In the final of the european championship. Good evening. The wikilea ks founder, Julian Assange, says he will not forgive or forget after a seven year Rape Investigation in sweden was dropped without charge today. For almost five of those years, mr assange has been holed up inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in london to avoid extradition. But todays development doesnt mean that the 45 year old can finally walk free. Police say they would still be obliged to arrest him if he left the embassy. And the United States may also take legal action against him for leaking secret official documents. Our correspondent Caroline Hawley has the story. Her report includes flashing images from the start. Out into the fresh air. Cheering on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, Julian Assange emerged this afternoon to have his say on the end of the swedish investigation against him. Today is an important victory for me and for the un human rights system. Seven years without charge while my children grew up without me. That is not something that i can forgive. It is not something that i can forget. But the prosecutor in sweden hasnt cleared Julian Assange. She said that, in his absence, she simply couldnt pursue the case any further. Translation the decision to discontinue the investigation is not based on an assessment of the evidence but because we dont see possibilities to advance the investigation further, so we do not make any statement on the issue of guilt. This complex International Drama began in 2010 when two women alleged thatJulian Assange had sexually assaulted them on a visit to sweden accusations hes always denied. He was detained in britain on a European Arrest Warrant. In may 2012, the Supreme Court upheld a decision to extradite him to sweden for questioning. And injune, mrassange walked into the Ecuadorian Embassy in london asking for political asylum. The metropolitan police mounted a 24 hour guard at the embassy. By october 2015, it had cost over £30 million. And its not over yet. Julian assange is no longer wanted on an International Arrest warrant, but the police say that if he stepped out of the embassy, theyre still obliged to arrest him forfailing to surrender to a london court back in 2012. At the embassy this evening, his supporters were jubilant. But in sweden, the woman who accused him of rape issued a statement saying he was evading justice and expressing her shock at the investigation was being shelved. Julian assange was not held without charge for seven years he was subject to Extradition Proceedings within the eu, under the European Arrest Warrant scheme. He would have received a fair trial in sweden, had he chosen to go back, and the fact that proceedings lasted seven years was entirely down to him seeking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy, rather than going to face trial in a country that is governed by the rule of law. Light em all up. Come on, fire it was this footage of an American Helicopter Shooting Civilians in iraq that first brought wikileaks to international attention. A flood of other State Secrets followed. Julian assange has always said it was his fear of extradition to the us that drove him through the doors of the Ecuadorian Embassy. Thanks, guys. Free assange so despite todays dramatic twist in this long running diplomatic and legal saga, tonight hes back inside not, for the moment, going anywhere. We dont know if the Us Government is actually planning to ask for his extradition, but the us Attorney General said recently that he wanted mr assange arrested. Now, general said recently that he wanted mrassange arrested. Now, ecuador has asked britain to give mr assange safe passage, no sign of that happening, so for the momentJulian Assange stays here. But scotland ya rd assange stays here. But Scotland Yard has said that there will be reduced Police Resources now for their operation. Caroline hawley, thank you. Its reported tonight that President Trump told russian officials at the white house that firing the fbi Directorjames Comey had relieved the great pressure the president was under because of russia. The New York Times says he also referred to comey as crazy and a real nutjob. Another report says a Current White House official is a significant Person Of Interest in the investigation into possible ties between trumps president ial campaign and russia. The latest claims come as President Trump flew out of washington on his first overseas trip. Hes heading to saudia arabia, where hes due to meet arab leaders, before Travelling On To Jerusalem and rome. Well, our north america editor, jon sopel, is in riyadh, where President Trump will arrive later. Jon, what more can you tell us about these developments tonight . Well, these are extraordinary allegations from the New York Times, of what donald trump said in that contested a meeting with Sergei Lavrov ten days ago. He said, ijust fired the head of the fbi, she was crazy, a real nutjob, Ifaced Greater Pressure because of russia, Thatis Greater Pressure because of russia, that is taken off. In other words, the pressure is removed because he had removed james comey. The white house has issued a statement while the president was in midair, far from pushing back and saying this is nonsense, exaggerated, it says, the president has always emphasised the importance of making deals with russia by grandstanding and Politicising The Investigation into russias access, james, created unnecessary pressure on our ability to negotiate with russia. Two things quickly, it makes clear that james comey was fired because of the russian investigation. And nothing else. And secondly, it raises the question of whether the president has engaged in the Obstruction Of Justice by Holding An Investigation byjames justice by Holding An Investigation by james comey. And that has potentially very, very serious consequences. Now, potentially very, very serious consequences. Now, the white house wheel spin that, saying it is not donald trump try to protect themselves legally, he was trying to protect the national interest, but it is another extraordinary twist in this whole drama. And it comes as President Trump is setting off on his First Official trip abroad as president , is this likely to overs ha d ow president , is this likely to overshadow that . The glib answer is he would love it too, but its not going to, because of course this issue will keep on carrying on. That said, this is a highly important trip for President Trump. Despite all that he has said about muslims during the campaign, keeping them out of america, the responsibility of saudi arabia for 9 11, there will be the warmest of welcomes for him here. Two reasons, one, he is not barack 0bama, and the saudis grew to really dislike. I was here one year ago with barack 0bama, and he received the coolest of receptions. The other reason he will receive the warmest of welcomes is because he has been taking a very tough stand on iran. Just arriving in from the airport, there were billboards across the motorway, huge pictures of donald trump andy king saying, together we prevail. He will like that he will not like some of the other reporting. Jon sopel, thank you. There are divisions opening up tonight within the Conservative Party over its Manifesto Commitment to means test Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners. The scottish conservative leader, ruth davidson, said she was in favour of retaining the payment for all pensioners in scotland. But the Prime Minister argued it was unfair that wealthy pensioners received the money while some families were struggling. Heres our deputy political editor, john pienaar. Would you trust her to keep things running, or to run your economy . But has theresa may dropped a spanner in the works by keeping people guessing about her tax and Spending Plans, and then keeping pensioners guessing about whod keep and whod lose the Winter Fuel Allowance . She wasnt giving much away. We will continue to ensure that the least well off pensioners are protected. But if you look at the situation at the moment, we see well off pensioners able to be supported with theirfuel bills, when struggling ordinary working families are not. I think theres a principle of fairness that underpins this. But thats not how all tories see it, especially scottish conservatives under their leader, ruth davidson, who greeted mrs may in edinburgh. The scottish tory manifesto, published today, says, Social Security devolution allows us to make different choices in scotland, and so we will protect universal Winter Fuel Payments for all older people and they will not be subject to means testing. We believe there shouldnt be means testing for the Winter Fuel Payment. The reason that weve said that is, as many of your viewers will acknowledge, scotland has a colder climate, we also have a different amount of housing stock, and devolution allows you to make different decisions. Mrs mays answer shes writing policy south of the border. As a government, we have given the Scottish Government significant powers in relation to welfare, and they make a number of decisions about various Welfare Benefits in scotland. You are a breath of fresh air. And who knows . More voters might feel the same ifjeremy corbyns promise to protect the Fuel Allowance and pensions catches on. Labours been attacked over tax and Spending Plans critics say dont add up. Now hes hitting back. What shes done is caused a huge amount of anxiety, she hasnt said what level shes going to change it. We think the Fuel Allowance should be kept, and it will be kept under labour, and it will be universal. Just one way for the Snp Full To Go Right at theresa may. Well, i think taking the Winter Fuel Payment away from pensioners who have worked hard and paid in all their life is just wrong. You know, the Winter Fuel Payment is not a kings ransom. Not all tories South Of Scotland agree with mrs may on pensioners, on policies like social care. 0ne former minister told me theyd be opposing her, except theres an election on, and thats one reason its happening. Mrs may wants more backing for potentially unpopular decisions if public money gets tighter after brexit, and you can bet shed hesitate to make risky promises if she wasnt so confident of winning. Tories look upbeat about this campaign whether or not they always agree, but life could get tougher for them, for a lot of people afterwards, whoever wins. John pienaar, bbc news. The serial killer stephen port was jailed for life last year after he killed four men. Their bodies were all found outside his flat or in a churchyard nearby. Yet their deaths were not initially treated as murder, and detectives missed a number of chances to catch the killer. Now the families of the victims say theyre dismayed by the slow progress of an inquiry into why police took so long to catch him. Heres our Home Affairs Correspondent daniel sandford. The graveyard in barking that was stephen ports Dumping Ground for three of the bodies of the four men he killed with the date rape drug ghb. His first victim was 23 year old anthony walgate, the last 25 year old jack taylor. Theirfamilies have been waiting for an investigation by the independent Police Complaints commission into why detectives failed to spot that there was a serial killer at work for so long. But this week, they told me their patience has run out. I dont feel that the ipcc are in control of the investigation at all. I think its the Police Dictating to what stage it goes, what pace it goes, which is disgusting. I think we had to fight the police to listen, and now were having to do the same for the ipcc to move onto the next stage. Stephen port used dating apps to lure the men to his home. He then gave them lethal doses of ghb. His first victim, anthony walgate, was found outside the door of ports flat, the others in or near the local churchyard over the next 15 months. The police were asked on numerous occasions if the deaths could be linked. The ipcc investigation is designed to work out why detectives were so reluctant to connect them. But 20 months on, not a Single Police officer has been questioned. The bbc has been told that the independent Police ComplaintsCommission Investigation team is itself frustrated and dismayed by the delay in interviewing the officers. I understand thats being caused by the officers, the Police Federation and their lawyers asking for more time to examine the 7000 pages of evidence. Though in public today, the ipcc was playing down the row, saying it had agreed that the detectives should have more time. The families told me theyre worried that any further delays will lead to officers forgetting why they made the decisions they did. Its like very frustrating, its disappointing, its like youre being let down all over again, and i think we all feel that, that were just being let down. You shouldnt have to keep chasing things up after everything that weve been through. It is very, very frustrating, because i really thought the ipcc would be totally independent, be more professional, and a lot faster than they have been. They want to know if police just jumped to conclusions and assumed that gay men dying from date rape Drug Overdoses was something normal and not worth treating with suspicion. Daniel sandford, bbc news. A brief look at some of the days other other news stories. A former Newcastle United football coach, george 0rmond, has been charged with 29 historical Sexual Offences alleged to have taken place between 1973 and 1998. Mr 0rmond, who is 61, is due to appear before magistrates next month. A man has beenjailed for more than nine years for a hit and run crash which killed a four year old girl. Aidan mcateer lost control of the stolen car at st helens on merseyside. Violet grace youens was being carried by her grandmother who suffered serious injuries. Greater Manchester Police say moors murderer ian bradys body shouldnt be cremated in the city or surrounding area where he carried out his crimes out of respect to his victims families. Brady died in prison on monday. Its been a year since the ban on so called legal highs came into effect but they are Still Available in many british cities. Known as new psycho active substances, or spice the legal highs were made class b drugs which meant they had to be taken off the shelves on the high street. They may not be visible now but there are warnings that the sale of spice has been driven Underground Asjeremy Cooke reports. There are new psychoactive substances, nps. Not so much a problem, more so an epidemic. Known as legal highs, or spice. Its got the kind of psychological addiction you might associate with Crack Cocaine and the physical addiction and withdrawals that youd associate with heroin. A year ago they were banned. Just because they say its illegal doesnt mean you cant get it. Thatjust makes people more determined to get it. In edinburgh the Drug Subculture has been all about heroin, the needle and the syringe, so here many chose not to smoke nps but to inject it. Just unbelievable. People losing their lives. People losing limbs. Grant is homeless and alone. That drug, its the worst that ive ever experienced. Worse than heroin . Worse than heroin. Worse than cocaine. Worse than Crack Cocaine. Worse than all of them put together but better. Its crazy. There is quite a bit of drug use around here. The streetwork charitys Outreach Team are here to help. How are you managing . Theyve seen first hand the devastation caused by nps. Edinburgh was among the first cities in the uk to ban legal highs back in 2015. Even the users ive spoken to who now no longer use speak to me about how that was a terrible episode in their lives and how theyre glad now that the ban has come into place. But nps is still on the streets here, as users like rab know. Ive lost numerous people over it. You know, its not nice. Friends have died, others have been left with terrible scars. The drug destroys the flesh where its injected. Theres a few of my mates who have got holes in their legs at the moment. Thats because of a legal highs, yeah. A mega haul of seized street spice at the headquarters of Police Scotlands nps unit, the only one of its kind in the uk. Each one gram package costs a tenner, enough here for countless hits with a street value of Hundreds Thousands of pounds. Even before the ban Police Scotland had been working to take out Assembly Plants like this one, where nps brought in from china was prepared and packaged ready to flood the streets. We will never arrest our way out of the issue of new psychoactive substances. Its about informing young people of the dangers these substances present. And making sure that they make as best an informed decision as possible. Add some solvents. At Manchester Metropolitan University theyre preparing a report on nps in their city. Early conclusions are that Spice Dealing has been driven underground. But its Still Available and extremely dangerous. Some estimates have suggested that its 700 times more potent than traditional forms of cannabis. As soon as you take one Street Dealer out theyre just replaced the next day with somebody else. I dont think youre going to stop the street level dealing. And if you have dealers you have this. For the Young Street Homeless here spice remains a clear and present danger. Its made Vulnerable People more vulnerable, people are turning on each other, people who had smoked together are now selling to each other, stealing from each other. People are being put out to beg in order to pay for their spice habit. Itsjust made things a hundred times worse. For beth the ban on legal highs has been irrelevant. Shes clean now butjust a couple of months ago this 22 year old single mum was on the streets and on the spice. I didnt wash, i didnt clean my hair, i didnt care about nothing, i wasnt bothered, itjust took everything away. Banning it doesnt work. What might work . I think you need to look at the Mental Health and that. Theres a reason why people are wanting to smoke it, notjust because its banned, not because its legal, not because its illegal, theres a problem with that person, that they cant deal with their thoughts. A year in then the ban is having mixed success. Spice is no longer on sale in high street shops. But the young and the homeless are still finding it, still learning that a new kind of high comes with a new kind of low. Jeremy cooke, bbc news, manchester. Voting has finally ended tonight in irans president ial elections after Polling Stations had to be kept open much longer than they were meant to be because of an unexpectedly high turnout. Long queues formed across the country where the relatively moderate president Hassan Rouhani is facing a strong challenge from a hardline conservative rival, ebrahim raisi. The results are due tomorrow. 0ur middle east editor, jeremy bowen has this assessment of how the outcome could affect irans future. People are encouraged to vote in iran because it gives the system legitimacy but the election, as ever, isnt free because the candidates have to be approved by the unelected guardian council. Its looking like a close race between the main candidates. At this Polling Station they were supporting Hassan Rouhani, the current president. Translation i want social justice, social freedoms and political development, and good relations with all countries in the world. Translation we will stand in these queues for as long as its needed in order not to go backwards, for the shadow of the war not to hang over peoples heads. Iranian elections with all their flaws produce vigorous campaigns and moments of political openness. Candidates have traded accusations of corruption and criticised irans security policies. Remarks that at other times could land iranians injail. Iranians dont seem particularly enthused by the candidates. For many its a choice between bad and worse. The main challenger is ebrahim raisi. He is a veteran conservative hardliner. He is deeply suspicious of the west and if he wins there could be crises ahead. President Hassan Rouhani wants to have another term. Hes a moderate who would like more openness in politics and society. Rouhani was elected last time because he promised better relations with the outside world and the relaxation of economic sanctions through making a deal about Irans Nuclear plans. President rouhani is running on the success of the deal in which iran accepted restrictions on its nuclear industry. If he loses its because voters think hes handling the economy badly. Raisi opposed the nuclear deal when it was being negotiated but now says hed keep it, though he insists his toughness will make sure iran stays strong. Whoevers going to be the next iranian president , whether it be Hassan Rouhani or ebrahim raisi, its going to change the tenor of iranian politics, its ability to dialogue with the International Community and the west, particularly the United States, and also its relationship with its neighbours in the region. Whoever wins will have to work with the Supreme Leader ayatollah khomeini. In iran he has the power and the last word. Viewed from tehran, the countrys a Regional Power with legitimate Security Interests and the right to help allies like the syrian regime. But that alarms its adversaries, especially the us, the saudis and israel, and that wont change. Jeremy bowen, bbc news. Back to the election now and the uks vote to leave the eu was seen by some as an indication that many feel immigration and globalisation has changed communities too quickly with british or in some cases english values under threat. In the last of our series about the new politics, our correspondent alex forsyth reports from two different locations on the english south coast which have seen significant economic and social change, and asks how it might factor in the general election. Scattered along kents coastline, Seaside Towns once host to hordes of english tourists. Much of the old charm has faded. There is some regeneration but these traditional communities have seen undeniable change. The indoor bowlers of margate have borne witness to the towns transformation. Margate from the 70s has changed so much its beyond recognition really. Theres so many immigrants who have come in and theyve congregated in one area. Do you think people still feel this is a real english town . No, because every shop has got indians running them. Theres polish shops, theres afghanistan shops, which is fine, ive got nothing against that. But its pushing the english traditions out of our lives. This part of town is home to many eu migrants. B bs and Boarding Houses have become flats. Shops cater to new tastes. Barry gardiners barbers has been here nearly 30 years. Many of his customers backed brexit to assert their national identity. A lot of people have felt theyve been people in, of course. Thats made a big difference. They dont realise england is only a small country, an island. The eu referendum, the question of britains place in the world, and to some extent talk of scotlands place in the uk, has raised issues of culture and identity and its left many seeking someone who will stand up for them, their society, their community, and their way of life. Along the coast southampton too has changed. Its a multicultural city. The busy port is still key to the local economy. But shipbuilding and manufacturing no longer dominate. In the suburban streets its not just immigration, but alsojob insecurity and rising house prices that have altered neighbourhoods and left some feeling unsettled by the pace of change, wanting their values recognised and voices heard. One, two, three, four, its got to be my favourite time of year. Like the members of this local choir they epitomise Community Spirit but Fear Beyond The Church Hall thats fragmenting as people try to get on with getting by. There are a lot of young people who are, you know, in fairly good jobs. Unless you have a couple with a fairly substantial income their chances of actually getting on the Property Ladder are really slim. It does affect communities a lot because, as you say, that cohesion is missing. People feel more isolated. People work further away from where they live so their colleagues are spread out in different places, their family is spread out in different places. If anything there is more sort of division in our society at the moment, as a result of recent political decisions that have been made and society as a whole is more polarised. I think in a way we kind of have to create our own communities now. In this election who can speak to these communities might dictate who gets to shape the future of the country. It seems old values still matter in the new politics. Alex forsyth, bbc news, southampton. The american artistjean Michel Basquiat came to prominence as a Graffiti Artist in the 19705. He died at the age ofjust 27 from a Heroin Overdose almost 30 years ago. But now one of his works has just sold at auction for 110 million. Its a record for any american artist. So whats behind the phenomenal demand for his work . Heres our art5 editor will gompertz. 57 million. 58 million. The moment is about to arrive at sotheby5 last night. 65 million on the telephone. When the american Neo Expressionist PainterjeanMichel Basquiat, who died nearly 30 years ago. Is that a bid, sir . 69 million. Hit the big time. The hammer is up, 5ir. Im selling it on this side of the room. Its yuki5 bid. A fair warning and selling, thank you, sir, for 98 million. Thank you, yuki, congratulations. The sale price when commi55ions are included puts him in the exclusive Auction House 100 million plus club. Along with Pablo Picasso and francis bacon. We definitely had an idea that everybody felt that it was a masterpiece but the air get5 pretty thin at those sort of levels financially. So, of course, the previous record price was less than half what weve achieved this evening so youre going into very new territory. The buyer, yusaku maezawa, a japanese Online Fashion retailer, was delighted, he said, at winning this masterpiece, which is great. But why might he have been willing to pay so much . Its the kind of Rock And Roll way he put images and text together, its extremely influential. That mixed with a kind of Expressioni5tic 5tyle of painting, added to the fact that he is, you know, a Black American artist. Its a kind of explosive mix. Thats andy warhol