WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in LondonThomson Reuters
Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks, was arrested by British police at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Thursday.
The London Metropolitan Police's arrest comes after Ecuador revoked his asylum. The Latin American country confirmed the withdrawal in a video posted on Twitter.
He is in custody at a central London police station and will be taken to Westminster Magistrates' Court "as soon as is possible," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Scotland's first minister has said the UK must not waste time now a flexible extension to Brexit has been agreed until 31 October.
In a tweet, Nicola Sturgeon said it was "a relief" that the UK would not be "crashing out" of the EU on Friday.
She added that allowing people to decide if they still wanted to leave was now imperative, and that Scotland's interests must be protected.
Holyrood will not be recalled now that the extension has been agreed.
Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh had warned MSPs they would be recalled from 13:00 on Thursday if the UK was due to leave the EU without a deal on Friday.
However, following the announcement of the extension, Mr Macintosh said a recall was no longer necessary.
European Council president Donald Tusk said the UK could still ratify the withdrawal agreement or choose to "cancel Brexit altogether".
He added: "Let me finish with a message to our British friends: This extension is as flexible as I expected, and a little bit shorter than I expected, but it's still enough to find the best possible solution. Please do not waste this time."
Prime Minister Theresa May, who had wanted a shorter delay, said the UK would still aim to leave the EU as soon as possible.
Speaking on BBC radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, Scottish Secretary David Mundell said Theresa May was determined to leave the EU by 30 June.
He said: "We're not leaving the EU tomorrow on the basis of no deal. I think everyone, certainly in Scotland, is in agreement that leaving the EU on Friday would not have been a good outcome.
'Persuade parliament'
Mr Mundell added: "She [Theresa May] wants to deliver Brexit by 22 May so that we don't have to have the European elections and there is still an opportunity to do that.
"If we can, as I would hope - because these talks seem to be serious - get some form of agreement with the Labour Party, then it would be possible to ratify the withdrawal agreement by 22 May and leave by then, and it would still be possible also to leave by 30 June."
The UK is bound to hold European elections in May, or leave on 1 June without a deal.
The prime minister had earlier told leaders she wanted to move the UK's exit date from Friday of this week to 30 June, with the option of leaving earlier if her withdrawal agreement was ratified by parliament.
Following the extension announcement, she said that although the delay extends until 31 October, the UK can leave before then if MPs pass her withdrawal deal.
"I know that there is huge frustration from many people that I had to request this extension," she said.
"The UK should have left the EU by now and I sincerely regret the fact that I have not yet been able to persuade parliament to approve a deal."
Mrs May added: "I do not pretend the next few weeks will be easy, or there is a simple way to break the deadlock in parliament. But we have a duty as politicians to find a way to fulfil the democratic decision of the referendum, deliver Brexit and move our country forward.
"Nothing is more pressing or more vital."
The PM said that the UK "will continue to hold full membership rights and obligations [of the EU]" during the delay.
What was agreed?
A Brexit extension "only as long as necessary" and "no longer than 31 October" to allow for the ratification of the withdrawal agreement
The UK "must hold the elections to the European Parliament" and if it fails to do this, the UK will leave on 1 June
The European Council reiterates there can be no reopening of the withdrawal agreement negotiations
Jack Shepherd, who was found guilty of killing a woman in a speedboat crash on the River Thames, has arrived in the UK to finish his extradition from Georgia.
He fled before the trial which convicted him of the manslaughter of Charlotte Brown.
Speaking to the BBC on-board a plane at Tbilisi International Airport, Shepherd said he regretted going on the run and did so through "animalistic fear".
He arrived at Gatwick Airport at 21:20 BST.
He was taken from Gatwick by Metropolitan Police officers ahead of his court appearance later.
Speaking in Georgia before he left for the UK, Shepherd said: "I am terribly sorry for my involvement in Charlotte's death and subsequent actions which have made things worse and I'd like to make amends for that.
"I ran for fear. It wasn't premeditated, it was just a case of being driven by an animalistic fear and jumping on a plane with not much of a plan."
British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives for a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Tuesday.
MAYBE IT’S a mirage, but there are signs that Britain’s destructive deadlock over leaving the European Union may be easing. Last week, Prime Minister Theresa May finally broke with the extremists in her Conservative Party who had blocked the exit deal she negotiated, and she opened negotiations with the opposition Labour Party. The hope is to find a compromise formula for Brexit that would preserve close economic relations with the continent and thus minimize the inevitable damage of a split. Meanwhile, E.U. leaders appear prepared to grant a new extension on Britain’s departure at a summit Wednesday, avoiding a crash-out this Friday. Such a disastrous no-deal Brexit has already been ruled out by Parliament — the one thing that badly divided body has been able to agree on.
Months more of fractious debate could lie ahead in London — especially as the E.U. might offer a long extension, until the end of 2019 or beyond. In the interim, Ms. May might be forced to step down as Conservative leader, agree to a general election or hold a new referendum on Brexit — or perhaps all three. That could reverse the fragile trend toward finding a centrist consensus and further polarize the country — which is why responsible members of all parties should work for a negotiated compromise.
For now, the chance that talks between Ms. May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will produce results don’t look particularly good. Mr. Corbyn, a rigid Marxist, has until recently been unwilling to pursue a solution to the Brexit crisis; his priority has been to force an election that he thinks could make him prime minister. The Labour Party, too, is badly divided over whether and how Britain should depart the E.U. And Ms. May can be inflexible. After the first rounds of talks, Mr. Corbyn complained that the prime minister had been unwilling to depart from her previous “red lines.”
The broad parameters of a compromise are nevertheless fairly clear. Britain would agree to remain in the E.U. customs union, which would allow mostly frictionless trade to continue and avoid the creation of a “hard border” between British Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland — the factor that bedeviled Ms. May’s deal. Britain would remain outside the E.U. single market but would harmonize provisions for workers’ rights and the environment. And Parliament would enact legislation or negotiate provisions with the E.U. to ensure that any compromise deal would be respected by a future government, should Ms. May depart.
Accepting such terms would be agonizing for Ms. May, as they would split her party. But she has made the right decision by seeking to forge a centrist compromise, rather than accepting the ultimatums of the Conservative ultras. If no deal can be reached with Mr. Corbyn, she should follow through on her vow to hold a series of parliamentary votes on alternatives — and take whatever passes to Brussels.
Read more:
Fareed Zakaria: Brexit will mark the end of Britain’s role as a great power
Anne Applebaum: Theresa May was warned about Brexit. She didn’t listen.
Megan McArdle: Brexit hasn’t even happened, yet Ireland is already seeing signs of the economic toll
Robert J. Samuelson: We anti-Brexit folks should feel pretty self-satisfied now. Well, we’re not.
The Post’s View: Britain must swallow the hard realities of Brexit — or leave the choice to voters
Theresa May is holding last-minute Brexit talks with the French President Emmanuel Macron, with the UK due to leave the EU in three days' time.
The UK PM will urge Mr Macron to back her request to delay Brexit again until 30 June, having earlier met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.
After the talks, Ms Merkel said a delay that runs to the end of the year or the start of 2020 was a possibility.
There is a summit on Wednesday when all EU states will vote on an extension.
Cross-party talks in Westminster aimed at breaking the impasse in Parliament finished, with both sides expressing hope there would be progress.
A draft EU document circulated to diplomats ahead of the emergency meeting of EU leaders proposes an extension but leaves the date blank.
The BBC's Brussels correspondent Adam Fleming said the document refers to an extension lasting "only as long as is necessary and, in any event, no longer than XX.XX.XXXX and ending earlier if the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified".
European Council president Donald Tusk said there was "little reason to believe" that the ratification process of the withdrawal agreement could be completed by the end of June.
In a letter to EU leaders, he said at Wednesday's summit members should discuss "an alternative, longer extension" that will be flexible and "would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year".
The UK is currently due to leave the EU at 23:00 BST on Friday.
Downing Street said Mrs May and Ms Merkel discussed the UK's request for an extension of Article 50 - the process by which the UK leaves the EU - to 30 June, with the option to bring this forward if a deal is ratified earlier.
The prime minister and Chancellor Merkel agreed "on the importance of ensuring Britain's orderly withdrawal", a statement said.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Ms Merkel said EU leaders would discuss a "flextension" - a one-year flexible extension - at Wednesday's summit.
Following a meeting of the EU's General Affairs Council in Luxembourg, diplomats said "slightly more than a handful" of member states spoke in favour of a delay to 30 June and a majority were in favour of a longer extension.
Adam Fleming said no maximum end extension date was agreed, although December 2019 and March 2020 were mentioned.
Conditions of a delay were discussed including UK participation in May's European Parliament elections, no re-opening of the withdrawal agreement and how to guarantee the UK's pledge of "sincere co-operation" in ongoing EU business.
So far, MPs have rejected the withdrawal agreement Mrs May reached with other European leaders last year.
One of most contentious parts of the plan is the Irish backstop - an insurance policy that aims to prevent a hard border returning to the island of Ireland.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
The EU has continually said it will not re-open the withdrawal agreement for negotiations, but Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom renewed her plea for them to look again.
Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said cross-party talks aimed at breaking the impasse in Parliament had been "open and constructive", but the two sides differed on a "number of areas".
Labour's shadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey said they were "hopeful progress will be made" and discussions with the government will continue in the "coming days".
Further talks are due to be held on Thursday.
In a leaked letter seen by the Telegraph, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has warned that agreeing with Labour over its demand for a customs union is the "worst of both worlds" and will leave Britain unable to set its own trade policy.
On Tuesday afternoon, MPs approved a government motion asking MPs to approve the PM's request to the EU to delay Brexit, required after a bill from Labour's Yvette Cooper became law.
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The final decision on an extension lies with the EU - and the leaders of all the 27 other EU countries have to decide whether to grant or reject an extension.
If the UK is still a member of the EU on 23 May, it will have to take part in European Parliamentary elections.
Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said the UK would "certainly not" leave without a deal on Friday.
But Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney said a no-deal Brexit was still possible - even though it would represent "an extraordinary failure of politics".
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the EU has "hope and expectation" from the cross-party talks happening in Westminster and he would be willing to "improve" the political declaration "within hours".
EU leaders are curious to hear the prime minister's Plan B. They hope there is one, although they're not convinced.
They want to know, if they say yes to another Brexit extension, what it will be used for.
And they suspect Theresa May wants them to do her dirty work for her.
EU diplomatic sources I have spoken to suggest the prime minister may have officially asked the EU for a short new extension (until 30 June) as that was politically easier for her back home, whereas she believed and hoped (the theory goes) that EU leaders will insist instead on a flexible long extension that she actually needs.
The bottom line is: EU leaders are extremely unlikely to refuse to further extend the Brexit process.
If no cross-party compromise can be reached, Mrs May has committed to putting a series of Brexit options to the Commons and being bound by the result.
This could include the option of holding a public vote on any deal agreed by Parliament.
Tory MP and government aide to the chancellor, Huw Merriman, said he backed a "People's Vote" to secure the public's support for the prime minister's deal.
Speaking at a rally for the campaign, he said it was "seriously wrong" that he had been threatened with the sack, and said he wanted another vote in order to "get this country through the mess we are currently in".
Key dates in the week ahead
Tuesday: Theresa May travels to Berlin, and Paris, for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. Commons vote on motion to approve the PM's request to the EU to delay Brexit
Wednesday: PMQs in the Commons. Emergency summit of EU leaders to consider UK request for further extension until 30 June, with the option of an earlier Brexit day if a deal can be agreed
Friday: Brexit day, if UK is not granted a further delay
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/ Updated
By Alexander Smith
BRUSSELS — Here in the political heart of Europe, the U.K. is about to face a crucial crossroad in a Brexit process that has been thwarted by stubbornness and indecision.
And the country will have little say over its own fate.
On Wednesday night, 27 prime ministers and presidents from across the European Union will gather for a high-stakes summit.
They will have two broad options — and both have seismic consequences for the U.K. and beyond.
The leaders could reluctantly offer another extension to when Brexit will happen, meaning Britain would not leave the E.U. for at least another few weeks and perhaps even an entire year. Brexit was initially scheduled for March 29.
If they refuse to offer British Prime Minister Theresa May a delay, her country will crash out of Europe without a deal on Friday, leaving the U.K. floundering without any international trade agreements.
It is the second delay requested by May. She has asked for more time because the plan she negotiated with the E.U. has on three occasions been unable to win enough support among U.K. lawmakers. It also has threatened to tear apart her ruling Conservative Party.
In the nearly three years since the British people voted to leave the E.U., their government has failed to agree on even the first baby steps toward unpicking the countless laws and regulations that bind it to Europe.
Nevertheless, consensus seems to be building among the bloc's member states that they should, begrudgingly, agree to offer May her requested extension, according to four E.U. diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly to journalists.
"I believe that no leader will want to take the risk of blocking the extension and then being blamed for a 'no-deal' Brexit," one of the diplomats told NBC News.
Although a "no-deal" Brexit does have its supporters, most experts see it as a nightmare scenario. It might even provoke a return to violence on the Irish border.
This boundary between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and the Irish Republic, which is a separate country and will remain in the E.U., was the focus of a 30-year armed conflict known as "The Troubles." The violence only calmed with a hard-won peace deal in 1998 that all but erased the line.
There are widespread fears that a "no-deal" Brexit would bring a hard border that could well become a target for the type of sectarian violence not seen since then.
So when European leaders are faced with the imperfect choice — offer the U.K. an extension or risk violence on the border of one of their allies — many believe that European loyalty will win out.
"Ireland is the thing that worries other European members the most. It's just so sensitive," another E.U. diplomat said.
What is French for 'veto'?
An extension is far from a done deal though.
Any decision will have to be reached unanimously, meaning it would take just one "no" from a club featuring a membership as varied as Hungary, Slovakia, Cyprus and Malta.
"For all the work that the advisers and sherpas do ahead of time, it is just the leaders in that room, and it can really come down to any one of them," according to one senior E.U. official, also speaking anonymously because of the delicate status of the negotiations.
Feb. 7, 201909:58
For all the previous speculation, what's decided in that room at the special summit of the European Council is the "only game in town," as European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas put it in a briefing last week.
If any country is likely to consign the U.K. to the fate of no-deal, it's France.
French President Emmanuel Macron has previously warned May that if she wants to avoid a "no-deal" Brexit it's up to her to win parliamentary support for her plan before Wednesday's summit.
This is a towering challenge, not least because it's asking her to do something in a matter of days that she's repeatedly failed to achieve over many months.
In a rare and extremely belated moment of bipartisanship, May reached out to Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to try to find a solution that would end the parliamentary gridlock, but those talks have yet to yield any concrete results.
After days of shuttle-diplomacy around Europe, the prime minister is set to present her case to the bloc's leaders Wednesday, which will be held in the futuristic cube that is Brussels' Europa Building.
But she won't be in the room when a final decision is made.
For a country that voted to "take back control" in June 2016, its future is now in the hands of the very European leaders it wanted to divorce.
"Will France press the nuclear button? That's for only Mr. Macron to decide," the senior E.U. official said.
Murmurs of a possible French veto have put some nerves on edge.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told his national broadcaster this weekend that any country that vetoed the extension "wouldn't be forgiven."
'Really rather tired of it'
In a week that began with a sullen fog hanging over Brussels, the weather here has matched the political mood. Many Brits love to hate Brexit. In Brussels, most political officials plain hate it.
Many people who work for the E.U. are deeply frustrated at being caught up in what they see as an unnecessary circus that arose from petty political bickering in London. It's now sapping time and energy from issues they see as more pressing.
"The view from Brussels is that we are getting really rather tired of it. We have got other things to be getting on with," said Michael Emerson, a former ambassador to the European Commission who is now an associate senior research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies, a think tank.
At this late stage, with the 11th hour having passed weeks ago, there are no pain-free options left in the process.
Even if Britain is granted a delay this week, that route is rife with dizzying twists and contradictions. The great unresolved question among member states is how long any extension should be.
However, there is a major headache in the shape of looming European Parliament elections, which are being held across the continent from May 23 to May 26.
May has repeatedly rejected taking part in that election, but on Monday her government confirmed it had taken the first official steps to doing so, albeit insisting this was just a precaution.
This is where things get messy fast. Some of Britain's European Parliament seats have been reallocated to other countries. If the U.K. remains in the bloc even temporarily, these nations would have to give back their new seats to a member that, officially at least, doesn't really want them.
The British public would then face the surreal prospect of being asked to vote for representatives in a bloc they chose to leave 33 months ago.
May and European Council President Donald Tusk have raised the possibility of a "flextension" — canceling the delay immediately if a deal is thrashed out — but how this would work if the election campaign is already underway remains unclear.
A longer extension could be even more disorderly. Many in Brussels are deeply troubled by the idea of the U.K. remaining as a temporary yet powerful and potentially disruptive member.
Meanwhile, Brits who work and live with their families in Brussels have been left in limbo.
"I plan to carry on here until we can’t carry on any longer," said Seb Dance, a European lawmaker for the opposition Labour Party who supports remaining in Europe. "I think when I leave, it will be a last-minute dash in the car back to London."
Alexander Smith reported from Brussels, and Rachel Elbaum from London.
Alexander Smith
Alexander Smith is a London-based senior reporter for NBC News Digital.
Theresa May is holding last-minute Brexit talks with the French President Emmanuel Macron, with the UK due to leave the EU in three days' time.
The UK PM will urge Mr Macron to back her request to delay Brexit again until 30 June, having earlier met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.
After the talks, Ms Merkel said a delay that runs to the end of the year or the start of 2020 was a possibility.
There is a summit on Wednesday when all EU states will vote on an extension.
Cross party talks in Westminster aimed at breaking the impasse in Parliament finished, with both sides expressing hope there would be progress.
A draft EU document circulated to diplomats ahead of the emergency meeting of EU leaders proposes an extension but leaves the date blank.
The BBC's Brussels correspondent Adam Fleming said the document refers to an extension lasting "only as long as is necessary and, in any event, no longer than XX.XX.XXXX and ending earlier if the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified".
The UK is currently due to leave the EU at 23:00 BST on Friday.
Downing Street said Mrs May and Ms Merkel discussed the UK's request for an extension of Article 50 - the process by which the UK leaves the EU - to 30 June, with the option to bring this forward if a deal is ratified earlier.
The prime minister and Chancellor Merkel agreed "on the importance of ensuring Britain's orderly withdrawal", a statement said.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Ms Merkel said EU leaders would discuss a "flextension" - a one-year flexible extension - at Wednesday's summit.
Following a meeting of the EU's General Affairs Council in Luxembourg, diplomats said "slightly more than a handful" of member states spoke in favour of a delay to 30 June and a majority were in favour of a longer extension.
Adam Fleming said no maximum end extension date was agreed, although December 2019 and March 2020 were mentioned.
Conditions of a delay were discussed including UK participation in May's European Parliament elections, no re-opening of the withdrawal agreement and how to guarantee the UK's pledge of "sincere co-operation" in ongoing EU business.
So far, MPs have rejected the withdrawal agreement Mrs May reached with other European leaders last year.
One of most contentious parts of the plan is the Irish backstop - an insurance policy that aims to prevent a hard border returning to the island of Ireland.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
The EU has continually said it will not re-open the withdrawal agreement for negotiations, but Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom renewed her plea for them to look again.
Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said cross-party talks aimed at breaking the impasse in Parliament had been "open and constructive", but the two sides differed on a "number of areas".
Labour's shadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey said they were "hopeful progress will be made" and discussions with the government will continue in the "coming days".
Further talks are due to be held on Thursday.
In a leaked letter seen by the Telegraph, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has warned that agreeing with Labour over its demand for a customs union is the "worst of both worlds" and will leave Britain unable to set its own trade policy.
On Tuesday afternoon, MPs approved a government motion asking MPs to approve the PM's request to the EU to delay Brexit, required after a bill from Labour's Yvette Cooper became law.
The final decision on an extension lies with the EU - and the leaders of all the 27 other EU countries have to decide whether to grant or reject an extension.
If the UK is still a member of the EU on 23 May, it will have to take part in European Parliamentary elections.
Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said the UK would "certainly not" leave without a deal on Friday.
But Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney said a no-deal Brexit was still possible - even though it would represent "an extraordinary failure of politics".
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the EU has "hope and expectation" from the cross-party talks happening in Westminster and he would be willing to "improve" the political declaration "within hours".
EU leaders are curious to hear the prime minister's Plan B. They hope there is one, although they're not convinced.
They want to know, if they say yes to another Brexit extension, what it will be used for.
And they suspect Theresa May wants them to do her dirty work for her.
EU diplomatic sources I have spoken to suggest the prime minister may have officially asked the EU for a short new extension (until 30 June) as that was politically easier for her back home, whereas she believed and hoped (the theory goes) that EU leaders will insist instead on a flexible long extension that she actually needs.
The bottom line is: EU leaders are extremely unlikely to refuse to further extend the Brexit process.
If no cross-party compromise can be reached, Mrs May has committed to putting a series of Brexit options to the Commons and being bound by the result.
This could include the option of holding a public vote on any deal agreed by Parliament.
Tory MP and government aide to the chancellor, Huw Merriman, said he backed a "People's Vote" to secure the public's support for the prime minister's deal.
Speaking at a rally for the campaign, he said it was "seriously wrong" that he had been threatened with the sack, and said he wanted another vote in order to "get this country through the mess we are currently in".
Key dates in the week ahead
Tuesday: Theresa May travels to Berlin, and Paris, for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. Commons vote on motion to approve the PM's request to the EU to delay Brexit
Wednesday: PMQs in the Commons. Emergency summit of EU leaders to consider UK request for further extension until 30 June, with the option of an earlier Brexit day if a deal can be agreed
Friday: Brexit day, if UK is not granted a further delay
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in LondonThomson Reuters
