this is bbc news, the headlines: us prosecutors have announced charges against wikileaks founder, julian assange as an extradition welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america battle begins following his arrest. he was taken into custody and around the globe. when ecuador withdrew the protection of its embassy in london american prosecutors announce charges againstjulian assange, after nearly seven years. of wikileaks, arrested in london british prime minister theresa may after seven years in hiding. his lawyer says they'll fight said no—one is above the law. thousands of protestors have held rallies in sudan, extradition to the us. despite attempts to impose a curfew, following the military coup which saw the removal of longstanding president omar al—bashir. it was an abrupt end to 30 years of his dictatorial rule. this sets a dangerous precedent for a military council is now all media organisations and in charge in khartoum. journalists in europe and elsewhere around the world. defying a curfew, huge theresa may has been defending crowds take to the streets the six—month extension to brexit of sudan's capital as the military negotiated in brussels on wednesday. seizes power after 30 years of dictatorship. the uk was due to leave the eu as europe and the uk agree without a deal but now has a 6—month delay to brexit, theresa may voices her until october 31st to reach an agreement. frustration with the political critics accused her of "abject deadlock in parliament. surrender" and have called on her to resign. the first privately—funded mission to the moon ends in failure. well, we didn't make it, but we

definitely tried. now on bbc news, the israeli spacecraft made thursday in parliament. the distance, but couldn't make the landing. wikilea ks co—founder julian assange faces possible extradition to the united states on conspiracy charges, related to one of the biggest ever leaks of government secrets. he was arrested on thursday at ecuador‘s embassy in london where he took refuge in 2012, and has now been found guilty of failing to surrender to a court. he fled to the embassy to avoid extradition to sweden over a sexual assault case, since dropped. the uk government must decide whether to send him to the us. james landale reports. this was the momentjulian assange‘s seven years of self—imposed asylum came to an end. older, greyer perhaps,

but still defiant, still protesting. we must resist! you can resist! the ecuadorian authorities revoked his asylum and allowed in the police to arrest him for breaching bail. inside, he had resisted the officers, shouting, "this is unlawful, i'm not leaving!" before they handcuffed him and led him outside. what we've shown today is that no—one is above the law. julian assange is no hero, he has hidden from the truth for years and years. and it is right that his future should be decided in the british judicial system. this afternoon, assange was brought to westminster magistrates‘ court. he gave a thumbs—up to supporters outside. and inside, he waved to the public gallery. but the judge called him a narcissist, with a laughable defence, and found him guilty of failing to surrender to the court in 2012. he was remanded in custody

and will be sentenced at a later date. he's also facing conspiracy charges in the united states, relating to a massive leak of government secrets almost a decade ago. this sets a dangerous precedent for all media organisations and journalists in europe and elsewhere around the world. this precedent means that any journalist can be extradited for prosecution in the united states, for having published truthful information about the united states. the wikileaks website that julian assange founded has, over the years, published hundreds of thousands of secret military and diplomatic documents, many from the us. revelations that government officials argued put lives at risk. perhaps the most disturbing leak was this video, of a us military helicopterfiring at iraqi civilians and journalists in a 2007 attack that left at least ten dead.

this pertains to publishing work nine years ago. publishing of documents, of videos, of the killing of innocent civilians, exposure of war crimes. this isjournalism. it's called conspiracy, it's conspiracy to commit journalism. in 2010, assange was investigated by swedish prosecutors about claims of sexual assault, allegations he denied, and eventually avoided by seeking asylum in the ecuadorian embassy. can you hear me? from his diplomatic bolthole, he continued to campaign and defend himself, but eventually, he outstayed the welcome of his ecuadorian hosts. in particular, the new president, lenin moreno. translation: we have taken asylum away from this brat and removed a stone from our shoe. in the future we'll give asylum to people who deserve it. and not to miserable hackers whose only intention is to destabilise governments. to some, julian assange

is a champion of free speech. to others, a dangerous conspiracy theorist. either way, after almost seven years in that building, he's now at least facing justice. this evening after assange left court by a back entrance, the labour leaderjeremy corbyn said he should not be extradited. for now, the former guest of ecuador is facing a new life of confinement, initially at least at the pleasure of her majesty's government. james landale, bbc news. i'm joined now by attorney david weinstein, a formerfederal prosecutor based in miami. thank you very much for your time. i know you took part in prosecutions very similar to the case being brought againstjulian assange. what do you make of it? i think what is getting lost in all the news that is coming out today is what he is charged with. he is not charged with conspiring to disseminate any of

this material. he is charged with being ina this material. he is charged with being in a conspiracy to hack into a government computerfor being in a conspiracy to hack into a government computer for a week—long period in march of 2010. that is what he is being extradited for, not for disseminating the information he received from manning, but for assisting manning into hacking into another computer in the hopes of uncovering additional information. 0n the basis of that charge would you expect him to be extradited? what would you expect to happen if he gets to the united states?” would expect him to be extradited. they will certainly be sufficient information contained in the extradition affidavit proving he is the individual they believe was assisting manning, and then that this crime was committed. he will have to argue that in front of the courts in england, and then once he has brought here to the united states he will be given the opportunity to cross—examine the witnesses and the evidence against him to prove he wasn't part of the conspiracy. what chance is there of

other charges being brought against him while he is there? there was talk of people charging him with treason at one stage. there are other people saying they believe in freedom of speech, but that they believe he worked with the russians to elect president trump. there is a rule of law cold the rule of speciality. what that says is, if you are extradited from one country to another, the country that receives you can only prosecute you for the crimes that have been authorised by the extradition. so in this case the only crime at this moment that will be authorised by the extradition is the intrusion into the government computer. now, if additional charges are filed before the final extradition is to ta ke before the final extradition is to take place, then he could be charged with those other crimes. but once he arrives here in the us, he can only be tried and convicted of the single crime that is contained in this indictment. how quickly do you expect all this to happen?” wouldn't see it happening any

earlier than six months out. he has got to go through the process in england, he is entitled to an appeal there, and then once that is over it has to be finalised and brought here. if he were to weigh that he could be brought to you quicker, but i would estimate it would take at least six months to get through the process. “— least six months to get through the process. —— waive it stop and if he does jail time, how much could it be? statutorily, he is only facing up be? statutorily, he is only facing up to five years in jail, depending upon the conditions that they emphasise to the judge concerning his sentence, it could be in the neighbourhood of only two or three yea rs, neighbourhood of only two or three years, far neighbourhood of only two or three yea rs, far less neighbourhood of only two or three years, far less time than he has beenin years, far less time than he has been in hiding while he has been in england. david ornstein, thank you very much. you are welcome. -- david weinstein. after months of protest in sudan, long—time president 0mar al—bashir has been removed from power in a military coup. after 30 years of dictatorial rule, a military council is now in charge in khartoum. but there are many questions about how much will really change in one of the world's poorest nations. 0ur africa editor, fergal keane, reports.

the revolution isn't over, it simply has a new enemy. the new boss, the general linked to past atrocities, declaring the old boss, president bashir, had been overthrown. translation: i announced that the former head of the regime has been removed and is in a safe place. i announce the formation of a transitional military council that will manage the matters within the period of two years. with a few words he was deposed. in an age when civil society is challenging leaders across africa, the president had seemed on movable. omar al—bashir came to power in a military coup in 1989 and survived for 30 years through cunning and brutality, he was a master manipulator of his own party's factions. the genocide in darfur in 2010 wasn't enough to force his departure. he was a pariah in the west but still welcomed

in africa and the middle east. but a spiralling economic crisis last year khartoum, his face was vanishing. and for a generation which has known nothing but omar al—bashir‘s rule euphoria is understandable. awakened decades of resentment and created this people's revolution. in they sensed a great moment was coming, and thanked those who'd protected them for days. translation: to see bashir stepping down is enough for us. our young people, this is such a big joy. translation: the protest will go on until the sudanese people are assured that their revolution will not be stolen from them. and what of these younger soldiers who sided with the demonstrators? firing on a building where they believed bashir loyalists were preparing an attack. will they accept that the old guard hijacks the revolution? the fractures here are deep and dangerous.

at this moment, the army were seen as the saviours. the hours dragged on until the early afternoon, and then the words they had yearned to hear. i have now stepped ahead. the former head of the regime has been removed and is in safe place. and which, tonight, is defying the army curfew. they will let's get some of the day's other news. turkey's electoral commission has overturned the victories of several candidates in last month's local elections, benefiting, in many cases, president erdogan‘s ak party. several mayors—elect from the main pro—kurdish party have been told they cannot take up their posts because they were previously dismissed from theirjobs,

by government decree. voting has ended in the first phase of the indian general election. about 900 million people are eligible to vote in seven separate days of polling. prime minister narendra modi and his hindu nationalist bjp are hoping to win a second term in office. final results are expected on may the 23rd. the australian rugby star, israel folau, is facing the sack over a social media post in which he said "hell awaits" gay people. rugby australia and the new south wales rugby union say, in the absence of mitigating factors, they intend to terminate his contract. a fundamentalist christian, he's also suggested that "homosexuals, drunks, thieves and atheists" should "repent." the british prime minister has been defending the six—month delay to brexit she accepted in brussels late on wednesday night. the uk was due to leave the european union on friday, without having reached any agreement, but now has until october 31st to find a deal that will get through parliament in london. theresa may has told mps brexit remains her priority, but many within her own party have

accused her of "surrender" and called on her to resign. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. the fury isn't so fast any more. our eu exit has slowed right down. the prime minister didn't get her way. so she was back explaining to parliament today, we might not leave the european union for another six months. statement, the prime minister. her hope still to make it happen earlier, but not many on these benches think it could be done. i deeply regret that we have not been able to secure agreement in this house for a deal that would allow us to leave in a smooth and orderly way. i know that this whole debate is putting members on all sides of the house under immense pressure. for brexit to happen anytime soon, the prime minister needs labour to compromise, but there is still hostility between the two. the second extension in the space

of a fortnight represents not only a diplomatic failure but is another milestone in the government's mishandling of the entire brexit process. the delay is toxic for some tories. perseverance is a virtue, but sheer obstinacy is not. so, prime minister... hear, hear! eurosceptics know a thing or two about being stubborn as well. does my right honourable friend the prime minister appreciate the anger that her abject surrender last night has generated across the country? will she resign? a sharp collective intake of breath. i think you know the answer to that. and, as per usual, the tories have split. can i thank the prime minister for going out to brussels, standing up in the national interest and coming back with an extension that means we are going to avoid the car crash and disaster that would be involved

in a hard brexit. nothing about brexit has happened in haste, and now the speed of this whole process is slowing down. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: biblical myth made real. a marble staircase thought to have been climbed by christ has been restored to its original state pol pot, one of the century's greatest mass murderers, is reported to have died of natural causes. in the khmer rouge movement he led were responsible for the death of an estimated 1.7 million cambodians. they have been violent protests in indonesia, where playboy has gone on sale for the first time.

traditionalist was and leaders have expressed disgust. the magazine's officers have been attacked and its editorial staff have gone into hiding. it is clear that her only contest was with the clock and as we re contest was with the clock and as were sporting legacy, paula radcliffe's competitors will be chasing a new world best time for years to come. quite quietly, but quicker and quicker, she seemed just to slide away under the surface and disappear. welcome back. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: american prosecutors announce charges against wikileaks founder, julian assange, following his arrest in london. his lawyer says he now faces extradition to the us. defying curfew orders, huge crowds take to the streets

of sudan's capital, as the military seizes power. let's stay with that story now. we can go to eric reeves, a sudan researcher, analyst and author, and senior fellow at harvard university. he's in boston, massachusetts right now. thank you very much for your time. how do you expect the situation to develop? can't know, we simply can't know. what we most need to know is how the army will split. we know that the generals, the most senior generals, will stay within the council and will attempt to replicate the regime of omar al—bashir, but once we get low in the ranks, video generals and lower, kernels, majors, it is of a different matter and then it seems to me the army is moving towards the people. if the army, insufficient numbers, side with the uprising, that will affect a move towards

civilian governance. on the other hand, the security services are loyal to this regime. the rapid support forces, are a factor as well and they decide to act in their own best interest as they proceeded. you have a lot of moving parts, you have a lot of heavily armed and mutually suspicious bodies, so we simply can't know until we know more about how the army is going to split and which way. often, i guess in heavy militarised states, so much depends on how invested the top banks of the military are in the country, how much money they're frankly, out of the current setup. —— ranks. do you think the current setup may have miscalculated the mood in the country? i think so. miscalculated the mood in the country? ithink so. one miscalculated the mood in the country? i think so. one of the things that struck me, following this regime very closely for 20 yea rs this regime very closely for 20 years now, is that they really do not know anything about economics.

they have ruled for 12 years from 1999 to 2007, petrodollars came in with the succession of south sudan and the loss of that picture income, the economy has begun a process of colla pse the economy has begun a process of collapse that has only accelerated. right now, the country has suffered from hyperinflation, adjusting loss of currency with which to finance the critical imports, wheat, for bread, medicines, products that are necessary for transportation, water. —— petro. this is an economy that is imploding and the regime under al basheer gave no signs of understanding what was necessary, budgets were estimated at 70% of the national budget as a whole and there is nothing, nothing in general‘s background that would suggest he has

any idea about how to reverse the economic collapse. —— al—bashir. he was head of military intelligence in darfur, it is important to point out, at a time when the killing was most intense, the genocide was most decide to, in the early years, and he has taken that brutality to the highest office in the land, so to speak, as head of this council. —— was most deadly. eric, i know you know a great deal about this subject, have to ask you to be brief because i'm afraid we never have enough time. is there something the rest of the world can do to help this would make it worse?” rest of the world can do to help this would make it worse? i think it is really important that international act as a consequence meekly they will not accept the general as head of state of sudan. there was a first gesture towards that by the european union today, there have been some statements on there have been some statements on the us congress, the african union though has been very weak. the

united nations have been extremely weak, the general cannot be recognised as the head of state of sudan or that will only embolden him and embolden those who would side with him. erica, it sounds like we're going to be back to you as the story develops. thank you so much for your insight. sure. -- eric. it was meant to be one of a kind, the first privately—funded mission to the moon. and israel's spacecraft beresheet did get there, but instead of a soft landing, israeli officials had to announce a crash landing, with the prime minister in attendance. we had a failure in the spacecraft. we had a failure in the spacecraft. we u nfortu nately we had a failure in the spacecraft. we unfortunately have not managed to land successfully. we are the seventh country to orbit the moon and the fourth to reach the moon's surface and... it is a tremendous achievement up till now. well, we didn't make it, but we definitely tried. if at first you don't succeed, you try again. officials

say the craft had several technical and communication problems as it neared the lunar surface. its main engine apparently failed. the aim of the $100 million mission was to take pictures and conduct experiments. until now, only government space agencies, from the former soviet union, the us and china have made successful landings. a marble staircase, thought to have been climbed by christ on his way to be sentenced to crucifixion, has been restored to its original state after nearly 300 years. the so—called holy staircase, in rome, has been a popular place for catholic pilgrims for centuries. kathryn armstrong has more. it may look like your average marble staircase but for many catholics around the world, this particular set of 28 stairs has huge significance. the holy staircase is thought to have been climbed by jesus on his way to be sentenced to crucifixion. but for nearly 300 yea rs, crucifixion. but for nearly 300 years, the stairs had encased in wood to protect them from the wear

and tear of millions of pilgrims, who by tradition call up them. now for a limited time only, the staircase has been uncovered. translation: i'm really emotional because i'm having family problems. i think about my children and their health, i will pay for my family, for everyone and for peace.” already did it when it was hidden steps, but it is much more moving 110w. steps, but it is much more moving now. if you think about the fact thatjesus was here now. if you think about the fact that jesus was here and where now. if you think about the fact thatjesus was here and where he was held and when he suffered, it is very emotional. while preparing the staircase for the public, experts in the vatican museums were amazed to find thousands of nodes that had been left by pilgrims over the centuries, including one from an italian man who had escaped slavery stop the steps will remain open to the public for two months, before being covered once more to preserve them for future generations. kathryn armstrong, bbc news.

australians will vote in a general election on the 18th of may to decide whether the conservative government wins a third term or is replaced by oz labour. or is replaced by —— labor. it is going to be mean, it is going to be dirty and one thing is for certain, someone has got to lose. just like aussie rules football, australian politics can be a brutal game, never more so australian politics can be a brutal game, never more so than in an election. on one side, the reigning champions, the coalition, team which has been through a lot of on field bus stops since the last election, dramatically sucking its captain and putting in a new man, scott morrison. he has only been prime minister for a morrison. he has only been prime ministerfor a few morrison. he has only been prime minister for a few months, can you make it past me? on form, the government could struggle to hold on. they have been lagging behind in the polls for the last two and a half years, but there is one key

issue they want to bring into play time after time. the strong economy. this is an economy that is on its way back. when that happens, you economy strengthens. that is what will drive the economy forward. so what about the opposition? well, since being kicked out of office by the voters in 2013, the labor party has sorted out its infighting and remarkably for australia, stuck to the same leader for the last five and a half years. we are united. we are determined, and we are ready, ready to serve, ready to lead, ready to deliver a fair go for australia. will shorten could soon be australia's next pm, there is only one problem. the opinion polls suggest he is even less popular than the current prime minister. amongst the current prime minister. amongst the political leaders, there is no such thing as the fans's favourite.

that is it for now, thank you so much for watching. hello. the calendar is taking us forward into mid april but the weather seems to want to go backwards, more of a hint of winter rather than spring in the week and to come. the day had, plenty of dry weather, although there will be a bit more cloud in the sky than it had recently, we're going to see some sunny had recently, we're going to see some sunny spells. high pressure in control, blocking atlantic weather systems, keeping things settled, although things are fairly call coming around that area of high pressure, chilli strong wind this weekend. there will be forced around despite a start, plenty of sunshine for early risers but the chance of catching one or two showers towards eastern parts of scotland, and for the cloud building into east anglia in the south—east, the could be the odd shower around here during the

morning and afternoon before somewhat dry air returns to eastern counties of england to give some sunshine and the day. elsewhere, we start the some sunshine, some cloud building but it will stay mainly dry. this easterly breeze is keeping temperatures in the east around seven to 10 degrees. —— we start to see some. maybe ten to 12 degrees again in north—west scotland, that is what we have had for the past few days. the wind direction is favourable for a bit of warmth and shelter here. through the night into saturday morning, some areas of cloud amount, may be still the odd shower feeding down towards the far south—east. on the whole, a lot of clear weather and yet again, gardeners and growers need to be aware there will be a foster many of us as aware there will be a foster many of us as the weekend begins. i love this view, it is high pressure, in control of the weekend weather, comment is high pressure maintaining its control, winning the battle and its control, winning the battle and it stays with us for the weekend. —— there will be a frost. with a strong wind coming from the east. that is

going to be more noticeable, there will be some sunshine abound, some cloud building as saturday begins and while most places will stay dry, the passing shower, could include some hail, baby seat over higher ground and it will feel a bit colder. the wind in the west is picking up over the weekend, noticeably so, ab some gusts over northern ireland. more cloud on sunday here, maybe a bit of rain in the far west, into the isles of scilly as well. cloud building after fairly start elsewhere, still most places staying fairly dry and still cold est places staying fairly dry and still coldest in the east, but no—one is particularly warmth of the time of year. temperatures well below average now. this is what we are expecting this weekend, dry, some occasional sunshine, stronger wind. it will feel cold, frosty night, it is next week the temperatures on the up is next week the temperatures on the up again.