Former John Lewis boss Andy Street cemented a series of Conservative victories in the elections for new English regional mayors.

Mr Street won the contest to become the West Midlands regional leader, defeating former Labour MP Sion Simon.
Labour's Andy Burnham won in Greater Manchester, despite the party suffering heavy losses in council elections.
The Tories have four out of six new mayors, including the Tees Valley and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region were won comfortably by Labour without needing to consider voters' second preferences under the supplementary voting system.
The elections see "metro" mayors take the reins of groups of councils known as combined authorities.
Meet the mayors: Who are the new leaders?
The West Midlands contest, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton as well as Solihull and the Black Country, came down to a margin of 1% in the first round.
Conservative Mr Street took 216,280 votes to Mr Simon's 210,259. He won by 3,766 votes after second preferences of those who opted for other candidates were counted.
Mr Street said it was the start of a "new, urban Conservative agenda".
Overall, 26% of eligible voters chose a candidate with most people staying away from the polling stations on Thursday.
The result is a big upset for Labour, which won 21 out of 28 constituencies in the 2015 general election.
Mr Street, whose high-profile election campaign is reported to have cost almost Â£1m, gave up his business career last year to stand for the newly-created mayoral post.
In his victory speech, Mr Burnham promised to be a mayor for everyone in the area whether they voted for him or not.
The 47-year-old former health secretary, who represented Leigh as an MP, said: "This is the dawn of a new era, not just for this city region but for politics in our country, that has been too London-centric for too long.
"The old political and party structures haven't delivered for all people and all places. They have created this crisis in politics which we are living through now."
Turnout was just under 29%, ranging from 32% in Stockport and Bury to 25% in Salford and Rochdale. Mr Burnham won 63%, with 359,352 votes.
Elsewhere the Conservatives have won at least two of the six new mayoral contests and are in the lead in two more.
In Tees Valley, Conservative Ben Houchen won after a run-off against Labour's Sue Jeffrey.
Turnout was just 21%.
Mr Houchen described the result a "political earthquake" after he won by 481 votes in the first round but extended his lead after the second preferences of those who had voted for the other candidates were re-counted.
Conservative Tim Bowles was declared the winner in the West of England, where turnout was less than 30%.
However, experts said this was better than the historically low turnouts for police and crime commissioners.
Steve Rotheram won the role as mayor of Liverpool City Region with 171,176 votes, on a turnout of 26%.
Mr Rotheram, who was the MP for Liverpool Walton since 2010, was declared the winner after the first round of counting because he received more than 50% of votes cast.
Turnout was low in all areas of the region, averaging just 26.1%. Just 20.5% of people voted in Halton, while 28.6% voted in Liverpool.
Mr Bowles won the Â£62,000-a-year West of England post with 70,300 votes. Turnout was only 29.7%, with 199,519 voting out of a possible 671,280.
The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) he will lead brings together councils for Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
Turnout for the region was lowest in Bristol South, where just 25.55% of people voted, and highest in Bristol West, where 40.7% of people chose a candidate.
In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough it was 33% overall, varying from 26.7% in Fenland to 42.4% in South Cambridgeshire.
James Palmer, the Conservative candidate, won the first round with 76,064 and went on to win in the second round. The Liberal Democrat candidate Rod Cantrill won 47,026 votes in the first round.
Alongside voting for the region's first mayor, 61 councillors are being elected to the county council .
In Peterborough, where there were no council elections, turnout was 24.7% which equates to 33,201 votes.
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However, the turnouts for the mayors are better than those for the first police and crime commissioner elections in 2012, which saw just 14.9% of voters cast a ballot.
Experts said the turnout in the mayoral elections gave the new leaders the same level of mandate as local councillors.
Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of think tank the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) said: "So far, in most of the areas where we have figures for turnout it's been around the 30% mark. That's broadly in line with turn out for the county council elections that happened yesterday and with local elections generally. It's certainly far better than the disastrously low turnout we saw in the first police and crime commissioner elections.
"The new metro mayors will be local government leaders working with other leaders, often heading cabinets of council leaders: this level of turnout will mean they can do this with the same level of mandate as the rest of local government.
"Most incoming mayors will be privately pleased with this level of turnout, while hoping to raise their profile in office and improve significantly upon it next time they go to the polls."
Simon Edwards, director of the County Councils Network, said: "The picture across the country where turnout figures are available shows that more people are getting out to vote in county areas compared to the urban metro mayor contests.
"Importantly, this arguably shows people identify more with their county and the strong local governance already in place in rural England, showcasing why there should not be an arbitrary requirement for a directly-elected mayor in place for significant devolution deals to take place in England's counties."
A government spokesman said: "Turnout in the first ever regional "metro" mayoral elections is in line with recent elections of a similar size. Local people had the opportunity in these elections to shape how their area is run."


The number of people waiting longer than nine months for hospital treatment in Wales has risen again.

Figures for August showed 28,654 people waiting longer than nine months, the target time for everyone to be treated.
Tory spokesman Darren Millar blamed "record-breaking budget cuts", while Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams said Labour had "lost control of our NHS".
The Welsh government said the figures were "not acceptable" but said spending on health was up by 9% in two years.
Mr Millar said: "Labour ministers have starved our NHS of more than Â£1bn over the past five years, while spending in other parts of the UK has been protected.
"These waiting time statistics show that it's patients and their loved ones who are paying the price."
Ms Williams accused Labour of "failure" on public services and a "poverty of ambition".
"NHS staff are working around the clock to offer the very best treatment they can," she said.
"Sadly they are having to work in very trying circumstances which is making their job incredibly difficult."
A Welsh government spokesman said: "These figures are not acceptable and we expect to see urgent improvement to reduce the number of people experiencing long waiting times for the start of their treatment.
"However, they do show that more than eight out of 10 were waiting less than 26 weeks to start treatment at the end of August 2015, with nearly 94% waiting less than 36 weeks.
"The standard referral to treatment time is 11 weeks."
He added that an extra Â£1.1bn had been invested in the Welsh NHS in the past two years, despite cuts in funding for the overall Welsh budget by the UK government.


Ceremonies have been held across the UK and in Belgium to mark 100 years since Britain joined World War One.

In pictures: WW1 anniversary
A service was held at Westminster Abbey, in London, where a light installation called Spectra beamed a column of white light into the sky while a candle-lit prayer vigil was held inside.
The service of solemn commemoration was attended by the Duchess of Cornwall, where members of the congregation held candles.
Across the country lights were switched off and candles were lit, in churches and places of worship, public buildings and homes among other premises, including outside Number 10 Downing Street.
The lights were switched off at the Houses of Parliament, as part of the UK-wide "Lights Out" event recalling then-foreign secretary Sir Edward Grey's remark on the eve of the outbreak of war: "The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime."
Candles were lit across the UK to mark the centenary, while the London Eye, in London's South Bank, was plunged into darkness.
Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prime Minister David Cameron and Prince Harry were among the dignitaries to attend a twilight ceremony at the St Symphorien Military cemetery, near Mons, Belgium.
Dignitaries, including Prince William and Mr Cameron, laid loose flowers as a mark of respect at the ceremony - rather than wreaths or poppies, which became a tradition after the end of World War One.
The Queen was also among those to pay their respects in Scotland when she attended a memorial service at Crathie Kirk in Aberdeenshire.
Crowds gathered at the town hall in Mons to greet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry as they appeared on the balcony.
A message on a wreath laid by PM Mr Cameron in Glasgow earlier read: "Your most enduring legacy is our liberty. We must never forget."
The royal couple also made a private visit to see the graves of UK, Commonwealth and German soldiers at St Symphorien Military Cemetery in Mons.
Members of re-enactment group the Great War Society were showered by poppies in a ceremony at the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, on Monday.
The King and Queen of Belgium met the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at a ceremony in Liege where commemorations have been taking place.
A military veteran was one of many attending events in Folkestone, Kent, where Prince Harry unveiled a memorial arch to honour the fallen.
Speaking in Liege, Prince William described the Belgian people's resistance "as gallant as their suffering was great".
King Philippe of Belgium was met by a girl dressed in white in Liege.
King Philippe of Belgium (far left) prior to laying a wreath in Liege, which was once seen as the most fortified spot in Europe.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spoke to French President Francois Hollande at the ceremony.
Bands from Germany, dressed in grey, and Belgium (right) performed for dignitaries attending the Liege event.
Thousands of balloons were released over the Belgian city as the ceremony drew to a close.
Prince Harry laid a wreath and met members of the armed forces during a visit to Folkestone, Kent.
A woman sheltered under her umbrella ahead of those Kent commemorations.
Also in Folkestone, balloons decorated with the emblem of a poppy and carrying the name of a fallen soldier were released into the sky.
The town also saw veterans and soldiers parade past a sign written in English, French and German.
Chelsea Pensioners have also been commemorating the anniversary with a central London parade.
The Tower of London moat has been turned red by 888,246 ceramic poppies, one for every British and Commonwealth soldier killed during the conflict.
Prince Charles attended Glasgow Cathedral for a service - alongside many Commonwealth figures - where he signed a commemoration book.
Elsewhere, 100 white crosses have been placed outside New Zealand's parliament building in Wellington, in memory of the more than 18,000 New Zealand troops killed in WW1.
A memorial archway in Folkestone, unveiled by Prince Harry, marks the role the Kent port town played in World War One. It became known as the gateway to the trenches as the location millions of soldiers began their voyage to France.
On its Twitter feed, the British Army published a photo of The Queen's Dragoon Guards in Afghanistan (right) recreating an image of soldiers moving up the trenches in 1914.


The husband of reality TV star and ex-Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona has pleaded not guilty to assaulting her at their home in East Sussex.

George Kay, 36, of Hollybank Moore, Warrington, Cheshire, was arrested following an alleged row at the property in Crowborough last September.
He was charged with assault by beating and unlawful possession of a stun gun disguised as a torch.
Mr Kay denied both charges at Hove Crown Court. He faces a trial in April.
He has been freed on bail on condition that he does not contact Ms Katona except via an agreed third party, and does not enter Crowborough.
Asking whether he could go to Crowborough to get his hair cut, Judge David Rennie replied: "No, that's slightly daft. You can get your hair cut somewhere else."
Ms Katona, 35, married the ex-rugby league player in 2014.


Two spaniels are in the dog house after lapping up their owner's Christmas drink.

Martha and Oscar needed treatment by a vet after drinking the Advocaat which had been knocked over by a third dog Brecon.
Martha was found staggering and swaying in the garden of her Gateshead home by owners Fiona and Anthony Robson.
The Robsons said it should act as a warning to others about keeping alcohol out of the reach of animals.
Mrs Robson said: "I was panic-stricken as we are so careful with our pets and could never have imagined anything like this happening.
"I won't be keeping bottles on the top of unit anymore. I would advise pet owners to keep everything locked away."
The pooches were taken to Prince Bishop Veterinary Hospital in Consett where vet Emma Hindson induced vomiting before feeding them activated charcoal to absorb the remaining alcohol.
Dr Hindson said: "Alcohol affects pets in the same way it does humans, so Oscar and Martha were quite tiddly when they arrived.
"This was an unfortunate accident and their owner did the right thing by bringing them in immediately for treatment. Her responsible action meant everything turned out fine and they could go home."
It was the second case of drunk dogs the veterinary practice had seen this festive season after two Labradors were found drinking red wine.


A Malaysian woman whose husband was on the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is seeking $7.6m (£5.4m) in damages from the airline and the government.

K Sri Devi accuses the airline of negligence and breach of contract.
Her lawsuit also names Malaysia's civil aviation authority and air force for losing track of the plane with 239 people on board on 8 March 2014.
Many more similar lawsuits are expected before a two-year filing deadline set by a global aviation agreement.
In the lawsuit, Ms Devi - together with her two sons and parents-in-law - alleges wrongful death of her husband, S Puspanathan, due to negligence and breach of contract by Malaysia Airlines and the Malaysian government authorities.
"They were waiting for some development in the search for the plane but nothing has been forthcoming so far. Everyone is hoping for some answers through the court," her lawyer, Shailender Bhar, told the Associated Press news agency.
Several other relatives of some of the passengers on board MH370 have either already filed or are preparing to file similar claims in other countries, reports say.
The 1999 Montreal Convention allows each next-of-kin of an air crash victim to claim up to 113,100 special drawing rights (SDR), a mix of currency values established by the International Monetary Fund. The value - which changes regularly - currently equals to about $157,000.
However, a plaintiff filing a lawsuit can seek more.
Flight MH370 disappeared during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. There were 227 passengers on board, including 153 Chinese and 38 Malaysians, according to the manifest. Seven were children.
Based on satellite communications data, the plane is thought to have crashed in the Indian Ocean, but only one piece of debris from the aircraft has ever been found, on the French island of Reunion.


West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster has been ruled out for at least four weeks with a knee injury.

The England international, 31, damaged cartilage during West Brom's Premier League win over Stoke on Saturday.
Boaz Myhill will start against Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday, with former academy player Jack Rose, 20, deputising for him.
"It's rotten news for Ben because he's been so consistent," West Brom head coach Tony Pulis said.
"He kept seven clean sheets in 10 games but we have a very able man to step forward in Boaz, who has performed well when he's come into the team."
Foster will likely miss Premier League matches against Manchester City, QPR and Leicester City.
He will also be absent for England's Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley on 27 March and the international friendly against Italy in Turin four days later.
"We've got the international break coming up, which I hope will give our medical team the chance to work on Ben's rehab and we will reassess later," Pulis continued.


Plymouth's lead at the top of League Two was cut to three points after Barnet inflicted a second home defeat on the Pilgrims in four days.

The Bees went ahead when Bira Dembele was left unmarked from a corner, and scored with a looping header.
David Fox hit the bar from the edge of the box for Argyle, while Jake Jervis had a strong penalty appeal waved away.
The division's top scorer John Akinde doubled Barnet's advantage, beating the offside trap before slotting home.
Visiting keeper Jamie Stephens made two great saves to keep Plymouth out - from Jervis's shot and Sonny Bradley's powerful header.
Match ends, Plymouth Argyle 0, Barnet 2.
Second Half ends, Plymouth Argyle 0, Barnet 2.
Substitution, Barnet. Sam Togwell replaces Ryan Watson.
Gary Miller (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by John Akinde (Barnet).
Jake Jervis (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Elliot Johnson (Barnet).
Attempt saved. Craig Tanner (Plymouth Argyle) header from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the top left corner.
Attempt missed. Paul Garita (Plymouth Argyle) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Substitution, Barnet. Alex Nicholls replaces Luke Gambin.
Foul by Sonny Bradley (Plymouth Argyle).
John Akinde (Barnet) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Paul Garita (Plymouth Argyle) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Plymouth Argyle. Jordan Slew replaces Nauris Bulvitis.
Foul by Gary Miller (Plymouth Argyle).
Elliot Johnson (Barnet) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Connor Smith (Plymouth Argyle) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Sonny Bradley (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ben Tomlinson (Barnet).
Connor Smith (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bira Dembélé (Barnet).
Substitution, Plymouth Argyle. Craig Tanner replaces Oscar Threlkeld.
Foul by Graham Carey (Plymouth Argyle).
Mauro Vilhete (Barnet) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner,  Barnet. Conceded by Sonny Bradley.
Attempt blocked. John Akinde (Barnet) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Oscar Threlkeld (Plymouth Argyle) header from the left side of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. John Akinde (Barnet) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner,  Barnet. Conceded by Connor Smith.
Ryan Watson (Barnet) is shown the yellow card.
Connor Smith (Plymouth Argyle) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Paul Garita (Plymouth Argyle).
Mauro Vilhete (Barnet) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. David Fox (Plymouth Argyle) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner,  Barnet. Conceded by Oscar Threlkeld.
Connor Smith (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Luke Gambin (Barnet).
Foul by Jake Jervis (Plymouth Argyle).
Elliot Johnson (Barnet) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Sonny Bradley (Plymouth Argyle) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.


A woman in her 80s fought off an attacker by "squeezing his testicles", police have said.

The woman was walking her dog in Stoke Orchard near Cheltenham when a man appeared shouting "get off my land" and hit her in the mouth.
She "immediately grabbed the man by his testicles" and he fell to the ground, Gloucestershire Police said.
A spokesman added: "This was an unusual method of self-defence and the attacker got more than he bargained for."
The attack, at about 11:30 BST on Monday, left the woman with bruising and a small cut, police said.
The man is described as white, about 5ft 8in tall, between 25 and 35, with tanned skin and a "young voice".
The police spokesman added: "It would have been a terrible experience for a person of any age and we would urge anyone who can help to come forward."


Forest Green Rovers have been promoted to the English Football League for the first time in their history after a 3-1 win over Tranmere Rovers in the National League promotion final at Wembley on Sunday.

But just how much do you know about the world's "greenest" football club?
BBC Sport looks at five things you may not be aware of about the non-league outfit, founded in 1889.
They have not kicked a ball yet and Forest Green have already broken an EFL record.
The Gloucestershire town of Nailsworth, where Rovers are based, has become the smallest settlement to ever host a Football League club.
With a population of just 5,800, Nailsworth is home to about 2,000 more people than attended the second leg of Rovers' 3-1 aggregate play-off semi-final win over Dagenham & Redbridge at The New Lawn.
In July 2015, Forest Green unveiled plans for a new stadium within an 'Eco Park', to be ready later this decade.
Owner Dale Vince, who believes the club can "easily win promotion to League One", ambitiously and confidently declared that Forest Green "will be" a Football League club by the time they eventually move in.
The plans for an all-seater stadium and a 100-acre sports and green technology centre - all next to junction 13 of the M5 - have impressed supporters.
Similarities can certainly be drawn with Gloucestershire's newest 'environmentally-friendly' service station, nearby on the same stretch of motorway, serving locally-sourced food, and this new stadium is part of Vince's vision for a green club.
But their existing ground is hardly a menace to the environment...
For example, in December 2012, the club won an award for growing a pitch without using chemicals.
The 'organic' playing surface, spread using Scottish seaweed, is thought to be the first in the world.
The surface was criticised by former manager Ady Pennock last season, perhaps accelerating him being replaced by current boss Mark Cooper.
But with solar panels powering the electricity at The New Lawn and the club even using a solar-powered lawn mower to trim the grass, Vince has gone all-out in his aim to be the greenest club on the planet.
Fans of League Two clubs visiting the Gloucestershire side next season will not be seeing beef burgers and steak pies on the menu at The New Lawn.
That is because owner Vince has introduced vegan-only food for supporters.
But the players themselves are banned from eating red meat and dietary habits have been known to be a factor during recruitment.
The National League side take bringing players in very seriously.
The club use the 'Moneyball' philosophy, using statistics to determine which players to sign.
However, they now have a vacancy in that department after performance analyst Charlie Reeves left to take up a role with Premier League side Everton.
The economics graduate joined the club in October 2015 and said: "I'm extremely grateful to Forest Green for supporting my work - they have always given me all the tools I needed to push the analytics as far as I could.
"At Everton, I hope to have a meaningful effect on the way the club works, utilise the power of data analysis and ultimately the performance of the team on the pitch."
The original version of this story appeared on the BBC Sport website on 13 May 2016.


Gunfire broke out in Ferguson, Missouri, after a car hit a protester marking the second anniversary of the death of Michael Brown.

No one appeared to have been wounded by the gunfire. The extent of the hit protester's injuries are unknown.
It followed a day of peaceful commemorations to remember 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was killed by a white police officer in 2014.
Ferguson has been a flashpoint for protests since the fatal shooting.
The demonstrations spread to other US cities after a jury decided not to charge police officer Darren Wilson over the killing.
The death of Michael Brown sparked protests nationwide over the fatal shootings of other black men and boys by police officers.
How one shooting sparked national protests
Has anything changed since Ferguson?
White and black Americans split on race
The car hit the protester during an evening march along a major street in Ferguson.
Witness Sharon Cowan told AP news agency that the driver, a woman, "knocked the shoes off his feet... Hit him, and he rolled and he bounced."
Photos showed the protester appearing to be conscious and being carried away. He is thought to have been taken to hospital.
Shortly after he was hit, a number of protesters began chasing the car, pulling out guns and firing them as they did so, witnesses said.
"The bullets started flying, and I started screaming," said Heather DeMian.
Ferguson Police spokesman Jeff Small said it appeared that the car driver had not intended to knock over a protester, and she was being "very co-operative", the St Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper reported.
He said there were bullet holes in the car, but no-one was injured.
Earlier in the day, Michael Brown's father remembered his son as someone who "built families up, opened the eyes of the world and let them know this ain't right.
"This colour is beautiful. Black is beautiful," he said.
The exact details of what happened that day remain disputed by police, eyewitnesses and family members.
What is known for certain is that around midday on 9 August 2014, police officer Darren Wilson was driving a police car and encountered Mr Brown and a friend walking down a street.
Minutes later 18-year-old Mr Brown was dead, suffering at least seven gunshot wounds, according to county prosecutor Bob McCulloch. His body lay in the street for four hours before it was removed.
Mr Wilson fired a total of 12 bullets, though investigators were unclear exactly how many of the 12 struck Mr Brown. One injury may have been a re-entry wound.
Timeline of Michael Brown shooting


Police are trying to trace a key witness who went to aid of a woman shortly after she was raped in Glasgow city centre early on Friday.

The 36-year-old woman was assaulted in a lane off Renfrew Street, near Charing Cross, between 04:00 and 04:30.
Police Scotland said there was no description of the attacker but officers were collecting CCTV footage.
Officers want to speak to a man who offered the victim water before police arrived, who may hold key information.
Forensic experts have been examining the scene of the attack for evidence that could identify the assailant.
Det Insp Graeme McLachlan said: "We are trying to establish the exact circumstances of what happened and piece together the information we currently have.
"I am appealing to anyone who was in the area who may have heard anything or who may have seen something.
"I am particularly keen to identify a man described as being in his 30s, with short brown hair, who went to the assistance of the woman providing her with water before police arrival. If this is you, or you know who it is, please make contact with police as soon as possible.
"I know the incident occurred in the early hours of this morning but there may have been passing motorists or people out and about in the area who may have seen something which seemed a little odd or suspicious to them.
"I would appeal to these people to please contact us and pass on any small piece of information.  You may think it's not important but it could turn out to be that vital piece of information which leads us to the suspect."


A Newsnight investigation into sexual abuse claims against Jimmy Savile should not have been dropped, the BBC's director general has told MPs.

But George Entwistle told the Commons culture committee he did not believe management pressure had led to a report on the former presenter being shelved.
Culture Secretary Maria Miller said "very real concerns" about public trust in the BBC have been raised.
Nine claims of sexual harassment involving BBC staff are being probed.
But Mr Entwistle said there was not enough evidence to say whether sexual abuse or harassment at the corporation was "endemic".
Mrs Miller has written to the chairman of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, to stress that the corporation's investigations into itself should be conducted "thoroughly".
In his response, Lord Patten said Mrs Miller knows "how seriously the trust takes the allegations", and added the inquiries would be "comprehensive and independent".
"Some of these cases have been passed to the police where appropriate, and we are reviewing others within our normal HR processes and procedures," it said in a statement.
In a two-hour appearance before the committee, Mr Entwistle said a "broader cultural problem" at the BBC in the past had allowed the abuse by Savile, who regularly appeared on British TV in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
A number of key issues were raised during the director general's grilling.
Mr Entwistle told MPs: "There is no question that what Jimmy Savile did and the way the BBC behaved in the years - the culture and practices of the BBC seems to allow Jimmy Savile to do what he did - will raise questions of trust for us and reputation for us.
"This is a gravely serious matter and one cannot look back at it with anything other than horror, frankly, that... his activities went on as long as they did undetected."
Police have launched a criminal investigation into Savile, who died last year aged 84.
They have described him as a predatory sex offender and believe he may have abused many people - including young girls - over a 40-year period.
On Monday, the BBC's Panorama programme reported on the abuse allegations against Savile as well as the decision by Newsnight last December to drop its investigations into the claims.
"I came away from Panorama firmly of the view that that investigation, even if in the judgement of the editor it wasn't ready for transmission at the point he was looking at it, should have been allowed to continue," Mr Entwistle said.
Asked whether there had been pressure from management on Newsnight to drop its Savile investigation, he said there was no evidence of this and denied any BBC cover-up of the allegations.
He said Peter Rippon had become convinced that examining whether police had failed properly to investigate Savile was crucial to airing the Newsnight report.
BBC home editor Mark Easton said Mr Entwistle portrayed an "almost baffling" system at the BBC.
"He talks about the situation where the head of television felt unable to talk to the head of news about an investigation which might have a direct impact on his Christmas schedules.
"I think people will find it very odd that you have what he called the 'referring up' structure - you don't have a refer across - so you have to go a long way up to come back down again.
"And that can make the BBC - I think people in the corporation would agree - sometimes a bit flat-footed. Outside people might say it makes them look a bit daft."
After Mr Entwistle made his appearance, Channel 4 News said it had obtained an email written by Liz MacKean - the Newsnight reporter responsible for the investigation - claiming Mr Rippon tried to "kill" her story with "impossible editorial demands".
Ms MacKean wrote to a friend to say her editor had told her Savile's alleged victims "were teenagers, not too young... they weren't the worst kind of sexual offences."
A BBC spokesman said "it would not be appropriate to comment" on Ms MacKean's email until a review by former head of Sky News, Nick Pollard, had concluded.
In his blog earlier this month defending his decision to pull the probe, Mr Rippon said he was "guided by editorial considerations only", adding some of the team "disagreed strongly with [his] judgement" while others "agreed equally strongly".
But on Monday the BBC issued a correction to some specific elements of the blog, calling it "inaccurate or incomplete in some respects", and the director general told MPs this was a matter of "regret and embarrassment".
Mr Entwistle said he had asked Mr Rippon to step aside because of inaccuracies in the blog.
But he said that he believed, "to the best of the evidence we have been able to assemble", the explanation now being offered for the dropping of the Newsnight report was accurate.
An independent inquiry led by former Sky head of news Nick Pollard will examine whether there were any failings in the BBC's management of the Newsnight investigation.
Mr Entwistle was asked about a brief conversation with BBC director of news Helen Boaden last December about the possibility of Newsnight running their report about Savile, while Mr Entwistle, as then BBC director of Vision, was planning Christmas tribute pieces to the presenter.
"The key message I took away was that it wasn't yet clear to Helen whether it was going to stand up or not," he said.
"I wouldn't have had any qualms about making any changes we needed to make to the Christmas schedule."
Asked whether he now regretted running the tribute programmes for Savile, Mr Entwistle told MPs: "In the light of what's happening, of course I do."
He added that the Panorama programme pointed to the BBC's health as a media organisation, rather than being a "symptom of chaos", because it showed the organisation's capacity to investigate itself.
He said no other news organisation in the world would do this.
Later Mr Entwistle emailed BBC staff to pledge the corporation was "determined to be open and transparent, however painful it may feel at times"
He added: "It is only by opening ourselves up that we can restore and maintain the trust of our audiences."
On Monday, former Court of Appeal judge Dame Janet Smith will begin a review into the culture and practices of the BBC during Savile's time at the corporation and will also examine if the BBC's child protection and whistleblowing policies are fit for purpose.
Jimmy Savile was a man with a high profile public persona, built on decades of broadcasting and charitable work.
He was seen as a flamboyant eccentric but is now accused of years of sexual abuse.
Explore this grid to find out more about his public life
Culture secretary Mrs Miller wrote to Lord Patten: "We have talked about the paramount importance of full public trust in the BBC's inquiries and agreed that it is essential that licence fee payers can be assured that they are being conducted thoroughly and with the full co-operation of the BBC."
Lord Patten replied: "You have recognised both the credibility and the scope of those who are leading the inquiries and the wide scope of their terms of reference."
But he issued a warning that the government should not wade into the row: "I know that you will not want to give any impression that you are questioning the independence of the BBC," he said.
The Panorama programme, Jimmy Savile - What the BBC Knew, is available on the BBC iPlayer.


This week 75 years ago, the future of Europe hung by a thread over the skies of southern England as the Battle of Britain came to a climax.

Pilots from the UK, the Commonwealth, the US and countries invaded by Germany were involved. They were joined by a handful of volunteers from Ireland.
Among them was Brendan Finucane from Dublin, also known as Spitfire Paddy.
By the time of his death, he had become a hero across Britain and in Irish America.
What makes the story of Wing Commander Paddy Finucane all the more unusual is that his father had fought alongside future Irish President Eamon De Valera in the 1916 Easter Rising when republicans rose against British rule in Ireland.
Thomas Andrew Finucane was one of those who held out against British soldiers in Dublin's Boland's Mill in fighting that eventually led to Ireland's independence.
His son got his taste for flying on pleasure flights at Baldonnel airfield near Dublin.
In 1938, he volunteered to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) at a time when the threat from Germany was becoming all too clear.
By the time the Battle of Britain began in 1940, he was in action and flying Spitfires.
On 1 August, in a battle with 12 Messerschmitts, he shot one down.
As he landed to refuel at RAF Manston, he found himself in the middle of an air-raid, and after a quick turnaround he was back in the battle damaging and destroying two more German fighters.
The following day, he was back in the air again in his Spitfire, recognisable because of the shamrock painted under the cockpit.
Again, he shot down one and possibly two enemy fighters within sight of Dover.
Over the next two years, he was rapidly promoted.
He was just 21 years old when he was made a wing commander.
To this day, he is the youngest ever to hold that rank.
His position as someone who could be used for publicity purposes was underlined when he shot down the best-known German fighter pilot of the time, Adolph Galland.
His fame spread across the Atlantic and he took part in several radio interviews for the BBC.
In one, Finucane said he was proud of his Irish blood and concerned to see it pouring out of him after he was "shot up".
"The cockpit was awash with blood. It was not until I was feeling a bit sick and dizzy did it dawn on me that it was my blood!" he said.
"It was good Dublin blood which, I thought, should not be wasted.
"How I even managed to land without a crack-up will never be known. The luck of the Irish triumphed that day."
The New York Journal hailed Finucane as a "fighting Gael" and the Chicago Herald carried a front-page picture of him under the headline: "Flying Shamrock terror of the Nazis."
But in Ireland it is only in recent years that Paddy Finucane's story has become better known.
This is perhaps due to the Republic of Ireland's neutral stance during that war.
His nephew, Brendan Finucane QC, said there was no doubt his uncle chose to fly for the RAF as he knew the Germans had to be stopped.
"My uncle was probably the most pre-eminent of that generation of Irishmen who volunteered to come and fight (with Britain) in the Second World War," he said.
"His story was not told in Ireland because of censorship there during the war and because it was ignored in the years following."
Mr Finucane, a judge in London, said his uncle was "an RAF pilot and always an Irishman".
His view was that if the Nazis invaded England, then they would invade Ireland.
"My uncle was a combination of being a true Irishman, but also realising he was fighting for the Royal Air Force and for Britain.
"As he was awarded some of the highest honours for gallantry by the king, he clearly also knew he was fighting for the Crown itself," he said.
The RAF's Battle of Britain Flight keeps the memory of men like Paddy Finucane alive.
Modern Spitfire pilot Flt Lt Anthony Parkinson said: "I've read about him.
"He was a good-looking guy, a natural fighter pilot and a leader.
"You have a guy who fought in the Battle of Britain and who, by the time he was killed, had 26 kills to his name.
"This was truly amazing and, without doubt, Paddy Finucane was an absolute hero."
Mervyn Jess tells the story of Spitfire Paddy on  BBC Newsline at 18:30 BST on Tuesday 15 September.


Proposals to reduce the number of children being diagnosed with autism are being considered by NHS commissioners in south-west London.

The idea of restricting an autism diagnosis to only the most severe cases was discussed earlier this month.
The local alliance of five clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) says nothing has been decided yet.
But the National Autistic Society says it is "deeply concerned" about the plans.
Board papers from a meeting of south-west London and St George's mental health trust a fortnight ago describe a service under intense pressure, with waiting times for autism diagnoses of more than 10 months.
The team is supposed to carry out 750 assessments a year.
But it is getting almost double that level of demand, with about 25 referrals a week.
The papers state that NHS commissioners, who fund services, have asked the trust to review who is eligible for the service - so they focus specifically on children who have another illness such as depression.
The report goes on to say: "The effect of reviewing and revising the criteria must be to reduce the number of children and young people who are able to access a full diagnostic assessment from the trust."
The National Autistic Society has written in protest to the local CCGs, covering Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Wandsworth and Sutton.
The charity's head of policy, Sarah Lambert, said: "If it goes ahead, this will leave many local children without access to a diagnosis and unable to access the specialist support they desperately need.
"That will threaten their long-term prospects and put a greater strain on many already vulnerable families.
"We believe this goes against CCGs' legal duty to make sure children in their area can access a diagnosis service.
"An autism diagnosis can be life changing. It can explain years of feeling different and help unlock crucial advice and support."
The charity has written to commissioners to express its concerns and to offer to help them make sure that this service remains available.
It ran a national campaign two years ago, highlighting the difficulties and long waits autistic people and families face in many areas in getting a diagnosis.
SEND Family Voices, the parent/carer forum in Kingston and Richmond, said: "The sense is that these proposals have been agreed, without due consultation with any of the stakeholders - and more importantly, without consideration of the impact upon families, children and young people."
The five CCGs said: "No decision has been made by the Trust or by the commissioning CCGs on taking this approach forward.
"We absolutely recognise the concerns of families of children with a neuro-developmental condition and the groups who support them.
"Any potential changes to the service would require detailed engagement with stakeholders. The CCGs are fully committed to talking to local people before reaching any conclusions on the way forward.
"We want to be clear that nothing has been decided by the CCGs or changed at this time and no change will happen in the next 12 months."


British number two Kyle Edmund is out of the Millennium Estoril Open after losing to qualifier Joao Domingues.

Domingues, the world number 242, fought back from 5-2 down in the third set and saved two match points before eventually beating the 22-year-old seventh seed 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-2).
The victory is the 23-year-old's first on the ATP World Tour.
Elsewhere, Britain's Aljaz Bedene beat Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the first round of the Istanbul Open.
The 27-year-old won 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-4, just two days after losing to Lucas Pouille in the Hungarian Open final.
The British number four will play top seed Milos Raonic for a place in the quarter-finals.


Alastair Campbell is returning to British newspapers as editor-at-large of The New European.

Almost a quarter of a century after he left the Daily Mirror to work for Tony Blair, Campbell will write regular columns and, like all editors-at-large, become an ambassador for the product, I have learned.
He will also commission pieces.
It was Campbell who persuaded Blair to write a high-profile front-page story for the paper.
Campbell already has a regular slot, whether a column or interview, in GQ magazine and also the International Business Times.
The most interesting thing about this story isn't what it says about Campbell, who chose the paper to serialise his recent memoirs, but about the growing confidence, impact and viability of the so-called pop-up paper for the 48% of Britons who voted Remain.
The paper's editor, Matt Kelly, is winning plaudits all over the place for turning a frankly quirky experiment after last year's referendum into a print product whose subscriber base is growing as it approaches its first birthday.
Kelly won special recognition at last week's Press Awards (full disclosure: I was one of the many judges involved in the awards).
Kelly, who looks like Al Capone after a stint with Slimming World, and talks in a thick Scouse accent (he grew up in Formby) that doesn't smack of metropolitan elite, is also chief content officer of Archant, the family-owned publisher founded in 1845.
Latest circulation figures for The New European suggest it sells more than 20,000 copies. Its 48 pages are put together by a staff of about five in Norwich.
I suspect Campbell's 370,000 followers on Twitter will be hearing plenty more about The New European.
He and Kelly both know that if even one in 100 of them took out a subscription, that would be transformative for this brave little title.


A group calling itself "the IRA" has said it murdered the Northern Ireland prison officer David Black.

He was shot as he drove to work on the M1 in County Armagh on 1 November.
The new paramilitary group is believed to have been formed from an amalgamation of previously disparate dissident republican organisations.
In a statement issued to the Belfast-based newspaper, the Irish News, the group said it killed him "to protect and defend" republican prisoners.
Mr Black was driving to work at Maghaberry Prison, Northern Ireland's high security jail, when he was attacked and killed.
There is an on-going dispute at the prison, where 41 dissident republican prisoners are detained.
Many of them are refusing to wash in protest at strip searches, and in a bid to secure political status.
Mr Black, a 52-year-old father of two, was the first prison officer to be murdered in Northern Ireland in almost 20 years.
A new organisation calling itself the IRA was formed during the summer, bringing together the Real IRA, Republican Action Against Drugs, and a group of non-aligned republicans - a number of whom are believed to be based in the Craigavon area of County Armagh.


Two men are in a stable condition in hospital after an assault involving a number of men in Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh.

The attack happened in the early  hours of Saturday morning in Trasna Way in the village.
A third man was discharged from the South West Acute Hospital after receiving treatment.
One man has been arrested.


Archaeologists claim to have found the remains of a chapel built by Richard III after a 16-year search.

The chapel, to commemorate the Battle of Towton (1461), was begun by Richard in 1483 but his death two years later meant it was never completed.
A team from the University of York said masonry found at Towton, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, was "likely" to be the remains of the structure.
The team said a larger excavation would be needed to prove it beyond doubt.
Lead archaeologist, Tim Sutherland, has been searching for the remains of the chapel since 1997.
"We were beginning to think there was no structural remains left but we eventually came across large chunks of medieval masonry.
"We've talked to various stonemason experts and they have said 'yes it is almost certainly evidence of a late 15th century ecclesiastical structure.'"
The Battle of Towton was a key battle in the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic clash for the English throne in the 15th century between the Houses of York and Lancaster.
Historians regard it as one of the bloodiest battle on British soil with up to 28,000 men being killed.
The Yorkist victory at Towton ensured Edward of York became King as Edward IV replacing the Lancastrian Henry VI.
Edward IV died in 1483 and his brother Richard III took the throne.
Work began on the chapel but, Mr Sutherland said, it is not known how complete it was when Richard was defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
He said the chapel's exact location was not being disclosed as it was on private land and excavation work was continuing.


Motherwell defender Louis Laing has returned to Notts County on loan.

Laing, 23, spent three months at Meadow Lane on loan from Nottingham Forest in 2014 and has rejoined the League Two Magpies until 16 January.
Motherwell signed him from Forest last year after he impressed while on loan at the Scottish club.
"I'm really happy to be back here. The last time I was here I played what I felt was my best football," he told BBC Radio Nottingham.
He made 12 appearances during his previous stint at the club, during which time Notts kept six clean sheets.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Health Minister Mark Drakeford has demanded an independent report into plans to remove doctor-led maternity care at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan.

He has written to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board raising concerns over the move.
Under the changes women needing a consultant will have to go to Ysbyty Gwynedd or Wrexham Maelor hospitals.
Mr Drakeford has asked for "assurances" on behalf of expectant mothers.
He wants a "definitive timescale" on when the service will be returned to the hospital.
In the letter, addressed to the health board, Mr Drakeford said: "It's very important that patients and their families are provided with clear in formation on this very important matter, without any room for ambiguity."
The health board welcomed the letter.


The Bolivian government says its deputy interior minister has been kidnapped and killed by striking miners.

Rodolfo Illanes and his bodyguard were seized earlier on Thursday at a roadblock in Panduro, south of La Paz, official said.
Interior Minister Carlos Romero said "all indications" were that Mr Illanes had been murdered in a "cowardly and brutal" attack.
Two miners also died from gunshot wounds during clashes with police.
Mr Illanes was beaten to death at about 18:00 local time (00:00 GMT), La Razon newspaper quoted Defence Minister Reymi Ferreira as saying.
The authorities could not for the moment retrieve his body, the minister said. More than 100 arrests had been made, he said.
President Evo Morales had been "profoundly affected" by Mr Illanes's death, Mr Ferreira added.
While he was being held, Mr Illanes told Bolivian radio that a condition for his release was that the government negotiate with miners over new legislation.
The miners have been blocking a highway in Panduro since Tuesday.
The National Federation of Mining Co-operatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of President Morales, began what they said would be an indefinite protest after negotiations failed.
Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation.


Hundreds of academics have signed an open letter to an exam board, condemning plans to axe art history A-level.

The AQA board announced last week that it would not offer the A-level to new students after this year.
The decision to cut the A-level comes when "society has never required its insights more", argues the letter.
AQA said the change "was not about money or whether history of art deserves a place in the curriculum".
The letter, to AQA chief executive Andrew Hall, expresses "grave concerns" about the move.
"As AQA is the only exam board to currently offer the art history qualification, the decision will result in a subject of profound social, cultural and economic importance disappearing from the UK A-level landscape," it argues.
The more than 220 signatories include leading members of university faculties, museums and galleries in the UK and overseas.
They range from world experts such as Oxford University's Prof Craig Clunas, Christina Prescott-Walker, senior vice-president of Sotheby's New York, and Prof Julian Stallabrass of the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, to emerging art historians "who represent the future of the subject".
A reformed art history syllabus, due for first teaching next September, would have given students the "opportunity to study how the most pressing social and political issues we face today; from war to environmental change, identity to migration; play out and have played out through the visual and material world".
It was an "exciting and inspiring prospect", they argue.
The plan was to "encourage and support a greater number of schools and colleges, particularly in the state sector, to offer the subject to 16 to 18-year-olds".
The exam board's decision not to go ahead represents "a vital loss for students", they add.
They argue that the A-level is an important route into a degree in the subject, while many directors, curators and educators in museums, galleries and heritage industries, crucial to international tourism and the economy, studied the subject both at A-level and at university.
"By denying young people access to the study of art history at a vital juncture in their lives, the AQA decision will actively discourage the next generation from pursuing careers in the arts and place current successes in real danger."
They urge Mr Hall "in the strongest possible terms" to take up an invitation to discuss how to make the new syllabus work.
In response, AQA said its decision not to offer the new syllabus stemmed from fears that accurate and reliable marking of such a wide-ranging subject would be impossible.
"We wanted to continue with history of art, and the best experts in the country have tried to produce assessments that meet the requirements and can also be accurately marked and graded, but the risks are too high," said a spokeswoman.
"We understand the disappointment of the subject community and, having tried for the past year to make the subject work at A-level, regret that we weren't able to achieve this."
During the 2015-2016 academic year 839 students took A-level History of Art; nearly 83% attained an A*-C grade and 10.5% gained an A*.


More than 234,000 Vauxhall Zafiras have been recalled for a second time over an engine problem that has caused some cars to burst into flames.

Vauxhall said it was taking "preventative action" after originally recalling the Zafira B in December.
The manufacturer blamed improper repairs to the car's blower motor resistor for the fires.
Vauxhall advised drivers who had not yet taken their car to be repaired after the first recall to do so.
Vauxhall said the latest recall would involve "improving the overall robustness of the system" rather than simply replacing the resistor and its fuse, which the firm started doing last year.
In December, Vauxhall wrote to all 234,938 Zafira B owners regarding the problem.
A Vauxhall spokesman said: "While the current action achieves the objective of returning vehicles to their original condition, after extensive investigations we have decided to go further and improve the overall robustness of the system.
"We will therefore be initiating a second recall to replace the current soldered fuse resistor with a wax fuse resistor so reducing the opportunity for manipulation.
"When the recalls are complete, all vehicles will have a new wax fuse resistor, a new blower motor and a new moulding at the base of the windscreen to address water ingress."
Both recalls have been free for car owners and the company will be writing to customers soon with information.
Letters inviting them into dealerships for the second recall are expected to go out in August.  Drivers who have not yet had the work from the first recall completed should still take their cars to dealerships, Vauxhall said.
Figures from the London Fire Brigade show that so far this year firefighters have attended 14 Vauxhall Zafira car fires.
Since 2013, the Brigade has been called to 120 fires involving Zafiras, more than double the number of the previous four year period (2009-2012).


The number of female MLAs in the Northern Ireland assembly has increased by 50% following the election.

Thirty women were elected, compared to 20 in the 2011 assembly elections.
Some were returning MLAs but others, such as Claire Bailey from the Green Party, Jenny Palmer from the UUP and Linda Dillon from Sinn Féin were elected for the first time.
Assembly speaker Mitchel McLaughlin said he was "delighted" by the rise in the number of women elected.
"During my time in office, a number of initiatives attempted to raise the fact that female representation in the assembly failed to reflect the make-up of the wider population, building on the report by the Assembly and Executive Review Committee into "Women in Politics"," he said.
"While we still have a long way to match the 51% of the population who are female, this is nonetheless a significant rate of progress.
"I congratulate all 108 members who were elected but I particularly look forward to the contribution that significant female presence will make."
Former MP Naomi Long returned to frontline politics after her election for the Alliance Party in East Belfast, where she lost her Westminster seat to the DUP last year.
The DUP's Joanne Bunting took the East Belfast seat vacated by former first minister Peter Robinson, who retired last year.
Former agriculture minister Michelle Gildernew, who left the assembly to serve as an MP, is also returning to Stormont after her election for Sinn Féin in Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
At the end of the last assembly term, there were 23 women MLAs, some of them had been co-opted.


Following the shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, USA, people have been sharing a BBC news story about an attack in Kenya.

In just one day, more than 672,000 people have read the story after seeing it on their social media accounts. The shooting at Garissa University by the Somali militant group al-Shabab left 147 people dead. One person later died from their wounds.
But the story was written in April 2015.
86% of viewers saw the story on Facebook. The story has even appeared on the BBC news website under current "most read stories".
Many people seem to think that this is a recent attack, one that happened after the Orlando shootings, and began sharing the story on social media.
Readers have felt sadness and shock at what they thought was another recent tragic attack based on religious motives. Leon Sousa tweeted the story, writing: "OMG another attack, what is going on in the world, these poor people, my thoughts and prayers with the families."
Others criticise western media organisations for not covering the attack. Terry Mendez posted the link on Facebook, asking: "Why isn't this in the news 147 students murdered in a Kenyan university?"
Some social media users began commenting that the story was not appearing in mainstream media because the attack took place in Africa, and the victims were predominantly black.
Kevin Falkenberg wrote on Facebook: "If these kids were gay or white you would be reading this in English and seeing it posted all across your FB".
One of the earliest mentions of Garissa can be traced to Spanish-speaking Facebook users. It's possible that articles raising issues of race were then shared which then highlighted the Garissa attack.
Users began sharing an article in Spanish about the difference between the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando targeting gays, and the assault on Garissa University against Christians. They then also started to post links to an old article from when the attack happened in 2015.
But many thought that the attack had taken place after the Orlando shootings.
Sanis Jimenez, from the Dominican Republic, commented on Facebook in Spanish about the lack of coverage on Garissa. He posted that the attack appeared not to seem as important to people because those who died were mainly poor and black. Leonel's Lozano-Lmc  in Panama echoed his remarks, writing that that black and poor people seemed less important to the world.
Facebook was unable to comment on why this particular story has become so popular on its platform, as a number of factors are involved in why certain stories are shared and not others.
One possible reason for a large number of shares comes from Facebook's list of trending topics.
Justin Osofsky from Facebook explains that this list is a way to help people discover major events.
In a blog post detailing how the feature works, he says: "This list is personalised - meaning different people will see different trending topics depending on their location, the pages they have previously liked, feedback provided by the user and what's trending on Facebook overall".
This is not the first time the story about the assault on the university in Garissa has had a resurgence. Following the Paris attacks in November 2015 around seven million people clicked on the BBC News website story.
And once again the majority of readers were not in Kenya - or even in Africa.
While the story has not been read or shared by quite as many people this time, the numbers are still growing.
It remains to be seen whether the story will resurface again following another deadly attack.
Produced by Catherine Ellis


Defender Seamus Coleman says it was "important" the Republic of Ireland did not lose their Euro 2016 opener against Sweden at Stade de France.

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The Republic lost all three games at Euro 2012 without scoring a goal, but Coleman's cross set up Wes Hoolahan for a superb strike in Monday's 1-1 draw.
"We are disappointed not to win but after the goal we sat back a bit too much," said the Everton player.
"Now we can go into the Belgium game on Saturday looking for all three."
Hoolahan put the Republic in front on 48 minutes but Ciaran Clark's 71st-minute own goal denied them an opening victory in Group E.
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Manager Martin O'Neill said his side were "fantastic" and deserved to win.
He said: "I don't know how we didn't come in maybe three in front at half-time. The players are disappointed but they shouldn't be. They were brilliant."
O'Neill praised Hoolahan for his spectacular half-volley that gave them the lead.
"Wes did brilliantly to keep it down, it's not his strong foot and it was a great goal," he said. "It was a great effort, but more than a great effort the play was really great.
"Then we had to weather a storm and defended as strongly as we could but overall there is real disappointment we haven't taken all three points.
"It was still a performance to be delighted with."
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Hoolahan, meanwhile, said his goal was one of the highlights of his career.
"To get a goal for Ireland in the Euros is an achievement, and fair play to the boys, they were magnificent," said the 34-year-old Norwich midfielder.
"They should be proud of themselves."
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After Ireland's defeat by France in Paris, it's now time for Stuart McCloskey to be unleashed and let loose on the Six Nations.

Some of the younger talent in the country deserve the chance to impress and the Ulster centre has been knocking at the door by virtue of his consistent performances at provincial level this season.
It takes time to adapt fully to international rugby but you have to learn by experience and there is maybe a chance for the likes of Stuart to show Joe Schmidt what he can do over the next few weeks.
Also, with Jonathan Sexton increasingly prone to injury, Paddy Jackson should be afforded the opportunity to nail down a position as the regular back-up at fly-half.
It's England up next for Ireland and if we lose at Twickenham, then regardless of what happens against Italy and Scotland, it won't have been a very successful Six Nations for the reigning champions.
You can't make 10 changes for a game like that, but you can maybe make one or two, keep the other guys on their toes, and then maybe make a few more for the match against the Italians in Dublin.
At half-time in Paris, I couldn't see the French team getting into the game at all but they had their purple patch and the Irish scrum just creaked.
I said before the tournament that the Six Nations is not usually a time to experiment, but now that Ireland's chances of winning it have probably gone, maybe it is time to shake things up a bit.
The centre partnership of Jared Payne and Robbie Henshaw is not busting any holes and giving the team a bit of go forward. I think that's what's missing.
If McCloskey was given the number 12 shirt against England or Italy it would make those guys think that they would have to buck up their ideas and put in some better performances because at the moment there is no-one challenging them.
Stuart would offer more penetration at centre and give you that in abundance.
Jared has often played full-back for Ulster so there is always the possibility of moving him to the number 15 shirt.
The outcome against the French proved what I thought beforehand, that the bench was just not strong enough, especially in the back line.
When Sexton went off injured, Ian Madigan came off the bench and kicked the ball straight into touch, gave them a penalty and that put France on the front foot.
You have to question whether he is used to dealing with pressure situations given that he is usually sat on the bench for Leinster, coming on at 12, 15 or 10 at some stage during the game.
For me, you want to have players coming on who do not weaken the team and you have to have a reliable replacement number 10 who knows exactly what he has to do.
Fergus McFadden was another replacement who had no impact on the game whatsoever.
Stephen Ferris was speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Sportsound programme.


Parts of the UK have had the hottest day of the year so far - with temperatures hitting 25.5C in Cambridge.

Many areas in England and Wales reached at least 20C, the Met Office said.
The East Midlands and parts of East Anglia were among the sunniest areas, while Scotland and Northern Ireland have been cooler at 16C and 15C.
Forecasters said temperatures would return to spring levels by Monday - dropping by as much as 10 degrees.
In Somerset, firefighters said they used bolt croppers and cutters to free a woman whose leg was trapped in a sunlounger.
She was also given oxygen and an ambulance was called.
In Leicestershire, a country park suffered a "devastating" fire - which may have been caused by a barbecue or a discarded cigarette butt.
Forecasters warned people not to get caught out by the sun, which can be as strong in April as in August and September.
Temperatures are forecast to cool on Monday, however.
BBC Weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker said: "Over the next 24 hours those areas that were warmest today will experience at least a 10 degree drop.
"Today warm air was wafting in from France; tomorrow cooler air will be streaming in from the north Atlantic."


Hundreds of people have attended a rally in Ballymena, County Antrim, calling for investment to bring new jobs to the town.

6 February 2016 Last updated at 21:02 GMT
Almost 2,000 people will lose their jobs when Michelin and JTI Gallaher close within the next two years.
Leading actor, Liam Neeson, who is originally from Ballymena, has lent his voice to the campaign and a message from him was played to the crowd on a big screen on Saturday.
Helen Jones reports.


Crystal Palace secured their top-flight status by coming back from a goal down to beat Stoke City at Selhurst Park.

The Potters took the lead with a well-worked move which ended with Marko Arnautovic setting up Charlie Adam to angle in a shot.
Dwight Gayle equalised for the home side when he side-footed in after Yannick Bolasie's mazy run.
And the Eagles striker got the winner when he picked himself up from a foul to score with a 25-yard free-kick.
Relive Crystal Palace's win over Stoke
Follow reaction to Saturday's Premier League games
Palace can now look forward to their FA Cup final against Manchester United on 21 May without any lingering worries about relegation, while Gayle's performance will have given boss Alan Pardew a selection dilemma for the Wembley showpiece.
Gayle was playing as winger Wilfried Zaha was out with a leg injury, and he took his opportunity to impress as Palace won for only the second time in their past 20 league games.
He had two penalty claims turned down in the first half but his persistence paid off as he coolly scored his first goal after the ball broke to him following Bolasie's run.
His second came despite him appearing to slip as he took the free-kick.
"It's the most important thing, staying in the Premier League," said Gayle.
"It hasn't been the best few months but, hopefully, in the next few weeks we can turn [the season] around.
"The most important thing for me is to enjoy my football which I am at the moment and hopefully I can be in and around the team for the FA Cup final."
However, there was concern for Pardew with midfielder Yohan Cabaye and his replacement Joe Ledley both having to go off injured.
When Stoke scored the opener from a move involving Giannelli Imbula and Arnautovic before Adam applied the finishing touch, it seemed they were determined to end a run of five games without a win.
They put in the kind of effort which made a mockery of claims that, because the Potters had no chance of a European place or were in any danger of relegation, they were already on the beach.
However, they struggled to maintain their performance in the second half and were punished by Gayle.
Arnautovic sent a late shot over when well-placed to level and the defeat now means Stoke cannot match their best points tally of 54 in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew: "The first half was not our best. It's difficult as we have got one eye on the FA Cup final.
"We needed to make sure we got a win for home fans and second half we were great and had numerous chances.
"I said to him [Dwight Gayle] at half-time that I thought he was our best player. He wanted to show me and he couldn't have done anymore. We've lacked a goalscorer this season. He is a force for us."
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Stoke manager Mark Hughes: "Today wasn't quite what we were looking for - a low-quality game in my opinion. It's not the way we anticipated finishing off the season.
"There was no question of our effort today. Just a bit of frustration that we didn't play as well as we are capable of."
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Crystal Palace end their league campaign with a game at manager Alan Pardew's former club Southampton on the final day of the season next Sunday, while Stoke finish off at home against West Ham.
Match ends, Crystal Palace 2, Stoke City 1.
Second Half ends, Crystal Palace 2, Stoke City 1.
Pape Souaré (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Marko Arnautovic (Stoke City).
Substitution, Crystal Palace. Bakary Sako replaces Dwight Gayle.
Pape Souaré (Crystal Palace) is shown the yellow card.
Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Phil Bardsley (Stoke City).
Attempt missed. Jordon Mutch (Crystal Palace) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right following a set piece situation.
Stephen Ireland (Stoke City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Stephen Ireland (Stoke City).
Attempt missed. Marko Arnautovic (Stoke City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Stephen Ireland with a through ball.
Attempt missed. Jonathan Walters (Stoke City) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Peter Crouch with a headed pass.
Offside, Crystal Palace. Damien Delaney tries a through ball, but Yannick Bolasie is caught offside.
Offside, Stoke City. Erik Pieters tries a through ball, but Jonathan Walters is caught offside.
Foul by Scott Dann (Crystal Palace).
Giannelli Imbula (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Crystal Palace. Conceded by Ryan Shawcross.
Connor Wickham (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Erik Pieters (Stoke City).
Attempt blocked. Dwight Gayle (Crystal Palace) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is blocked. Assisted by Yannick Bolasie with a cross.
Substitution, Stoke City. Bojan replaces Glenn Whelan.
Foul by Dwight Gayle (Crystal Palace).
Erik Pieters (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Erik Pieters (Stoke City) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left following a corner.
Corner,  Stoke City. Conceded by Damien Delaney.
Goal!  Crystal Palace 2, Stoke City 1. Dwight Gayle (Crystal Palace) from a free kick with a right footed shot to the top right corner.
Dwight Gayle (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Ryan Shawcross (Stoke City).
Attempt missed. Ryan Shawcross (Stoke City) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Stephen Ireland with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Stoke City. Conceded by Damien Delaney.
Substitution, Stoke City. Stephen Ireland replaces Charlie Adam.
Substitution, Stoke City. Jonathan Walters replaces Xherdan Shaqiri.
James McArthur (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Peter Crouch (Stoke City).
Attempt blocked. Phil Bardsley (Stoke City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Connor Wickham (Crystal Palace) hits the right post with a header from the right side of the box. Assisted by Pape Souaré with a cross.
Attempt missed. Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is too high. Assisted by Dwight Gayle.
Corner,  Crystal Palace. Conceded by Peter Crouch.


Shane Lowry, Davis Love and Louis Oosthuizen all hit holes-in-one at the 16th in the final round of the Masters at Augusta.

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Irishman Lowry was first with an eight-iron, before Love followed suit with a seven-iron.
Oosthuizen then holed his tee shot via a deflection off playing partner JB Holmes's ball.
Lowry's was the first hole-in-one at the Masters since Welshman Jamie Donaldson aced the sixth hole in 2013.
The hole-in-one took Lowry to 10 over par for the tournament, while Love moved to 11 over and Oosthuizen to four over.
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Spanish scientists Bernabé and José Moya couldn't believe their eyes.

More than 20,000 hectares of forest were charred. But in the middle of the devastation, a group of cypresses was still standing tall and green.
When a fire swept through an experimental plot in Andilla, in the Spanish province of Valencia in 2012, it gave researchers the perfect opportunity.
The plot, which was part of CypFire, a project financed by the European Union,  was established during the 1980s to test the resistance of more than 50 varieties of Mediterranean cypress to a pathogenic fungus.
After the fire event of 2012, it also provided further anecdotal evidence of the peculiar resilience of the species in the face of fire.
Botanist Bernabé Moya and his brother, environmental engineer José Moya, both from the department of monumental trees in Valencia, had been involved in the project for several years.
"On our way to what we knew would be a Dante-esque scene during that tragic summer, we felt deep sadness at the thought of losing a plot of such value to the conservation of biodiversity," Bernabé Moya told BBC Mundo.
"But we had hope that perhaps some of the cypresses had survived."
"When we got there we saw that all the common oaks, holm oaks, pines and junipers had completely burnt. But only 1.27% of the Mediterranean cypresses had ignited."
The fire in Valencia led to a three-year international study to find the reasons behind the resilience of the species and discover if it could provide buffer zones to hinder or prevent the rapid spread of wildfires.
Human-induced fires represent one of the most frequent causes of forest degradation in the Mediterranean region.
More than 269,000 fires were reported in the region between 2006 and 2010 with more than two million hectares of forest land burnt, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The study was published in this month's issue of the Journal of Environmental Management.
The lab tests were performed by scientists from the Forest Fire Laboratory at INIA-CIFOR in Spain, and the Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection in Florence (IPSP), Italy.
"In the past, this species was not studied in depth or only a few parameters were measured," explained Gianni Della Rocca, research technologist at IPSP.
"Furthermore, using different techniques the results of flammability tests in vegetation can be different or even contradictory."
A crucial difference of the new tests is that they were performed not only on dead dry samples but also on live fine twigs with leaves taken from different crown heights, which revealed one of the key traits of the species: its high water content.
"We observed that the Mediterranean cypress, because of the particular structure of its leaves,  is able to maintain a high water content even in situations of extreme heat and drought, and this is a very favourable starting point concerning fire risk," explains Mr Della Rocca.
"The cuticle is thick and the stomata are arranged on the inside and protected side of the scale-like leaves and therefore less subject to high water loss".
Moya says that "ignition time of live parts of the Mediterranean cypress is between one, five and seven times that of other Mediterranean species like Quercus ilex, Juniperus communis or Pinus pinaster under the experimental conditions of our tests".
The litter on the forest floor, made up of small fragments of leaves, also forms an intricate and compact layer and is slow to decompose.
"The thick and dense litter layer acts as a 'sponge' and retains water, and the space for air circulation is reduced", says Della Rocca.
Scientists used selected genotypes of one variety of Mediterranean cypress, Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontalis, which is resistant to bark canker disease.
"This pandemic caused by the pathogenic fungus Seiridium cardinale is a very dangerous threat to the cypress. It causes the dieback of large portions of the crown and resin exudations from trunk and branches", explains Mr Della Rocca.
In contrast to other varieties that have dense crowns, the horizontalis branches insert themselves at angles between 45 and 90 degrees to the trunk. This means trees have a sparse canopy and dead foliage does not usually remain trapped.
According to Mr Della Rocca, "the crown structure of a tree is important because it determines the surface/volume ratio of potential fuel, the amount of circulating air and the moisture retention."
Plantations with selections of cypresses have already been made in Valencia, Spain, and Siena, Italy, to further research the role of crown structure.
"In a few years, we will have cypress barriers and observations at real scale," Mr Della Rocca says.
In highly resinous species, like pines, and during the heating phase, volatile organic compounds or VOCs, mainly terpenes derived from resins common in conifers, are crucial in priming or accelerating combustion.
The cypress is different.
"From preliminary tests we observed that, in our experimental conditions, in pines, the degassing of those flammable compounds happens quickly. The ignition starts soon from those gases and then it is transmitted to the twigs and needles," says Mr Della Rocca.
"In the case of the cypress, maybe the volatile very flammable compounds are degassed a bit at a time during the warming phase that precedes the ignition so they don't contribute to the combustion process."
Mr Della Rocca and his colleagues are now carrying out separate research to further understand the role of VOCs on flammability.
Could the Mediterranean cypress help combat wildfires in other parts of the world, like California or the Patagonia in Chile and Argentina?
According to Bernabé Moya, the species has a "great plasticity in terms of soil, climate and altitude. It can grow on all soils, even degraded ones, apart from those that are water-logged, and it thrives from sea level to altitudes of more than 2,000 metres".
The species has been introduced in Latin America, says Mr Moya, and could grow without problems in the temperate climate of California, Chile or Argentina.
"The first thing would be to study the adaptability of different varieties of Mediterranean cypress to local conditions and establish experimental plots," he explains.
One of the main conclusions of the European study, according to Mr Rocca, is that peculiar plantations with selected varieties of cypress seem a possible alternative new tool to counteract the risk of wildfires in some sensitive sites like wild-urban-interfaces or wild-industrial-interfaces.
"Our study has led to the introduction of Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontalis into a special list of tree species eligible for interventions against forest fires in a Regional Law of Tuscany," he explains.
In Valencia, Bernabé Moya and his colleagues will plant the first barriers of the Cypress system in the autumn, using specially selected varieties of Mediterranean cypress.
For Mr Moya, "the vulnerability of vegetation to fires is linked to the lack of information available to the public, the lack of support for research and the lack of plans for the sustainable management of forests - a situation that will get worse with climate change".
For the Spanish scientist, many problems like desertification, wildfires, soil degradation and loss of biodiversity could be reverted if there was more tree planting and if people took more care of forests in the first place.
"It is urgent that humanity takes these problems seriously," he told the BBC.
"The fight against fires concerns us all. We owe it to the forests and we owe it to future generations".


SNP leader Alex Salmond said his party's majority win at Holyrood was "a victory for a society and a nation".

During an address in Edinburgh, he said the SNP had "a majority of the seats, but not a monopoly on wisdom".
He added that the SNP would carry the hopes of the nation and make it proud.
Once all results were in, the SNP totalled 69 seats, Labour had secured 37, the Tories had 15, the Lib Dems won five, and others totalled three.
Mr Salmond said: "I'll govern for all of the ambitions for Scotland and all the people who imagine that we can live in a better land.
"This party, the Scottish party, the national party, carries your hope. We shall carry it carefully and make the nation proud. Thank you very much."
The SNP took key seats in Labour heartlands and the Liberal Democrat vote also collapsed.
Find out who your new MSPs are
Democracy Live: Your representatives
The electorate in Scotland - like those throughout the rest of the UK - also voted in the referendum on whether the alternative vote should be used for Westminster elections.
The result, which came in at about 1940 BST on Friday, recorded a "no" to the change.
Figures released by the Electoral Commission showed that Scotland recorded the highest turnout of voters - 50.7% - for the referendum in the UK.
The SNP now has a clear majority of four in the 129-seat Scottish Parliament, enough votes to hold an independence referendum.
The Greens returned two MSPs to Holyrood and independent Margo Macdonald was also back.
Labour leader Iain Gray announced he would stand down from the job in the autumn.
Mr Salmond, whose party formed a minority government after the 2007 elections, described the unfolding Holyrood election results as "historic".
Prime Minister David Cameron also offered his congratulations to the SNP leader for an "emphatic win".
Among its successes, the SNP won all 10 first-past-the-post seats in the north east and still managed to pick up an additional regional list seat after amassing more than 140,000 votes.
More on Salmond's victory speech
Labour big hitters, including finance spokesman Andy Kerr and former minister Tom McCabe, lost to the SNP in the party's West of Scotland heartland, while, in Glasgow, the SNP won the Anniesland seat with a majority of just seven votes.
Mr Gray said he had spoken to Mr Salmond early on Friday to congratulate him on his victory.
He continued: "Labour has lost many talented representatives, and it seems very likely that Labour's new and returning MSPs will play their part in the democratic process in the Scottish Parliament from opposition, but will do so with gusto.
"Labour's MSPs will work constructively with the new Scottish government to create jobs and tackle unemployment wherever we can."
Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University indicated that Labour appeared to have had its poorest performance in Scotland for at least 80 years.
He added it was fairly clear that the party's campaign had "badly misfired" and "badly missed its target".
By Brian TaylorPolitical editor, BBC Scotland
This is a magnificent victory for the SNP: Scotland-wide, deep and embedded.
The Borders, Caithness, the whole of the North-east. Glasgow Shettleston. Everywhere.
The reasons?  A concatenation of circumstances which, combined, have given the SNP the most convincing and stunning victory in their history.
Read Brian Taylor's blog
Scots result could change everything
Campaign successes and stinkers
Profile: Scottish National Party
Scotland says 'no' to AV system
UK-wide coverage on Vote 2011
Mr Gray was only narrowly re-elected as MSP for East Lothian with a majority of 151 votes, while his Lib Dem counterpart, Tavish Scott, also held on to his seat, despite losing 20% of his constituency vote in Shetland.
Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie returned to Holyrood on the west of Scotland list.
Mr Salmond, who won in Aberdeenshire East with about 64% of the vote, said: "Firstly, I think it demonstrates that Scotland has outgrown negative campaigning.
"I hope after this result we'll see an end to negativity and scaremongering in Scottish politics - no more insults to the intelligence of the Scottish people."
Referring to an SNP forerunner, the National Party of Scotland, he added: "Some 70 years and more later, the SNP can finally say that we have lived up to that accolade as the national party of Scotland.
"We have reached out to every community across this country."
Mr Cameron said he would campaign to keep the UK together, as he congratulated Mr Salmond.
He said: "I passionately believe in our United Kingdom, so I congratulate Alex Salmond on his emphatic win, but I will do everything obviously as British prime minister to work with the first minister of Scotland, as I always do, and treat the Scottish people and the Scottish government with the respect they deserve.
"But on the issue of the United Kingdom, if they want to hold a referendum, I will campaign to keep our United Kingdom together, with every single fibre that I have."
Other key moments so far include:
With many deposits lost, Mr Scott said his party's problems were down to the coalition government at Westminster.
He said: "What we need to recognise is that the UK coalition did cause our vote to either stay at home or move straight to the SNP.
"People are not happy about us being in the UK coalition and that is what we need to look at and understand."
Jackie Baillie, who was re-elected as Labour MSP for Dumbarton, said Labour's defeat in Scotland was "quite considerable".
Ms Baillie said it could not have been predicted and was reminiscent of the party's general election defeat in 1983.
"I think we need to pause and reflect and take time to consider what this actually means. There is a complexity here that needs to be understood," she added.
Miss Goldie said the Conservatives were "in good heart" and felt they had got a positive message over to voters.
She added: "We have enjoyed the campaign enormously and certainly the Conservatives have seen evidence that their support is holding firm."


A large, feathery Easter egg stands in the middle of a small street in a shopping area in north London.

Beneath it is an Easter message: "This egg is to remind people to shop at independent retailers".
I had thought that it might be to remind people of the other message of Easter - the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, for example, which churches across the country will be marking on Sunday.
But the message of shopping appears to be the louder one, with the magazine Retail Week announcing the glad tidings that footfall at shopping centres, retail parks and high streets will surge almost 5% over the Easter weekend "as shoppers splurge their payday cash".
It's not clear whether footfall at churches across the country will also surge by the same amount, although Christmas and Easter services continue to attract higher numbers than most weeks.
Some 1.3m people in the UK attended Easter Church of England services alone in 2013 - compared to 2.5m for Christmas.
For many years now, leading church figures have bemoaned the fact that in a country that is still officially Christian, with almost 60% of people identifying themselves as such in the 2011 census (although far fewer actually attend church services, or believe in God), the religious message of Easter has been drowned out by the secular festival of chocolate and shopping being celebrated at supermarkets across the country.
This year, some large supermarket chains were accused of being positively "anti-religious", because they refused to stock chocolate Easter eggs with an overtly Christian message - on the grounds that they had not sold well enough in previous years.
One supermarket chain buyer apparently asked the company that supplies the eggs, the Meaningful Chocolate Company, what Easter had to do with the Church.
It was a story that left many church leaders deeply saddened, and agonising over how such a key time in the Christian calendar has apparently lost so much of its religious meaning.
A few years ago, the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, in his Easter Sunday sermon, expressed his regret that nearly a third of British children in one survey said they thought that Easter marked the birth of the Easter bunny, while over half had no idea of its religious significance.
It wasn't a question that would have puzzled an older generation in the UK, many of whom remember with nostalgia the Easters of their childhood.
Going to church on Easter Sunday might have been seen as a little dull, but it brought many families and communities together.
Christian: 33.2m (59%, down 12% from 2001)
Muslim: 2.7m (5%, up 2% from 2001)
No religion: 14.1m (25%, up 10% from 2001)
For the children born during the war, chocolate remained a rare treat - with Easter all the more memorable for it.
The Easter egg hunt remains a highlight for many children today, but in a period of relative plenty for many people in the west, chocolate and new clothes are no longer a "special" treat, but a more frequent indulgence.
And God appears to have little place in the lives of many young adults today.
A YouGov poll on social attitudes among 18-24 year olds in Great Britain in June 2013 found that of the over 900 polled, parents (82%), friends (77%), politicians (38%), brands (32%) and celebrities (21%) were more important influences over them than religious leaders, who came in last with 12%.
Just 25% of those who responded said they believed in God, 19% in a higher spiritual power, while 18% didn't know, and 38% said they didn't believe in any God or higher spiritual power.
Yet the one aspect of Easter that some have begun to embrace with increasing enthusiasm in recent years, even if only anecdotally, is Lent - not so much in its original form of a spiritual fast, or giving up meat, but using the weeks leading up to Easter as the chance to give up chocolate, alcohol or smoking.
Perhaps Lent is now seen by some as a secular opportunity to cleanse the body from daily abundance, if not the soul.
Yet while many of us may be able to sate our hunger for treats more often than in earlier decades, and the majority in the UK are either avowedly not religious or far less religious than in previous decades, there is a hunger that remains.
It is a hunger for some kind of meaning in life, above and beyond the materialistic.
From the growing popularity of humanism and mindfulness, of non-religious "Sunday services" or "kabbalah", and the enduring popularity of yoga, not to mention the growth of some of the non-established churches, and books such as Alain de Botton's 'Religion for Atheists', many in the west are clearly still searching for the answer to the question "why are we here?", even if they no longer believe the answer lies in organised religion.
The new organisations and individuals offering answers could perhaps be seen as the "independent retailers" in this market for higher meaning, as the former established retailers of the Christian Church in the UK lose worshippers, albeit more gradually than the steep decline of previous decades.
However, the only certainty that some families may feel about the meaning of Easter in the coming days is that whatever the question, the answer is not more chocolate.


Queens Park Rangers have unveiled plans for a new stadium in north-west London.

The proposed 40,000-seat building in Old Oak will replace the club's current Loftus Road ground, in Shepherds Bush.
The stadium will be part of a regeneration of the area, which is provisionally called New Queens Park.
"Loftus Road is - and always will be - a special place for the club and our supporters, but we need more than an 18,000 capacity," QPR chairman Tony Fernandes said.
"With no option of expanding here, we have to look elsewhere and we welcome the Mayor's and Hammersmith & Fulham Council's commitment to regenerate the area.
"Not only will this give us a top-quality stadium to cater for QPR's needs as the club progresses and grows over the years ahead, but we are very excited about being the driving force behind creating one of the best new urban places in the world."
The plans include a residential area with 24,000 new homes and a commercial space which will include a 350-room luxury hotel, studios, offices, cinemas and restaurants.
The regeneration is expected to generate 50,000 jobs.
Chief executive Philip Beard wants the new ground to retain some of the characteristics of Loftus Road.
He said: "We will look to build a stadium QPR fans and local residents can be proud of.
"Loftus Road is renowned for its atmosphere and with the help of our supporters, replicating that at our new stadium will be one of our top priorities."
Fernandes completed his takeover of the club, who were relegated to the Championship last season, in August 2011.
He first revealed the club were looking at alternative sites to Loftus Road in West London in November 2011 and Rangers confirmed they were in talks about the Old Oak site since August.
Antony Spencer, who is developing the masterplan for the project along with Sir Terry Farrell, said the area will be a "vibrant" development.
Old Oak is an area of industrial and railway land in between Old Oak Common Lane, Wormwood Scrubs, Scrubs Lane and Willesden Junction in west London. It is the site of a proposed new hub station for the HS2 rail line north, which will also incorporate the trans-London Crossrail project. It is two-and-a-half miles from QPR's current ground at Loftus Road.
"We are talking to a number of world-class architects to design iconic tall buildings akin to New York, the Far East and London's finest, as well as improving and incorporating the waterside environment of the Grand Union Canal."
He added: "We are now in a position to forge ahead as we have secured strategic land holdings in excess of 100 acres. We are confident of securing a planning permission by early 2015 and starting development shortly afterwards."
QPR is working with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Hammersmith and Fulham Council on the plans, which need planning approval.
As part of the proposed redevelopment scheme, Old Oak is to be the main hub station in the capital for the HS2 high-speed rail project.
The GLA recently consulted residents on the plan for Old Oak, which it says will improve the local economy and see thousands of homes built.
If plans do go ahead, the area would be redeveloped by 2043, with the station open in 2026.


Wrexham manager Gary Mills is relishing his first cross-border derby against Chester in the National League on Saturday.

Mills experienced the Nottingham derby for both Forest and Notts County and also played in East Midlands derbies.
The former Leicester City player recognises derby matches are special occasions for both sets of supporters.
"For a manager it's only three points but for the fans it's a little bit more," he said.
"Living in the area, if you don't win you're reminded of it and if you do you've got a big smile on your face walking down the high street.
"The fans have been magnificent for us this season so we've got to try and repay them on Saturday and get them the win."
Wrexham have received international clearance for new loan signings Joe Quigley and Jon Nolan.
Chester beat Wrexham 2-1 in last season's corresponding fixture with the Dragons winning the return at the Racecourse in March.


US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter is beginning a tour of the Middle East, as part of efforts to ease fears over the recent nuclear deal with Iran.

On Sunday, he will meet officials in Israel, one of the strongest critics of the deal.
Mr Carter then travels to Saudi Arabia, Iran's main regional rival.
Last Wednesday, world powers reached agreement with Iran on limiting Iranian nuclear activity in return for the lifting of sanctions.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called the deal an "historic mistake" which would only make it easier for Iran to back its proxies in the Middle East.
That position may have hardened after Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his country would continue its support for the people of Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon after the deal.
The Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon, hinted his country could ask for increased US military aid as a counterweight to the accord.
Saudi Arabia has officially said it supports the deal, although it is also thought to have similar concerns to Israel that the agreement legitimises Iran.
Mr Carter is due to visit Jordan as well, for talks on the strategy for tackling the Islamic State militant group.