WikiLeaks founder Assange may be near the end of his long fight to stay out of the US

By BRIAN MELLEY
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is facing what could be his final court hearing in England over whether he should be extradited to the United States to face spying charges. The High Court will hear two days of arguments next week over whether Assange can make his pitch to an appeals court to block his transfer to the U.S. His wife says it’s a matter of life and death for Assange. Stella Assange says her husband’s health has deteriorated in custody and she fears he’ll die in prison. American prosecutors say the 52-year-old Australian citizen helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified documents and put lives at risk when Wikileaks published them.