A woman believed to be in her 80s has died after apparently being shot by a fellow resident at a care home in Essex, police have said.

Police have begun a murder inquiry and a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Police said the victim and the alleged assailant were residents in the home.
Officers were called to De La Mer House care home in Naze Park Road, Walton-on-the-Naze, at about 09:00 GMT after reports a woman was seriously injured.
DCI Simon Werrett said: "At this stage we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation and our inquiries are ongoing."
The premises are being guarded while forensic searches are conducted.
Nearby resident and retired financial adviser John Knights said security was tight at the care home.
He said: "My mother had to go into  De La Mer about two years ago, and I can tell you that it was quite tricky to get in and out of there.
"You couldn't just go up to the building and get in. You needed a security code to get in. It had electronic key pads on the door, so to get inside you needed to know those."
A spokeswoman for the care home said there would be no comment until staff had spoken to police.
Douglas Carswell, the UKIP MP for the area, said he was "very shocked".
He said: "If you have got a loved one in a care home, you expect them to be safe. Walton-on-the-Naze is supposed to be one of the most peaceful and tranquil places there is. Of all the places you expect this to happen, this is the last."


Germany plans to boost defence spending by nearly â‚¬2bn (Â£1.7bn; $2.1bn) this year - but it will remain far short of the Nato target.

Nato estimates for 2016 show that only five alliance members - the US, UK, Greece, Poland and Estonia - will spend a minimum of 2% of national output (GDP) on defence, which is the target.
Germany's defence spending of â‚¬37bn in 2017 will be 1.2% of GDP.
US President-elect Donald Trump says Nato allies are over-reliant on the US.
He has questioned whether the US should defend any alliance partner, under Article 5, if so many of the 28 Nato members are not paying their way. He also criticised Nato as "obsolete".
Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has long urged alliance members to meet the 2% target.
Announcing the 2017 spending target, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said "we're moving in the right direction, but we can't do it in one year". Defence spending also rose in 2016.
Germany has for years struggled to modernise its military as it becomes more involved in Nato operations. It scrapped conscription to become a professional army in 2011 but last year said it may introduce a form of national service for civil defence.
Other Nato members have also started to increase defence spending. The alliance faces a range of security challenges, including the Islamist insurgencies in the Middle East and Africa and Russia's resurgent armed forces, accused of undermining Ukraine.
The significant areas of German defence spending in 2016 included: the Puma Infantry Combat Vehicle, new ammunition and communications equipment. There were delays to some major projects: the A400M transport plane, the Tiger attack helicopter and the NH90 transport helicopter, German n-tv news reports.


A naming ceremony for a new £2m lifeboat and £1.2m launch and recovery system has taken place on Merseyside.

The Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood lifeboat and Roland Hough system were dedicated in a short service at Hoylake.
The boat was named at the request of a woman who bequeathed the RNLI the funds for it, while the system's title honours a local lifeboat supporter.
Lifeboat operations manager John Curry said the RNLI was "so grateful for these legacies".
Devon-born Paulette Micklewood left money for the lifeboat in her will when she died in 2006 with the proviso that it was named after her grandfather.
A representative for her said she would have been "delighted" with the new 18-tonne lifeboat.
Mr Hough also bequeathed funds to the RNLI to help fund equipment.
His money was put towards the cost of the system, which allows the boat to moved over the sandbanks in front of the Hoylake station and allows launches and recoveries to happen more quickly.
The ceremony was led by Hoylake lifeboat chaplain the Reverend Paul Rossiter.


American sprinter Justin Gatlin is unfairly carrying the burden of all drugs cheats, according to his agent.

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The 33-year-old, who has twice been banned for doping offences, finished behind Usain Bolt in the 100m at the World Championships in Beijing, China.
He was one of four men in the 100m final to have tested positive for banned substances during their careers.
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"He shouldn't be the guy who takes all the brunt of all the criticism and condemnation," said Renaldo Nehemiah.
"He was the only one who threatened the throne of Usain Bolt and that couldn't happen in many people's minds."
The race between Bolt and Gatlin on Sunday had been billed as a battle for the soul of athletics in some quarters, particularly by those critical of allowing Gatlin to compete.
Gatlin has said he will not speak to British media outlets because of what he perceives as biased coverage towards him.
After winning the 100m and 200m world double at Helsinki 2005, the American then tested positive for testosterone in 2006. He served a four-year ban that had been twice reduced from a lifetime and eight years.
Nehemiah, a former 110m hurdler world record holder, told BBC Radio 5 live that the notion that Gatlin had not shown remorse for his misdemeanours was an "incorrect assertion".
And Nehemiah said he was "disappointed" that athletics' governing body, the IAAF, had not done more to stop Gatlin's vilification.
His first drugs ban in 2001 was reduced from two years to one after he proved the amphetamines he was taking were for an attention deficit disorder.
"Justin Gatlin has done national tours of middle schools and high schools, telling them about the dangers of drugs and the decisions he made," he said.
"He has humbled himself for months and months. It was never widely reported so people don't believe he has made amends or apologised."
Gatlin and Bolt compete in the 200m semi-finals on Wednesday, with the final on Thursday.


Kezia Dugdale has called on SNP politicians to "shun" a pro-independence blogger who has sent her a £10,000 claim for damages.

The Scottish Labour leader has accused Stuart Campbell, who runs the Wings Over Scotland website, of homophobia over a tweet.
Ms Dugdale hit out at SNP members for "encouraging" Mr Campbell on social media, asking them to "denounce" him.
Nicola Sturgeon "unequivocally" condemned "abuse of any kind".
However, the first minister said Ms Dugdale's questions were a "smokescreen" over the Aberdeen City Council coalition controversy.
Mr Campbell said he "categorically" rejected claims he was a homophobe, and said he would pursue the matter in court.
The Scottish Labour leader raised the issue during the weekly session of questions to the first minister at Holyrood.
She said she had been sent a letter from Mr Campbell's lawyer after writing a newspaper column condemning a tweet he had posted earlier in the year about Conservative MSP Oliver Mundell, the son of Scottish Secretary David Mundell.
In it, he wrote: "Oliver Mundell is the sort of public speaker that makes you wish his dad had embraced his homosexuality sooner."
Ms Dugdale said the blogger was seeking £10,000 for "damage to his reputation" after she accused him of homophobia.
She said: "I stand firmly behind my comments. I have never kow-towed to a bully and I will not start today.
"There is a catalogue of evidence that demonstrates the bile which Stuart Campbell appears to believe is acceptable. Will the first minister condemn Wings over Scotland and anyone else who poisons the political debate in our country?"
Ms Sturgeon replied: "I condemn anyone who indulges in that kind of language or that kind of abuse. I am not responsible for Stuart Campbell, any more than Kezia Dugdale is responsible for people who hurl abuse at me in the name of being a supporter of the Labour party.
"The abuse I see directed at me on a daily basis would make somebody's hair curl and some of it does come from people professing to be supporters of Kezia Dugdale's party. I do not hold her personally responsible for that. I think we should all accept that there are people out there who will do that and we should all unite in condemning it."
Ms Dugdale went on to say that SNP politicians "continue to positively engage" with Mr Campbell, who she said "not only distorts our political debate but regularly spouts hatred".
She said: "There are a few SNP politicians who have called him out, but 44% of SNP MPs and 50% of SNP MPs have actively encouraged him along. I have the list here and it includes 10 government ministers, the finance secretary, the justice secretary and the transport minister.
"I want to ask the first minister a clear yes or no question - will she today order her politicians and her own ministers to denounce and shun Wings Over Scotland once and for all?"
Ms Sturgeon repeated that she "unequivocally condemned" all abuse, but said Ms Dugdale's line of questioning was "absolutely ridiculous".
She said: "Let's cut to the chase here, this is a smokescreen being erected by Kezia Dugdale today because her party is in disarray, it is civil war, it is in meltdown.
"She is directing this at me to hide one simple fact - as leader of the Scottish Labour Party she is not in control of her own party because she can't stop her councillors going into coalition with Tories up and down the country.
"That is why she is asking about this today, as a smokescreen to protect herself against the state of her own party."
Mr Campbell said the tweet was "obviously not homophobic any way", but was a "criticism of Oliver Mundell's terrible public speaking skills".
He said: "I absolutely and categorically reject any accusations that I'm a homophobe - it's an outrageous and completely false allegation and we'll be pursuing the case in court.
"It's correct that we initially offered to accept £10,000 for a quick settlement, but received no reply, and on the advice of counsel it's likely that we'll seek a higher figure, particularly now that Ms Dugdale has compounded the offence by repeating the defamatory statements on national television and involving the first minister."


Professor Nicola Phillips has been named Wales' chef de mission for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.

The physiotherapist succeeds Wales' 2014 Glasgow Games chef de mission Brian Davies, who is now Sport Wales' director of elite performance.
Phillips is currently supporting former Wales rugby union international Richard Parks' latest expedition, to Everest.
"This is such a huge honour and I can't wait to get started," said Phillips.
She has a chair at Cardiff University School of Healthcare Sciences and is as president of the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy.
Phillips was chef de mission at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa and has worked with Great Britain and Wales' weightlifting teams.
She has also worked at Olympic Games and previous Commonwealth Games, and in professional rugby union.
"I've been involved with Commonwealth Games Wales for the past 30 years, and have travelled with the team to several Games in various different roles," said Phillips.
"All of my professional life has been about supporting athletes in some way or other, so to be awarded the top leadership role for Team Wales is absolutely amazing."
Commonwealth Games Wales board chair Helen Phillips said Nicola Phillips' credentials are "remarkable".
Helen Phillips added: "Nicola brings with her unrivalled drive, passion, and a proven ability to provide exceptional leadership under all kinds of circumstances."


An Argentine climber stranded on Canada's highest peak will have to wait another day for a helicopter rescue due to bad weather, her partner says.

Natalia Martínez has been at a camp on Mount Logan since Monday, unable to move after strong earthquakes triggered large avalanches, according to reports.
She is said to be healthy and uninjured. Her campsite is safe but the surrounding terrain is unstable.
Storms and high winds have made a helicopter rescue impossible.
"There should be a good weather window happening by Friday, hopefully, if the forecasts are correct," her partner, Camilo Rada, was quoted by CBC as saying.
Rada has been in contact with the 37-year-old climber by phone and text.
In a blog post, he said she had plenty of food and supplies.
She was tired, he added, as she had to leave her tent every few hours to shovel snow piled around her camp. The temperatures in the area have reached -20C.
But in her latest message, the climber said the wind had eased and that she was preparing a "hot meal".
Martínez started a solo ascent of the 5,959 m (19,551 ft) peak last month.
The earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck the western Yukon state early on Monday, Rada said. A few hours later, another tremor, of magnitude 6.3, hit.
Martínez was woken up by a "tremendous roar" and saw that blocs of glacial ice surrounded her tent. She then moved her camp to a safer area, he said.
The Argentine was described as an experienced climber, who had been on Mount Logan before and faced extreme conditions in Patagonia.
She was prepared for severe weather and other challenges, Rada added, but did not expect the earthquakes.
"These have been very difficult days for her, first by finding her route devastated by an earthquake, forcing her to abandon the dream of the summit, then due to a forced wait in the middle of a serious storm," he said.
"However, she is doing extraordinarily well, keeping herself safe even under all this [sic] circumstances."
An average of 25 climbers try to reach the summit of Mount Logan every year.
Another group was on the mountain but no details have been given, according to CBC.


Italians have voted in the country's general election.

The election was called two months early after Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party withdrew support for Mario Monti's government.
Mr Monti's reform and austerity measures have been unpopular with many voters.
BBC News website readers in Italy have given their views on the election.
The atmosphere in Rome is vibrant. This election feels different from the previous ones.
I voted for the Democratic Party. I like the party's leader, Pier Luigi Bersani. I feel I can trust him.
Italy doesn't need another big personality like Berlusconi. Berlusconi came along and he seemed to be acting on behalf of everyone in Italy. People really believed what he told them.
But Italy has had many problems with corruption. I feel that this is Italy's chance to finally get rid of Berlusconi. But more than that, it's the first real chance to get over the past and vote for a change in the country.
Beppe Grillo, the leader of the Five Star Movement, is too distractive. He has a big personality and a lot of people are voting for him as a protest vote, rather than for his policies.
We have many problems in Italy with our culture. People often stick with their political ideologies and are reluctant to change. They may vote for the same party as their parents.
But this election represents an opportunity for Italians to take responsibility and change things for the better.
In this election I finally withdrew my support for Berlusconi after supporting him for 20 years.
Italy needs change. It needs new politicians - honest men and women.
I voted for Mario Monti. I wanted to support a new party, so I didn't vote for Bersani's Democratic Party or Berlusconi's People of Freedom because these parties are old.
The Five Star Movement is new, but it's only really a movement of protest. It is a party without structure. For deep change to take place, a party needs structure.
Italy has many problems, including economical ones. It's strange to have this feeling of stillness and stagnation in the country.
Many sectors are no longer doing well. For example, building and mechanical engineering aren't seeing much movement. We need to relaunch our markets and show our excellence in mechanics, food, fashion and tourism.
We can't bear all this mess and disorder any longer.
Only Berlusconi has the experience to deal with the situation.
The Beppe Grillo movement is an Italian phenomenon that is so bog-standard here. No-one will vote for him.
All will pretend to have voted for Bersani and his Democratic Party, but I suspect many many more than predicted will vote for Berlusconi.
The one and only thing holding back Italy is the Euro.  It is fixed at the wrong rate - the German one - and Italy's pricing points across the board are not geared to Germany's pricing points.
At the very least, Berlusconi will have a strong say in the next legislation, and he just might win the election and become prime minister again.
I have lived here for years with my Italian husband and three children.
My husband and I both chose to vote for Beppe Grillo and the Five Star Movement. The alternatives are simply the same old, often corrupt candidates just re-presenting themselves.
Before the many complex issues are dealt with here, we need new faces who can give people hope that we can finally turn the page over and start over.
Things are not in the best shape here. A lot of people that were previously complacent and have good jobs in local authorities and banks, are now suffering and finding that they are not getting paid.
I don't normally go for extremes, and the same is true in elections. But I get the impression that Beppe Grillo is an honest man and ready to represent the people.
Italy desperately needs representatives who are trustworthy and genuine to improve things for everyone. We don't want politicians simply looking to line their own pockets.
Voting for Grillo is really the only effective way of getting that message across. Fingers crossed that things are going to change for the better here.
I voted for Mario Monti because I think he worked well during the technocratic government.
If Silvio Berlusconi obtains a considerable proportion of the vote, we are in danger. We are in a deep recession after 20 years of his government, but a lot of Italians still vote for him because he is a good communicator.
I am worried about our public debt. I believe that we can't have real growth with this dangerous state.
Monti wants to reduce our huge public debt and to reduce our high cost of work to encourage companies hiring workers.
He thinks our companies have to become more competitive on the international scene and invest more in research and development.
Unfortunately, Mario Monti's party has not engaged in civil matters very much, such as looking at marriage for homosexuals or immigration issues.
He wants economic and fiscal reform, but he remains conservative about civil rights.


Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo said "if we were all at my level maybe we would be leaders" after his side's 1-0 derby defeat by Atletico Madrid.

A first defeat under Zinedine Zidane leaves Real nine points off leaders Barcelona, and four below Atletico.
Real were missing Gareth Bale and Marcelo through injury, while Karim Benzema was replaced at half-time.
"I don't want to disrespect anyone, but when the best players aren't available it's harder to win," Ronaldo said.
"I like to play with Karim, with Bale, with Marcelo.
"I'm not saying the others like Lucas Vazquez, Jese and Mateo Kovacic are not good players - they are very good players - but it's not the same."
Afterwards he sought to clarify his quotes, telling Marca: "When I say that, I am talking about my fitness level, not my level as a player. I am no better than any of my team-mates".
Antoine Griezmann scored the only goal of the derby as Atletico became the first team to win in three consecutive La Liga trips to the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo used an expletive to describe how he feels the media describe him and added "but I don't listen to what the press say. The statistics and numbers don't lie".
Zidane had been unbeaten in his first eight La Liga games, although they have dropped from two points behind Barca to nine.
Atletico played in the Champions League away to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, drawing 0-0, while Real had not played since last weekend.
Zidane said: "We were not as ready for the game as we thought we were. All I can say is that it's not just about our fitness.
"The players are not unfit, it's a question of everything. We didn't play the game we had prepared.
"They played on Wednesday and had less time to recover, and look at the game they played. So it is a mental question. We lacked a bit of everything.
"I told the players that we have to keep on going, I can't be happy with this performance and neither are they, but we can't give up. I have a clear idea of what went wrong today."


Hartlepool United have signed forward Lewis Alessandra on undisclosed terms, following his release by Rochdale.

Alessandra, 27, made just 11 appearances in his one season with Rochdale and spent time on loan at York last term, scoring twice in 11 games.
The Manchester-born attacker's most prolific spell was at Plymouth, where he scored 25 goals in 101 games.
"He's a good footballer, he scores goals, he's intelligent and he's ambitious," boss Craig Hignett said.
"I wanted to add goals to the squad and I've gone out and tried to find players who will fit in to how we play and what we want to do."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


British terror suspect Haroon Aswat has pleaded guilty in New York to charges of plotting to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon.

Mr Aswat from Batley, West Yorkshire, is accused of conspiring with radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri to establish a camp 15 years ago.
Thought to be aged 45, paranoid schizophrenic Mr Aswat was extradited to the US last year to stand trial.
He faces up to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced on 31 July.
Mr Aswat was arrested in the UK in 2005 at the request of authorities in the US.
In 2008, he was transferred from prison to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital with paranoid schizophrenia.
He fought extradition for several years, with the European Court of Human Rights ruling in September 2013 that he could not be extradited as his mental health could deteriorate.
However, in September 2014  two High Court judges said they were satisfied he would receive satisfactory care in the US.
He lost his final legal battle when in January 2015, the European Court of Human Rights dismissed a case he brought against the government arguing his extradition rested on inadequate assurances from US officials about his treatment.
Abu Hamza was extradited from Britain to the US in 2012 and found guilty of multiple terrorism charges in May 2014.
He was sentenced to life in prison in January.


Five-time major winner Phil Mickelson says he is likely to miss the US Open later this month to attend daughter Amanda's high school graduation.

The tournament is the only major the 46-year-old has not won.
The US Open first round at Erin Hills in Wisconsin is on the same day, 15 June, as the ceremony in California.
"As I look back on life, this is a moment I'll always cherish and be glad I was present," Mickelson told the New York Times.
"There's no greater joy as a parent."
Amanda was born a day after the US Open at Pinehurst in 1999, when Mickelson finished second to Payne Stewart.
However, the American said he would have left wherever he was on the scoreboard had his wife Amy gone into labour.
Mickelson, who needs to win the US Open to become the sixth player to complete the career grand slam, has notified tournament officials of his intention but has yet to withdraw formally.
Tournament rules dictate he has until just before the commencement of his opening round to pull out.
"My daughter is graduating, she is the school president, she'll be giving the commencement speech for the school and I am going to be there," he added.
"I didn't want the USGA (US Golf Association) to be caught off guard and I wanted the alternate to know he will most likely be in.
"There is no sense in doing it (withdrawing formally) now. Something might come up with the commencement, the weather, something unforeseen, but it doesn't look very good.
"It doesn't look good for me playing but I am really excited about this moment in our family's life."


Chelsea have begun an investigation into allegations of historical sexual abuse concerning an individual who was employed by the club in the 1970s.

The Premier League club says the former employee in question is dead.
The club says it will provide "all possible assistance" to the Football Association (FA), which is conducting its own investigation into the issue.
This will include providing the FA with "any relevant information arising from the club's investigation", it said.
It comes after more than 20 ex-footballers have made allegations of child sex abuse, with several police investigations also under way.
Police have received more than 250 calls relating to allegations of abuse, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley told the Commons on Tuesday.
In addition, a hotline set up last week by children's welfare charity the NSPCC received more than 50 calls in its first two hours.
Earlier on Tuesday, FA chairman Greg Clarke said the sport's child sex abuse scandal is one of the biggest crises in the history of the organisation.
Meanwhile, Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has written to more than 40 sporting governing bodies asking them to look into whether there are any historical allegations of abuse "that would merit investigation or reinvestigation".
She also urged them to make sure their child protection protocols are "as robust as possible".


Meet 10-year-old Kava who, like thousands of children from Syria, has travelled to a new country in Europe to escape war.

27 February 2017 Last updated at 06:49 GMT
Newsround first met him more than a year ago on the Greek island of Lesbos. His family had made a dangerous journey by boat to get there.
They continued travelling until they reached Sweden, where Kava and his family are now living.
Jenny went to catch up with him to see what life is like.
If you want to find out more about what life is like for Syrian child refugees, watch 'My Life: New Boys In Town' at 5.30pm on 13 March, CBBC.


The Labour Party faces an open split over the government's planned cuts to benefits spending after one of its MPs tabled an amendment to the legislation.

Former shadow welfare minister Helen Goodman made the move without the blessing of interim party leader Harriet Harman.
Ms Goodman says 40 MPs back her attempt to reject the Welfare Bill.
Ms Harman has said that if the party "opposed everything" it would "succeed on nothing".
Earlier this week, she said Labour had to recognise that one of the reasons it lost the general election was because it was not trusted on welfare spending.
She has urged the party to abstain on the Welfare Reform Bill, warning against "blanket opposition" to reform.
BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said: "There is now the prospect of the acting Labour leader either being forced to back down in the face of opposition from her own side, or Labour being divided in a Commons vote."
A Labour Party spokesman said it would make its intentions clear "fairly shortly".
Bishop Auckland MP Ms Goodman, who has left Labour's front bench to join the Treasury select committee, had announced the move on Twitter, writing: "With 40 other MPs I've put down a motion to reject Tory Welfare bill, because it will push more children esp in big families into poverty."
Other Labour MPs wrote of their support on Twitter, with Warrington North's Helen Jones tweeting: "Glad so many MPs are supporting our motion to reject Tory Welfare Bill, which will push families on low wages further into poverty."


A Japanese court has found an artist not guilty for displaying a kayak based on the shape of her vagina.

The judge ruled that Megumi Igarashi's brightly-coloured kayak sculpture did not immediately suggest female anatomy.
However, she was fined 400,000 yen ($3,700) after a judge ruled that she broke the law by sharing data from 3D scans of her genitalia, which could be used to recreate the shape of a vagina.
Japan's strict obscenity laws prohibit public displays of genitalia.
Igarashi, 42, who goes by the alias Rokudenashiko, or "good-for-nothing girl", was arrested in 2014 after the kayak sculpture was displayed at a sex shop in Tokyo.
She was charged under obscenity laws for displaying the sculpture and for distributing the data behind it to those who donated money towards its creation.
On Monday, a judge decided that the bright colours and decorations applied to the kayak sufficiently disguised the origin of its shape.
But the data, despite having no discernible shape, could be used to faithfully recreate Ms Igarashi's genitalia using a 3D printer, and so was obscene, the judge said.
Ms Igarashi's fine was only about half the 800,000 yen penalty sought by the prosecution.
Ms Igarashi was first arrested in 2014 but released after several days following a legal appeal and a petition signed by more than 17,000 people.
But police arrested her again shortly afterwards, along with the owner of the sex shop that displayed the offending sculpture.
The case has sparked debate on the nature of censorship and Japan's obscenity laws.
Japan has a large and lucrative porn industry but bans the depiction of genitalia, leading adult film distributers to pixellate the offending anatomical areas in their productions.
On her website, Ms Igarashi, who has made several items based on her genitals using a silicone mould, said she wanted to make vaginas "more casual and pop", much like how penises are regarded as "part of pop culture" in Japan.


Canada has authorised the construction of an energy project that would see its liquefied natural gas (LNG) exported to emerging Asian markets.

The move comes despite concerns over the project's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and the threat to an important salmon habitat.
The terminal, which will cost CA$11.4bn ($8.6bn/Â£6.6bn), will be built on British Columbia's northern coast.
It is one of the largest resource development initiatives in the country.
The federal government said it was granting permission to the Pacific Northwest LNG project to be built on Lelu Island, which sits at the mouth of the Skeena river near Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
The project will see the construction of a natural gas liquefaction and export terminal in Canada's westernmost province.
At a news conference on Tuesday, federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said the project was approved following a rigorous review and comes with numerous conditions to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Petronas, the Malaysian oil and gas company leading the project, estimates it would contribute CA$2.9 billion annually to the country's GDP.
The project, which has taken nearly three years to receive regulatory approval, is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's first major energy decision since he was elected just under a year ago.
The natural resources file is a difficult one for Mr Trudeau, who was elected on a pro-environment platform and a promise to tackle climate change.
Karen Mahon, with environmental group Stand.Earth, said in a statement on Tuesday that "the government cannot make decisions like this while honouring their promises on climate change".
Petronas and the project's other shareholders will look at the final report and its conditions, as well as the overall LNG market outlook, before making a final decision.
A global supply glut of liquefied natural gas has driven down prices and investment in fledgling LNG projects in North America.


Energy company EDF should spend £100m on improving infrastructure if a new nuclear power station is built in Suffolk, councillors have said.

A joint district and county council group is asking the company to help fund a bypass on the A12 and dual the local railway line.
The government will make the decision on whether the power station is built.
EDF said public consultation on its initial plans would begin later this year.
Councillor Guy McGregor, chairman of the Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Coastal District Council Joint Local Authorities Group (JLAG), said: "The actual cost of the power station is £2bn, so £100m out of £2bn is almost petty cash.
"There's no way you can build that power station using road access without building a dual carriageway - the whole of east Suffolk would come to a standstill.
"Local communities can rest assured that we are already working together to mitigate the environmental impact of any future development at Sizewell while maximising the economic and social benefits created for our communities."
The councils would like an A12 bypass between Wickham Market and the Aldeburgh junction which would take the road around the villages of Little Glemham, Marlesford, Stratford St Andrew and Farnham.
JLAG estimates it would cost about £30m and said its other priorities would be for the dualling of the East Suffolk single line railway, the reopening of the track to Leiston and Aldeburgh and support for schools and colleges with training opportunities.
A spokesperson for EDF, which wants to build Sizewell C by 2025, said: "In preparation, we are currently working on a number of investigative studies into all the environmental, transport, infrastructure and socio-economic elements which will inform our plans.
"The project is at a very early stage and we plan to launch our first stage of public consultation on our initial proposals later this year.
"We look forward to hearing the views of local communities."
The energy firm said no figure had been revealed for the total cost of building Sizewell C yet.


David Wiese has become the third South Africa player in a week to walk away from international cricket after signing a three-year deal with Sussex.

All-rounder Wiese, who has played six one-dayers and 20 T20 internationals, had two stints with the county last season as an overseas player.
The 31-year-old is Sussex's second Kolpak signing ahead of the 2017 season following compatriot Stiaan van Zyl.
Kyle Abbott and Rilee Roussouw last week agreed deals with Hampshire.
Wiese has not played international cricket since March last year, but was selected for a home T20 series against Sri Lanka later this month.
Selection convenor Linda Zondi said: "He has informed us that he intends to take up a Kolpak contract and has therefore been withdrawn from the squad."
Wiese's signing is subject to approval by the England and Wales Cricket Board, but explaining his decision, he said: "Sussex is an extremely ambitious club.
"I would like to thank Cricket South Africa for giving me the opportunity of fulfilling my dream of representing my country in the sport I love."
Head coach Mark Davis believes his experience will be of massive benefit to the club.
"He is an extremely accomplished all-round cricketer who is effective in all formats and will bring great experience and skill to our group," he said.
"He will add significantly to our white-ball team with his bowling and powerful batting at the death and has already shown his potential last season in the longer format.
"His experience will be invaluable to our young developing team."
Kolpak contracts are named after Slovak handball player Marius Kolpak, who won a landmark case at the European Court of Justice in 2003.
It allows sportsmen from countries that have associate trade agreements with the European Union, including South Africa, the same right to free movement as EU citizens without being classed as 'foreigners'.
In cricket, such contracts render the player ineligible to represent their country at international level.


Nicola Sturgeon has called for unity against far-right politics in a speech at the European Greens conference.

The first minister told the summit in Glasgow that supporters of progressive values needed to "stand up and be counted" to fight against xenophobia.
The event brings together local Green parties from across the continent.
Elsewhere at the conference, Scottish Greens co-convenor Maggie Chapman said her party would back Ms Sturgeon if she presses for an independence referendum.
The Scottish Greens support the SNP in maintaining a second independence vote as an option over the Brexit negotiations, while Holyrood's other parties - the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems - are opposed.
Ms Sturgeon held talks with UK Chancellor Philip Hammond at Holyrood on Thursday, with the Scottish government aiming to secure a beneficial deal when the UK leaves the EU.
She told the conference that Scotland "may lie at the edge of Europe, but it has always been - and wants to remain - at its heart".
She said: "As Europe grapples with the defining issues of our age - the largest refugee crisis since the end of the Second World War, the growth in inequality and the impact of climate change - now more than ever independent nations across Europe must work together.
"Support for far-right politicians is on the increase across Europe. That should be of deep and profound concern to us wherever we live.
"These are not simply cases of a candidate whom we don't like winning an election. Their politics are totally hostile to the notion of equality for all. Rather than tackling the key challenges we all face - they only seek to exploit them. I know many of you, like us, feel real anxiety about this.
"I don't pretend to have all of the answers - none of us do. But I know this. We must not sit back and let this happen. Doing nothing is not an option.
"Now is the time for all of us who believe in progressive values to get out and fight for them like never before. Now is the time to stand up and be counted."
Earlier, Ms Chapman told conference delegates that the Scottish Greens would not "stand by" and let Scotland be "dragged" out of the EU.
She said: "We voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU yet we face being dragged out against our will by an uncaring Conservative government that we did not elect.
"We will support moves by the Scottish government to prepare legislation for another independence referendum, if this proves necessary.
"However, we are still willing to consider, along with others in the UK and beyond, whether other options short of independence exist that respect the mandate for Scotland to remain in the European Union."
Other opposition leaders have criticised Ms Sturgeon over her talk of independence.
During the previous day's session of questions to the first minister, Labour's Kezia Dugdale said "the NHS is stuck in the waiting room while the first minister plots a second referendum".
With the SNP's "listening exercise" on independence drawing to a close earlier in the week, a spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said it was time for Ms Sturgeon to "finally pay heed to what Scotland is saying - 'no' to a second referendum and 'no' to more division, more uncertainty and more rancour".
The Chancellor Philip Hammons has urged Scottish parties to stop "clutching at straws" and focus on getting the best possible deal out of Brexit.
He said: "I look forward to us moving on from this slightly backward looking, clutching at straws, trying to resist the will of the people to embracing it, recognising it's going to happen and committing to work together to make sure it's done in a way that is most supportive of the UK economy and the Scottish economy."


Walsall leapfrogged Gillingham into top spot in League One with a dramatic last-minute comeback victory.

The visitors took the lead through Cody McDonald's clever dinked finish following a great ball from Doug Loft.
Bradley Dack then doubled the Gills' lead from the penalty spot before Kieron Morris's 25-yard drive and Milan Lalkovic's tap-in levelled proceedings.
Jason Demetriou's smashed effort in injury time completed the comeback win for the Saddlers.
The result means Gillingham's six-game unbeaten run in the league is over and they drop to third in the table whilst Walsall move up to first having won for the ninth time this season.
Walsall manager Dean Smith told BBC WM:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"Yes, it was a lot of fun, it wasn't fun after 25 minutes when they went 2-0 up!
"I thought it was a really entertaining game, a great game of football for League One, two good teams trying to get the win.
"I was disappointed with the goals we conceded, because we made a couple of mistakes there which we don't normally do.
"But the character the players have shown to come back from that and get the result is fantastic for them."


The welfare reform bill could be debated in the assembly again next week if there is sufficient movement in ongoing negotiations, the first minister has said.

Peter Robinson told the BBC it was "possible" to reach agreement by mid-week.
Last week, Sinn Féin withdrew its support for welfare legislation.
The parties have been taking part in talks to resolve the political impasse for several days.
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and Mr Robinson were due to travel to Washington for St Patrick's Day, but said on Sunday that they would stay in Northern Ireland in order to continue with negotiations.
Last week, Mr McGuinness said £200m would solve the problems over welfare reform, but on Monday, Finance Minister Simon Hamilton said no additional money could be allocated.
Mr Robinson said much was possible, but there was still a long way to go before reaching any solid deal.
"If that is possible to do, then it is also possible to have an executive meeting earlier than would normally have been be the case to look at the schemes that would be involved," he said.
"Then it would be possible to go to the speaker and the business committee and ask them to put the welfare reform bill in the assembly for next week.
"All that is possible, but it is only possible if we can reach agreements."
The first minister also said he would only consider a deal had been done on welfare when the legislation is finally passed.
Mr Robinson said: "Agreement on welfare to me now is more than getting a paper that sets out the way forward.
"It's about agreeing the schemes to go before the executive to be agreed there, and getting the welfare bill through its final stage.
"When that happens we can consider ourselves to have an agreement on welfare, but not until."
The Northern Ireland parties had agreed a deal on Westminster's welfare reform in the Stormont House Agreement in December.
The issue had previously threatened the future of the Northern Ireland power-sharing executive.
Last week, Sinn Féin withdrew support for the bill and accused the DUP of going back on what had been agreed.
The DUP rejected this, saying there had never been the money for all the things Sinn Féin wanted and that Sinn Féin had been aware of this.


China's main share index closed down by more than 5% after several major brokerage firms announced they were under investigation.

The Shanghai Composite index ended the day 5.5% lower at 3,436.3 points - marking its biggest drop since August.
Late on Thursday, it was announced that China's securities regulator was investigating the country's largest brokerage, Citic Securities.
The firm is being probed over the possible breaking of market rules.
Rival brokerage Guosen Securities is also being investigated, and shares in both Citic and Guosen fell by 10%, the maximum allowed in one day.
In addition, trading in China Haitong Securities shares was halted and later in the day the firm also confirmed it was under investigation.
Chen Xingyu, an analyst at Phillip Securities, told the AFP news agency: "The biggest reason for such a sudden drop today is because of regulator's investigation of the top brokers. It has triggered a broader sell-off."
Analysts said there was little information on the specific reasons for the probes other than violations of securities regulations.
But the Reuters news agency reported that the Chinese regulator was urging brokerages to stop financing investors' stock purchases through swaps in an attempt to curb leveraged trading.
A crackdown on leveraged and margin trading has been underway since the Chinese market's dramatic plunge over the summer.
Market sentiment was already wavering ahead of a new batch of initial public offerings set to make their debut next week.
More negative economic data on the Chinese economy also did little to boost investors' confidence, with government figures showing that industrial profits in October fell 4.6% from a year ago.
The fifth consecutive decline in profits earned by Chinese industrial companies added more fuel to concerns over a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.
"Surplus inventory is the ghost which is haunting profits," economists from Minsheng Securities said in a note. "The road ahead to destocking inventory is long and slow."
The bad news spilled over to Hong Kong, where the benchmark Hang Seng index finished down 1.9% at 22,068.32. The index fell 3% over the week, its worst weekly performance for two months.
In Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed down 0.3% at 19,883.94. Data released on Friday showed the country's core consumer prices index (CPI) recorded its third straight month of falls - down 0.1% in October from a year earlier.
Household spending in the country fell 2.4% during the period.
On a brighter note, jobs numbers indicated the country's jobless rate may fall in the near future.
"Taking the labour market first, the unemployment rate fell from 3.4% to a twenty-year low of 3.1%... [which] suggests that the jobless rate may drop below 3% in coming months," said Japan economist Marcel Theiliant.
"However, today's other data were rather disappointing," he said. "Core household spending dipped by 0.4% month on month in October following a 1.8% month-on-month decline in September.
In South Korea, the Kospi share index closed down 0.08% at 2,028.99.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 ended the day 0.2% lower at 5,202.60.
Sydney-listed shares of mining giant BHP Billiton closed down 0.9%.
On Thursday, the United Nations said the dam burst at the Samarco mine in Brazil earlier this month had unleashed a flood equivalent to "20,000 Olympic swimming pools of toxic mud". The dam is a joint venture between BHP and Vale.  However, BHP has said the mud spilled was not toxic.


Great Britain have finished second in the medal table at the 2016 Olympics - above sporting powerhouse China.

One of the event's dominant nations, China have won more than 200 golds since returning to the Games in 1984.
Britain ended the Rio Games with 27 golds from 15 sports, one ahead of China.
Super-heavyweight boxer Joe Joyce won GB's final medal, a silver, as they finished with a total of 67 from 19 sports, beating the 65 at London 2012.
Since the modern Olympic era began in 1896, no country has increased its medal tally at the summer Games immediately following one it hosted.
GB have also smashed their pre-Games target of at least 48 medals, which was set by UK Sport.
That means Rio 2016 is the nation's most successful 'away' Games in history.
China, with a population of 1.357bn to Britain's 64.1m, have amassed more medals (70) than Team GB in Brazil, achieving notable success in table tennis, diving and weightlifting.
However, GB are ahead on golds, which is what the rankings are based on.
Asked if the achievements in Rio were better than London 2012, Liz Nicholl, chief executive of UK Sport, told BBC Sport: "Absolutely.
"It is more of a thrill because although we knew we had medal potential, we were not as sure about the environment in which we were competing.
"Those of us involved know that there is still a huge amount that can be improved. As we look beyond Rio and on to Tokyo, it is looking really exciting."
UK Sport performance director Simon Timpson insisted the success was "not happening by chance", adding: "This is success by design."
Britain effectively clinched second spot when kayaker Liam Heath, boxer Nicola Adams and runner Mo Farah won their events on Saturday.
Diver Tom Daley was another medal prospect but failed to make the final in the 10m platform diving, which was won by China's Chen Aisen.
Gracenote Sports creates a Virtual Medal Table for the Olympic Games based on data from events with world fields from London 2012 up to Rio 2016.
Its pre-Games predictions were:
Gracenote's head of analysis, Simon Gleave, told BBC Sport: "The 70 total medals for China and 26 golds came very close to our Virtual Medal Table's pre-Olympic prediction of 71 and 29.
"However, it is that slight underperformance in gold medals which allowed Great Britain to take second place in the medal table.
"Initially, it looked as though it would be close for second place, with China just taking it, but the surprise gold medals from Nick Skelton and the women's hockey team made Great Britain the most likely country to finish second.
"Beating the London total of 65 medals was a realistic possibility once Britain won nine medals on 16 August - the best day's medal haul since Beijing 2008."
Gleave said Britain had outperformed in track cycling, artistic gymnastics, diving and flat-water canoeing.
"All provided more gold medals than the data suggested," he added.
China effectively returned to the Games in 1984.
They had been absent since 1952 - when only one athlete represented the nation - following a dispute with the International Olympic Committee over the status of Taiwan. Prior to that, the nation had not won any medals.
Since 1984, China have topped the table just once - at their own Games in Beijing in 2008, when they finished with 15 more gold medals than the US.
But in eight summer Games, they have only been out of the top four once. That was in 1988, when they were 11th with five gold medals.
At London 2012, China won 38 golds and 88 medals in total to finish second to the US. GB were third with 29 golds.
Since 1984, GB have never finished higher than third and were 36th in 1996, when rowers Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent won GB's only gold.
Should the most dominant sporting nation be looking over their shoulders? Not just yet. They have enjoyed their best Olympics since 1984.
The US have topped the medal table at five of the past six Games and achieved 100-plus medal hauls five times since Atlanta 1996.
American dominance in swimming and track and field has been the difference again. Can GB close that gap at Tokyo 2020?


A football match between two of Istanbul's top teams has been postponed for security reasons, Turkish authorities have announced.

The game was called off at short notice, a day after a suicide bomber killed four people in the city.
The Istanbul governor's office said the decision had been taken "after the evaluation of credible intelligence".
The bombing in Istanbul's main shopping street was blamed by the authorities on so-called Islamic State (IS).
Fans had already begun to arrive for the Fenerbahce-Galatasaray match at Galatasaray's Turk Telecom Arena when the announcement was made.
There were boos as supporters were left with no choice but to leave the ground.
The postponement came even though the authorities have repeatedly urged the 15 million inhabitants of Turkey's largest city to carry on with their normal daily lives after the blast.
Interior Minister Efken Ala meanwhile named the bomb suspect as Mehmet Ozturk, born in 1992 in Gaziantep.
He told reporters that five people had been questioned so far.
Mr Ala also announced a review of security measures in seven Turkish provinces following several attacks since July.
Three Israelis - two with Israeli-US nationality - and an Iranian were killed by the bomb attack. Another 36 were injured.
Eleven Israelis were among the injured. Two Irish citizens, one national each from Germany, Iceland, Dubai and Iran were also injured.
The coffins of the Israeli nationals were flown out on Sunday and the Israeli government has now advised its citizens to avoid Turkey.
Turkey is part of the US-led coalition against IS and allows coalition planes to use its air base at Incirlik for raids on Iraq and Syria.
It has been attacked by IS in the past - most recently in January when a suspected suicide attack in Istanbul killed 12 German tourists.
And more than 100 people died outside Ankara railway station in October 2015 when IS militants carried out a double bombing close to the headquarters of the national intelligence organisation.
Kurdish militants have claimed a number of recent attacks in Turkey.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said terror groups are targeting civilians because they are losing their struggle against Turkish security forces.
Turkey had in the meantime launched a nationwide tightening of security ahead of the Kurdish spring festival of Newroz on Monday, an occasion traditionally used by Kurds in Turkey to assert their ethnic identity and demand greater rights.


Training company Learndirect has been branded by Ofsted as "inadequate" - the worst rating the watchdog can give.

Inspectors found not enough learners achieved the skills and qualifications to progress in work and education.
It also found teaching performance was not managed well by the firm, which has more than 70,000 trainees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Learndirect, which had tried to block the report's release, said it did not accurately reflect its performance.
The company, which is one of the UK's largest adult training providers, had obtained an injunction against the publication of the report, but this was lifted by the High Court on Monday.
On Wednesday the government announced it would gradually wind down its contract with the firm, ending in July next year, over concerns about standards.
Ofsted rated the company as "requiring improvement" in five areas - including the quality of teaching, learning and assessment - and "inadequate" in two areas - its apprenticeships and outcomes for learners.
Its inspection in March judged Learndirect to be "inadequate" overall.
Ofsted found that the performance of Learndirect's subcontractors was not managed rigorously enough, with the result that apprentices who trained with them achieved "significantly less well" than those who were trained by Learndirect.
Too many 16 to 19-year-olds failed to complete their programmes and too few adults secured employment when they left Learndirect, Ofsted found.
The quality of teaching at the company, which employs more than 1,600 staff, was also criticised in the report.
Tutors and assessors failed to develop learners' and apprentices' English and mathematical skills well enough, the report said.
It also found they failed to use the assessment results of learners' prior skills to plan learning effectively.
The teachers did not provide helpful feedback at reviews to enable learners to improve their work and skills, Ofsted said.
However, tutors were judged to have provided good support for adult learners.
Ofsted also said new senior management had begun to tackle weaknesses and there were "early signs of improvement".
Learndirect said it was "financially stable" and would continue to meet its contractual obligations and the needs of learners.
The company said it had made improvements since the inspection and had rising learner satisfaction scores and success rates.
A spokesman added: "We maintain that the process behind Ofsted's report did not provide an accurate reflection of the current quality of Learndirect Limited's training and performance due to the unrepresentative sample size and the use of legacy data."


BBC Radio 6 Music is the most listened-to digital-only station in the UK, figures from ratings body Rajar show.

The station had 2.2 million listeners a week from October to December, having had 2.19 million the previous quarter.
It is the highest listening figure for a digital-only station since Rajar began in 1992.
Overall, BBC Radio 2 had the biggest weekly reach for any UK radio station with 15.47 million listeners, up from 15.38 million the previous quarter.
BBC Radio 4 Extra had previously been the top digital-only station from July to September, but trailed behind 6 Music in the last quarter with 2.11 million listeners per week.
The total weekly reach for all BBC radio was slightly down this quarter, with 34.95 million listeners aged 15 and over tuning in per week, compared with 35.10 million the previous quarter, but its audience share rose slightly in the same period, from 53.3% to 53.5%.
Helen Boaden, director of BBC radio, said: "This is yet another fantastic and well-deserved quarter for BBC Radio 6 Music. With its unique range of music and expert presenters, the station continues to grow its loyal listenership.
"It's good to see digital listening to BBC stations in such great health. One of radio's strengths is its convenience and digital devices make listening even easier."
On 6 Music, all its shows increased listeners with Steve Lamacq pulling in 1.08 million, while Shaun Keaveny attracted 976,000 and Lauren Laverne got 875,000 listeners.
Bob Shennan, BBC 6 Music controller, said: "I am delighted that 6 Music continues to grow and break records. The daytime shows are on a brilliant streak of form and it is also very pleasing that the eclecticism of Jarvis Cocker and Guy Garvey is proving to be more popular than ever."
The Rajar figures showed that BBC Radio 1 had lost listeners since the last quarter, going from 10.56 million to 10.33 million.
The Radio 1 Breakfast Show With Nick Grimshaw attracted 5.87 million listeners, up from 5.78 million the previous quarter,
Chris Evans's breakfast show on Radio 2 was the most popular morning show again, with 9.44 million listeners each week - its highest-ever reach was 9.91 million a week in the second quarter of 2014.
Radio 4's Today programme was in second place with 7.03 million tuning in each week.
Capital London regained its position as London's number one commercial radio station with 2.08 million listeners. Its rival Kiss saw audience figures fall by 3.5%, with 2.02 million listeners.
Capital London also had the most popular breakfast show in London, with 1.08 million listeners.
Chris Moyles's morning show on Radio X had 300,000 listeners a week in London, three months after the station launched.
Rajar said the total average number of weekly hours spent listening to radio this quarter was 1.01 billion. A total of 48.2 million adults, or 90% of the population aged 15 or older, listened to the stations monitored by Rajar each week.


Two South African children are suing the church of popular evangelist preacher TB Joshua after the collapse of one of its buildings in Nigeria killed their father in 2014.

Kalambaie wa Kalambaie was one of 116 people, including many South Africans, who died.
In 2015, a coroner in a Lagos court said "the church was culpable because of criminal negligence".
Mr Joshua and his church have consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The pastor has so far not been charged, but the engineers responsible for the building are facing criminal charges.
The two children, aged three and six, are looking for at least $520,000 (Â£370,000) in damages, say Lagos court papers quoted in the Nigerian media.
This is supposed to compensate for the money that their father would have been expected to provide them with until he turned 70.
Their lawyer Bolaji Ayorinde told the BBC that he has had a lot of inquiries from relatives of people who died in the building collapse about the possibility of taking action.
Mr Joshua, referred to by his followers as a "prophet", is one of Nigeria's best-known evangelists and is popular across Africa.
He blamed the 2014 incident on a small plane which he said had been circling the building, which was a multi-storey guesthouse in a Lagos compound belonging to the Synagogue, Church Of All Nations.
This was dismissed by the Lagos coroner.
Mr Ayorinde said he was not concerned about taking on the popular preacher arguing that "the law treats everyone as equal".
Profile: Nigerian preacher TB Joshua
In pictures: TB Joshua's ministry in 2005


Myanmar has scrapped a stringent law which had been used by the former military leaders to silence opponents.

The Emergency Provisions Act was introduced in 1950 after independence from Britain.
It allowed the authorities to detain people without charge and prescribed jail or execution for a wide range of offences considered treason.
It allowed punishments of up to seven years for crimes like disrupting public morality or spreading false news.
The National League for Democracy (NLD), which swept to power in Myanmar earlier this year ending decades of military rule, had been trying to get rid of the law.
"This law was used by the socialist dictatorship to arrest anyone who went against them," said Tun Tun Hein, chairman of the parliament's bill committee.
"Now we have abolished it because we have a people's government," he told Reuters.
But the move faced opposition from from some of the military, which still holds a mandatory 25% of seats in parliament and who argued the law was still necessary for national security.


The EU is "too important to be discarded", Leanne Wood has said ahead of a head-to-head debate between Nigel Farage and Carwyn Jones on the issue.

Writing in the Sunday Times, the Plaid Cymru leader urged Wales to "speak with one voice".
The UKIP leader and Welsh first minister will lock horns on Monday at an event in Cardiff.
The UK is set to have a referendum by the end of 2017 on whether or not to remain a member of the European Union.
Ms Wood said the bid for EU reform was "legitimate" but added any concerns were "far outweighed" by the benefits EU membership brings to  Wales' agricultural sector, higher education institutions and transport infrastructure.
She criticised Prime Minister David Cameron for allowing ministers to campaign for either side in the referendum, calling his decision "irresponsible and bizarre".
And she said the issue would "alter the terms of the debate" in the lead up to National Assembly elections in Wales on 5 May.


Gateshead are in discussions to offer new deals to JJ O'Donnell, George Smith, Liam Hogan and Gus Mafuta for next season's National League campaign.

O'Donnell returned from injury to play four games at the end of the season.
Captain Hogan, full-back Smith and midfielder Mafuta were all regulars for Neil Aspin's team.
Manager Aspin has retained 14 players, and released five in Mitch Brundle, Toby Ajala, Nick Cassidy, Shaun MacDonald and Jack Elliott.
The Tynesiders missed out on the play-offs, finishing three places and twelve points behind fifth-placed Aldershot.
Retained players: James Montgomery, James Bolton, Manny Smith, Jamal Fyfield, Wes York, Danny Johnson, Danny Burns, Dan Hanford, Jordan Burrow, Macaulay Langstaff, Nyal Bell, Luke Hannant, Paddy McLaughlin and Tom White.


Detectives investigating a fatal shooting in north London have arrested nine people.

A man - named locally as Erdogan Guzel - died at the scene, and a woman remains in hospital with serious injuries.
Police believe the pair were not the intended targets of the attack on 10 July.
Officers arrested six people at Gatwick Airport and another three at an address in Hornsey, north London.
The Met said three males and three females, aged between 16 and 61, were arrested on suspicion of either murder or conspiracy to murder.
Three men were also arrested at an address in Hornsey, north London, aged 23, 26 and 55, on suspicion of murder.
The three females have been released on bail and the others remain in custody.
Det Ch Insp Tim Duffield said: "What is clear is that two innocent bystanders have been caught up in a violent dispute between other persons."
He said he believed "there are people out there who know who is responsible for this terrible crime" and called on them to come forward.
Det Ch Insp Duffield gave an assurance that measures could be taken to protect anyone concerned about contacting the police.
Police were called at about 17:45 BST on 10 July to reports of a shooting on Lordship Lane, Wood Green, north London.
The 42-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. The Met has not formally identified him, but his next of kin have been informed.
The 51-year-old woman remains in hospital in a critical, but stable, condition.


A Wrexham dairy has submitted proposals to expand facilities to meet production demand and recruit 60 more staff.

A council report said the Â£14m expansion was needed as Tomlinson's Dairies, Minera, had outgrown its facilities.
It plans to double production to 195 million litres of milk a year.
Wrexham planners have recommended the three-phase application for approval ahead of a planning committee meeting on Monday.
The dairy currently employs about 170 staff.
The business was established in 1983 by brothers Philip and John Tomlinson, expanding from a doorstep round using milk from the family dairy farm at Minera.


Mae mwy na 130 o blant mewn gofal o Gymru mewn lleoliadau y tu allan i'r wlad.

Mae'r ffigyrau'n amrywio rhwng awdurdodau, gydag 16 o blant o ardal cyngor Abertawe mewn gofal y tu allan i Gymru, ond dim un o Sir Gaerfyrddin a Sir Ddinbych.
Mae elusen Action for Children yn dweud fod rhai plant wedi eu lleoli "cannoedd o filltiroedd i ffwrdd", gan wneud iddyn nhw deimlo'n "ddigyswllt".
Dywedodd y rhwydwaith meithrin y bydd rhai plant yn byw yn bell o'u teuluoedd os nad oes mwy o rieni meithrin ar gael.
Fe ofynnodd BBC Cymru i'r 22 awdurdod lleol yng Nghymru faint o blant a phobl ifanc mewn gofal yr oedden nhw wedi eu lleoli y tu allan i'r wlad.
Fe gafwyd ymateb gan 18 o gynghorau, sy'n dangos bod o leiaf 131 wedi eu lleoli tu allan i Gymru - un ai gyda rhieni maeth, aelod o'r teulu neu ffrind, neu mewn cartref.
Dywedodd Jennie Welham o Action for Children ei bod wedi gweld cynnydd yn nifer y plant mewn gofal oedd yn cael eu lleoli tu allan i Gymru yn yr 18 mis diwethaf.
Dywedodd Ms Welham, sy'n rheolwraig gwasanaethau plant gyda Chyngor Torfaen: "Fel plentyn, os ydych wedi eich lleoli tu allan i ardal, yn enwedig tu allan i Gymru, i ffwrdd o'ch teulu, eich cymuned, eich ysgol, eich ffrindiau, gweithgareddau yr oeddech efallai wedi bod yn ei wneud, mae'n fater mawr.
"Mae plant yn darganfod eu hunain mewn amgylchedd rhyfedd, diwylliant gwahanol, felly nid yn unig fe allech golli eich cartref, rydych yn colli popeth sy'n cyd-fynd â hynny.
"Fe allech chi gael plentyn o ddiwylliant cymoedd Cymru yn cael ei leoli o fewn maestref yn Lloegr, yn Surrey, ac rwy'n credu fod hynny'n anferth i'ch hunaniaeth."
Ond ychwanegodd bod plant mewn lleoliadau o'r fath am resymau da ar adegau, er enghraifft pan mae plentyn yn mynd at aelod o'r teulu.
Dywedodd y Rhwydwaith Maethu yr wythnos diwethaf fod angen o leiaf 440 o deuluoedd maeth ar draws Cymru.
Yn ôl Dr Jael Hill, seicolegydd clinigol ymgynghorol gyda Chyngor Torfaen, roedd y diffyg rhieni maeth - yn enwedig ar gyfer plant gydag anghenion arbennig - yn ganolog i'r rheswm pam fod cynifer o blant yn cael eu lleoli tu allan i Gymru.
Dywedodd bod nifer o ofalwyr maeth "heb ddigon o gefnogaeth gan wasanaethau iechyd meddwl a gwasanaethau therapiwtig i wir ddeall anghenion y plant hynny".
"Beth rydym wedi ei ddysgu ydi fod ateb gofynion y plant yma'n golygu fod angen i bobl gydweithio ar draws y sector iechyd, addysg, gofal cymdeithasol a gwirfoddol ac mae hynny weithiau'n anodd ei gyflawni," meddai Dr Hill.
"Mae 'na gynlluniau sy'n gwneud yn dda iawn, ond mae'n cymryd gweledigaeth ar draws yr asiantaethau a'r parodrwydd i gydweithio."
Dywedodd pennaeth NSPCC Cymru, Des Mannion: "Mae'r mwyafrif o blant sydd angen gofal maeth wedi dioddef camdriniaeth ag esgeulustra yn eu teuluoedd genedigol ac maen nhw wedi eu rhoi mewn gofal i'w hamddiffyn rhag niwed sylweddol.
"Mae'n sialens yn aml i ddarganfod lleoliad sydd yn ateb gofynion y plentyn, ond mae eu symud tu allan i'r ardal leol yn aml yn ei gwneud yn anodd darparu'r gofal gorau posib iddyn nhw."


The latest monument in Mexico's capital was erected to commemorate the life of a man who, the plaque reads, was a "shining example of loyalty to the universal ideals of world peace".

Nelson Mandela, perhaps? Martin Luther King, maybe?
No. The life-sized bronze statue now adorning a special garden in Mexico City is of the former president of the oil-rich Azerbaijan and recipient of the Order of Lenin, Heydar Aliyev.
Described by, among others, Human Rights Watch as a leader under whom dissent was crushed, the monument to the late leader sparked increasing controversy since it was unveiled a few weeks ago.
"I particularly dislike the public justification which the Mexico City government has given for the statue," says Andres Lajous, a journalist specialising in urban issues.
"They basically said that it was because the Azerbaijani government gave several million dollars to rebuild the park - the Azerbaijan Park as it's now called - as well as another park downtown.
"But I'm not sure they have ever given us a reason as to why the city should commemorate Heidar Aliyev in the first place."
So far, the government of outgoing Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has not commented on the controversy.
But when Mr Ebrard unveiled the Azerbaijan-Mexico Park earlier this year, he said it was "testament to the will of the two peoples to grow closer".
He also noted that - in 16 years - none of the 180 diplomatic missions or 45 international organisations based in Mexico City had given as much money for public spaces in the capital as Azerbaijan.
In an interview with BBCMundo, Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Mexico, Ilgar Mukhtarov, was keen to stress that the project had been in the pipeline for some time and that "the park areas were both in great need of rescue and renovation".
"We gladly took the opportunity to show our appreciation to the Mexican people by participating in this ambitious urban renewal project," he said.
The ambassador also commented on the funding - an estimated $5m (Â£3m) - provided by Baku for the parks and the statue.
"The money was never directly given to the Mexico City government. This embassy hired the construction companies that in turn renewed both areas, in collaboration with the different authorities of the city," the envoy said.
He added: "I believe that the cost of the gift of the people of Azerbaijan to the people of Mexico is not relevant to their role. The important thing is that they are enjoyed by the citizens of this great city."
However, that does not convince critics like Mr Lajous.
"Basically (the Mexico City government) are being opportunists in the sense that they took the money from Azerbaijan because they know that the political meaning is opaque in Mexico City," he argues.
"It wouldn't be opaque if they put up a statute of George W Bush or, let's say, Hugo Chavez.
"They wouldn't put up a statute of Chavez even if he paid a lot of money. But with Azerbaijan - it's so far away and we know so little about it."
Certainly, most people at the new monument were not aware who President Aliyev was, nor quite why he was being honoured in this way.
"I must admit, I don't know who he is," says Herminio Batalla, as he enjoyed his paper on a park bench. "But I think it's great they've donated all this money to improve the park."
"He who pays, gets to choose," said Jose Romeo, a car washer who works by the park.
"I don't think it's a particularly good idea (to erect a monument to Aliyev) but what can we, Mexicans, say? We have to bite our tongues as it's their money which has paid for all this."
Others lamented that the space wasn't used for someone with more relevance to Mexico's past.
"It's all very well forging closer ties to other countries," says archaeologist Paula Vaya, "but there are people from Mexico who were much more important who aren't represented here."
As I walked away from the monument, there followed what can only be described as a bizarre encounter.
Packing away my camera and microphone, I was approached by a parking attendant - known in Mexico's informal economy as a "viene viene".
He asked me which media outlet I worked for and told me the Azerbaijani embassy were keen to talk to me.
Within minutes, he had called a contact at the embassy and was helping to arrange our interview with the ambassador.
Stalinesque control? Or harmless support from a concerned bystander with an interest in Azerbaijan?
Ambassador Mukhtarov, when asked, assured us it was the latter.
Critics of the government in Baku might see that moment - and the statue to the late president - somewhat differently.


DUP MP Nigel Dodds has poked fun at shadow chancellor John McDonnell's claim of a Labour "soft coup".

1 March 2017 Last updated at 14:23 GMT
Mr McDonnell said "a soft coup" has been launched against Jeremy Corbyn by "elements in the Labour Party".
At Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Dodds compared the comments with talk of a "hard" and "soft" Brexit - and asked when the "soft coup" would be triggered.


A campaign group website says over a million people in the European Union have signed a petition against trade negotiations with the United States.

The petition calls on the EU and its member states to stop the talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership or TTIP.
It also says they should not ratify a similar deal that has already been done between the EU and Canada.
It says some aspects pose a threat to democracy and the rule of law.
One of the concerns mentioned in the petition is the idea of tribunals that foreign investors would be able to use in some circumstances to sue governments.
There is a great deal of controversy over exactly what this system, known as Investor State Dispute Settlement, would enable companies to do, but campaigners see it as an opportunity for international business to get compensation for government policy changes that adversely affect them.
This kind of provision exists in many bilateral trade and investment agreements.
Friends of the Earth have published new research on the impact they have had on EU countries.
Information about these cases is not always made public, but the group says that going back to 1994, foreign investors have sought compensation of almost €30bn (£24bn) from 20 states. Where the results are known (a small minority of the total), the tribunals have awarded total compensation of €3.5bn (about £2.8bn).
In Britain, the possible implications of this provision for the National Health Service have been especially controversial.  Campaigners believe that the investor tribunals would make it harder to reverse any decisions to contract services out to international healthcare firms.
John Hilary of War on Want said:  TTIP  "will make it impossible for any future government to repeal the Health & Social Care Act and bring the NHS back into public hands".
The petition lists a number of other areas where its signatories believes European standards would suffer if the TTIP negotiations are completed and the Canada deal is ratified:  employment, social, environmental, privacy and consumer protection.
The European Commission says the EU will not have to sacrifice its high standards. It also says investor protection provisions are important for investment flows and have in general worked well. But it accepts there is a need for improvement and is trying to achieve that in its bilateral negotiations.
The petition has been organised as an exercise called a European Citizens' Initiative which can lead to a public hearing in the European Parliament and require the European Commission to give a formal response explaining why it is accepting or rejecting what the petitioners call for.
The European Commission has already said that the petition doesn't qualify as such an Initiative. Campaigners have launched a legal challenge to this decision.


The UK housing market is in a state of lethargy, according to property surveyors, with estate agents reporting the lowest stock of properties for nearly 40 years.

Members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said the market might continue "flatlining" for a while.
New instructions in June fell for the 16th month in a row.
Most surveyors also saw further falls in the number of properties being sold.
The average number of homes on the books of estate agents fell to 42.5 - the lowest number since the survey started in January 1978.
"Political uncertainty" was given by 44% of surveyors as the main reason for the pessimism - nearly double the number who blamed Brexit.
Simon Rubinsohn, RICS' chief economist, said that uncertainty seemed to be "exerting itself on transaction levels, which are flat-lining, and may continue to do so for a while, particularly given the ongoing challenge presented by the low level of stock on the market".
Separately, the Bank of England's latest Credit Conditions Survey of banks and building societies has suggested that home buyers could find it trickier to find mortgage deals with low deposits in the months ahead.
The survey found lenders were likely to rein in lending as they become more cautious about the state of the economy.
Lenders expect a slight reduction in mortgage availability to house buyers with deposits of less than 25%, and "in particular" those with a deposit of below 10%.
The survey also found that unsecured lending - which includes credit cards - had fallen in the second quarter of the year, and was expected to drop further in the third quarter.
Last week, the Halifax, Britain's largest lender, reported that prices fell by 1% in June, with annual growth slipping to 2.6%.
The RICS survey suggests that property values actually rose during the month.
However, that hides an increasing regional divide in price growth.
Five years ago, prices in the south of the country were roaring ahead of prices in the north, but now there has been a reversal.
Prices in London are falling, while they are flat in East Anglia and the South East, according to the RICS survey.
By contrast, property values in the North West, Wales, Northern Ireland and the West Midlands are rising significantly.
"The latest results demonstrate the danger, however tempting, of talking about a single housing market across the country," said Mr Rubinsohn.
"RICS indicators, particularly regarding the price trend, are pointing towards an increasingly divergent picture."
Where can I afford to live?


A father-of-three died more than 20 years after receiving infected blood, an inquest hears.

John Jones, 50, from Rhos, Neath Port Talbot, was given 16 pints at Morriston Hospital, Swansea, after losing a leg in a forklift accident in 1990.
But one of the donors had hepatitis C, and Mr Jones died in 2012.
Recording a narrative verdict, assistant coroner Paul Bennett said infection and cirrhosis killed Mr Jones.
Dr Stephen Field, medical director of the Welsh Blood Service, offered "sincere condolences" to Mr Jones' family.
He said when Mr Jones received his transfusions there was no test available for hepatitis C. Testing was introduced throughout the UK a year after his operation.
He added: "Securing the safety of the blood supply is the number one priority of the Welsh Blood Service."


Graeme McDowell carded a final-round 71 to end the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart in joint 10th.

The 2008 champion from Portrush warmed up for next week's Open at Royal Troon by finishing on nine under and five behind winner Alex Noren of Sweden.
McDowell picked up birdies at one, six and 16 but bogeys at 15 and 17 ended his title hopes.
Padraig Harrington was six under after a 71 while Belfast's Michael Hoey was back on four over following a 72.
Noren clinched a one-shot victory over nearest challenger Tyrrell Hatton.
McDowell, who has slipped to 78th in the world rankings, goes into the Open in improved form and having already played two practice rounds at Troon last weekend.


Stevenage have signed Scunthorpe midfielder Jack King until June 2018 on a free transfer, and Arsenal striker Kaylen Hinds on a loan deal until the end of the season.

King has made 23 appearances for League Two side Stevenage this season after joining on loan in August.
The 31-year-old returned to the Iron at the end of his loan deal, but failed to break back into the first team.
Hinds, 19, has yet to feature for Arsenal's first team.
He has represented England up to under-18 level, and was part of the Three Lions' 2015 Under-17 World Cup squad.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here.


As a cottage with its own underground cave goes on the market, BBC News takes a tour of some of the other unusual homes that have challenged the descriptive abilities of estate agents.

Industrial behemoths, whimsical follies and surreal structures are among the properties that have gone up for sale in recent years.
Perched on a craggy outcrop above Towan Beach in Newquay, this property was sold by Lord and Lady Long for £1m in 2012.
The island, which is known as both Towan Island and Jago Island, is reached by a private suspension footbridge. The titled couple, in their 80s, said they sold up because they wanted somewhere with a more accessible front door.
According to Visit Newquay, the house's occupants have included a reclusive Irish-Canadian eccentric who played the organ at night, and Alexander Lodge, who invented sparkplugs.
The current owners of the house, who do not want to be identified, lease the property out for holiday rentals - it costs £4,500 for a week in the summer.
With imposing views and an equally imposing address, No 1, The Thames sold last year for a mere £500,000 - which may seem like a bargain for a seven-bedroom mansion within commuting distance of central London.
Situated a kilometre (0.6 miles) off the Isle of Grain, roughly where the rivers Thames and Medway meet, Grain Tower Battery is a bomb-proof fort built in about 1855.
The drawback? The 160 year-old estuary gun emplacement can only be reached by boat or when the tide is out.
The Lime Works in Faversham, Kent, is currently on the market for £1.5m, a mere snip compared to its original sale price of £3.75m.
Described by estate agents Savills as an "impressive and highly individual conversion of two water towers into a spacious and contemporary home", the 1930s building was a functioning water-softening plant until 1942.
The new owner will be able to enjoy a heated rooftop swimming pool, cinema, motion sensor lighting and "hand-crafted concrete beds and baths".
Work on the house is only 90% finished, "which will allow the buyer to design and specify the final 10%".
Maybe some taps for the concrete bath would be on the list.
This house, named Tracks End, started life as a third-class Midland Railway carriage.
Decommissioned from the Tewkesbury Line in 1926, it was transported to Castlemorton, Worcestershire and turned into a two-bedroom house which went on the market in 2014 for £290,000.
A bungalow in Helston, Cornwall, was actually built around a railway carriage. Outwardly an ordinary home, Waverley's bathroom and two bedrooms are within the car, while the kitchen, hall and living room are in the surrounding structure.
Martello towers are small defensive forts - usually coastal - built during the 19th Century. They played a key role in defending the UK against the threat of Napoleonic invasion
Tower number 55, in Norman's Bay near Pevensey in East Sussex, sold for £285,000 in 2004.
Planning permission was granted by the local council for the tower to be converted into a two-bedroom house.
The water tower in Burton Green near Kenilworth, Warwickshire, is a German-designed Art Deco building with protruding buttresses.
The Corporation of Coventry owned the tower before Severn Trent became responsible for water supply in the region.
It sold for £250,000 in 2013, with planning permission to convert it into a four-bedroom home.
This cricket pavilion in Thurston, Bury St Edmunds, sold for £215,000 in 2012.
The modest single-storey building was the pavilion in a neighbouring village and was moved to its current location in about 1930.
Take a tour of the cottage with a cave (in case you missed it).


UKIP's leader in Wales has insisted he has the backing of party members, despite calls for him to stand down in a row over assembly candidates.

Nathan Gill said claims he had failed to represent rank-and-file members were "nonsense".
He refused to quit in the run-up to May's election, with pollsters tipping UKIP to win its first Senedd seats.
Mr Gill also said he was determined to campaign in the EU referendum - "the whole reason why I joined UKIP".
"I can't give up at the last hurdle," he told BBC Wales Today.
Four UKIP general election candidates have said Mr Gill should stand down because of a row over the party's regional list candidates for May's election.
Some activists complained that former Tory MPs Neil Hamilton and Mark Reckless were set to be imposed as candidates by the party centrally.
UKIP's National Executive Committee (NEC) has said it will give party members the final say over the ranking of regional candidates.
The NEC had met three times in three weeks to agree the selection process "because I stood firm about what I knew we needed for Wales", Mr Gill said.
He added: "I know the quality of the people that we've got, the passionate membership, the capability that we have, and I've stood up for them.
"And maybe some of the members haven't seen that because it's happened behind closed doors, but I've stood up for Wales."
He refused to be drawn on whether he wanted Mr Hamilton to stand for UKIP, saying it was up to members to decide.
Mr Gill - a Euro-MP who wants to stand in the north Wales region for the assembly - was appointed as UKIP's Welsh leader by Nigel Farage in 2014.
He said: "There are people who obviously don't like me and there are people who do like me.
"But I think the people who back me by far outweigh those who don't."
Some of his critics had spoken out "for personal reasons" after changing their minds about whether they wanted to be candidates, he said.


French customs officials have seized about 2,000 dead seahorses - a protected species - in parcels from Guinea that were destined for Vietnam.

Seahorses are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).
But they find ready markets in Vietnam and China, where they are ground up to make supposed aphrodisiacs.
In February 2015 French officials seized some 19,000 seahorses en route from Madagascar to Hong Kong.
Customs at Chilly-Mazarin, in the Paris region, said several parcels of dead seahorses had been intercepted in July and August. Sent from Conakry in Guinea, they had been stuffed into plastic bags and were bound for Hanoi.


Striker Martyn Waghorn says that signing players like Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar would prove that Rangers mean business in the top flight.

Rangers are vying with Barton's present club, Burnley, to sign the 33-year-old.
And they have also been linked with a move for 31-year-old Kranjcar, who is presently with New York Cosmos.
"They have a huge amount of experience and for us as a club to be looking at players like that is only a positive," said Waghorn.
"The quality of these two players is different class. They have shown over the years what they can do in the Premiership down south."
Barton, who won one England cap, and Croatia international Kranjcar played together in midfield at Queens Park Rangers.
"Joey Barton is known as a tough-tackling midfielder, but if you look at his performances for Burnley this year, he can play a bit as well," said former Sunderland, Leicester City and Wigan Athletic striker Waghorn.
"He would be great experience-wise for the middle of the park.
"It would be great competition for guys like Andy Halliday, Jason Holt, Dean Shiels and Nicky Law, who have all done great this year."
Rangers have already won the Scottish Championship title and promotion, with the signature of 19-year-old Liverpool midfielder Jordan Rossiter being secured for next season.
Now they are preparing for Saturday's Scottish Cup final against Hibernian, with a place in the Europa League qualifiers as a prize for the winners.
"If we get into the Europe League, competition will be key," said Waghorn. "You need to have a squad that is competitive from number one to 20.
"We've been linked with Barton and Kranjcar, but the signing of the young boy Jordan Rossiter is another key one.
"I've spoken to a few people down at Liverpool and they speak highly of him.
"So our intentions are good. The higher the calibre of player we have, the more it will bring out the best in the guys here, so the more the merrier."


It has been a "disastrous" season for honey production in Scotland, according to a beekeeping expert.

John Mellis said the cold and wet summer meant some hives had provided barely enough honey for the bees to survive on, let alone provide surplus.
He estimated that Scotland's honey production was only a quarter of what it should be, calling this year's yield a "total disaster".
Mr Mellis, a bee farmer, said he was "losing money" on this year's crop.
He is one of Scotland's 26 bee farm owners, running about 250 hives from a base in the Nith Valley, north of Dumfries.
His colonies started work in the spring making blossom honey from flowers and hedgerows. The bees were then moved on to pollinate summer crops such as oilseed rape and ended up in the autumn on heather-clad hills.
Each habitat gives a different, distinctive, honey. But overall, it has not been a productive year.
"This year has almost nationally been a disaster from top to bottom of the UK," he told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme. "In Scotland, our blossom crop is probably 25% of what it should be.
"That's just a total disaster because it means we're losing money."
However, Mr Mellis also produces heather honey which he said had given him a better return.
The UK is the fourth largest importer of honey in the world, and only 15% of the honey eaten - about 26,000 tonnes a year - is produced in the UK.
Mr Mellis added: "We have a huge market we cannot lead. There's a huge potential gap which we could fill."
Although about 2,500 Scots keep bees as a hobby, it takes at least Â£50,000 - and about 200 hives - to set up as a commercial bee farmer.


A man has been badly hurt in an explosion outside a house in Fife.

Police Scotland said the 20-year-old suffered "life changing" injuries in the blast in Pittenweem on Thursday.
Emergency services were called to Milton Road at about 19:30. The blast was understood to involve pesticides and took place in an outbuilding.
The man was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. Police said there was no threat to the wider public and the incident appeared to be non-suspicious.


Plans for a £12bn nuclear power plant in Wales has been a focus for talks between the UK chancellor and the Japanese government.

Philip Hammond said he hoped more discussions mean "we are able to move forward in the new year".
Japanese-owned Horizon Nuclear Power wants to submit planning applications for the Wylfa Newydd reactors on Anglesey in 2017.
Energy Secretary Greg Clark will fly out to Japan for more talks next week.
Talking to reporters in Tokyo, Mr Hammond said the companies involved in the Wylfa Newydd bid had been "trying to put together a financing package that meets our requirements".
"We are very grateful to the Japanese system for the way it has engaged with our particular needs and think we are making good progress."
Mr Hammond had negotiations with Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and Mr Clark will follow him out to the Far East before Christmas for what was hoped to be a "fruitful discussion".
"He is coming to talk with representatives of the government and the companies as we try to take this project forward," said the chancellor.
Hitachi, which owns Horizon Nuclear, has declined to comment on reports it is in discussions with banks over funding the project, or at what stage talks are at with the UK Government.
However, a spokesperson for Horizon added: ""It is no secret that we are in discussions with the UK Government and have been for some time. These discussions are of course complex and while they are ongoing it would be premature and inappropriate for us to comment on the nature of them."


The brains of women with bulimia react differently to food under stress than other women's brains, psychologists have discovered.

In a small study, US researchers found decreased blood flow in bulimic women to a part of the brain involved in self-critical thinking.
This supports the idea they may be using food to avoid dwelling on negative thoughts about themselves.
Bulimia usually leads to binge-eating and then purging, through vomiting.
It is an eating disorder and a mental health condition that means people have an abnormal attitude to food and body image.
Psychologists have long thought that binge-eating is triggered by stress and gives women with bulimia a way of focusing on food, instead of being critical of themselves.
This is the first study to look at what happens in their brains.
Writing in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Washington researchers scanned the brains of 20 women - 10 with bulimia and 10 without - while carrying out experiments.
They fed them all the same meal before showing them a series of neutral pictures followed by pictures of high-sugar or high-fat food, such as ice cream, pizza or brownies, while having their brains scanned.
To make them stressed, the participants were given an impossible maths problem to solve - then they were shown different photos of sugar and fat-laden food and asked the rate their stress and food craving levels.
Although everyone said their stress levels had gone up and down at similar times during the tasks, the brain scans had shown very different results, the researchers said.
For women with bulimia, blood flow to a region of the brain called the precuneus decreased when they looked at food pictures - but in women without bulimia, it increased.
Sarah Fischer, co-author of the study and associate professor at George Mason University, said: "We would expect to see increased blood flow in this region when someone is engaged in self-reflection, rumination or self-criticism."
And in a second study, involving 17 different women with bulimia, the results were the same.
The researchers say the decreased blood flow is a sign that thinking about food shuts down thoughts about their own shortcomings in those with bulimia.
Ms Fischer said the findings could help women to control their binge-eating triggers.
"We found that it doesn't take much stress to trigger binge-eating," she said.
"I would love to see if teaching basic emotion-regulation behavioural skills works for some women.
"For others, they may need medication or trans-cranial stimulation to stop the rise in stress before they binge."
The eating disorder charity Beat said the first port of call for people looking for help was to visit their GP.
The GP may then recommend online support or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and sometimes medication.


Frances Oldham Kelsey, the Canadian doctor who played a central role in preventing the drug thalidomide being distributed in the US, has died at 101.

She refused to approve it while working for the US drug agency in the 1960s.
It was later found that thalidomide - prescribed to pregnant women to ease morning sickness - was causing thousands of babies to be born with missing limbs or organs. Many died.
She was lauded by citizens' groups and was awarded honorary degrees.
Dr Kelsey passed away in London, Ontario, on Friday, Canada's CBC reported.
Her daughter Christine Kelsey was by her side.
Dr Kelsey - who worked at the US Food and Drug Administration - is seen as a hero by many across the US for raising concerns about the safety of thalidomide, which is also known as Kevadon.
Dr Kelsey continued to press the manufacturer - who complained about her attitude - for information.
The side-effects of the drug then became apparent as the battle of wills dragged on.
She was given the award for distinguished federal civilian service by President John F Kennedy.
Last month she was appointed to the Order of Canada.


Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro broke his leg during his side's win over Espanyol on Sunday, the club has announced.

The 24-year-old was forced off after 19 minutes during the 2-0 away win.
The La Liga side did not say how long the Brazilian would be out but Spanish media suggest he could miss three weeks.
The defensive midfielder has made five appearances in all competitions for Madrid this season.


BP has sunk to a $485m (£334m) loss for the three months to March as low oil prices took their toll.

The loss, on the replacement cost measure, compared with a $2.1bn profit for the same period last year, but was lower than the $2.2bn loss for the three months to December.
The oil giant took a $917m charge for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, taking the total to $56.4bn.
It was still unable to estimate its liability for civil claims.
On an underlying basis, which strips out one-off costs, BP reported an adjusted profit of $532m despite expectations for a loss. However, this figure was sharply lower than the $2.58bn profit for the same period last year.
Its refining and trading division reported a profit of $1.8bn, offsetting a $747m loss in oil and gas production.
Brent crude averaged $34 a barrel in the quarter, compared with $44 in the last three months of 2015 and $54 in the first quarter last year.
Chief executive Bob Dudley said he expected global oil supply and demand to balance towards the end of the year, which could help push prices higher.
"Operational performance is strong and our work to reset costs has considerable momentum and is delivering results," he said.
Earlier this month BP, faced a shareholder revolt when almost 60% voted against its remuneration report, which included a pay deal of $19.6m (£13.8m) for Mr Dudley.
Despite the slide in the oil price, BP held the quarterly dividend at 10 cents a share. Its shares rose 3% to 370.2p in early trading in London.
Steve Clayton, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said BP could not afford to keep paying a dividend indefinitely while making a loss: "Ultimately there's only so far the company can travel down this road before it runs out of gas."
"It looks like BP is betting on a rapid return to significantly higher oil prices. If they duly appear, then BP will have protected its shareholders through the tough times. But if oil does not rebound, then BP will become progressively weaker in an environment where strength matters."
In February, BP reported that annual profits had more than halved to $5.9bn following the collapse in oil prices.
The company cut spending three times in 2015 to $19bn and shed about 10% of its 80,000-strong workforce.
Spending this year should be about $17bn, but could be cut by up to $2bn if oil prices remain depressed.