19/05/2017 BBC News at One

The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, won't face

rape charges in Sweden, after prosecutors drop

He's been a fugitive, holed up at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London

We'll be live at the Ecuadorean Embassy.

Labour says Conservative plans to means test winter fuel payments,

are an "an attack on vulnerable pensioners".

Russia condemns an American air strike on a pro-government convoy

One of Britain's airports is moving its air traffic control tower -

80 miles away from the actual runway.

And a white wine from Norfolk beats global competition to be crowned the

best. And coming up in sport later

in the hour on BBC News: we'll have the latest

on Arsene Wenger's Arsenal future - it could hinge on a board meeting

after the FA Cup Final. Good afternoon and welcome

to the BBC News at One. Prosecutors in Sweden have dropped

their seven-year long investigation, into allegations of rape

against the founder of the He's been a fugitive, living

at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London Mr Assange has always denied

the allegations, saying they're Let's go live to Richard Lister,

who's outside the embassy Clive, it is four years and 11

months to the David Julian Assange took refuge at the Ecuadorian

Embassy. He has remained behind those net curtains ever since. He

never left. At today, as the news came out from Sweden, he tweeted a

smiling photograph of himself. That is the only comment he has made an

today's developments. As Caroline Hawley reports, he remains a wanted

man. Victory as Howard Julian Assange's lawyer described today's

news. The WikiLeaks founder tweeted this photograph of himself in the

Ecuadorian Embassy. Swedish prosecutors had just said the case

against him was being dropped. TRANSLATION: Today I have decided to

revoke the order against Mr Assange and revoke the European Arrest

Warrant that he should be handed over to the Swedish authorities.

There announcement was not a statement on whether Mr Assange was

guilty or not, they have just been unable, in the circumstances to

proceed. There are now no further measures remaining to advance the

investigation. In order to proceed, Julian Assange must be formally

served notice of the crimes, this was a measure which was to be

conducted during an interview in London but Mr Assange refused to

make this possible. It is now almost five years since Julian Assange took

refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy. It is nearly seven years since he was

first accused by two Swedish women of sexual assault. This was Mr

Assange last year, again claiming victory. In his hand, a report which

criticised the Swedish prosecutors for their handling of his case. But

the woman who accused him of rape today says she is shocked by the

decision but she stands by the allegation. Mr Assange cannot just

walk out of the embassy. The Metropolitan Police say they are

still obliged to arrest him for failing to surrender to a court in

London back in 2012. In a statement they said: now that the situation

has changed, and the Swedish authorities have discontinued their

investigation into that matter, Mr Assange remains wanted for a much

less serious offence. Ecuador gave Julian Assange political asylum

because he says he fears being prosecuted in the United States,

over the classified documents published by WikiLeaks. We do not

know what the next twists will be in this long-running saga, but it is

not over yet. The world's press have descended on

this corner of London with the hope of getting an answer to the

question, what will Julian Assange do now is Matt won legal hurdle in

front of them has now fallen away but the threat of arrest and

possible extradition remains, and it seems unlikely that there is an easy

and obvious way out of this building, for now at least. Back to

you. Richard Lister reporting.

It's been a week of manifesto launches from the main political

parties in the run up to the election,

with plenty of focus on the elderly, from pledges on pensions

Now, Labour claims plans by the Conservatives to means test

winter fuel payments, are an "an attack on vulnerable pensioners".

At the moment, the majority people over 64 are eligible.

Let's go live to Westminster and our political correspondent

Clive, the gives have gone up a little bit in this week's general

election campaign with most of the manifestos from the political

parties published, it means there is plenty more for the opponents to

pick over. Earlier this week Labour claimed the Conservatives' sums

don't add up, now the Conservatives say -- now Labour say the

Conservatives have not done their sums.

Please welcome the Prime Minister, Theresa May.

She said it herself yesterday, there are big and difficult

It couldn't have been closer to the truth.

The Conservatives say they want to protect the poorest,

but plans for a radical shake-up of pensioner benefits,

including cutting back on winter fuel payments,

They haven't set out exactly what they mean by the very poorest,

but in the pension system at the moment we have a thing that

does that, it's called pension credit and it only goes to 2 million

That means that 10 million, the other pensioners, would lose out

if that was the system the Conservative party

At the moment, all pensioners get the winter fuel payment.

The allowance is worth between one and ?300 a year, and in 2015-16,

more than 12 million people got the benefit at a cost

This week, Labour published its manifesto...

Labour say the Tories' plans are sick and sneaky,

and claim many pensioners will end up choosing between

This is a savage attack on vulnerable pensioners,

particularly those who are just about managing.

It is disgraceful, and we are calling upon the Conservative Party

Well, I think taking the winter fuel payment away from pensioners

who have worked hard and paid in all their life is just wrong.

The winter fuel payment is not a king's ransom,

it's about giving pensioners who've contributed all their lives

a little bit of extra help during the cold winter months.

Are they warm enough, them radiators?

It's the most in need the Conservatives say

they are focusing on, with savings

from the winter fuel payment going into social care.

But without giving more detail of their plans,

they face accusations 10 million would be hit.

We're going to consult on the exact level, exactly how

But let me be plain about this, the only people who will lose

the winter fuel allowance are people who can afford it.

There are well-off pensioners as well as poor pensioners.

We're going to protect the poor pensioners.

But without exact calculations, the Conservatives' opponents

And until they've got some answers, it's likely

Not just questions over winter fuel payments the Conservatives are

facing. On immigration, ministers will not put a target on when they

will get net migration down to the tens of thousands. They will not

give a timetable insisting it is a name they do insist they will meet.

Of course, manifestos are broad contracts with the electorate and it

is unusual not to put a detailed breakdown of every policy out and

politicians do not want to set themselves too many tests they later

find impossible to keep. Thank you. The BBC understands the release

of figures for the budget deficits of NHS trusts in England,

may be delayed until after The health service regulator

apparently wants to publish the figures soon, but has been

advised by Well, throughout the election

campaign, we're taking a look at some of the issues most important

to you, and hearing Today, our heath editor,

Hugh Pym, has been assessing The big challenge for the NHS

is coping with rising demand for care, partly

because of a growing Let's take a look at some figures

which illustrate this. Last year in England

there were more than 23.5 million visits to A units,

that's an increase of 3200 per day Traditionally, demand for health

care rises at around 4% per year, but annual funding increases

in England have been around 1%. Many health leaders now say the NHS

has to have more money. Some, though, do point out

that the health service could be more efficient,

and more ways could be worked out One way of ensuring that the NHS can

make its money go further is treating more patients

away from hospitals. That's where GPs have a really

important role to play. In many areas, local doctors

are working with social care staff to ensure that people can be treated

in their communities or, Well, that's the theory,

but it may take a while to get any The NHS is under serious

financial pressure right now. In some parts of the country health

commissioners are restricting Well, that's England,

where the focus of the health debate has been during this

general election campaign. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

run their own NHS services, and there are no elections

for the devolved administrations As Hugh said, in some parts

of the country health commissioners are restricting the care

they're prepared to fund. Our health correspondent,

Dominic Hughes, has been to meet one patient,

whose surgery has been delayed. Louise Baines is a busy woman,

running an equestrian centre And, at the age of 40,

she needs a hip replacement. But six months ago her local NHS

said before that happens I appreciate that I do

need to lose weight, but the fact is I'm becoming more

immobile because of my bad hip. And that's probably going

to have a knock-on effect, that I'm going to find it more

difficult to lose weight when I can't be as mobile

as maybe I'd like to be. Louise lives in a region

where the local NHS delays some treatments for patients

who could lose some weight It's partly about saving money,

but they also argue it's better for patients and helps

speed their recovery. More and more patients are coming

to the NHS for help, and yet resources are limited,

so health service managers are But the consequences of those

decisions for patients My daughter's just started riding,

and she wants to go out on her pony, and I can't go very far

because I can't walk with her for that long

because it starts hurting. It's obviously very

difficult for you, isn't it? The pain I'm in everyday is just

really, really debilitating. The NHS calls this health

optimisation, giving patients help and support to make changes that

will improve their health. Others see it as health

rationing, denying patients the treatment they need in order

to balance the books. It just, it makes me

quite cross and upset. You almost feel like you're just

being chucked on the side and you're not worth repairing because you're

a little bit fat, or a little bit The NHS is having to balance growing

demand with limited resources. That means new ways of delivering

care and a focus on prevention, but also tough choices that

have a real impact on real people. Dominic Hughes, BBC

News, North Yorkshire. A former youth team coach

at Newcastle United has been charged with 29 sexual offences alleged

to have been committed George Ormond, who's 61,

will appear before magistrates American warplanes operating

in Syria have attacked a convoy carrying militia fighters supporting

President Assad. The US-led coalition says the convoy

was heading towards a base used by western Special Forces

near the border with Iraq. The attack comes as President Trump

prepares to visit Saudi Arabia, his first overseas trip

since becoming President. Our diplomatic correspondent

James Landale reports. US warplanes launching air strikes

against so-called Islamic State But now they are also

attacking ground forces loyal Ostensibly the air

strike was designed to protect British and American

special forces like these. They are based in the south-east of

Syria, where they are training The pro-Syrian convoy that

included Iranian backed militias near a strategically important

border crossing with Iraq Unlike many previous strikes such

as this, US officials said the coalition warplanes warned

the convoy to turn around There were reports that some tanks

and trucks were destroyed President Assad's spokesman

condemned what they call an act of Government terrorism, which they

said showed that America's claims it Russian ministers said the attack

was a completely unacceptable breach The US claimed Russia tried but

failed to dissuade the convoy The American defence secretary

James Mattis insisted that the air strike did not mark

an escalation by the US. Well, we're not

increasing our role in the Syrian civil war, but we will defend

our troops, and that is a coalition element made up of more than just US

troops, and so we'll defend ourselves from people who take

aggressive steps against us. The diplomat said that

as President Trump prepared to head to Saudi Arabia the US was sending

a strong signal that last month's attack on the Syrian air allegedly

used for chemical warfare was not a one-off and that the US was now

prepared to use force to stop Iranian backed militias taking

territory in Syria. That is a message that will go down

well in Riyadh this weekend, where they are laying out the red

carpet for the US president. Both sides are hoping the visit

will improve relations between both countries that have been strained

in recent years. The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian

Assange will not face rape charges in Sweden after prosecutors drop

their seven-year investigation. to a home-grown tipple -

we're in Norfolk, where a local white wine has just won

a big global prize. Coming up in sport in the next 15

minutes on BBC News: The end of the road

for Geraint Thomas - the Welshman has had to pull out

of the Giro D'Italia with knee and shoulder injuries

following a crash over the weekend. London City Airport is set

to become the first in the UK to replace its air traffic

controllers with a digital system, operated from more

than 100 miles away. Instead of sitting in a tower

overlooking the runway, controllers will watch live footage

from high-definition The new system will be

operational from 2019. Our transport correspondent

Richard Westcott reports now, Modern airports are dynamic,

fast flowing, hundreds of pieces being moved around every minute

and all of those movements must be tightly choreographed

to keep it safe. This is London City Airport

and that is just one of the 300 or so take-offs and landings that

happen here every day. Until now, all of those flights have

been coordinated by a group of controllers who look out

of these windows here. But in the future those windows

are going to be replaced by these Controllers won't just see

the airport, they will be The thing is, this digital

control tower is 120 miles We've been shown this simulation,

but by 2019 controllers will be sitting here directing traffic

for real, using pictures fed from a new camera

tower next to the runway. Unlike the old tower,

they can zoom in for a better view, put radar data onto the screen

to track aircraft. Critically, for safety,

the cameras can pick out rogue drones near the airport and light

the runway at night. My initial reaction

was sceptical because I'm used They give the controller more

information in terms of what they can see,

what they can hear, how they can identify targets,

how they can track targets. The awareness that the controller

gets, it's all about being heads up, A tower controller's job is we get

paid to look out of the window, Now, I know exactly

what you're thinking. The number one question I've

been asked by everybody I've told about this is,

what if the TV screens go down, The system has been

independently stress-tested We have three cables that

are in place between the airport If one of those was to fail,

there's a back-up. And in the event that that fails,

there's another cable. And they're all routed,

taking different routes London City is convinced

the new system will make their operation more

efficient and more safe. The idea of the control tower miles

from the airport may seem odd, The people of Iran are voting

in Presidential elections, with the incumbent, Hassan Rouhani,

seeking a second term. The 68-year-old, who negotiated

a landmark deal with the US and several world powers two years

ago to halt Iran's nuclear programme, is standing

against three other candidates. His main rival is thought to be

the hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi, who's opposed to closer relations

with the West. A chance for millions of Iranians

to have their say on this country's future direction -

the economy, human rights and Iran's international

reputation all stake. The supreme leader Ayatollah

Khamenei was the first to vote. Iranians can choose their president

from an approved list. But it's this man who wields

ultimate authority. The destiny of the country

was in their hands, Long lines at polling stations,

some people frustrated by what they see as the dead hand

of an ageing revolutionary elite. Others fearful that

old values are under threat, And all impatient for

jobs and a better life. "We've come here today in order not

to go backwards," says this man. and we don't have good

memories of war." And this woman says she expects

the president to carry out more "I want social justice,"

she says, and good relations with all the countries

of the world." The two main candidates both hail

from the same revolutionary establishment that represent very

different visions of the future. Hassan Rouhani is the older

of the two, he's 68, he's been president since 2013,

his main achievement so far, the nuclear deal

with world powers that led He's 12 years younger,

he heads one of the wealthiest charities in the Muslim world

and is widely seen as the possible It all looks peaceful so far

but there is apprehension. Eight years ago, the suspicion that

hardliners rigged the results It was a national

trauma which rocked The TV entertainer Rolf Harris has

this morning been released The 87-year-old was convicted

and sentenced in 2014. He is currently on trial facing four

counts of indecent assault against three teenage girls that

allegedly took place He had been appearing by video link

but will appear in court in person A BBC investigation has found flaws

in the voice-recognition system used by one of Britain's

biggest banks, HSBC. It analyses a customers'

voice patterns, allowing But while the bank says

everyone's voice is unique, making the system secure,

the BBC's Click technology programme has found it's

possible for strangers Passwords, key fobs and apps have

all been used to protect us but over the past year a new gold-standard

in security has emerged, biometrics. Like fingerprints, the human voice

is unique to each of us, and HSBC, along with other banks,

has started using the voice But a simple experiment

with my nonidentical twin brother... My financial details and the ability

to transfer money, wide open. I am shocked, under no circumstances

should two different people be able to get into the same bank account

with voice biometric authentication. However, it's up to the system

to differentiate between voices, and obviously it hasn't done it

in this case, and granted access. Unlike a password, a voice is public

and experts worry artificial intelligence software can synthesise

voices so well that it would soon be able to clone a voice from a sample

of 30 seconds or less, a tool which could make

the hacker's job much easier. It's a scary application,

but we are working with security researchers to figure out

what is the best way This is one of the reasons why

we have not published In response to our attempt to break

in, the bank said... Most experts agree that by making

security more personal, But if your voice can be copied,

then, unlike passwords, it may be Back now to the election campaign,

and the south of England is seen largely as a Conservative

stronghold, prosperous and protected by senior ministers whose

constituencies are in the region. But voters have raised

fears about cuts in local Peter Henley, the BBC's political

editor in the South, For a small place, there are some

big contrasts on the Isle of Wight. Expensive yachts in Cowes harbour,

picture-postcard villages, But on an island, local issues,

even the state of the roads, A lot of it is down to local

situations and issues. You'll find you get a lot of people

voting for local causes, schools, education, things that

matter to them. The Citizens Advice Centre has seen

a record number of people getting Job security isn't that good,

and a lot of work is seasonal. We are making sure people

get their rights, people aren't getting holiday pay,

not getting sick pay Cutbacks to the local council budget

means they are less able They are increasingly

seeing greater numbers of people who are struggling,

really struggling, to either access services or to have

enough money to live. That little strip of water

separating the island from the mainland also brings

a streak of defiance. 62% voted to leave

in the referendum. Fisherman Pete Williams says

he is being hammered by EU quotas. We didn't have a lot

of options, really. Brexit was the only way

we would get something better, Will you get something

better from Theresa May? I think she seems to be the right

person. She has taken hold of

a difficult job and she The island is a microcosm

of a divided country. And at the model village

there are people yearning for some old-fashioned certainty

in turbulent political times. You have to feel confident

about your leader. If you don't, it doesn't matter how

much they say or what they offer in their manifesto,

if you don't believe in them The younger ones

didn't bother to vote. And come the result,

it didn't go the way they wanted, People say you step back in time

when you visit the Isle of Wight. With grammar schools now

on the political agenda and rail nationalisation,

perhaps the political parties are just catching up

on what the public wants. Combine that feeling

of disconnection with real economic pressures and, at this political

crossroads, you can't The Norfolk Broads don't

immediately spring to mind But now a family-run vineyard has

just beaten competitors from around the world,

becoming the first in England to win The Bacchus 2015,

from Winbirri Vineyards, has been selected the best white

wine from a single grape variety. Alex Dunlop is live concerning for

us. This is a charming little vineyard.

These are embryonic greats which hopefully over the summer into the

autumn will ripen into this world-class wine. This is it, the

Winbirri Bacchus 2015. The judges from the Decanter world Wine award

said it had a fruity nose and a harmonious body, not bad for a wine

from a quiet corner of Norfolk. It's just ten years since the Dyer

family decided there might be some potential for planting

vines here on the edge For while this season's grapes

are just starting to form, 2015's offering is now

on everybody's lips. The first still English wine to win

such a prestigious award. At the vineyard, while they are

delighted, they're not surprised. As English wine producers,

we know we've been making world-class wines, just now they're

coming forward and getting the recognition and getting known

for the high quality It's just the fourth vintage

of the single Bacchuss grape varietal which Winbirri

has produced. But judges, among 200 who took

part in the tastings, choose it over wines

from around the world. Producers who have been doing

for decades, if not centuries. 70,000 wines are entered

into this competition, all judged blind by international

experts from around the world, so, to have picked up this award

is quite, quite exceptional. England's sparkling wines have been

winning awards for some time now and make up two-thirds

of the 5 million bottles Most are grown in Kent and Sussex.

Now, with the world's best award to its name, Winbirri has firmly put

East Ang Lee on the wine producing map.

So why has this wine done so well? It is down to a very dry climate

here and careful managing of the vineyard and grapes but most

importantly it shows that English vineyards can and do produce

world-class wines. Back to you, Clive. Alex, many

thanks. Alex Dunlop reporting there. Will it be a weekend for a call

fight or a warming red? Probably a bit of both! It depends

what you fancy, maybe it depends what you are having the dinner. It

was certainly a soggy day in the south-east yesterday, ending with

heavy bursts of rain and that has been sliding northwards along the

east coast of England. The rain now not as happy as it was but still

providing a rather grey and damp afternoon across north-east England,

said that was the scene for one of our Weather Watchers in Newcastle,

perhaps a day to stay indoors and have a glass of

wine later on. Across the East Coast and south-east Scotland, damp

weather continuing through the afternoon, feeling cool as well,

turning brighter across East Anglia and the south-east. As we, further

west, you can see for yourself, a mixture of sunny spells but also

heavy downpours, the showers slow-moving, a lot of rain in a

short space of time with the odd flash of lightning or rumble of

thunder. Northern Ireland seeing some hefty showers as well.

Temperatures up to around 16 degrees in Belfast. Western Scotland will

see showers, between those showers there is some lovely sunshine out

there, as captured by Des Weather Watcher in the Scottish Highlands.

This is probably the weather most of us would pick to spend the rest of

this afternoon in! This evening and overnight this is how the forecast

ship sub, that wet weather will slide across Scotland perhaps

turning heavier later across the northern half of Scotland and

elsewhere the showers should slowly fade away leading to dry conditions

by tomorrow morning, maybe the odd patch of fog, and into tomorrow more

of the same, a mixture of sunny spells and heavy showers across

parts of Northern Ireland, England, Robin Wales, those downpours could

be headed with the odd flash of lightning. Slightly different in the

northern half of Scotland, mostly cloudy, some ad breaks rain, on the

heavy side at times, just 11 degrees in Aberdeen. Sunshine towards the

south-east, it could get all the way to 17 or 18. The showers should die

away heavily for most of us on Saturday night, it will take a while

to clear away the rain and into the second half of the weekend this area

of high pressure to the east begins to have more of an influence on our

weather, so Sunday is going to be a mostly dry day, fewer

showers it will feel a little bit warmer, plenty of sunshine around,

some patchy rain in Northern Ireland and western Scotland, but further

south temperatures up to 20 degrees, so a mixed bag