palace. so, we'rejust looking at those pictures, the king and the queen waiting for the arrival of the japanese emperor and empress. they arrived in the uk over the weekend, they carried out some private engagements. as we've been talking about, the emperor has a keen interest in the river thames. that goes back to his time when he studied at oxford for two years. he studied at oxford for two years. he studied water transport on the river thames in the 18th century and then the emperor later went on to write a book called the thames and i say he has a very keen interest in the river thames, so much so that yesterday the emperor carried out a private engagement, went to look at the thames barrier, so he went on a visit to the thames barrier yesterday and later on this week the couple, both of them who attended oxford university, will be returning to the university, again, aside from a state visit that will be a private visit that will take place. for the moment the formal ceremonial welcome is about to take place on horse guards parade in all its pomp and pageantry. it’s guards parade in all its pomp and “aeant . �*, , ., , �* pageantry. it's beautiful, isn't it? i've been sent _ pageantry. it's beautiful, isn't it? i've been sent some _ pageantry. it's beautiful, isn't it? i've been sent some information | i've been sent some information about queen camilla and what she's wearing. we like to know about these things. she's wearing a white silk dress with black piping by anna valentine and a black and white hat by philip tracy, accessorised with a diamond flower brooch. the women in the royalfamily diamond flower brooch. the women in the royal family customarily dressed in colours company directory to the visiting nation. king charles is wearing a morning suit by the morning suit people, i have no idea. he rocks the morning suit is all i can say about that. a bit of information for you and for viewers, prince william, they go, it's almost as if i had it planned with him, he is attending. there is the emperor and empress and there they are being officially greeted by the king and as i mentioned, prince william will be attending the state banquet. there is another event happening tonight as well, can you guess what it is he's missing to attend the state banquet? i'm going to let you guess. i state banquet? i'm going to let you cuess. ., ., ., state banquet? i'm going to let you guess-_ it's - state banquet? i'm going to let you guess-_ it's the - guess. i have no idea. it's the encland guess. i have no idea. it's the england match! _ guess. i have no idea. it's the england match! there - guess. i have no idea. it's the england match! there is - guess. i have no idea. it's the england match! there is a - guess. i have no idea. it's the england match! there is a ml guess. i have no idea. it's the i england match! there is a 41 gun salute going _ england match! there is a 41 gun salute going off— england match! there is a 41 gun salute going off close _ england match! there is a 41 gun salute going off close to - england match! there is a 41 gun salute going off close to where l england match! there is a 41 gun l salute going off close to where we are so i can't hear what you're saying. i don't know if you can hear that. i saying. i don't know if you can hear that. u, . saying. i don't know if you can hear that. u, ., ., , saying. i don't know if you can hear that. . ., , that. i can hear it. iwas saying that. i can hear it. iwas saying that prince _ that. i can hear it. iwas saying that prince william _ that. i can hear it. iwas saying that prince william is - that. i can hear it. iwas saying that prince william is missing i that. i can hear it. i was saying i that prince william is missing the england match. {iii that prince william is missing the england match.— that prince william is missing the england match. of course, i'm so sor ! england match. of course, i'm so sorry! gun _ england match. of course, i'm so sorry! gun salute. _ england match. of course, i'm so sorry! gun salute. |_ england match. of course, i'm so sorry! gun salute. idon't- england match. of course, i'm so sorry! gun salute. i don't think| sorry! gun salute. i don't think ou'll be sorry! gun salute. i don't think you'll be able — sorry! gun salute. i don't think you'll be able to _ sorry! gun salute. i don't think you'll be able to sneakily - sorry! gun salute. i don't think you'll be able to sneakily watch i sorry! gun salute. i don't think. you'll be able to sneakily watch it, i don't think that would be appropriate while he's at state banquet this evening. i appropriate while he's at state banquet this evening.- appropriate while he's at state banquet this evening. i don't know. you could get _ banquet this evening. i don't know. you could get your _ banquet this evening. i don't know. you could get your phone _ banquet this evening. i don't know. you could get your phone and - banquet this evening. i don't know. you could get your phone and hide| banquet this evening. i don't know. | you could get your phone and hide it under the table and watch it. would he do that? — under the table and watch it. would he do that? i'm _ under the table and watch it. would he do that? i'm not _ under the table and watch it. would he do that? i'm not sure. _ under the table and watch it. would he do that? i'm not sure. you - under the table and watch it. would he do that? i'm not sure. you can i he do that? i'm not sure. you can see those pictures of the prince of wales prince william arriving on horse guards parade and the emperor and empress also, the former welcome by the king and the queen in the sunshine. it's really very hot out here today. what will happen, let me give you a bit more detail about what's going to happen after this welcome. i don't know if you can hear the royal salute, 41 welcome. i don't know if you can hear the royal salute, 4! guns which is being fired at the moment in green park which we are just next to. and then after that formal welcome, the emperor will be accompanied by the king, the emperor will inspect the guard of honour, the queen and the empress will remain standing as that takes place. gun salute. remain standing as that takes place. gun salute-— remain standing as that takes place. gun salute. �* ., ., , , , gun salute. after that wraps up, the formal ceremonial _ gun salute. after that wraps up, the formal ceremonial welcome, - gun salute. after that wraps up, the formal ceremonial welcome, the - formal ceremonial welcome, the emperor and empress ofjapan emperor and empress of japan accompanied emperor and empress ofjapan accompanied by the king and queen in accompanied by the king and queen in a carriage procession and that's something that is one of the highlights of the state visit, that carriage procession. along the mall up carriage procession. along the mall up to where we are, buckingham palace. the guard of honour will give a royal salute and the japanese and british national anthems will be played. so, they can see those on horse guards parade, the japanese emperor greeting various military officials there as part of the formal ceremonial welcome. you can see also the empress as well and they arrived in the last few minutes with the prince of wales, prince william who accompanied them to horse guards parade. gui!!! william who accompanied them to horse guards parade. gun salute. it feels like it's — horse guards parade. gun salute. it feels like it's getting _ horse guards parade. gun salute. it feels like it's getting louder _ horse guards parade. gun salute. it feels like it's getting louder and - feels like it's getting louder and louder, helena.— louder, helena. yes. it is very loud. it louder, helena. yes. it is very loud- it is— louder, helena. yes. it is very loud. it is intermittent - louder, helena. yes. it is very loud. it is intermittent guns i louder, helena. yes. it is very - loud. it is intermittent guns being fired, 4! gun salute. loud. it is intermittent guns being fired, 41 gun salute.— loud. it is intermittent guns being fired, 41 gun salute. have you been countin: ? fired, 41 gun salute. have you been counting? i — fired, 41 gun salute. have you been counting? i haven't. _ fired, 41 gun salute. have you been counting? i haven't. no, _ fired, 41 gun salute. have you been counting? i haven't. no, i- fired, 41 gun salute. have you been counting? i haven't. no, i haven't. | counting? i haven't. no, i haven't. that's probably — counting? i haven't. no, i haven't. that's probably about _ counting? i haven't. no, i haven't. that's probably about 20, - counting? i haven't. no, i haven't. that's probably about 20, may - counting? i haven't. no, i haven't. that's probably about 20, may be | counting? i haven't. no, i haven't. i that's probably about 20, may be 21? i don't know. i that's probably about 20, may be 21? i don't know— that's probably about 20, may be 21? i don't know._ hats - i don't know. i have no idea! hats off to you — i don't know. i have no idea! hats off to you for _ i don't know. i have no idea! hats off to you for managing _ i don't know. i have no idea! hats off to you for managing to - i don't know. i have no idea! hats off to you for managing to keep i off to you for managing to keep breathe out because if i was anywhere near that it would be rather off—putting. gun salute. we will leave helena for a second and listen to what's happening at horse guards parade. brass band plays. brass band plays. though, after the playing of the japanese national anthem, thinking accompanies the emperor as they inspect the guards. an age—old tradition during these state visits. the guards have been practising, preparing. and rehearsing for this moment. the guard of honour formed of the 1st battalion welsh guards and the band of the welsh guards. being inspected by the king and the emperor. after this short inspection we expect the king, queen camilla and the prince of wales prince william to ride in a carriage procession along the mall to buckingham palace. as our royal correspondent helena told us a few moments ago, there are crowds waiting along the mall to waive and greet the emperor and the king. the emperor looks in high spirits. when they reach buckingham palace later, they will meet the second guard of honour formed later, they will meet the second guard of honourformed of later, they will meet the second guard of honour formed of the 1st battalion welsh guards. you can see the carriage in the background. on its way to pick up its royal guests. there is the royal carriage. six white horses. they pulled a carriage along. —— they pull the carriage along. —— they pull the carriage along. after this procession, along the mall, there will be a lunch given at buckingham palace by the king. and the king, his majesty, will invite the emperor and empress to view a special exhibition in the picture gallery of items from the royal collection relating to japan. there we have the emperor and king riding together in their carriage. the footman close the doors, secure the doors on the carriage will be on its way down the mall and towards its way down the mall and towards its destination of buckingham palace. our royal correspondent is waiting. helena, you will get to see the carriages as they arrive behind you in buckingham palace. not sure how long the journey takes in a carriage, i've not done it myself, i have walked it! probably a few minutes, i expect.— have walked it! probably a few minutes, i expect. probably a few minutes, i expect. probably a few minutes. that _ minutes, i expect. probably a few minutes, that is _ minutes, i expect. probably a few minutes, that is right, _ minutes, i expect. probably a few minutes, that is right, it - minutes, i expect. probably a few| minutes, that is right, it shouldn't take them too long, although it is probably a slow carriage ride, bringing them along the mall and to buckingham palace. we had that 41 gun salute, it is now over. i can hear you clearly. but there are crowds of people who have lined the mall, waiting for the carriages to arrive, the king and japanese emperor travelling together in one carriage. and we expect the queen and japanese empress to be in another. we know that prince william is here as well. there they are setting off from horse guards parade after that formal ceremonial welcome, all done with military precision, in the very heart sunshine. the king there looking well. he has obviously carried out a number of engagements since his cancer diagnosis. and today formally welcoming the japanese emperor and empress, who have very strong personal connections to the uk, we have talked about how the royal couple studied at oxford university when they were younger. it is somewhere they will visit later on this year and crowds of people lining the mall here this afternoon. we are just outside buckingham palace waiting for those carriages to get to us. once they arrive here, they will taken into the palace where they will enjoy a lunch given by the king, and then the royal couple will be invited to view a special exhibition in the picture gallery of items from the royal collection related to japan. what we are watching here on your screen, pictures of the carriages that are taking the japanese emperor and empress along with the king and queen, and other dignitaries, you can see that dramatic shot along the mall there. the flags flying, japanese flags flying as well. you might be able to see some of the crowds of people who have gathered to witness what is an extravagant occasion. those carriages bringing the japanese emperor and empress along the mall to buckingham palace. absolutely, it is a beautiful day, it is a picture, just watching the procession making its way towards us, towards the cameras, towards buckingham palace. it is quite a sight. just to remind viewers who mayjust bejoining us, this is the state visit of the japanese emperor and empress. it is the first state visit to the uk since 1998. it is the third time king charles has received a state visit. since becoming king. and it is his first state visit since his cancer diagnosis earlier this year. we were told japan's emperor would be welcomed by king charles like family and so far that is exactly what we have seen. very warm official welcome for the japanese emperor and his wife. you're just heading welcome for the japanese emperor and his wife. you'rejust heading back briefly to horse guards parade to show you the prime minister and lord cameron saying goodbyes, they will be attending the state banquet later, as is the tradition. the banquet will also be attended by the opposition leader sir keir starmer as well. let's cross back to the mall and watch this procession as it dutifully makes its way towards buckingham palace. there have been rehearsals happening earlier this morning. everything is practised, every move is thought about, prepared for, rehearsed. you could see the lines of japanese and prepared for, rehearsed. you could see the lines ofjapanese and union flags in the background. you cannot quite see them but there are crowds of people lining the mall. they are trying to catch a glimpse of the king and queen and emperor and empress. once they reach buckingham palace, they will then inspected the guard there, the second guard of honour, formed of the 1st battalion welsh guards, and then they will enjoy a lunch at buckingham palace given by the king, his majesty, after which he will invite the emperor and empress to view a special exhibition in the picture gallery at buckingham palace of items from the royal collection relating to japan. after that, we will then see the emperor and empress making their way to westminster abbey, where the emperor will lay a wreath at the grave of the unknown warrior, and he will also then take part in a tour of the abbey, accompanied by the dean of westminster. we can see the head of the procession, at the back of the procession, or near the back, we will no doubt see the carriages making their way towards buckingham palace. the king is travelling with the emperor in one carriage, and queen camilla is travelling with the empress in another carriage. behind them, prince william and other dignitaries from japan making their way along the mall. tonight in the great hall of buckingham palace, the king will host a state banquet, he will be accompanied by the queen, members of the royal family, will be accompanied by the queen, members of the royalfamily, not will be accompanied by the queen, members of the royal family, not by the princess royal, who, as we have been reporting here, has had an accident at her estate and will no longer be able to attend events this evening. but the king will make a speech in honour of his guests, he will raise a toast and there will be a sumptuous meal served to all the guests there, which will include politicians as well. i have always wondered what they eat at these state banquets. i imagine 10—15 courses. cooked by the best chefs in the world. my mouth is watering, i will hand over to helena now before i start salivating live on—air. helena, we can see now behind you they are arriving.— they are arriving. yes, that is ri . ht, they are arriving. yes, that is right. the _ they are arriving. yes, that is right, the carriages _ they are arriving. yes, that is right, the carriages we - they are arriving. yes, that is right, the carriages we can i they are arriving. yes, that is. right, the carriages we can see they are arriving. yes, that is - right, the carriages we can see in front of us, i'm just looking at that open carriage with the king and the japanese emperorjust getting close to the gates at buckingham palace. following their carriage, the queen, queen camilla, and the japanese empress in a separate carriage. and i don't know if you picked up the sounds as you were seeing those pictures, the carriages made their way along the mall, there were cheers of delight from quite a number of people who have now outlined the mall to see the king, the queen and the japanese emperor and empress. a lot of people, not surprisingly, have their phones up, taking videos and pictures as that moment passed. we can see the carriages now making their way into the grounds of buckingham palace following that formal ceremonial welcome on horse guards parade for the start of this state visit, as we have been mentioning, it's the first japanese state visit since 1998. unusual that it is happening during an election period, politics will be stripped out of this state visit by the japanese royal couple, there will not be any downing street meetings, but as you have been mentioning, we have got that very lavish state banquet that will be held at the palace this evening. again, we don't know what is on the menu yet, but it is always an extravagant affair, the prime minister will be in attendance, as will the labour leader sir keir starmer, and other dignitaries as well. princess ann will not be here this evening, but the king will be hosting that state banquet later tonight. —— princess anne. before that, the royal couple will be treated to lunch here at palace with the king and queen, later on this afternoon, they go to westminster abbey, where they will meet the dean of westminster and they will also, the emperor will lay a wreath on the grave of the unknown warrior. you can probably see behind us those horses, carriages making their way into buckingham palace where the royal couple willjoin the king and the queen for lunch before that visit to westminster abbey later this afternoon, and then the state banquet after that. i’m this afternoon, and then the state banquet after that.— this afternoon, and then the state banquet after that. i'm 'ust reading more about — banquet after that. i'm 'ust reading more about the h banquet after that. i'm 'ust reading more about the state _ banquet after that. i'm just reading more about the state banquet, - banquet after that. i'm just reading more about the state banquet, as l banquet after that. i'm just reading i more about the state banquet, as we hear you and watch these pictures, the table in buckingham palace is arranged traditionally in a horseshoe—shaped with the monarchy and the guest of honour seated at the top table, 100 candles on the table, displays of fruit, flower arrangements, and in terms of food, there are not 15 courses, there are four courses, two savoury followed by putting and desert. the menu is traditionally written in french. there you go. place settings look very traditional as well. each guest has six classes at their place setting, six glasses! that is a lot. it will be a lovely affair. you setting, six glasses! that is a lot. it will be a lovely affair.— it will be a lovely affair. you have our it will be a lovely affair. you have your answer— it will be a lovely affair. you have your answer now _ it will be a lovely affair. you have your answer now as _ it will be a lovely affair. you have your answer now as to _ it will be a lovely affair. you have your answer now as to what - it will be a lovely affair. you have your answer now as to what they| it will be a lovely affair. you have i your answer now as to what they will be having later on at the state banquet. this is an important visit for the japanese emperor and empress, they have very personal connections, as we have been saying, to the uk. they both went to oxford university and that is somewhere they will visit later on this week, no doubt it will bring back some memories from when they were younger, they both studied there and the emperor yesterday visit thames, he has a keen interest in the river thames, having studied the thames during his time at oxford university. that is a tripi made yesterday, but today is the first day of the formal state visit for the japanese emperor and empress, and they will be treated to that lavish state banquet this evening, hosted by the king and queen. helena, thank you very much staying with me through that, that beautiful ceremony. thanks again. throughout the state visit, we will cover all the state visit, we will cover all the highlights on bbc news. but now to other news happening through the day today. a former fujitsu engineer is being questioned today at the post office inquiry about his role in designing the flawed horizon software system. garethjenkins is a key figure in the inquiry into how hundreds of sub—postmasters were falsely accused of theft. let's speak to azadeh moshiri, who's at the inquiry for us. talk us through what we have been hearing so far. he talk us through what we have been hearing so far-— hearing so far. he is a key figure and so much _ hearing so far. he is a key figure and so much so _ hearing so far. he is a key figure and so much so that _ hearing so far. he is a key figure and so much so that the - hearing so far. he is a key figure and so much so that the public. and so much so that the public inquiry is not the only one scrutinising him, so is the metropolitan police, they are investigating him for potential perjury, as well as potentially perverting the course ofjustice. all of that is related to his role defending the faulty horizon it system alongside the post office and related to his role as an expert witness in both civil and criminal cases. he was an expert witness in 2010 in the case of a postmaster who was sentenced to prison when she was eight weeks pregnant with her second child, eventually giving birth with a electronic tag around her ankle and that conviction was later overturned more than a decade later. ijust overturned more than a decade later. i just spoke to her overturned more than a decade later. ijust spoke to her now overturned more than a decade later. i just spoke to her now and overturned more than a decade later. ijust spoke to her now and she still has not found closure, she finds it very difficult in terms of talking about this, still breaking down in tears every time and she says it is because she cannot shake off the memories of her time in prison. since i last spoke to you, we have been poring over gareth jenkins' witness statement and there is an apology for her there. he says she is —— he is truly sorry for her conviction and did not know of it until many years later, making what has happened even more tragic. yet he still insists he did not lie, he did not mislead the court, but what we do know is that he did not tell the court, nor the sub—postmaster is' legal teams, that there were bugs in the horizon system. that lack of disclosure was deemed so significant that the post office was informed and advised that it was in breach of its duties as a prosecutor. he said he did not find that out until seven years later in 2020 and today he still insists the system was robust, saying he does not accept a high court finding in 2019 that the system was not remotely robust and that he does not believe it caused discrepancies or shortfalls in branch accounts to the level that is being discussed, and yet victim is still in the room right now as he continues to give testimony. it's a difficult situation for her and other sub—postmaster is listening today. england's footballers play their final group game at euro 2024 tonight, when they take on slovenia. they've already qualified for the last 16 of the competition after spain's defeat of albania last night ensured that england would — at the very least — go through as one of the four best third—placed teams. let's speak to our sports correspondentjohn watson. it's a strange one, john, already qualified but still want to do well. yes, a strange situation that england find themselves in. on the face of it, it all looks pretty positive, they have qualified for the knockout stage with four points, with a game in hand heading into theirfinal with a game in hand heading into their final group with a game in hand heading into theirfinal group game with a game in hand heading into their final group game tonight. but there has been a lot of negativity around that recent performance that england put in against denmark, the 1-1 england put in against denmark, the 1—1 draw, and the feeling that england should be getting more from the players added disposal and gareth southgate has been trying to shield his team from some of that criticism. let's be honest, if they win later, they will qualify and go through as group winners, and that would be a real boost for them and gareth southgate, admitting himself that england have not played to their very best. he says going into this game with slovenia that he anticipates they will play better. declan rice has said they expect to play with great intensity but there has been plenty of questions around that performance, harry kane answering some of those questions this week in response to criticism coming from former players and pundits, saying they should understand what it is like to play for england and the pressure that brings, and he would prefer if they would get behind and show their support to the team. let's be honest, everybody feels and has an opinion about the players who should be playing, the tactics, and we are expecting gareth southgate to make one change, conor gallagher will come into the midfield to replace trent alexander—arnold. that is one change but we will see how it plays out when it kicks off at apm tonight. all the talking. full but it will be in some ways about the performance as much as the results. the conservative party has withdrawn support from two candidates being looked into by the gambling commission as part of the investigation into bets placed on the timing of the general election. the gambling commission is looking into the actions of craig williams — who was a close aide to rishi sunak — and laura saunders. both have denied wrongdoing. let's get the very latest from our political correspondent, sean curran. talk us through exactly what this means, because this has been a black cloud hanging over the conservatives for a week now and it continues. yes, rishi sunak has been under intense pressure every time he has done a media interview, regardless of what he wanted to talk about, he has faced questions about his handling of this row. up until now, the prime minister always insisted that he could not do anything that might compromise the work of the independent gambling commission. but yesterday he told us that the conservative party was holding its own inquiries and this morning, we were told that as a result of those ongoing inquiries, the conservatives had decided to withdraw support from these two candidates. what that means is that they will not get any more help in their election campaign, but because we are so close to the election date, their names will still appear on the ballot paper. it is too late for them to be withdrawn. they will appear on the ballot paper as conservatives, but we understand that if they were elected, they would sit as independents until any inquiries or investigations ended. and we heard from sir keir starmer earlier talking to journalists off—camera and his words were, why did this not happen week ago? people from inside the conservative party and outside are potentially asking that question too today. yes. and outside are potentially asking that question too today.— that question too today. yes, and that question too today. yes, and that was part _ that question too today. yes, and that was part of _ that question too today. yes, and that was part of the _ that question too today. yes, and that was part of the pressure - that question too today. yes, and | that was part of the pressure rishi sunak based. he was having to defend how he reacted to this, notjust from political opponents like sir keir starmer, who was making accusations of weak leadership, but also from some senior conservatives who had argued they wanted to see much more robust action and some conservatives have suggested that these candidates should have been dropped, that support should have been withdrawn sooner and that the row could have been closed down sooner. but rishi sunak and the conservative party have made this announcement today and they will be hoping that this will now draw a line under this and as we now start the countdown to election day, they can actually concentrate on the issues they want to talk about. thank you. in london, sir keir starmer has been meeting families of victims of knife crime. speaking to reporters a little earlier he was challenged on whether labour's record in london — where it runs city hall — might undermine the party's credibility when it comes to preventing knife crime. i was the chief prosecutor for five years and i have prosecuted many cases involving the use of knives and i have made it my personal mission to deal with this. it is a moral mission as far as i'm concerned. it is not a question of urban versus rural, in fact there's more knife crime sadly in rural areas, orat more knife crime sadly in rural areas, or at least going up more quickly, and i think it is not fair on the families we have heard from this morning to simply point the finger to somebody else. this is something which the government must take responsibility for, i will take responsibility for on a cross—party basis to make the change that we need. in some of it we can get on with quite quickly in terms of banning knives available online, some will take longer, but it's a moral mission as far as i'm concerned and i made a commitment to these families and others that we will now move from the talking stage to the action stage. it's a legal saga that's lasted 14 years. but now the wikileaks founder, julian assange, has been flown out of the uk after striking a deal with us authorities that will see him plead guilty to one criminal charge and then be released. he spent seven years inside the ecuadorian embassy in london as the us tried to extradite him over the publication — on his wikileaks website — of thousands of confidential us documents in 2010 and 2011 about the wars in iraq and afghanistan. us authorities accused him of having endangered the lives of american operatives. he was arrested in april 2019 over a breach of his bail conditions, and spent the last five years inside a london prison, fighting extradition. a uk court ruled last month that he could appeal that decision after mr assange argued that he would not receive a fair trial in the us. now he's agreed a plea deal and is set to appear before a court in a us territory in the pacific before an expected return to his home nation australia. but there's been criticism of the deal from the former us vice president mike pence. he posted on x thatjulian assange had endangered the lives of american troops in a time of war and "should have been prosecuted "to the fullest extent of the law." paul hawkins reports. wikileaks published this clip on social media showing its founder flying out of the country late on monday afternoon. it also said he'd spent 1,901 days in prison for publishing what it called "ground—breaking stories of government corruption and human rights abuses" in 2010. this period of our lives, i'm confident now, has come to an end. and i think that, by this time next week, julian will be free. those stories were top—secret us military files — which is why, for the past 14 years, assange has fought extradition to the us to face charges of espionage — first by claiming asylum for seven years inside ecuador�*s london embassy, until his arrest in 2019, and then from belmarsh high—security prison in london via the courts. he also faced charges of rape in sweden — which were dropped, and which he's also denied. wikileaks now says he's heading for the american territory of the northern mariana islands in the south pacific, to plead guilty to one criminal charge before heading on to nearby australia, where he was born. regardless of the views that people have about mr assange's activities, the case has dragged on for too long. there's nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration, and we want him brought home to australia. assange will spend no time in us custody because of the time spent in prison in the uk. paul hawkins, bbc news. let's bring you some years now, we have a picture here of vice admiral sir tim lawrence, who has arrived to visit the princess royal at hospital after she was injured by a horse. he arrived by car the main entrance of southmead hospital shortly after midday. he and princess anne are expected to eat lunch together and it is believed his wife suffered minor injuries to her head and concussion when she was kicked by a horse on sunday evening. she is being treated there and we wish her well. elizabeth has the webinar. —— weather now. hello. good afternoon. well, yesterday was the warmest day of the year so far across england, scotland and northern ireland, could be even hotter still today across parts of england, perhaps, but we're tracking some changes over the next few days. it will be turning cooler from the north and the west. some showers tied in with this weather front at times, but remaining hot and humid until thursday for much of england and wales. now, this is the afternoon and here is that cooler, fresher feeling air. for the north and the west, it could brighten up some time with some sunshine, i think, towards the end of the day for north west scotland, northern ireland, showers for eastern scotland down through northern england, cloudier here. but this is where we're seeing all of that strong june sunshine develop yet again. it's warm, it's humid. locally, we could see highs of 29 or 30 degrees celsius. sea breezes offering some coastal refreshment, but pollen levels today, again, very high for many, tied in with all of that sunshine and grass pollen season, of course, already under way. so overnight tonight, some areas of cloud, still a few spits and spots of rain, more cloud moving in to north sea facing coasts. now, here is that fresher feeling air out towards the north and the west. almost chilly here, but elsewhere it's muggy. it's humid, possibly uncomfortable for sleeping yet again. and into wednesday, we've got plenty of cloud out towards these north sea facing coasts. some sunshine and showers for scotland. quite a decent day of weather across northern ireland, but clouding over later. it's still very warm for much of england and wales, here, should stay dry. any low cloud will lift and once more we could get to the high 20s for many, even 30 degrees celsius once again. and then our deep area of low pressure that's bringing about the change with that cold front sweeps its way eastwards into thursday, replacing all of that hot and humid air with something a lot cooler. some windy conditions, too, out towards the north and the west. so, wet, windy across northern ireland for a time, showery outbreaks of rain just pushing into parts of northwest scotland, eventually easing their way further eastwards. it should stay largely dry for much of england and wales. a few showers around at times, fresher feeling conditions across the south east of england and east anglia by the time we get to the end of the day. so, let's just take a look at the outlook for our capital cities. temperatures much closer to the seasonal average through the weekend. still warm in the best of the sunshine. bye— bye. today at one. the conservatives withdraw support for two of their candidates nine days before the general election. the gambling commission is looking into craig williams and laura saunders over alleged betting on the timing of the vote. also on the programme. the wikileaks founderjulian assange agrees a plea dealfor publishing secret us military records, leaving the uk tojoin his family in australia. it's a whirlwind of emotions. i mean, i'm just elated, frankly. it's just incredible, i don't know, it feels like it's not real. a key fujitsu engineer apologises to a postmistress, wronglyjailed when pregnant, over the horizon it scandal. # sweet caroline! england prepare to face slovenia later in their final group stage game at the euros. and the very first rock samples from the far side of the moon are brought back to earth by china. coming up on bbc news. afghanistan make history at the t20 world cup, making a global semifinal for the first time and eliminating australia from the tournament in the process. good afternoon, and welcome to the bbc news at one. the conservative party has withdrawn support for two of its candidates the week before the uk goes to the polls for the general election. both craig williams, who was a close aide