Staff at the Ecuadorian Embassy have cause for celebration today with the news that they may finally be rid of their long-term house guest  Julian Assange. 

The Australian government has confirmed that the  WikiLeaks founder has a new Australian passport after  years without one, and could now return to his  home country. 

An official at Australia's department of foreign affairs and trade confirmed yesterday that "Mr Assange does have an Australian passport". The timing is good: last year he said that he feared Ecuador was seeking to end his asylum. He has been holed up in the embassy in Knightsbridge since the day he walked in, breaking his UK bail conditions, in 2012.