Plans to use a north Worcestershire crematorium to heat a town swimming pool have been delayed until the end of the year.

Redditch Borough Council said the delay at Redditch Crematorium was due to extra work being carried out there.
The work, which was has been criticised by unions, will divert waste heat which escapes from the cremator chimney into Abbey Stadium leisure centre.
The council said it would save taxpayers about Â£16,800 a year.
The new system, which was expected to be operational by late summer, will also heat the crematorium.
Equipment is also being installed so that the crematorium meets new laws to reduce mercury emissions.
The two cremators, which have been working for 12 years, and the flue network are being replaced.
The Labour-controlled council said the work would bring the crematorium up to modern standards.
Unison initially attacked the plans as "sick and an insult to local residents" when they were first announced.


An unpopular £5 airport development fee has ended, following criticism from airlines and tourism bodies.

Since 2006 all passengers departing from Newquay airport aged 16 and over have had to pay the charge.
Airline Ryanair said the "significant fee" was a reason for pulling its flights from Newquay in 2011.
Ryanair agreed to return to the airport after Cornwall Council confirmed in September it would scrap the fee.
Malcolm Bell, head of Visit Cornwall, has said scrapping the "disliked" fee will be good for tourism.


A Royal Marine shot dead in Afghanistan had lost his mother just weeks before he was deployed overseas.

L/Cpl Martin Gill, who was 22 and from Nottingham, died on Sunday. He served in 42 Commando.
A second British serviceman was killed in Afghanistan on the same day, the MoD has announced.
That soldier, from 1st Battalion The Rifles, died in the Haji Kareen area of the Nahr-e Saraj (south) district. He has yet to be officially named.
The number of UK personnel killed in Afghanistan since 2001 is now 371.
L/Cpl Gill's company commander said the marine became the "bedrock" for his younger brother and sister after their mother died a month before the start of his tour in Afghanistan.
He was an hour into his patrol when it was fired upon from a nearby compound. He was hit and fatally wounded.
L/Cpl Gill was born on 14 August 1988. He lived in Nottingham with his brother, John, and his sister, Rebecca.
L/Cpl Gill's brother and sister - and his girlfriend, Lauren - said in a statement: "Martin Joseph Gill was proud to be a Royal Marine. He was always up for a challenge, and unfortunately died doing what he had always wanted to do.
"He was the life and soul of every party, beloved and cherished by everyone. Martin will be deeply loved and missed forever."
Lt Col Ewen Murchison, commanding officer of 42 Commando Royal Marines, said: "L/Cpl Martin Gill or 'Fish', as he was known by his mates, was a marine of rare quality.
"Despite his mum dying only weeks before the start of the tour, he was exceptionally keen to deploy. This was the mark of the man - passionate and dedicated to his profession and utterly loyal to his friends and fellow marines.
"His friends described him as 'morale in a box'. Only last week, he made an Afghanistan Monopoly board to keep his colleagues entertained. He was quick-witted and a constant source of banter.
"The death of L/Cpl Gill is an appalling tragedy and today is a truly sad day for 42 Commando. We have lost a brave young Marine and it has hit the unit hard."
Lt Col Murchison went on to say the unit's thoughts were with L/Cpl Gill's family.
The next-of-kin for the soldier from 1 Rifles have been informed of their relative's death.
Speaking about that soldier, Lt Col Tim Purbrick said: "The soldier was part of a foot patrol, supporting an Afghan National Security Forces operation to clear one of the last remaining insurgent safe havens in central Helmand, when he was fatally wounded by an improvised explosive device.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
"The family have been informed and have requested a 24-hour period before further details are released."


The number of hip replacement operations on people aged under 60 has risen 76% in the last decade, NHS figures for England reveal.

In 2004-05 there were 10,145 hip replacements for people aged 59 and below, with 17,883 in 2014-15.
The Royal College of Surgeons says this is partly because doctors are now more confident that replacement joints will be more durable than in the past.
Patients are also said to be less willing to wait.
As a proportion of all hip replacements carried out, the rise among under 60s is small, but the Royal College of Surgeons says it is still noteworthy.
Demand for new hips across all ages has risen - there were 89,919 of the operations in 2004-05 and 122,154 in 2014-15.
Stephen Cannon, vice-president of the RCS, says as hip replacement techniques and prosthetics have improved, so have the numbers of younger patients undergoing this type of surgery.
"It's no longer seen as a last resort.
"As surgeons, we now have more confidence about the wear rate of these prosthetics which allows us to be less restrictive on an age basis."
He said surgeons used to advise patients with hip pain to wait until they were 60 or 65 to have a replacement because the old-fashioned replacements had a shelf-life of about 15 years, meaning the operation might need redoing once in a lifetime - when the patient had turned 80.
"If you look at newer prosthetics, you could do the first operation at 55 and it is going to last for 20 years or more, so you would still only need one revision in a lifetime."
He said another factor might be patient demand.
"Certainly, in my experience, patients do not get fobbed off. They don't want to wait for an operation. They say, 'I can't play a round of golf or tennis and I want to.'"
Mr Cannon said concerns over the safety of a particular type of hip replacement (metal-on-metal) in 2010 did not appear to have affected demand.
He said hip operations had become less arduous. Patients can be back on their feet with crutches on the same day or the day after surgery, and out of hospital within three days post-op. "They're off crutches altogether by six weeks."
Most hip replacements are done if the joint becomes damaged from arthritis or an injury.
Many of the conditions treated with a hip replacement are age-related so hip replacements are usually carried out in older adults.
Mr Cannon says it's not clear if conditions such as osteoarthritis are becoming more common and affecting people at younger ages, but it is worth exploring.
And with an ageing population, he says demand for hip operations could soon outstrip supply.
"The ageing population is a perfect storm. We are not there quite yet, but we might be in 10 years from now. It's a continuing trend."
A spokesman for the National Joint Registry for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man said: "The increase in numbers of under-60s undergoing primary hip surgery is entirely in line with the overall increase in provision of the operation.
"The orthopaedic sector must continue to work to get the first time surgery as right for the patient as possible - especially where younger patients are concerned as they are most likely to need at least one revision surgery in their lifetime.
"It is, of course, heartening and very encouraging that hip and knee implants are lasting ten years or more, with risk of revision lower than 5%.
"Joint replacement surgery offers significant benefits - getting patients back to their chosen lifestyle sooner, free from pain and with improved mobility."


The Great Barrier Reef off the north-east coast of Australia is regarded as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

28 October 2014 Last updated at 12:49 GMT
But scientists says 50 percent of the coral has been destroyed over the past three decades due to a host of environmental factors.
The United Nations says the World Heritage Site may soon be listed as endangered.
The UN is especially concerned about the expansion of profitable coal mining operations along the Queensland coast in close proximity to the reef.
The BBC's Australia correspondent Jon Donnison weighs up the two sides of the debate.


Hull have put takeover talks on hold until September to "ensure stability during the transfer window".

The Tigers opened talks with an interested party in May.
They have been up for sale since 2014, after the Football Association turned down owner Assem Allam's request to change their name to Hull Tigers.
It has been a tough summer for Hull, who have just 13 fit players because of injuries, and whose manager Steve Bruce was a candidate for the England job.
Bruce was interviewed on Monday for the England post, which is set to go to Sunderland's Sam Allardyce.
A club statement said: "Whilst the owners intend to continue discussing a sale to interested parties in September, the priority for the coming weeks is strengthening the squad ahead of the start of the new Premier League season, particularly given the number of injuries sustained to key players during pre-season."
Hull - who won promotion back to the top flight in May - open the Premier League season by hosting champions Leicester on Saturday, 13 August.


Sales of ebooks dropped 3% to £538m last year, according to the Publishers Association trade body.

But total book sales including physical books rose 6% to £3.5bn, according to the data, led by non-fiction gains.
Readers flocked to fitness and self-help books, sending non-fiction sales up 9%, while fiction revenue fell 7%.
Exports rose 6% to £2.6bn, benefiting from a decline in the value of sterling, but also rising in line with domestic growth.
The gain reversed three previous years of export decline.
In 2015, adult colouring books and the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland helped the swell in physical book sales, while ebook sales fell 1.6%.
This time, books on the Danish concept of hygge, which is usually translated into English as "cosiness", assisted factual sales, as well as fitness books by personal trainer Joe Wicks.
While ebook sales took a hit, digital distribution helped other media.
Journals made a 10% gain last year to £1.2bn, led by a jump in electronic subscriptions, making the market for books and journals worth £4.8bn.
"Last year, one of the most eye-catching figures from our statistics was that physical book sales were increasing while digital book sales dropped," said chief executive Stephen Lotinga.
"While many will debate as to whether this trend will continue, we should not ignore the fact that digital sales beyond the domestic ebook market are growing."


Asian shares traded mostly lower on Monday with positive economic data from Japan failing to inspire investors about growth in the world's third largest economy.

Japan's factory output rose 1.4% in October from a month ago, marking the second consecutive monthly rise, but the figure fell short of forecasts.
Retail sales grew more than expected, up 1.1% from a month ago.
However, Japan's Nikkei 225 index was down 0.2% to 19,847.03 points.
Investors were cautious about good economic news from Japan, because it fell into a recession in the third quarter.
But economists at research firm Capital Economics said the second monthly rise in industrial production following two months of contraction suggested the economy returned to growth in the fourth quarter.
"In particular, the rebound in core capital goods shipments last month suggests that business investment should start to recover this quarter," Japan economist Marcel Thieliant said.
Investors were also cautious after mainland Chinese markets plunged more than 5% on Friday over investigations into the country's major brokerages.
But the Shanghai Composite index recovered some of those losses to trade up 0.8% at 3,463.23
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was down by 0.7% to 21,911.41, following the global trend as investors were looking ahead to US jobs data and a European Central Bank meeting later this week.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 index was down 0.5% to 5,177.50 as the resources sector was weighed down by rising costs for BHP Billiton from a dam disaster in Brazil.
The top miner's shares were down 2.6%.
Meanwhile, shares of electronics retailer Dick Smith plunged as much as 70% after it said it would take a 60m Australian dollar ($43m; Â£28m) impairment on inventories after disappointing sales.
South Korea's benchmark Kospi index was down 1.2% to 2,004.59 after data showed industrial output posted a surprise decline in October.
Factory output fell by a seasonally adjusted 1.4% from September, marking the fastest drop since May despite expectations of a rise.


The reigning Miss Universe says she will not give up her crown, despite her home country Colombia withdrawing its bid to host the competition.

Paulina Vega had come under pressure to quit after her country's condemnation of the pageant owner, Donald Trump.
Mr Trump caused a furore last month after he said Mexican immigrants who came to the US brought drugs and crime.
Ms Vega called Mr Trump's comments "unjust and hurtful", but said she would continue as Miss Universe.
"The fact that I am not giving up my crown doesn't mean I am changing my stance about everything I said," Ms Vega told local radio on Monday, adding that the Miss Universe organisation did meaningful social work.
"I have kept doing my job as Miss Universe all these days. The work continues as always despite all this craziness going on," she added.
Mr Trump had attacked Ms Vega for keeping her crown, saying: "Miss Universe, Paulina Vega, criticised me for telling the truth about illegal immigration, but then said she would keep the crown - hypocrite."
While announcing his candidacy for the US presidency last month, Mr Trump had accused Mexico of sending rapists and other criminals to the United States.
He also pledged to build a "great wall" on the US border with Mexico and insisted it would be paid for by Mexicans.
He later insisted he was criticising US lawmakers, not Mexican people.
Following Mr Trump's remarks, several TV networks across the Americas said they would no longer air Miss Universe, including the Spanish language network, Univision and NBC.
Mexico also announced that it would not send a contestant to the pageant.


Dame Zaha Hadid has been awarded Riba's royal gold medal for architecture, making her the first woman to be awarded the honour in her own right.

The renowned Iraqi-born, London-based architect designed the Aquatics Centre for the 2012 London Olympics.
She has designed buildings in cities from Guangzhou in China to Glasgow.
The medal is given in recognition of a lifetime's work by the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) and is personally approved by the Queen.
Riba president Jane Duncan, called her "a formidable and globally-influential force in architecture".
She said: "Highly experimental, rigorous and exacting, her work from buildings to furniture, footwear and cars, is quite rightly revered and desired by brands and people all around the world."
The architect was made a dame in 2012 and has won numerous awards during her career.
Dame Zaha has twice won the Riba Stirling Prize, the UK's most prestigious architecture award. In 2010, she won for the Maxxi Museum in Rome and in 2011 for the Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton.
In 2004, she became the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Last year the Heydar Aliyev Centre, which she designed in Baku, Azerbaijan, won the Design Museum Design of the Year Award. She was also the first woman to win the top prize in that competition.
Dame Zaha grew up in Iraq before leaving to study in the UK at the age of 17. She set up her own practice in London in 1979.
She gained a reputation across the world for her trail-blazing theoretical works including The Peak in Hong Kong, the Kurfurstendamm in Berlin and the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales.
Her other creations include the Bridge in Zaragoza, Spain, the Riverside Museum at Glasgow's Museum of Transport and Guangzhou Opera House.
This summer, however, the Japanese government scrapped plans to build an Olympic stadium based on one of her designs.
The $2bn (Â£1.3bn) stadium was to be the showpiece for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but came under criticism as estimated building costs almost doubled.
A statement from Zaha Hadid Architects said that the stadium designed by the firm could be built cost-effectively.
Speaking about the award, she told the BBC's Arts Editor Will Gompertz: "It's great, it's been a tough summer so it's very refreshing."


A pedestrian is in a critical condition after he was knocked off a canal bridge in a crash.

The man ended up in the water when a car and van collided near Swarkestone in Derbyshire on Wednesday afternoon.
The car plunged into the canal and its driver, described by police as an elderly woman, was pulled to safety by passers-by along with the pedestrian.
Police have not released any further details about the man's injuries but say he is critically ill.
The car driver was treated in hospital for minor injuries and has since been discharged. The van driver was unhurt.
Jane MacArthur, who lives nearby and witnessed the aftermath, said: "There were people running around on mobile phones, calling emergency services.
"There was a car in the canal and a gentleman just dove in and rescued the lady."
No arrests have been made. Police have appealed for witnesses.


The verbal threats from the North Korean leadership - and its recent nuclear and missile tests - have prompted a fundamental rethink in its southern neighbour.

The long-standing hopes that Pyongyang might eventually be induced to give up its nuclear weapons programme have proved illusory.
South Korea is accordingly reassessing its security needs and it is clear that an expanded missile defence system is going to be a key part of its response to the North's more aggressive behaviour.
Even before the latest threats from Kim Jong-un, the US and South Koreans had begun urgent consultations to explore the feasibility of deploying a system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) to the Korean Peninsula at the earliest possible date.
Will carrots or sticks change North Korea?
Missile defences in the region
It is not yet clear if the missiles would be sold to the South Koreans. It is possible an interim arrangement might see some US batteries deployed to give an initial capability.
South Korea already operates a variant of the US Patriot anti-missile system and further Patriot batteries are deployed in South Korea by US forces based there. But these are intended to hit incoming missiles at relatively low altitudes.
Thaad is a much more capable and longer-range system. It destroys incoming missiles at a much higher altitude, beyond the Earth's atmosphere.
This makes it especially useful in countering missiles that might carry a nuclear warhead. (It should be noted in passing that there is no evidence yet to suggest that North Korea has sufficiently miniaturised a nuclear weapon to enable it to be mounted on a ballistic missile).
The Thaad interceptor is produced by the US company Lockheed Martin. It is an extremely fast missile with a maximum speed of 2,800 metres per second (10,080km/h). It is capable of making interceptions at an altitude of 150km i.e. beyond the atmosphere.
The Thaad system is made up of six truck-mounted launchers carrying some 50 interceptor missiles, and a fire control and communications unit, all linked to a powerful X-band radar system - manufactured by Raytheon - capable of detecting targets at very long range.
1. The enemy launches a missile
2. The Thaad radar system detects the launch, which is relayed to command and control
3. Thaad command and control instructs the launch of an interceptor missile
4. The interceptor missile is fired at the enemy projectile
5. The enemy projectile is destroyed in the terminal phase of flight
The launcher trucks can hold up to eight interceptor missiles.
Any significant enhancement of South Korea's missile defences is going to be controversial. Inevitably it will inflame tensions with the North. But the plans have already fallen foul of the main regional security actor - China.
Beijing is concerned by the spread of sophisticated anti-missile defences, worrying - in the same way as Moscow - that as these systems become more commonplace they will inevitably affect the capabilities of its own nuclear deterrent.
It also has concerns about the X-band radar system, which has sufficient range to penetrate into China itself.
The debate is a little like that between Russia and Nato regarding missile defences in Europe.
Nato says these are to defend against a very specific threat - that from a potential Iranian long-range missile. Similarly Thaad is, as its name implies, an area defence system - in other words if it were based in South Korea it would only be capable of shooting down Chinese missiles if they were targeting South Korea.
But this does not cut much ice in either Moscow or Beijing. The Chinese in particular may see the deployment of US Thaad missiles to South Korea as the start of a regional defence system intended to contain China.
There are echoes of the Cold War here where anti-missile systems were largely banned by international treaty in an effort to avoid their potentially destabilising effects. That agreement - the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty - was abandoned by the Americans who saw it as a constraint on the sorts of limited defence systems required to counter the proliferation of missile technology.
But the upshot of the spread of missile defences, like any other battle between offence and defence, is that China may ultimately look to upgrade its nuclear capabilities to counter any potential defensive systems.
That could have an impact for India too, who may be concerned about its deterrent capabilities. The ripples from North Korea's threats against the South could spread very widely.


A police officer and police dog have been injured while responding to a report of a stolen car in Glasgow.

The incident happened in Arcadia Street, in the city's Bridgeton area, at about 03:00 on Tuesday.
The officer and dog were hurt as the vehicle made off. Both received treatment for non-serious injuries.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said inquiries into the incident were ongoing and officers remained at the scene in Arcadia Street.


A £350m project producing offshore wind turbine blades in Hull is on course to start work two months earlier than planned.

Finbar Dowling, director of the Siemens factory, said it was planning to open the "massive piece of civil and marine engineering" on 1 September 2016.
He said work at Hull's Alexandra Dock was "ahead of schedule".
It could eventually create up to 1,000 jobs with 200 working in construction of the site, he said.
The building work started in January.
The 10 acre (40,000 sq m) blade factory is part of a 133 acre (540,000 sq m) development that includes manufacturing, assembly and servicing factories.
The facility will build 250ft-long (75m) rotor blades designed for 6MW turbines.
Production on the first batch of turbines for an offshore wind farm off the Norfolk coast is scheduled to start early 2017.
Siemens is investing £160m in Green Port Hull at the city's Alexandra Dock. Associated British Ports (ABP), which owns and operates the dock, is investing £150m.
Green Port Hull was first announced in January 2011 and was granted planning permission in May 2012.


Ice cream-maker Mackie's of Scotland has warned that a significant increase in the cost of ingredients could hit profits this year.

The Aberdeenshire-based company said the rising cost of cream and sugar had put pressure on margins.
However, it added it still expected growth to come from the expansion of existing products and the addition of new ice cream flavours.
The warning came as it announced its results for the year to 31 May 2016.
Turnover rose by £800,000 to £12.2m, although pre-tax profits fell from £1.82m to just under £1.5m.
Mackie's said revenues had been boosted by major contracts for its chocolate bar range, as well as a market shift towards premium ice cream.
The company, which started making ice cream 30 years ago, launched its first chocolate bars in 2014. In the following year it built a dedicated £600,000 chocolate factory at its base at Westertown Farm, Aberdeenshire.
Finance director Gerry Stephens said: "Contracts with Co-op, Tesco and Sainsbury's have ensured a 74% increase in chocolate sales which is in line with our forecasts and target to reach £4m sales in chocolate by 2020.
"The growth also means that we've been able to grow staff numbers to a total of 71 with five new jobs in production."
Ice cream sales continued to grow, with a 5% increase in turnover on the previous year.
The family firm said it now had an 8% share of the UK-wide market for all take-home premium ice cream, with more than 50% of the company's sales outside Scotland.
Exports around the globe accounted for 7% of company sales.
Mackie's said its overall costs increased slightly last year, with lower ingredient costs being offset by increases in packaging, freight and labour expenses.
The company has been investing heavily in renewable energy, having installed four wind turbines and a 1.8MW solar farm. The company is now 70% powered by its own electricity from wind, solar and biomass energy.
Managing director Mac Mackie, said: "We have made progress in every part of the business. Our 30th birthday has resulted in another profitable year.
"This has been invested in new equipment for making tubs to help cut our footprint further, the new chocolate factory and our commitment to renewable energy.
"We are confident that our programme of continued re-investment will lead to the chocolate becoming established as another of the country's favourite treats and as an attractive product for our export customers."
Mackie's is preparing for its first foray into the retail sector by opening a new ice cream parlour and coffee shop at the Marischal Square development in Aberdeen in August.


Northern Ireland's most senior judge has called on the British government and the Stormont Executive to make urgent progress on dealing with the past.

The Lord Chief Justice requested Â£10m funding for a 5-year programme to deal with inquests into some of the most controversial killings of the Troubles.
The request was blocked by First Minister Arlene Foster.
Outstanding legacy inquests involving more than 80 deaths remain to be heard.
Some of the killings happened more than 40 years ago.
Sir Declan Morgan said it was hugely disappointing that politicians at Stormont had not yet reached agreement on how to deal with the past.
In his annual address to mark the opening of the new legal year, the Lord Chief Justice said that addressing the significant backlog of legacy inquests was a matter of real concern.
"The coroner's courts will not be able to satisfy there legal obligation to deliver these inquests within a reasonable timeframe in the absence of the necessary resources," said Sir Declan.
"I do not want us to remain in that position since that would be yet another devastating blow to the families."
The Lord Chief Justice said the judiciary would face up to its responsibilities on dealing with legacy issues, but that others also had to do so.
"I therefore call again on the local executive and legislature, and also on the UK Government, to play their part as a matter of urgency," he added.
"We cannot move on while we remain under the shadow of the past. Nor should we. But time is not on our side."
The audience at the event in the Royal Courts of Justice included Justice Minister Claire Sugden MLA, Attorney General John Larkin, members of the judiciary and senior figures in the justice system.
Sir Declan said there would need to be political agreement to "an injection of additional resources" to deal with the legacy inquests.
The Lord Chief Justice made it clear he was disappointed his five-year plan for dealing with them could not proceed before politicians reach a wider agreement on new institutions to deal with the past.
"Disappointingly, it now appears that a political resolution will be required on an overall legacy package before the resources required for legacy inquests will be released," he said.
Sir Declan said that in the absence of additional funding, he anticipated that coroners would only have the capacity to complete two further legacy inquests during the remainder of the financial year.
He said if this situation continues it would be "decades" before all of the outstanding cases would be completed, and that this "would not comply with the legal requirement to deal with the backlog of cases within a reasonable timeframe."


Translink temporarily withdrew bus services from the Galliagh area of Londonderry after several stone throwing incidents by young people.

A number of windows were broken in the attacks, the latest of which happened on Monday night.
Translink said the safety and welfare of customers and staff is their top priority. The service resumed on Tuesday.
Sinn FÃ©in councillor Tony Hassan has condemned the attacks.
"Translink are saying that this problem has been there for the last three or four weeks but that on Monday night it was the worst incident yet.
"The driver, and some of those on the bus, stated that some of these young people were around the age of 12 or 14 years of age.
"Parents need to know what their children are up to. There's about three or four thousand people relying on that service," Mr Hassan said.
A Translink spokesperson said: "We can confirm that 4 incidents of stoning have occurred in the past few weeks on Ulsterbus services in the Galliagh area resulting in broken windows.
"We strongly condemn this dangerous behaviour. Following the latest incident last (Monday) night, bus services were withdrawn from the area at 8pm.
"If these attacks continue more services will have to be withdrawn to uphold our duty of care for staff and customers," Translink said.


The full list of winners and nominees for the 2016 Olivier Awards held at the Royal Opera House on 3 April.

Winner:  Kenneth Cranham for The Father at Wyndham's Theatre
Kenneth Branagh for The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre
Benedict Cumberbatch for Hamlet at Barbican Theatre
Adrian Lester for Red Velvet at Garrick Theatre
Mark Rylance for Farinelli And The King at Duke of York's Theatre
Winner: Denise Gough for People, Places And Things at National Theatre, Dorfman
Gemma Arterton for Nell Gwynn at Apollo Theatre
Nicole Kidman for Photograph 51 at NoÃ«l Coward Theatre
Janet McTeer for Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Donmar Warehouse
Lia Williams for Oresteia at Almeida Theatre
Winner:  Mark Gatiss for Three Days In The Country at National Theatre, Lyttelton
Michael Pennington for The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre
Tom Sturridge for American Buffalo at Wyndham's Theatre
David Suchet for The Importance Of Being Earnest at Vaudeville Theatre
Winner:  Judi Dench for The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre
Michele Dotrice for Nell Gwynn at Apollo Theatre
Melody Grove for Farinelli And The King at Duke of York's Theatre
Catherine Steadman for Oppenheimer at Vaudeville Theatre
Winner:  Robert Icke for Oresteia at Almeida Theatre
Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh for The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre
Matthew Dunster for Hangmen at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court & Wyndham's Theatre
Jonathan Kent for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Winner: David Bedella for In The Heights at King's Cross Theatre
Dan Burton for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Peter Davison for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Gavin Spokes for Guys And Dolls at Savoy Theatre
Winner: Lara Pulver for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Preeya Kalidas for Bend It Like Beckham at Phoenix Theatre
Amy Lennox for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Emma Williams for Mrs Henderson Presents at Noel Coward Theatre
Winner: Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Bugsy Malone at Lyric Hammersmith
Guys And Dolls at Savoy Theatre
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Winner:  Matt Henry for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Ian Bartholomew for Mrs Henderson Presents at NoÃ«l Coward Theatre
Killian Donnelly for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
David Haig for Guys And Dolls at Savoy Theatre
Jamie Parker for Guys And Dolls at Savoy Theatre
Winner:  Imelda Staunton for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Tracie Bennett for Mrs Henderson Presents at NoÃ«l Coward Theatre
Natalie Dew for Bend It Like Beckham at Phoenix Theatre
Laura Pitt-Pulford for Seven Brides For Seven Brothers at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Sophie Thompson for Guys And Dolls at Savoy Theatre
Winner:  Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Bend It Like Beckham at Phoenix Theatre
In the Heights at King's Cross Theatre
Mrs Henderson Presents at Noel Coward Theatre
Winner: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at National Theatre, Lyttelton
Hamlet at Barbican Theatre
Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Donmar Warehouse
The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre
Winner:  Nell Gwynn at Apollo Theatre
Hand To God at Vaudeville Theatre
Peter Pan Goes Wrong at Apollo Theatre
Winner:  Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci at Royal Opera House
The Force Of Destiny at London Coliseum
Morgen Und Abend at Royal Opera House
English National Opera Chorus and Orchestra for The Force Of Destiny, Lady Macbeth Of Mtsensk and The Queen Of Spades at London Coliseum
Felicity Palmer for The Queen Of Spades at London Coliseum
Sir Antonio Pappano for his conducting of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Guillaume Tell and Krol Roger at Royal Opera House
Tamara Wilson for The Force Of Destiny at London Coliseum
Winner:  English National Opera chorus and orchestra for The Force of Destiny, Lady Macbeth of Mtensk and The Queen of Spades at London Coliseum
Felicity Palmer for The Queen of Spades at London Coliseum
Antonio Pappano for his conducting of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci,Guillaume Tell and Krol Roger at Royal Opera House
Tamara Wilson for The Force of Destiny at London Coliseum
Winner:  Pat Kinevane and Fishamble for Silent at Soho Theatre
Barbarians at The Clare, Young Vic
Phil Dunster for his role in Pink Mist at Bush Theatre
Violence And Son at Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court
Winner:  Hangmen at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court & Wyndham's Theatre
Farinelli And The King at Duke of York's Theatre
The Father at Wyndham's TheatreOlivier Awards 2016: The winners
People, Places And Things at National Theatre, Dorfman
Winner:  Showstopper! The Improvised Musical at Apollo Theatre
Alice's Adventures Underground at The Vaults
Dr Seuss's The Lorax at The Old Vic
I Want My Hat Back at National Theatre, Temporary Theatre
Peter Pan at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Winner:  Woolf Works by Wayne McGregor at Royal Opera House
He Who Falls (Celui Qui Tombe) by Compagnie Yoann Bourgeois at the Barbican
Romeo Et Juliette by Les Ballets de Monte Carlo at London Coliseum
Winner:  Alessandra Ferri for her performances in Cheri and Woolf Works at Royal Opera House
Javier De Frutos for his choreography of Anatomy Of A Passing Cloud at the Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House
Sasha Waltz for her choreography of Sacre at Sadler's Wells
Winner:  In The Heights - Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda at King's Cross Theatre
Bend It Like Beckham - Music by Howard Goodall, Lyrics by Charles Hart and Orchestrations by Howard Goodall and Kuljit Bhamra at Phoenix Theatre
Farinelli And The King - Claire van Kampen for Musical Arrangements, the Musicians and Iestyn Davies and the Singers who alternated the singing role of Farinelli at Duke of York's Theatre
Kinky Boots - Music and Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, Music Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations by Stephen Oremus at Adelphi Theatre
Winner:  Drew McOnie for In The Heights at King's Cross Theatre
Carlos Acosta and Andrew Wright for Guys And Dolls at Savoy Theatre
Stephen Mear for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Jerry Mitchell for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Winner:  Gregg Barnes for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Hugh Durrant for Nell Gwynn at Apollo Theatre
Jonathan Fensom for Farinelli And The King at Duke of York's Theatre
Katrina Lindsay for Bend It Like Beckham at Phoenix Theatre
Winner:  Anna Fleischle for Hangmen at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court & Wyndham's Theatre
Hildegard Bechtler for Oresteia at Almeida Theatre
Es Devlin for Hamlet at Barbican Theatre
Jonathan Fensom for Farinelli And The King at Duke of York's Theatre
Winner:  Mark Henderson for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Neil Austin for The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre
Natasha Chivers for Oresteia at Almeida Theatre
James Farncombe for People, Places And Things at National Theatre, Dorfman
Winner:  Tom Gibbons for People, Places And Things at National Theatre, Dorfman
George Dennis for The Homecoming at Trafalgar Studios 1
Christopher Shutt for The Father at Wyndham's Theatre
Christopher Shutt for Hamlet at Barbican Theatre


China has been building the equivalent of almost one university per week.

It is part of a silent revolution that is causing a huge shift in the composition of the world's population of graduates.
For decades, the United States had the highest proportion of people going to university. They dominated the graduate market.
Reflecting this former supremacy, among 55 to 64 year olds almost a third of all graduates in the world's major economies are US citizens.
But that is changing rapidly among younger generations. In terms of producing graduates, China has overtaken the United States and the combined university systems of European Union countries.
The gap is going to become even wider. Even modest predictions see the number of 25 to 34-year-old graduates in China rising by a further 300% by 2030, compared with an increase of around 30% expected in Europe and the United States.
In the United States, students have been struggling to afford university costs. In Europe, most countries have put a brake on expanding their universities by either not making public investments or not allowing universities to raise money themselves.
But if the West has been sleeping, China and other Asian countries such as India have raced ahead.
It isn't simply about bigger student numbers. Students in China and India are much more likely to study mathematics, sciences, computing and engineering - the subjects most relevant to innovation and technological advance.
More stories from the BBC's Global education series looking at education from an international perspective and how to get in touch
In 2013, 40% of Chinese graduates completed their studies in a Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subject - more than twice the share of US graduates.
So the graduates who are the cornerstone of economic prosperity in knowledge-based economies are increasingly disproportionately likely to come from China and India.
By 2030, China and India could account for more than 60% of the Stem graduates in major economies, compared with only 8% in Europe and 4% in the United States.
Countries like China and India are betting on the future with this.
With such an increase in people in higher education, conventional wisdom might assume that the value of qualifications would suffer from "inflation".
But this is not happening. In the OECD countries with the biggest increases in graduate numbers, most continue to see rising earnings.
This suggests that an increase in "knowledge workers" does not lead to a decline in their pay, unlike the way that technological advancement and globalisation have pushed down the earnings of poorly-educated workers.
In the past, OECD countries competed mostly with countries that offered low-skilled work at low wages.
Today, countries like China and India are starting to deliver high skills at moderate cost.
The West cannot compete by keeping the rest of the world out of their economic systems. There are plenty of examples of European countries that have stagnated over the past century by trying to do just that.
The massive investment in education in Asia suggests competition through lower production costs may be merely a transitional strategy for countries on their way to meeting the Western world at the top of the product range.
The real challenge for Western countries is to prepare for future competition with Asian economies in the knowledge sector.
Some raise doubts about the quality and relevance of the degrees earned in China.
Indeed, there are still no direct measures that allow for a comparison of the learning outcomes of graduates across countries and universities.
But China has shown the world that it is possible to simultaneously raise quantity and quality in schools.
In the latest round of the OECD Pisa tests, the 10% most disadvantaged 15-year-olds in Shanghai scored higher in mathematics than the 10% most privileged 15-year-olds in the United States.
Perhaps tellingly, objections to the OECD's proposal for international comparisons between institutions of higher education did not come from Asia, but from countries like the United Kingdom and the United States.
Did they fear that their universities might not live up to their past reputations?
China's rapid expansion in higher education shows the scale of the challenge for the West and shows the future might be indifferent to tradition and past reputations. It might be unforgiving of frailty and largely ignorant of  assumptions about custom or practice.
Success will go to those individuals, universities and countries that are swift to adapt, slow to complain and open to change. The task for governments will be to ensure that their countries rise to these challenges.


Northern Ireland actor James Nesbitt has admitted he had "a little bit too much hospitality" while attending boxer Carl Frampton's world title fight.

The County Antrim-born star was in high spirits during Saturday night's fight and appeared to slur his speech during a TV interview in the boxing arena.
Nesbitt said that the next day, he felt like he too "had been through 12 gruelling rounds" with Frampton.
He sent belated congratulations to the boxer via the BBC's Nolan Show.
"I was hoping to congratulate you on the night, but was unable to speak to you," Nesbitt said.
"But to be fair I was unable to speak - a little bit too much hospitality beforehand.
"What a performance, and indeed you weren't bad either," he joked.
Nesbitt was in the crowd in Manchester Arena to support Frampton, alongside some other well-known faces from Northern Ireland including County Antrim jockey Sir Anthony McCoy and Irish football manager Martin O'Neill.
The actor's impaired speech was the subject of much comment on Twitter, with comedian Jake O'Kane speculating: "The big question tonight is will Jimmy Nesbitt hit the canvass before Quigg or Frampton?"
Frampton beat Scott Quigg via a split decision in Manchester to add the WBA super-bantamweight title to the IBF title he already owned.
The actor recorded a video message to the new world champion, while taking a break from working on location in Singapore, saying it was as far away as he could get after his TV interview on Saturday night.
"We are incredibly proud of you, and indeed on Sunday morning I felt as if I too had been through 12 gruelling rounds with the world champion - Northern Ireland's very own Carl Frampton," Nesbitt said.
"Everyone is so proud, well done."


The children's commissioner for Wales says families need to know pupils will never again be put in padded "time-out" rooms after a row in Pembrokeshire.

Keith Towler has backed a decision to make the council answerable to a board under Welsh government control.
It follows a controversy after claims that children were locked in the rooms.
Mr Towler said he had already been given a "cast-iron guarantee" the rooms were now out of use.
Education Minister Leighton Andrews announced that the council must answer to the Pembrokeshire Ministerial Board after he said he had "little confidence" in certain senior council officers.
The issue of how Pembrokeshire safeguards some children has led to a major row with the Welsh government.
A complaint was made in June 2009 about children being locked in the room, which had no natural light or ventilation, at the pupil referral unit in Neyland.
Mr Towler told BBC Radio Wales that the "time-out" room at Neyland was "no longer being used nor any room like that".
"I've had an absolute cast-iron assurance that the room will never be used again.
"The door has been taken off and it's not being used.
"Families need to know that it's unacceptable and that the situation will never happen again in Pembrokeshire," he added.
He added that he had met Pembrokeshire council and he felt that "some progress" had already been made, but the intervention by the education minister was important.
"(Answering to the special board) is a necessary step by Leighton Andrews," said Mr Towler.
"The position I've taken is we've got to make sure all the procedures are as safe and as robust as they can possibly be for children and the Welsh government and the council working together will help to achieve that."
On the improvements he had seen Mr Towler said: "The council is working to make sure that everybody understands what listening to children really means in a safeguarding sense".
He added that "internal matters" resulting from when allegations of abuse were made had still to resolved, and he would not comment on those at the moment.
"It's clear the right things are happening and I've met with one of the families involved in the (pupil referral unit) in Neyland to try to get a feel of how local people are feeling."
Mr Towler said there would be no summer leave for people working to put things right at the council.
"Parents need to be reassured things are being done on the right level," he said.
Last September, ministers sent a panel of experts called the Pembrokeshire Ministerial Board into the council, after issuing the local authority with a final warning.
Mr Andrews said on Monday what the board and a range of inspectors have since told him "do little to allay our concerns".
Council leader Jamie Adams said the local authority was "making good progress" on the issue.
"We remain committed to doing everything that can reasonably be expected to keep children in Pembrokeshire safe."


A team of two disabled and two able-bodied sportsmen is attempting to set a new world record in north Wales.

The Project ENDURO team hope to achieve the greatest number of metres descended in 24 hours, on specially designed four-wheeled mountain bikes.
Gower College in Swansea and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David have been involved in the bike's development.
The event, at Antur Stiniog, Gwynedd, started at 12:00 BST on Wednesday.
Paralympic athlete Nathan Stephens and paraplegic racing driver Brian Roberts are among the four riders.
Team manager Calvin Williams, an engineering lecturer at Gower College, helped to design the bikes.
He said they were designed primarily for disabled people but could be used by able-bodied people too in a bid to create "a downhill sport that is accessible for everyone".
On the record attempt, Mr Williams said: "We would really like to at least do the equivalent of riding from the top of Everest down to sea level which is 8,000 plus metres."
All money raised from the challenge will be donated to Disability Sports Wales.


A hospital's A&E department where patients had to wait up to 11 hours in ambulances has been rated "inadequate" by inspectors.

Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals NHS Trust was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in April.
Although overall care at the trust was "good", Southport and Formby Hospital did not give sufficient priority to safety in urgent care, said inspectors.
The trust said more nurses have been hired while A&E standards had improved.
Inspectors visited Southport and Formby District General Hospital, Ormskirk District General Hospital and the North West Regional Spinal Injuries Centre.
They found "significant improvements" at the spinal unit and in maternity services -  both previously rated as "inadequate".
But inspectors found the A&E department and surgical services at Southport to be "inadequate" with patients waiting "too long to be seen and assessed".
Concerns were also raised about a shortage of doctors, consultants and nurses.
Overall, the trust's services were rated as "good for being caring" but the trust still "requires improvement" in being safe, effective, responsive and well led, their report said.
Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said delays affecting patients at A&E, as well as risks to safety in surgery, "must be addressed".
In a statement, the trust said it recognised that "a great deal more needs to be done" and A&E in particular needs to "rapidly improve".
A spokesman said the trust plans "tackle these issues" along with other ongoing quality concerns.
The inspectors' findings have been made public following disciplinary action taken against two senior members of staff at the trust.
Former chief executive Jonathan Parry was sacked for gross misconduct last month after an investigation into complaints from whistleblowers.
And former human resources director Sharon Partington would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had she not resigned, said a disciplinary panel.
The nature of the allegations has not been revealed, but the trust said no aspect related to patient care or safety.


The Republic of Ireland's postal service An Post has said people in Northern Ireland should not mail any items to the country due to industrial action by some of its staff.

It has advised all international postal services "not to send mail to Ireland".
Thirty-six staff who maintain sorting equipment at four An Post centres are taking strike action over pay cuts.
The staff are employed by contractor IO Systems, but are retained by An Post to work at its four sorting centres.
The company said it had no indication of how long the dispute would last or how long its services would be affected.
Royal Mail has said its customers should be aware that there may be delays in sending items to and receiving them from the Republic of Ireland.
An Post handles about 2.5 million items of mail each day.
It is understood that all automated sorting machinery at the Dublin centre broke down overnight, which had an impact on mail processing.
In Athlone, County Westmeath, machinery for sorting large objects also broke down.
The machines in the two remaining mail centres in Portlaoise in County Laois, and in Cork were functioning normally.
Communications Workers Union official Sean McDonagh said An Post managers refused to repair the machines as that was the work of the IO Systems employees.
He also said the object of the new rosters sought by IO Systems is a cost saving of 100,000 euro (Â£73,500) but the disruption to An Post services resulting from the dispute would cost much more.
An Post earlier urged both sides to avail of the State's dispute resolution institutions to resolve their differences.


Toulon and Australia winger Drew Mitchell will retire at the end of the season after a 13-year career.

Despite being blighted by injuries, the 33-year-old, who made his international debut in 2005, scored 34 tries in 71 Tests for the Wallabies.
His 14 tries across three World Cups is a tally bettered by only Jonah Lomu and Bryan Habana, who both scored 15.
Writing on Twitter, he said: "I've been very lucky to have had the experiences I've had in our great game."
Mitchell played more than 100 times in Super Rugby - for Queensland Reds, Western Force and New South Wales Waratahs - before moving to French side Toulon in 2013.
Having won back-to-back European Cups, he returned to the Australia team in July 2015 and helped them reach the World Cup final, where they lost to New Zealand.
He played only once more for his country, coming off the bench in a Rugby Championship match against South Africa last September.


Plymouth let the League Two title slip from their grasp as they were held to a draw at Grimsby.

Jimmy Spencer had given the Pilgrims hope when he equalised after Shaun Pearson's early goal, but a point was not enough to retain top spot due to Portsmouth winning.
Grimsby made a blistering start to the game as they opened the scoring inside the first minute, with Pearson smashing the ball into the roof of the net after Luke McCormick failed to deal with Danny Andrew's corner.
Graham Carey tested James McKeown from a narrow angle, before the goalkeeper again denied the midfielder from a free-kick on the edge of the box.
Plymouth had McCormick to thank as he produced a fine save to prevent Sam Jones from doubling the hosts' lead after his defence failed to handle a bouncing ball.
With the title on the line, the visitors came out for the second half firing, but Carey was once again denied by McKeown as the Grimsby keeper tipped away the midfielder's strike.
Argyle levelled in the 61st minute when Spencer was put through on goal just seconds after coming off the bench, and he calmly slotted the ball home to give his side hope of snatching the title back.
They were frustrated by an inspired McKeown in their search for a winner though as Portsmouth were crowned champions.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Grimsby Town 1, Plymouth Argyle 1.
Second Half ends, Grimsby Town 1, Plymouth Argyle 1.
Sonny Bradley (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Chris Clements (Grimsby Town).
Attempt saved. Ryan Taylor (Plymouth Argyle) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Callum Dyson (Grimsby Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Yann Songo'o (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Callum Dyson (Grimsby Town).
Substitution, Grimsby Town. Brandon Comley replaces Craig Disley.
Foul by Yann Songo'o (Plymouth Argyle).
Danny Collins (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Graham Carey (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Craig Disley (Grimsby Town).
Attempt blocked. Connor Smith (Plymouth Argyle) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Antoni Sarcevic (Plymouth Argyle).
Sean McAllister (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Antoni Sarcevic (Plymouth Argyle) header from the right side of the six yard box misses to the left.
Corner,  Plymouth Argyle. Conceded by Danny Andrew.
Substitution, Plymouth Argyle. Connor Smith replaces David Fox.
Shaun Pearson (Grimsby Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Sonny Bradley (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Shaun Pearson (Grimsby Town).
Corner,  Plymouth Argyle. Conceded by Danny Collins.
Callum Dyson (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Gary Miller (Plymouth Argyle).
David Fox (Plymouth Argyle) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Callum Dyson (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by David Fox (Plymouth Argyle).
Sam Jones (Grimsby Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Gary Sawyer (Plymouth Argyle).
Sam Jones (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Sam Jones (Grimsby Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner,  Plymouth Argyle. Conceded by James McKeown.
Attempt saved. Graham Carey (Plymouth Argyle) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Antoni Sarcevic (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Danny Collins (Grimsby Town).
Attempt missed. Graham Carey (Plymouth Argyle) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
Antoni Sarcevic (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Sean McAllister (Grimsby Town).
Substitution, Grimsby Town. Jamey Osborne replaces Tom Bolarinwa.


The Taliban have confirmed that their leader Mullah Omar is dead, and are thought to have appointed Mullah Akhtar Mansour as the movement's official head.

But there has been an eerie silence in Pakistani quarters in the 24 hours since the Afghan government announced that Mullah Omar died in a Pakistani hospital in April 2013.
This was despite reports that the top leadership council of the Taliban had been meeting in the Pakistani city of Quetta to choose the successor.
Pakistan's state television has ignored the news for the most part since it first broke.
The private media mostly followed the BBC line, and held debates in which the usual ex-military analysts, while refraining from confirming or denying the death, focused on the timing of the leak, saying it was meant to defame Pakistan and undermine Taliban-Kabul talks, which Pakistan had been set to host.
Some even suggested the Indians might have forced the hand of the Afghan officials who leaked it to the BBC.
A day after Kabul's announcement, a Pakistani foreign office spokesman said he wouldn't like to comment on "rumours" of Mullah Omar's death.
Few are impressed at Pakistan's stance.
Osama Bin Laden was found and killed in Pakistan even though for years Pakistan denied he was present on its soil.
Now Afghan intelligence officials have gone ahead with the claim that Mullah Omar died in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi.
While there may never be official Pakistani confirmation of this, few doubt claims that he lived most of his post-9/11 life in southern Pakistan.
The reason lies in the origin of the Taliban movement, and its symbiotic relationship with Pakistan.
The movement was originally confined to some parts of Kandahar province, and was mainly a localised reaction to extortion and moral crimes by local warlords.
But it gained strength in the later part of 1994 when Pakistanis dressed as madrassah students descended on the border town of Spin Boldak, busted a huge arms cache of a former mujahideen group, and then rolled up the Kandahar highway to free a Pakistani trade convoy to central Asia which had been held hostage by local warlords.
Subsequent years saw former mujahideen fighters joining the Taliban movement in their hundreds in a blitzkrieg in which the southern cities fell to the Taliban one after the other.
Security analysts in Pakistan and the US have long held that Pakistan provided the Taliban with logistics and tactical leadership to capture such important regional centres as Herat in the west, Jalalabad in the east and finally Kabul in 1996.
Post-9/11, when the US-led coalition dislodged the Taliban regime, Pakistan allowed the fleeing militants to carve a sanctuary on its soil in the border town of Wana in South Waziristan tribal district.
This sanctuary later expanded to an entire north-western belt along the Afghan border, called the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
This played a major role in the Taliban's ability to survive, and finally take the battle to the US-led coalition troops inside Afghanistan.
All this while, and despite Pakistan's denials, it was common knowledge the entire Taliban leadership set up bases in Quetta and Peshawar, and later in Karachi, from where they guided operations inside Afghanistan.
After the end of Nato's mission in Afghanistan last year, Pakistan moved to clear these sanctuaries of unwanted groups that the Taliban-al-Qaeda militant network had spawned over a decade.
In recent months, it has also reverted to securing peace in Afghanistan, without which it cannot successfully implement a major economic corridor the Chinese are building across the length of the country to connect China with the Arabian Sea.
But Pakistan's need to keep Indian influence out of Afghanistan continues to cause suspicions among some sections of Afghan ruling circles, who believe Pakistan will manipulate peace talks to achieve its own objectives at the cost of Afghan interests.
Many believe the Pakistanis would have kept Mullah Omar's death a secret in order to prevent rifts within Taliban.
Meanwhile, Pakistani officials believe that the Afghan intelligence service, the NDS, has been leaking news of the Taliban's engagement with Kabul to embarrass the Taliban leadership and to encourage defections from their ranks.
They feel by confirming the news of Mullah Omar's death on Wednesday, the NDS pushed President Ashraf Ghani, who was opposed to making the news public, into a corner.
Whether this move by the NDS will achieve peace in Afghanistan is a question only time will answer, but many believe that the Taliban movement will no longer be the monolithic force it remained until about three years ago.
And the NDS will also now be able to sell their long-held view to domestic and international audiences that the Taliban leadership is but a lackey of Pakistan.


Theresa May has launched an attack on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for sending his son to a grammar school.

At Prime Minister's Questions she said: "Typical Labour, take the advantage and pull up the ladder behind you."
Mr Corbyn had accused the government of finding money for Mrs May's grammar school "vanity project" while cutting funding for other schools.
The Labour leader's son Ben went to a North London grammar school although Mr Corbyn was reported to be against it.
The issue is said to have led to the break-up of Mr Corbyn's second marriage in the late 1990s, with his then wife Claudia insisting that the child should not attend a local Islington comprehensive school.
During Wednesday's clashes in the Commons Mr Corbyn accused Mrs May of "betraying a generation of young people by cutting the funding for every child" with a new funding formula for schools in England.
"Children will have fewer teachers, larger classes, fewer subjects to choose from and all the Prime Minister can do is focus on her grammar school vanity project that can only ever benefit a few children."
He said the government found no extra money in the Budget for schools but offered Â£320m for Mrs May's grammar school project.
The prime minister said the funding formula would be fair to all but stressed that it was still at the consultation stage and had not been finalised.
She then rounded on Mr Corbyn and his front bench team, listing those who attended a private school or a grammar school.
"He sent his own child to a grammar school, he himself went to a grammar school," she added, pointing at Mr Corbyn and accusing him of hypocrisy.
Theresa May's government has form on changing its mind when it's clear a policy is heading into a political quagmire. After all, it was only seven days ago the chancellor junked the planned tax rises for two million or so self-employed people.
Is there another U-turn in the offing? Parents and schools in different parts of the country are cross. Labour, some Tory backbenchers and local councillors around England are riled. And accusations are building again that the Tories would be breaking another manifesto commitment - their 2015 promise to protect the amount of cash that is spent on each pupil at school.
There is no question that school budgets are already under a lot of pressure, with many schools having to cut back because money is already short.
One of the tough things for the government is that they are hoping to push through a reform where there will be plenty of financial losers at a time when cash is already short, and falling in real terms. But are ministers ready to give up this time? No, or perhaps, not yet
Read why - in Laura's full blog
Mr Corbyn insisted he wanted a "decent, fair opportunity" for every child in every school.
Mrs May told him: "He says he wants opportunities for all children, he says he wants good school places for all children - then he should jolly well support the policies we're putting forward."
The prime minister went to a grammar school in Oxford, Wheatley Park, which became a comprehensive while she was there.
The government is planning to overturn a long-running ban on opening new grammar schools, which select pupils by ability, but says it has no plans to bring back the 11-plus exam.
Education Secretary Justine Greening is consulting on a new formula for schools in England, to address what it calls the "unfair, opaque and outdated" distribution of money.
It says more than half of schools will receive a cash boost and protections will be put in place to ensure no school loses more than 6% of their budget in real terms.
But it has sparked criticism from head teachers and governors, who have said it does not take account of rising costs and will leave some schools desperately short of cash.


Four robbers armed with metal bars and baseball bats stole designer watches worth up to £750,000 in a raid on a Greater Manchester jewellery shop.

The men wore balaclavas and used a battering ram to enter David M Robinson Ltd in Railway Street, Altrincham, at about 12.20 BST on Wednesday.
A security guard was ordered to lie on the floor while the robbers smashed cabinets and placed the watches in a bag, police said.
They then escaped in a Land Rover.
The vehicle was later found abandoned on Ashworth Close in nearby Bowdon.
The robbers remain at large.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said the precise value of the goods was still being quantified but gave an estimate of between £250,000 and £750,000.
Det Insp Carl Gilbert said the robbery was "a planned and calculated heist, resulting in a hugely valuable haul being stolen".
He added: "They were heavily armed, knew exactly what they were doing, and were in and out in a matter of minutes.
"We are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the heist itself, or the offenders in the act of escaping, to contact us."


Chelsea forward Eden Hazard will miss the start of the Premier League season after having surgery on a broken ankle.

The 26-year-old, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, fractured his right ankle while on international duty with Belgium on Sunday.
Chelsea said the operation on Monday was "successful", but that Hazard will not return to training for approximately three months.
The new Premier League season is due to begin on 12 August.
Hazard will also miss pre-season games against Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in Singapore from 22-29 July, and the Community Shield against Arsenal on 6 August.
Hazard was instrumental as Chelsea won the Premier League last season, scoring 16 goals in 36 games.


Venturing into new and unconventional territories, such as Azerbaijan, is not a new phenomenon - Formula 1 has held grands prix at a horse racing track and a Las Vegas car park before now.

Few of them have lasted, so will F1 still be going to Baku in 10 years' time? Who knows, but here's a few races that have been and gone...
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.


About 10 million of us have been tuning in to BBC One's Planet Earth II every Sunday for the past six weeks.

The programme, coming a decade after the original Planet Earth was broadcast, has been, by all accounts, a truly extraordinary series.
Ratings show the series has been watched by all age groups, with surprisingly large numbers of young people tuning in to watch the programme live every week.
The series has become Internet Movie Database's highest-rated television programme of all time.
Here are just a few of the things we've learned from Planet Earth II.
1. Flamingos don't get sunburned
In the Mountains episode, we saw flamingos become trapped in ice overnight, only to be freed when the sun finally came up. Later, we saw them gather together in a group to go on parade in a peculiar courtship ritual - providing BBC One with some excellent new idents in the process.
2. Sloths like to swim (especially if there is a pretty sloth waiting at the other side of the lake)
Sadly the female sloth being pursued in the Islands episode already had a baby and therefore wouldn't be mating again for another six months - but full marks for effort to this enthusiastic chap.
3. Sir David Attenborough can present from a hot air balloon at the age of 90
The prospect of going to a freezing cold climate, climbing into a hot air balloon and trying not to shiver too much as a camera is pointed at you would be daunting for most of us. But not, apparently, for Sir David, who is still able to do this with ease despite being in his 10th decade.
4. Watching iguanas being pursued by snakes is more exciting than any James Bond car chase we've ever seen
Watching animals chase other animals in this series can be a confusing experience - do you root for the animal being pursued, because you don't want them to die, or the predator giving chase, because you don't want them to starve? Either way - there's no denying such encounters are extremely exhilarating (and traumatising).
5. Men are more attractive when they tidy up a bit
The Wilson's bird-of-paradise in the Jungles episode set an example to us all. The brightly-coloured bird tidied up all the leaves from one patch of the forest floor so his bright feathers would stand out more and attract a mate. Far be it from us to suggest that humans could learn from this, of course.
6. Baloo and The Jungle Book were fairly accurate depictions of bear scratching behaviour
You're a bear. You've got an itchy back. What do you do? Make extremely creative use of the trees around you, of course - proving in the process that The Jungle Book was more than just a children's film, it was a documentary.
7. A giraffe can win in a battle with a lion
Because prey is so thin on the ground, desert lions hunt whichever animals they come across. As giraffes are relatively common here they are an important prey species. But one particular giraffe in the Deserts episode gave a lioness a run for her money, not quite outrunning her but managing to kick her away when she attacked.
8. Bears like to vandalise video equipment
The production crew behind Planet Earth II learned one expensive lesson in the Grasslands episode. You can take recording equipment to the other side of the world. You can cover it in a grass camouflage. But the bottom line? Bears still like to smash up video cameras.
9. Don't leave any food unattended in Jaipur, India
As seen in the concluding Cities episode, one particular breed of monkey, the rhesus macaque, has become adept at navigating the people, traffic and market stalls of Jaipur in India. Their brazen "daylight robbery", as Sir David puts it, of any food or drink lying around would put Aladdin's sidekick Abu to shame.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Scotland's Conservative Party leader Ruth Davidson has told Theresa May she should have "positive engagement" with the SNP-run Scottish government.

The No 10 meeting took place ahead of a speech by the MSP in which she will say holding a second Scottish independence referendum would be "irresponsible".
Ms Davidson said she chatted with Mrs May, who will become PM on Wednesday, about our "future work together".
Scotland's first minister has also spoken about Mrs May's new role.
Nicola Sturgeon said she was "determined to work constructively wherever possible on issues of common interest and concern".
She added: "Top of those is the issue of our continued place in the European Union, and I expect early engagement with the incoming prime minister on that subject as we look to maintain Scotland's EU status, in line with the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland."
Ms Davidson was in London where she met not only Mrs May but outgoing PM and Conservative Party leader David Cameron.
He tendered his resignation after the UK voted for Brexit by 52% to 48%.
In Scotland people voted by 62% to 38% for Britain to retain membership.
Following the Downing Street meeting, Ms Davidson told the BBC's Norman Smith: "I met with both the PM and with Theresa May afterwards to thank the PM for his work in government and also to talk to Theresa about our future work together and the way in which she, and her new government, can engage with Scotland.
"I suggested very strongly and she agreed to make sure there is constructive and positive engagement with the Scottish government it would be a real priority there. I think it is important that any PM engages in a positive manner with devolved legislations."
Ms Davidson added that she discussed with Mrs May the importance of the single market to Scottish business, along with the need to "champion defence jobs north of the border".
Later Ms Davidson will address journalists at Westminster in which she will say that a second independence referendum is "not in the best interests of Scotland".
Ms Sturgeon has already said the European referendum result and Scotland's vote to stay in make another ballot on Scotland leaving the UK "highly likely".
Ms Davidson will say: "The SNP is, as usual, trying to seize on a moment of doubt and uncertainty to declare that the shining star of independence is the answer.
"And it's trying to claim that, as a result of Brexit, there is now a massive groundswell for a second independence referendum.
"This is simply not true. Even after the EU vote, only four in 10 people in Scotland say there should be an independence referendum."
The Tory MSP will claim that "bluster" from senior SNP MPs that a second referendum will now happen is "utterly unjustified and it is completely irresponsible".
However, Ms Sturgeon believed that "words of contrition and apology" from Ms Davidson would be "more appropriate".
She added: "It is the selfish and reckless irresponsibility of the Tories which has brought Scotland to the brink of being taken out of EU against our will, with all the damage and upheaval which that would entail for many years to come for our economy, society, rights and place in the world."
Angela Eagle, who is challenging Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership of the UK Labour Party, told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that Scottish independence was not the answer.
She said: "I think that we need to ensure that we can move forward as a country. I understand the problems that the EU referendum vote caused both in Scotland and Northern Ireland but I believe that we are better if we stick together.
"The people have voted. We've now got to see what we can do to create the best possible circumstances when we leave the EU that do the least damage. I fought very hard on the Remain side of the argument, but unfortunately that has been lost and we have to recognise that democratic reality."


At least 33 people are missing in China's eastern Zhejiang province after heavy rains triggered two landslides, state media said.

Twenty seven of those are from Sucun village in Suichang county where homes were swept away.
A video on state media Xinhua showed a mass of debris sliding down the mountain.
The heavy rains came with Typhoon Megi, which hit China on Wednesday.
Local media also reported six people missing in Baofeng village in Wencheng county, where another landslide hit.
Local authorities say they have mobilised heavy equipment and over a thousand people to help with search and rescue efforts.
Residents have also been relocated to safer areas.
Thirteen people in the village have since been rescued, Xinhua said.
Typhoon Megi killed four people and injured 625 when it hit Taiwan at peak intensity earlier this week, before reaching mainland China.
At least one person has been confirmed killed by the storm in Fujian, with millions of homes left without power following severe flooding.
State media said some areas of Fujian saw more than 300mm of rain in two days. Similar levels were reported in Taiwan.


A delegation of Scottish companies is heading to Myanmar this week in an effort to tap into opportunities in the country's oil and gas sector.

The visit comes after Myanmar opened up to international trade and investment following decades of military rule.
The delegation includes temporary power company Aggreko and oil and gas firms Wood Group, Asco and Bibby Offshore.
Meanwhile, Scottish Secretary David Mundell is in Texas to try to boost support for the North Sea oil sector.
The UK government minister said he was flying to the US to build links with the country's oil industry.
The Myanmar delegation is being led by Scottish Enterprise chief executive Lena Wilson.
Ms Wilson also chairs Scotland's Energy Jobs Taskforce, set up last year by the Scottish government to help tackle the challenges facing the sector following the sustained fall in oil prices.
The delegation will meet Myanmar's new minister for energy and electricity, Pe Zin Tun, as well as local and international oil and gas companies already active in the country to "explore key opportunities in the local supply chain".
Scottish Enterprise said Myanmar had vast underdeveloped oil and gas reserves in deep waters similar to that of the North Sea.
According to the economic development agency, the Myanmar government is also keen to develop its own oil and gas industry and wants to capitalise on foreign investment and technology to build local capacity and expertise.
Ms Wilson said: "Scotland and Myanmar have strong historic connections going right back to the 19th century when Scottish owned Burmah Oil Company became the first company to drill for oil in the country in 1886.
"Myanmar now stands at exciting phase of its own oil and gas development - much like Aberdeen did in the 1970s - with huge natural resources to capitalise on.
"But to grow its local industry, it will need access to technology, skills and expertise across the whole supply chain from seismic surveying and engineering design right through to project management, health and safety and training and education.
"These are all core strengths of Scotland's oil and gas industry built up through 50 years of experience of working in the North Sea.
"We have a real opportunity now to show how Scotland can help support Myanmar to build the capacity it needs while at the same time providing much needed international opportunities for our own industry."
The trade mission follows a visit by a Myanmar delegation to Offshore Europe in Aberdeen last year, which visited a number of Scottish companies including Wood Group in Aberdeen and ASCO's supply base in Peterhead.
Following the visit to Myanmar, Ms Wilson will then travel to Vietnam along with some of the Scottish companies to identify potential opportunities in what is seen as a more established oil and gas market which is still relatively untapped by Scottish companies.
During his trip to the US, Mr Mundell will meet senior figures in the oil centres of Houston and Dallas to encourage ongoing investment into the North Sea.
The talks will involve firms such as Maersk, BP and the Weir Group, he will also seek to find new ways in which Scottish companies could export their expertise in the industry.
Mr Mundell said: "The UK government is determined to do everything it can to support the industry and the many jobs which depend on it.
"My visit to the United States is part of that strategy."
"The north east of Scotland also has a huge amount of expertise which can be exported around the world and the US should be a part of its market."
He added: "There are wider lessons for the north east of Scotland to learn from the American oil and gas industry, and from cities like Dallas and Houston.
"They have successfully diversified their economies, and I will be hearing from officials in those cities about the lessons they have learned and we could apply them in Scotland."


The owners of Scotland's largest power plant say its future is uncertain because of the Â£40m annual fee it has to pay to be connected to the National Grid.

Scottish Power believes its coal-fired station, Longannet in Fife, is at a serious disadvantage to English-based suppliers which can more easily tap into the network.
Here we look at what the National Grid is, where it is based and why it is harder for Scotland to connect to it.
The National Grid is Britain's transmission system for electricity. In order to get from power stations to homes and businesses around the country, energy passes through the grid's pylons and cables.
It has been operating since 1933, when it first started carrying electricity across the countries and into homes. By 1946, 80% of households were connected to the grid by pre-wired electricity supplies in houses. In the 1950s, construction began on a new "super grid", which included new 42-metre pylons and more than 4,500 new transmission lines.
Today, National Grid plc is the company appointed by Ofgem to manage Britain's grid and the entirely separate network of gas pipelines.
It owns and maintains the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales. Scotland has its own electricity networks, run by SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy) and SP Energy Networks.
The grid is UK-wide, so that if a local power station breaks down, another can supply power to its area.
There are two control centres - one for the northern half of Britain, and the other for the southern half. Their exact locations are a secret.
It is also linked by interconnectors to France, the Netherlands and Northern Ireland, which means that countries that have a surplus of electricity can send it to ones that are lacking.
Generators are the device at the centre of most power stations that convert mechanical power into electrical power.
In order to be connected to the National Grid, generators have to pay a transmission charge - but the charge varies depending on location.
Those generators that are far from the main centre of demand will be charged more more because it costs more to transport the energy further - maintaining long power lines requires more maintenance.
The further the plant is from London and the South East - the most densely populated areas - the higher the charges.
The aim of the higher fees is to encourage power companies to invest in generation capacity where it's most needed.
But it is not always easy to build plants in the areas with lowest transmission charges, as Paul Younger, professor of Energy Engineering at the University of Glasgow, explains.
He told the BBC: "Ironically, getting planning permission for power generation close to densely-populated areas is very difficult, so National Grid is trying to force things one way, where planning policies are trying to force them the other."
Electricity is sent through the National Grid cables at very high voltages - between 132,000 and 400,000. It benefits National Grid to not have to keep investing in reinforcing the high-voltage grid necessary to transport the power long distances. That's why Southern English generators pay reduced charges - and sometimes they even receive payments.
This is unlike most of Europe, where generators pay a flat fee to connect to the rest of the grid.
Longannet, a Fife power station that burns coal to produce electricity for the grid, pays about Â£40m a year just to be connected to the National Grid purely because of its location. It is relatively far from the centres of highest demand.
Suppliers - energy companies such as Scottish Power - also pay charges to take power from the network and supply it to their customers. According to Ofgem, this accounts for about 4% of a household energy bill.
Its owners Scottish Power says it is very important. They insist that Fife's Longannet power station, the second largest in the UK, might have to close because of the Â£40m annual fee it pays to connect to the National Grid.
Scottish Power, which supplies electricity and gas to UK homes and businesses, said this puts it at a disadvantage when competing with UK plants.
This year, the UK government is running the first "capacity market auction", where suppliers bid to guarantee electricity generation for the winter of 2018/19.
But Scottish Power has decided not to enter the Longannet plant, saying that financial changes need to be made or the plant will have to close.
In July, Ofgem said it was going to change the way it calculated what generators pay to use the electricity transmission network. It said: "Analysis indicates the changes will lead to a more efficient system which will benefit customers."
The changes are not due to come into effect until 1 April 2016 - but Ofgem say that their updated methodology will reduce the north and south divide in transmission charges.
In the short term, Scotland's energy minister Fergus Ewing wants more urgent action. He claims Longannet is being priced out of the market.
Longannet powers about two million homes - so if it closes, Scotland's power supply will be affected.
Prof Younger said: "At a stroke it would remove the supply of about 25% of all electricity consumed in Scotland, which would make it very difficult to keep the lights on when the wind isn't blowing, without increasing reliance on power imports from England - for which there is not sufficient inter-connector capacity on the National Grid anyway."


Police are investigating a suspicious death after discovering a body in a Glasgow flat.

Officers found the body inside a property in Kenmure Street in Pollokshields at about 09:50 on Thursday.
Police have named the person who lived at the flat as Gordon Bolam.
Detectives from Police Scotland's major investigation team said they were trying to identify the body and to find out when the person died.
Officers are conducting door-to-door inquiries and collecting CCTV footage from the area.
Det Supt Duncan Sloan said: "It is a priority for the investigation team to confirm the identity of the deceased and we are trying to establish the last known movements of the householder Gordon Bolam.
"It is important any sightings of Mr Bolam are reported to police to confirm his wellbeing. The time of the death  is unascertained at present however we believe that the death may have occurred within the last two to three weeks.
"Any information on Mr Bolam's last known movements is essential to this inquiry, and I would ask anyone who knew Mr Bolam, or who remembers seeing him in the last few weeks to come forward to police as a matter of urgency, as they may have details that will assist this investigation."


The traditional exchange of gifts between the US and UK leaders has not always run smoothly - with leather jackets and trench coats among the notable rejections.

But some are the gifts that keep giving, with Queen Victoria's 1880 present - the Oval Office's Resolute desk - used by President Donald Trump on his first day in the White House.
Theresa May presented the US president with a quaich, a traditional Scottish cup of friendship, while First Lady Melania Trump received a hamper of produce from the prime minister's country residence, Chequers.
In return, the UK prime minister was given a framed picture of Abraham Lincoln swearing the Oath of Office on the same copy of the Bible used by Mr Trump at his inauguration.
Mrs Trump, meanwhile, gave a pair of silver cufflinks by New York designer David Yurman to Mrs May's husband, Philip.
But how do these gifts compare to those exchanged by leaders past?
Most presents held by UK government departments include works of art, watches, wine and jewellery.
But under the ministerial code of conduct, if government ministers want to keep a gift personally they are obliged to declare presents worth more than £140.
So while smaller gifts will remain unknown, news of some of the bigger - and stranger gifts - have been disclosed to the public.
On his first trip to Washington as prime minister in 2010, David Cameron's official gift to President Barack Obama included a painting by a graffiti artist.
The work, Twenty First Century City, by Ben Eine, was said to be one of Mr Cameron's wife Samantha's favourite artists.
Mr Obama continued the art theme by presenting the Camerons with a signed lithograph by pop artist Ed Ruscha.
The piece, Column with Speed Lines, was chosen for its red, white and blue colours matching the British and American flags.
Writing on his website, Ben Eine - who has worked with Banksy - said it had been a "weird day" because "David Cameron has given one of my paintings to President Obama in an art swap".
The following year, Obama chose to give the Camerons a customised "one-of-a-kind" barbecue as a reminder of their time flipping burgers together in the 10 Downing Street garden during the Obamas' London visit in May 2011.
In return, the Camerons gave the president and his family a customised Dunlop table tennis table.
It's a nod to the match the two men played against school children in south London during the same 2011 trip.
Mrs Cameron also gave First Lady Michelle Obama a printed blue scarf by Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders, inspired by Victorian wallpaper.
In 2009, Mr Obama was criticised for lack of thought when he presented previous Prime Minister Gordon Brown with a set of 25 DVDs of classic US films, when Mr Brown visited Washington.
Mr Brown gave the US president a pen and holder carved from an anti-slavery ship and biographies of Winston Churchill, worth $16,510.
Perhaps Mr Obama was trying to play it safe after Mr Bush's gift the previous year, of a fur-trimmed leather bomber jacket, had been rejected by Mr Brown.
The jacket was emblazoned with the presidential logo and featured Mr Brown's name.
All gifts over a certain value have to be declared by government ministers - but Mr Brown chose not to pay for the jacket, according to reports at the time.
In 2003, a list of presents given to President George W Bush since he had taken office in 2001 included a £216 sponge bag from Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The toilet bag was believed to have been a light-hearted reference to the president's comment on first meeting Mr Blair that they had at least one thing in common - the same toothpaste.
It had "GWB" embossed in gold on the top.
Mr Blair's gift was notably cheaper than some, with Russia's Vladimir Putin presenting a £12,000 pen and Afghan President Hamid Karzai gifting a £3,000 wool and silk rug. But it was not the cheapest on the list - Morocco gave Mr Bush a £2 jar of fish bait.
In the 1960s, Prime Minister Harold Wilson reportedly gave President Lyndon Johnson a Burberry coat.
Lloyd Hand, who was the president's chief of protocol and personal ambassador at the time, told US National Public Radio: "President Johnson opened the box and put the coat on, and the sleeves came about halfway on his arms.
"He said 'Lloyd, see if you can catch the prime minister and tell him this is the wrong size.'
Mr Hand said he stuffed the coat back in the box and raced down the steps, out of the diplomatic entrance and to the driveway where Mr Wilson was leaving.
As the prime minister's car rolled down the driveway, Mr Hand rapped on the window.
"I'm sure he thought: 'What in the world is going on?', and I told him the story and he laughed and said, 'Of course I'll get it and I'll get the right size and get it back to him,'" he said.
Considered one of the White House's "treasures" today, the president's desk in the Oval Office was a present from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B Hayes in 1880.
Known as the "Resolute desk" it was made from the oak timbers of the British ship HMS Resolute and has been used by every president since Mr Hayes, apart from Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford, according to the White House Historical Association.
It was first used in the Oval Office in 1961 at the request of President John F Kennedy.
Some of the more unusual gifts showered on our UK leaders in recent years may not have come from the US, but have included Mr Blair's Segway scooter - presented by the King of Jordan, and a bronze fox from the government of Belgium.
Other presents received by Mr Blair included an electric car from the president of Ferrari and three guitars - one of them from rock star Bryan Adams.
But perhaps the stand-out gift of note is Sir John Major's "gift horse".
In 1993, then-Prime Minister Sir John was presented with a framed photograph of a horse called Maksat, a pure-bred Akhal-Teke stallion, by the President of Turkmenistan.
The only snag was that the animal was in Turkmenistan and the UK was expected to collect it.
Sir John decided he wouldn't have been able to keep the animal, so the Household Cavalry decided to take it, leading to one of the strangest assignments ever taken on by a British diplomat.


Algeria's former counter-terrorism chief has been sentenced to five years in prison for destroying documents and disobeying military orders, the APS state news agency reports.

Abdelkader Ait-Ouarabi, known as Gen Hassan, was convicted at a closed-door military tribunal on Thursday.
His lawyers described him as the victim of a ferocious clan war at the top of Algerian politics.
Gen Hassan played a leading role for two decades in Algeria's civil war.
Following the military's annulment of an election win by Islamists in 1992, Algeria's Intelligence and Security Directorate (DRS) was heavily involved in the conflict in which it is estimated that more than 150,000 people died.
Gen Hassan's imprisonment follows the sacking in September of Mohamed Mediene, who had led the DRS for 25 years.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has led a gradual purge in the country's security elite over the past two years, correspondents say.


A company is to take over a disused pharmaceutical plant in Newcastle, creating up to 100 jobs.

French-based Sanofi closed its drug manufacturing site in Fawdon in 2015 with the loss of 450 jobs.
Now, Accord Healthcare is to use the plant for its pharmaceutical production, with the hope many of the jobs will be filled by ex-Sanofi staff.
A spokesman said the firm was confident the investment would have an "extremely positive" impact on the area.
The leader of Newcastle City Council, Councillor Nick Forbes, said: "This announcement is fantastic news for Newcastle and the North East and helps strengthen our reputation as a home for the science and healthcare sector.
"Accord is a global player in the pharmaceutical industry and the highly skilled jobs and long-term investment bring a welcome boost the local economy."
Accord Healthcare develops, manufactures and distributes more than 130 pharmaceutical products to about 60 countries worldwide.


Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) has said it will begin talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) on forming a coalition.

Mrs Merkel's party won last Sunday's poll but it needs to form an alliance with either the SPD or the Greens to ensure a majority in parliament.
SPD chairman Sigmar Gabriel said party members backed the move at a meeting.
The CDU took about 41.5% of the vote. The SPD won 26%, the Greens 8.4%, and the former communist Left Party 8.6%.
Meanwhile, the German news agency DPA says  SPD leader Peer Steinbrueck wants to withdraw from frontline politics.
Mr Steinbrueck, 66, led the Social  Democrats' election campaign but he will no longer hold a leadership role in the German opposition party, a party source told DPA,
"My political life will come to an orderly end," he is reported to have said at a closed-door meeting of around 200 SPD members in Berlin.
Mr Steinbrueck used to be state premier in North Rhine-Westphalia.
A poll carried out for German ARD television earlier this week suggested that most voters wanted Mrs Merkel's Christian Democratic Union bloc to enter into a grand coalition with the Social Democrats.
Mrs Merkel has not yet indicated which parties she might reach out to in order to build a coalition building.
CDU parliamentary group leader Volker Kauder said that the party "has a clear mandate from voters to form a government". The outcome showed that "voters want Angela Merkel to remain chancellor" for a third term, he said.


Spain's Rafael Nadal and good friend Marc Lopez won gold in the Olympic men's doubles in Rio.

Media playback is not supported on this device
They beat Romania's Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau 6-2 3-6 6-4.
Nadal is also through to the semi-finals of the men's singles after beating Thomasz Bellucci of Brazil in three sets and will face Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.
Jack Sock and Steve Johnson of USA won bronze with a 6-2 6-4 win over Daniel Nestor and Vasek Popisil of Canada.
Nadal said his partner was a close friend even though they had little experience of playing together.
"It is a privilege to be able to share this moment with one of my best friends," said the 14-time Grand Slam winner.
Nadal, who won men's singles gold in Beijing in 2008, could face Britain's Andy Murray in the singles final.
The Scot faces Japan's Kei Nishikori in Saturday's other semi-final.


Two Manchester United fans have been arrested after a train passenger was racially abused, police have said.

The men, who had gone to Belgium for United's Champions League match on Wednesday, were on Thursday's 20:40 BST service from London to Manchester.
British Transport Police (BTP) said a 51-year-old man was arrested after he was reported by a witness as making racist comments to a fellow passenger.
Another 51-year-old man was later detained for kicking the witness.
He was arrested at Manchester Piccadilly station on suspicion of common assault.
The first man was held at Crewe station on suspicion of committing a racially aggravated public offence. He has been bailed until 17 September.
Manchester United beat Club Brugge 4-0 to seal their place in the group phase of the Champions League.