since 2011 there has been a tremendous amount of volatility around the uae but the uae is a very prosperous quite stable country and there is a lot of concern in the uae about the problems throughout the middle east undermining security. they are very sensitive about what some foreigners may or may not be doing in their country. we have to be fair and acknowledge that the emiratis do face great security threats but if they believe genuinely that matthew hedges is any sort of a threat to their country they are 100% wrong about matt. also this morning, we've been hearing from matthew hedges' colleagues at durham university. his phd supervisor is clivejones, professor of regional security in the school of government and international affairs. he told mishal hussein on bbc radio 4's today programme about the nature of matthew's work in the uae. matt was working on several military relations in the united arab emirates post—arab spring. his research was based on accept his literature that examines and looks that relations in the middle east and the arab world so there was nothing called out in

this is very bad for the interests of the uae. for many, many years this gulf country has done a lot to present itself to the world as a global hub, a very modern, very forward—thinking arab country. this story is causing many people to change views about the uae. thank you very much for your time. the ceo of the washington based company gulf state analytics, who worked with matthew hedges and as a friend of his, and ben bradshaw, labour mp, matthew hedges‘s mp. we will hear more soon matthew hedges‘s mp. we will hear more soon and matthew hedges‘s mp. we will hear more soon and you matthew hedges‘s mp. we will hear more soon and you will hear it first on bbc news. a protest is planned today against the decision to raise the state pension age for many women in their 50s and 60s. it's to coincide with a debate in the house of commons, with thousands of women saying they are now facing financial difficulties because of the changes. up until 2010 women received their pension at 60, but it's been rising ever since. as of ear

here‘s how the uae government made the announcement of the pardon earlier this morning. all countries react strongly to the act of spying, as they should. we reserve the right to protect our country from any external threat. the sentence that we handed down to mr hedges is fair considering the crime he committed. having said that, in a world of mounting threats, we recognise just how important it is for like—minded countries to work with rather than against one another. this belief in working together was embedded by our founding father, sheikh zayed bin sultan al nahyan, may god rest his soul in peace. and we still follow the path today. continuing our traditions, established by his highness sheikh zayed, and as part of our national day of celebration, the president of the uae, his highness sheikh khalifa bin zayed al nahyan, may god bless him, yesterday has granted precious clemency to 785 prisoners across the uae to mark the 47th anniversary of this great nation. in response to a letter from the family of mr hedges requesting clemency, and in consideration of the hi

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 minister. i also met him yesterday privately. as jeremy hunt said we have an extremely close partnership with the uk. because of the strength of that relationship we are hopeful that an amicable solution can be reached. thank you. that is the uae ambassador in london. he is not going to take any questions it does not look like. he said it was not a five—minute hearing that convicted matthew hedges, a british academic doing research work out there, he said like the uk the uae government does not dictate what happens in the courts, over one monthjudges evaluated the case, and the conclusion is after a full and proper process. national security is thei

it will include something like 700 prisoners here in the uae. given the intervention of the uae. given the intervention of the british foreign secretary and the british foreign secretary and the discussions that have had to happen, what you think if anything will be the ongoing impact between, on the relationship between britain and the uae? lots has happened in the ten day since he was sentenced for life. we heard a lot from the uk, from the foreign office and state m e nts uk, from the foreign office and statements from here. the official person who today read the statement, he said that... on another note, we know there are sensitive issues regarding the uk policy towards the gulf conflict. and the uae don‘t like how the uk deal with this especially regarding the muslim... their relationship with them, they‘d support them, the muslim brotherhood issueis support them, the muslim brotherhood issue is the main issue. and there issue is the main issue. and there isa issue is the main issue. and there is a lot of political motivation, i cannot say, because i met a lot of offici

the uae is supposed to be a friend and ally of britain's. we've given them repeated assurances about matthew. and, you know, if we can't resolve this, there are going to be serious diplomatic consequences. the government is now urgently seeking talks with the united arab emirates. also tonight: a 6—year—old sexually assaulted by boys at school — her parents win compensation from the local authority. all smiles in brussels, as the prime minister arrives to discuss what our relationship with the european union will look like, after brexit. tens of thousands of children are now classed as problem gamblers — a steep rise in numbers as more and more under 165 turn to betting. and david attenborough shows off the people's chair which will take pride of place as world leaders gather next week for a climate change conference. they aren't working in a vacuum, they are dealing with real people's futures and the people are watching them and want action. the republic of ireland start the hunt for a new manager as martin o'neill steps down after

the main arms dealer with the uae is france and so 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 poor girl 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. this seems to be more susceptibility to public opinion now. the crown prince is saudi arabia has been reined in 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 c

a mixture of people, some were international experts based in the uae, some were former uae government officials who had worked in relevant areas and were known to have inside information and understanding about how it is these processes operate to get a perspective upon whether the published literature was getting this right, or whether there were other insights you could gain from talking to people who were directly involved in these activities. the prime minister is to meet the european commission president in brussels in a few hours' time, to try to finalise the plan for relations between the uk and the eu 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 the status of 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 fin

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

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

the uae doesn‘t accept that. the bbc‘s security correspondent frank says #uae sources insist laptop contained espionage material." this political science professor in the uae adds matthewhedges is a victim of uk government. someone sent him to spy on uae which is not in the habit of sending phd student to life in jail. it is up to his government to deny the charges. until the uae hears from london the verdict stands.". the uae foreign affairs ministry also defended the court, saying the "compelling and powerful evidence" had been presented at trial. remember yesterday‘s sentencing took five minutes. paul blake has more from dubai. 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 t

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

, 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

the uae remains convinced that matthew hedges was indeed a spy. he was certainly researching some sensitive areas, including the country's military capabilities and its role in the war in yemen. but what he and most academics would regard as perfectly legitimate, the uae saw as suspect. 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

but the uae has been defined, saying he was properly tried and convicted. however, a further statement from the uae yesterday indicated a change of tone. it said... the foreign secretary described it as an olive branch and last night match had two matthew hedges' wife had a meeting with jeremy hunt, who matthew hedges' wife had a meeting withjeremy hunt, who she had earlier been critical. he has assured me that they are doing everything in their power to get matt free and back home to me. this is not as though they can when alone andi is not as though they can when alone and i think the foreign office and the british public, who are now standing upfor the british public, who are now standing up for one of their citizens. -- and 18. after the meeting, the foreign secretary tweeted that he had a constructive phone conversation with this 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 hav

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

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 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

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

some would—be international experts in the uae, some would be former uae government officials who would work in relevant areas and who were known to have inside information and understanding about how these processes operate just to get a perspective upon whether the published literature was getting it right or particularly other issues that you can get from talking to people who had been directly involved in this activities. some breaking news. counterterrorist detectives are investigating two suspected bombs that were found in an empty flat. this is in northwest london found at 930 this morning. the blocker flats were evacuated. roads were closed and officers assess devices as being improvised explosive devices. both items were taken forforensic explosive devices. both items were taken for forensic evaluation. soak the police are saying the next stage is to investigate how and why these two suspected devices came to be in the flat. the counterterrorism commander is leading that investigation without just a commander is leading that investigation withoutjust a recap of the counter terr

which is very typical, notjust in the uae, but all over the world. the uae has given the uk government all the evidence it had and all it wa nted the evidence it had and all it wanted from the uk government is to deny that this fellow is not spying for it. and until that denial comes, the charges against matthew stands. there are concerns around whether he has been treated fairly. he did not have access to lawyers, he has only had limited access to lawyers. he was kept in solitary confinement. he was kept in solitary confinement. he was denied access to consular officials, he signed a statement in arabic and he doesn‘t speak arabic. well, all legal transactions in the uae has to be written in arabic. that is in all cases. for him to signa that is in all cases. for him to sign a document in arabic was standard. i‘m sure there was a translater that helped him and from everything i know he was treated very well. he was not confined, as many have claimed and his wife, the only source for this confinement comes from his wife and it is not true. he was

you need to carry out a risk assessment when it comes to their uae. we all knew, me included, i know i cannot travel to the uae at the moment considering the research i'm doing on foreign policy in the region, the engagement in london and in washington. it is controversial. when something is controversial, when you are lucky you might not be able to enter the uae, if you are unlucky you end up injail. there are usually two narratives, the espionage narrative and the other is the terrorism narrative. if you want to ta ke the terrorism narrative. if you want to take away from the credibility of the person you label him as a spy or a terrorist and you can do whatever you want. they have done that since 2011. since the ends of the arab spring, or the beginning of the arab spring, or the beginning of the arab spring, the uae has been at the forefront of making sure that people disappear or are silenced who are opposition figures putting a threat in the regime. where you surprised here are happening so quickly?” was. i expected it to happen. if it was. i

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

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

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

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 uae is supposed to be a friend and ally of britain's. we have given them repeated assurances about matthew. and if we can't resolve this, there are going to be serious diplomatic consequences, because this is totally u na cce pta ble. foreign media, including the bbc, were barred from observing today's court proceedings, and we were told by authorities that we weren't even allowed to report from outside the court. ultimately, most of the details had to come from the family, who say the hearing lasted fewer than five minutes, with no lawyer present. matthew hedges‘ colleagues say there is no legitimate basis for his arrest. the information we have been given, and the uae authorities have provided very, very little about this, is that matt was kind of brought to their attention by a citizen of the uae, who was concerned about the questions he was asking. we don't know who that person was. as far as we are aware, that person remains entirely anonymous. matthew hedges‘ family have maintained his innocence throughout, and say that his men

the uae remains convinced that matthew hedges was indeed a spy. he was certainly researching some sensitive areas, including the country's military capabilities and its role in the war in yemen. but what he and most academics would regard as perfectly legitimate, the uae saw as suspect. 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 an

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

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, 5oiam and we were just starting our lives, so i amjust and we were just starting our lives, so i am just thankful that this opportunity has been given back to u5. the pardon was announced minutes afterjournali5t5 were shown a video in which mr hedges apparently confessed to being a british spy. and this is some of the press conference that followed. during the investigation, it emerged that mr hedges has been using two different identities together information from his targets. in one, he was matthew hedges the ph.d. researcher. in another one coming was matthew hedges the businessman. he was part—time ph.d. researcher, part—time businessman, but he was hundred percent a full—time secret service oper

i'm going to tell you that it is not a uae situation. women are challenged being in the tech space in silicon valley. it is not a dubai issue, it is a woman issue. yes, it has been extremely challenging. it has been extremely challenging, as a woman, in the tech space, it has been challenging. i can honestly tell you, with all complete honestly, that yes, it is. uae in general, and dubai, in terms of the female leadership, i think they are very much ahead of a lot of other countries. it all comes down to the role models. we have a number of females leading huge offices and family businesses here. again, emiratis, non—emiratis, and we need more role models, this is how we can do this. i agree, and i am proud to be a role model for fetcher, as a woman, no question about it. do you think dubai, over the next few years, decades, will be the home for a truly global company? a company that, whether it is a user in china, or a user in the us or brazil, will have some sort of interaction with? that is a great question. aspirationally, yes. i t

the uae remains convinced that matthew hedges was indeed a spy. he was certainly researching some sensitive areas, including the country's military capabilities and its role in the war in yemen. but what he and most academics would regard as perfectly legitimate, the uae clearly saw as suspect. 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 curre

i'm going to tell you that it is not a uae situation. women are challenged being in the tech space in silicon valley. it is not a dubai issue, it is a woman is you. —— issue yes, it has been extremely challenging. it has been externally challenging, as a woman, in the tech space, it has been challenging. i can honestly tell you, with all compete honestly, that yes, it is. uae in general, and dubai, in terms of the female leadership, i think they are very much ahead of a lot of other countries. it all comes down to the role models. we have a number of females leading huge offices and family businesses here. again, emiratis, non—emiratis and we need more role models, this is how we can do this. i agree, and i am proud to be a role model for fetcher, as a woman, no question about it. do you think dubai, over the next few years, and decades, will be the home for a truly global company? a company that, whether it is a user in china, or a user in the us or brazil, will have some sort of interaction with? that is a great question. aspirat

but this afternoon in the uae, an apparent change of tone. a statement described by the foreign office as an olive branch. "contrary to media reports," it began, "matthew hedges has been treated fairly, according to the constitution 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

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

the uae remains convinced that matthew hedges was indeed a spy. he was certainly researching some sensitive areas, including the country's military capabilities and its role in the war in yemen. but what he and most academics would regard as perfectly legitimate, the uae saw as suspect. 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 2

that the south can offer to the uae and they could offer something in return. so, i just don't see that this will play out in terms of a regional conflict but there might be a local conflict should the southern transitional council not respect the wishes of the -- and say will do our own thing here. if no one will listen to them and no one will let them be a party in the peace negotiations we definitely will have a ticking time bomb. i think this would be the next conflict to watch in yemen. >> thank you. >> for me, at least all of us, it's been a sobering morning. as we walk out to enjoy the rest what seems to be a truly beautiful day i ask us all to please remember the tragedy that is happening before the world's eyes. not just today, but i suspect, in the weeks and months to come. we had an excellent premier on how to think about yemen and problems and difficulties and agreements so please join me in thanking our panel for an excellent presentation. [applause] >> book tv will be in prime time here on c-span2 this week for three nights followed by a four day

but this afternoon in the uae, an apparent change of tone. a statement described by the foreign office as an olive branch. "contrary to media reports," it began, "matthew hedges has been treated fairly, according to the constitution 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 sp

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

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

many researchers visit the uae freely every year without breaking our laws. under uae law everyone has the right to appeal after conviction and everyone can request a pardon from our president. mr hedges' family have made a request for clemency and the government is studying that request. our diplomatic correspondent has been following the case. that sounds quite optimistic, studying clemency. yes. we learned that that appeal has already been lodged. i understand that happened yesterday. there will bea that happened yesterday. there will be a question of how long it will take. some people watching this closely think it could be a matter ofa closely think it could be a matter of a few days. one gets that has been speculated as the 2nd of december which is the uae‘s national day when apparently these things have been known to occur in the past. it is worth noting that the ambassador went to some lengths to defend the country's judicial record. he said the uae is a country with an independentjudiciary that does not dictate verdicts to the court. he said it was

so we are expecting more repercussions, and more, stronger positions, because the uk and uae continue to havejoint projects and delegations. i spoke to his partner, she was very strong, obviously, it's going to be very difficult for everyone to deal with. have you been able to speak to daniela or any otherfamily members? not yet. we are giving them space, they are shocked as well, they were expecting another verdict. they have 30 days to appeal the verdict, and there is still a glimmer of hope. that should be said. thank you forjoining us. that was a friend of matthew hedges speaking to joanna gosling. that was a friend of matthew hedges speaking tojoanna gosling. we have some news from bombard you, they say 500 jobs are to go in northern ireland, the company has its headquarters in canada, and said it needs to cut costs and improve efficiency to ensure its long—term competitiveness. bombadier was one of the biggest employers in the country, with a large base in east belfast. bad news isjust in, the loss of almost 500 jobs. in a moment we'll have all the business news, but first the

, 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 -- emeratis. >> [indiscernible] , sure sure she recognizes she recognizes there are instances [indiscernible] we are dealing with. on that basis, on behalf of my constituents, can i ask

the uae is supposed to be a friend and ally of britain's. we have given them repeated assurances of matthew. and if we can't resolve this there are going to be serious diplomatic consequences. in the next few minutes we'll be talking to one of matthew hedges' friends, who has been helping with the campaign to free him. theresa may will return to brussels on saturday to try to finalise a deal on brexit ahead of a summit of european leaders. spain has warned it won't support the agreement unless changes are made to the wording over gibraltar, and the german leader angela merkel has indicated she won't attend unless the text on future co—operation is agreed in advance. 0ur political correspondent iain watson is in westminster. this is real brinkmanship, isn't it? theresa may going back on saturday. in theory, decisions to be made on sunday. that's right. yes. the pressure is definitely on the prime minister. she wanted a special summit so she could have a vote at westminster, a meaningful vote on the deal in december. from the eu's point of v

in the last hour, foreign secretary jeremy hunt said he'd had a constructive conversation with his uae counterpart and trusted that he was working hard to resolve the situation asap. a short while ago, i spoke tojohn williams, professor of international relations at durham university, where matthew was a student. john williams, tell us a little bit about matthew hedges' research. was it possible, in any way, that the emirates could have mistaken the research he was doing for intelligence gathering? no, that would be impossible. one of the things about academic research is that, before anybody is allowed to work with any living person, they have to go through a lengthy research ethics process, and central to that is the idea of the informed consent of the people you are researching with. so matthew will have contacted all of the people that he wanted to speak to in advance. in fact, they were all known to him previously because he's quite an experienced person in terms of working within the uae, so he would tell them information about himself, about the project that he was working on an

we'll bring you the uae ambassador's statement live. eu officials are meeting to finalise the brexit deal ahead of sunday's