Thursday Morning Briefing: After seven years, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested

Top news

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested. British police were invited into the Ecuadorean embassy, where Assange has been holed up since 2012. His South American hosts abruptly revoked his seven-year asylum in a move his supporters said was illegal. U.S. prosecutors charged him with conspiracy in trying to access a classified U.S. government computer with Chelsea Manning in 2010. For his charges in America, he faces a maximum penalty of five years.

Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir has been overthrown in a coup by the armed forces. Seated on a gold-upholstered armchair, Defence Minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf said Bashir, 75, was under arrest and announced a three-month state of emergency, a nationwide ceasefire and the suspension of the constitution. The downfall of Bashir follows the toppling this month of Algerian strongman Abdelaziz Bouteflika, also following mass protests after three decades in power.

The European Union has given Britain six more months to leave the bloc, more than Prime Minister Theresa May says she needs but less than many in the bloc wanted. The prime minister was keen to stress that the extension to October 31 did not mean she would not deliver Brexit sooner and before, as she promised her rebellious party, she steps down. The extension comes with conditions: Tthat May holds European Parliament elections on May 23 and that the UK does not to disrupt key EU decision-making.

Indians turned out in big numbers to vote in the first phase of a mammoth general election, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a second term after campaigning on his national security record amid tensions with Pakistan.

U.S.

Democrat Beto O’Rourke has called for investment in a “world-class public school system” and says teachers make up the single biggest professional group contributing to his 2020 presidential campaign. But several teacher groups say the former Texas congressman’s support for charter schools in recent years is complicating his efforts to secure their backing in his White House bid.

The United States and China have largely agreed on a mechanism to police any trade agreement they reach, including establishing new “enforcement offices,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. Although President Donald Trump said recently that a deal could be ready around the end of April, Mnuchin declined to put a timeframe on the negotiations.

Executives at the largest U.S. banks are grappling with how to best talk about the slowing economy and its impact on their businesses as they enter earnings season, people familiar with their thinking told Reuters. Of particular concern is how to deal with the word “recession.”

Space

Using a global network of telescopes to see “the unseeable,” an international scientific team on Wednesday announced a milestone in astrophysics - the first-ever photo of a black hole - in an achievement that validated a pillar of science put forward by Albert Einstein more than a century ago.the audience with a rousing speech that spoke to the importance of truth, justice and equality.

Virgin Galactic’s first test passenger received her commercial astronaut wings from the U.S. aviation regulator on Tuesday after flying on the company’s rocket plane to evaluate the customer experience in February. Virgin Galactic’s chief astronaut instructor, Beth Moses, who is a former NASA engineer, became the first woman to fly to space on a commercial vehicle when she joined pilots David Mackay and Mike Masucci on SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity.

Business

Disney to pitch video streaming service to Wall Street

Walt Disney plans to unveil a family-friendly streaming service with TV shows and movies from some of the world’s most popular entertainment franchises in a bid to challenge the digital dominance of Netflix.

3 min read

Exclusive: Chevron, investor reach deal on Myanmar shareholder resolution ounce as bulls fight back at end of brutal October

Chevron plans to put a focus on human rights in Myanmar under an agreement with an investor group that had urged it to pay more attention to violence in the Asian nation where the U.S. oil company has operations.

3 Min Read

Lyft's stock slide casts long shadow on Uber's IPO

Uber Technologies Inc may face a cooler reception from investors than expected when it prices its initial public offering next month since smaller U.S. ride-hailing rival Lyft’s aggressive stock launch and subsequent fall.

2 min read

Top Stories on Reuters TV

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