:00:00. > :00:13.Wikileaks founder Julian Assange welcomes the news that Sweden
:00:14. > :00:16.is dropping its investigation into an alleged rape -
:00:17. > :00:25.and its attempt to extradite him from the UK:
:00:26. > :00:35.Seven years without charge, why my children grew up without me. That is
:00:36. > :00:41.not something that I can forgive. It is not something that I can forget.
:00:42. > :00:44.But he's not giving up his refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy -
:00:45. > :00:47.we'll ask 'what next for the man the CIA effectively runs a 'hostile
:00:48. > :00:55.Donald Trump is about to set off on his first overseas
:00:56. > :00:58.trip as President - we'll look at what's waiting for him
:00:59. > :01:18.leaders and leaders from across the Arab and Islamic world are waiting
:01:19. > :01:19.to greet the American President, his first stop on his very first foreign
:01:20. > :01:20.tour. Voting is extended in
:01:21. > :01:22.Iran's Presidential election - as polling stations struggle to cope
:01:23. > :01:39.with an unexpectedly high turn out. closer to stepping down, the
:01:40. > :01:50.Japanese Cabinet gives its backing to the emperor's desire to abdicate.
:01:51. > :01:53.Hello and welcome to World News Today.
:01:54. > :01:55.The founder of the wikileaks website, Julian Assange,
:01:56. > :01:58.has greeted as a "victory" the news that Swedish prosecutors
:01:59. > :02:00.are ending their investigation into claims he carried out
:02:01. > :02:05.Speaking from the Ecuadorian embassy in London -
:02:06. > :02:08.where he's taken refuge since 2012 - he said he would not be leaving it,
:02:09. > :02:14.because he could still be arrested by UK police.
:02:15. > :02:18.He also insisted that his Wikileaks group would continue with its work.
:02:19. > :02:32.On the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy
:02:33. > :02:35.Julian Assange emerged this afternoon to have his say on the end
:02:36. > :02:42.of the Swedish investigation against him.
:02:43. > :02:52.Today is an important victory for me and for the UN human rights system.
:02:53. > :03:00.Seven years without charge while my children grew up without me.
:03:01. > :03:03.That is not something that I can forgive,
:03:04. > :03:08.it is not something that I can forget.
:03:09. > :03:11.But prosecutors in Sweden have not cleared Julian Assange,
:03:12. > :03:19.they have simply said they can't pursue the case any further.
:03:20. > :03:21.TRANSLATION: There are now no further measures
:03:22. > :03:23.remaining which are possible to advance the investigation.
:03:24. > :03:25.In order to proceed, it would be necessary
:03:26. > :03:28.for Julian Assange to be formally served notice of the crimes
:03:29. > :03:32.This was a measure that was to have been conducted during an interview
:03:33. > :03:36.in London, but Mr Assange refused to make this possible.
:03:37. > :03:39.This complex international drama began in August 2010 when two
:03:40. > :03:42.women alleged that Julian Assange had sexually assaulted them
:03:43. > :03:50.In December that year he was detained in Britain under
:03:51. > :03:57.In May 2012 the Supreme Court upheld a decision to extradite him
:03:58. > :04:02.And in June Mr Assange walked into the Ecuadorian Embassy in London
:04:03. > :04:09.The Metropolitan Police mounted a 24-hour guard at the embassy.
:04:10. > :04:15.By October 2015 it had cost over ?30 million.
:04:16. > :04:20.Julian Assange is no longer wanted on an international
:04:21. > :04:23.arrest warrant but the Metropolitan Police say that if he stepped out
:04:24. > :04:26.of the embassy they are still obliged to arrest him
:04:27. > :04:31.for failing to surrender to a London court back in 2012.
:04:32. > :04:34.At the embassy this evening his supporters were jubilant.
:04:35. > :04:37.But in Sweden, the woman who accused him of
:04:38. > :04:39.rape issued a statement saying he was evading justice,
:04:40. > :04:41.and expressing her shock that the investigation
:04:42. > :04:48.Julian Assange was not held without charge with for seven years.
:04:49. > :04:52.He was subject to extradition proceedings with in the EU,
:04:53. > :04:55.under the European arrest warrant scheme he would have received a fair
:04:56. > :04:58.trial in Sweden had he chosen to go back.
:04:59. > :05:01.The reason this has lasted seven years is entirely down to him
:05:02. > :05:04.seeking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy rather than going to face
:05:05. > :05:08.trial in a country that has governed by the rule of law.
:05:09. > :05:10.The founder of Wikileaks says it was fear that he
:05:11. > :05:12.would be extradited to the United States for leaking
:05:13. > :05:14.classified information that drove him through
:05:15. > :05:19.So despite today's dramatic twist in this long-running diplomatic and
:05:20. > :05:22.legal saga, tonight he is back inside.
:05:23. > :05:33.President Trump is due to take off any moment now
:05:34. > :05:35.on the first foreign trip of his presidency.
:05:36. > :05:37.It's ambitious - four countries in eight days -
:05:38. > :05:45.Whilst there he will meet King Salman and attend
:05:46. > :05:48.a summit of Arab and Muslim leaders in Riyadh.
:05:49. > :05:50.It's been quite a week at home for the President,
:05:51. > :05:53.so the shift from domestic controversies to his foreign policy
:05:54. > :06:12.Here are some pictures of Saint Andrews Air Force Base. They are
:06:13. > :06:17.live pictures, this is the facility in Maryland from which President
:06:18. > :06:21.chump will depart. His nine-day trip include Saudi Arabia, Israel and the
:06:22. > :06:23.Vatican -- President Trump. Our Chief International
:06:24. > :06:25.Correspondent Lyse Doucet is live from the Saudi Capital,
:06:26. > :06:35.Riyadh. It is good to see you. This is an
:06:36. > :06:43.ambitious trip, what will his message be in Riyadh? Well the
:06:44. > :06:48.rumours were swirling in the region that President Trump has been
:06:49. > :06:51.facing, extreme pressure at home over alleged mishandling over
:06:52. > :06:57.intelligence and could end up cancelling his trip to Riyadh and
:06:58. > :07:01.his next stop in Israel. We all knew that this trip matters a lot to
:07:02. > :07:06.President Trump and it certainly matters to the Saudi kingdom. It
:07:07. > :07:10.will only be hours before the American President makes Riyadh his
:07:11. > :07:16.first stop on his very first foreign visit. This is a city under tight
:07:17. > :07:31.security and a city that is pulling out
:07:32. > :07:35.all the stops to make this a visit like no other. Everywhere you go in
:07:36. > :07:38.Riyadh, you see the slogan, together we will prevail. A summit, they say
:07:39. > :07:41.like no other in history. This place is full of superlatives, it is three
:07:42. > :07:43.summits, and the team with Royal rulers, leaders from the Gulf region
:07:44. > :07:46.and leaders from across the Arab and Islamic world and for Saudi Arabian
:07:47. > :07:49.leaders, it is all about turning the page on what they saw as an
:07:50. > :07:55.infuriating relationship with President Obama and what they saw as
:07:56. > :07:59.his retreat from the Middle East. They have hailed President Trump
:08:00. > :08:03.from the start and when I spoke to the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister,
:08:04. > :08:10.I put it to him that it was a bit of a diplomatic coup to claim the first
:08:11. > :08:16.visit. We believe it is a coup for the world and a coup for peace and
:08:17. > :08:21.coexistence. This is a very powerful message that America and the West is
:08:22. > :08:26.not your enemy, it is a powerful message to the west that Islam is
:08:27. > :08:30.not your enemy. This visit will change the discourse and the
:08:31. > :08:35.dialogue between the Islamic world and the West in general and for the
:08:36. > :08:40.West in particular, if will isolate the extremist, whether it is Iran or
:08:41. > :08:47.Isis or Al-Qaeda who say that the West is our enemy. It will also push
:08:48. > :08:53.back against those in the West to say that Islam is our enemy. This is
:08:54. > :08:57.a truly historic occasion. Will this help overcome the suspicions and
:08:58. > :09:01.anger over the travel ban which was widely described as a Muslim man? I
:09:02. > :09:07.do not believe... I think the stories about the anger work
:09:08. > :09:13.exaggerated. Many were angry, but cant -- countries that were on that
:09:14. > :09:17.list, it was seen as a Muslim ban. We cannot question the right of the
:09:18. > :09:22.United States or any country to decide who to let in or not let in.
:09:23. > :09:27.We cannot see any measures as being biased against a particular group of
:09:28. > :09:33.religion. Islam is part and parcel of the American social fabric, there
:09:34. > :09:37.are millions of Muslims living in America and most of the Islamic
:09:38. > :09:42.countries were not on the list. Are you worried about summits that will
:09:43. > :09:45.emphasise the battle against extremism, the visit could be
:09:46. > :09:50.overshadowed by the controversies over the alleged mishandling of
:09:51. > :09:55.intelligence? We deal with the administration, we deal with the
:09:56. > :09:59.President as our honoured guests and we deal with the 55 delegations that
:10:00. > :10:02.are coming from the Arab and Muslim world and that is what our focus
:10:03. > :10:07.will be. Will you make it clear that you have troops ready to offer?
:10:08. > :10:13.President Trump will want you are going to do if he becomes more
:10:14. > :10:16.engaged? We have made that clear for almost one year now. There are
:10:17. > :10:24.troops available from the Islamic Coalition and we are prepared to
:10:25. > :10:30.share the burden of going after the terrorists, ultimately the
:10:31. > :10:34.terrorists are after Saudi Arabia. They want to take Mecca and Medina
:10:35. > :10:39.so they have a platform to block us and we will not allow that to
:10:40. > :10:43.happen. So that is really the language of this visit, all Ed
:10:44. > :10:48.Barnard and historic to start and it seems according to sources that some
:10:49. > :10:52.other historic steps could be taken. Some sources are saying that some
:10:53. > :10:56.Arab states are now willing to consider tearing down some of the
:10:57. > :11:00.walls of hatred with their old archenemy is real, starting to
:11:01. > :11:04.normalise relations with Israel, even before the conflict with the
:11:05. > :11:09.Palestinians has been resolved, even if this is not a turning point in
:11:10. > :11:16.the region, certainly what will happen here in Riyadh over the next
:11:17. > :11:18.few days is going to mark some new departures and coincidentally, it is
:11:19. > :11:22.all taking place just when Iranians are turning out in huge numbers to
:11:23. > :11:26.vote for a new President. A crucial time right across this region and
:11:27. > :11:29.President Trump is going to be very much part of it. Thank you very much
:11:30. > :11:30.for now. We'll be covering every step
:11:31. > :11:33.of President Trump's visit - and you can keep right up to date
:11:34. > :11:36.by following Lyse on Twitter. Her handle is @BBCLyseDoucet -
:11:37. > :11:39.as you can see, she's already been giving the view in pictures
:11:40. > :11:41.from Riyadh on the eve Let's take a look at some of
:11:42. > :11:58.the other stories making the news... Former US congressman Anthony Wiener
:11:59. > :12:03.has pleaded guilty to sending sexually explicit messages to a
:12:04. > :12:07.teenage girl. The investigation into the ex-husband of one of Hillary
:12:08. > :12:11.Clinton's former aides led to the discovery of documents relating to
:12:12. > :12:13.Mrs Clinton's use of a private e-mail server.
:12:14. > :12:16.Yemen could have as many as 300 thousand cases of cholera within six
:12:17. > :12:18.months and an "extremely high" number of deaths, according
:12:19. > :12:26.Nearly 250 people have died in the past three weeks alone.
:12:27. > :12:28.The new President of France, Emmanuel Macron says the French
:12:29. > :12:30.military operation in Mali will continue until the militants
:12:31. > :12:33.He was met by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita,
:12:34. > :12:36.to discuss the threat of terrorism in the west African country.
:12:37. > :12:38.Mr Macron reaffirmed his commitment to helping
:12:39. > :12:50.The United States military has protested to China after two Chinese
:12:51. > :12:57.jets intercepted an American aircraft over the East China Sea.
:12:58. > :13:00.One of the Chinese jets came as close as 45 metres to the US
:13:01. > :13:03.plane and flew upside down above it, according to US
:13:04. > :13:06.The US says the plane was on a mission to detect radiation
:13:07. > :13:17.A high turnout in Iran's presidential election has forced
:13:18. > :13:20.officials to extend voting by an extra four hours.
:13:21. > :13:22.The election could set the country's relations with the outside world
:13:23. > :13:24.with moderate incumbent president Hassan Rouhani facing his strongest
:13:25. > :13:26.competition from hardliner Ebrahim Raisi who proposes a tougher
:13:27. > :13:32.The BBC has not been given permission to cover
:13:33. > :13:45.But our correspondent Jiyar Gol is in Istanbul where many expats
:13:46. > :14:02.What is the likely result of this high turnout, how will this the
:14:03. > :14:06.result, do you think? Obviously, so many people here are hopeful that
:14:07. > :14:10.they get the result they are hoping for. Today from the early morning,
:14:11. > :14:16.thousands of people stayed in the queue for hours, some of them more
:14:17. > :14:22.than five hours cast their votes in Istanbul. At one point the reigning
:14:23. > :14:29.council had ran out of ballot papers and they were forced to fly ballot
:14:30. > :14:34.papers from Teheran and almost three hours after the official, which was
:14:35. > :14:38.six o'clock, they extended by three hours and there are still people in
:14:39. > :14:44.the consulate waiting to cast their ballots. I spoke to many of them,
:14:45. > :14:49.what is the reason, you have come out to vote today and they said,
:14:50. > :14:53.their future, the future of their country, they think and they are
:14:54. > :14:59.hoping that the next President, whoever comes out from the ballot
:15:00. > :15:03.box takes action and makes sure that the economy improves, make sure the
:15:04. > :15:07.relationship between Iran and the international community improves and
:15:08. > :15:13.to be honest, many of them said they have come out, although they are
:15:14. > :15:16.tourists in this country, spending thousands of dollars, but instead of
:15:17. > :15:19.spending time at the beach and other places, they have come here and
:15:20. > :15:25.stayed in the line to make sure that the hard would not win the election.
:15:26. > :15:31.They were worried, if he wins, he might take Iran back to a previous
:15:32. > :15:40.era. That is why lots of people came out to vote. Most people here, are
:15:41. > :15:46.liberal. The reality was, we cannot say this is conflicting in Iran but
:15:47. > :15:51.what we are hearing from in Iran, it has been the same scene and the
:15:52. > :15:54.election time has been extended until 11 o'clock Iranians time.
:15:55. > :15:56.Thank you very much for that. Mehrdad Khonsari is a Senior
:15:57. > :15:58.Consultant at the Iranian Centre for Policy Studies and a former
:15:59. > :16:13.Iranian diplomat. Thank you for joining us. Give us an
:16:14. > :16:17.idea of why this election is so significant? First and foremost, the
:16:18. > :16:23.most important thing is that we should not go back in time and that
:16:24. > :16:31.the hopes and aspirations of people should progress. No one in Iran is
:16:32. > :16:37.who they were 38 years ago and people like to move on from those
:16:38. > :16:41.revolutionary days, essentially a move towards progress and hope for a
:16:42. > :16:47.better future, improving the economy and things like that, which means
:16:48. > :16:50.that Iran's isolation with the economic community, encouraging
:16:51. > :16:57.investment to go in and all the paraphernalia, that a modern state
:16:58. > :17:03.requires and that really is what is at stake and so clearly defined in
:17:04. > :17:06.the positions of the true candidates. One would mean going
:17:07. > :17:12.back and the other would mean that the forward to a better future. Stay
:17:13. > :17:19.with us for a moment, because we can go back to the United States and see
:17:20. > :17:24.live pictures of Donald Trump. He is boarding Air Force One, we were
:17:25. > :17:29.saying he was due to lift off from St Andrews Air Force Base to go to
:17:30. > :17:34.Riyadh and this is his first major trip and all eyes are on this trip.
:17:35. > :17:39.He is due to depart any moment now and this is a nine-day trip which
:17:40. > :17:45.includes visits to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican cover the
:17:46. > :17:49.homes of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, a hugely ambitious
:17:50. > :17:53.trip, lots of coverage to come over the next few hours. We will bring
:17:54. > :17:58.you much more on this story, we will be hearing from our international
:17:59. > :18:03.correspondent, we heard from her earlier, it is a big trip and we
:18:04. > :18:10.will bring you coverage as the hours go on. Meanwhile there is a big
:18:11. > :18:15.election going on in Iran and we were speaking to my guest. We were
:18:16. > :18:19.talking a little about this election and how significant it is, there is
:18:20. > :18:25.some unhappiness within the country in terms of high unemployment and
:18:26. > :18:30.difficulties in terms of food and medicine, how will that impact on
:18:31. > :18:34.the decisions of voters? You have to bear in mind that over the past 38
:18:35. > :18:42.years, Iran has gone from one crisis to another and the problem is that
:18:43. > :18:47.the community faces today is a culmination of all these various
:18:48. > :18:52.crisis is, having an impact on the way life has progressed. The most
:18:53. > :18:57.important crisis that Iran faced was the nuclear issue. The nuclear issue
:18:58. > :19:03.praised Iran under sanctions and international pressure. Hassan
:19:04. > :19:08.Rouhani was able to end that crisis. Having ended it, it did not mean
:19:09. > :19:14.that all the problems were raised immediately. The hope is on the part
:19:15. > :19:20.of the population is that issues like unemployment, production and
:19:21. > :19:26.economy, things like that that improved the daily life of ordinary
:19:27. > :19:33.people, can progress, with this government that has ended this
:19:34. > :19:36.important crisis and not to go back to a situation where you start the
:19:37. > :19:40.new year of confrontation with the West which would aggravate this and
:19:41. > :19:46.essentially end hope for improvement in the lives of people. Even so
:19:47. > :19:52.there is support for Ebrahim Raisi, where to think that support comes
:19:53. > :19:57.from? You have to bear in mind that Iran is a polarised, it is quite
:19:58. > :20:03.polarised. What has happened, as a consequence of time, the number of
:20:04. > :20:10.people within the ruling establishment even, who support
:20:11. > :20:14.people like Ebrahim Raisi are an enormous majority, however, all the
:20:15. > :20:21.levers of the power in Iran is controlled by that small minority
:20:22. > :20:24.which Ebrahim Raisi represents. These are the very poor who rely on
:20:25. > :20:32.government hand-outs and this is what made the previous President
:20:33. > :20:37.popular with the poorer classes by giving out free money to people,
:20:38. > :20:46.bonuses and so on. Ebrahim Raisi has promised to treble that amount which
:20:47. > :20:49.the previous President handed out. The government of Hassan Rouhani is
:20:50. > :20:54.trying to encourage people to enter into the economy, employment and to
:20:55. > :21:00.reward them in that fashion. There is a small constituency with in Iran
:21:01. > :21:03.who are die-hard supporters of the regime and as small as the
:21:04. > :21:10.constituency within the ruling establishment is, who have backed
:21:11. > :21:14.Ebrahim Raisi, nonetheless, they control all the levers of power,
:21:15. > :21:18.essentially making policy in Iran at this time. It is such a fascinating
:21:19. > :21:23.collection, thank you for being with us. Let
:21:24. > :21:26.Let's get more now on our top story - the decision by Swedish
:21:27. > :21:29.prosecutors to shelve a lengthy rape investigation against Wikileaks
:21:30. > :21:35.Our correspondent Maddie Savage is in Stockholm and joins us now.
:21:36. > :21:44.what has been the reaction to this fair? Journalists gathered for their
:21:45. > :21:51.press conference earlier, shocked really at this final conclusion for
:21:52. > :21:54.seven years of legal wrangling is that Swedish prosecutors say, for
:21:55. > :21:59.now they are putting their investigation to one side, because
:22:00. > :22:02.of legal technicalities. Basically saying that Julian Assange is
:22:03. > :22:05.refusing to come to Sweden and they think they have exhausted all other
:22:06. > :22:10.possibilities of questioning him and getting further help from the
:22:11. > :22:14.Ecuadorian authorities who are still holding him in their embassy in
:22:15. > :22:20.London. Some initial shock, we have been in contact with one of the
:22:21. > :22:26.alleged victims, a woman who said that Julian Assange raped she says
:22:27. > :22:29.that he is still guilty in her mind and that he has now lost the
:22:30. > :22:34.possibility to defend his name and be found innocent. She says that
:22:35. > :22:39.these allegations are going to stick to him for ever. Earlier her lawyer
:22:40. > :22:44.also give a statement to the media saying that her client was shocked
:22:45. > :22:49.and calling it a scandal that a rapist could escape justice. No
:22:50. > :22:53.immediate reaction regarding exactly how prosecutors have dealt with this
:22:54. > :22:57.case, but certainly it has been going on for a very long time and
:22:58. > :23:03.questions will be asked about the time and money and in the context of
:23:04. > :23:06.this eventual outcome which has not resulted in a prosecution or Julian
:23:07. > :23:09.sod being found guilty or not guilty. Thank you very much.
:23:10. > :23:12.The Japanese cabinet has approved a bill paving the way
:23:13. > :23:16.If, as expected, it is approved by parliament, it will be the first
:23:17. > :23:19.time an Emperor has stepped down in more than 200 years.
:23:20. > :23:22.The bill will only apply to Emperor Akihito, and does not
:23:23. > :23:24.address any of the other issues facing the Japanese royal family,
:23:25. > :23:26.such as whether girls should be allowed to ascend
:23:27. > :23:29.Rupert Wingfield-Hayes' report contains flash photography.
:23:30. > :23:31.It was in this extraordinary television address last year that
:23:32. > :23:33.83-year-old Emperor Akihito made his plea to be
:23:34. > :23:39.He said he is old and frail, and fears that he cannot long
:23:40. > :23:45.TRANSLATION: In coping with the ageing of the Emperor,
:23:46. > :23:47.I think it is not possible to continue reducing
:23:48. > :23:52.perpetually the Emperor's acts in matters of state.
:23:53. > :23:57.Today, Prime Minister Abe and his Cabinet acceded to his wish.
:23:58. > :23:59.The Emperor and Empress will be allowed to retire,
:24:00. > :24:10.But this is a one-time deal for him only.
:24:11. > :24:12.When Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne
:24:13. > :24:15.on January 1st, 2019, he will still be expected
:24:16. > :24:28.In Japan, changing the rules of royal succession is,
:24:29. > :24:33.This week, Emperor Akihito's eldest granddaughter, Princess Mako,
:24:34. > :24:38.announced her engagement to a commoner.
:24:39. > :24:43.She cannot inherit the throne, nor can any children she may have.
:24:44. > :24:46.Of the Emperor's four grandchildren, only ten-year-old Prince Hisahito
:24:47. > :24:59.TRANSLATION: The number of active male members within the royal family
:25:00. > :25:02.Plus, when a female member marries a commoner, she's
:25:03. > :25:11.So the numbers will continue to shrink.
:25:12. > :25:14.The strange thing is, Japan's people are all in favour of change.
:25:15. > :25:16.In a recent survey, 59% said they think royal princesses should
:25:17. > :25:25.society progress in a way that encourages women to freely take
:25:26. > :25:34.I think more women working will lead to a brighter and happier society.
:25:35. > :25:36.There have been female emperors in the past,
:25:37. > :25:42.and societal changes occur along with generations.
:25:43. > :25:47.But think things should be looked at case by case and flexibly.
:25:48. > :25:50.As with so many things in Japan, it is not the public or even
:25:51. > :25:53.the royal family who oppose change, but the men in dark suits
:25:54. > :26:01.Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBC News, in Tokyo.
:26:02. > :26:05.That visit family and the goodbye for now.