Data on saturn after diving through the gap between the planet and its rings. And coming up in the sport on bbc news Maria Sharapova is labelled a cheat by fellow player Eugenie Bouchard, as she returns from her 15 month doping ban with a win in stuttgart. Good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. The Foreign Secretary has suggested britain could take Military Action in syria without a vote in the house of commons. Borisjohnson said it would be very difficult to say no if President Trump asked for british help in punishing the Syrian Regime for another chemical weapons attack. Meanwhile mrjohnson has also waded into the Election Campaign for the first time, with a highly personal attack on the Labour LeaderJeremy Corbyn. Hes called him a mutton headed old mugwump. Heres our Political Correspondent, alex forsyth. Smith will strike on a syrian airfield earlier this month, the first direct us action against Syrian Government forces, he responds to a Chemical Attack which killed civilians. Today the Foreign Secretary suggested if asked the uk would support such strikes in the future, possibly without the approval of parliament. If they come to us and ask for our support, whatever it happens to be, as was the case in 2013, in my view, and i know this is the view of the prime minister, it would be very difficult for us to say no. You would have to go to the commons. I think that has to be tested. I think it would be very difficult for us to say no. Mps said no when asked to back at must my strikes in syria by David Cameron in 2013. Today Opposition Parties said the process for making such decisions was vital. Unilateral illegal intervention would be counter productive. Boris johnson illegal intervention would be counter productive. Borisjohnson is following tony blair in that respect. If the government wants to have Parliamentary Authority they should ask for parliamentary afforded to, not speculate wildly andjump to afforded to, not speculate wildly and jump to whatever President Trump does. The porters johnson said the situation has not changed. He has not ruled out a parliamentary vote. This is one of the Dividing Lines between the parties. The tories think it is a strength, trying to portrayJeremy Corbyn as a threat to national security. Borisjohnson launched a personal attack on the Labour Leader today calling him a Mutton Headed Mugwump who would be calamitous in downing street. Campaigning in downing streetJeremy Corbyn said they were focused on serious debate, not name. Ask the possibility of air strikes in syria he labour wanted a political solution. Above all we need to bend ourselves totally to getting a political settlement in syria and allow the Inspectors Space to work, allow the Inspectors Space to work, allow them to make sure we know who committed that terrible chemical weapons attack and recognise that inspectors are destroying any stocks of chemical weapons they find. This campaign will determine who sets the number10. Campaign will determine who sets the number 10. Who gets to make those decisions abroad and at home. Politicians know their vision for the nations future is vital. In a moment well be speaking to our Political Correspondent in harlow whereJeremy Corbyn has been campaigning this morning. But first to our assistant Political Editor norman smith in westminster. Borisjohnson Boris Johnson making borisjohnson making waves again today. Boris johnsons first intervention in the general Election Campaign after claims he had been sidelined because he was too much of a loose cannon. Already he has caused controversy and sparked criticism. His people see his remarks on strikes against president assad a re remarks on strikes against president assad are nothing new but the suggestion those might go ahead without parliamentary approval as alarmed many mps and the stance has givenJeremy Corbyn the dunstable back on the offensive, restating his opposition to Military Intervention and the right quarter. Tim farron describing borisjohnsons remarks as terrifying, accusing him of following in the footsteps of tony blair. It leaves them open to the charge that somehow we are in hock to the United States, in the pocket of donald trump. As for his personal remarks about Jeremy Corbyn, describing him as a mugwump, but nine, you can say this is knock about fun, ca rtoonish characterisation ofJeremy Corbyn, no harm done. The danger is it sounds like rather arrogant public Schoolboy Sneering and might play to Jeremy Corbyns advantage as he seeks to present himself as the underdog, standing up for the little quy underdog, standing up for the little guy and against the ruling elite and the political establishment. 0ur Political Correspondent Andrew Sinclair is in harlow whereJeremy Corbyn has been campaigning this morning. Choosing to focus on housing today. Yes. This park is deserted but it was full of Labour Supporters who came along to hearJeremy Corbyn. A busy week for labour who have already said they are committed to the triple lock on pensions, more money for nurses. Today was a promise to build 1 million houses in the course of a Labour Parliament and half of those would be low cost accommodation of council housing. Labour has published figures which show that Labour Councils in the last seven years have built more Council Homes than conservative councils although the conservatives point out they are also committed to building more affordable homes. Jeremy corbyn came to meet tenants in Council Houses and gave this speech. This used to be a marginal seat which labour and the tories fought over at election time. There is the conservative majority of more than 8000 Jeremy Corbyn said labour had the policies to take seats like this again and to take other marginal across the country. Thank you. As weve been hearing, the Labour Leader has been out campaigning in harlow and has been talking about housing. Labour have pledged to build a million homes overfive years, half of which would be Council Houses. But the conservatives say they are the party with a clear plan for affordable housing. So how do the figures stack up . Chris morris of Reality Check is examining the numbers for us. We can expect all the Political Parties to come out with pledges and targets on how many houses they plan to build throughout the course of the next parliament. But its a notoriously difficult area of policy to get right. So labour has now pledged to build one million homes over the next five years, half of them Affordable Council and Housing Association homes to rent or buy. Is that realistic . Well since the 19705, there have been on average 160,000 new homes built each year in england. Last year that figure fell to 140,000 completed new homes in england. The figure for the whole of the uk was 168,000. But a government white paper published in february said the consensus is that we need from 225,000 to 275,000 or more homes per year to keep up with Population Growth and to tackle years of under supply. So whos been doing the building . Official statistics show that Labour Councils have on average built more the biggest need is to make housing more affordable. 20 years ago, working people on average were paying around 3. 6 times their annual earnings to buy a home in england and wales. Last year though, the average was more than double that. With people having to spend 7. 6 times their annual earnings to buy a property. That difference is down to house prices rising at a much higher rate than earnings. Between 1997 and last year house prices rose by 259 . But average earnings over the same period increased byjust 68 . Thats led to Home Ownership falling to its lowest level since 1985. Its now 8 lower than the peak in 2003. And of course the people most affected by this are those who are just starting out. Nearly half of all 211 35 year olds are renting privately. A figure that has almost doubled over the past decade. Little wonder then that this years white paper referred to a broken Housing Market that is in urgent need of fixing. The former london mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith has been chosen by the conservatives to stand for parliament in his old constituency of richmond park. Mr goldsmith was ousted as mp by the Liberal Democrats during a by election in december. He had previously left the conservative party in protest at the governments backing of a third heathrow runway. The Liberal Democrats have decided not to contest the Brighton Pavilion seat currently held by the only green party mp, caroline lucas. Last week, ms lucas called for a so called Progressive Alliance where parties did not put up candidates in some seats to avoid the vote against the conservatives being split. And you can find out more about todays election pledges and the latest on the campaign on our website. Thats bbc. Co. Uk news. Crime in england and wales has risen in almost every category according to the latest statistics. Violent crime is up sharply by 19 . Its the final set of Crime Figures before the general election and our Home Affairs Correspondent has the details. A brutal attack outside a West Midlands pub last month by half a dozen men who are still being sought by police. It appears to have been a target did attack using a machete at a time when there are signs claim is on the increase in england and wales, particularly Violent Crime and Crimes Involving knives and guns. The number of offences recorded by police was up 9 . Burglary was up 4 and vehicle crime up burglary was up 4 and vehicle crime 7. Burglary was up 4 and vehicle crime up 8 , both crimes that have been falling for decades. The office for National Statistics says some of the increases can be explained by changes in Police Record keeping. Any rises we are seeing are genuine because those improvements stabilised a long time ago. It is not good enough for 0ns to keep on saying they are to do with improved recording. I think they must be genuine. One of the biggest concerns in Police Forces at the moment is what seems to be clear rising knife and gun crime. More people seem to be Carrying Knives and using them. More guns are being fired. 0verall Violent Crime was up 19 last year. Again some of that increase can be explained by Record Keeping changes but Firearms Offences were up 13 and Knife Offences were up 14 . Recent figures from hospital suggested a dip in cd is violent related injuries. A crime expert told me it is too early to know why violence is rising but there are some possible reasons. Speculations would focus alone things that we think might be related to crime like levels of police numbers, cutting services, Mental Health is becoming an important issue raised in Public Awareness during the Election Campaign and is important in relation to crime. The Police Recorded Crime Figures are contradicted by the official crime survey of peoples experiences of crime which appear to be stable but statisticians believe the survey may be lagging slightly behind. Also out today were separate figures on violence in prison showing a big increase in assaults on staff, self harm, homicide and suicide. The german chancellor, angela merkel, has claimed some britons have illusions about the realities of brexit and insisted talks on the uks divorce bill from the European Union must be dealt with before any negotiations on trade can begin. Her remarks to german mps have laid the ground for a meeting between ministers from 27 eu countries in luxembourg where final discussions are taking place about the eus Negotiating Stance on brexit. 0ur europe correspondent Damian Grammaticus is there. Some tough talking from the german chancellor. Yes. Some see it as tough. Angela merkel said she was laying out what she thought was or be asked and she said that was that the uk wanted outside the eu and it will be a third country and will not have the same benefits. What she meant by those in illusions was addressing the idea the uk can negotiate a deal with the same kind of access as it currently enjoys. That is also what we have heard today in luxembourg. The 27 ministers have quickly signed off on medical shielding guidelines and said that certain core things mattered in that, there would be no single access to the single market, no deals for sectors like banking, and the bill, the liabilities the uk has built up, would have to continue to be paid beyond even brexit. The deputy to jean claude juncker, the Vice President of the european commission, said on the way in what happens in the uk election will have no influence at all and be yous side on their Negotiating Position it is adopting. He said even the size of a majority of the new government would have no bearing. He said it would be determined by the eus interests determined by the remaining countries. These will be signed off at the weekend on saturday and the eu will formally be ready to begin talks. A 19 year old man has pleaded guilty to planning to carry out a Terrorist Attack in london last september. Haroon syed, from hounslow in west london, tried to buy a bomb and guns on the internet. Its thought an Eltonjohn Concert In Hyde Park on the anniversary of 9 11 may have been one of his targets. The United States says it will try to pressurise north korea into dismantling its nuclear and ballistic weapons programmes by using diplomatic means and by tightening economic sanctions. China has called it a positive move but, as our correspondent wyre davies reports, tension on the peninsula remains high. Not a sign of rapprochement between two countries on the brink of war but a crude attempt at parody this week in hong kong. Donald trump and north Koreas Kim Jong un are not about to kiss and make up but, following an apparently softer tone from washington, the chinese government, which had urged both sides to show restraint, saw some positive scenes of hope. Translation we have noted the relevant comments and have noted the messages conveyed in these comments, hoping to resolve the Korean Nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue and consultation. We believe this message is positive and should be affirmed. President trumps approach to north koreas growing Nuclear Programme is carrot and stick. On one hand, calling for tough international sanctions, on the other, accelerating the deployment in south korea of the American Anti Missile Defence system known as thaad. A south Korean Defence Ministry Spokesman said the decision to deploy thaad had been taken as a direct result of the grave security situation in the region. Following this weeks high profile joint American Military exercise with south korea, what isnt clear is if President Trump has abandoned the long standing but unsuccessful policy of containment through sanctions or if he is genuinely preparing to attack. A much publicised White House Briefing on korea for all 100 members of the us senate came up with few answers. It is more of a pep talk. The secretary of defence, secretary of state, the Top Administration officials, i think it is to try to get the senate to support the president whatever he might decide to do. China aside, the north korean regime has few powerful allies, but in a letter reportedly sent to regional leaders, pyongyang appealed for support in order to prevent what it warned could be a nuclear holocaust. Our top story this lunchtime the Foreign Secretary says britain could take Military Action against the Syrian Regime without a vote in parliament. And still to come how a new eye test could lead to much earlier detection of a condition which causes irreversible blindness. Coming up in the sport at 1 30pm will it be one or maybe both of the Manchester Clubs who will qualify for next seasons Champions League . The picture could be a lot clearer after tonights derby at the etihad. It seems that when it comes to books, we like them to be nonfiction and made of paper. Figures from the Publishers Association show 2016 was a record yearfor book sales, Though Fiction fell by 7 , and we seem to be falling out of love with ebooks, which showed continued decline. Instead, readers flocked to fitness and self help books. Andy moore has the details. The Publishing Industry says it has an exciting tale to tell of rising sales, both at home and abroad, with one interesting twist in the plot. So it seems the death of Old Fashioned books, printed on paper, has been overwritten. Sales of books like this are up by 8 . Sales of electronic books are down by 3 . For lovers of traditional books, there really is no competition. A physical book every time. Its the experience and its just an absolute joy to take yourself away from the world and just enjoy that book and the smell and feel of it. Its got to be a physical book, except if youre going on holiday and youre going to be over the luggage limit. Thats the only time, thats my only reason for not having a real book. The bestselling book of 2016 was harry potter and the cursed child. The vast majority of people bought the paper version. In every aspect of our lives we have screens in front of us, whether it be at work or home and people are choosing to spend time away from them. People are choosing to spend time actually in their leisure moments looking at a book, a printed version. But also really important, when parents want to spend time with their children, they also want to read to them themselves, or they want their children to spend time away from screen. Fiction sales are continuing their downward trend, but sales of childrens books generally are doing well. I think so many things are encouraging that now, grannies, grandads, aunties, uncles are buying books as presents for children to encourage them. Teachers are. The chris evans writing competition all those kinds of things are really promoting reading and literacy and the importance of books and a good story. Thats essentially what kids like a good story. Electronic books still play an important part in our reading experience. They make up about a third of the market. This report shows the traditional book is undergoing something of a revival. Andy moore, bbc news. Researchers say a simple eye test could lead to much earlier detection of a condition that causes irreversible sight loss. The test involves injecting a special Fluorescent Marker into the patient. Diagnosing glaucoma sooner would mean patients could start treatment before their vision gets worse. 0ur Health Correspondent jane dreaper has the details. Francescas eyesight is crucial for her work as an artist. Glaucoma develops slowly over many years. Theres no cure, but doctors in london believe this new injection will eventually help patients to get diagnosed and treated much sooner. To lose ones eyesight early or later is devastating, really, especially if you have an artistic background. But this sort of gave you hope that they could monitor the condition, and then, if need be, they could give you drops, which would slow it down slightly. Glaucoma is more common as you get older. It affects 600,000 people in the uk. If left untreated, nerve cells in the retina die, leading to sight loss. The new test uses a special Fluorescent Marker to highlight the failing cells, potentially revolutionising treatment. In glaucoma, we believe its ten years between a visual defect being identified and when the actual process starts. That ten year delay could mean that you have delayed starting treatment at the time when its most accessible to treatment, and when you could even prevent vision loss occurring in the first place. These white spots are where the glaucoma is showing up. The new test is cheap and exciting, notjust because it could help save peoples sight. The scientists believe that in the future it could also be used to detect when nerve cells are dying because of other illnesses, such as alzheimers or parkinsons. Francesca wants to save her sight from deteriorating, and shes hopeful the new test will help many other people too. Todays results are from a trial which involved just 16 people, but the researchers are already working with many more volunteers in the hope this work can fulfil its promise. Jane dreaper, bbc news. Nasas cassini spacecraft is sending data back to earth after diving through the narrow gap between saturn and its spectacular rings. Its the first of 22 plunges planned over the next five months and its aim is to gather ultra high quality data. The mission is not without risk though, because cassini is travelling at over 70,000 miles an hour and if it hits even a tiny ice or Rock Particle it could do a considerable amount of damage. 0ur science correspondent Rebecca Morelle reports. A daring mission, deep in our solar system. Nasas cassini spacecraft travelling at 100,000 kilometres an hour has just plunged between saturn and its icy rings. Taking of closer to this giant world than ever before. At mission hqip california, Celebrations Scientists received the news that the manoeuvre had worked. And these are the ultra close up images the spacecraft has just sent back. A colossal storm raging on the planets surface and drifting clouds in its atmosphere. Raging on the planets surface and drifting clouds in its atmospherelj was drifting clouds in its atmosphere. was waiting with baited breath to make sure the spacecraft was ok and the data was coming back. This is the first time any spacecraft has been this close to saturn and youre crossing the rings essentially, but hopefully in a gap, where theres no ring material. But its never been done before. This is the first of 22 times were doing this. Our understanding of saturns already been radically transformed by the cassini mission. Its been in space for 20 years taking countless stunning images and revealing dozens of saturns moons from hyperion to enceladus with its icy crust. But now its the beginning of the end for the spacecraft. After so long in space its running out of fuel. In the coming months it will perform more sweeps through the ring system, before a final death dive into saturns atmosphere to bring the mission to a close. Rebecca morelle, bbc news. Wembley will be packed to capacity on Saturday Night for a heavyweight showdown, as britains anthonyjoshua takes on Vladimir Klitschko for the world heavyweight crown. Joshua is undefeated in 18 fights since he turned professional, while klitschko had his first defeat in over a decade against tyson fury two years ago. The two are about to square up for a pre fight press conference. 0ur Sports News Correspondent 0lly Foster is there. This is one of the main events in bike week. The head to head, the news conference. They are in the building. We havent seen them just yet. In the past couple of months, sometimes these can turn a bit ugly, all that trash talking, sometimes violent confrontations as well that ive often got boxers in trouble. But expect none of that between these two men. Always so much respect. We have the ibf british world champion, anthonyjoshua, and the man who dominated this division for so long, wladimir klitschko. We had a public work out at Wembley Arena last night. 6000 packed in there to Watch Joshua Arena Last night. 6000 packed in there to watchjoshua and klitschko just go through the motions before that super fight, when they go head to head on Saturday Night at wembley stadium. 90,000 expected in there. That will be a post war fight record for a crowd, but you know its not about those records. There will be probably Box Office Records broken as well, both men said making the tens of millions of pounds just by stepping into the ring. Its all about unifying those rings. Anthony joshua has his eye on a vacant wba title as well, defining for him but also for klitschko, who at 41 thinks he has a lot to offer. Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard has lashed out at the sports Governing Body for letting Maria Sharapova compete in tournaments after serving a 15 month doping ban. Ms bouchard said the russian is a cheater who should never be allowed to play again. If the world knows there is a Tennis Tournament in stuttgart this week it is because of Maria Sharapova. She guarantees publicity. It doesnt mean she has credibility with her fellow professionals. Eugenie bouchard once reached the final at wimbledon. She is playing in turkey this week. She gave the strongest criticism yet of sharapovas return. She is a cheater and so, to me, i mean, i dont think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again. It is so unfair to all the other players who do it the right way and are true. I think from the wta it sends the wrong message. Sharapova should not be termed an intentional doper according to the court for arbitration in sport. She tested positive for meldonium after it had been banned. She said she took it for an irregular heartbeat. In her first comeback match, she seemed to be coping 0k without it, beating Roberta Vinci last night. Sharapovas wanted here by the organisers, given a wildcard to compete. Her comeback is being encouraged. Sharapova was asked by the bbc if she thinks that sends out the wrong message. Well, i am being offered wildcards from the tournament directors and i am accepting them to be able to compete in the draw. I am coming with no ranking and i am not getting a wildcard to receive a trophy or a golden platter. I have to get through the matches and i still have to win them and that is myjob. Whatever opponents may think of her, sharapova plays again in stuttgart today. Her desire this summer is to return to where it all really began, wimbledon. Time for a look at the weather. Its milder, but