Ecuador: Lawyers study Julian Assange's asylum request

Lawyers convened by Ecuador's government have begun studying the political and legal implications of granting asylum to Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder.

However, the Foreign Minister, Ricardo Patino, has not said when a decision might come.

Ecuador's ambassador to Britain returned to Quito over the weekend and discussed the case with Mr Patino and President Rafael Correa.

Mr Assange took refuge in Ecuador's London embassy last week in an attempt to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning about two alleged sexual assaults.