a halloween brexit — october 31st is the new deadline for the uk's departure from the european union. the six—month delay is longer than the prime minister was asking for, but shorter than many predicted. the choices we now face are stark and the timetable is clear. so, we must now press on at pace with our efforts to reach a consensus on a deal that is in the national interest. as theresa may prepares to update the house of commons, i'll have the latest from here in westminster and from brussels. also this lunchtime... police arrest wikileaks founderjulian assange — bundled out of the ecuadorian embassy in london after being holed up there for seven years. jack shepherd, the man who killed a woman in a speedboat crash, jailed for an extra six months for fleeing the country. the biggest election in the history

of the world — india goes to the polls with 900 million people eligible to vote. and it's enough to make you scream — not brexit, but a new exhibition of the norwegian artist edvard munch. and coming up on bbc news... rugby australia says it intends to sack of one of its stars — israel folau, after he posted anti—lgbt comments saying "hell awaits" gay people. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the european union has agreed to delay brexit for another six months. the uk had been due to leave tomorrow, but after talks late into the night at a summit

in brussels, eu leaders gave theresa may a flexible extension until the 31st of october, or earlier if mps do finally pass a brexit deal. it means the uk will now have to hold elections for the european parliament on may the 23rd, and, if it doesn't, it will crash out of the eu on the 1st ofjune. donald tusk, the eu council president, said he had a message for his british friends: "please do not waste from brussels, our europe correspondent damian grammaticas. it was appropriately the witching hourin it was appropriately the witching hour in brussels when this halloween deadline was set. the prime minister was forced to accept something she said she was dead against, and new delay that could last well beyond june. delay that could last well beyond june. i know that there is a huge frustration from many people that i had to request this extension. the uk should have left the eu by now

andi uk should have left the eu by now and i sincerely regret the fact i have not been able to persuade parliament to approve a deal which would allow the uk to leave in a smooth and orderly way, but the choices we now face are stark and the timetable is clear so we must now press on at pace with our effo rts now press on at pace with our efforts to reach a consensus on a deal that is in the national interest. donald tusk said the uk now had enough time to get agreement in parliament or even choose to cancel brexit altogether. 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 is still enough to find the best possible solution. please do not waste this time. last night mrs may found a friend and ally in angela merkel. for the six hours, the

leaders debated without the uk in the room. the result, a compromise with new brexit dates. the uk will leave the eu at the end of october at the latest or earlier if the current withdrawal agreement is ratified by parliament. there were conditions too, the uk must hold european parliament elections in may, if not the exit date will be the 1st ofjune. the ist ofjune. translation: we have made it clear the withdrawal agreement applies, that it will not be changed. we can of course talk about future relations and on this basis we are relatively certain britain is attempting to find an orderly withdrawal from the european attempting to find an orderly withdrawalfrom the european union. it was the french president who had argued the uk must not be allowed to linger too long as an eu member, worried it might undermine the eu from within. thanks to this agreement, we preserve the well functioning of the european union,

we fix a deal and all the consequences before the ist of november which will be the arrival of the new commission. the extension only just of the new commission. the extension onlyjust agreed, opponents of mrs may's deal were in brussels today hoping they can undo the parts they don't like. we know that in the house of commons the only motion that got through with a majority was the motion to deal with the backstop and therefore we believe she needs to look at it again and she should come out strongly and say the backstop is the issue. what they wa nt backstop is the issue. what they want is not on offer from the eu. the new delay is already reigniting the uks the new delay is already reigniting the uk s own internal battles over brexit. damian grammaticas, bbc news. the prime minister is updating mps on last night's decision. simon mccoy is in westminster. within hours, the focus has switched from brussels back here to westminster. theresa may is facing

mps westminster. theresa may is facing m ps after westminster. theresa may is facing mps after last nights summit which offered the uk a 6.5 month delay. the deal has drawn sharp criticism from tory eurosceptics and prompted questions over how long she can stay in power. her supporters say handing over the leadership now would solve nothing. iain watson reports. she said as prime minister she wouldn't be prepared to delay brexit any further than the 30th ofjune, so today she has to explain why she has accepted what some of her own mps see as the frightening prospect of a delay that could last until halloween. this long—standing leave campaigner in the cabinet said the delay would not endanger brexit. we have to use the time to make sure we deliver the brexit we are all looking for, that we work closely with the eu and they are genuinely helping to make sure we deliver on the referendum. in the commons fears were expressed that a delay would mean contesting european elections next month. how does it

make sense to spend £100 million of british taxpayers' money electing 73 members to the european parliament to serve for a maximum of five months? but the government argues we can leave the eu sooner if only mps would be willing to back theresa may's deal. we are, i say to my honourable friend, under a legal obligation to do so while we remember remain members of the eu. however there is a simple answer to this question, let's ratify the withdrawal agreement and we are out. the quickest route to find the exit from the eu and avoid eu elections is if the prime minister can agree a way forward with labour but they are wa ry way forward with labour but they are wary about what might happen when she stands down. there is no point in brokering a compromise and finding a way through, only for this prime minister to hand over as she says she will, to an incoming prime minister who doesn't honour the

agreement that's reached. we are working hard at this, the talks are in good faith but there is a distance between us and some very real challenges. the closer theresa may appears to be getting to labour, the more she seems to be hardening opposition to her leadership among some of her own mps. there is no formal mechanism to oust her as conservative leader until the end of the year but there is talk at westminster about changing the rules so westminster about changing the rules so that the party can change direction. this former brexit minister said in october extension to brexit would give enough time to hold a leadership contest. to brexit would give enough time to hold a leadership contestlj to brexit would give enough time to hold a leadership contest. i think if the eu saw a new leader who had a fresh approach would be able to remake the british case in a different manner, it might see us moving forward. i really think the time has come where the prime minister has to ask herself whether her continued presence is helpful. the snp leader says in october delay

would allow for something more radical, a referendum.” would allow for something more radical, a referendum. ithink would allow for something more radical, a referendum. i think there isa radical, a referendum. i think there is a real opportunity for brexit to be stopped. people have learned a lot in the last three years about the implications of brexit, the lack of planning that was done and some of planning that was done and some of the issues that need to be confronted so that opportunity is there and it should be seized with both hands. the prime minister returning from brussels, she has ensured the uk won't be leaving the eu without a deal this week but getting enough support for a deal still seems some way off. iain watson, bbc news, westminster. in a moment we'll speak to our chief political correspondent vicki young in westminster, but first damian in brussels. damian, halloween brexit, shorter than angela merkel wanted, longer than angela merkel wanted, longer than emmanuel macron wanted and it's an interesting split at the heart of the eu. it is. iwouldn't read an interesting split at the heart of the eu. it is. i wouldn't read too much into it though, simon.

essentially what we got yesterday we re essentially what we got yesterday were these two different positions, the french entrenched on wanting something that could have been within weeks, the german wanting something to the end of the year, what they have ended up with is something in the middle. there are views here, criticism is saying what we have got is too long to really exert pressure on the uk but to give real space for a new political dynamic to emerge in the uk. what eve ryo ne dynamic to emerge in the uk. what everyone knows i think is this extension could be rolled over again in october. there is nothing to prevent that happening, so it could still be that the uk prime minister, mrs may or another, could come back here seeking more time. there is nothing to prevent that. what it has done from the point of view of the eu is they absolutely wanted to avoid no deal and that is clearly the bottom line for them now. whether that will continue to be the

bottom line in future will be an open question because there were some leaders coming out saying, it could be harder in october to agree a new rollover. thank you, damien. let's go to vicki young in the central lobby of the houses of parliament in westminster, and the focus now on theresa may. whilst some might say she has bought some time, the pressure is still on, particularly with european elections looming. that does seem to be a new deadline if you like because the pressure had been building on mps here, but by moving the deadline it feels like a decision is possibly less likely because all the different groups of mps with different groups of mps with different views about what should happen next all now think they can still get their way. some here today telling me they want to use the next six months to prepare for a no—deal brexit, others saying it's much more likely there will be another referendum to break the deadlock in parliament, and it is clearfrom theresa may and downing street they still think a compromise, getting

her deal through, is the best way. of course there are some in her party who think it is time to change the leader. a lot of unhappiness about how she has handled this, they feel the uk has been humiliated in some senses, but of course there is no mechanism to get rid of her. they will have to wait for her to maybe do that voluntarily so for now she is continuing with her compromise, they can't get rid of her. of course a poor showing in local elections or even those eu elections might prompt her to leave but some are saying this is a breathing space, time to reassess. others describing it as purgatory. vicki young in westminster, thank you. and damian grammaticas in brussels, thank you both. that's all for now here at westminster, back to you, ben, in the studio. the wikilea ks founder julian assange has been arrested by police in london. officers removed him from the ecuadorian embassy, where he'd been living for almost seven years as he sought refuge

to avoid extradition to the united states. mr assange is due to appear at westminster magistrates' court shortly. a warning — naomi grimley‘s report contains flashing images. linking into the daylight, julian assange was bundled out of the ecuadorian embassy visibly aged after being inside since 2012. the metropolitan police arrested him after being invited inside by the ecuadorian government shortly after 10am. the foreign office said the two governments had worked together on the case to get to this stage. what it is shown today is no one is above the law, julian assange is no hero. he has hidden from the truth for yea rs hero. he has hidden from the truth for years and years and it's right his future should be decided in the britishjudicial his future should be decided in the british judicial system. julian assange first came to prominence with the release of this video in

2010. it showed a us helicopter and an airstrike on 2010. it showed a us helicopter and an air strike on civilians, including two journalist. an air strike on civilians, including twojournalist. his wikileaks website then leaked hundreds of classified intelligence documents from the afghanistan and iraq wars, then more leaks, this time classified diplomatic cables causing red faces in washington. then a twist in this extraordinary story, mr assange found himself in a prison van and then in court after sweden issued an arrest warrant hoping to question him over allegations made by two swedish women of sexual assault, allegations he denies. soon, to his supporters' delight, he was out on bail.m he denies. soon, to his supporters' delight, he was out on bail. it is great to smell fresh air of london again. under his bail conditions he lived in this manor house in norfolk, owned by a friend. he took

his appeal against extradition to sweden to the highest court in the land, but eventually, in 2012, he lost. the ecuadorian embassy in london became his new home. he walked through its doors seven years ago, asking for political asylum. for the uk government, mr assange was a fugitive from justice. it spent millions policing the embassy before the round—the—clock guard was lifted. in 2017 he appeared at the balcony, happy that the swedish investigation against him was dropped because prosecutors could not pursue the case in his absence. but relations between mr assange and his host badly soured. the new ecuadorian president described him asa ecuadorian president described him as a stone in the shoe. he had new conditions imposed on his day, including that he avoided online political activity. mr assange a lwa ys political activity. mr assange always claimed that if he was

delivered into uk s hands for jumping bail he would inevitably face charges in america. today he has indeed been arrested on behalf of the us, which wants to extradite him. the case now moves to the question of free speech. julian assange published enormous amounts of information. not a week goes by when wikileaks material isn't mentioned in serious discussions in american policy. in the last hour, this car arrived at court with a man hiding under a coat, thought to be julian assange. naomi grimley, bbc news. daniel sandford is at westminster magistrates' court in central london. what are we expecting to happen there? julian assange is now in the building here at westminster magistrates' court, that has been

confirmed by court staff. the court doesn't normally sit at lunchtime so we expect the hearing to start sometime after 2pm. it's become clear he will be appearing in court on two matters, firstly failing to surrender when he sought asylum in the ecuadorian embassy and breached bail conditions. that will have to be dealt with by the magistrate or the districtjudge that presides over the case, but he has also now been charged under a us extradition warrant issued in december 2017 which relates to allegations he conspired with bradley manning, now known as chelsea manning, to dump that enormous archive of documents and videos in 2010. so it will be a short hearing we expect, you can assume julian assange will spend tonight in prison. very unlikely he will get bail. daniel, thank you.

jack shepherd, the man who killed a woman in a speedboat crash on the thames, has been jailed for an extra six months forfleeing the country to avoid his trial. shepherd was convicted in his absence of the manslaughter of charlotte brown, and last night he returned to britain, after being extradited from the former soviet republic of georgia. kathryn stanczyszyn reports. charlotte brown was killed when her first date with jack shepherd ended ina first date with jack shepherd ended in a speed boat crash and tragedy. in december 2015, jack shepherd's boat was found capsized on the thames, he had taken her out to impress about the trial heard he was drunk and the boat was not say. he was found guilty of her manslaughter in her absence after fleeing the country last march. today, her family were in court to see a judge sentenced him for six months on skipping bail, on top of the six yea rs skipping bail, on top of the six years he was originally given for killing charlotte. we have said they are relieved to finally see justice done but are angryjack shepherd will now appeal his conviction. he has not shown any real remorse or

accountability for his actions, accusing charlotte of being responsible for her own death even this week. his lack of respect and lack of decency continues to astound us. lack of decency continues to astound us. we hope that his appeal against his conviction will be dismissed and asa his conviction will be dismissed and as a family, we can continue to fight for a change in the laws. after months on the run in georgia, jack shepherd handed himself in to authorities in january, jack shepherd handed himself in to authorities injanuary, following extradition proceedings last night he was only flight home. extradition proceedings last night he was only flight homelj extradition proceedings last night he was only flight home. i am terribly sorry for my involvement and charlotte's death and furthermore, for my subsequent actions which only served to make things worse. his legal team said actions which only served to make things worse. his legalteam said he ran because he was overwhelmed and his actions were cowardly, not callous or cavalier. but charlotte's family have said he would still be evading justice if not for the net closing around him and he has shown

no understanding of the devastation he has caused. kathryn stanczyszyn, bbc news. the time is 13:19. our top story this lunchtime: a haloween brexit — october the 31st is the new deadline for the uk's departure from the european union. and coming up... the australian rugby star who faces the sack after saying gay people will go to hell. in sport on bbc news... "we have to look forward" — ole gunnar solskjaer believes manchester united can overturn a 1—0 deficit against barcelona in their champions league quarterfinal second leg next week. the biggest election in world history has begun in india. the electorate represents more than 10% of the global population. there are 900 million eligible voters. polling will take place over more than a month at around one million polling stations across india. it's an enormous logistical

undertaking that requires around ten million election staff. our south asia correspondent rajini vaidyanathan reports from delhi. each and every vote makes a difference in this mammoth election. both men and women, one by one, lined up to exercise their basic democratic right. voting's under way in what many describe as a festival of democracy. people from all walks of life, from all corners of this country, will have their say over the coming weeks. this election's as vast as this nation. it's a huge challenge ensuring everyone gets to vote. we travelled deep in the himalayas to the district of kinnaur, which borders china, to meet shyam saran negi. at 102, he's india's oldest voter. to him, this election matters more than most.

translation: india hasn't progressed enough. to grow, we need unity and everyone needs equal rights. shyam saran negi's voted in every poll since this country gained independence. we've come more than 1000 miles east, from kinnaur to calcutta, from old to young. many wonder if this country's become less tolerant. these first—time voters are part of the country's growing street rap scene. with more than half of india under the age of 25, the voice of the millennial majority matters more than ever. this rapper's songs focus on growing religious tensions between hindus and muslims. translation: brotherhoods disappearing, i don't want my india to become a country where people are fighting amongst each other.

this election is being seen as a referendum on prime minister narendra modi. his supporters say he's been a strong man who's protected india's interests. others say the better days he promised never arrived. in the last five years, unemployment‘s risen to its highest for nearly half a century. even so, this country's advanced under prime minister modi. it's the world's fastest growing major economy, set to overtake the uk. but india is characterised by deep divides. elections are the one time the country's powerless can send a message to those in power. are they happy with the way things are going, or will they vote for change? rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, calcutta. yogita limaye is in hyderabad for us. as we were saying, getting on for a

billion voters, a huge logistical exercise. so big in fact it cannot be done in one day. hyderabad was one of the places in india voting in the first phase of the election. there will be six more voting day is over april and the month of may. in the city, pretty much every public school and community hall was converted into a polling booth for the day. people were queueing up outside. when they went inside they we re outside. when they went inside they were electronic voting machines on which they cast their vote and once that was done there fingers were marked with ink to ensure nobody votes for a second time. i was able to speak to many of the voters and he said the big issues for them where national security, rising unemployment and some even said agriculture was an issue for them. yogita limaye, thank you. the australian national rugby union team plan to sack one of its star players, israel folau, for homophobic remarks on social media.

the full—back claimed on instagram that "hell awaits" gay people. he had been expected to be a key part of the wallabies' team at this year's world cup. joe wilson reports. in australian sport, no one has displayed ability quite like this man. israel folau. his —— he has represented his country in rugby union and rugby league, and played professional australian rules football and he also thinks that gay people will go to hell. israel folau's recent instagram post urges repentance for various behaviour that he deems sinful or else hell awaits. australia's rugby authorities have said they have tried in vain to contact him but he has been warned before about social media posts. now his career seems to be over. today, australia and new south wales rugby released a statement which reads...

gareth thomas played 100 rugby union matches for wales. he is gay. he has used twitter to urge people not to be influenced by israel folau. he says this... israel folau is a sportsman with religion are central to his identity. any diverse society. views that israel folau shares as an expression of faith employers have called this termination and rugby appears no longer has a place for him. joe wilson, bbc news. —— have called discrimination. the first major championship of the golfing season — the masters — is about to get under way.

rory mcilroy is the bookies' favourite to win the one major title he's missing from his collection. andy swiss reports from augusta. ready for another shot at golfing greatness. rory mcilroy has already lifted three of the four major titles. the open championship, the us open and us pga, but can he finally complete the full set? well, he begins here the masters favourite, and after embracing meditation, he's pretty relaxed about it. i keep saying this, i would dearly love to win this tournament one day. if it doesn't happen this week, that's totally fine, i'll come back next year and i'll have another crack at it. but i'm happy with where everything is — body, mind, game. well, if rory mcilroy triumphs here, he will become only the sixth man to win every major, but fair to say, other big names have other ideas. including tiger woods. some 22 years after his first win here, could he do it again? or how aboutjustin rose?

he is the world number one, but he knows that won't count for much. i don't see the ranking... i know i'm one of the guys who can win and has a great opportunity to win, for sure, and i feel that i'm very confident being in that position, but it's certainly not an extra pressure. but before the serious stuff, a bit of fun. the traditional eve of the masters par three contest and victory for england's matt wallace, including this hole in one. how the rest will now be hoping for some of his magic. andy swiss, bbc news, augusta. it is one of the world's most famous works of art and today a rare lithograph of edvard munch's the scream goes on display at the british museum. it is part of the largest uk exhibition of the norwegian artist's work, which opens to the public today. david sillito has been along to take a look.

it is just it isjust one it is just one of those images and here it is rooting you on the steps of the british museum. the scream. this exhibition of edward monk's many pictures as a clue to why it is so many pictures as a clue to why it is so well—known because this is an artist who made different copies and versions, there are a number of screens. this is just versions, there are a number of screens. this isjust one versions, there are a number of screens. this is just one of them. what is important to remember is that we are not searing this scream. it was described as an infinite one, passed through nature by edvard munch which is the world pressing in on you, and age of anxiety. this exhibition is an immersion into that world. the acid thrower, the dead mother, it is a panorama of emotional disquiet and for the museum, the current national mood feels apt. so, why now and this particular moment? well, for the

moment, it speaks of one of our feelings in terms of the crisis, the political crisis with feeling. but it is also a very humid —— human image. it is about that nature is telling us that everything leads to death and we must confront that. and edward monk —— edvard munch talks about that, his beloved sister and mother died early and he kept on replaying those feelings again and again and again and using those as inspiration for his art. does it feel like a particularly fitting moment by him? yes, this is peak edward munch. if we are not feeling the scream now, we will never feel it. so, a study of despair and anxiety from more than 100 years ago. but one that feels very now.