"Where there's a will, there's a way," Angela Merkel has insisted since the migration crisis exploded across Europe last year.

For months she's resisted closing her country's borders and setting an upper limit on the number of asylum seekers allowed into Germany despite rising, and at times frantic, public and political pressure to do so, including from within her own CDU party.
Iron Angie - as she's sometimes known at home - demonstrated her unwavering determination once again at yesterday's EU-Turkey summit and in the lead-up to it.
There have been dark mutterings in the German media that, despite increasing problems at home linked to the arrival of over a million asylum-seekers, the German chancellor has spent more time in Ankara than Aachen, Berlin or Cologne of late.
But there was stubborn purpose behind the shuttling.
Mrs Merkel's political future - and her legacy, after a decade as German chancellor - are hanging in the balance.
She faces three key regional elections this weekend, with polls predicting huge gains for the anti-immigrant AfD party.
She needed something big and bold on migration, allowing her to avoid performing an awkward U-turn on her national policies but at the same time sending a clear message to the people of Germany that she has the situation in hand.
Make no mistake - it was Germany and no other European nation that insisted on a summit with Turkey this week.
Turkey is key to resolving Europe's current migration chaos. That's where most refugees and others jump on board people smugglers' dinghies, risking their lives to enter Europe via the Greek islands.
But trust between Turkey and the EU is not strong. An "action plan on migration" between the two back in November failed to yield many results.
There has been little sign of Turkey cracking down on people-smugglers along its coastline, and limited evidence of the â‚¬3bn (Â£2.3bn; $3.3bn) the EU then promised Turkey in humanitarian aid.
So Mrs Merkel began a new push for what she hoped would be a better Turkish deal.
Donald Tusk, the head of the European Council, which represents all EU member countries in Brussels, joined in the efforts (after all, he would be the summit host), flying to Turkey ahead of Monday's meeting.
But neither of these seasoned politicians were quite prepared for what is now being described as a "Turkish bazaar" here in Brussels.
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived at the summit all smiles for the cameras.
"Turkey is ready to work with the European Union," he beamed - omitting to say at what price.
Then, behind closed doors, he slammed the EU with a whole host of additional political and funding demands:
Even a few months ago, my bet is that faced with this steep list of demands, EU countries would simply have turned their back and walked out.
Not now.
Chancellor Merkel isn't the only one desperate to solve the migrant crisis: The EU's credibility is crumbling, its members have never looked less unified and Greece, stuck with tens of thousands of stalled migrants on top of being saddled with crippling euro debt repayments, threatens to implode.
The bottom line, for the EU, is to put off anybody and everybody from getting in dinghies or trying any means possible to get to Europe to improve their lives. It hopes to send every economic migrant back home and to pay to look after refugees in camps closer to theirs.
Voters across Europe say they are spooked by the migrant crisis. But however much Europe's leaders and EU bosses in Brussels fear for their future, they can't compromise all their principles trying to make this problem "go away".
And that is why last night's summit didn't end in a deal. Of course, triumphant words flew out of the mouths of leaders and broadcasters across Europe - "turning point", "Big Bang" and "breakthrough".
But that is only if - and it's a big if - the proposals are written up and signed at another migrant summit next week - and "if" they are then implemented.
There's a lot to think about.
Can the EU afford to close its eyes to the Turkish president's increasingly autocratic and arguably anti-democratic behaviour in its rush to do a migration deal?
Just before the summit, the Turkish government took over one of the country's best-selling newspapers and tear-gassed outraged protesters on the streets of Ankara, for example.
And what of the legal implications of the EU exporting migrants en masse back to Turkey?
The UN has warned this could go against international humanitarian law, with some asylum cases needing to be heard here in Europe, they say. Turkey does not have asylum laws in place for Afghans and Iraqis for example, so what will happen to those migrants?
And then there are the logistical challenges.
Imagine the scenes - not just young men, but old women, wheelchair users, pregnant mothers and screaming babies, many from Syria and other troubled areas. After all they've been through to to get to Greece, will they meekly accept getting on a boat or plane to be sent back to Turkey?
And these are just some of the complications surrounding an EU-Turkey deal, never mind the splits in Europe over how to deal with the migrant crisis.
So, on Monday Angela Merkel got what she needed for her weekend elections: a tough-sounding something with the promise of a Turkey deal in the offing.
Conveniently for her, the votes will be counted in Germany before the talk from the summit begins to publicly unravel.


Defender Sean Morrison says manager Russell Slade deserves credit for the revival of Cardiff City's season.

Cardiff are four points off the Championship play-offs, having lost only twice since a transfer embargo was imposed in January.
Morrison, 25, says the Bluebirds have made big improvements during the campaign.
"The boys would do anything for each other and fight for every point," Morrison said.
"That's all credit to the gaffer - he deserves a lot of credit for the job he's done.
"When he came in the club was in a difficult position. He's put a great changing room of players together and that's down to him and the coaching staff.
"They make it an easy place to come and an enjoyable place to work. I think that shows on the pitch compared to maybe the beginning of last year."
Slade's time at Cardiff since joining from Leyton Orient as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer successor in October 2014 has been eventful.
The 55-year-old's contract expires at the end of the current season.
Morrison featured in Cardiff's 0-0 draw at Burnley and played his part in a solid defensive display which frustrated the Championship leaders.
Despite securing a point at Turf Moor wins for Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County saw Cardiff lose ground in the race for the play-offs.
The Bluebirds are now four points behind the play-off places in seventh but Morrison remains hopeful.
"There's still six games to go and they've got some hard games coming up and they're not going to win all of them," Morrison added.
"We need to keep plugging away, doing what we're doing and pick up as many points as possible.
"We're still on track and we'll just keep going."
Saturday see Cardiff travel to Fulham, who eased their relegation fears by moving seven points clear of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win at Preston on Tuesday.


Back in 1704, in Torryburn on the south west Fife coast, they had a problem disposing of toxic material - it was what you might call a toxic witch problem.

Lilias Adie, a poor woman who confessed to being a witch and having sex with the devil, died in prison before she could be tried, sentenced and burned.
So they buried her deep in the sticky, sopping wet mud of the foreshore - between the high tide and low tide mark - and they put a heavy flat stone over her.
But why?
In previous cases, people wanted rid of dead witches as cheaply as possible - dumping them naked in pits at the foot of the gallows. Why go to such bother to bury Lilias?
One possibility is that Lilias killed herself.
Right up to the 19th Century suicide victims were buried this way on the shore, outside consecrated ground.
This seems strange and barbaric to us now, but it was believed that suicide was a terrible crime against God, inspired by the devil.
Worse, it was believed people who died in this way were in danger of becoming revenants - corpses of bad people who had died a bad death, who then came back from the grave to torment the living.
This has a strange and terrible relevance to witchcraft.
Demonologists believed that such walking corpses were real and possessed by the devil, who animated them to do things like have sex with witches.
Lilias herself had confessed publicly to having sex with the devil.
All her friends and neighbours would have believed this was done by the devil putting on such a decaying corpse, just taken from its grave, to copulate with her.
Folk belief said that certain bodies were much more likely to do this - executed people, suicides, witches.
So now you see the problem, whichever way you look it Lilias is either (a) a suicide or (b) a witch, and even worse (c) possibly both.
She was not only given the burial common for suicides but the large stone was placed over her, another folk remedy for revenants, to weigh them down so they can't get up and come back.
After they buried her, the good folk of Torryburn must have breathed a contented sigh of relief like scientists entombing nuclear waste. They had made Lilias safe for the centuries, or so they believed.
Unfortunately they hadn't made Lilias safe from them.
By the 19th Century beliefs had changed, and some enterprising locals dug up Lilias to sell bits of her to the local antiquarians.
Their biggest prize, her skull, went to St Andrews University Museum where it was photographed more than 100 years ago.
You can still see the photographs today in National Library of Scotland - showing that poor Lilias, who was probably in her 70s when she died, had extremely prominent buck teeth.
But sometime in the 20th Century the skull went missing and all inquiries to trace it have so far failed.
So what's left on that lonely beach?
Our programme went to take a look for the stone - armed with 19th Century descriptions of the area that mentioned "the great stone doorstep that lies over the rifled grave of Lilly Eadie", and a rock with "the remains of an iron ring".
In the small group of rocks near the railway bridge, we found a seaweed-covered stone which fitted the doorstep description.
Fife archaeologist Douglas Speirs, who examined and cleaned it, confirmed the slab was not natural to the beach but quarried and deliberately placed there.
It had in its middle a small dimple which might have been mistaken as the socket for an iron ring. This, we think, is Lillias's stone, but is there anything left of Lilias there?
Speirs pointed out that 19th Century curiosity-seekers were unlikely to have lifted the entire body.
In the days when "reading someone's bumps on the head" was thought to be science, the skull was the thing.
Maybe a few other bits were taken too, but it's unlikely that the whole body went.
And if parts of her are left, the preservation in the area is excellent, she is unlikely to have rotted away.
Without archaeological investigation, no-one can know for sure, but it's likely that this is the only known witch's grave of its type in Scotland and that parts of Lilias are still in there.
The Walking Dead is on BBC Radio Scotland at 13:30 on Wednesday 29 October.


England Under-21s will face Germany in Tuesday's European Championship semi-final in Tychy, Poland.

Aidy Boothroyd's side beat the hosts 3-0 on Thursday to book their last-four spot.
But they had to wait until Saturday to find out their opponents, with Germany finishing as the best runners-up from the three groups.
England's semi-final starts at 17:00 BST before Spain face Italy, a rematch of the 2013 final, in Krakow at 20:00.
Italy beat Germany 1-0 on Saturday, and secured top spot in Group C by virtue of their superior head-to-head record.
Germany finished with six points but bettered the goal difference of Slovakia by one to progress.
Elsewhere, Denmark beat Czech Republic 4-2 to move off the bottom of the group.
England's Nathan Redmond and Nathaniel Chalobah will be assessed over the weekend to see if they have a chance of playing on Tuesday.
Southampton forward Redmond and Chelsea midfielder Chalobah went off in the first half of the win over Poland.
Boothroyd said: "They have been massive for us, in qualifying and here. We will see how they are."


Every household in the UK should get a one-off rebate of £285 on its fuel bills as a result of excess industry profits, Citizens Advice has said.

Over eight years, it claimed firms that transport gas and electricity - so-called energy networks - have made £7.5bn in "unjustified" profits.
It blamed the regulator, Ofgem, which sets industry price controls, for "errors in judgement".
Ofgem disputed the claim and said it had already helped to lower fuel bills.
Citizens Advice said that network firms had enjoyed a multi-billion pound windfall at the expense of consumers.
As an example, Citizens Advice said National Grid had made an operating profit of more than £4bn in 2015/16.
However the company's annual accounts show that around a quarter of that profit was made in the US or on other activities.
"Decisions made by Ofgem have allowed gas and electricity network companies to make sky-high profits that we've found are not justified by their performance," said Gillian Guy, head of Citizens Advice.
"Through their energy bills, it is consumers who have to pay the £7.5bn price for the regulator's errors of judgment. We think it is right that energy network companies return this money to consumers through a rebate."
Ofgem sets the charges that network companies like National Grid, SSE and Cadent - which distributes gas - can levy in any eight-year period.
That is because they are monopoly operators.
But in the current period, lasting from 2013 to 2021, Citizens Advice says Ofgem has been too favourable to the companies' interests.
It claims that Ofgem:
However, Ofgem said a number of the assumptions used by Citizens Advice were too high, and rejected the idea of a rebate.
"We do think they raise some valid points, but we don't agree with their modelling or their figures," said Jonathan Brearley, Ofgem's senior partner for networks.
On Wednesday Ofgem also announced a consultation on how it should set price controls after 2021.
"We will take some of the issues into account when we examine future price controls," Mr Brearley added.
He told the BBC that those controls are likely to be much tougher on the companies involved, providing downward pressure on bills.
At the moment, around a quarter of the average fuel bill is taken up by transmission charges.
The Energy Networks Association - which represents the operators - also said it did not agree with the modelling used by Citizens Advice.
It said a similar claim filed by British Gas had already been rejected by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).


Jamie Donaldson shot a final-round seven under 65 to win the Thailand Golf Championship by three strokes.

The Welshman, 40, started the day two shots behind overnight leader Clement Sordet but nine birdies and two bogeys sealed his first win of 2015.
Frenchman Sordet (70) and England's Lee Westwood (67) finished joint second.
Donaldson and Westwood's efforts mean they have returned to the world's top 50 to qualify for the 2016 Open and Masters.
Sordet also qualified for the Open, along with Thailand's Phachara Khongwatmai, who finished sixth.
The win for Donaldson was his first since claiming the Czech Masters in August last year.
Spain's Sergio Garcia shot a two-under 70 to finish fourth alongside South Korean An Byeong-hun.


For more than six decades, Jimmy Young was a key figure in British broadcasting.

The one-time crooner, who had a string of hit singles in the 1950s, went on to become one of radio's best loved presenters.
During his career, a veritable who's who of royalty, politicians and celebrities subjected themselves to his gentle yet probing style of interview.
His acrimonious departure from the BBC in 2002 led to a storm of protest, including questions in parliament.
He was born Leslie Ronald Young in Cinderford, Gloucestershire on 21 September 1921.
He was keen on music from an early age and learned to play the piano as well as having professional voice training.
His parents divorced in 1939 and Young moved to South Wales. He signed up with the RAF on the outbreak of war after falsely giving his age as 18. He was, in fact, three weeks short of his 18th birthday.
Shortly after he was demobbed in 1949, he was spotted singing in a club by a BBC producer and went on to make a number of broadcast appearances as well as touring across the UK.
His first release, a cover of the Nat King Cole song, Too Young, was a huge hit just a year before the UK Singles Chart was born.
He signed to Decca in 1952 and enjoyed a number of Top 10 hits. He was also asked to perform some of the songs in Gene Kelly's film, Invitation to the Dance.
But, by the end of the 1950s rock and roll was the new craze and crooners like Young suddenly found themselves out of fashion.
His income plummeted, he sank into depression and turned to drink to ease the pain. He later confessed that he had contemplated suicide.
In desperation he visited a fortune teller who informed him he was going to be a great success. He picked himself up and went back into radio.
After hosting a show called A Young Man's Fancy on Radio Luxembourg he moved to the BBC Light Programme.
He became one of the hosts of Housewives' Choice, playing easy listening music while outside in the real world the Beatles and Rolling Stones fought for chart supremacy.
Five years after the Beatles' first hit single the BBC finally launched Radio 1, a station devoted to pop music, to fill the gap left by the closure of the pirate radio stations.
While many of the new station's young DJs were ex-pirate presenters, Young, by then 46, became part of the line-up.
A lack of money meant some output was broadcast across both Radio 1 and Radio 2, as the old Light Programme was now called, and Young presented the mid-morning show.
In contrast to the brash style of the Breakfast Show, presented by Tony Blackburn, Young's programme was much more sedate in tone.
It included regular consumer information, recipes and discussions on current affairs.
In 1973, the BBC revamped its music stations and Young's show was heard solely on Radio 2.
Over the next 30 years, the format remained much the same with experts, such as Tony di Angeli from the Grocer magazine and "Legal Beagle" Bill Thomas dealing with listeners' queries.
His shows were peppered with catchphrases such as "BFN" and "Orf we jolly well go", as well as the squeaky voice of Raymondo with his, "What's the recipe today Jim?"
During his tenure he interviewed every prime minister as well as members of royalty and other celebrities.
Margaret Thatcher appeared on the show 14 times and declared Young was her favourite presenter.
His interviewing style was probing but gentle, something the Labour politician Roy Hattersley described as "courtesy with a cutting edge".
His detractors claimed he was too soft with politicians, something that Young always strongly denied.
"You catch more flies with honey than vinegar," he once said. "I hold conversations. I am a listener."
By the turn of the century, Young was in his 80s and BBC management was desperate to attract a younger audience to Radio 2.
The new controller, Jim Moir had already ousted Ed Stewart and John Dunn and he now turned his attention to the Jimmy Young programme.
When news that he was to be replaced leaked out, Young, who by now had collected a knighthood, hit back with a well-organised PR campaign.
He gained huge support from listeners and a diverse range of well-known figures. An Early Day motion was put down in Parliament calling on the BBC to keep him on.
Young himself was not going quietly. Saying that he was flattered that so many people wanted his job he went on to make clear he had no plans to leave.
"Unless, of course, in the ageist pursuit of youth someone decides to ignore my record-breaking ratings and fire me."
Eventually after much bitter wrangling it was announced that Young would be relinquishing his morning show to Jeremy Vine.
"Just so that we're all singing from the same hymn book, it was not my idea to go - I didn't want to leave you at all and I know from your messages that you don't want me to go either."
Young was asked to present a weekly show on Sundays but he turned the offer down venting his ire at the BBC's decision in a newspaper article.
The hatchet was eventually buried and in 2011, Young was back behind a microphone in a special programme to mark his 90th birthday.
While Radio 2 went through many changes during Young's tenure, his show remained much as it had begun and one of the station's flagship programmes.
Jeremy Vine, the man who took over Jimmy Young's show, once summed up his appeal.
"Jimmy was just a totally ordinary, honest bloke, the least pretentious person you could ever imagine. And his audience adored him for it."


A Welsh Labour MP has warned air strikes against so-called Islamic State in Syria could radicalise more young Muslims in the UK and Europe.

Islwyn MP Chris Evans told BBC Wales' Sunday Politics Wales he feared strikes would create more refugees.
MPs backed UK military action by 397 votes to 223 on Wednesday.
All of Wales' 11 Conservative MPs supported the air strikes. Leader Andrew RT Davies said they were necessary for national security.
Stephen Doughty, the Labour MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, backed the action but his constituency assembly colleague Vaughan Gething said he was undecided.
Mr Gething said: "I don't think anyone with hand on heart can say we are absolutely guaranteed we are safer for action or that we can guarantee that we are safer than if we don't take action given that we are already a target."


An original part of one of the UK's pioneering computers has been found in the US.

The part is a significant chunk of Edsac - a machine built at Cambridge in the late 1940s to serve scientists at the university.
It came to light because of publicity surrounding an effort to rebuild the computer.
The part has now been donated to the rebuild project and will be incorporated into the finished machine.
Edsac, the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator, ran its first programs in May 1949 and through its working life aided many scientists by analysing data generated by many different experiments.
Before now, it had not been known what happened to the parts of Edsac after it was decommissioned and dismantled in the 1950s.
The uncovering of the part, called the Chassis 1A, solved part of that riddle, said Dr Andrew Herbert who is leading the reconstruction project at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.
It now appears that at the end of Edsac's life it was sold off in an auction but it is not known who bought all the parts.
"Details of the 'auction' are unclear, but there is a possibility that other parts of the original Edsac still exist and could even be in the Cambridge area stored away in lofts, garden sheds and garages," said Mr Herbert.
The Chassis 1A found its way to the US after being bought by Robert Little, who currently lives in Pennsylvania.
He got it from a Cambridge scientist called Dr Robert Clarke in 1969, who had bought several Edsac pieces in the auction intending to turn them into bookshelves.
Mr Little contacted the Edsac reconstruction team after reading about the project online.
The Chassis is designed to hold 28 of the 3,000 valves that formed the main computational elements of Edsac.
The 12 vertical racks of Edsac held up to 14 individual chassis on to which the valves were fixed.
Dr Herbert said the donated chassis was "quite distressed" by corrosion after being in storage for several decades.
Work is now under way to see how much of it can be incorporated into the reconstructed Edsac.
"It would be a major task to return this particular chassis to operating condition," he said.
"However, we hope to try to use some of the valves, if they are still functional, in our reconstructed Edsac thus providing a very tangible connection with the original machine."
The chassis is the second Edsac artefact that publicity about the reconstruction has brought to light. In June last year, detailed circuit diagrams of Edsac were discovered and are now aiding project workers.
The reconstruction of Edsac is due to be completed by the end of the year.


England pace bowler Steven Finn pressed his claims for a place in next week's first Test against Pakistan after taking four wickets in their final warm-up against Pakistan A in Sharjah.

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Adnan Akmal scored 74 not out as the hosts made 192, losing 12 wickets on day one of a two-day match as both teams agreed to spend a day batting.
Finn took 4-16 but will battle with Mark Wood for the third seamer's place.
Meanwhile, leg-spinner Adil Rashid, pushing for a Test debut, took 3-53.
Finn, who took eight Australian wickets to win the third Ashes Test in July, and Wood played alongside Stuart Broad in the last two Tests against Australia after James Anderson was injured.
But Finn expects Wood, Broad and the fit-again Anderson to be selected for the first Test, which begins on 13 October in Abu Dhabi, after the other three all played in the opening warm-up game earlier this week.
"I'd say I've staked a claim but I'd still be surprised if I played the first Test," said the Middlesex bowler, who took the new ball with fellow paceman Liam Plunkett.
"I think the guys bowled really well the other day, and it wouldn't surprise me if the team that was picked then is the team for the first Test.
"At the moment, I'm back-up to those guys but nothing is set in stone."
Finn's match-winning Ashes performance at Edgbaston came after he doubted if he would play Test cricket again during his two-year absence from the longest format.
On that occasion, Wood was rested and Finn believes it will be a straight pick between him and the Durham seamer.
"There will be disappointed people, regardless of who gets picked," added Finn. "I don't think the same attack is going to play all the way through the series.
"So if you don't play the first Test, it's not the end of the world - there are two others in very quick succession."
Attention will turn to England's batting on Friday, with Moeen Ali and Alex Hales both auditioning for the role as captain Alastair Cook's opening partner.


Partick Thistle right-back Mustapha Dumbuya is out of Friday's Scottish Premiership game against Aberdeen.

Dumbuya remains out with an ankle injury but recent signings Antonio German and Aidan Nesbitt could make their debuts for the Jags.
Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes faces up to four weeks out with a hamstring tear.
However, Ryan Jack is available again after recovering from a similar injury and the Dons have no other injury worries.
A win would draw Derek McInnes's side level on points with Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic, who host Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday and already have a game in hand over Aberdeen.
So who is more under pressure? Title-chasing Aberdeen - still clinging to the coattails of Celtic - or Partick Thistle, suddenly floating perilously close to the relegation dogfight?
The Jags start to eat into their games in hand, they have played three less than Kilmarnock, who trail them by a point, but manager Alan Archibald would surely be privately happy with a draw against McInnes's side.
A win though would lift them above Hamilton Academical and Motherwell into eighth spot in the table.
February has not been kind to them - knocked out of the Scottish Cup by toiling Dundee United and then victims of an 11th hour postponement of their match against Hearts at Tynecastle.
But Aberdeen fans will demand a battling performance after the defeat by Inverness on Monday, a result which rocked their hopes of pipping Celtic for the title.
It is another chance to match Celtic's current points tally although by the time the league leaders kick off on Saturday they will have two games in hand.
Aberdeen will be missing key player, Johnny Hayes, who has torn a hamstring and could be out until well into March. His absence is a huge blow.
Thistle have failed to score in either of the two previous league fixtures between the clubs this season, losing 2-0 at Pittodrie and drawing 0-0 at Firhill.
Oh, and Dons fans will be desperate for a decent refereeing performance. The good news from their perspective is that the referee is not Willie Collum, who awarded a controversial penalty in Inverness. Alan Muir gets the job.


Tranmere Rovers midfielder Jay Harris has signed a new two-year contract with the National League side.

Harris joined the Merseyside club from Wrexham last summer and has scored three goals in his 39 appearances.
The former Everton trainee previously had spells at Chester and Accrington before his move to Prenton Park.
"Hopefully we can go up this season and then look to do the same again next year," the 28-year-old told the club's website.


Thirteen-year-old golfing prodigy Tom McKibbin insists he will not be nervous when he tees up with seasoned pros at the Northern Ireland Open on Thursday.

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McKibbin is playing in the European Challenge Tour event after an invite from the golf management company owned by One Direction star Niall Horan.
"The invite was a total surprise but I don't think I will be nervous," said World Under-12 champion McKibbin.
The County Antrim youngster says this week is all about "having fun".
"I'll be using it as a learning experience. I don't have any expectations," he said.
McKibbin's World Under-12 title triumph last year in the US saw him clinching a title which Rory McIlroy won as a nine-year-old.
The Newtownabbey youngster played alongside McIlroy at the Irish Open Pro-Am at the K Club in May and his outings at this week's tournament venue Galgorm Castle near Ballymena include shooting a one-under 71 in last year's Northern Ireland Open Pro-Am.
McKibbin will have his father Robin "on the bag" this week although McKibbin Snr insists he will adopting a "low-key approach".
"My job will be just to keep him in the right frame of mind," adds Robin.
"The only place the pressure will come from is himself. I'm not there to shout and roar at him. It will be a case of calming him down if something does go a bit wayward.
"He's been around a lot of these players so it shouldn't be overly daunting for him.
"We're just excited he got the invite and it's purely a learning experience for him. That's what the invite is based on. Nothing else and whatever score he shoots is whatever score he shoots."
Tom, who also won this Junior Honda Classic in Florida earlier this year, is missing the Irish Under-14 Championship at Lurgan on Friday in order to tee up at Galgorm.
"We knew this was such a huge opportunity here for him to learn from some of the best players in the world," continues Robin.
This week's field includes tournament ambassador and five-time European Tour winner Michael Hoey, plus several other multiple winners from the continent's top golfing tier, such as England's Tom Lewis and Swedes Johan Edfors and Mikael Lundberg.
McKibbin's playing partners over the first two rounds will be Ireland's Walker Cup star from last year Gavin Moynihan, who has since turned pro, and another home player David Rawluk.
The youngster's father is optimistic that the prodigy will not be overawed by this week's surroundings.
"The World Championship events and all the tournaments he has played in the States are a scaled down version of this but they are set up very much like a pro event," adds Robin.
"The scoreboards and TV cameras are there. There is a lot going on at those events. So he has that experience that he can draw upon."
After playing nine holes at Galgorm on Monday, Tom continued his preparations for the tournament with a practice round alongside Hoey on Tuesday, with coach Johnny Foster also keeping a watching brief.
"The course is a lot longer than what I'm used to and the rough is also a lot deeper," added Tom.
"I can't get to five of the par-fours in two shots so my chipping and putting is going to need to be on but I'm still really looking forward to the week."
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Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Singapore on Saturday - the first ever meeting between leaders of the two sides.

Both said the talks would focus on relations across the Taiwan Straits.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and views the island as a breakaway province which will one day be reunited with the mainland.
But ties have improved since President Ma took office in 2008.
The Chinese government threatens to use military force against Taiwan if it ever attempts to gain outright independence.
Taiwanese spokesman Chen Yi-hsin said President Ma's aim was "to promote peace cross the Taiwan Strait and maintain status quo".
Analysis: Cindy Sui, BBC News, Taipei
This meeting, less than three months before Taiwan's elections, is a sign of how concerned China is that the significantly improved ties of recent years could be jeopardised if the pro-independence opposition party's candidate becomes president. Opinion polls show Tsai Ing-wen is leading - a big worry for Beijing.
Ms Tsai has said she welcomes dialogue with Chinese leaders, but Beijing has refused to meet her, indicating it does not trust her.
She was a minister in charge of developing policy toward mainland China under the previous administration, which angered Beijing by trying to work towards formal independence.
Mr Xi may believe he can sway Taiwanese voters but this could backfire. While some voters who want to maintain stable relations may heed his words, they may offend Taiwanese voters who are already worried that Beijing will have increasing influence over Taiwan if the candidate from President Ma's party is elected.
And this could hurt, rather than help, the party favoured by Beijing.
The two leaders are expected to handle the meeting in a delicate manner. Mr Ma's office has emphasised no agreements will be signed and no joint statement will be issued.
Mr Ma will hold a news conference on Thursday to explain his decision to hold the talks. More details are also expected from Taiwan's mainland affairs council later on Wednesday.
China's official Xinhua news agency said the two sides would "exchange views on promoting the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations".
The BBC's John Sudworth in Beijing says Saturday's meeting will mark a significant break with the long-established diplomatic stance.
Contact of any kind between the two sides has been extremely limited and China has resisted anything that might be seen to be giving Taiwan equal status, he says.
In a sign of how politically sensitive the meeting is, the leaders will address each other as Mr Xi and Mr Ma, rather than president, one Chinese government official has said.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the US welcomed any steps to reduce tensions and improve relations, but added: "We'll have to see what actually comes out of the meeting."
Taiwan profile
China profile
Ties with China have improved under President Ma, whose Kuomintang (KMT) party is seen as pro-Beijing.
In July 2009 the two leaders exchanged direct messages for the first time in more than 60 years, albeit in their respective party functions, and not as national leaders.
A year later, the two countries signed a historic trade pact.
However, correspondents say growing fears over China's influence has led to widespread dissatisfaction in Taiwan.
The KMT suffered a crushing defeat in local elections last year, a result that was widely seen as a rejection of President Ma's push for closer ties with China.
Mr Ma steps down next year having served two terms, and earlier this month the KMT dropped its candidate for January's presidential election following a series of poor ratings in opinion polls.
Analysts say China is likely to see a meeting between the two leaders as a final chance to press its case for improved ties, in case the KMT loses the election.
China has insisted that countries cannot have official relations with both China and Taiwan, with the result that Taiwan has formal diplomatic ties with only 21 UN member states.
Taiwan also has no seat at the UN, having lost it to China in 1971. Repeated attempts to regain representation at the UN have been blocked.


Academics at Oxford University have failed in a new bid to challenge rules forcing them to retire at 67.

The university's congregation - which is made up of academics and administrative staff - voted down a call to axe the retirement age.
Paul Ewart, a 69-year-old professor of physics at Oxford, said it was "disappointing... but not the end".
Oxford University said its rule created "career progression" and "inter-generational" fairness.
Prof Ewart has described the rule as "age discrimination" and said it affected many colleagues still teaching at "the peak of their form".
He said he and his colleagues respected the vote but individuals could still take their cases to employment tribunals.
Gill Evans, emeritus professor at Cambridge University, who has been involved in the Oxford campaign, said: "Nobody is surprised, everybody involved sees this as a stage in the process."
The Equality Act prevents employers from forcing workers to retire at 65, although employers can still implement a compulsory retirement age where they can justify it.
A motion to scrap the university's rule was debated by Oxford's congregation on 16 May, but was lost by 143 votes to 64.
Campaigners then triggered the postal vote of all members the congregation - around 5,000 in total - over the future of the EJRA.
The ballot closed on Friday but was defeated by 1,142 votes to 538.
Oxford University said the postal vote was the sixth time in three months that the congregation had considered the "employer-justified retirement age" and that it had supported the policy every time.
"By any standard, the frequency of discussion and voting has been exhaustive and the considerable majority against abolition speaks for itself," it added.


When the Republic of Ireland and Italy clash at football, passion and pride are usually not far away.

Ray Houghton's tumbling goal celebration at the 1994 World Cup and Salvatore Schillaci's whoops of delight after scoring in the same fixture four years earlier are snapshots of the fervour on display.
Angelo Fusco, 81, has been a keen observer of Italy's games against the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for decades, and can boast connections linking all three.
He was brought up in Belfast, educated in Dublin, and his father had strong links with the Comino Valley.
"I always supported Italy in football and Ireland in rugby as I went to school in Dublin at Blackrock," he said.
"Italy comes just a wee bit above the Irish, my mother was Irish and my dad was Italian.
"My brother, Carlo, supported Inter Milan and the other three brothers, myself included, supported AC Milan.
"I remember in 1990 when Italy won against Ireland at the World Cup, someone threw a brick through the window of a brother's shop in Belfast.
"My favourite Italian players have been Cesare Maldini and his son Paolo. I saw Cesare play for AC Milan in the 1963 European Cup final in London against Benfica, I went over to the match with my brothers.
"I also went to the Rome derby once between AS Roma and Lazio - I don't know all the Italian curses, but there was a lot of swearing around me.
"My brother Carlo played for Distillery, Cliftonville and Portadown in the Irish League.
"At Portadown he was a teammate of Wilbur Cush who went on to play at the 1958 World Cup for Northern Ireland."
Angelo and his brothers witnessed the infamous 'Battle of Belfast' in December 1957, when Northern Ireland and Italy drew 2-2 in an explosive encounter at Windsor Park.
Juan Schiaffino and Alcides Ghiggia, who scored Uruguay's winning goal in the 1950 World Cup final before becoming a naturalised Italian, both featured in the game.
It was invalidated as a World Cup qualifier after the Hungarian referee Istvan Zolt's flight was held up by fog, but its new designation as a "friendly" did not stop tempers boiling on and off the pitch.
"We all, as brothers, went to the game against Northern Ireland in Belfast in 1957, we were all there supporting Italy and it was a shambles," Angelo said.
"It was supposed to be a World Cup match, but the referee did not turn up.
"In those days, the goalkeeper in Italy was sacrosanct and was not to be touched. Northern Ireland forward Peter McParland tackled the goalkeeper and took him out, the match turned on that.
"When the fans invaded the pitch after the match, they got one of the full-backs on the ground, Harry Gregg and some of the other Northern Ireland players got round him and shielded him."
Angelo also recalled how both sets of players met up at a dance hall venue in north Belfast after the game.
"There was a big do at the Floral Hall at Bellevue, which was attended by players from the Italian and Northern Ireland teams," he added.
"We as brothers sold tickets for the dance that night. The Northern Ireland players that were there included Peter McParland, Danny and Jackie Blanchflower and Wilbur Cush.
"The Italian players that were there included Juan Schiaffino and Alcides Ghiggia
"The match was rough, but when it is over, it is over and the players move on."
Paul Loughran is one of 24 fans from the West Belfast Ireland Supporters Club who will be travelling to the Euro 2016 finals.
He said a number of them would be attending the Italy v Republic of Ireland game on 22 June near Lille and highlighted the history that linked the two teams.
"It is always a good match, there is always a lot of excitement and tension for both sets of supporters and across the generations," he said.
"Ireland had Giovanni Trapattoni as manager, he was born on St Patrick's Day so that was his Irish connection, he also had Marco Tardelli who was Italian, as his assistant.
"Liam Brady was a big player for Ireland and he also played for Juventus in Italy and Trapattoni managed him there."
Angelo, meanwhile, is just happy to soak up the occasion, whatever the result.
"It is great that that the three of them are there, (Italy, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) - it doesn't happen very often."


England wing Jonny May has completed his switch to Leicester Tigers from Gloucester in a deal which sees Ed Slater move to Kingsholm.

Tigers have paid a transfer fee to buy May out of the final year of his contract, while Slater, 29, leaves Welford Road after seven years.
"Jonny is an out-and-out finisher with an outstanding try-scoring record," said Tigers head coach Matt O'Connor.
Leicester have also signed Valentino Mapapalangi and Chris Baumann.
Both have experience in New Zealand, with Tonga back-row Mapapalangi, 24, having played for Auckland, Waikato, Chiefs and Manawatu.
United States prop Baumann, 30, featured for Wellington Lions last year and played in the 2015 World Cup.
The arrival of May, who has 27 caps for England, will add to Tigers' wing options following the departures of Peter Betham and JP Pietersen.
George and Joe Ford, Jonah Holmes, Nick Malouf, Gareth Owen, Sione Kalamafoni and Dominic Ryan have also signed for Leicester ahead of the new season.


Scientists have discovered a baby tooth in the fossilised faeces of a prehistoric shark, and concluded that the animals ate their own young.

This rare evidence of "filial cannibalism" was only revealed because the shark's corkscrew-shaped rectum produced dung in a distinctive spiral.
One such dropping, collected in Canada, holds a tiny tooth of the same species.
These Orthacanthus sharks lived in coastal swamps and may have resorted to cannibalism as they expanded inland.
The macabre sample was gathered by University of Bristol masters student Aodhan Ó Gogáin, now studying for a PhD at Trinity College Dublin, as part of a wider investigation into prehistoric fish on the coast of New Brunswick.
Like much of North America and Europe, this land used to sit near the equator and was thick with tropical jungles.
What was trees and swamps 300 million years ago is now coal-rich rock; the fossils in Mr Ó Gogáin's study come from the reclaimed site of North America's oldest coal mine, opened in 1639.
He said the highlight of his research, published in the journal Palaeontology, is definitely the notion of prehistoric cannibal sharks.
"Other people have looked at their diet and found that their stomach contents contained little amphibians," Mr Ó Gogáin told the BBC.
"And there's also evidence that these sharks ate other genuses of xenacanth shark. But this is the first bit of evidence we have that they were eating their own young as well."
The claim for cannibalism rests on two distinctive aspects of Orthacanthus biology.
Firstly, its unusual shape means the fossilised poo, known as a "coprolite", can be conclusively identified as belonging to one of these large, freshwater sharks.
Secondly, the little tooth that was revealed when the researchers cut into the coprolite is also identifiable.
"These sharks have very distinctive tricuspid teeth, where they have little tusks coming up from the tooth," said Mr Ó Gogáin. "We're fairly confident of this discovery."
The evidence is not unprecedented, he added; modern-day bull sharks, which occupy a similar niche in coastal swamps and shallow seas, have been known to feast on their young when necessary.
"Sharks tend to have a wide dietary range. They're not really picky eaters."
Study co-author Dr Howard Falcon-Lang from Royal Holloway University of London said the discovery suggested the eel-shaped sharks - apex predators of their ecosystem - were facing a food shortage.
"There's cannibalism and then there's specifically filial cannibalism. And that is relatively unusual," he told BBC News.
"We generally find it in rather stressed ecosystems, where for whatever reason, food is running scarce. Obviously it's evolutionarily a bad move to eat your own young unless you absolutely have to.
"But in these 300 million-year-old ecosystems we're finding evidence for filial cannibalism quite commonly, based on the coprolite remains."
This period was a time of invasion, Dr Falcon-Lang explained. The land was rich in plants but not yet well stocked with animals, and aquatic beasts like these sharks were expanding their territory into fresh water.
"Part of this story, we think, is that during this invasion of fresh water, sharks were cannibalising their young in order to find the resources to keep on exploring into the continental interiors."
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Syrian security forces have continued their siege of the central city of Hama as they maintain an offensive in which scores of people have died.

Residents told the BBC that many people were fleeing to nearby villages, fearing a full-scale assault.
The government does not control Hama, and its attack on the city is part of a nationwide crackdown on dissent that began on Sunday.
The UN Security Council is set to resume discussions on the crisis.
International pressure has been mounting on the Syrian government to call off its offensive against Hama.
However, diplomats say a strong UN resolution is unlikely, and on Tuesday, the Security Council was unable to agree to a text condemning the violence.
Syrian Defence Minister Ali Habib was among five Syrian officials targeted by European Union asset freezes and travel bans, the EU said on Tuesday.
And Italy has recalled its ambassador to Syria for consultations, citing the "horrible repression" of citizens.
In Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Syrian dissidents, who pressed her to call on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down immediately.
Mrs Clinton "expressed her admiration for the courage of the brave Syrian people who continue to defy the government's brutality", a state department spokesman said.
Human rights groups say some 140 people have been killed by the authorities since Sunday, most of them in Hama. More than 1,600 civilians are believed to have been killed since protests began in March.
President Assad has promised reforms but says citizens and security forces are being attacked by "armed gangs" backed by unspecified foreign powers.
International journalists have been denied access to Syria and it is not possible to verify accounts by witnesses and activists.
After renewing their assault on Hama on Tuesday, Syrian tanks and troops held their positions around the city. Residents said three more people were killed by tank and sniper fire.
Residents told Reuters news agency that the violence resumed after nightly Ramadan prayers on Tuesday, with tanks shelling the eastern Rubaii and al-Hamidiya neighbourhoods, the Aleppo road in the north and the eastern Baath district.
Hama - a bastion of defiance - occupies a significant place in the history of modern Syria. In 1982, then-President Hafez al-Assad, father of Bashar, sent in troops to quell an uprising by the Sunni opposition Muslim Brotherhood. Tens of thousands were killed and the town flattened.
The city, with a population of 800,000, has seen some of the biggest protests and worst violence in Syria's 2011 protests. It was slow to join in, but has now become one of the main focuses of the revolt.
Witnesses and activists told Reuters that tens of people had also been injured after troops opened fire in western Damascus, in the north-eastern city of Hasaka, and in the coastal city of Latakia.
Mobile phone footage purporting to show tanks firing in Hama on Monday was posted on social media websites.
But Syrian state television has been showing its own footage, apparently also shot on mobile phones, saying it was taken in Hama on Sunday.
It showed some anti-government protesters carrying shotguns, sticks, and knives, and one man wearing an ammunition vest and carrying an AK-47 rifle.
Later, it reported that a group of "saboteurs" had stormed the main courthouse in Hama and set fire to much of the building.
But Mr Hamawi told AP that a shell fired from a government tank had caused the fire.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 24 people were killed across Syria on Monday, including 10 in Hama.
The current crackdown appears aimed at preventing protests from growing during Ramadan, when Muslims visit mosques for prayers after breaking their dawn-to-dusk fast.
The government fears the gatherings could then turn into large protests, observers say.
The UN Security Council is due to resume the debate on Wednesday.
Council members including Russia, China, India and Brazil have been opposed to a draft resolution circulated by European members that would condemn Damascus.
Diplomats said significant differences remained over the text and it had not been decided whether the end result should be a resolution or a less weighty council statement.
Russia and some other countries are pushing for what they say is a more balanced text that would blame both Syrian authorities and the opposition for the violence, but Western nations say the two sides cannot be equated.
But the latest violence has led to wider acceptance that the council must act.
As the council met again on Tuesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the Syrian president.
"This is a totally unacceptable situation," Mr Ban said. "I believe that he lost all sense of humanity."


The RSPB has announced the results of its annual survey of garden birds in Scotland.

The charity said mild winter weather led to the average number of birds recorded by the public increasing by 17.9%.
House sparrows were the most numerous species and the number of long-tailed tits saw the biggest surge - rising by 166%.
Other small garden birds such as coal tits and great tits had also done well.
More than 36,000 people across Scotland took part in the 2016 Birdwatch, counting a total of 626,335 birds during the last weekend of January.
The results showed that over a third of gardens of those taking part (34%) recorded a long-tailed tit - up from 12.9% of gardens in 2015.
Keith Morton, the species policy officer at RSPB Scotland, said: "Different birds are affected in different ways by the weather and this winter has seen milder temperatures and some very wet periods in parts of Scotland, although several areas did have a lot of snow fall over the bird watch weekend.
"The increase in smaller garden birds recorded, such as long-tailed tits, suggests that the lack of sustained cold weather helps these species survive in far greater numbers over the winter months.
"The food these birds rely on, such as insects, would have been easier to find, helping to boost the numbers of them spotted."
About 7,500 schoolchildren also took part in a parallel survey.
They spent an hour outdoors counting wild birds.
Results revealed blackbirds are still most common playground visitor, with 86% of the schools which took part spotting at least one.


Remains found at the foot of Switzerland's Matterhorn glacier have been identified as two Japanese climbers who disappeared 45 years ago.

DNA tests showed the bones belonged to the men, who went missing on the mountain in August 1970, police say.
The remains were discovered at an altitude of about 2,800m (9,200ft) in the Alps last September.
They are the latest to be found on the 4,478-metre (14,692-foot) Matterhorn as ice melts.
The Japanese consulate in Geneva identified the climbers as Michio Oikawa and Masayuki Kobayashi, AFP news agency reports.  They were 22 and 21 respectively when they went missing.
The consulate assisted police to track down family members to help compare their DNA profiles.
As Alpine glaciers melt because of global warming, the remains of long-lost climbers have increasingly been emerging from the shrinking mountain ice.
A mountain rescue pilot discovered remains and climbing equipment belonging to British climber Jonathan Conville, missing since 1979, in 2013 near the peak of the Matterhorn.
Last year the body of a Czech climber who disappeared 40 years ago following an accident was found in the Bernese Alps.


About 250 people have attended a rally near the UK's first horizontal fracking site, police said.

Organisers said they wanted to "show support" for the campaign against drilling for shale gas in Lancashire.
About 35 people broke through fencing into the site near Preston New Road, before they "left of their own accord", BBC Radio Lancashire reported.
Francis Egan, chief executive of the fracking company Cuadrilla, said it was "unacceptable and irresponsible".
Lancashire Police said no arrests were made but the demonstrators who broke in were "thought to be from outside the area and not from the local protest groups".
The government's approval for fracking at the Little Plumpton site is set to face a judicial review next month.
Cuadrilla has previously said drilling would start in the spring.
It would mean that, for the first time, UK shale rock will be drilled horizontally, which is expected to yield more gas. However, the process has prompted environmental concerns.
"It's more important now than ever that we send a strong message... that there is no social licence for fracking in Lancashire or anywhere," organisers from Frack Free Lancashire said.
Protests have been held daily, they said, since work to prepare the site for shale gas extraction started on 5 January.
Earlier in February, concrete firm Moore Readymix terminated a contract with Cuadrilla following protests at its depot.
A spokeswoman for Cuadrilla said: "Work at our site is progressing well and we thank all those who continue to support our operations, which is a great opportunity to create jobs, fuel businesses, heat UK homes and stimulate economic growth in the region.
"For those who remain unconvinced about shale gas's role in securing our nation's energy future, we of course respect the right they have to protest peacefully."
The company has not yet been given permission for work at a second Lancashire site - Roseacre Wood - amid concerns over the impact on the area.
Lancashire County Council had initially refused permission to extract shale gas at both sites on grounds of noise and traffic impact but the government overruled the decision for the Preston New Road site.


The Philae robot, soon to try to land on Comet 67P, has taken another dramatic image of its quarry.

The picture is very similar to the one it acquired in mid-September - only this one is much closer, snapped from a distance of just 16km.
Also new in this picture is 67P's activity. Jets of gas and dust can be seen streaming away from the "neck" region of the rubber duck-shaped comet.
Philae is due to make its historic landing attempt on 12 November.
It is currently riding piggyback on its "mothership", the Rosetta probe.
You can just see the corner of this spacecraft on the left of the image, with one of its 14m-long solar wings dominating the foreground.
The plan is for Rosetta to eject Philae towards 67P just after 0830 GMT on the 12th.
The small gravitational tug from the 4km-wide comet should be enough to pull the robot on to its surface in a descent that is likely to take about seven hours to complete.
If the lander survives this fall, it will be a first. Never before in the history of space exploration has a soft touchdown been made on one of these "ice mountains".
The new "selfie" released by the European Space Agency is actually a composite of two images taken in quick succession but with different exposure times.
This allowed the very different contrast conditions to be balanced across the entire vista.
Philae acquired the frames on 7 October. It will be the last view from the robot's CIVA camera system until just after separation from Rosetta.
The plan is for Philae to grab a "goodbye" shot of Rosetta as the pair start to recede from each other.
Assuming the landing succeeds, CIVA will then take a full 360-degree panorama of its touchdown location.
This is a relatively flat terrain on the "head" of the duck, currently dubbed "Site J" after its position in a list of possible destinations in the site selection process.
Mission planners were due to meet on Tuesday to give a final confirmation to the J target. This ought to have been a formality.
The big caveat is if Rosetta has seen a "showstopper" in its recent close-in mapping campaign. This would have to be an extremely dangerous surface feature that had gone unrecognised in previous, lower-resolution imaging.
If a no-go situation has been indentified, planners would then move their attention to a back-up landing target on the "body" of the duck called "Site C".
Rosetta, Philae and Comet 67P are currently moving through space some 480 million km from Earth.
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos


The Philae lander on the distant comet 67P has sent another stream of data back to Earth before losing power.

The little probe delivered everything expected from it, just as its failing battery dropped it into standby mode.
Philae is pressed up against a cliff. Deep shadows mean it cannot now get enough light on to its solar panels to recharge its systems.
The European Space Agency (Esa) fears this contact may have been the robot's last - certainly for a while.
A tweet from the official Philae lander account said: "I'll tell you more about my new home, comet 67P soonâ€¦ zzzzz."
Philae descended to the comet's surface on Wednesday - the first time in history that a space mission has made a soft landing on a comet.
The next opportunity to talk to Philae was set to begin at around 10:00 GMT (11:00 CET), when the orbiting Rosetta satellite - which delivered it to the 4km-wide "ice mountain" - was due to come over the horizon.
But with only 1.5 hours of sunshine falling on the robot during the comet's 12-hour day, it seems doubtful the battery will have recovered enough performance to complete the radio link.
Engineers did manage to maximise the possibility of it happening, though, by sending a command to reorientate the lander.
This involved raising Philae by 4cm and rotating its main housing by 35 degrees. This will ensure the largest solar panel catches the most light.
Even if the probe falls silent over the weekend, researchers say they are thrilled with the amount of data already acquired.
Stephan Ulamec, lander manager, said: "Prior to falling silent, the lander was able to transmit all science data gathered during the First Science Sequence.
"This machine performed magnificently under tough conditions, and we can be fully proud of the incredible scientific success Philae has delivered."
Prof Mark McCaughrean, Esa's senior scientific advisor, told the BBC that the agency was "hugely happy".
"All of the science instruments on board have done all the work they were supposed to do, so we have huge amounts of data back on the ground now, which is really exciting," he said.
"Philae could come back later as we move closer to the Sun, and we get more light on to the solar panels up against the cliff we're at here in the shadows."
In the latest tranche of data are the results from the drilling attempt made earlier in the day.
This had been an eagerly anticipated activity. Getting into the surface layers and bringing up a sample to analyse onboard was seen as central to the core mission of Philae.
Controllers say Cosac, the Philae laboratory that was due to receive the sample, downlinked its data, but that its contents had yet to be assessed.
Among other returns, Philae took another picture of the surface with its downward-looking Rolis camera.
It also exercised its Consert instrument. This is an experiment that sees Philae and Rosetta send radiowaves through the comet to try to discern its internal structure.
And it has the additional possibility of being used to help triangulate a precise position for Philae on the comet's surface.
This is still unknown. Although the robot hit the centre of its intended landing zone on Wednesday, it then bounced twice before coming to a stop.
Knowledge of that final resting location would enable engineers better to understand its predicament and the prospects for future contact if lighting conditions somehow change on 67P.
This could happen as the comet moves through space on its journey around the Sun. It will have the equivalent of seasons, and this could play to Philae's advantage by altering the angle, timing and intensity of the sunlight hitting the solar panels.
Philae was launched from Earth, piggybacked to the Rosetta satellite, in 2004.
The pair covered 6.4 billion km to reach Comet 67P out near the orbit of Jupiter.
Scientists hope the investigations at the rubber-duck-shaped ball of ice and dust can provide fresh insights on the origins of the Solar System.
Whatever happens to Philae, Rosetta will continue to make its remote observations of 67P


As well as the devastating loss of human life in Saturday's earthquake, Nepalis, and the world, have lost parts of the country's unique cultural heritage.

Irina Bokova, the Director-General of the UN's cultural organisation, Unesco, said there had been "extensive and irreversible damage" at the world heritage site in the Kathmandu valley.
Seven monument zones in the valley make up the world heritage site.
The three urban zones at the site are Durbar squares - meaning "noble courts" - in the settlements of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.
Ms Bokova describes these three complexes as "almost fully destroyed".
The four other zones are religious sites: Buddhist stupas [monuments] at Swayambhunath and Boudhanath and Hindu temple complexes at Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan.
Unesco said in a statement that it would be sending international experts to assess the damage to the sites in the Kathmandu valley.
The Durbar Square in Kathmandu's Old City is a mesh of palaces, courtyards and temples.
Unesco calls it "the social, religious and urban focal point" of the Nepalese capital.
The main temple in Bhaktapur's square lost its roof, while the 16th Century Vatsala Durga temple, famous for its sandstone walls and gold-topped pagodas, was demolished by the quake.
Patan, or Lalitpur, is across the Bagmati river to the east of Kathmandu.
The city was founded in the 3rd Century.
The Buddhist temple complex at Swayambhunath, founded in the 5th Century, has also been damaged.
Video footage showed the toppled facade of one of the buildings, with the prayer flags surrounding it still fluttering in the wind.
But the iconic central stupa, with its gazing eyes of the Buddha, still stands.
There are reports that the Boudhanath stupa has sustained some damage, though details are not yet clear.
It is the largest stupa in Nepal.
The shrine at the Pashupatinath Hindu religious complex has not been damaged in the disaster, a devotee at the temple told the Indian Express.
Cremations are being held on the site continuously, the paper reports.
This landmark has been reduced to a stump by Saturday's quake.
Built by Nepal's first prime minister in 1832, the site, also known as the Bhimsen Tower, was popular among tourists who would climb up more than 200 steps to view Kathmandu from the top.
It is unclear whether all of these ancient monuments can, or will, be rebuilt.
Historian Prushottam Lochan Shrestha told the ekantipur.com website: "We have lost most of the monuments that had been designated as World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur [Patan].
"They cannot be restored to their original states."
And yet many buildings that were destroyed in Nepal's 1934 earthquake were reconstructed, including the Dharahara tower.


The National Basketball Association has teamed up with video game publisher Take-Two Interactive to create an e-sports league in the US.

It represents one of the biggest tie-ups between video gaming and a major sports league.
Eventually all of the 30 NBA teams will have an e-sports division, but initially only a few will be chosen.
In England, Premier League clubs Manchester City and West Ham have signed up e-sports players.
The basketball e-league - known as the NBA 2K ELeague - will start playing in 2018. The teams, which will be made up of five players, will play a five-month season that mirrors the real NBA season.
Those chosen to make up the teams will be given salaries and play the game as avatars that they create for themselves, rather than representing actual players.
"We believe we have a unique opportunity to develop something truly special for our fans and the young and growing e-sports community," said NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
"We look forward to combining our best-in-class NBA sports team operators with Take-Two's competitive gaming expertise to create a brand new league experience."
Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two said: "Through the NBA 2K series, which is renowned throughout the world for capturing the authenticity of the NBA and the passion of its fans, we have a proven track record of highly successful collaboration.
"With this new venture, Take-Two and the NBA aim to fuel the accelerating growth of e-sports and take the thrill of competition to exciting new heights."
The UK is also recognising the growing importance of e-sports.
In May 2016, West Ham became the first club in the UK to sign a professional video game competitor, Sean Allen, who represents the club at Fifa video game tournaments.
Brian Blau, a director at research firm Gartner, thinks that e-sports could grow rapidly in the next few years.
"Some estimates suggest that in the next five years, e-sports could become bigger than real sport, in terms of generating money and fans," he said.
"It is another avenue of interaction for gamers, that is feeding off the interest in watching others play games."


Girls again performed better than boys at reading in Wales' National Reading and Numeracy Tests.

The second set of full results for around 250,000 seven to 14-year-old pupils have been published.
They were brought in in 2013 to drive up standards and help identify struggling pupils.
More boys than girls were above the standard scores for numeracy. Altogether more than two thirds of pupils had a "standard" score.
Every child is scored according to their test results, which take into account their age at the time of testing.
The mean score is 100 and the results detail the number of pupils scoring less than 85 and those above 115.
The headline results are similar to 2014.
Monmouthshire still has the largest proportion of pupils scoring above 115 - nearly a quarter.
But Blaenau Gwent still has the largest proportion scoring less than 85 (19%), although this has dropped slightly. In Monmouthshire, it is 8.9%.
The gap between girls and boys scoring above 115 stood at 4.7 percentage points according to the latest results.


England were beaten by Sri Lanka in their quarter-final meeting at the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh.

Callum Taylor top scored with 42 as England were dismissed for 184, four balls shy of completing their 50 overs.
England had lost wickets steadily throughout their innings but Sri Lanka breezed to victory with almost 15 overs of their allotted 50 to spare.
Avishka Fernando top scored with a brisk 95 off 96 balls as Sri Lanka set up a semi-final against India.
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That match will take place on Monday, while Thursday's second semi-final will see the host nation take on the winner of Monday's match between Pakistan and West Indies.
"I genuinely believe we had an off-day," said England captain Brad Taylor, whose team had won all three of their group games.
"You have days when it does not come off. I think Sri Lanka played very well, but on another day, we would back ourselves.
"We expected Sri Lanka to rely on spin, but the batsmen did not stay long enough to build partnerships. We had come here to win the tournament, so obviously we are very disappointed."
Durham's Jack Burnham and Essex's Dan Lawrence had been in superb form with the bat during the tournament but managed only 20 runs between them.
Leg spinner Wanidu Hasanranga claimed three wickets while seamer Asitha Fernando claimed two early in the England innings.
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An Italian court has given life sentences to eight South American former political and military leaders over the disappearance of 23 Italian nationals during the 70s and 80s.

Those sentenced include ex-presidents of Bolivia and Peru, and a former foreign minister from Uruguay.
All had cooperated in Operation Condor, run by military governments at the time to fight left-wing dissidents.
Another 19 men were absolved in the trial, that lasted two years.
Several of those sentenced are already serving jail time at home and none appeared in court.
They include former Bolivian President Luis Garcia Meza Tejada who is now 87 and serving a 30-year prison sentence in La Paz, as well as former Peruvian President, Francisco Morales Bermudez, who is now 95.
Mr Garcia Meza's lawyer has said he will appeal.
One of the Italian prosecutors, Tiziana Cugini, told the Reuters news agency the trial had thrown a clear light on Operation Condor, which he called a "criminal conspiracy".
"It's very significant, especially given that heads of state from the time were convicted."
The Vice-President of Uruguay, Raul Sendic said he was disappointed by the sentence but would respect it.
"The Uruguayan government is feeling tranquil because we did everything that had to be done to present proof and witnesses and support the families of the victims."
The trial involved hundreds of witnesses. Martin Almada, a Paraguayan who had given evidence said the outcome was "lamentable and incomprehensible".
According to Italian law, the conviction can be appealed against twice before the ruling becomes definitive and the sentences are served.
Should the sentences become definitive, Italy can ask for extradition but, considering the age of the accused, it is more likely that they would serve sentences at home.
Operation Condor was set up in 1975 in Santiago, the capital of Chile in a meeting chaired by the head of the Chilean chief of intelligence services, Manuel Contreras.
Key member countries of Operation Condor were Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and Bolivia, with Peru and Ecuador occasionally participating.
Thousands of people were kidnapped, tortured, forcibly disappeared and murdered with people often snatched off the streets or taken from their homes.
Operations crossed international borders with governments helping each other as their security forces chased dissidents, leftists, union and peasant leaders, nuns and priests, intellectuals and students.


E3 - one of the world's biggest gaming and technology shows is currently taking place in Los Angles in America.

It's where top game-makers and developers from around the world get the chance to show off some of the cool new games and consoles they have been working on.
It's a massive show which lasts five days and takes place every year.
There have been some huge announcements for gaming fans this year, so we have been taking a look at some of the big ones...
One of the biggest announcements at E3 this year is Microsoft's brand new console: Xbox One X.
The top secret console was previously code-named Project Scorpio.
Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, said it was the: "most powerful console ever made."
It's also the smallest Xbox yet, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in power - six teraflops worth!
It also uses super high quality 4K graphics.
Find out more about it here.
This year Nintendo had a bumper offering of new games - especially for their new Nintendo Switch console.
They teased a brand new Pokémon game, which some people have nicknamed "Pokémon Stars".
The game will be playable on the Nintendo Switch - but it won't be ready for another year!
Mario is back with another brand new game: Super Mario Odyssey, also for the Nintendo Switch, which will be released on 27 October.
Nintendo also announced that their new Zelda game: Breath of the Wild, would be getting a DLC - an extra spin off game.
And there was a surprise announcement that Rocket League would be coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year.
There were no new console updates from Sony at this year's E3 - as their PS4 Pro console came out a few months ago -  but lots of exciting games and tech announcements.
Starting with some exciting gameplay footage of the new Spiderman game for the PS4.
They also revealed Sony Playlink - a new collection of games that can be played with the whole family on a console, using your mobile phone as a controller.
As well as this Sony also revealed a heap more games which are compatible with virtual reality headsets.
EA also teased some big games at this year's E3 conference.
Including some exciting new gameplay footage of the latest Fifa 2018 game.
And new online multiplayer features for some of their other games.
Makers Ubisoft had some pretty exciting new game announcements this year.
Including a mash-up of Super Mario and Raving Rabbids called: Rabbids Kingdom Battle - which will be playable on the Nintendo Switch.
And get your dancing shoes ready because Ubisoft's announced there will be a new Just Dance game coming soon.
Another big surprise announcement came from makers Intel.
They will be launching a brand new Esports tournament specifically for virtual reality players.
It will be called the VR Challenger League and the qualifiers will launch next month.
Check out some of the top VR Headsets here.
Professional gamers from all over the world will be battling it out in front of crowds using the VR headsets.
The final will be held in Poland, and the winner could take home a cool £155,000!


Tim Peake has shared this stunning video of his view of an aurora from the International Space Station.

18 April 2016 Last updated at 13:23 BST
The clip is a timelapse made up of photos taken once every second and sped up to be 25 times faster.
The astronaut posted: "Space Station view of an 'aurora rise' - spot the two satellites at the end?"
Auroras happen when particles from the Sun hit the Earth's atmosphere, making it glow in a greenish blue light.
An aurora rise is when you see an aurora rising above the horizon because of the way the International Space Station orbits Earth.
It's similar to a sunrise or moonrise - as with the Moon/Sun, the aurora is already there but just not visible yet.
Video from the European Space Agency


China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be part of the country again, but many Taiwanese want a separate nation.

The dispute with China has left relations frayed and a constant threat of a violent flare up that could drag the US into the fray.
The first known settlers in Taiwan are Austronesian tribal people thought to have come from modern day southern China.
The island first appears in Chinese records in AD239, when China sent an expeditionary force to explore - a fact Beijing uses to back its territorial claim.
After a brief spell as a Dutch colony (1624-1661) Taiwan was unquestionably administered by China's Qing dynasty from 1683 to 1895.
Starting at the beginning of the 17th Century, significant numbers of migrants started arriving from China, often fleeing turmoil or hardship. Most were Hoklo Chinese from Fujian (Fukien) province or were Hakka Chinese, largely from Guangdong. The descendants of these two migrations now make up by far the largest population group.
In 1895, following Japan's victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government had no choice but to cede Taiwan to Japan.
But after World War Two, the Republic of China - one of the victors - began ruling Taiwan with the consent of its allies the US and UK, after Japan surrendered and relinquished control of territory it had taken from China.
However in the next few years, Chiang's troops were beaten back by the Communist armies under Mao Zedong.
Chiang and the remnants of his Kuomintang (KMT) government fled to Taiwan in 1949. This group, referred to as Mainland Chinese and then making up 1.5m people, dominated Taiwan's politics for many years, even though they only account for 14% of the population.
Having inherited an effective dictatorship, facing resistance from local people resentful of the 228 Massacre and authoritarian rule, and under pressure from a growing democracy movement, Chiang's son, Chiang Ching-kuo, began allowing a process of democratisation, which eventually led to the 2000 election of the island's first non-KMT president, Chen Shui-bian.
After decades of hostile intentions and angry rhetoric, relations between China and Taiwan started improving in the 1980s. China put forward a formula, known as "one country, two systems", under which Taiwan would be given significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification.
The offer was rejected, but Taiwan did relax rules on visits to and investment in China. It also, in 1991, proclaimed the war with the People's Republic of China over.
There were also limited talks between the two sides' unofficial representatives, though China's insistence that the Republic of China (ROC) government is illegitimate prevented government-to-government contact.
Beijing became alarmed in 2000, when Taiwan elected as president Chen Shui-bian, who had openly backed independence.
Mr Chen was re-elected in 2004, prompting China to pass a so-called anti-secession law in 2005, stating China's right to use "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan if it tried to secede from China.
In 2008, Ma Ying-jeou was elected president. He sought to improve relations with China, mainly through economic agreements.
In elections in January 2016, Tsai Ing-wen defeated Kuomintang party candidate Eric Chu. Mr Ma was barred by Taiwan's constitution from the seeking a third term in office. Ms Tsai leads the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which leans towards independence from China.
In December 2016, she spoke to the then US President-elect Donald Trump in a phone call, in what was a break with US policy set in 1979 when formal relations were cut.
There is disagreement and confusion about what Taiwan is, and even what it should be called.
Chiang Kai-shek's Republic of China (ROC) government, which fled the mainland to Taiwan in 1949, at first claimed to represent the whole of China, which it intended to re-occupy. It held China's seat on the United Nations Security Council and was recognised by many Western nations as the only Chinese government.
But in 1971, the UN switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing and the ROC government was forced out. Since then the number of countries that recognise the ROC government diplomatically has fallen to about 20.
China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province which it has vowed to retake, by force if necessary. But Taiwan's leaders say it is clearly much more than a province, arguing that it is a sovereign state.
It has its own constitution, democratically-elected leaders, and about 300,000 active troops in its armed forces.
Given the huge divide between these two positions, most other countries seem happy to accept the current ambiguity, whereby Taiwan has most of the characteristics of an independent state, even if its legal status remains unclear.
While political progress has been slow, links between the two peoples and economies have grown sharply. Taiwanese companies have invested about $60bn (Â£40bn) in China, and up to one million Taiwanese now live there, many running Taiwanese factories.
Some Taiwanese worry their economy is now dependent on China. Others point out that closer business ties makes Chinese military action less likely, because of the cost to China's own economy.
A controversial trade agreement sparked the "Sunflower Movement" in 2014 where students and activists occupied Taiwan's parliament protesting against what they call China's growing influence over Taiwan.
Officially, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) still favours eventual independence for Taiwan, while the KMT favours eventual re-unification. Opinion polls show only a small minority of Taiwanese support pursuing one or the other at the moment, with most preferring to stick with the current middle ground.
Yet more and more people say they feel Taiwanese rather than Chinese. Support for the DPP increased at the January 2016 election. This was partly because of dissatisfaction with the KMT's handling of economic matters, from the wealth gap to high housing prices, and partly because of worries that Mr Ma's administration was making Taiwan too dependent on Beijing.
The US is by far Taiwan's most important friend, and its only ally.
The relationship, forged during World War Two and the Cold War, underwent its sternest test in 1979, when President Jimmy Carter ended US diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in order to concentrate on burgeoning ties with China.
The US Congress, responding to the move, passed the Taiwan Relations Act, which promises to supply Taiwan with defensive weapons, and stressed that any attack by China would be considered of "grave concern" to the US.
Since then, US policy has been described as one of "strategic ambiguity", seeking to balance China's emergence as a regional power with US admiration for Taiwan's economic success and democratisation.
The pivotal role of the US was most clearly shown in 1996, when China conducted provocative missile tests to try and influence Taiwan's first direct presidential election. In response, US President Bill Clinton ordered the biggest display of US military power in Asia since the Vietnam War, sending ships to the Taiwan Strait, and a clear message to Beijing.


Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan has shocked his fans by admitting he had an affair while his wife was pregnant.

There was outrage on social media when pictures surfaced of him with a "mystery woman".
The two-time Olympic champion confirmed the rumours and apologised. His wife, fellow badminton star Xie Xingfang, had their first child on 5 November.
Social media users quickly identified the woman he was seen with in the photos as actress and model Zhao Yaqi.
Cheng Hao Chen wrote: "Brother, do you know that you were the pride of 1.3 billion Chinese people? How about now?"
After the pictures emerged, another user, Duo Duo Wa Bai Cai, said: "A shameless mistake has sent you to hell from heaven.
"No matter how outstanding your achievements are, you will fall short of being a father and a husband! Sorry, super Dan, this is unforgivable - you have neglected your responsibility as a man!"
Lin, nicknamed Super Dan, used to be world number one but is now ranked third, the Straits Times reports.
"As a man, I will not defend myself," he wrote. "But my behaviour has hurt my family. I apologise to my family here. Sorry."


Huddersfield back-row forward Oliver Roberts has signed a new four-year deal with the Super League side.

Roberts, 21, joined the Giants from Bradford Bulls in October 2014 and made his debut for the club in the opening game of the 2016 season.
"We have always been a club that has given chances to young British players who are hungry to succeed," head coach Paul Anderson told the club website.
"His challenge is to keep his place when our experienced guys return."
The Giants are second from bottom of the Super League, having failed to win any of their first three games.
They have also lost several key players to injury, including full-back Scott Grix and club captain Danny Brough, leaving Anderson reliant on inexperienced squad members.
"You can't always accept getting beat, but I think our attitude was very poor," Anderson told BBC Radio Leeds following Sunday's 36-18 defeat by Widnes Vikings.
"Consistency is something that we're always striving for, but that collective inexperience and collective poor attitude has cost us.
"We have so many people out in key positions that have been our strengths, and now our strengths have become our downfalls."


Ireland inflicted New Zealand's first defeat in a World Cup for 23 years with a 17-14 victory in Marcoussis to virtually seal a semi-final place.

The Black Ferns have won the last four tournaments and had not lost a World Cup game since a defeat to the United States in the 1991 semi-finals.
New Zealand's Selica Winiata scored the opener but the 2013 Six Nations winners replied through Heather O'Brien.
Alison Miller's try in the 63rd minute proved crucial for Ireland.
Niamh Briggs converted both tries and kicked a penalty when the game was locked at 14-14 in the second half.
Philip Doyle's team had beaten the USA in their opening Pool B match and now play Kazakhstan on Saturday.
They are top of Pool B on eight points while New Zealand and the USA, who meet each other on Saturday, are on six.
The USA beat Kazakhstan 47-7 in Tuesday's other Pool B game.
It was the first time Ireland's women had played the Black Ferns. Ireland's men's team have never beaten the All Blacks in 28 meetings stretching back to 1905.
"It's absolutely wonderful to win against the world champions," said Ireland captain Fiona Coghlan. "All credit should go to the coaches, the analysis team and the game-plan they gave us.
"The heads never dropped because we were on the same page. Even when they went ahead, we knew we would go back up there, score and win the game.
New Zealand coach Brian Evans said: "We're very disappointed, but fair play to Ireland. They outmuscled us, they forced errors, but huge congratulations to them for that."
Ireland's women started the game strongly but failed to reap any points from their domination of possession.
Briggs dragged a penalty wide and it was New Zealand who got the opening score when Kelly Brazier converted a penalty in the 22nd minute.
Soon afterwards it was 8-0 as Winiata got in at the left corner for a try.
Ireland regrouped to put New Zealand under pressure, and this time they made it count as number eight O'Brien forced her way over for a try under the posts.
Briggs converted to leave the Irish just a point behind at half-time but Brazier added a penalty in the second half for 11-7.
Then came the vital score as Briggs gathered and broke forward to feed winger Miller who raced strongly to the line to score in the left corner.
Briggs landed a superb conversion from the touchline but New Zealand hit back to level the game through a third Brazier penalty.
Fittingly, it was the impressive Briggs who kicked the match-winning penalty.
Ireland: Niamh Briggs, Ashleigh Baxter,  Lynne Cantwell,  Grace Davitt, Alison Miller, Nora Stapleton, Tania Rosser; Fiona Coghlan (capt), Gillian Bourke, Ailis Egan, Sophie Spence, Marie Louise Reilly, Paula Fitzpatrick, Claire Molloy, Heather O'Brien
Replacements:  Sharon Lynch, Fiona Hayes, Laura Guest, Siobhan Fleming, Larissa Muldoon, Jenny Murphy, Vikki McGinn
New Zealand: Selica Winiata, Renee Wickliffe, Huriana Manuel, Amiria Rule, Honey Hireme, Kelly Brazier, Emma Jensen;  Kathleen Wilton, Fiao'o Fa'amausili (capt), Aleisha Nelson, Eloise Blackwell, Jackie Patea, Rawinia Everitt, Linda Itunu, Casey Robertson
Replacements: Stephanie Te Ohaere-Fox, Ruth McKay, Justine Lavea, Aroha Savage, Kendra Cocksedge, Claire Richardson, Shakira Baker


The family of footballer Jeff Astle - who died from brain trauma caused by heading footballs - say they know of 250 more players who have suffered from degenerative brain disease.

The striker's daughter Dawn Astle said she was not surprised by the revelation that three members of England's 1966 World Cup squad have Alzheimer's.
The family has pushed for research through the Justice for Jeff campaign.
The FA wants Fifa to probe a possible link between dementia and football.
"Any research and study done into the possible implications of heading footballs clearly has to be a good thing," said Miss Astle.
"But they could have done all this 14 years ago, when they had the coroner's verdict for my dad. 14 years is a damn long time."
Since starting the Justice for Jeff campaign in April 2014, Miss Astle said she had been contacted by families of other footballers with degenerative brain disease, as well as "staunch supporters" of clubs.
"There's got to be about 250 [former players] that I know of. Not all of the families have come forward and some of the players have passed away," she said.
One family that did get in touch was that of a 1966 World Cup player, but they did not want his illness to be known to the public at the time.
"It's great that these iconic players and legends in the game have come out, very bravely, and their families have spoken about the suffering they are in now, but it doesn't just affect household names," said Miss Astle.
"We've had contact from many, many players, many of whom I'd never heard of, but they all matter."
The family said they had also been told about players having degenerative brain disease through people associated with football clubs.
"I think it is the tip of a very big iceberg, sadly. I wish it wasn't but I think it is," said Miss Astle.
She said about 95% of the players affected have Alzheimer's disease or had it before they died, while the rest have had other degenerative brain diseases.
Miss Astle's father played with heavy leather footballs but she said she was concerned for modern-day footballers.
"How it was described to me is the balls nowadays are much lighter but they travel faster, and sometimes players are much stronger and hit it harder," she said.
"It's down to the pure physics of something striking the head and the brain being rocked backwards and forwards in the skull.
"I hope to God that there isn't a link with the modern day ball but I would be very, very surprised if the safety implications aren't the same."


One of London mayoral hopeful Sadiq Khan's aides has resigned following his suspension on Sunday.

Shueb Salar is alleged to have posted abusive language about women and homosexuals on Twitter, in 2012.
A spokesman for Mr Khan said: "Sadiq acted immediately to suspend Shueb Salar as soon as he was made aware of these serious issues over the weekend.
"Shueb Salar has now resigned from his role as a junior member of Sadiq's parliamentary staff."
Mr Salar, who has not commented, started working for Mr Khan in 2014.
It emerged he had also posted photos of himself at a firing range more recently on Instagram with a caption joking that he was a "hitman".
On Sunday, cabinet minister Chris Grayling questioned Mr Khan's judgement in employing Mr Salar.
"'These comments have absolutely no place in modern society," the leader of the House of Commons said.
"The mayor of London makes a large number of decisions about who to hire and how to spend public funds: his record shows Sadiq Khan can't make those decisions in a way that stands up for Londoners."


Premiership bottom side Inverness Caledonian Thistle moved to within four points of opponents Hamilton Academical with three games to play.

Brad McKay crouched to volley in Greg Tansey's deep free-kick early in the match.
And Tansey converted a penalty after Massimo Donati had fouled Ross Draper.
Accies were upset Ali Crawford was not awarded a second-half spot-kick for a challenge by goalkeeper Ryan Esson but netted late on through Danny Redmond.
The gap between Caley Thistle and Motherwell also stands at four points, with Well behind Hamilton on goal difference after losing to Ross County.
The first-half performance was exactly what Inverness manager Richie Foran has been searching for and came with their backs planted firmly against the wall.
They were terrific. Adversity sometimes brings out the best in people, although nerves did seem to take effect after half-time.
Foran has said for some time his side just needed one win to get going. They have it and look capable of more as the pressure turns, at least temporarily, to sides above.
Tansey, who has agreed a pre-contract to join Aberdeen, was at the heart of the Saturday lunchtime victory. It was his delivery that found McKay ghosting in and the defender's finish was perfect.
Another Tansey delivery was rewarded when Donati wrestled Draper to the ground. Tansey took the responsibility and delivered under pressure.
In truth, Inverness could have been out of sight by the break.
Billy Mckay should have done better from close range twice and Alex Fisher somehow screwed a header wide from a few yards after Remi Matthews had parried Tansey's drive.
And, in the second period, Scott Boden could have sealed the win when clean through but dinked over.
Martin Canning's side improved significantly after the break as Crawford and Redmond were sent on in place of Donati and Rakish Bingham.
And Crawford thought he had earned a lifeline. As Gary Warren tried to shepherd the ball out, Esson came flying out and inexplicably took the substitute down.
Referee Andrew Dallas did not point to the spot, leaving Hamilton players in disbelief. It was a huge escape for the home side.
Having offered little earlier in the match, other than a great chance for Darian MacKinnon which he prodded wide, the second-half response was firm.
Dougie Imrie, Crawford and Greg Docherty all came close but ultimately they did not threaten enough and gave themselves too much to do after leaving themselves repeatedly exposed in defence.
Redmond's late finish was little consolation, although the goal may yet have an important part to play in the final make-up of goal difference with so few points separating the sides.
Match ends, Inverness CT 2, Hamilton Academical 1.
Second Half ends, Inverness CT 2, Hamilton Academical 1.
Goal!  Inverness CT 2, Hamilton Academical 1. Daniel Redmond (Hamilton Academical) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Dougie Imrie.
Substitution, Inverness CT. Billy King replaces Jake Mulraney.
Corner,  Hamilton Academical. Conceded by Kevin McNaughton.
Substitution, Inverness CT. Kevin McNaughton replaces Brad McKay.
Attempt saved. Scott McMann (Hamilton Academical) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Jake Mulraney (Inverness CT) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Dougie Imrie (Hamilton Academical).
Foul by Greg Tansey (Inverness CT).
Giannis Skondras (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt blocked. Henri Anier (Inverness CT) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Hamilton Academical. Eamonn Brophy replaces Greg Docherty.
Attempt missed. Scott Boden (Inverness CT) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Ross Draper (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Darian MacKinnon (Hamilton Academical).
Attempt missed. Greg Docherty (Hamilton Academical) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Hand ball by Billy McKay (Inverness CT).
Scott Boden (Inverness CT) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Scott Boden (Inverness CT).
Greg Docherty (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Henri Anier (Inverness CT) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt saved. Ali Crawford (Hamilton Academical) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by Jake Mulraney (Inverness CT).
Dougie Imrie (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Inverness CT. Conceded by Alejandro D'Acol.
Corner,  Inverness CT. Conceded by Scott McMann.
Scott Boden (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Georgios Sarris (Hamilton Academical).
Substitution, Inverness CT. Scott Boden replaces Alex Fisher.
Corner,  Hamilton Academical. Conceded by Brad McKay.
Ross Draper (Inverness CT) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Dougie Imrie (Hamilton Academical).
Greg Tansey (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ali Crawford (Hamilton Academical).
Billy McKay (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Darian MacKinnon (Hamilton Academical).
Delay in match Billy McKay (Inverness CT) because of an injury.
Billy McKay (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.


Wales' oldest and largest dairy co-operative is expanding its cheese production facilities with the help of a £1m loan.

South Caernarfon Creameries first started operating at the site near Pwllheli in 1937. It will use the money to modernise its production facilities.
The firm will also increase its first phase capacity from 9,500 to 11,500 tonnes a year.
The loan comes from the Wales Capital Growth Fund, managed by Finance Wales.
Managing director Alan Jones said: "We reviewed our business model in 2010 and decided to focus on the development of our core products of Welsh cheese and butter.
"Our Dragon branded cheese is the leading Welsh brand and is available in most UK supermarkets. This investment to develop our facilities is required to further grow the brand as well as to enable us to develop other market opportunities."