England

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.

LONDON, June 13. /TASS/: British Home Secretary Sajid Javid said on Thursday he has signed a US extradition request for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, but stressed that the final decision will be up to the court.

"We've got a legitimate extradition request so I have signed it. But the final decision is now with the courts," Javid told BBC radio.

The extradition hearing will start on Friday.

On June 11, the United States Department of Justice confirmed information that it had filed a formal request to the United Kingdom to extradite Assange.

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.

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.

LONDON, June 8. /TASS/: Even after being corrected, a New York Times article about the US president’s reaction to the Salisbury incident clearly demonstrates how political decisions are made in the era of fake news, the Russian Embassy in London said late on Friday.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May’s time as Conservative Party leader ended Friday, not with a bang but a whimper.

May, who announced her departure two weeks ago after her career was undone by the Brexit mess, formally stepped down in a private exchange of letters with the party, leaving almost a dozen Conservative contenders fighting to replace her and resume the stalled quest to lead Britain out of the European Union.

LONDON (AP) — Facebook said Friday it has stopped letting its apps come pre-installed on smartphones sold by Huawei in order to comply with U.S. restrictions, a move that deals a fresh blow to the Chinese tech giant.

The social network said it has suspended providing software for Huawei to put on its devices while it reviews recently introduced U.S. sanctions.

Owners of existing Huawei smartphones that already have Facebook apps can continue to use them and download updates.