British judge Vanessa Baraitser has refused the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States amidst fears that Assange 'may commit suicide'.

U.S. disappointed with ruling of British court in Julian Assange extradition case

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange going to British court today, Julian Assange is charged with espionage in the United States.

WikiLeaks founder facing UK Court today for extradition trial

The driver of a truck in which 39 people were found dead appeared in a British court via video link on Monday charged with manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people.

The driver of a truck in which 39 people were found dead appeared in a British court via video link on Monday charged with manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people. The discovery of 39 bodies in a refrigerated truck on an industrial estate east of London has shone a spotlight on the illicit global trade in people which sends the poor of Asia, Africa and the Middle East on perilous journeys to the West. Driver Maurice Robinson, 25, appeared in Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court via video link, speaking only to confirm his name and address. He wore a grey sweatshirt. Robinson faces 39 counts of manslaughter as well as charges of conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering, police said. "This involves a global ring facilitating the movement of a large number of immigrants into the UK," prosecution lawyer Ogheneruona Mercy Iguyovwe told the court. Robinson made no application for bail. He was remanded in custody until November 25 when the case will continue at the Old Bailey, London's Central Criminal Court, and he will enter a plea. The driver was arrested shortly after the grisly discovery of the bodies in the early hours of October 23 a few miles from the English port of Purfleet. The container had travelled from the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. British police initially said the 39 dead were thought to have been Chinese but it later emerged that many were from Vietnam, where communities have been plunged into despair in the belief their missing loved ones are dead. Police have said very few of the victims were carrying official identification and that they hope to identify the dead through fingerprints, dental records and DNA, as well as photographs from friends and relatives. From Vietnam? The Vietnamese government said Britain had sent dossiers regarding four of the people found in the truck, seeking help in identifying them. Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son told reporters: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is developing dossiers of possible victims, but until now there have been no grounds to confirm Vietnamese nationals are among the victims." The suspected victims hail from Vietnam's northern rice-growing areas of Nghe An and Ha Tinh, two of the communist-ruled nation's poorest provinces. One 19-year-old, Bui Thi Nhung, is believed by her family to be one of the 39 people found dead. [nL4N27B04K] Nhung's family said she first left Nghe An on her journey overseas in August. She went to China first, before eventually making her way to Germany, then Belgium, where they believe she boarded the ill-fated truck. About 70 percent of Vietnamese trafficking cases in Britain between 2009 and 2016 were for labour exploitation, including cannabis production and work in nail salons, the British government said last year. Nghe An was identified as home to many victims of human trafficking who end up in Europe, according to a March report by the Pacific Links Foundation, a U.S.-based anti-trafficking organisation. The other province, Ha Tinh, was ravaged by one of Vietnam's worst environmental disasters in 2016 when a steel mill owned by Taiwan's Formosa Plastics contaminated coastal waters, devastating fishing and tourism there.

Driver of truck found with 39 bodies appears in British court

A United Arab Emirates court sentenced British student Matthew Hedges to life in jail on spying charges on Wednesday, prompting a "shocked" Britain to warn of repercussions for relations with its longstanding Gulf ally.

Hedges, a 31-year-old PhD student, had protested his innocence ever since his arrest at Dubai airport on May 5 and British ministers had raised his case at the highest level.

"We can confirm that he was sentenced to life in prison," a family spokesperson told AFP.

"The hearing lasted less than five minutes, and his lawyer was not present."&nbsp;

Hedges was researching the UAE's foreign and internal security policies after the Arab Spring revolutions of 2011, studies that Britain insisted were entirely innocuous but which the UAE said threatened its political and economic security.&nbsp;

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was "deeply shocked and disappointed" by the UAE court's decision and warned of repercussions.

"Today's verdict is not what we expect from a friend and trusted partner of the United Kingdom and runs contrary to earlier assurances," he said.

"The handling of this case... will have repercussions for the relationship between our two countries, which has to be built on trust.

"I regret the fact that we have reached this position and I urge the UAE to reconsider," he added.

Hunt said he had personally raised the case at the highest levels of the UAE government, including during a visit to Abu Dhabi on November 12.

The case comes with relations already tested by the UAE's heavy involvement alongside Saudi Arabia in a military coalition battling Yemeni rebels since March 2015.

The deployment of Emirati ground troops, trainers and advisers alongside government forces advancing on the lifeline rebel-held port of Hodeida has prompted calls for Britain to halt or place conditions on its huge arms sales to the UAE.&nbsp;

'Nightmare even worse'

Hedges's temporary release on bail on October 29 had raised a glimmer of hope in his case but he was constantly monitored until Wednesday's court hearing, only his third since his arrest.

Hedges's wife Daniela Tejada, who had campaigned vigorously for his release, said the court ruling showed that the UAE was not a genuine ally.

"They say that the UAE is an ally, but the overwhelmingly arbitrary handling of Matt's case indicates a scarily different reality, for which Matt and I are being made to pay a devastatingly high price."

Tejada, who was in court for sentencing, said it had been devastating for her husband and for herself.

"This has been the worst six months of my life, let alone for Matt who was shaking when he heard the verdict," she said.

"The UAE authorities should feel ashamed for such an obvious injustice. I am very scared for Matt. I don't know where they are taking him or what will happen now. Our nightmare has gotten even worse."

She had previously expressed concern for his safety saying he was being held in solitary confinement at an undisclosed location with limited access to the British consulate and his family.

'Take a stand'

Tejada was deeply critical of the British government over the failure of its discreet, behind-the-scenes diplomacy in the case.

"Matthew is innocent. The Foreign Office know this and have made it clear to the UAE authorities that Matthew is not a spy for them. This whole case has been handled appallingly from the very beginning with no one taking Matthew's case seriously," she said.

"The British government must take a stand now for Matthew, one of their citizens."

UAE attorney general Hamad al-Shamsi said earlier this month that Hedges was accused of "spying for a foreign country, jeopardising the military, political and economic security of the state".

A United Arab Emirates court sentenced British student Matthew Hedges to life in jail on spying charges on Wednesday, prompting a "shocked" Britain to warn of repercussions for relations with its longstanding Gulf ally.

A United Arab Emirates court sentenced British student Matthew Hedges to life in jail on spying charges on Wednesday, prompting a "shocked" Britain to warn of repercussions for relations with its longstanding Gulf ally. Hedges, a 31-year-old PhD student, had protested his innocence ever since his arrest at Dubai airport on May 5 and British ministers had raised his case at the highest level. "We can confirm that he was sentenced to life in prison," a family spokesperson told AFP. "The hearing lasted less than five minutes, and his lawyer was not present." Hedges was researching the UAE's foreign and internal security policies after the Arab Spring revolutions of 2011, studies that Britain insisted were entirely innocuous but which the UAE said threatened its political and economic security. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was "deeply shocked and disappointed" by the UAE court's decision and warned of repercussions. "Today's verdict is not what we expect from a friend and trusted partner of the United Kingdom and runs contrary to earlier assurances," he said. "The handling of this case... will have repercussions for the relationship between our two countries, which has to be built on trust. "I regret the fact that we have reached this position and I urge the UAE to reconsider," he added. Hunt said he had personally raised the case at the highest levels of the UAE government, including during a visit to Abu Dhabi on November 12. The case comes with relations already tested by the UAE's heavy involvement alongside Saudi Arabia in a military coalition battling Yemeni rebels since March 2015. The deployment of Emirati ground troops, trainers and advisers alongside government forces advancing on the lifeline rebel-held port of Hodeida has prompted calls for Britain to halt or place conditions on its huge arms sales to the UAE. 'Nightmare even worse' Hedges's temporary release on bail on October 29 had raised a glimmer of hope in his case but he was constantly monitored until Wednesday's court hearing, only his third since his arrest. Hedges's wife Daniela Tejada, who had campaigned vigorously for his release, said the court ruling showed that the UAE was not a genuine ally. "They say that the UAE is an ally, but the overwhelmingly arbitrary handling of Matt's case indicates a scarily different reality, for which Matt and I are being made to pay a devastatingly high price." Tejada, who was in court for sentencing, said it had been devastating for her husband and for herself. "This has been the worst six months of my life, let alone for Matt who was shaking when he heard the verdict," she said. "The UAE authorities should feel ashamed for such an obvious injustice. I am very scared for Matt. I don't know where they are taking him or what will happen now. Our nightmare has gotten even worse." She had previously expressed concern for his safety saying he was being held in solitary confinement at an undisclosed location with limited access to the British consulate and his family. 'Take a stand' Tejada was deeply critical of the British government over the failure of its discreet, behind-the-scenes diplomacy in the case. "Matthew is innocent. The Foreign Office know this and have made it clear to the UAE authorities that Matthew is not a spy for them. This whole case has been handled appallingly from the very beginning with no one taking Matthew's case seriously," she said. "The British government must take a stand now for Matthew, one of their citizens." UAE attorney general Hamad al-Shamsi said earlier this month that Hedges was accused of "spying for a foreign country, jeopardising the military, political and economic security of the state".

UAE court sentences British student to life for spying

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange may leave the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, following a British court&#39;s judgement on the final arrest warrant against him.

The court&#39;s verdict will clear whether the warrant against Assange will be dropped nor not.

Assange entered the Ecuadoran embassy to dodge a European arrest warrant and extradition to Sweden over a 2010 probe in the Scandinavian country into rape and sexual assault allegations.

If the court rules in Assange&#39;s favour, it would be for the first time that he would step out of embassy since seeking asylum there in June 2012. &nbsp;

The 46-year-old has been holed up there for more than five years.

His lawyers have made an application to Westminster Magistrates&#39; Court for the UK warrant to be withdrawn, saying it had lost its purpose and its function.

However, the UK Crown Prosecution Service claims the warrant should still stand and the Wikileaks founder should not be rewarded for having waited out the claims against him.

Sweden dropped its investigation last year, but British police are still seeking to arrest Assange for failing to surrender to a court after violating bail terms during his battle against extradition.&nbsp;

Assange entered the Ecuadoran embassy to dodge a European arrest warrant

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange may leave the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, following a British court's judgement on the final arrest warrant against him. The court's verdict will clear whether the warrant against Assange will be dropped nor not. Assange entered the Ecuadoran embassy to dodge a European arrest warrant and extradition to Sweden over a 2010 probe in the Scandinavian country into rape and sexual assault allegations. If the court rules in Assange's favour, it would be for the first time that he would step out of embassy since seeking asylum there in June 2012. The 46-year-old has been holed up there for more than five years. His lawyers have made an application to Westminster Magistrates' Court for the UK warrant to be withdrawn, saying it had lost its purpose and its function. However, the UK Crown Prosecution Service claims the warrant should still stand and the Wikileaks founder should not be rewarded for having waited out the claims against him. Sweden dropped its investigation last year, but British police are still seeking to arrest Assange for failing to surrender to a court after violating bail terms during his battle against extradition.

British court to decide today on lifting of Julian Assange arrest warrant

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U.S. disappointed with ruling of British court in Julian Assange extradition case

WikiLeaks founder facing UK Court today for extradition trial

Driver of truck found with 39 bodies appears in British court

UAE court sentences British student to life for spying

British court to decide today on lifting of Julian Assange arrest warrant