for the uae. final, and they are citing the attorney—generalfor the uae. there seems to be a softening here at least, programming against some of the shocks that came out of the uk yesterday. certainly that caught the british government and the family of matthew hedges by surprise. it seemed like there was going to be released yesterday and the hearing was held at ten o'clock local time, 6am in the uk. there was a feeling that there could be some kind of resolution, that he might be released. that was not the case and a couple of hours later we got this from the family that he had been sentenced to life in prison. the family said the trial lasted less than five minutes and there was no lawyer present. do you think there could be a change of heart from the authorities in the uae if there is enough diplomatic pressure thereby the uk? we have heard in the last few minutes that matthew hedges's wife feels that the uk government didn't act quickly enough and firmly enoughin didn't act quickly enough and firmly enough in the first instance. didn't act quickly en

relations with the uae over the rights and freedoms of her husband. with the uae over the rights and freedoms of her husbandlj with the uae over the rights and freedoms of her husband. i mean, i have not read her statement yet so i need to study at more careful, yeah, daniela has been in constant touch with the embassy in the u emirates and the commonwealth office and she did everything within her power in order to get matthew released. if she made that statement i am sure she made that statement i am sure she has very good reasons for that. i would like to study it further but yeah, iam i would like to study it further but yeah, i am completely supporting her in regards to this. thank you. a friend of matthew hedges. news to do with the manchester terror attack, an admission from m15, they have admitted for the first time it made a mistake in failing to track the 2017 manchester bomber, which may have provided an opportunity for him to be stopped. this has come from the intelligence and security committee and we can hear from dominic grieve from that committee who is talking about t

legal system or the way the uae behaves? certainly, the relationship between the uae and uk as far as detainees are concerned has been working the same way for the decade i‘ve been operating with detained in dubai. and this pardon is insufficient, in my opinion, for the uk to continue these relations as they have been because it will happen again and again and again. rada sterling, the human rights lawyer. in a moment we‘ll have all the business news. but first, the headlines on bbc news. theresa may chairs a meeting of the cabinet as she begins a campaign to sell the brexit deal, insisting it‘s the best one available matthew hedges, the academic jailed on spying charges in the united arab emirates, has been pardoned, and could be home tomorrow. ukraine‘s parliament is to decide whether to bring in martial law, after the capture of three of its naval vessels by russia i‘m vishala sri pathma in the business news. carlos ghosn has been sacked as chairman of mitsubishi motors, after his arrest injapan over misconduct

and the uae? orra lot relationship between britain and the uae? orr a lot has happened over the last ten days. said he was sentenced to life, we have heard a lot from the uk foreign office and statements from here. i interviewed the official person who today read the statement and up tell you he said that nothing is wrong. but on another note, we know there is a sensitive issue regarding uk policy towards the conflict, the gulf conflict, if you like. professor clivejones is chair of regional security for the middle of regional security for the middle east at durham university and matthew hedges phd supervisor and has thanked everyone involved in campaigning for his release. we are overjoyed, we really are. it's we are overjoyed, we really are. it‘s wonderful news. i would like to ta ke it‘s wonderful news. i would like to take the opportunity to thank my collea g u es take the opportunity to thank my colleagues here at durham and also more broadly to the foreign secretary, jeremy hunt, for his

his oppositie number in the uae. mr hedges denies spying. we're expecting to hear a statement from the uae‘s ambassador to the uk, here he is. good morning. like the uk the uae government does not dictate their decks to the court. matthew care hedges was not convicted after a short trial as reported. threejudges convicted after a short trial as reported. three judges highlighted evidence in three earrings. there is the conclusion after a full and proper process. this was an extremely serious case. we live in a dangerous neighbourhood and national security must be a top priority. many researcher is visit the uae freely without breaking our laws and under uae law everyone has the right to appeal after conviction and eve ryo ne to appeal after conviction and everyone can request a pardon from oui’ everyone can request a pardon from our president. mr hedges‘ family have made a request for clemency and the government is studying that request. the british foreign secretary had a good conversation with our foreign min

the right reasons and the uae is currently considering clemency and the laptops and the uae is currently considering clemency and the talks for a presidential pardon given the relationship between the uae and to think it is likely to be granted. i think this is also probably in response to the public outcry which has been led by the media but the british government, diplomats seem to have been taken by surprise by the sentence and you have to... would have thought british diplomats would have looked more closely and to this case as special as it involved an alleged british agent being charged for spying. there's something changing about the relationship between the west and the gulf states? in the past they have been thought of as close allies, the west not always keen to call out some of the things happening it might normally not approve of in those countries, broadly following a foreign policy line that the western approved of. i think with all these cases highlighted actually shows the abject amorality of the west including britain relations with super rich gulf states. both parties d

the attorney general of the uae has said this is not the final verdict. that matthew hedges, who he said made a confession, a full confession, of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, can appeal. there can be a retrial, in which he and his lawyer can both be reheard. that process could happen relatively quickly, we simply don't know. i think the hope is that the uae will be taken aback by the strength of the british response. they don't wa nt to the british response. they don't want to be seen, frankly, as behaving like iran, in the case of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe. it is just very bad publicity for them. perhaps they might want to see a way out of this. but i think the family is probably asking, with an accusing finger at the foreign office, how did it get this far? thank you. the parents of a girl who was sexually assaulted by boys in the playground, when she was six years old, have won compensation from the local authority. the council has not accepted liability, but the undisclosed five—figure settlement could set a precedent. the mother ha

the main arms dealer with the uae as france and salt for france to criticise the uae is out of the question. if you are going to do by you have this marvellous model but it is a nastier human rights abuse because i never going to cover this protocol accused of prostitution, she got torture, no lawyer and only the intervention of the president... these poor indian workers and by who do not have a president or a foreign secretary, those are nasty places. this seems to be more susceptibility to public opinion now. the crown prince and saudi arabia has been a great end and i think that is because it was very bad optics in washington and so i think they are not involve a role to public opinion as we might once have thought. one other thing, and the case of donald trump he does so much personal business with all the gulf monarchs and the saudis and this is actually potentially dangerous for him although i don't think he recognises it. the american constitution there is a section that works to try and prevent the creation of aristocracy and within that paragraph there is a clause which says the ch

but this afternoon in the uae, an apparent change of tone. a statement described by the foreign office as an olive branch. but the final line hinted at conciliation. at the foreign office, mr hedges' wife had herfirst meeting with jeremy hunt, still haunted by yesterday's court hearing, but less critical of the government's efforts. seeing him shaken in court after being handed a life sentence and then being made to leave was beyond heartbreaking. we didn't even get to say goodbye. i really appreciate the foreign secretary taking the time to meet me at this crucial point in matt's life. shortly afterwards, another twist. a phone call betweenjeremy hunt and his counterpart in the uae. this evening mr hunt called the conversation constructive. earlier in the day, the talk here at the foreign office was all about a very frank conversation, diplomatic speak for a row. now the tone has changed completely. the two sides seem intent on lowering the temperature. after a grim six months and an agonising two days, a resolution does now seem a little ne

and he grew up with the uae. he spent a lot of time there prior to going back to the uk the university he had been in the uk the university he had been in the uae for a number of years because that is where his family was based. do think that might have been a reason for him to be arrested? know but there is no reason for him to be arrested so there is no reason for his detention or his prosecution and certainly not his conviction. how confident are ye you can successfully launched an appeal?” don't know. 0nce successfully launched an appeal?” don't know. once we are dealing with theissues don't know. once we are dealing with the issues of the legal process and the issues of the legal process and the uae is beyond any claims to expertise and insight i can offer and we will do everything we can to help matt. let's ta ke let's take a look at the weather forecast. pretty chilly out there. this is how it looked very weather watcher in derbyshire. but everyone has seen snow like that but there has seen snow like t

in the end, it seems the uae put its relationship with britain first. it's an ally, a major trading partner, and a big importer of british made weapons. more than 100,000 uk nationals live and work there. every year, over a million britons go there on holiday. there's a lot at stake. hello, i'm tulsen tollett and this is sport today, live from the bbc sport centre. coming up on this programme: manchester city will qualify for the knockout stages of the champions league if they get just a point from lyon on tuesday. england complete a first series whitewash in sri lanka with a 42—run victory in the third test. and zagreb goes wild as the victorious croatia team show off the davis cup. hello and welcome to the programme, where we start with football news, and there's plenty of european champions league action to look forward to on tuesday. manchester city will be through to the knockout stages with a draw or better against lyon in france. pep guardiola has every reason to be happy, with city needing just a point to secure their place in the last 16. the

uae and qatar, not only about the uae and qatar, not only about the type of research but issues about personal safety, about human rights being guaranteed of many people who are being sent to work in this basis, members of the lgbtq population have voiced some degree of worry about the status and safety of worry about the status and safety of members of that particular population doing research and working on these campuses. as we've been reporting, theresa may is in brussels this afternoon to meet the european commisison president, jean claude—juncker. she's hoping to finalise an agreement on what relations between the uk and eu will look like after brexit. 0ur chief political correspondent vicki young has been gathering reaction at westminster though theresa may is inching towards getting that deal signed through parliament, there is disquiet on all sides of the house about the deal she is getting, even in her own party, let's find out if there is some support from caroline spelman, former cabinet minister. what is your view of the deal as it stands theresa may is hoping parliamen

the main arms dealer with the uae as france and salt for france to criticise the uae is out of the question. if you are going to do by you have this marvellous model but it is a nastier human rights abuse because i never going to cover this protocol accused of prostitution, she got torture, no lawyer and only the intervention of the president... these poor indian workers and by who do not have a president or a foreign secretary, those are nasty places. this seems to be more susceptibility to public opinion now. the crown prince and saudi arabia has been a great end andi saudi arabia has been a great end and i think that is because it was very bad optics in washington and so i think they are not involve a role to public opinion as we might once have thought. one other thing, and the case of donald trump he does so much personal business with all the gulf monarchs and the saudis and this is actually potentially dangerous for him although i don't think he recognises it. the american constitution there is a section that works to try and prevent the creation of aristocracy and within that paragr

counterpart in the uae. he said... —— and a tank. —— and i thank. the uae embassy is expected to get presentation from the british ambassador. there will be further developments today. matthew hedges and his family have there are. and that they lead his freedom. keith doyle, bbc news. this is the briefing from bbc news. the latest headlines: theresa may has hailed a draft agreement on post—brexit relations with the eu as "right for the whole of the uk." but spain's prime minister has repeated his threat to try and stop the eu withdrawal deal, saying spain and the uk were still far from agreement over gibraltar. president trump has said any disorder on the us—mexico border could result in the closure of the entire area. his warning comes as around 3,000 migrants reach the frontier. now it's time to look at the stories that are making headlines in around the world. and guess what? we begin with brexit. the leading british cheerleader for leaving the eu, the sun, is not happy with theresa may's draf

to criticise the uae is out of the question. if you are going to dubai you have this marvellous model but it is a nastier human rights abuse because i never going to cover this poor model accused of prostitution, she got torture, no lawyer and only the intervention of the president... these poor indian workers in dubai who do not have a president or a foreign secretary, those are nasty places. there seems to be more susceptibility to public opinion now. i think the crown prince and saudi arabia has been a great end and i think that is because it was very bad optics in washington and so i think they are not invulnerable to public opinion as we might once have thought. one other thing, in the case of donald trump, he does so much personal business with all the gulf monarchs and the saudis and this is actually potentially dangerous for him although i don't think he recognises it. the american constitution, there is a section that works to try and prevent the creation of aristocracy and within that paragraph there is a clause which

ruler of the uae, has organised many of the excellent visits from this house to the uae. but this is wholly inconsistent, with the behaviour of a nation with whom we have a neutral defence accord. will the prime minister please give this her urgent attention, if he is not released i don't see why we should be committed to their defence. i say to my honourable friend, we are, of course, as he is, deeply disappointed and concerned with the verdict. i realise how difficult and distressing this is for matthew and his family. we are raising it with the authorities at the highest level, my right honourable friend the foreign secretary is seeking accord with the foreign minister, during his visit to the uae on december 12. he visited the issue with the crown prince and the foreign minister —— november the 12th. i can assure my honourable friend that the foreign office will remain in close contact with matthew, his family, and his lawyer, and do all we can to support them as they consider their next steps. we will continue to press this matter with the iraqis. the prime minis

could this be a writ for the uae to save face —— away for the uae to save face —— away for the uae to save face rather than changing position on the sentencing and also to preserve the relationship between the uk and uae? i thinkjudging from their statements they want to say they are following the judicial process. in their view they had our fair trial and there is the possibility of an appeal which has to be launched in 30 days, and the ability to appeal for a pardon. but this appealfor clemency ability to appeal for a pardon. but this appeal for clemency could be a possible way out. we have had a statement from daniel, matthew head is' -- statement from daniel, matthew head is' —— hedges' wife who has been quite scathing saying it was a show trial and she saw what happened in court and how she was upset he was held in an undisclosed location to await the trial for more than five months, often in solitary confinement. thank you. gunmen have killed at least four people in an attack on the chinese consulate in the pakistani city of karachi. police shot dead three attackers. separat

ina relationship with the uae and the uk. in a country where there are so many british expats and tourists. paul blake. the prime minister is to meet the european commission president in brussels in a few hours' time, to try to finalise a plan for relations after brexit. several eu member states have expressed concerns over the uk's future access to the single market, fishing rights in uk waters for eu boats, and gibraltar. theresa may is under pressure from her own mps not to concede any further ground. from westminster, alex forsyth reports. when they meet this afternoon it will not be the first time. in the past there has been handshakes, hugs, even awkward kisses. this afternoon they will be hoping they can find common ground, i bet the creases in the brexit deal, before eu leaders meet later this week. first, the prime minister had to face mps, knowing many, some in her own party, are not happy with what is on offer so far. instead of giving confidence to millions of people who voted both leave and remain, this half bake

between the uae and the relationship between the uae and the uk. the verdict came down last week and i was in the core outside. it was the surprise there was quite a strong reaction in the days after. since then there have been multiple contacts between the british government and the iraqi government trying to find an amicable solution. —— the emma ratti. theresa may is beginning a campaign to rally support for her brexit deal, urging mps to get behind her or risk going back to square one when she addresses parliament later today. mps are likely to vote on it on december 12th. mid—morning, the prime minister will hold a cabinet meeting ahead of making a statement to the commons. speaking to the bbc this morning, the brexit secretary, stephen barclay, acknowledged that getting the deal through would be a challenge, but said it was the right course for the country. opposition parties, the dup and many of her own backbenchers have already said they will oppose the plan. our political correspondent alex forsyth reports. theresa may arrived home y

the local press here in the uae. this is a national pro—government website newspaper, they are headlining the verdict is not final, citing the uae attorney general. it is interesting that this is also seenin is interesting that this is also seen in the state run news agency wom hearing the statement of the attorney general. in some ways the message is being pushed out of the uae today is that the verdict is not final and matthew hedges can appeal. that seems to be interesting because it is coming in response to yesterdayjeremy it is coming in response to yesterday jeremy hunt, it is coming in response to yesterdayjeremy hunt, the british foreign secretary release a very strong statement saying he was shocked and disappointed. in that statement and said he doesn‘t like it ran contrary to assurances he had been receiving. —— he... where we go from here, it‘s kind of unclear without it seems he does have 30 days to appeal. what will we will have to wait and see. —— what will come of that, we will wait and

the way -- we do sell arms the uae. we could stop selling them weapons. i think

between the uk and the uae. and there are hundreds of ex—pats here and lots of british holiday makers who come here. that relationship is something that both countries will have a strong eye on here in the next few weeks. thank you. a major report from nhs digital into the mental health of children and young people has found that one in eight of five to 19 year olds had a mental health problem last year. it comes as the children‘s commissioner for england warns that there is a ‘vast gap‘ in the support provided by the nhs for children with mental health problems. the report was the first study to analyse the mental health of 2 to 4 years old — finding that 5.5% of that group suffered a mental health issue last year. there was a slight increase in the overal prevalence of mental disorder in young people aged between 5—15 from a similar study 11 years ago. with emotional disorders being the most prevalent type of disorer — as opposed to behavioural and hyperactivity. with me now is dr tamsin ford —

i think the hope here is that the uae will be taken aback by the strength of the british response. they don't want to be seen frankly as behaving like iran, in the case of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe. it is just very, very bad publicity for them. so perhaps they may want to see a way out of this, but i think the family is probably asking, with an accusing finger at the foreign office, "how did it get this far out"? the headlines on bbc news. theresa may says further progress has been made during crunch brexit talks in brussels, ahead of a planned eu summit on sunday. british academic matthew hedges is jailed for life in the united arab emirates after being convicted of spying. donald trump is criticised over his support of saudi arabia, as he rules out sanctions following the murder of of the journalist, jamal khashoggi. in sport, ireland are looking for a new manager, their leader left after five years in charge. they have not won a competitive game this year. a new survey of over 27,000 supporters from anti—discrimination campaign group out, nearly three quarters of fa ns wa nt

given that the uae claims to have a transparentjudicial that the uae claims to have a transparent judicial system, given theira transparent judicial system, given their a friendly government towards their a friendly government towards the uk, is it not possible for the government to point out to the uae authorities in a quite friendly manner that british citizens facing trial in their courts require proper translation facilities and proper translation facilities and proper translation of dockery dollarmite documents. i'm sure my noblenoble friend's comments will be noted, i have no —— translation of documents. when he was sentenced it was left to an interpreter to explain to him what thejudge was an interpreter to explain to him what the judge was imposing by way ofa what the judge was imposing by way of a sentence. i thank the noble lord for his comments. you're watching thursday in parliament with me, david cornock. don't forget, if you miss our daily round—up from the commons and the lord's, or if you simply want to watch this programme again, you can find us on the bbc iplayer. m

the foreign secretary says he was grateful to the government of the uae for resolving things speedily. he was being granted clemency along with hundreds of other prisoners to mark a national day. he has still insisted that mr hedges had been spying. in response to the letter from the family of mr hedges, requesting clemency and in concentration of the historical relationship and close ties between the united arab emirates and the united kingdom, his highness has decided to include mr matthew hedges among the 785 prisoners released. coming up in the next few minutes joanna will be getting reaction from a colleague of mr hedges and an mp. in the next hour or so the prime minister will address her cabinet at downing street before making a statement to members of parliament in the commons this afternoon. opposition parties, the dup and many backbenchers have already said they will oppose the draft deal. the new brexit secretary says the public just want politicians to get on with it. this is the only deal on the table. it has taken to magna years of tough negotiation to get to this point.

in the end, it seems the uae put its relationship with britain first. it's an ally, a major trading partner, and a big importer of british made weapons. more than 100,000 uk nationals live and work there. every year, over a million britons go there on holiday. there's a lot at stake. matthew hedges' family say the ordeal has taken its toll and that he'll need time to recover. his life and career, put on hold six months ago, are about to resume. paul adams, bbc news. general motors has announced plans to halt production at five factories in north america and cut more than 111,000 jobs. the move follows slower car sales and rising costs, partly caused by tariffs on imported steel introduced by president trump. the us carmaker is to focus on its line—up of trucks and electric and self—driving vehicles. david cohen, a professor of political science at the university of akron, explained how important general motors was to the overall economy of ohio. much of northern ohio is built on heavy manufacturing. and auto jobs and the other companies that depend

the british academic wa5 jailed for life last week in the uae. she 5hared she shared a picture of them in an embrace. matthew hedges had found guilty of spying — something he and the uk government denied. the bbc‘s paul adams spoke daniela tejada earlier. it has just it ha5ju5t come it has just come as a very sudden, very happy 5urprise, it has just come as a very sudden, very happy surprise, but it has just come as a very sudden, very happy 5urprise, butjust not something that i would have expected in such an immediate future. and do you have any idea how it's sort of happened in the end?” you have any idea how it's sort of happened in the end? i have no clue. i hope that, i mean, i canju5t say that probably the uae 5aw i hope that, i mean, i canju5t say that probably the uae saw it in their hearts to really have a compa55ion their hearts to really have a compassion for matt and his family. hopefully for me anyway, as i said, i'm just 27 years old, he's just 30, and we were just starting our lives, so and we were just starting our lives, 5

i think the hope here is that the uae will be taken aback by the strength of the british response. they don't want to be seen frankly as behaving like iran, in the case of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe. it is just very, very bad publicity for them. so perhaps they may want to see a way out of this, but i think the family is probably asking, with an accusing finger at the foreign office, "how did it get this far out"? staying in the region, amnesty international and human rights watch have released allegations that human rights activists are being tortured and sexually harassed in saudi arabia. the allegations centre on a prison called dhahban. with claims that inmates including women are being electrocuted and flogged. human rights watch alleges that abuse includes "electric shocks, whipping women on their thighs, and forcible hugging and kissing." the saudi king and, in particular, his son, the crown prince mohammed bin salman, have been keen to tell the world how saudi arabia is modernising. allowing women to drive was the most high profile change. but there have been further crack

of the uae." but the final line hinted at conciliation. "both sides hope to find an amicable solution to the matthew hedges case." at the foreign office mr hedges' wife had herfirst meeting withjeremy hunt, still haunted by yesterday's court hearing, but less critical of the government's efforts. seeing him shaken in court after being handed a life sentence and then being made to leave was beyond heartbreaking. we didn't even get to say goodbye. i really appreciate the foreign secretary taking the time to meet me at this crucial point in matt's life. shortly afterwards, another twist. a phone call betweenjeremy hunt and his counterpart in the uae. this evening mr hunt called the conversation constructive. earlier in the day of the talk here at the foreign office was all about a very frank conversation, diplomatic speak for a row. now the tone has changed completely. the two sides seem intent on lowering the temperature. after a grim six months and an agonising two days, a resolution does now seem

so far today we've had the meeting between the foreign secretary and uae ambassador. there's a feeling the foreign office want to see what the foreign office want to see what the other parts of the legal process might entail before deciding what moves to take. the firstjob for jeremy hunt is to reassure daniela tejada that everything is indeed being done to secure matthew hedges' release. she is disappointed and angry and doesn't believe the foreign office did anything until she went public in october and forced it out into the open. the problem is the united arab emirates are adamant, they say they have proof that matthew hedges was spying for britain, they say he confessed in courtand for britain, they say he confessed in court and put his signature to a confession. the family says this was a result of extreme pressure on him bordering on frankly torture, but so far it is not obvious the united arab emirates is preparing or willing to back down from its position. paul adams, willing to back down from its position. pauladams, thank willing to back down from its posit

here, the government seems outraged. the uae is supposed to be a friend and ally of britain's. we have given them repeated assurances about matthew. and, you know, if we can't resolve this, there are going to be serious diplomatic consequences because this is totally u na cce pta ble. you sound angry about this. did you get the impression from the uae authorities that there was going to be a different outcome? i'd actually spoken about matthew to crown prince mohammed bin zayed when i visited abu dhabi last week. and i thought i had some understanding that this was going to be resolved in a satisfactory way. so, how did a 31—year—old british academic fall so spectacularly foul of the emirati authorities? his research involved asking sensitive questions about security and defence policies across the gulf. the head of his department says he had a wide range of sources. some would be international experts currently based in the uae. some would be former uae government officials who had worked in relevant areas and who were known to have inside information and understanding abo

in the end, it seems the uae put its relationship with britain first. it's an ally, a major trading partner, and a big importer of british—made weapons. more than 100,000 uk nationals live and work there. every year, over a million britons go there on holiday. there's a lot at stake. matthew hedges' family says the ordeal has taken its toll and that he'll need time to recover. his life and career, put on hold six months ago, are about to resume. paul adams, bbc news. british summers are likely to get hotter and drier over the next 50 years because of the effects of climate change. that's according to the latest projections from the met office. it says without action to cut greenhouse gases, summers could be more than five degrees celsius hotter than current levels by 2070 in the most extreme scenario. and there are stark warnings about sea levels, which could rise by over a metre, flooding some coastal areas, as our science editor, david shukman, reports. global warming threatens different countries in different ways, and scientists have spent the las

in the end, it seems the uae put its relationship with britain first. it's an ally, a major trading partner, and a big importer of british made weapons. more than 100,000 uk nationals live and work there. every year, over a million britons go there on holiday. there's a lot at stake. matthew hedges' family say the ordeal has taken its toll and that he'll need time to recover. his life and career, put on hold six months ago, are about to resume. paul adams, bbc news. british summers are likely to get hotter and drier over the next 50 years because of the effects of climate change. that's according to the latest projections from the met office. it says without action to cut greenhouse gases, summers could be more than 5 degrees celsius hotter than current levels by 2070, in the most extreme scenario. and there are stark warnings about sea levels, which could rise by over a metre, flooding some coastal areas, as our science editor david shukman reports. global warming threatens different countries in different ways, and scientists have spent the last few y

of the uae." but the final line hinted at conciliation. "both sides hope to find an amicable solution to the matthew hedges case." at the foreign office, mr hedges' wife had herfirst meeting withjeremy hunt, still haunted by yesterday's court hearing, but less critical of the government's efforts. seeing him shaken in court after being handed a life sentence and then being made to leave was beyond heartbreaking. we didn't even get to say goodbye. i really appreciate the foreign secretary taking the time to meet me at this crucial point in matt's life. shortly afterwards, another twist. a phone call betweenjeremy hunt and his counterpart in the uae. this evening mr hunt called the conversation constructive. earlier in the day the talk here at the foreign office was all about a very frank conversation, diplomatic speak for a row. now the tone has changed completely. the two sides seem intent on lowering the temperature. after a grim six months and an agonising two days, a resolution does now seem a

it is common practice across the board. thousands of uk citizens live in dubai, in the uae. millions of dollars of business are done between the countries. is the british government using the leveraging does have over a country like to buy in order to get morejustice have over a country like to buy in order to get more justice from the legal system? they certainly weren't up legal system? they certainly weren't up until the matthew hedges case. in my case, and hundreds of other is that we deal with, and my territory partner has dealt with about 10,000 over the last ten years, up until jeremy hunt, the advice of the british embassy was essentially don't rock the boat, quiet diplomacy, behind closed doors, don't go to the media. so many brits that have been unjustly attacked —— u njustly that have been unjustly attacked —— unjustly detained have followed that advice and are now i'm —— line wishing there. the uk obviously felt the need to go public and to address this. there was something behind—the—scenes that made them do that what we don't know. that relation

the press in the uae is headlining on the verdict not being final, with the attorney—general saying it is not final and the accused has the right to appeal ahead of the supreme court. there was quite a swift reaction in uk yesterday with theresa may in parliament saying it was deeply disappointing and jeremy hunt was seeking a call with his counterpart in the uae urgently. we don't know the content of that phone call but it seems like the british government is quite upset about this outcome and they will be seeking answers from the amarah tees here in the next few days and weeks. we saw a quick flash of that paper. how are the local press covering it? the local press was saying that british spy local press was saying that british spy matthew hedges has been sentenced to life but today there is a softer tone, saying that the matthew hedges verdict is not final. the accused has the right to appeal ahead of the supreme court and he has 30 days to do that and we have not heard from the family about when that will take place but presumably that will take place but presumably thatis that wil

having completed his research into the impact of the arab foreignn the uae's policy. he has now been sentenced to life. a number of us will note the irony of a former mi six officer ,ho works in the outer office in the uae, has organized many excellent visits to the uae. but this is wholly inconsistent with the behavior of a nation with whom we have a neutral defense accord. will the prime minister divert her urgent attention, if he is not released, i don't think we should be committed to that defense. pm may: i say to my honorable friend, we are of course deeply disappointed and concerned. i realize how this is distressing for matthew hedges and his family. we are raising it with the appropriate authorities at the highest level. the secretary is seeking a visit with the minister during his visit to the uae on november 12. he raised the issue with the crown prince and the minister. i can assure everyone that they will remain in close contact with the family and lawyer. we will do all we can with next steps and press this matter at the highest level with the emma roddy

life imprisonment in the uae after being accused of spying for the british government. now it's time for a look back at the day in parliament.

counterpart in the uae. he said... later this morning, the united arab emirates ambassador is expected to give a statement at the emirates embassy in london. the intense diplomatic pressure of the past few days has moved this case along. there may well be further developments today. matthew hedges and his family hope there are and that they lead to his freedom. keith doyle, bbc news. the former english defence league leader tommy robinson has been appointed as an advisor to the ukip leader gerard batten. the party said mr robinson, whose real name is stephen yaxley—lennon, will advise on rape gangs and prison reform. mr robinson's currently banned from joining ukip under rules which barformer english defence league and british national party members. ukip's former leader, nigel farage, is calling for a vote of no confidence in mr batten after the appointment of mr robinson. there's no realistic prospect of the government meeting its own deadline to install smart energy meters, according to a report from th

we are raising it with the authorities at the highest level. during the visit to the uae. he raised the issue with the crown prince. and i can assure. it will remain in close contact we will continue to do all we can to support them. and we will continue to press this matter at their higher -- at the highest level. i'm sure they recognize it. there are issues that we need to be dealing with. can i ask the prime minister on behalf of my constituents on the statute before the end. >> can i first of all send my deepest condolences and the honorable lady constituent. with the fantastic work that she does. we are committed to transforming the response with that domestic violence. i think that shows the degree of concern the people have about the issue of domestic violence. and the recognition of the need to look carefully at this. with the home office will be publishing the response together with the domestic build. all of the evidence shows that diversity delivers better decision-making. 4,500 and men -- 4,500 men had been elected. i'm proud of to this conservative women and t

the way -- we do sell arms the uae. we could stop selling them weapons. i think the shock of this story comes from that he was kept in solitary confinement for six months, but he was released in october. i think jeremy had a meeting with the crown prince at the time, and i think the understanding was that there would be some leniency shown to matthew hedges. and that he turns up at the steering committee gets a sentence. i think that comes as a shock because they thought there would be a much more lenient sentence shown to him, and i think there will definitely be criticism from matthew hedges's family towards the foreign office. there already has been from his wife, and i think they could and should have done more. i think people were not expecting this. there is an appeal process being expected. let's move on to the daily telegraph and because brexit of course is never far from the front pages, and the telegraph this is interesting because they really have a detailed rundown on what happened in the cabinet meeting whe

the uae seems to welcome it, it saudi seems to welcome it. whenever we live in this, and this is the tradie incident. i do know what happened, i am sure our security services not happen, but one thing we cannot forget is how important the stability of saudi arabia is to the west, because it is — gcc is an island of stability in a sea of unrest. nasri said. thank you for at. —— nicely said. stay with us. —— thank you for that. hello there. we started this week with some drenching downpours. we end the week on a much quieter note. albeit quite a murky one. some cloud, some mist and fog to start friday. i'm hopeful that things will brighten up a little bit later on. but sunshine amounts will vary, depending on where you are. most of us starting off grey and murky with some mist and some hill fog. but as we go on through the day, that cloud will tend to break up. northern scotland should see some sunshine even through the morning. and then, into the afternoon, a few other places willjoin in, mostly where you get a bit of shelter from hi

uae, and it's quite astonishing, because the uae has tried to build its profile internationally, including by inviting prestigious international universities, who are currently operating there. what does this say for coming in, how does it feature into the verdict today? when he was released on bail, did you take that as a good sign? yes, of course, it was a good sign. but it was also clear that it was due to the pressure that the uae authorities had received, including by the international media and the press. so as long as the case was kept secret, so to speak, or confidential, he received treatment that has been described as beyond the international standards. below the international standards. thanks to this pressure he was released on bail, and there was an expectation that, you know, the pressure and the actions of the uk government would lead to a different verdict. we have seen that yesterday pressed trump's reaction to the killing ofjamal khashoggi, his first official statement, opened up claims of impunity for this kind of measure. the foreign secretary has released a statement s

life imprisonment in the uae after being accused of spying for the british government. now it's time for a look back at the day in parliament. hello again and welcome to wednesday in parliament. coming up in the next half hour, deal or no deal at prime minister's questions. and if the government can't negotiate an alternative, then they should make way for those who can and will. that's not leadership. that's playing party politics. i'm working in the national interest. a minister offers financial advice to families on benefits. or they could, for example, take in a lodger. so there's other circumstances... take in a lodger? these are large families. and why the speaker is as sick as a parrot. some football skills were displayed in the chamber yesterday evening after the house rose. all that to come, and more. but first, theresa may has been in brussels for talks with the european commission presidentjean—claude juncker as both sides scramble to finalise a brexit deal ahead of sunday's scheduled summit of eu leaders. earlier, the prime ministerfaced mps for her weekly

founded here in the uae in 2012, the company now employs some 5000 people, operating in several countries around the region. i also have the managing partner at beco capital, a leading early—stage venture capitalfirm based here in dubai, that provides capital and mentorship to tech companies in the region. and, if you want to start a business here in dubai, maybe your first call should be to this lady, she is the entrepreneurship manager of the dubai chamber of commerce, and she has helped dozens of businesses get on their feet here in emirate. welcome to you all. thank you for having us. so guys, we'll start with a rather easy one, how did all of you guys and in dubai? what brought you here? me first? yeah. so what brought me to dubai? so i am a serial entrepreneur, i sold my first company in silicon valley, and there were a group of new entrepreneurs from the middle east who were coming to silicon valley looking forfunding. and i met my partner there and we were talking about an issue that we both had, which was solving the problem of no addresses in emerging markets. so everybody get

of the uae organized many of the excellent visits from this house to the uae. this is inconsistent with a nation with whom we have a mutual defense accord. will the honorable lady give and if he is not released, i don't see why we should be committed to their defense. >> i thank you my honorable friend. we are deeply disappointed in the state verdict. i understand how difficult this is for matthew hedges and for his family. we are raising it at the highest level. honorable friend is urgently seeking a court with the foreign minister during his visit to the uae on november 12, he raised the issue with the crown prince, and we -- and the foreign minister. i can assure my honorable friend that the foreign office will remain in close contact with matthew, his family and his lawyer. we will continue to do all we can and to press this matter at the highest level. thank you, mr. speaker. the prime minister is having a rough time at the moment and i'm sure she recognizes -- until she recognizes there are issues other than brexit we need to be basis, canh, on that i ask

founded here in the uae in 2012, the company now employs some 5000 people, operating in several countries around the region. i also have the managing partner at beco capital, a leading early—stage venture capitalfirm based here in dubai, that provides capital and mentorship to tech companies in the region. and, if you want to start a business here in dubai, maybe your first call should be to this final lady, she is the entrepreneurship manager of the dubai chamber of commerce, and she has helped dozens of businesses get on their feet here in emirate. welcome to you all. thank you for having us. thanks for having us. so guys, we'll start with a rather easy one, how did all of you guys end up in dubai? what brought you here? me first? yeah. so what brought me to dubai? so i am a serial entrepreneur, i sold my first company in silicon valley, and there were a group of new entrepreneurs from the middle east who were coming to silicon valley looking for funding. and i met my partner there and we were talking about an issue that we both had, which was solving the problem of no addresses in em

counterpart in the uae. he said... later this morning, the united arab emirates ambassador is expected to give a presentation at the emirates embassy in london. the intense diplomatic pressure of the past few days has moved this case along. there may well be further developments today. matthew hedges and his family hope there are and that they lead his freedom. keith doyle, bbc news. and at ten past seven we'll be speaking to matthew hedges‘ wife, daniela tejada. theresa may says a deal on the uk's future relationship with the eu is within grasp. she's to travel to brussels tomorrow for talks on the draft political declaration. it says the uk will be allowed to pursue an independent trade policy. it will end the free movement of eu citizens wanting to come and live in the uk but that will also apply to british citizens wanting to move to the eu. and on the issue that's caused much concern, the efforts to stop a hard border between ireland and northern ireland. it says they'll work on new technology to ensu