US authorities have agreed to drop their demand for Julian Assange to be extradited from the UK after reaching a plea deal with the WikiLeaks founder.

In return for pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information, Assange will be sentenced to time served, 62 months – the time he has already spent in a British prison.

Once the guilty plea is accepted by a judge, the 52-year-old will be free to return to Australia, the country of his birth.

American prosecutors had alleged that Assange put lives at risk when he helped former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks put online in 2010.

He then spent years hiding out in the Ecuadorian embassy before his arrest in May 2019.

He has since been held at Belmarsh maximum security prison in south London.

Assange is expected to return to Australia after his plea and sentencing, which is scheduled for Wednesday morning, local time in Saipan, the largest island in the Mariana Islands.

The hearing is taking place there because of Assange’s opposition to travelling to one of the 49 US states and the court’s proximity to Australia.

A cargo ship that crashed into a US bridge and caused it to collapse – killing six people – has left Baltimore after undergoing repairs.

The Dali sailed out of the city on Monday morning, local time, heading for Virginia, nearly three months after hitting a supporting column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Six construction workers died after the collision, which investigators have said was caused by a power failure.

The vessel was refloated and guided back to port in May after spending two months stuck in the wreckage with a massive steel truss draped across its damaged bow.

A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found the ship experienced two power outages in the hours before it left the Port of Baltimore.

It lost power again and veered off course before crashing into the bridge.

The NTSB is still investigating what caused the electrical failures while a criminal investigation has been launched by the FBI.

The ship’s crew, who had been forced to stay in the country afterwards, have been allowed to leave, provided they were available to give evidence, thanks to an agreement confirmed by a federal judge.

Earlier on Monday, four tugboats helped the 984ft (300m) craft get moving shortly before 8.30am.

The Dali is scheduled to go directly to Virginia International Gateway where around 1,500 cargo containers will be offloaded to reduce draft, the US Coast Guard said in a statement.

From there, the vessel is scheduled to sail for Virginia’s Norfolk International Terminal for further salvage and repairs from damage caused during the bridge collapse.

The Dali was sailing under its own power with a full crew of 22 and six salvage experts, according to the coast guard, which is overseeing the voyage and providing a 500-yard (457m) safety zone around it.

Earlier this month, officials announced the reopening of the Fort McHenry federal channel, after clearing wreckage from the channel, which measures 700ft (213m) by 50ft (15m).

Officials have said they hope to rebuild the bridge by 2028.

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The economic fallout from the collision has been severe, with thousands of longshoremen, truckers and small business owners suffering.

Authorities have prioritised reopening the port and restoring its traffic to normal capacity in hopes of easing the damage to local industry.

A lifeguard who appeared in the fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean movie has died after being attacked by a shark off Oahu in Hawaii.

Tamayo Perry, 49, who has also starred in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and Blue Crush, was attacked near Goat Island on Sunday afternoon, Honolulu’s emergency services said.

The incident was reported by a caller who said they had seen a man suffering from what appeared to be shark bites.

Emergency services arrived at the scene on Malaekahana Beach just before 1pm local time.

Rescuers brought Mr Perry – an Ocean Safety lifeguard and surfing instructor – to shore by jet ski and paramedics assisted with the death pronouncement, Shayne Enright, of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, said.

Mr Perry, who worked as a lifeguard on the North Shore, began his career with the Ocean Safety department in July 2016, Mr Enright said.

He appeared in Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Ocean Safety personnel posted shark warnings in the area following the attack.

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Acting Honolulu Ocean Safety chief Kurt Lager said Mr Perry was “a lifeguard loved by all”.

“He’s well known on the North Shore. He’s a professional surfer known worldwide,” Mr Lager said.

“Tamayo’s personality was infectious and as much as people loved him, he loved everyone else more.”

“Tamayo was a legendary waterman and highly respected,” Honolulu mayor Rick Blangiardi said, calling Mr Perry’s death “a tragic loss”.