King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the world's longest-reigning monarch.

Still widely-revered in Thailand, the 87-year-old king was in the past seen as a stabilising influence in a country which, during his reign, has seen numerous military coups, 19 constitutions and even more prime ministers.
Though he is a constitutional monarch with limited powers, many Thais regard him as semi-divine, and his usually opaque public utterances are minutely dissected for advice to his people.
Officially the King is above politics, but King Bhumibol has intervened in times of high tension, and is credited with finding non-violent resolutions to some crises.
However critics argue that the King has endorsed military takeovers, and at times failed to speak out against human rights abuses. During the political turmoil of the past decade some supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have accused senior royal officials of taking sides against him.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej acceded to the throne on 9 June 1946 after his brother, King Ananda Mahidol, died in a still unexplained shooting accident at the Royal Palace in Bangkok.
He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his father was studying, and he was later educated in Switzerland. He returned there to finish his studies before returning to Thailand where he was crowned in May 1950.
The status of the monarchy had been in decline since the abolition of absolute monarchy in 1932, and then the abdication of King Prajadhipok, King Bhumibol's uncle, in 1935.
In his early years King Bhumibol was overshadowed by a series of powerful military leaders. But with the support of other royal princes and sympathetic generals he rebuilt the monarchy's profile, making a series of tours to outlying provinces, and through numerous royal projects that established his lifelong concern with agricultural development.
In 2006, then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan presented him with the United Nations' first Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award.
The current public reverence for King Bhumibol appears genuine, but it has also been carefully nurtured by a formidable palace public relations machine, and by harsh "lese-majeste" laws that punish any criticism of the monarchy with up to 15 years in prison.
King Bhumibol's first public intervention in Thailand's chaotic politics occurred in 1973, when pro-democracy demonstrators in Bangkok were fired on by soldiers and were allowed to shelter in the royal palace, a move which led to the collapse of the administration of the then Prime Minister, General Thanom Kittikachorn.
But he failed to prevent the lynching of left-wing students by paramilitary vigilantes three years later, at a time when the monarchy feared the growth of communist sympathies after the end of the Vietnam War.
In 1981, King Bhumibol stood up to a group of army officers who had staged a coup against the prime minister, and the king's personal friend, General Prem Tinsulanond. Units loyal to the king then retook Bangkok.
In 1992 he again intervened when dozens of demonstrators were shot after protesting against an attempt by a former coup leader, General Suchinda Kraprayoon, to become prime minister. The king summoned General Suchinda and the protest leader, retired General Chamlong Srimuang, and had TV cameras film him scolding them while they were on their knees. Electoral democracy was restored after than, and a new constitution written.
During the crisis that erupted over the leadership of the then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006, the king was frequently asked to intervene but insisted this would be inappropriate. However, his influence was still viewed as pivotal when the election Mr Thaksin had won that April was quickly annulled by the courts. His precise role in the coup that deposed Mr Thaksin that year is unknown, although his advisors say he was not informed about it in advance.
In recent years the king's name and image continued to be invoked by royalist protest groups trying to unseat pro-Thaksin governments.
However the king himself was in poor health, and remained silent. Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha subsequently seized power in another military coup in May 2014.
Three months later, in August, King Bhumibol formally endorsed Gen Prayuth as the new prime minister.
In his younger days, King Bhumibol enjoyed a wide variety of pursuits, including photography, playing and composing songs for the saxophone, painting and writing.
He even received a patent for his development of an artificial rain-making technique.
The king has suffered from increasingly frail health in recent years, and has spent much of his time in hospital after being admitted for a lung infection in September 2009.


Marvel's miniature superhero Ant-Man has made a big impact at North American cinemas, with his film earning $58m (£37m) in its first weekend on release.

Ant-Man, which stars Paul Rudd as a thief who is recruited to become a shrinking action hero, bumped Minions off the top of the box office chart.
Ant-Man's first weekend takings were lower than for other major Marvel films like Captain America and Iron Man.
But its $130m (£83m) budget was also smaller than most Marvel blockbusters.
Minions made $50.2m (£32m) between Friday and Sunday, putting it in second place, according to studio estimates.
Romantic comedy Trainwreck, written by and starring Amy Schumer, exceeded expectations to earn $30.2m (£19m) and third place.
Pixar's Inside Out was fourth with $11.6m (£7.4m), closely followed by Jurassic World, with $11.4m.
That made the dinosaur thriller only the fourth film in history to have made more than $600m (£385m) at North American box offices, behind Avatar, Titanic and Avengers Assemble.


Two glider pilots have each soared more than 600 miles across Scotland, powered only by the "exceptional" weather conditions.

When glider pilots look at the sky and see lenticular clouds, they know the flying will be good.
The stationary, lens-shaped clouds - often mistaken for UFOs - tend to provide very smooth and strong lift, enabling gliders to fly vast distances.
Skilled pilots can surf these "waves" in the sky for hours - until the lift or the light runs out.
On Wednesday, strong north-westerly winds set up a series of giant "ripples" across the skies of Scotland and two pilots managed to break through the 1,000km (621 miles) barrier.
John Williams, who lives near Scotlandwell in Perth and Kinross, said it was an "exceptionally good wave day" - the sort of day that only comes along every few years.
He took off from the Scottish Gliding Centre's Portmoak airfield in his Antares glider at 06:50 and remained in the air for 11 hours and 38 minutes.
He flew 1,684km - "which nicely puts it just over a thousand miles" - harnessing the power of the atmosphere alone.
"When you get a wind from the north-west blowing across the mountains of Scotland, you get big ripples in the air set up. That's when you see these long, white lenticular clouds," he told the BBC.
"You can fly right along the edge of these clouds, just like a surfer on a beach. It's great fun."
The 63-year-old flew up to Killin, by Loch Tay, and then on to Aberdeenshire. He repeated the Killin to Aberdeenshire leg three times before flipping around and returning to his home airfield.
"My first leg was a bit slower than I was hoping for, so I thought, I could do better than that, so I tried it again," he said.
"And then I tried it again which is a bit unusual."
His average speed on the middle run, which was the fastest, was 184km/h (114mph).
To an untrained eye, it might appear that glider pilots are randomly floating around, but they're actually engaged in a constant search for lift and the best line to take them further and faster.
It's something that becomes even more critical at the speeds Mr Williams was travelling.
The pilot said he finds it an "endlessly fascinating" mental challenge, and one which enables him to concentrate hard for long periods of time.
Mr Williams already holds the UK gliding distance record - 1,108km (688 miles) - which he set almost exactly 10 years ago.
He said Wednesday's feat will not count as an official UK record, as the rules state you cannot repeat legs during the flight.
But his achievement has still been noted as a "significant achievement" by members of the UK gliding community.
"John is an exceptional pilot," says Sant Cervantes, who holds four UK gliding records.
"He's set the bar for people like myself to follow."
Mr Cervantes, 66, set off from Portmoak in a much smaller glider on Wednesday. He spent less time in the air, but still managed to fly 1,009km (627 miles) and reached an altitude of 13,000ft (3,962m).
He followed a similar route to Mr Williams, who said it was the first time anyone had achieved such a distance in a glider that size.
Mr Cervantes, a retired airline pilot, said there were only a handful of days each year which delivered really good wave days.
But Scotland has more days like this than many countries and is generally recognised as having some of the best gliding conditions in Europe - which is why many committed gliders end up moving here.
Mr Cervantes came to Scotland in 1972 and Mr Williams in 1997. Both of them now live conveniently close to the Portmoak airfield and devote much of their time to the world of gliding.
"Your glider is extension of your personality," Mr Cervantes told the BBC.
"What you've got out there is an ocean of air and each day is different. It's a voyage of discovery - of the sky and yourself."
Each flight might be different, but days like Wednesday can live in a pilot's memory for a long time, the 66-year-old said.
"If you're competent then you get in the zone like an athlete. You've got the conditions, you've got the glider and you've got yourself.
"When you get it right you feel like you're in harmony with the environment. You're on a knife edge and you just shoot along. It's fantastic."


Ryan Wilson has been left out of Scotland's Six Nations squad, which features uncapped props Zander Fagerson and Rory Sutherland.

Glasgow Warriors flanker Wilson, 26, has been cited for allegedly grabbing the testicles of an opponent in Sunday's defeat by Northampton Saints.
Tim Swinson, 28, who has been cited following a yellow card for punching in the same match, is in the squad.
"We made a decision with Ryan before he was cited," said coach Vern Cotter.
"We're happy with the way he has been improving but we feel that the [other] players are playing better than he is at the moment.
"I had a good talk with him last week. He is focussing on his game and he could come into contention as the competition goes on.
"Rory Sutherland has impressed us. He is coming through. We have worked with him and we think he has the quality to become an international player.
"Zander has done exceptionally well for a 20-year-old prop. He has proved that he has that competitive desire to do well.
"Both these players will get exposure at some stage."
The New Zealander, whose side lost all of last year's Six Nations matches, hopes his players can do "the simple things better" and continue the momentum and progress made at the World Cup, when the Scots reached the quarter-finals.
Experienced Scarlets back-row John Barclay, 29, is selected, having been considered and then left out of the final squad that went to England for last year's showpiece.
Scotland begin the championship at home to England then visit Wales and Italy before hosting France and finishing in Ireland.
"We've selected a mixture of experience with some exciting young players coming through, some of whom have experienced the Rugby World Cup and are eager to move forward, take the Six Nations head on and show that we can develop our game and be competitive," said Cotter.
"I think there should be confidence. The guys have worked hard and improved. There are positive signs that we can compete, and this championship will give us another opportunity to measure ourselves against very good opposition in a tough competition."
Fraser Brown, Grant Gilchrist, Henry Pyrgos, Richie Vernon and Jon Welsh are currently injured but Edinburgh lock Gilchrist and Warriors scrum-half Pyrgos will train with the squad.
Tournament veteran Alasdair Strokosch has retired from international duty.
Mark Bennett, Peter Horne, Tommy Seymour and Tim Visser are included, despite nursing injuries.
"If all goes well, he could be available in three weeks so he may be available for the first game," Cotter said of Bennett.
"There's half a dozen players in the squad that, if the game was this week, they wouldn't make the squad."
Among those who make the squad, John Hardie, Stuart McInally, Willem Nel and Josh Strauss are yet to play in the Six Nations.
"I think the group can believe that they can compete and lift to another level again after the World Cup," added Cotter.
Forwards: Adam Ashe (Glasgow Warriors), John Barclay (Scarlets), Blair Cowan (London Irish), David Denton (Bath), Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Chris Fusaro (Glasgow Warriors), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Castres), John Hardie (Edinburgh), Moray Low (Exeter Chiefs), Pat MacArthur (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh Rugby), Willem Nel (Edinburgh), Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors), Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors), Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh), Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors), Ben Toolis (Edinburgh).
Backs: Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors), Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh), Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors), Ruaridh Jackson (Wasps), Greig Laidlaw (Gloucester), Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Maitland (London Irish), Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors), Matt Scott (Edinburgh), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens) Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors), Tim Visser (Harlequins).


The Wales Office had a reputation for being "fractious" with Downing Street and Cardiff Bay, ex-Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb has told a think tank.

He told the Institute for Government he did not think the department worked "particularly effectively" before he became secretary of state in 2014.
Mr Crabb said the Wales Office should act as a "bridge" to Welsh ministers.
But he said relations between the UK and Welsh governments had "hit a low" under his predecessor David Jones.
The Preseli Pembrokeshire Conservative MP made his observations in one of a series of interviews with ex-ministers published by the think tank on Thursday.
Mr Crabb left the Wales Office to become work and pensions secretary in March 2016, later becoming one of several contenders for the Tory leadership who lost out to Theresa May.
"The view that I had was that if the job of being secretary of state for Wales and the department of the Wales Office had any purpose at all in 2014, then it needed to be acting as a bridge to a devolved government rather than being a source of friction and argument," he said.
"So my first priority was to be seen quite visibly to mend relations.
"I think it is fair to say, and not through any fault of his, but under my predecessor at the Wales Office relations between the UK government and the Welsh government had hit a low and it was playing quite badly in the Welsh media."
Mr Crabb said that he felt that the job he could do for the prime minister was to "fix that", to "put ourselves on the side of being reasonable nice guys".
He said that the Wales Office was much more about "projecting a voice and a face of UK government and then representing Welsh interests back into UK government around the Cabinet table".
"That is the essential purpose of it and I felt I did very well in that role, generally changing the mood, setting a different tone and then setting myself a couple of benchmarks of things I wanted to achieve."
Mr Crabb said the Scottish independence referendum "changed the show altogether".
"David Cameron made that announcement of a new constitutional conversation," he said.
"So, suddenly I was given my mandate by the PM to pick up a stalled devolution agenda that had slightly run into the sand and warm it up a bit and do something with it.
"So that's what I did: we set up the St David's Day process and began drafting a bill to do some of this stuff."
He said that moving to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) signalled a huge change in the volume of work, after the Wales Office.
"At the Wales Office I had a box [of documents to deal with] every weekend and in truth, I could whistle through it in an hour and a half.
"At DWP, you're getting a box every night and it's full," he said.
Reflecting on the NATO summit in Newport in 2014 he said "the PM loved it, the Welsh media loved it, Obama loved it".
Mr Crabb resigned from the government last July following newspaper allegations about his private life.


The capture of the strategic northern border town of Tal Abyad from Islamic State (IS) is the latest in a string of gains by the dominant Kurdish militia in Syria, the YPG, and its political branch, the PYD, across the north of the country since 2011.

In January, their fighters grabbed world attention when they drove IS out of Kobane, another border town further east.
Now, the YPG, working with some Free Syrian Army-aligned rebels, and backed by US-led coalition air strikes, have taken control of Tal Abyad, with its ethnically mixed population, that had been held by IS since last year.
The YPG's victory in Kobane was symbolically significant, but Tal Abyad offers far more strategic value.
Long-term control of Tal Abyad would further the YPG's goal of connecting the non-contiguous zones of territory it holds across northern Syria, which it organises into three "cantons": Afrin (north-west of Aleppo); Kobane (west of Tal Abyad); and al-Jazira (north-east Hasakeh province).
If the YPG is able to hold Tal Abyad and use it to connect Kobane to al-Jazira, it will increase its strategic value to the US-led anti-IS coalition and will empower its self-governance structures in predominately Kurdish north-eastern Syria.
Tal Abyad is important to the anti-IS coalition because the town has long served as a key IS supply route, and a crossing point for foreign fighters seeking to join IS in Raqqa, the group's de facto capital.
There are few organised, trained and willing forces in Syria that the anti-IS coalition can rely on as a ground partner in its campaign in Syria.
Moreover, Turkey has been reluctant to fully co-operate with the coalition, instead tolerating a porous border with Syria that has, in the words of one US official, created a "permissive environment" for jihadists.
While Tal Abyad has been under firm IS control, for instance, Turkey has continued to allow some supplies to cross in from the Turkish border town of Akcakale, including sacks of fertiliser that contain ammonium nitrate used by IS to build explosives.
Turkey's vacillation stems in part from its prioritisation of toppling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over fighting IS, and in part from its fear of the YPG. It views the latter as equivalent to the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), which it treats as a "terrorist" organisation.
The PKK - also labelled "terrorist" by Western governments - has been waging a 30-year insurgency for self-rule in eastern Turkey, a key Western ally. The unrest has killed more than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds.
In this context, the YPG shines as a willing and able coalition ground partner against IS in Syria.
The group shares the PKK's secular, leftist-rooted ideology, which stands in stark contrast to the various shades of Islamist identity adopted by most other major Syrian opposition groups.
YPG fighters, many of whom have been well-trained by the PKK, have proven their ability to take on IS not only in Syria, but also in parts of north-western Iraq.
Brig Gen Thomas Weidley, the chief-of-staff of the anti-IS coalition, specifically praised the YPG on Monday, saying: "Since fall 2014, Kurdish forces in both Iraq and Syria, enabled by the coalition, have only taken territory from Daesh [a pejorative term for IS], never ceding it."
Yet, despite this impassioned praise in the wake of victory, coalition countries continue to at times treat the PYD/YPG as a pariah.
Coalition countries have, with few exceptions, stopped short of openly arming the YPG, in part because it is affiliated with the PKK.
Although the US-led coalition is co-ordinating air strikes in Syria with the YPG, Washington has refused to give the civilian PYD leader, Saleh Muslim, a visa to the US.
This inconsistent policy limits the PYD/YPG's ability to diversify its international backers and, in effect, keeps it reliant on pacts with Iran and the Assad regime.
The PYD/YPG's rapid rise in Kurdish-majority parts of northern Syria starting in 2011 was in part owed to a deal with the Syrian regime, which tolerated PYD control of some Kurdish areas in exchange for PYD repression of Kurdish anti-government demonstrations.
A non-aggression pact with the regime - based on pragmatism rather than shared sympathies - remains mostly in force today, and has allowed the YPG to focus its efforts on fighting jihadist groups.
But that association has cost the YPG credibility in the eyes of other Syrian opposition groups, anti-regime Kurds, and coalition countries that want to see Assad fall.
For now, the YPG only benefits from air strikes and intelligence when and where the coalition's goals overlap with its own.
But its role in pushing IS out of Tal Abyad, and its collaboration with certain Free Syrian Army rebels in that fight, may encourage coalition countries to engage the group more directly.
If managed well, this could have the effect of reducing its dependence on institutions controlled by the Syrian regime.
Ultimately, the key to normalising the coalition's relationship with the YPG would be progress in the Turkey-PKK peace process, which would allow Turkey - and thus its Western allies - to engage the PYD/YPG with greater flexibility.
Cale Salih is a Visiting Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Follow her @callysally


Harlequins flanker Chris Robshaw will miss England's 2017 Six Nations campaign with a shoulder injury.

The 30-year-old will have an operation on Monday and is expected to be sidelined for three months.
Robshaw, who has won 55 caps, aggravated a problem with his left shoulder at Worcester on 1 January.
The back row captained the national side between January 2012 and January 2016, but was replaced as skipper after Eddie Jones became England head coach.
Jones led the side to a Grand Slam in 2016 but the Australian has a number of injury worries going into this year's tournament, which England begin against France at Twickenham on 4 February.
Saracens forwards Billy and Mako Vunipola have been ruled out with knee injuries, while Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi is out for the season with cruciate ligament damage.
Lock George Kruis is a doubt with a fractured cheekbone, and flanker James Haskell was concussed on his return from six months out with a foot injury.
Captain Dylan Hartley, who is suspended until 23 January, will need to prove his fitness before the competition starts.
Chris Jones, BBC Radio 5 live rugby union reporter
After losing the captaincy following the World Cup, Chris Robshaw was a talisman for England on the blind-side flank in 2016 - playing in all but one of the 13 straight victories.
He was also repeatedly singled out for praise by head coach Eddie Jones for his outstanding performances.
However, while Robshaw's leadership and consistency will certainly be missed in the Six Nations, it may present Jones with the opportunity to move Maro Itoje from the second row into the back row, especially if locks Joe Launchbury and George Kruis can prove their fitness over the coming weeks.


One of Bhutan's leading film directors, Tshering Wangyel, has died in hospital at the age of 43.

The Bhutan Film Association said Tshering Wangyel had been shooting his latest movie when he was taken to hospital last month with pneumonia.
It called his death a great shock and a huge loss.
Tshering Wangyel made 40 films blending Bollywood with Buddhist themes and played a key role in developing the nation's movie industry.
Yeshi Dorji, executive director of the Bhutan Film Association, told the Agence France-Presse news agency: "Most of our popular actors and actresses got their break because of him - every year he would make at least a couple of films, creating so many jobs in the process."
Tshering Wangyel released his first film in 1999, writing the screenplay and overseeing cameras, sound and lighting. Friends helped with the budget and starred in the movie, Rawa.
Tshering Wangyel also transported screens and projectors from village to village around the mountainous Himalayan kingdom to bring films to the people.


A former Cardiff defender and a current Cardiff striker earned a vital victory for bottom club Newport County.

Rhys Healey's superb solo effort just after the interval put the Exiles ahead, the Bluebirds loanee scoring his second of the season.
Ex-Cardiff defender Jazzi Barnum-Bobb secured the points as Newport won for only the second time this season.
Janoi Donacien scored a consolation goal for the hosts before a late Josh Sheehan goal sealed it for Newport.
Newport County manager Graham Westley told BBC Radio Wales Sport: "It has been about trying to improve. We have been working hard on the basics and I think we are going in the right direction.
"The players were terrific in their defensive resilience and credit to them for a fantastic win.
"The team was brilliant and their were individuals within it who were exceptional."
Match ends, Accrington Stanley 1, Newport County 3.
Second Half ends, Accrington Stanley 1, Newport County 3.
Corner,  Newport County. Conceded by Romuald Boco.
Corner,  Newport County. Conceded by Romuald Boco.
Goal!  Accrington Stanley 1, Newport County 3. Josh Sheehan (Newport County) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Rhys Healey.
Corner,  Newport County. Conceded by Elliot Parish.
Attempt saved. Dan Butler (Newport County) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Josh Sheehan (Newport County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Terry Gornell (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Josh Sheehan (Newport County).
Attempt saved. Shay McCartan (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt blocked. Scott Brown (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Gary Taylor-Fletcher (Accrington Stanley).
Scot Bennett (Newport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Terry Gornell (Accrington Stanley) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left.
Shay McCartan (Accrington Stanley) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Romuald Boco (Accrington Stanley).
Rhys Healey (Newport County) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Goal!  Accrington Stanley 1, Newport County 2. Janoi Donacien (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.
Foul by Omar Beckles (Accrington Stanley).
Rhys Healey (Newport County) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Newport County. Dan Butler replaces Jennison Myrie-Williams.
Hand ball by Jazzi Barnum-Bobb (Newport County).
Omar Beckles (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Kyle Cameron (Newport County).
Corner,  Newport County. Conceded by Scott Brown.
Substitution, Accrington Stanley. Romuald Boco replaces Jordan Clark.
Substitution, Accrington Stanley. Shay McCartan replaces John O'Sullivan.
Foul by Terry Gornell (Accrington Stanley).
Scot Bennett (Newport County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Jennison Myrie-Williams (Newport County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Jennison Myrie-Williams (Newport County).
Attempt missed. Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner,  Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Ben Tozer.
Attempt blocked. Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley) header from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner,  Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Paul Bignot.
Goal!  Accrington Stanley 0, Newport County 2. Jazzi Barnum-Bobb (Newport County) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Rhys Healey.
Substitution, Accrington Stanley. Gary Taylor-Fletcher replaces Zak Vyner.
Sean Rigg (Newport County) is shown the yellow card.


Information watchdogs have been told an NHS Borders response to a request for details of its staff infection policy was probably "lost in transit".

Dr Jonathan Chappell did not receive a reply to his Freedom of Information request within required timescales.
The Scottish Information Commissioner was told the health board had now provided its response.
NHS Borders was found to have failed to reply within required timescales but it was ruled no further action was needed.
Dr Chappell wrote to the health board in late December last year for information about policies and procedures to deal with the protection of staff and patients if NHS workers were diagnosed as suffering from an infection.
He received acknowledgement of his request by mid-January but did not get the information requested.
The doctor wrote to NHS Borders in March requiring a review of its failure to respond and contacted the commissioner a month later.
"In its submissions to the commissioner, NHS Borders explained that (during the investigation) it had recovered the retained file copy of the letter to Dr Chappell dated 31 March 2015," the commissioner's report stated.
"It assumed the letter had been posted at that time, but was unable to evidence this for the commissioner."
The commissioner found that meant the only possible conclusion was that the required timescales to reply had not been met.


Johnny Depp has been named the most overpaid actor in Hollywood for the second consecutive year.

Forbes magazine's list calculates the Pirates of the Caribbean star returned only $2.80 (Â£2.20) at the box office for every $1 (78p) he was paid for the last three films he made before June.
Those films include Alice Through the Looking Glass, which stumbled at the box office when it was released in May.
Will Smith is ranked second, returning $5 (Â£3.94) on every dollar.
The figures are based in part on his medical drama Concussion and the romantic comedy Focus.
But they do not factor in comic book movie Suicide Squad, which arrived in cinemas in August.
Channing Tatum is ranked third in the list, just ahead of comic star Will Ferrell.
The Anchorman star topped the list in 2009 and 2010 and was ranked third one year ago.
Each actor's ranking is based on the box office performance of the last three major films up to June 2016 in which they had a starring role.
Animated releases, films where the actor had in a minor role or those released on fewer than 2,000 screens are not used in Forbes' calculations.
The magazine then takes the estimated production budget away from the global box office returns for each film to work out each one's operating income.
That figure is then added to the estimated total fee for each star across their three films to discover the final figure for return on investment.
Depp's putative return is better than that of one year ago, when he was adjudged to have returned $1.20 (94p) for every $1 he was paid.
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Amec Foster Wheeler has agreed to a £2.2bn takeover by Wood Group in a deal that brings together two of the UK's largest energy services companies.

Wood Group hopes to cut £110m in costs from the combined business, which will provide services to the oil and gas, chemicals and mining sectors.
The deal will create a company with a combined value of about £5bn.
Shares in Amec soared 14.7% to 561p, while Aberdeen-based Wood Group's shares climbed 4.4% to 785p.
Wood Group is offering 564p a share for its British rival.
Mark Wilson, an analyst at Jefferies, said: "While materially above our Amec valuation, we can see Wood Group consolidating its market-leading UK North Sea business, expanding product lines in the US and possibly increasing the scope for asset sales."
The deal has emerged at a difficult time for both businesses amid continued oil price volatility.
Amec was due to raise £500m through a rights issue next week, although this has now been suspended.
The funds were due to be used to reduce its £1bn debt pile and for a reorganisation of the company. It was formed by the merger of Amec and American firm Foster Wheeler three years ago.
Amec also announced on Monday that last year's revenues fell 8% to £5.4bn after "continuing weakness" in the oil and gas market offset strong performances elsewhere in its business. That weakness was also partly responsible for a £56m slide in profit to £318m.
In February, Wood Group revealed a revenues had fallen 16% last year to $4.9bn, while pre-tax profit halved to $66m.
The company has been shedding staff and last year it cut about 18% of its employees.
Under the terms of the deal, Amec shareholders will end up with 44% of the larger group.
The management of Wood Group - chief executive Robin Watson, finance chief David Kemp and chairman Ian Marchant - will continue in their roles following completion of the deal.
Wood Group chairman Ian Marchant said: "The combination extends the scale and scope of our services, deepens our existing customer relationships, facilitates further development of our technology-enabled solutions and broadens our end market, geographic and customer exposure.
"Delivering significant sustainable synergies will also result in a leaner and more competitive combined group, creating value for shareholders."


When word came out of South Africa on Tuesday that the new Pro14, including the Kings and the Cheetahs, was a done deal for the coming season the reaction varied depending on which part of the world you happened to be in.

In South Africa, the news was greeted warmly, particularly in Bloemfontein, home of the Cheetahs, and Port Elizabeth, home of the Kings. Having been dumped from next season's Super Rugby competition, the pair of them have been yanked from death's door.
If there's uncertainty surrounding the championship they're entering it's as nothing compared to the fears they had when extinction was beckoning. This is a victory for their fans and players.
Closer to home, there was confusion and doubt. Expansion seems to have happened at breakneck speed. Supporters are finding it hard to get their heads around it.
Fourteen teams in two conferences of seven? Why? Two weak South African sides? Again, why? What's the point?
How will throwing in two sides that have no connection with northern hemisphere rugby add to the competitive nature of the competition?
The Pro12 needs to be about genuine edge and rivalry. To many voicing their opinion on social media, this smacks of a watering-down of those very qualities. A manufactured solution to bringing in a few bob.
The bottom line in all of this is money. The main goal is not so much about strengthening the quality of the league - although that's obviously an aim - it's about getting access to new cash in the increasingly expensive world of professional rugby.
It's about getting more finance in an attempt at not being lapped by the truly moneyed clubs of England and France.
A deal was struck in Dublin on Tuesday to admit the Cheetahs and the Kings. Next week should bring a public announcement that the Pro14 has been born.
The fixture list could follow the week after next. The season will begin in early September.
The speed in which this plan has been put together is extraordinary. The South Africans have committed to a six-season deal and will deliver about £6m per season to the new league, mostly through their domestic television rights. It may be small-time money compared to the riches on offer in club rugby in England and France, but it's much needed.
It's a 50% increase on what the Pro12 currently makes from TV rights. It's £36m over six years.
There will be scepticism about the format - and, in some cases, outright condemnation and forecasts of the death of the league - but the finances of this have to be taken into consideration in any analysis. This league desperately needs to bring in more money.
Why is the cash so badly needed? Because the pro game is becoming wildly expensive and it's only heading in one direction.
With so much money in England and France, it's getting harder for the Scottish, Welsh and Irish teams to hold on to their marquee players. They need more financial firepower to either persuade a star to stay or persuade a player of similar ability to join.
When, for instance, Stuart Hogg won player of the year in the 2016 Six Nations, two things happened: he announced himself as a player of world stature while simultaneously making himself an attractive proposition for richer clubs.
The Scottish Rugby Union had to break the bank to keep Hogg at Glasgow Warriors as a consequence. This is the by-product of success. The unions in Wales and Ireland could tell similar tales.
Though nothing has happened as yet, the SRU will be anticipating a move from England or France for fly-half Finn Russell at some point.  Every last penny helps the process of trying to keep their top players at home.
Three different structures have been mooted, but the two-conference system looks like the probable winner. Two groups of seven teams - two Irish, two Welsh and one each from Scotland, Italy and South Africa in each conference  - play each other home and away. That's 12 games.
All teams from conference one play all teams from conference two. That's another seven games, making it 19. There will be two extra derby games on top of that - the 1872 Cup, for instance, will be a three-game affair -  to bring the total to 21.
Then there's play-offs. This is not written in stone, but the top side from each conference advance to the semi-finals.
Teams placed second and third in each conference play each other to determine the other two semi-finalists. A South African side can win the Pro14 but cannot qualify to play in the Champions Cup.
Sources in South Africa say they're aware that the Cheetahs and the Kings have been dismal in Super Rugby and a repeat of their performance of recent seasons would do horrendous damage to those trying to rebrand the Pro14.
The South Africans intend to boost their teams' squads even if they have to move players from their other franchises. That may not happen in season one of the Pro14, but it should happen in season two and beyond.
By then, the Pro14 could look even more different. There is said to be a "70% chance" that an American franchise, possibly based in Washington, will join the competition next season.
This could be at the expense of Italians Zebre, who are in perpetual crisis. It was reported on Tuesday that their players have not been paid in two months. Zebre appear to be in an extremely parlous state.
We wait for the lawyers to pore over every last document, which will take place next week. Then the formal announcement will happen and the process of selling the new competition will begin.
The Pro14 will need a mountainous promotional budget on that front.
In South Africa, there may be relief at seeing their teams saved and excitement about seeing what they might achieve in the new competition, but here, the dominant mood is apprehension.
The Pro12 board has built a bridge to South Africa, but they're also going to have to break down a wall to convince many of their core supporters that this thing can work.
As one source said on Tuesday: "We know there are a lot of misgivings out there, but it's not a case of wanting this to succeed, it's a case of needing it to succeed.
"With the way the rugby world is going - with so much money in other leagues - there's no other option for any of us. We have to adapt and we have to make a success of this."


Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, owner of The Times, The Sunday Times and The Wall Street Journal newspapers, saw third quarter net profits fall 52%, compared with the same period in 2014.

Declining advertising revenues and circulations for print publications meant profits fell to $23m (Â£15.2m; â‚¬20.6m) for the quarter ended 31 March.
Revenues also slipped 1% to $2.06bn.
Chief executive Robert Thomson highlighted a strong performance in its property listing business, Realtor.com.
"The new News Corp continues to build a firm foundation for digital growth," said Mr Thomson.
"We see that most clearly in the successful integration of realtor.com, which grew audience and revenue at record levels in the third quarter.
"News Corp is now a global leader in digital real estate."
Revenues for the online property division rose 67% to $170m for the quarter, after results from its Move subsidiary were included.
Newspapers, on the other hand, continued to struggle, with revenue in News Corp's news and information division falling 9% overall, as ad revenue declined 12%, and circulation and subscription revenue fell 6%.
But revenue in News Corp's book publishing division, which includes HarperCollins, rose 14% to $402m over the quarter.
The company said the continued popularity of the late Chris Kyle's autobiography, American Sniper, had helped boost results. The book was turned into a Hollywood film starring Bradley Cooper.
The group revenue results were below analyst expectations - a fact the company blamed partially on currency fluctuations.


MPs have criticised a judge over a suspended jail term given to a man who attacked his wife with a cricket bat.

Mustafa Bashir, 34, also forced bleach into her mouth, but the judge in Manchester said his sentence took into account his wife was not "vulnerable".
Both Jess Phillips, Labour, and Maria Miller, Conservative, said they were concerned by the case and would write to the attorney general.
Bashir's ex-wife said she was "disappointed" by the judge's comments.
At Manchester Crown Court, Bashir of Hebers Court, Middleton, Manchester, admitted two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Judge Richard Mansell said his decision on the sentence was guided by the fact he was "not convinced [Bashir's then wife] was a vulnerable person" as she was "an intelligent woman with a network of friends" and a degree.
Despite acknowledging the attacks had an "ongoing effect" on his victim's ability to trust people, he sentenced Bashir, who played cricket for Oldham, to 18 months, suspended for two years.
Speaking to the BBC, which has agreed not to use her name, Bashir's ex-wife said she was "disappointed in the comments which the judge made about my vulnerability".
She added: "I am a confident and strong woman because of what I have suffered. I was suffering for my life but the judge didn't believe me."
The judge also ordered Bashir to attend a workshop entitled ''building better relationships'', pay Â£1,000 costs and banned him from contacting his ex-wife indefinitely.
Ms Phillips, who is MP for Birmingham Yardley, said the judge's comments sent a "dangerous" message.
"Your vulnerability and your risk is a completely dynamic thing," she said.
"Everybody has a dynamic risk, I've met women who went on to be murdered who had law degrees, who were very eminent business people.
"There's no category that domestic violence does not touch. It does not follow class lines, it does not follow race lines, it does not follow age lines."
Ms Miller, chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, told the BBC: "The brutality of the sort of acts that have been outlined really make me believe that this was a devastating episode in the victim's life.
"I do think this needs to be properly understood by judges and it needs to be properly accounted for in sentencing."
An apparent defence claim, noted by the judge, that a prison sentence would have lost Bashir a contract with Leicestershire County Cricket Club (LCCC) has been rejected by the club, which denies it has ever been in contact with Bashir.
The CPS said: "We are aware of recent developments relating to this case and are currently considering our options."
Anna Soubry, Conservative MP Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, said: "Police need to get a statement from LCCC.
"They may want to consider whether any other charge needs to be brought if the defendant has deliberately advanced something that is not true to reduce the sentence and/or keep him out of prison."
While the offence is not one where the sentence can be referred to the Court of Appeal as "unduly lenient", the judge has 56 days to recall it if doubt is cast on the grounds for the sentence.


Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been left out of Spain's squad for friendlies against Italy and Romania.

Costa, 27, was sent off during his club's 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Everton last week, ruling him out of Saturday's game with West Ham.
Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink said on Friday that Costa has a problem with a tendon in a hip muscle.
Spain are away to Italy in Udine on 24 March before facing Romania in Cluj three days later.
Athletic Bilbao forward Aritz Aduriz, 35, has replaced Costa as Vicente del Bosque's squad build-up to this summer's European Championships in France.
Aduriz has scored 17 goals in 28 La Liga games this season.
The Spain squad features six Premier League players.
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and midfielder Juan Mata are included along with three Chelsea players - defender Cesar Azpilicueta, midfielder Cesc Fabregas and winger Pedro.
Manchester City midfielder David Silva is also named.
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Porto), David de Gea (Manchester  United), Sergio Rico (Sevilla).
Defenders: Jordi Alba, Gerard Pique, Marc Bartra (all Barcelona), Sergio Ramos, Nacho (both Real Madrid), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Mario Gaspar (Villarreal).
Midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto (both Barcelona), David Silva (Manchester City), Mikel San Jose (Athletic Bilbao), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Isco (Real Madrid), Juan Mata (Manchester United).
Forwards: Pedro Rodriguez (Chelsea), Alvaro Morata (Juventus), Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao), Paco Alcacer (Valencia), Nolito (Celta Vigo).


Klingon was the chosen language for the Welsh government in its response to queries about UFO sightings at Cardiff Airport.

While English and Welsh are the usual forms of communications in the Senedd, it opted for the native tongue of the enemies of Star Trek's Captain Kirk.
Shadow Health Minister Darren Millar had asked for details of UFOs sightings and asked if research would be funded.
A Welsh government spokesman responded with: "jang vIDa je due luq."
The Welsh government statement continued: "'ach ghotvam'e' QI'yaH devolve qaS."
In full it said it translated as: "The minister will reply in due course. However this is a non-devolved matter."
It is believed to be the first time the Welsh government has chosen to communicate in Klingon.
Mr Millar, shadow health minister and AM for Clwyd West, submitted three questions to economy, science and transport minister Edwina Hart about UFO reports around the airport and across the rest of Wales.
Responding to the government's unusual diversion into trilingualism, Mr Millar said: "I've always suspected that Labour ministers came from another planet. This response confirms it."
Mr Millar asked:


A senior British army officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a female military officer in Canada.

Lt-Col Christopher Davies, 45, was arrested following an alleged incident on 10 April this year, police in Ontario have said.
The officer, who was in Canada on a temporary posting, has been bailed to appear in court on 15 September.
An army spokesman said it was aware of an investigation involving a serving British army officer.
The alleged assault occurred at Fort Frontenac, in Kingston, following commemorations for the World War One Battle of Vimy Ridge, on 9 April, police said.
The alleged victim - a 52-year-old female officer - had attended a military function at the fort.
She then allegedly went to a bar with other guests, including Lt-Col Davies. Police say she reported having being sexually assaulted in her hotel room in the early hours of the following day.
Lt-Col Davies was arrested and charged earlier this week.
He has since been released but was ordered to surrender his passport and has been barred from leaving Ontario ahead of a court appearance.
"We are aware of an investigation being conducted by Kingston Police into an alleged incident that took place in April this year involving a serving British army officer," a British army spokesman said.
"As the case is sub judice it would be inappropriate to make any comment."


The usually quiet town of Heywood has been rocked since finding itself at the centre of child sex allegations that sparked far-right protests and waves of vandalism.

A ten-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court heard that five girls were groomed for sex and "shared" by nine men from Heywood and Rochdale.
The men plied the girls, some as young as 13, with drink and drugs before forcing them to have sex.
However, while the arrest and charging of the men - eight from Pakistan and one from Afghanistan - could have been an end to the problem, it was when their trial hit the headlines that more trouble began.
In February, a gang of about 100 youths gathered outside the Tasty Bites takeaway in Heywood, which had been mentioned in court as being at the centre of the grooming ring.
What followed was a violent and verbal attack which police said was "misjudged and against innocent members of the community".
Windows were smashed even though the business was, by then, under new management, who have renamed the takeaway.
But new owner, Mushtaq Ahmed, said people were outside "knocking on the windows shouting abusive words - 'we want rapists out, we want this out, we want that out.'
"They were calling us various names as well," he said. "Most of them knew that we had nothing to do with it."
Publicity around the trial - which involved 11 defendants, two of whom have been cleared by the jury - also prompted demonstrations by far-right groups, both outside the court and in Heywood.
Police insist the grooming was sexually, not racially-motivated, and the girls were targeted because they were vulnerable not because they are white.
Despite this, far-right protesters staged a demonstration in the town almost every week during the trial, eager to exploit any racial tensions.
The BNP's Nick Griffin even came to Heywood in an attempt to recruit new members.
Stephen Campbell runs a taxi firm that employs nearly 80 drivers, some of whom have given up work through fear of being targeted by demonstrators.
"The staff don't feel safe coming to work anymore," he said.
"The drivers are driving around and they're always worrying who's getting in the car next.
"The job totals are down. We've had drivers leaving because they're too scared to work in Heywood. It's generally been bad for business."
Imam Irfan Chishti, from Rochdale Council of Mosques, said he was "sickened" by the case.
"It was very shocking to see fellow British Muslims brought to court for this kind of horrific offence," he said.
"But I'm glad to see that all segments of the Rochdale community have spoken out about it."
Rochdale Council has been tackling the problem of grooming by running an education programme warning schoolchildren of the dangers of child sexual exploitation.
So far, 10,000 high school students have taken part.
Emily Nickson, who runs the sessions, said: "The content of the session is around sexual exploitation - what it is, who it might happen to, who might be a perpetrator.
"We look at online risks and how to keep them safe using social networking sites. We explain young people's rights and we talk about the law in terms of sexual consent.
"It's not a new subject, they already know about it, but we want to make them aware of the actual facts and how to keep themselves safe and less vulnerable."
The sessions are already paying off. One teenager who took part realised that her cousin was being groomed.
"She was being given bracelets and rings and all sorts of jewellery," she said.
"After the talk she thought about it twice and thought it was the wrong thing to do, so she walked away from it."
It's too early to say whether the problem of child exploitation has been removed.
But the town is determined to move on with a positive message.
"Heywood has always been a welcoming community," said Father Paul Daly, a Roman Catholic priest from the Salford Diocese.
"We've got people of different races, people from different parts of the world, people from different faiths.
"It's always been a harmonious community and I think some of what we've seen came as quite a shock really to the people of Heywood themselves.
"Probably it's made us stronger because of that."


Niko Kranjcar scored and set up two goals for Clint Hill as Rangers eased past Peterhead to reach the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals.

Kranjcar's impressive strike put Rangers in front and the midfielder's corner led to Hill netting the hosts' second from close range.
A Fiacre Kelleher own goal extended the home side's advantage after the break.
Peterhead then had Nathan Blockley sent off before Hill headed in a Kranjcar corner and Joe Dodoo fired the fifth.
Though Rangers started their Premiership campaign with a 1-1 draw with Hamilton Academical on Saturday, they had won all four of their League Cup first-round group games without losing a goal.
And they set about continuing that record in the competition, with former Tottenham Hotspur man Kranjcar particularly influential.
The Croatian collected Dodoo's pass and swept a shot into the near top corner from the right edge of the penalty area.
James Tavernier had a shot turned on to the crossbar by goalkeeper Graeme Smith before Hill scrambled in his first Rangers goal - a tap-in from Kranjcar's pin-point delivery.
Kelleher diverted Michael O'Halloran's cross into his own net early in the second period.
A reckless tackle by Blockley on Joey Barton was punished with a red card not long before Hill's powerful header converted another Kranjcar corner.
And Dodoo completed the scoring with a clinical finish from Tavernier's cut-back.
Match ends, Rangers 5, Peterhead 0.
Second Half ends, Rangers 5, Peterhead 0.
Attempt saved. Jason Holt (Rangers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Corner,  Rangers. Conceded by Simon Ferry.
Foul by Rob Kiernan (Rangers).
Leighton McIntosh (Peterhead) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt saved. Michael O'Halloran (Rangers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Corner,  Peterhead. Conceded by James Tavernier.
Corner,  Rangers. Conceded by Scott Rumsby.
Attempt missed. Scott Rumsby (Peterhead) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Attempt missed. Harry Forrester (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Attempt missed. Joseph Dodoo (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt blocked. Clint Hill (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner,  Rangers. Conceded by Steven Noble.
Scott Rumsby (Peterhead) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Joseph Dodoo (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Scott Rumsby (Peterhead).
James Tavernier (Rangers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Rory McAllister (Peterhead).
Attempt saved. Harry Forrester (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Corner,  Rangers. Conceded by Rory McAllister.
Goal!  Rangers 5, Peterhead 0. Joseph Dodoo (Rangers) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by James Tavernier.
Substitution, Rangers. Barrie McKay replaces Niko Kranjcar.
Substitution, Rangers. Jason Holt replaces Joey Barton.
Substitution, Rangers. Andy Halliday replaces Jordan Rossiter.
Substitution, Peterhead. Salim Nassor replaces Jamie Redman.
Foul by Harry Forrester (Rangers).
Jamie Redman (Peterhead) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Goal!  Rangers 4, Peterhead 0. Clint Hill (Rangers) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Niko Kranjcar with a cross.
Corner,  Rangers. Conceded by Fiacre Kelleher.
Joey Barton (Rangers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Nathan Blockley (Peterhead) is shown the red card for violent conduct.
Foul by Nathan Blockley (Peterhead).
Corner,  Rangers. Conceded by Jamie Redman.
Substitution, Peterhead. Leighton McIntosh replaces Scott Ross.
Substitution, Peterhead. Nicky Riley replaces Jamie Stevenson.
Lee Hodson (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jamie Stevenson (Peterhead).
Corner,  Peterhead. Conceded by Matthew Gilks.
Attempt saved. Nathan Blockley (Peterhead) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is saved in the top centre of the goal.


Scottish ministers have been told to "get a grip" of data control as new claims emerged of equipment being lost or stolen from the public sector.

Police, councils and the NHS recorded scores of missing items, including computers, mobile phones, Blackberries and USB data sticks.
The call for action came from the Lib Dems who obtained the information.
The Scottish government said public services were responsible for storing their own information.
The Lib Dems said that between December last year and June, seven NHS areas recorded a range of missing equipment, including patient files and details of more than 100 people on a needle exchange programme.
Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS board reported the theft of eight laptops, six hard drives and three PCs.
This included two laptops stolen from the paediatrics department at Yorkhill Hospital in March of this year and a PC stolen from the X-ray viewing room at the Western Infirmary in April.
Meanwhile, Strathclyde Police reported an unencrypted USB stick containing investigation files as missing.
Lost or stolen equipment among local authorities included five laptops from a children and families establishment in Edinburgh which contained the details of 10 people.
West Dunbartonshire Council also lost 60 personal computers from schools.
Most equipment missing from councils was either encrypted or contained no personal details.
Last January, the Lib Dems called for an urgent review into data loss after reporting that scores of laptops, PCs and memory sticks containing confidential data had been lost by councils and health boards in recent years.
The party said that while almost all files were encrypted, the public would be rightly worried that their personal data was at risk.
Lib Dem justice spokesman Robert Brown said: "Central government, local councils, NHS boards and the police hold a great deal of information on all of us. Our data is in their hands and we need to know they are taking this responsibility seriously.
"The government is not in control of the situation. They need to get a grip on this right now."
A Scottish government spokesman said it took data security "very seriously" and had set robust standards for the storage and transmission of data.
He added: "We expect the same high standards of public sector bodies. However, it remains the responsibility of individual police forces, local authorities and health boards to ensure that personal or sensitive information is stored securely."


Heineken has been told to address fears that its purchase of around 1,900 pubs from Punch Taverns could affect competition in some areas.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had identified 33 local areas where pubs would not face sufficient competition after the deal.
Heineken, which already owns 1,100 pubs, must submit plans to the CMA by 20 June or face an in-depth inquiry.
However, the brewing giant said it would address the CMA's concerns.
"This decision by the CMA acknowledges that there are only a small number of local areas where competition may be diminished due to our acquisition of the pubs," said David Forde, managing director for Heineken UK.
"We are confident we can offer the CMA suitable undertakings to satisfy their concerns."
The preliminary CMA investigation concluded that the deal would not damage the chances of Heineken's competitors selling their own products, as the pubs being bought only make up 4% of the market.
It also felt that it was unlikely Heineken would reduce the choice of beer and cider available in the Punch pubs, as this could lead it to lose business.


Home favourite and world number one Lydia Ko shrugged off the effects of an earthquake to win her third New Zealand Women's Open title in four years.

The 5.7-magnitude quake affected the Christchurch area about 10 minutes before the 18-year-old began play.
But she started her round on time and finished with a two-under 70.
Ko won on 10 under, two shots clear of England's Felicity Johnson, South Korean amateur Hye-Jin Choi and Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen.
"It was lucky I wasn't out there playing because I wouldn't want to be in the middle of my swing and the ball moves somewhere else," said the teenager afterwards.
"It's been a long week, a lot of emotion and a lot of people to share this amazing victory with. Especially given how much New Zealand golf has been a support to me and my career."
Ko's success follows her victories in the event in 2013 and 2015.


The abduction of Shannon Matthews could not have been foreseen by social services involved with her family, a serious case review has concluded.

Shannon was nine when she disappeared from her home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, in February 2008.
She was found 24 days later and her mother Karen was jailed for kidnapping.
The Kirklees Safeguarding Children Board review found there was "little leeway" for social services and other agencies to intervene.
In a statement, Alison O'Sullivan who chairs the board and is director for children and young people at Kirklees Council, said Shannon's abduction was "an unusual, unexpected and challenging event".
She added: "The involvement of many agencies over many years, all of that coming together could not have predicted the abduction of Shannon by her own mother.
"So I guess the question that's been in many people's minds, could this have been predicted, could it have been prevented?
Matthews was jailed after being convicted of kidnapping her daughter
Neglect fear over Shannon
Shannon Matthews timeline
"Very clearly, the serious case review says that actually it couldn't have been predicted and it couldn't have been prevented."
She said the review had found that the threshold for taking Shannon or her siblings into care had not been reached.
She said the council accepted and agreed with areas of criticism in the report.
Last year, Matthews, then 33, was jailed for eight years for her part in what a judge described as a "truly despicable" plot with Michael Donovan, in whose flat Shannon was found.
Donovan, who was the uncle of Shannon's stepfather, was also jailed for eight years.
She was found in his flat in Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, West Yorkshire, in the base of a bed. She had been drugged and forced to adhere to a strict list of rules while held captive.
Prosecutors said Donovan, then aged 40, kept Shannon imprisoned as part of a plan he and Matthews had hatched to claim a Â£50,000 reward offered by a national newspaper.
Kirklees Council announced a serious case review after Matthews and Donovan were convicted in December 2008.
Shannon's mother had refused to take part in the review, the report said.
The review concluded that the family's history was characterised by "neglectful parenting interspersed with periods of adequate parental care".
It confirmed that Shannon and one of her siblings were placed on the child protection register in 2002 but were removed in late 2003.
According to the report, they were put on the register for a number of reasons, including their mother's failure to prioritise "their need for a consistent and secure parental relationship over her own need for relationships with a number of male partners".
It said the reasons for the move related to Matthews's "failure to ensure safe and adequate parenting", with regard to a number of factors.
These included "protecting them from contact with individuals who posed a risk of physical and/or sexual abuse", ensuring they went to school and providing a comfortable home environment.
It said social workers had on occasions intervened but the impact of the "low-level neglect" they investigated was unlikely to be sufficient for care orders to be imposed.
No individuals had or would face disciplinary action because there were no "significant failings", the panel said.


As the UK considers greater devolution in the aftermath of Scotland's independence referendum, should a troubled Northern Ireland Assembly push for more powers over its own affairs?

Media playback is unsupported on your device
2 November 2014 Last updated at 10:11 GMT
The BBC's Ireland correspondent, Chris Buckler, reports .


The United States won all four of Friday's fourballs to lead the Solheim Cup 5½-2½ after day one in Iowa.

Europe, looking to regain the Cup from the US, took a narrow 2½-1½ lead after the opening foursomes.
Pairs Anna Nordqvist and Georgia Hall and Karine Icher and Catriona Matthew both picked up wins in the morning.
Saturday will see another morning of foursomes and an afternoon of fourballs before the contest will be decided by 12 singles matches on Sunday.
Despite the positive start, the visitors could not capitalise in the second session and their narrow lead was quickly erased.
Michelle Wie and Danielle Kang made a quick start for the US in their match, as Wie birdied the first two holes to put the pair two up against Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom and England's Jodi Ewart Shadoff.
They would eventually win the match 3&1.
Spain's Carlota Ciganda and Denmark's Emily Pedersen were thrashed 6&5 by Angel Yin and Lizette Salas - a win which ties the second largest margin of victory in a Solheim Cup fourball match.
In the third match England's Florentyna Parker and Germany's Caroline Masson were never ahead against Brittany Lincicome and Brittany Lang.
The pairs traded pars for the first four holes, before Lincicome made a birdie three on the fifth to edge the hosts in front. From there they didn't let up, eventually winning the match 3&2.
The closest of the afternoon matches came in the final group with the English pairing of debutant Georgia Hull and Charley Hull taking on Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller.
Piller's birdie on the par-four sixth gave the Americans the lead in their match, and they were two up after seven when Lewis knocked in a birdie.
The English pair fought back three times to trail by one, and when Hull chipped in for eagle on the par-five 15th, it looked like momentum was on their side,
But Lewis was able to birdie the penultimate hole to win 2&1 and secure a clean sweep for America.
Underdogs Europe had taken an unlikely 2½-1½ lead after the opening foursomes on Friday after three of the opening four matches went to the final hole.
Mel Reid and Hull were two up with two to play but tied with American duo Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson in the top match.
Hall and Nordqvist beat Paula Creamer and Austin Ernst 3&1, but Ciganda and Caroline Masson lost narrowly to Danielle Kang and Salas.
Matthew and Icher then beat Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller in a thrilling finish to the foursomes.
The pair were two down after 10 holes, but won three of the back nine to win on the 18th.
The hosts got off to the perfect start as Kerr and Thompson eagled the first hole, but Reid and Hull won three holes on the front nine to take control at the turn.
The all-English pairing looked to be in control of the tie, but Kerr sank her birdie putt on the 18th as the American pair battled back to earn a half.
Sweden's Nordqvist was the standout player for Europe in the first session, paired with 21-year-old debutant Hall, as they dispatched Creamer and Ernst in style.
In the anchor match, the experience of Matthew helped Europe to a slender lead going into the four fourball matches.
The 47-year-old Scot - playing in her ninth Solheim Cup - was called up on Wednesday to replace the injured Suzann Pettersen.
BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter
America's strength in depth shone through as they took full control.
Rookie Danielle Kang was the stand out performer matching Lizette Salas in recording morning and afternoon victories. Angel Yin seems made for the Solheim Cup and the two Britttanys - Lang and Lincicome gelled with devastating effect.
By contrast, Europe are struggling despite an excellent debut from Dorset's Georgia Hall. With Charley Hull hampered by a wrist injury, the visitors' prospects appear bleak heading into the second day.
Europe: Charley Hull (England), Georgia Hall (England), Jodi Ewart Shadoff (England), Mel Reid (England), Florentyna Parker, (England), Carlota Ciganda (Spain), Karine Icher (France), Catriona Matthew (Scotland).
Wildcards: Anna Nordqvist (Sweden), Caroline Masson (Germany), Emily Pedersen (Denmark), Madelene Sagstrom (Sweden).
USA: Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis, Gerina Piller, Cristie Kerr, Jessica Korda, Danielle Kang, Michelle Wie, Brittany Lang, Brittany Lincicome, Lizette Salas.
Captain's Picks: Austin Ernst, Angel Yin.


A Chinese worker has been killed and almost 150 other people injured as protesters attacked a steel mill in Vietnam, amid anti-China tensions over the South China Sea dispute.

The incident took place at a Taiwanese-owned mill in Ha Tinh province.
It came a day after protesters burnt several foreign-owned factories at an industrial park.
The demonstrations have been sparked by China's movement of a drilling rig into waters also claimed by Vietnam.
Several anti-China protests have since taken place in Vietnam. Nationalist sentiment is currently running very high over the issue, correspondents say.
Protesters appear to have targeted businesses with Chinese characters in their signs, even if they are from places such as Taiwan.
On Tuesday, at least 15 foreign-owned factories were set on fire at industrial parks in Binh Duong province, and hundreds more attacked. No casualties were reported.
The Chinese embassy in Vietnam on Thursday urged Chinese nationals to take precautions in In its second statement in two days.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said the violence had "a direct link with the Vietnamese side's indulgence and connivance in recent days with some domestic anti-China forces and lawbreakers".
In an emergency letter to the police ministry, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called the protests against the "illegal oil rig" a "legitimate action". But he said those who broke the law should be punished and foreign business activities protected.
Taiwanese media said people speaking in Chinese were being targeted.
Ohter reports said some people were trying to leave the country. More than 600 Chinese people had crossed into Cambodia at one border checkpoint alone, Cambodian officials said.
The BBC's Cindy Sui says that Taiwanese airlines are flying bigger planes into Vietnam's airports, and there has been at least one chartered flight to Vietnam to bring back Taiwanese nationals.
The latest incident happened overnight at a huge steel plant owned by Formosa Plastics Group.
One Chinese worker was killed and 149 people hurt, according to Taiwan's envoy in Vietnam and the Ha Tinh government.
In a statement quoted by Reuters news agency, the company said its Vietnamese and Taiwanese workers were not attacked.
Taiwan's envoy told AFP news agency that rioters forced Chinese workers into a corner of the factory. "The rioters have gone but we are all still concerned they might come back," he said.
The BBC's Nga Pham says the protests have confirmed the government's worst fear that nationalism could easily get out of hand, posing a risk not only to the business environment but also to domestic political stability.
China's Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig was brought into waters west of the disputed Paracel Islands earlier this month, leading to collisions between Vietnamese and Chinese ships as Vietnam sought to block the move.
China claims a U-shaped swathe of the South China Sea, including several areas that its South East Asian neighbours say belong to them.
In recent years it has started to enforce these claims more assertively, leading to severely strained ties with the Philippines and Vietnam in particular.


Crystal Palace defender Pape Souare says he does not know if he will recover fully from the injuries he sustained in a car crash in September.

The Senegalese was taken to hospital after breaking his thighbone and jaw in the crash on the M4 near London.
In September, Palace manager Alan Pardew said he expected the 26-year-old to be sidelined for up to six months.
"I don't know about my injury. I don't know if I can get back or not," Souare told BBC World Service.
"I just put everything in the hands of God and we will see."
The left-back, who joined Palace from French club Lille in January 2015, had to be cut free from his car by a team of firefighters.
Souare said he remembered "everything" about the crash and admitted he felt "very lucky" to be alive.
"I got my leg broke, and my jaw, and I couldn't eat for the first month, but now I can eat, I can try to eat a little bit," he said.
"The thing about my leg, it's getting there. I'm trying to do the work to make it stronger with the physio at the club.
"I remember the helicopter coming to get me. I remember the door on my leg. I remember the guy who was coming to talk to me and I said to him I'll keep in touch with him as he helped me a lot before the helpers come. I remember they cut the roof to take me out.
"I was very lucky because that was a very crazy shock."
During Palace's Premier League game against West Ham in October, Palace fans sang 'there is only one Pape Souare' in the 23rd minute as a tribute to the player, who wears the number 23 shirt.
"I receive all the support from the fans - everything. They help me a lot and they make me believe myself," he added.
"I was watching the game, so when they stop singing to support the team to support me, I was very happy for that."
You can listen to the full interview on the World Football show at 00:32 GMT on Friday, 2 December, or listen to the podcast here.


He's fallen out with judges, journalists and intelligence agents, and his approval rate is a measly 41% among all adults in the US.

But there's one group of people with whom President Donald Trump is still hugely popular.
After his first weeks in office, his approval rate among Republicans of 86% is second only to that of George W Bush among all of the party's presidents elected in the last 65 years.
So what are the things that they like so much?
Despite being a Republican, property developer John Delia says he was "too embarrassed" to vote for Mr Trump in November's election because of the controversy about his candidacy.
But he says he was "relieved" to see the New York billionaire win the race - and what has happened since has pleased him even more.
Mr Trump's platform of new jobs, American business and economic renewal has sent the US stock market to record highs. It is investors like Mr Delia who are feeling richer as a result.
"I invest in the stock market and I have succeeded in the short term," says the 26-year-old, based in Columbus, Ohio.
"Investors are definitely feeling more confident. They think Donald Trump is going to bring more jobs and infrastructure, and help us move forward."
From a business perspective, he says he is not fazed about allegations of improper ties to Russia, legal challenges to Mr Trump's travel ban, or complaints about racist rhetoric from the administration.
"Yes, he's a bigot but at least you are aware," says Mr Delia of the US president. "He speaks honestly.
"No matter what happens, most investors just want to make money. We are not going to pay attention to the drama. We're just trying to stay ahead of the curve."
And it is especially Mr Trump's promise to "clean up" America's inner cities that makes Mr Delia, who started his own property portfolio at 20, feel positive about the future. He hopes investment will pour into his own urban development projects.
"I think I'm going to make a lot of money," he says.
The next interviewee asked to remain anonymous, because he says the polarised political climate in the US has left him feeling "a bit paranoid".
"I often feel the country is being torn about and being a white/Christian/conservative makes you a hater and a racist," he says.
But in a social media conversation spanning several days, the 36-year-old coal miner from Indiana explained how Mr Trump's presidency was having a direct impact on his life.
Before the election, the father-of-four says he expected to lose his job in coal within five years, but with Mr Trump in office "it could be as many as 15".
He puts this down to the president's cancelling of an Obama-era environmental regulation known as the "stream protection rule". The bill put restrictions on coal companies wanting to expand and tried to stop them dumping mining waste into streams and waterways.
While environmentalists point out that the rise of cheap natural gas has contributed largely to decline in the US coal industry, the Indiana coal miner we spoke to says the policy put a "stranglehold on coal companies".
"During 2016 our company was in the process of getting permits to strip some land that would add life to the mine," he says.
"The permitting process was put on hold concerning a impact study on the land. Management told the miners that if we didn't get any new permits and most of them were on hold indefinitely, we would be out of work in a few years."
Now Mr Trump has lifted the rule, he feels "hopeful" that he will be able to continue the work done by his great-grandfathers for years to come.
"Some people really dislike the coal industry... but it's the best paying job around and I'm blessed to be able to work and support my family."
Marilyn De Reggi was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer just a month before her late husband, Aime, had his first stroke.
The 76-year-old says her experience of having to "fight hard" for him - while being unwell herself - left her with a low estimation of government-subsidised healthcare.
She welcomes Mr Trump's efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare as "extremely important". And while she also supports Mr Trump's tough immigration policies, she sees his push of an alternative system as one of the best things he's done so far.
The Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, helped 20m previously uninsured Americans get health insurance by making it a legal requirement.
However, increases in insurance premiums - which were also a problem before the health law - have irked many Americans. Critics have also decried it as an unwarranted intrusion into the affairs of private businesses and individuals.
Mrs De Reggi, a retired musician and teacher who lives just outside Washington DC in Maryland, says the cost of President Obama's signature healthcare plan has left younger members of her family struggling.
And although medical costs for her and her late husband were covered by Medicare (a different government-run programme available to elderly patients), this made her "very aware" of the problems with federal involvement.
"I encountered the worst of care with my husband and the limitations of government making decisions for you," she says.
The couple went through "a lot of savings" after Aime was denied access to certain sorts of care under Medicare because of his age and condition, she says. Instead they had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to secure the treatment they wanted.
She is now against "the government making medical choices". "I'm interested in a programme gives people a choice and where there aren't committees that decide what happens to you at a certain age," she adds.
"I think the thing that [Mr Trump] has done so far that will have the greatest long term impact on the law is the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court," says David Rogers, a housing lawyer from Texas.
"I think he brings predictability in the law. The law is not going to change dramatically and that is good."
The Supreme Court has the final legal word on many of the most sensitive US issues. Conservatives celebrated the selection of Judge Gorsuch to fill an empty seat on the bench because of his views on issues such as birth control and euthanasia.
But it is his approach to gun rights that particularly pleases Mr Rogers.
The 52-year-old says he expects the judge to protect the Second Amendment - which guarantees the rights of people to keep and bear arms - because he is known to maintain a strict interpretation of the US Constitution.
"I believe in guns," says Mr Rogers. "Going to the gun range is something I do at the weekend with my children... With Gorsuch, I feel like I don't need to worry that's going to be taken away."
Judge Gorsuch's appointment still needs to be confirmed by the Senate. But if it goes ahead, "Washington isn't going to actively make my life harder", says Mr Rogers.
"Gun rights feel safer under Trump."


Plans by two Welsh health boards to reorganise their services have been discussed at public meetings.

Betsi Cadwaladr in north Wales predicts a financial shortfall of £64.6m this year, while Hywel Dda in mid and west Wales faces a £12.8m financial gap.
Consultation meetings have been held on Tuesday in Flintshire and in Carmarthenshire respectively.
Six of Wales' seven local health boards are predicting a combined deficit of around £230m this financial year.
The first in a series of local consultation meetings on Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board's plans to reorganise hospital services took place at the council chambers in Connah's Quay.
Meetings were scheduled to start at 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00 BST on Tuesday.
Under the board's plans, announced earlier this year, community hospitals at Flint and Blaenau Ffestiniog could close and minor injury accident departments may shut at others.
Neo-natal intensive care may also be transferred over the border to England as part of the proposed shake-up.
Hywel Dda's first meeting was scheduled for 19:00 BST at Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli.
In August the board, which provides healthcare to around 372,320 patients throughout Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, revealed its own reorganisation plans.
These include the centralisation of its services for sick and premature babies at Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen, a move which has prompted protests at Haverfordwest's Withybush Hospital.


Video games developer and publisher Valve has announced SteamOS, a free operating system it hopes will help bring PC gaming into the living room.

The code will be made freely available for manufacturers who want to launch their own gaming hardware.
The announcement is the first of three due this week as Valve lays out what it calls the "future" of gaming.
The company is widely anticipated to launch its own machine to run SteamOS, believed to be called the Steam Box.
The console could potentially disrupt a market currently dominated by the Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Wii.
Ahead of a hardware reveal, Valve outlined its plans for the Linux-based operating system that will be available for download "soon".
"As we've been working on bringing Steam to the living room, we've come to the conclusion that the environment best suited to delivering value to customers is an operating system built around Steam itself," a message on Steam's website read.
"SteamOS combines the rock-solid architecture of Linux with a gaming experience built for the big screen."
Linux is a open-source operating system - meaning people can freely build-upon and adapt its source code.
Crucially, there are no licensing costs involved, so manufacturers can distribute Linux-powered machines more cheaply than those running systems such as Windows.
SteamOS will encompass Steam's already huge customer base, estimated to be about 50 million active users.
Steam is Valve's distribution service through which it sells both its own games and those of its various publishing partners.
It began life in 2002 as a way for Valve to make it easier for users to update games, but it now is a significant channel for selling titles - and is also used as a community tool for setting up multiplayer matches and other online events.
Valve does not release sales statistics for games sold through Steam - but estimates from consultancy IHS Screen Digest suggest it is responsible for 75% of PC game sales, bringing in about $1bn (Â£620m) in 2012.
There are more than 2,000 games on the service.
However, despite the service's popularity, it is currently reliant on something of a sinking ship, argued Computer and Video Games' associate editor Rob Crossley.
"Valve is a very successful growing company within a market that is shrinking," he told the BBC.
"PC sales are falling, falling, falling. They've been falling for five quarters in a row now.
"Valve knows that in order to expand in the future it needs to provide the same amount of services on different devices, and the living room is easily the best next step for them."
To this end, Valve has long sought to take Steam-powered gaming away from the PC.
In 2011, the company launched Big Picture mode, an interface designed for a games controller rather than the typical PC's keyboard and mouse, making it more suitable for use with TV screens.
The Steam Box, should it be announced later this week, is expected to enhance that effort further, possibly doing away with the traditional PC entirely.
Gabe Newell, Valve's co-founder, made his strategic intentions clear during a speech at a Linux developer's event last week.
He envisioned an environment where gaming moves with the user, whether they are playing at their PC, in their living room or on the move.
"Right now, you're sort of in this bizarre situation where as soon as you sit on your couch, you're supposed to have lost connection with all of your other computing platforms," he told delegates.
"We really don't think the fragmentation around the physical location or around the input devices in terms of computation is necessary or desirable for software developers or consumers."
Piers Harding-Rolls, from IHS Screen Digest, said he believed this kind of gaming would be popular in the future - but that the Steam Box could be somewhat ahead of its time, and Valve's greenness in the living room market could see it trip up.
"Valve has little experience in commercialising consumer hardware - it's inevitable that it will make mistakes along the way," he told the BBC.
"While Valve has experimented with bringing games to a more TV-friendly user interface with its Big Picture mode, many PC games will not translate effectively to console controllers so this remains a challenge to overcome."
But he added that the concept behind Steam Box could could be a "highly disruptive" force in the future.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC


Protecting mangroves to lock carbon away in trees may be an economic way to curb climate change, research suggests.

Carbon credit schemes already exist for rainforests; the new work suggests mangroves could be included too.
But other researchers say the economics depend on the global carbon price.
Presenting their results in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the US-based team emphasises that protecting mangroves has important benefits for wildlife as well.
Mangrove habitats comprise less than 1% of all forest areas across the world.
But for the biodiversity they support, and the benefits they bring to communities in the form of fishing habitats and storm protection barriers, they are extremely important.
They are also being lost at a greater rate than tropical rainforests.
Similar to rainforests, they store carbon within their "biomass", which is released when the habitat is destroyed.
Their ability to capture carbon may be on average five times that of tropical rainforests, so they have become of interest to carbon-focused conservation strategists.
Now, Dr Juha Siikamaki of the think tank Resources for the Future and his US colleagues have shown that protecting mangroves and thereby reducing the amount of CO2 released may be an affordable way for countries to mitigate their carbon emissions.
"We make the surprising finding that in most places, preserving mangroves is justified solely based on the avoided emissions, without any regard for the many other ecological and economic benefits mangroves are particularly well known for," Dr Siikamaki told BBC News.
The research, which used new high resolution surveys of global mangrove biomass, suggests that protecting these habitats could be a viable means for reducing emissions in comparison to other "carbon offset" methods.
"The bonus is that in doing so, we can preserve important habitats critical to coastal fisheries, rich in biodiversity, and home to hundreds of species of plants and animals, many of them endangered," co-author Professor James Sanchirico, from the University of California, Davis, said in a press statement.
But Freya Roberts, a researcher at fact-checking service The Carbon Brief, told BBC News that the price of carbon quoted - on which this research is based - might be out-dated.
"Since [the research was conducted], carbon prices have dropped due to an over-supply of permits," she said.
"With too many permits available, and poor economic conditions meaning big businesses are emitting less carbon dioxide, competition isn't forcing the carbon price up."
Other incentive programs are available, such as the EU's Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). The authors report that the preservation of mangroves is cheaper than these other schemes; but Ms Roberts remained cautious.
"Carbon permits now cost roughly $8-10, which is at the lower end of the price range where the majority of emissions from mangroves could be avoided."
The recommendations of the researchers to protect mangroves in order to store "blue" carbon as part of climate policy frameworks resembles current REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) strategies.
REDD enables nations to receive financial incentives for reducing deforestation, leading to decreases in carbon emissions.
"Projects that involve and respect local people and that use the market for carbon offsets to fund development and conservation are beginning to emerge," Professor Mark Huxham of Edinburgh Napier University, who was not involved with the study, told BBC News.
"This paper is further encouragement for them to succeed," he said.
Dr. Siikamaki said that "institutional" barriers, although still remaining, should not hinder mangrove conservation.
"Developing programmes to compensate for the CO2 benefits of mangrove conservation could provide an important step towards this goal," he said.


The power of the Black Lives Matter movement to galvanise people concerned about police misconduct has not stopped at America's borders.

It has extended to the UK, Canada and other countries where the number of people killed by police is a fraction of that in the US.
In the UK, members of Black Lives Matter London marched to the US Embassy. In Canada, Black Lives Matter activists brought Toronto's gay pride parade to a standstill in protest. In Germany, protesters staged a "die-in" in Berlin and read the names of black people killed by US police.
In the US, the Black Lives Matter movement gained prominence after deaths of black men like Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of police. As the movement has grown, so has its goals and its reach.
"Black Lives Matter is not just about black lives, it is about the quality of black lives," says Janaya Khan, a founder of the Black Lives Matter Toronto chapter.
Among the protesters in London was Maryam Ali, an 18-year-old student from west London who helped found the movement's London chapter.
Ms Ali has never experienced police violence first hand. Just two people have been killed this year by British police, one of them black. US police have killed at least 512 people in the same period, according to a tally by the Washington Post.
So what prompts a student in London to throw herself into a protest movement about police shootings thousands of miles away?
"Part of it is solidarity with the US," she says. "I have family in America, and I fear for their lives. They could just been walking down the street and their lives could be be taken away.
"But the UK isn't innocent. There have been police killings here," Ms Ali says.
She mentions Mark Duggan, a black man whose death at the hands of police in 2011 sparked the riots in London that summer.
Like the UK, Canada has relatively few police killings, but Ms Khan says racial bias affects the country's criminal justice system.
"We really have to pay attention to what we mean when we say less anti-black violence," Ms Khan says. "Take our prisons for example; we make up only 2.9% of the Canadian population but 10% of the federal inmate population."
Black Lives Matter Toronto began, late last year, with two goals: express solidarity with what was happening in the US and apply the cause to Canadian issues.
To that end, the Toronto chapter is branching out into policy and education. This year it is running a pilot summer school in an attempt to reduce the numbers of young black people getting caught up in crime and to "teach a history that is more balanced".
The Freedom School was created and is run entirely by the Black Lives Matter chapter and the community, Ms Khan says.
"Some Black Lives Matter chapters focus on policy change and legislation, while others understand that their specific context requires them to be on the streets. The cultures in every city are difference and Black Lives Matter responds to those cultures."
The Toronto chapter sees its place as both on the streets - controversially it brought the city's gay pride parade to a standstill after being invited as guests - and at city hall.
It has made specific political demands, including the overhaul of Canada's Special Investigations Unit, which is tasked with holding police accountable but which Black Lives Matter campaigners say is too dominated by former officers to be independent.
The chapter has also called for the demilitarisation of Toronto police - an issue that came to the fore in the US when police deployed military-style vehicles and weapons at the Black Lives Matter protest in Ferguson, Missouri.
Back in London, the movement is less focused but no less passionate, Ms Ali says.
Ms Ali says the issues that drive the Black Lives Matters movement are not limited to the US.
"There is internalised racism everywhere. There is a system that targets young black people because of a stereotype that they are dangerous, without actually looking at who they are. It's a terrifying cycle."
Breaking that cycle is about raising awareness everywhere, she says, whether there are police killings or not. "We are trying to build an awareness of black lives worldwide, not just for those in close proximity with racist law enforcement."
When she is not at school, Ms Ali is working on organising new protests and actions.
"This is about trying to make a change for those who don't have a voice," she says. "And for me as well."


Victims Commissioner Judith Thompson has said she is disappointed that there has not been any real progress on dealing with the legacy of the past.

Victims and survivors had hoped a package would be up and running by now.
It would include a new investigations unit, an oral history archive and enhanced funding for Troubles-related inquests.
Speaking on BBC NI's Sunday Politics, Ms Thompson said some sort of agreement needs to be in place by Christmas.
"I believe that if we're going to see the legislation that is needed within this parliamentary session, then we need to see something for consultation, really this side of Christmas," she said.
"It's really important that was does get put in place is fit for purpose, trusted, transparent  and deals even-handedly with issues where different victims and survivors have different wishes and fears and priorities."
Sinn FÃ©in's Gerry Kelly says he wants an agreement  on dealing with the past as quickly as possible.
Secretary of State James Brokenshire  has said it is clear that the process would benefit from a more public phase.
Mr Kelly wants talks between all the parties.
"We're up for a short, sharp negotiation - let's get it sorted," he said.
"Yet the British government are not showing. I mean the proof is in the pudding, so if he [Mr Brokenshire] says that he's determined to do this  and there is a compromise then let him put it forward."
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt hit out at the DUP and Sinn FÃ©in's failure to resolve legacy issues.
"Within the basket of measures that are truth acknowledgement and justice we object to the fact that what we have at the moment is imbalanced, incomplete and imperfect and we're not supporting a continuation of that," he said.
"What we want is a full solution to truth."