United Kingdom

LONDON, June 14. /TASS/: A five-day hearing of the US request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be held after February 24, 2020, TASS reports the judge said that during the procedural hearing at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, where the extradition request is being considered.

LONDON (AP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is expected to appear at hearing in a London court via video link as he continues his fight against extradition to the United States.

The 47-year-old Assange is currently in Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of London serving a 50-week sentence for jumping bail in Britain.

He was too ill to appear at a recent hearing but is expected Friday to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via video link.

13 June 2019; DW: UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid revealed on Thursday he had signed a US extradition request for Julian Assange.

Javid told BBC Radio 4 he had signed the request on Wednesday, and that his extradition hearing will start on Friday.

"I'm very pleased that the police were finally able to aprehend him and now he's rightly behind bars, because he broke UK law," Javid said. 

LONDON (AP) — Katie Jones sure seemed plugged into the Washington’s political scene. The 30-something redhead boasted a job at a top think tank and a who’s-who network of pundits and experts, from the centrist Brookings Institution to the right-wing Heritage Foundation. She was connected to a deputy assistant secretary of state, a senior aide to a senator and the economist Paul Winfree, who is being considered for a seat on the Federal Reserve.

LONDON (AP) — Boris Johnson solidified his front-runner status in the race to become Britain’s next prime minister on Tuesday, gaining backing from leading pro-Brexit lawmakers.

But he faced calls from his rivals to abandon his low-profile campaign strategy and start answering questions from journalists and the public.

Ten candidates are running to succeed Theresa May, who stepped down last week as Conservative Party leader.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Parliament is resuming its battle over Brexit, with an attempt by opposition lawmakers to stop the U.K. leaving the European Union without a divorce deal.

The Conservative Party is holding a contest to replace Theresa May as party leader and prime minister. Some of the leading contenders, including front-runner Boris Johnson, vow they will take the country out of the EU as scheduled on Oct. 31, with or without an agreement on the terms.

Most economists say a “no-deal” Brexit would plunge the country into recession.

LONDON (AP) — Leading lawmakers from Britain’s governing party battled over Brexit as the contest to become the next Conservative prime minister officially kicked off Monday with the declaration of 10 candidates for the top job.

The choice of who will replace Prime Minister Theresa May affects all Britons, but will be made only by members of the right-of-center Conservative Party.

10 June 2019; AFP: British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, a contender to replace Theresa May as prime minister, said Sunday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had indicated the EU would be willing to renegotiate the Brexit divorce deal.

Hunt, one of nearly a dozen Conservatives vying to succeed May after she resigned as party leader Friday, said he spoke with Merkel at this week's D-Day commemorations and was convinced changing May's agreement was possible.

LONDON (AP) — Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is stepping up his campaign to be Britain’s next prime minister by challenging the European Union over Brexit terms.

Johnson told the Sunday Times he would refuse to pay the agreed-upon 39 billion-pound ($50 billion) divorce settlement unless the EU offers Britain a better withdrawal agreement than the one currently on the table.

9 June 2019; DW: Boris Johnson, the current favorite to become the next British prime minister, has said he would withhold divorce payments to the European Union unless the bloc offered a better Brexit deal.

Johnson also implied he would scrap the accepted border arrangement with Ireland.

The former foreign secretary's comments came in an interview with The Sunday Times, his first newspaper interview since announcing his bid for premiership.