Julian Assange's plea deal has ended a 12-year saga in which he was holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London before spending years in a British high-security jail.
In that time, he has got married and had two children – one while at the embassy and one while being held in prison.
He has always insisted he was fighting for the freedom of the press after releasing thousands of top secret documents and should not be extradited to the US. He also fought allegations of sex crimes in Sweden.
What happens next and why is he going to Saipan?
Australian-born Mr Assange, 52, landed in Bangkok on Tuesday, en route to a court hearing in Saipan, the capital of Northern Mariana Islands.
The deal means he will walk free after it takes into account time served in Belmarsh prison while on remand.
How was the deal reached?
In March, two High Court judges said they would grant him a new appeal unless given assurances, including that he would not face the death penalty.
The US was also asked to confirm that he could use in his defence the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects free speech, and that his trial and sentencing would not be prejudiced by his Australian nationality.
His wife, Stella Assange, said on Tuesday that this recent case appeared to have been the breakthrough.
What did Julian Assange do?
Mr Assange drew the world's attention in 2010 when WikiLeaks published about 750,000 classified US documents and diplomatic cables, which exposed possible war crimes, torture and secret military operations, as well as unveiling the often unseemly behind-the-scenes activities of US diplomacy.
US military intelligence officer Chelsea Manning was arrested and jailed for handing over the files to WikiLeaks.
The Americans alleged that Mr Assange directed and abetted Manning in stealing the files, when he tried to help her break a passcode to a Pentagon computer system.
Why was he in prison in the UK?
The WikiLeaks founder fled to Ecuador's embassy in London in 2012 while he was facing extradition to Sweden, where he was being investigated after a rape allegation was made against him two years earlier. Those allegations were eventually dropped.
He then battled extradition to the US since 2019 over the espionage changes and was held in the maximum-security Belmarsh Prison in London.
Speaking before the March court hearing, his wife said: “It's important to have in mind that this has gone on for over five years and Julian has been in the UK's most notorious prison for this entire time.
“In fact, every day since the December 7, 2010, he has been in one form of detention or another.”
She claimed the legal process had been skewed in favour of the US, where officials have been “given endless chances to change their case, in order to get Julian extradited to face 175 years [in prison] for publishing evidence of US war crimes”.
Julian Assange through the years - in pictures
Celebrity case
Over the years, Mr Assange has been a magnet for celebrities as he became the focus of a fierce worldwide campaign promoting free speech and holding the US and its allies accountable for their actions.
During his time in the embassy he was visited by celebrities such as Pamela Anderson and Lady Gaga, while socialite Jemima Khan was at the forefront of donating millions of pounds for his legal fees.
But the Ecuadoreans began to tire of the circus surrounding him as he held forth to supporters from a balcony and they spent $66,000 a month on his security.
He was dragged from the embassy by police officers after his seven-year asylum was revoked and taken to Belmarsh.
Company%20Profile
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Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support
Chip: Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 64/256GB storage; 8GB RAM
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, Smart HDR
Video: 4K @ 25/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR, Centre Stage; full HD @ 25/30/60fps
Audio: Stereo speakers
Biometrics: Touch ID
I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)
Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours on cellular
Finish: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue
Price: Wi-Fi – Dh2,499 (64GB) / Dh3,099 (256GB); cellular – Dh3,099 (64GB) / Dh3,699 (256GB)
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
GYAN’S ASIAN OUTPUT
2011-2015: Al Ain – 123 apps, 128 goals
2015-2017: Shanghai SIPG – 20 apps, 7 goals
2016-2017: Al Ahli (loan) – 25 apps, 11 goals
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
MATCH INFO
England 2
Cahill (3'), Kane (39')
Nigeria 1
Iwobi (47')
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
