butjudges, among 200 who took part in the tastings, choose it over wines from around the world. producers who have been doing for decades, if not centuries. 70,000 wines are entered into this competition, alljudged blind by international experts from around the world, so, to have picked up this award is quite, quite exceptional. it's a huge achievement. england's sparkling wines have been winning awards for some time now and make up two—thirds of the 5 million bottles produced here every year. most are grown in kent and sussex. now, with the world's best award to its name, winbirri has firmly put east ang lee on the wine producing map. so why has this wine done so well? it is down to a very dry climate here and careful managing of the vineyard and here and careful managing of the vineya rd and grapes here and careful managing of the vineyard and grapes but most importantly it shows that english vineyards can and do produce world —class vineyards can and do produce world—class wines. back to you, clive. alex, many thanks. alex dunlop reporting there. will it be a weekend for a call fight or a will it be a weekend for a call fight ora warming will it be a weekend for a call fight or a warming red?

probably a bit of both! it depends what you fancy, maybe it depends what you fancy, maybe it depends what you fancy, maybe it depends what you are having the dinner. it was certainly a soggy day in the south—east yesterday, ending with heavy bursts of rain and that has been sliding northwards along the east coast of england. the rain now not as happy as it was but still providing a rather grey and damp afternoon gci’oss providing a rather grey and damp afternoon across north—east england, said that was the scene for one of oui’ said that was the scene for one of our weather watchers in newcastle, perhaps a day to stay indoors and have a glass of wine later on. across the east coast and south—east scotland, damp weather continuing through the afternoon, feeling cool as well, turning brighter across east anglia and the south—east. as we, further west, you can see for yourself, a mixture of sunny spells but also heavy downpours, the showers slow—moving, a lot of rain in a short space of time with the odd flash of lightning or rumble of thunder. northern ireland seeing some hefty showers as well.

temperatures up to around 16 degrees in belfast. western scotland will see showers, between those showers there is some lovely sunshine out there, as captured by des weather watcher in the scottish highlands. this is probably the weather most of us this is probably the weather most of us would pick to spend the rest of this afternoon in! this evening and overnight this is how the forecast ship sub, that wet weather will slide across scotland perhaps turning heavier later across the northern half of scotland and elsewhere the showers should slowly fade away leading to dry conditions by tomorrow morning, maybe the odd patch of fog, and into tomorrow more of the same, a mixture of sunny spells and heavy showers across parts of northern ireland, england, robin wales, those downpours could be headed with the odd flash of lightning. slightly different in the northern half of scotland, mostly cloudy, some ad breaks rain, on the heavy side at times, just 11 degrees in aberdeen. sunshine towards the south—east, it could get all the way to 17 or 18. the showers should die

away heavily for most of us on saturday night, it will take a while to clear away the rain and into the second half of the weekend this area of high pressure to the east begins to have more of an influence on our weather, so sunday is going to be a mostly dry day, fewer showers it will feel a little bit warmer, plenty of sunshine around, some patchy rain in northern ireland and western scotland, but further south temperatures up to 20 degrees, so south temperatures up to 20 degrees, $03 south temperatures up to 20 degrees, so a mixed bag for the weekend. many thanks, then. that's all from the bbc news at one — so it's goodbye from me — you're watching bbc news. i'm olly foster at the bbc sport centre. we are getting closer to finding out what's going to happen to arsene wenger at arsenal. the gunners are likely to miss out on a top—four finish for the first time in his 20 years at the club and his contract runs out after the fa cup final, that's when a board meeting

is likely to discuss the manager's position. theirfinal league match is at home against everton on sunday so could that be his last match at the emirates. of the season? yes. ever? i cannot tell you. i think what is most important for us is to win the football game on sunday. after that, what happens to me is less important. i am here to serve the club and the best way to do it is to win the next game. lots of managers have been giving their final pre—match news conferences of the season. jurgen klopp‘s liverpool need to beat middlesbrough on sunday to be sure of a top—four finish. they'll definitely be strengthening the squad during the summer. we were working not only on the pitch, sometimes we only had 2a

hours, and we were working hard and had a good position for players but it is not a day to talk about this. it is not that easy because we have already a really good side and if oui’ already a really good side and if our first 11, already a really good side and if ourfirst11, 12, 13, already a really good side and if ourfirst11,12,13,14 already a really good side and if ourfirst11, 12, 13, 1a players are fit then we are full of players and there are are not that many players that would immediately make us better. it promises to be emotional forjohn terry on sunday, his last match at stamford bridge. the chelsea captain is leaving the club in the summer and says he may retire but there are plenty of clubs who would have him. the west bromwich albion manager tony pulis is the latest to express his interest and says his experience would be a boost to the club. after 22 years at chelsea, pulis has described him as "a winner through and through" and "fit as a flea" at the age of 36. swansea and bournemouth are other clubs said to be keen on signing him.

saracens captain brad barritt has been ruled out of tomorrow's premiership semifinal against exeter with a calf injury. his absence is the only change to the 15 that won retained the champions cup last weekend. duncan taylor comes in at inside centre as replacement. some good news for ospreys and the lions this summer, skipper alun wynjones is back for the pro 12 semifinal at munster. he hasn't played since picking up a shoulder injury in the six nations in march. british rider geraint thomas has pulled out of the giro d'italia. he was involved in a nasty crash on sunday, a pile—up in the peleton when they collided with a stationary police motorbike. he'd actually been in second place overall going into that stage but he injured his shoulder and knee and he says that carrying on, "would be a case of trying to survive each day rather than racing". the world anti—doping agency could lift its suspension of russia's drug—testing authority next month which would see the country take another step

towards being reinstated in international competition. wada also say that yelena isinbayeva will be removed from a key anti—doping position in russia. she has been strong critic of the sanctions imposed on russia following the revelations of systematic state sponsored cheating. the double olympic pole vault champion was one of the athletes barred from taking part in last year's rio olympics. that's all sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport. i'll have more in the next hour. let's get more now on julian assange. the wikileaks founder has had a seven—year—long investigation into rape allegations against him dropped this morning. that decision of course made by prosecutors in sweden.

our correspondent maddy savage is in stockholm for us. just outline the reasons they gave. seven yea rs just outline the reasons they gave. seven years of long twists and turns in this case and ultimately it has come down to legal technicalities. cggleidown to [gel technicgag't'ggeg they could no fi their continue their investigation. a couple of things they brought out, still the concerned they would like to question julian assange still the concerned they would like to questionjulian assange in person on swedish soil, they say it is difficult to continue the investigation if that doesn't happen, and they also say they don't feel they will get any other help from the ecuadorian authorities in london. in 2016 prosecutors did eventually fly over to london and we re eventually fly over to london and were allowed to askjulian assange questions via a translator but they

weren't allowed to ask follow—up questions and they have spent the last month going over transcripts and sorting out translations but based on information they have got they said they can't move forward. they have been very clear about stressing that he is no longer somebody who would have been a suspect, they would have liked to continue their questioning, but at the moment with him remaining in the uk and not being willing to travel here they said it simply not for them to continue. what has been the response in sweden to this announcement? a lot of shock that this announcement has come after such a long period of time. it is still the case that these allegations being made are allegations being made are allegations that the women involved in this case wished to continue to

be pursued. the lawyerfrom in this case wished to continue to be pursued. the lawyer from the women accusing julian assange operate released a statement that said it is a scandal that a suspected rapist can escape justice and avoid the courts, describing her client as shocked. i'm sure we will hear more in the coming days from campaigners angry about this decision will stop it is important to point out that rape is quite broadly defined here in sweden, as is sexual offence, but it is a country that strives to protect women's rights and there is a big women's rights and there is a big women's rights and there is a big women's rights movement here. so that will be discussed whether this isa that will be discussed whether this is a way to avoid prosecution in sweden as julian assange is a way to avoid prosecution in sweden asjulian assange has done. the former newcastle united coach george ormond has been charged

with a number of sexual offences that are alleged to have taken place in the 19705, 80s and 905. our correspondent alison freeman is in our newcastle newsroom. what more can you tell us about this? it is the former newcastle united youth coach george ormond who has been charged with 29 sexual offences. northumbria police made the announcement in the past hour or so the announcement in the past hour or so and they say the charges came about as part of their investigation into what they call non—recent child sexual abuse in the sporting community. the charges against him are alleged to have taken place between 1973 and 1998. officers say investigations are ongoing and they are calling on anyone who may have been a victim of child abuse or has

any information on the subject to contact the force or the nspcc. george ormond is due to appear before magistrates on the 9th of june. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, is due to speak at a campaign event in peterborough shortly. he's already been campaigning in bedford this morning and confirmed his pledge that labour would keep the pensions triple lock and winter fuel payments. he said the conservative plans have created a huge amount of anxiety for older people. we can talk now to our political correspondent at that jeremy corbyn event, leila nathoo. jeremy corbyn going on the offensive after the launch of the tory ma nifesto. after the launch of the tory manifesto. yes. you might be able to see behind me crowds of labour supporters outside, waiting for his arrival in peterborough were a business park attached to

peterborough united football ground. jeremy corbyn has been visiting a community centre for the elderly in bedford. he has sensed the conservative party are vulnerable on theissue conservative party are vulnerable on the issue of pensioners given the announcement in their manifesto of ending the triple lock on pensions and the idea to means test of the winter fuel allowance. jeremy corbyn thinks this is an issue that labour can punch through on. john mcdonnell this morning released a poster talking about a triple whammy under the conservatives for pensioners. nowjeremy corbyn was asked about labour's plans for the elderly when he was visiting bedford earlier this morning. we will keep the winter fuel

allowa nce, we will keep the winter fuel allowance, the triple lock. is not that she is being honest with people? she hasn't said what level and issues —— how going to change it. labour will keep winter fuel allowa nce it. labour will keep winter fuel allowance and it will be universal. peterborough is a key target seat for the labour party, conservative majority just over for the labour party, conservative majorityjust over 2000, and labour's vote share went up at the last election. but they voted strongly for brexit, andy ukip are no longerfielding a strongly for brexit, andy ukip are no longer fielding a candidate, seven and a half thousand ukip voters here last election. in a moment a summary of the business news this hour

but first the headlines on bbc news. prosecutors in sweden have dropped their seven—year investigation into rape allegations against the wikileaks founder, julian assange. the shadow chancellorjohn mcdonnell has accused theresa may of abandoning older people, saying means testing winter fuel payments is a "savage attack on vulnerable pensioners". us warplanes operating over syria have attacked a convoy carrying pro—government militia forces in a mission to protect british and american forces. russia has condemned the strike. i'm egon cossou with your money update. online food ordering firm just eat is facing an investigation into its takeover of its great rival hungry house. regulators are worried the deal could harm competition and lead to worse terms for restaurants using the service.

london city airport is to become the first in britain to abandon its control tower in favour of high tech remote monitoring. planes will be directed from a centre 80 miles away in hampshire by controllers using high definition cameras. they will be able to zoom in for detail, light up the runway at night and even follow rogue drones straying into dangerous areas. ah, what a nice day for doing nothing. daddy pig loves doing nothing. oh, goodness me. the mighty peppa pig and friends. well, their exploits earned the company behind the series £161 million in product sales alone last year. the canadian firm entertainment one also said there would be another 177 episodes of peppa pig. the company is also moving into making movies for grown ups. are you still using cash to pay for things? well, more and more of us are switching to new modes of payment like contactless cards or even our phones. that's especially the case for younger shoppers. now barclays says small businesses aren't keeping up with this trend

and are really missing out to the tune of around £1.5 billion. so why are they lagging behind? let's talk to paulette rowe from barclaycard payment solutions. surely one of the reasons is the amount of time it takes for traders to get their money. it is really more about our research showing, both small businesses and shoppers, it is more about not understanding the benefits of adopting these new payment types, particularly next—generation payments, it has been ten years since ba rclayca rd payments, it has been ten years since barclaycard introduced co nta ctless since barclaycard introduced contactless into since barclaycard introduced co nta ctless into the since barclaycard introduced contactless into the uk. last year contactless into the uk. last year contact list grew over 100% yet 24%

of small businesses still do not accept those payments. we hope this research will help small business owners understand that if they want to retain business and young shoppers who is spending power is only going to grow then actually embracing new payment technologies is key. if it takes a long time to get the money, surely it will take them a long time to take it up? there is a lot of work going on in terms of new ways to settle with retailers but it really is important, you mentioned the 1.5, in fa ct important, you mentioned the 1.5, in fact it is £1.6 billion of sales missed out by small businesses. these payments are only going to grow. one in four small businesses we spoke to admitted they are losing sales and if you include the payment types you talked about, mobile

devices and contactless, that goes to two out of three. £1.6 billion of sales in the last 12 months is huge and that is an important focus for small businesses, as our research shows. what is conversational payment? i have a new personal digital assistant, they are becoming more popular, through that personal digital assistant i can orderjust using my voice so that is the kind of payment were you do not have to provide your card details, they are already saved, and it is voice—activated. already saved, and it is voice-activated. thanks very much. some other stories we're also keeping an eye on. britain's factories seem to be powering up. orders are growing at their fastest rate since early 2015. and output in the past three months has risen at its fastest rate for four years, according to the cbi. but on the downside the cost of manufacturing is also rising. sobering news from the cocktail bar chain revolution. it's warning that profits

won't increase this year. it's blaming things like the national living wage and the increase in business rates. the food chain leon is heading to the us. it's getting help from the private equity fund which owns most of the company, with a cash injection of £25 million. the first american branches will open in the second half of the year. let's look at the markets. they seem to be getting over yesterdays jitters. investors have been worried that donald trump's plans to stimulate the economy could be derailed by political scandal. some good company results have really helped boost the ftse. housebuilders have also been lifted by theresa may‘s promise of 1.5 million new homes if she wins the election. sterling is also making progress against the dollar but some people are warning those gains could be limited because of uncertainty over brexit. that's all the business news. peru is suffering an infestation of one of the world's most harmful animals.

hundreds of giant african snails have been found in the northern region of ancash. tim allman reports. cordoned off at first sight, this appears to be a crime scene but things are not what they seem. these are believed to be giant african snails, hundreds of them. brought here by heavy rains and flooding, these creatures can be deadly. harmless in themselves but they are potential carriers of disease and infection. one conservation group has them listed in the top 100 most dangerous exotic species. the authorities in peru are determined to remove them as quickly as possible. translation: by habit they like to be in the dirt in rat dung, so that is where they become contaminated and then they transmit parasites and bacteria.

so serious is the problem that government officials launched an information campaign to warn the public what to do if confronted by a giant african snail. translation: the number of poisonous snails is rising and i am scared, they are climbing my wall, that is why i'm trying to kill them with salt. with one region already on alert for a dengue fever epidemic, the people of peru are being told to steer clear of a threat a lot bigger than it looks. tens of thousands of gaming fans and some of the world's best gamers are gathering in london for one of the biggest events of the year. this weekend some of the worlds best gamers are gathering at the o2 in london for the vainglory spring

championships, one of the biggest events in the calendar. tim muffett reports. eyes, fingers, brains. primed and approaching peak condition. we've been practising a lot. team m&m features some of the uk's top gamers. they're living together in a house in leicesterfor a month, training eight hours a day. how's boot camp going? it's going good. this boot camp will prepare them for the league of legends european championship. actually playing and practising the game is a key component, but there's also sort of coming through games and video analysis of them, so you can actually point out, you know, "here was an error, here was something we could have worked on, here was a way you could have done the a bit better." we're going to try to use pressure instead. it's going to be... yeah, exactly. can i briefly interrupt? sure. what are you talking about? it sounds almost like gobbledygook. we're talking about, like, that kind of level which is above what the average person would see and feel in a game. keep going, keep going... league of legends is a fantasy battle game. this is a recording of a recent team victory. i, however, am not very good.

i think i died again. you died again. the tournament will see teams across europe compete online. like many esports competitions, millions of fans are expected to just log on and watch. it doesn't strike you as odd that some people don't want to play the game, they just want to watch others play the game? no, i mean it's very similar in mainstream sports. i love watching cricket. i'm not much of a cricket player, though. it's amazing how much the industry has grown. i mean, it's getting to the point where it's going to end up rivalling mainstream sports. some say it's already doing just that. live esports tournaments like this one in poland attract thousands of fans. at london's 02, teams from the us and europe will be competing for this trophy and more than £100,000 in prize money. they game they'll be playing, vainglory. it's insanely pressurised. jasmine's a tournament referee, ensuring play is fair and rules are enforced.

it is definitely a sport. i think it might not be, like, physically taxing on you, but mentally for you to work as a team, for you to train for hours and hours on end, reaction speeds and all of this, these are all elements that you find in actual sports. wow, what an incredible fight coming in! i can't wait to see what they're going to do next game! commentators action jackson and exscoundrel travel the world to events like this. the games are so complex and so different from what you'd usually come to expect that you need people that are going to translate that. the impact and growth of esports is getting bigger and bigger. time for a look at the weather. this week has had it all.

temperatures close to 26 degrees, sunshine and places and also a lot of rain in places, more than we have been used it recently. last night across the south—east was very soggy and that rain is now plaguing eastern coast of england and getting induced in scotland. right along this stretch of the country on a cloudy conditions, outbreaks of rain, this is how it looked earlier in newcastle, and it feels pretty chilly. things are brining up across parts of east anglia, certainly the south—east seeing some spells of sunshine but as we move west you can see the story for yourself. these showers right across the map, some heavy, slow moving, a lot of rain in a short space of time, and some thunder and lightning will stop a lot of showers moving in the south—west, wales into the west midlands. sunshine and showers in

northern ireland. sunshine and showers in the west of scotland. there is some nice weather between the downpours, as captured by this weather watcher in the highlands. that's how this afternoon looks. this evening tonight some of the showers will be reluctant to ease away but by the early hours of tomorrow morning many places will be give except for much of scotland because here it will still be quite cloudy and there will be outbreaks of rain. across the northern half of scotland, quite heavy by the start of saturday. for every where else on saturday, another day of sunny spells and showers. northern ireland, england and wales, downpours starting early in the morning and becoming more widespread into the afternoon. some sunny weather between showers. the north of scotland, stuck with a lot of cloud, outbreaks of rain, some could be heavy. but sunshine in the

south—east maybe getting up to 17 or 18. the showers should ease away a little more on saturday nights or more in the way of dry weather to be had. also the rain will move away from the northern half of scotland and high pressure begins to dominate more on sunday. fewer showers, drier weather. frontal systems will try to bring cloud and patchy rain into northern ireland and western scotland. elsewhere largely dry and in the south—east in the sunshine, we could be up to 20 degrees. a lot of different details and twist and turns in the weather over the weekend. you can keep up—to—date with all the weather where you are by logging onto the website. this is bbc news. the headlines at 2pm. swedish prosecutors drop their investigation into a rape allegation against the wikileaks founderjulian assange — his lawyers claim victory. he's been a fugitive,

holed up in the ecuadorian embassy in london since 2012, avoiding extradition — but scotland yard says he'll be arrested if he tries to leave sick and sneaky — labour's assessment of the conservatives plans to means test winter fuel payments. russia condemns an american air strike, on a pro—government convoy, in syria. tv entertainer rolf harris is released from prison. the former entertainer was convicted and sentenced in 2014. also in the next hour, digital departures...