The British government has decided to extend the deadline on talks to form a power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland until the end of June, two sources tell Reuters.
Several parties have said that talks were unsustainable as the parties are campaigning against each other ahead of a British general election on June 8.
The decision allows the British government to avoid deciding whether to call a fresh election in Northern Ireland - the third in a year - or to revert to direct rule from London for the first time in a decade.
An official close to the regional administration and a member of one of the parties involved in the talks confirmed the extension. A spokesman for the Northern Ireland executive did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
