel 4.

Six years ago, the government rejected a House of Lords select committee proposal to add the Champions League final to the list of “crown jewels” events, which would have ensured it would always be free-to-air.

Highlights of the Champions League final will be available on the BBC Sport website and across social media channels 15 minutes after the trophy lift, and on BBC iPlayer and television later in the evening.

Live commentary will also be on BBC Radio 5 Live.

The Champions League final had been free on ITV each year from 1993 – with the exception of the 1994 final, which the BBC showed live – until BT Sport won the rights, starting from 2015-16.

BT Sport continued to make it available without a subscription through to 2023, simultaneously broadcasting the game on its YouTube channel.

This changed after BT Sport was bought by Warner Bros Discovery and rebranded as TNT Sports.

While the finals remained available without cost, fans needed to sign up for a discovery+ account to get access.

Discovery+ has been replaced by Warner Bros Discovery’s new streaming service, HBO Max, which has no free option.

Fans will not need a full TNT Sports subscription, and can instead sign up for HBO Max for one month.

The cheapest subscription starts at £4.99, which would include all three matches, though most Sky customers already get HBO Max at no extra cost.

From 2027-28, TNT Sports will lose its European rights.

Paramount+ has picked up the Champions League, while the Europa League and the Conference League will move to Sky Sports.

Warner Bros Discovery has been approached for comment.

Firefighters worked to free riders stranded 30.4 metres in the air after a rollercoaster malfunctioned and their car became stuck at Pleasure Pier amusement park in Galveston, Texas. No injuries were immediately reported.