Russia could claim compensation after the 2017 bobsleigh and skeleton World Championships were moved from Sochi.

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) decided not to hold the February event in Russia after more details emerged of alleged state-sponsored doping in the country.
Senior Russian politician Valentina Matviyenko says Sochi may have a claim for "material and moral damages".
"We could file a lawsuit on reimbursement of expenses," she added.
Matviyenko, who is speaker in the upper chamber in Russia's parliament, also echoed the Kremlin's claim that the decision was based on politics, rather than sport.
"One cannot agree with such a decision on the basis of any rules, norms of law. These are dirty political games against Russia," she said in comments reported by the Interfax news agency.
The IBSF said that it made the decision to move the event so to focus "on sport rather than the accusations and discussion - whether justified or not."
Russia is accused of running a doping programme that implicated more than  1,000 athletes at major international competitions between 2011 and 2015.
The claims are contained in a report by Canadian law professor and sports lawyer Dr Richard McLaren, which adds detail to his initial findings that were published in July.
According to McLaren, London 2012 was "corrupted on an unprecedented scale."
It is understood a number of German venues have offered to host the event, along with the Swiss town of St Moritz.
Additional reporting by BBC Monitoring


A political deal on the EU's hotly contested seven-year budget has been struck, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has announced.

The deal on the 2014-2020 budget was reached between member states and European Parliament leaders, he said.
The 960bn-euro (Â£822bn; $1.3tn) budget cuts real spending for the first time.
Speaking in Brussels as EU leaders gathered for a summit, Mr Barroso said the deal would speed up spending on youth employment.
Nearly a quarter of people aged 18 to 25 in the EU have no job, while in Greece and Spain it is more than half.
By Chris MorrisBBC News, Brussels
The deal agreed by EU leaders in February did not have enough support to be passed in the European Parliament. So something had to give, because under the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, the parliament now has the power to block the multi-annual budget if it wants.
There are still MEPs who are disappointed but the new deal looks set to be approved. The socialist group leader, Hannes Swoboda, said the compromise was "not ideal, but there are decisive improvements".
The overall ceiling on spending will not change - and that means leaders like UK Prime Minister David Cameron can continue to say that they have secured a real-terms cut in the budget for the first time. But the structure of the budget deal has become more flexible, to reflect the fact that many MEPs want to ensure that as much of the money as possible is actually spent.
In the current seven-year budget, tens of billions of euros have not been spent, and funds have been returned to national coffers. If that does not happen over the next seven years - and money is transferred from one area to another, or from one year to another, as MEPs insist it should be - then it is possible in theory that spending could rise.
EU leaders will consider mobilising 6bn euros (Â£5bn; $8bn) earlier than planned to help youth training schemes.
On the eve of the summit draft plans were also agreed on agricultural reform and how to rescue troubled banks.
Amid widespread resistance to the ongoing austerity measures in the eurozone, trade unions in Portugal began a 24-hour strike on Thursday.
Public transport crawled to a halt as a result of the action by unions representing more than a million workers.
The 2014-2020 budget was agreed at a summit in February but its ratification had been blocked by the parliament.
It appears that under the new deal, the figures agreed will remain unchanged but, in a concession to the European Parliament, unspent money will be transferred from one year to the next, rather than returning to national budgets as at present.
The speaker of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, urged MEPs to give it their backing.
He told reporters the deal was "the minimum" that MEPs had pushed for, but "from a psychological point of view it's progress".
If the 27 governments give unanimous approval, and a majority of MEPs back the deal, the final text will be adopted in September.
European Council head Herman Van Rompuy said in a press release that youth employment schemes should be accelerated and youth mobility increased.
Source: Eurostat, April 2013 (Figures for Greece & UK are for February 2013)
The Commission's Youth Guarantee plan would offer young people across Europe a quality apprenticeship or job in the first four months after becoming unemployed or leaving formal education.
An unemployed Czech graduate, Dagmar Hvizdosova, told the BBC "it's been one year since I got my bachelor degree in media studies - IÂ´ve been trying to find a job in that industry, however, I haven't been successful. I've therefore decided to move abroad and go for a Master's degree...
"Here in the Czech Republic there are so many people with university degrees that it is impossible to find a job straight after school. In addition, the bachelor degree is underrated - it now has the same or possibly less value as secondary education about 10 years ago."
A source at the European Commission said an extra 10bn euros in funding for the European Investment Bank (EIB) could be used to encourage private banks to lend more to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), which account for about 99% of businesses in the EU.
The draft summit conclusions, seen by the BBC, say the leaders note "the importance of shifting taxation away from labour, as a means of increasing employability and boosting job creation and competitiveness".
In a statement on arrival, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said "what this [EU] council should be about is doing in Brussels what we're doing in Britain, which is getting control of spending, making sure we live within our means and then making ourselves more competitive, getting rid of regulations, making it easier for businesses to create jobs".
Under the bank rescue deal, bank creditors and shareholders of failed banks would take the first hits, followed by savers with deposits of more than 100,000 euros.
If that is not enough, government help would be called upon, and taxpayers would be among the last to shoulder losses.
Leaders are also expected to approve accession talks for Serbia, as well as formalising Croatia's entry into the EU next week.
Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said on the eve of the summit that he hoped to see his country join within five years at most.


The death toll from Bangladesh's worst industrial accident has passed 1,000 as recovery teams continue to find more bodies in the wreckage.

The eight-storey Rana Plaza factory building near Dhaka collapsed on 24 April with an unknown number inside.
The authorities say about 2,500 people were injured in the accident and 2,437 people were rescued.
The recovery operation is expected to finish on Friday. The rubble will then be shifted by bulldozers.
On Friday morning, officials said a total of 1,021 bodies had been recovered from the debris of the fallen factory building in Savar. Almost 650 have so far been identified and handed over to families.
Many bodies were decomposed, but could be identified by mobile phones in their pockets or staff passes, Army Captain Shahnewaz Zakaria said, adding that "most are female garment workers".
Bhopal, India (1984): Toxic gas escapes from Union Carbide plant. Official initial death toll put at 3,800; deaths to date thought to be 15,000
Halifax, Canada (1917): Explosion on board French munitions vessel Mont-Blanc in Halifax harbour, and resulting tsunami, kill 1,950 people
Benxihu, China (1942): Explosion destroys Benxihu (Honkeiko) colliery in Liaoning, China, during Japanese occupation, killing 1,549 labourers
Oppau, Germany (1921): Explosion at Badische Anilin chemical works, producing nitrates, destroys plant as well as nearby village, killing 1,500 people
Courrieres, France (1906): Dust explosion at Courrieres mine in Pas-de-Calais department kills almost 1,100 people
Savar, Bangladesh (2013): Eight-storey Rana Plaza, housing garment factories, collapses in suburb of Dhaka, killing more than 1,000 people
In pictures: Recovery operation
The authorities are taking DNA samples from the victims, which can be used in future compensation claims, AFP news agency reported.
Brigadier-General Siddiqul Alam, who is overseeing the recovery operation, said: "We have found a huge number of bodies in the stairwell and under the staircases. When the building started to collapse, workers thought they would be safe under the staircases."
"Each time we moved a slab of concrete, we found a stack of bodies."
Bodies are being taken to a nearby school building where relatives of those still missing are waiting.
Correspondents say the silence is frequently broken by wailing as victims are identified by their families.
The Rana Plaza building had housed a number of garment factories.
A number of people have been arrested and charged with causing deaths by negligence. Protesters have taken to the streets calling for the death penalty for the Rana Plaza's owner, Mohammad Sohel Rana.
Just a day before the collapse, the building was briefly evacuated when cracks appeared in the walls. However, workers were later allowed back in or told to return by the factory owners.
The government has launched an inquiry. Preliminary findings suggest vibrations from four giant generators on the compound's upper floors triggered the collapse.
The Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus, wrote in an article published by local newspapers on Thursday that the disaster was "a symbol of our failure as a nation".
"The crack in Rana Plaza that caused the collapse of the building has only shown us that if we don't face up to the cracks in our state systems, we as a nation will get lost in the debris of the collapse,'' he added.
Mr Yunus also urged global fashion brands not to abandon the country, saying that garment factory workers subcontracted to produce their clothing should be seen as de facto employees.
Bangladesh has one of the largest garment industries in the world, and some of the clothes produced in the Rana Plaza building were made for Western retailers.
On Wednesday, Bangladesh announced the shut-down of 18 garment factories for safety reasons, amid growing concerns over the issue of industrial safety across the country.
A fire in a garment factory building in another part of the capital on Thursday killed eight people, including its owner, a senior police officer and a local politician.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known, but it began during the night, after the factories had closed for the day, and sent out smoke and gas that suffocated victims as they ran down stairs, officials said.


Relief supplies have reached five Russian scientists besieged by polar bears for nearly two weeks at a remote weather station on Troynoy Island in the Arctic.

Station head Vadim Plotnikov said 10 adult bears and four cubs had surrounded the station since 31 August.
The bears had prevented the scientists from performing some observations and one scientist's dog was killed.
The scientists asked for flares for scaring off the bears and other items.
Vassiliy Shevchenko, who works for the state monitoring network that owns the weather station, told BBC News an Arctic vessel had reached a nearby island and the supplies had been sent in from there by helicopter.
All of the scientists are reported to be well.
The polar bear is the largest living land carnivore, weighing up to 800kg (1,763 pounds).
According to the World Wildlife Foundation, polar bears are considered a vulnerable species. The biggest threat to the animals is the loss of their habitat due to climate change.


A complaint against a former council leader has been disregarded by police.

Keith Barrow quit as leader of the Conservative-run Shropshire Council and as a councillor when an allegation was made in November.
He later admitted to failing to comply with the council's code of conduct by not declaring a conflict of interest.
However, West Mercia Police said a "thorough and detailed investigation" found no case to answer.
Updates on this story and more from Shropshire
Det Insp Mark Glazzard said: "Following receipt of a complaint in November 2015, a thorough and detailed investigation was conducted...into an alleged offence under the Localism Act 2011.
"This investigation has concluded, and no further action will be taken into this matter."
Previously, West Mercia Police said it had received a complaint regarding "misconduct in public office involving a man from Shropshire". The BBC understands the complaint relates to Mr Barrow.
The former council leader stood down after failing to declare a relationship with the director of an accountancy firm appointed to work with the authority's private company, IP&E.
He apologised and also resigned as director of IP&E, following the findings of an internal investigation.
Shropshire Council did not wish to comment.


Matthew McConaughey has become known as an actor with an impressive physique, displayed in romantic comedies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Sahara and Fool's Gold.

But his fans should prepare for a change as the 42-year-old propels himself in a grittier, edgier direction, starting with Killer Joe.
The movie, which opens the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Wednesday, sees McConaughey playing a twisted Texan detective who hires himself out as a contract killer.
Directed by William Friedkin and co-starring Emile Hirsch and Britain's Juno Temple, the plot centres around a young man who wants to murder his mother for her insurance money.
He hires "Killer" Joe. But when he can't pay, Joe demands the man's young sister as a "retainer" for the job.
The film, which has an 18 certificate in the UK, depicts the detective's sexual relationship with an underage girl.
It also includes one graphic and violent scene involving a piece of fried chicken that is already the subject of debate from those who have seen the film.
"Hey, this is just another light, breezy romantic comedy with chicken," jokes McConaughey. "Seriously, this film is a different cat for sure.
"It's a really, really wild movie with a wild character. He is dangerous at every turn."
The script was originally written as a stage play by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Letts, whose writing has been described by fans as "the love child of Tennessee Williams and Quentin Tarantino".
Friedkin shot the movie over a number of weeks in New Orleans, which became the substitute for Texas.
The 76-year-old says he wanted to make the film because "it's about innocence, victimhood, vengeance and tenderness".
"I've experienced all those emotions in life and I like to put them in all my films," he explains.
McConaughey says he was drawn to the moral duality of Joe as a character. "Joe's charming and a gentleman on one hand - he certainly becomes Prince Charming to the daughter in that family - and yet he's a killer.
"I couldn't quite see him clearly as a character until I met with Billy Friedkin. It was Billy's affection for the story and the blasphemous humour within it which helped me understand him.
"Partly though, I took on the part for the thrill of it. You know, he's a bit scary.
"It turned me on in the right way when I was reading the script, and that hadn't happened in a while. I really looked forward to getting under his skin.
"This guy is bound by nothing and no one - not the law, religion, relationships, anything. But I still get to play Joe as a human being."
Asked how he coped with filming the sometimes distressingly graphic scenes, McConaughey says: "I just let it fly.
"And I was greeted by bursts of hearty laughter at the end of the scenes, so that reassured me."
But how will McConaughey's audience react to their clean-cut hero heading down a darker path?
McConaughey points out that he first came to Hollywood's attention with the thriller A Time to Kill in 1996 - a much edgier movie than the ones which followed.
"I've really enjoyed the films I've done up until now, and in the future I will do more romantic comedies.
"But right now these are the kind of characters that I've been drawn to, and they've been drawn to me too. This is what's giving me a buzz."
All in all, McConaughey has four more films to be released over the next few months that are all departures from the rom-com stereotype.
He plays the owner of a male strip club in Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike, which is out next month.
Then he stars as a journalist in The Paperboy, starring opposite Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron.
He plays a fugitive in indie thriller Mud and will be seen as a cynical district attorney in black comedy Bernie with Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine.
Both Mud and The Paperboy were selected for competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival - a fact that, according to McConaughey, shows he is heading down the right road.
"It is a deliberate shift for me," he says. "I wanted to shake things up, do some new things, and play some roles that scared me - characters that would make me excited to go to work in the morning.
"For about 18 months though, I was still receiving offers of comedies, and some of them were very good, but I had to keep turning them down.
"I felt like I'd done them before. Then after a long period of saying no to everything, all these new scripts came and found me."
McConaughey's gamble seems to have paid off. Reviews of Killer Joe have generally been positive with The Guardian raving that he "freezes blood [in] a game-changer of a part".
The Hollywood Reporter notes that the "likeably unpleasant slice of adults-only Texas noir aims at the funny bone as much as the jugular".
Will the other releases bring such plaudits?  "If the work translates and people like it, which I hope they will, I'm happy," says McConaughey.
"I gave my heart and soul to this, and I also worked my butt off too."
Killer Joe is out in the UK on 29 June.


Two people have been charged with murder after a man was found with a stab wound in a crashed car.

Timothy Smith, 45, from Staffordshire was discovered in the vehicle in Shepshed on Thursday evening.
Mark Law, 20, from Sandringham Rise, Shepshed, and a 17-year-old man, who cannot be named, were charged by police and will appear in court on Monday.
A man and a woman, both aged 53, who were arrested and questioned earlier have been released.
Mr Smith's father Derek, from Oxfordshire, said his son was "kind, thoughtful and caring".
"He was a thoroughly good-hearted person," he added.
Police found Mr Smith in a silver Ford Fiesta that had crashed into a wall near an industrial estate off Gelders Hall Road.


Motorists are being advised of forthcoming road closures to facilitate the Ulster Grand Prix motorcycle race in County Antrim later this week.

The Dundrod-based event is set to begin with practice sessions at noon on Wednesday 5 August.
Racing starts on Thursday, culminating in the main race on Saturday 8 August.
The main roads affected are Hannahstown Road; Rock Road; Leathemstown Road; Quarterland Road; Tornagrough Road and Upper Springfield Road.
Minor roads that will also be affected are Rushyhill Road; Budore Road; Glenside Road; Ballycolin Road; Tullyrusk Road; Cochranestown Road and Sycamore Road Fort Road.
The closures will be in place from noon until 21: 30 BST on Wednesday, from 10:30  until 21:30 on Thursday and from 09:30 until 20:30 on Saturday.
Full details will be posted on the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) website and its Lisburn Facebook page.
The competition coincides with Bike Safety Week and the PSNI's district commander for Lisburn and Castlereagh appealed to bikers to obey road safety laws at all times.
Supt Sean Wright said: "Emulating your favourite professional racer on public roads will at the least get you into trouble with police. At most, you could be involved in a fatal collision.
"Three riders have died in motorcycle collisions in Northern Ireland this year and I make a heartfelt plea to all bikers - if you are coming to Dundrod, ride with safety in mind, stay within the speed limits and ride steady.
"Anyone seen riding in an erratic or dangerous fashion will be stopped by police. In addition, we are reminding all drivers that they need to be aware of greater numbers of motorcyclists using the road network, particularly when emerging from and turning into junctions," he added.


The death of a four-year-old boy who drowned in a pond was accidental, a coroner has ruled.

Harley Barnes opened a gate or climbed it to reach the pond on land at the stables owned by his grandparents in Wiltshire.
His mother Hannah Vaughan told the inquest Harley had loved throwing stones in the water.
A verdict of accidental death was recorded at the hearing in Salisbury.
He had been feeding a horse in a field at the stables in Gastard, near Corsham, when he disappeared on the morning of 28 July.
Ms Vaughan said she had given him some feed to take to the horse in the field and "that was the last time I saw him alive".
She said she never saw Harley open the gate to the pond but started calling and looking around for him before finding him in the pond.
Neighbour Jennifer Gibson, a midwife, heard her cries for help and rushed to her aid.
She told Ms Vaughan to go to her house and ring for an ambulance while she began resuscitation.
Harley was taken to the Royal United Hospital in Bath, where he was later pronounced dead by doctors.
A post-mortem examination found Harley died from freshwater drowning.
Recording an verdict of accidental death, Coroner Claire Balysz expressed her "sincere condolences" to Harley's parents.


Here are the key dates in the long-running investigation into the death of Poppi Worthington in Cumbria.


Kevin Spacey has been made an honorary knight in the Queen's Birthday honours.

The American star, who has run Old Vic theatre in London for 11 years, said he felt like "an adopted son" after being recognised for his services to theatre.
Other actors recognised in the honours list include Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiewtel Ejiofor and Lesley Manville.
And Eddie Redmayne continues a career-defining year with an OBE to add to his Oscar for playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.
Spacey, who steps down as artistic director of the Old Vic in the autumn, said he was "honoured and humbled by such recognition from the Queen".
"I must thank the British public for being so supportive of my efforts on behalf of the Old Vic. I feel like an adopted son."
Musician Van Morrison, comedian Lenny Henry and performer Michael Ball are among the other entertainers honoured by the Queen.
But there is a noticeable lack of recognition for female names from the worlds of arts and culture - despite the fact that, overall, female recipients outnumber men for only the second time in honours history.
Amanda Nevill, chief executive of the British Film Institute, is one notable exception, receiving a CBE for services to the film industry; while singer Patti Boulaye has been recognised for her charity work.
Here are some of the most prominent entertainment figures to receive honours:
Sir Neville Marriner began life as a violinist, playing first in a string quartet and trio, then in the London Symphony Orchestra, during which period he founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
As a conductor, he has worked not just with the Academy but many of the world's best orchestras in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Athens, New York, Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo.
He oversaw the soundtrack to the Oscar-winning film Amadeus and, last year, became the oldest conductor to lead a Prom.
Knighted in 1985, he has been made a companion of honour for services to music.
A mainstay of Comic Relief, Lenny Henry is being knighted for his services to drama and charity.
The comedian, from Dudley, made a triumphant televisual debut in 1975, when he won the New Faces talent competition at the age of 18.
For many years he was the only black British entertainer to achieve mainstream acceptance on television, through shows like Three of a Kind and the anarchic children's show Tiswas.
In the 1980s, he had his own primetime sketch show on BBC One, and later starred in the hit sitcom Chef!
In recent years, the star has turned his hand to Shakespeare, playing Othello and Antipholus in The Comedy of Errors, as well as campaigning for greater diversity in the media.
Pieces of Sir Lenny Henry
An Irish poet steeped in the music of America, Van Morrison's work spans blues, jazz, soul and country.
Born in Belfast in 1945, he was schooled in music by his father, who ardently collected classic jazz and blues recordings. After quitting school at the age of 15, he toured Europe with a local R&B band, before forming his own group, Them, in 1964.
They scored a UK top 10 hit with Baby Please Don't Go in 1965; but fell apart a year later.
Going solo, the irascible musician hit a purple patch in the late 60s with the albums Astral Weeks, Moondance and Tupelo Honey.
His best-known song is undoubtedly Brown-Eyed Girl, the first dance at countless weddings since its release in 1967, but he continues to write and perform. He is being knighted for services to music and tourism in Northern Ireland, which has inspired many of his hits.
Here comes the knight
Hollywood star Kevin Spacey receives an honorary knighthood in recognition of his 11-year stint as artistic director of London's Old Vic theatre.
Born in South Orange, New Jersey, he studied at New York's Juilliard drama school and began his career on stage, playing a messenger in a 1981 production of Henry VI. The following year he made his Broadway debut in Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts.
A versatile and fearless actor, he was soon courted by Hollywood, and gave Oscar-winning performances in The Usual Suspects and American Beauty.
He took up his role at the Old Vic in 2004, directing two productions and starring in nine - including an acclaimed version of Richard III. He was credited with revitalising the theatre at a gala tribute marking the end of his tenure in April.
Kevin Spacey: UK's 'adopted son'
Children's author Michael Bond has created several successful series, from Parsley the lion to French detective Monsieur Pamplemousse and his talking dog, Pomme Frites.
But his most famous character is undoubtedly Paddington Bear - the ursine orphan, who is adopted from Paddington Station by the Brown family.
Bond was born in Newbury, Berkshire on 13 January, 1926 and educated at Presentation College, Reading. He served in the Royal Air Force and the British Army before becoming a cameraman for the BBC, while writing as a sideline.
The Paddington books, first published in 1958, have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over 40 languages, including Latin.
The author was named a CBE for his services to children's literature.
Born on 10 July, 1977, in London, Chiwetel Ejiofor was a stage actor before landing a part in Steven Spielberg's epic slavery drama Amistad, in 1997.
He performed with the National Youth Theatre before eventually attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art; and slowly built up a portfolio of impressive, powerful cameos in films such as Dirty Pretty Things, Serenity and American Gangster.
His performance as drag diva Lola in 2006's Kinky Boots earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and he won a Laurence Olivier award for his Othello in 2008.
But he is perhaps best known for playing Solomon Northup - a free black man from New York, who was abducted and sold into slavery  - in Steve McQueen's Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave (pictured above).
Ejiofor's recent projects include a movie starring alongside Nicole Kidman, titled The Secret in Their Eyes. He has also been treading the boards in London, starring in the theatre production Everyman at the National.
He is awarded a CBE for services to drama.
His hypnotic, quixotic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes has made Benedict Cumberbatch a household name (although some refer to him as "Britain's favourite otter").
Born in London in 1976, he began his career with roles in To The Ends Of The Earth and Small Island, before making his movie debut alongside James McAvoy and Rebecca Hall in 2006's Starter for 10.
Since then, he's played Julian Assange, Stephen Hawking and Alan Turing, receiving an Oscar nomination for the latter role. But Sherlock remains his calling card, leading directly to roles in Hollywood films like Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hobbit.
The star, who is about to have his first child with wife Sophie Hunter, recently signed up for the lead role in Marvel's Doctor Strange.
An ambassador for both the Prince's Trust and the Motor Neurone Disease Association, he has been made a CBE for services to the performing arts and charity.
Singer Patti Boulaye is appointed CBE for charitable services in the UK and Sub-Sahran Africa.
Born Patricia Ngozi Ebigwei in 1954 in Nigeria, she moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 16 following the Biafran war.
Her showbiz career started when she mistakenly joined an audition queue thinking she was in line for Madame Tussauds.
After winning the talent competition New Faces in 1978, she starred in productions of Hair, The Black Mikado and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Boulaye later founded the charity Support for Africa which has helped build clinics in rural Africa and a school in Lesotho.
One of the UK's best loved musical theatre stars, Michael Ball made his West End debut in 1985 playing Marius in the original London production of Les Miserables.
He has gone on to star in a slate of hit musicals including The Phantom of the Opera, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Hairspray and Sweeney Todd - the latter shows twice winning him the Olivier Award for best actor in a musical.
He had a taste of chart success in 1989, when he reached number two in the UK singles chart with Love Changes Everything. He has since recorded more than 30 albums.
The star says his father burst into tears upon learning his son was being awarded an OBE for services to musical theatre.
"It came out of the blue. I wasn't expecting it and I don't know what to say," he said. "I love these things. For people in our business, it's all we want is for people to say 'you are lovely.'"
Martin Clunes has been a mainstay of British television since first appearing, aged 22, in an episode of Doctor Who.
He got his first regular television role in the BBC sitcom No Place Like Home but it was his work in Men Behaving Badly which cemented his career.
The sitcom about two beer-swilling flatmates caught the mid-90s lad culture zeitgeist and earned him a Bafta TV award in 1996.
Since 2004, Clunes has played the lead on the ITV comedy drama Doc Martin, and frequently hosts satirical quiz show Have I Got News For You.
He says he is "tremendously proud" after being awarded an OBE for services to drama, charity and the community in Dorset - where he now lives.
One of the UK's best respected film actresses, Lesley Manville made her debut in the 1985 movie Dance with a Stranger - the story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain.
But she is perhaps best know for her association with the director Mike Leigh, who has cast her in five films after first working with her in the 1980 BBC play Grown-Ups.
In 2011, Manville starred in Mike Leigh's play Grief at the National Theatre. And, in 2014, she won best actress at the Olivier Awards for playing a distraught mother in Ibsen's Ghosts.
But the Brighton-born performer, who attended the Italia Conti stage school, says she never intended to become an actress, "I'd gone to sing, but one day I found myself doing an improvisation and thought, 'Oh God, I quite like this acting thing.'"
She becomes an OBE for services to drama.
Steven Moffat is being recognised for his services to drama. His career began with 1989's ITV children's series Press Gang but he is now feted as the show runner, writer and producer of two TV institutions: Doctor Who and Sherlock.
A lifelong fan of Doctor Who, his first work on the series was the script of the parody episode The Curse of Fatal Death in 1999.
After the show was revived in 2005, he created the character of River Song and monsters like the Weeping Angels, before taking over from Russell T Davies in 2010.
He was instrumental in casting Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor; and devised his take on Sherlock with co-writer Mark Gatiss during their long train journeys to the Doctor Who set in Cardiff.
Since 1991, he has won five Baftas and a primetime Emmy award. He can now add an OBE to the list.
"I never thought I would get something like this," he said. "I'm astonished and more thrilled than I ever thought someone like me would be.
"I'm not the least bit cynical, or the least bit trying to be cool about it. I'm just really, really happy."
Eddie Redmayne, who is awarded an OBE for services to drama, has had a meteoric rise since his film debut in 2006's Like Minds.
He starred opposite a Golden Globe nominated Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn in 2011 and was among the cast of the Oscar-winning Les Miserables.
His awards extend to theatre, where he won a 2010 Tony for his role in the play Red; while his television credits include the BBC mini-series Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Pillars of the Earth, and the two-part mini-series Birdsong.
His film career hit a high earlier this year when he won an Academy Award for playing a young Stephen Hawking in the film The Theory of Everything.
'Rising star' comes a long way
Other notable honorees include:
Knighthood
CBE
OBE
MBE


The deaths of every penguin at a zoo may have been caused by a disease spread by migratory birds.

Ten birds died at Exmoor Zoo over the course of two weeks.
It is suspected the birds, some of which had lived at the zoo for more than 20 years, died of avian malaria. Post-mortems have been "inconclusive".
Curator Danny Reynolds said: "The migrant birds bring it over, and because the penguins have grown up in a coastal environment they can't cope."
More on penguin deaths, and news from Devon and Cornwall.
Internal investigations are ongoing, with blood and tissue samples still under examination.
Mr Reynolds said that, after the first death, zoo staff suspected a fungal disease may have been the cause but it later emerged something more serious was affecting the birds.
He added: "Had we realised early on, we may have been able to administer anti-malarial drugs.
"For those who hadn't already contracted the malaria, it may have saved them."


Former HBOS chief executive James Crosby has been formally stripped of his knighthood, the UK Cabinet Office has said.

Following a highly critical report by the Banking Standards Commission in April, Sir James asked for his knighthood to be removed.
The report described him as the "architect" of the strategy that led to HBOS' downfall.
Mr Crosby served as chief executive of the bank between 2001 and 2006.
He was given the knighthood in 2006 after he had left HBOS.
The announcement, which came in the London Gazette, said: "Letters Patent dated 11 June 2013 have passed the Great Seal of the Realm cancelling and annulling the Knighthood conferred upon James Robert Crosby on the 6 December 2006 as a Knight Bachelor."
Mr Crosby said in April that the Banking Standards Commission's report "made for very chastening reading".
"Although I stood down as CEO of HBOS in 2006, some three years before it was taken over by Lloyds, I have never sought to disassociate myself from what has happened," he continued.
"I am deeply sorry for what happened at HBOS."
Mr Crosby also resigned as a non-executive director of Compass Group and gave up 30% of his Â£580,000-a-year HBOS pension, meaning he will waive around Â£174,000 this year.
At the height of the financial crisis, Lloyds took over the collapsed HBOS, the group that owned Halifax and Bank of Scotland. But the government ended up with a stake of about 40% in the new Lloyds Banking Group.
The report by the Banking Standards Commission, a government body set up to improve the UK's banking system, estimated that 96% of shareholder value was wiped out when HBOS collapsed, costing taxpayers Â£20.5bn.
Lloyds Banking Group has since cut tens of thousands of jobs and remains 39% state-owned.
The banking crisis also precipitated the economic slump from which the UK is still struggling to recover.
Mr Crosby's knighthood is the second casualty of the banking crisis. Fred Goodwin, the former chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, was stripped of his knighthood in 2012 after leading the bank to near-collapse in 2008, and an eventual multi-billion pound government bailout.


There have been plenty of moments when, with a rueful smile, Mark Burchill has wondered if every managerial job would be as challenging as the last four months at Livingston.

He reels off some of the problems he has faced: a five-point deduction, reports of the club entering administration, having to cut a four-figure amount from his weekly budget, one of his players coping with the sudden death of a close family member.
There is no exasperation to Burchill, though. The opportunity to manage came earlier than he expected, but he was fully prepared. "I started my coaching badges when I was 24, so I'm 11 years into a plan," he said.
"I could have picked 1,000 easier jobs for my first in management, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.
"I went into it with my eyes wide open. I've been in football for near enough 18, 19 years and there's nothing I've not seen in dressing rooms."
He has provided Livingston with hope. A season pockmarked by setbacks, disappointments, crises and tragedy has also delivered a Petrofac Training Cup success - which Darren Cole played a part in despite the loss of his cousin days before - and most crucially an opportunity to avoid relegation.
With one round of games left, Livingston stand second bottom of the Championship, ahead of Alloa on goal difference and one point away from the team in third bottom - Cowdenbeath - and safety.
That scenario alone is testament to Burchill's work. His first task, following the departure of John McGlynn last December, was a trip to Ibrox. Livingston lost 2-0, leaving them five points behind Alloa at the bottom of the league.
The previous month, the club had been docked five points for breaching Scottish Professional Football League rules relating to non-payment of tax, which contributed to the team being adrift.
Burchill's fourth game in charge was a home match against Cowdenbeath, which came directly after media reports that the club was about to fall into administration. "It was on the six o'clock news, so my team talk was, 'don't worry, we're not going into administration'," Burchill said.
"There have been another two or three off-field things that have not helped, but it's a fantastic learning curve.
"We've got a young squad and the whole situation has arisen because of the five-point deduction and then a lot of the games became more pressurised. The players started to feel that every game was a must-win. I was trying to go the other way and say, 'don't feel pressure. Let me feel the pressure and you go out there to express yourselves'.
"They've come to terms with that now, but we've had a wee bit of luck in games and won them, which is when confidence comes back."
Livingston had been bottom of the Championship for almost a full five months, but Burchill has led the team into a spell of rejuvenation. There was a time when the club looked beyond rescue, but Burchill has held his nerve and his principles. He did not seek relief or security in defensive tactics or a siege mentality.
A much-travelled striker - he has played for 14 clubs, including a spell in Cyprus - but still only 34, Burchill understood the dynamics of playing in the Championship but also the need to help and nurture his young, inexperienced squad.
"I know this division inside out, I know the players, and if you give people time on the ball in this division, they will cause you problems," he said. "But if you put people under pressure and play on the front foot, try to get in behind them, that's the way [to succeed].
"It's in my nature, I'm a striker, I want to play attractive football, fast-flowing, attacking. I'm not the kind of guy who is going to go out and defend.
"There have been times after games when I've thought maybe we should have sat in, but we ran Hearts close.
"In my first eight games we played Hearts three times and Robbie [Neilson] said to me that we were the best team he had faced, we pushed them very close.
"We're unlucky not to have been out of this situation sooner, we were playing better earlier on and should have got better results, but at least we're there now and in with a chance.
"I've been in relegation battles before and some of them have been very difficult places to go into because the guy at the top was feeling the pressure and it was passing down to the players. I've tried to not do that."
He does not identify a specific change that has led to the team losing only twice in their last nine games and haul themselves into a position where safety is now within reach. Livingston are simply converting more of their chances, and crucially have been scoring first in recent games, reducing the pressure on the players.
Burchill will not personally keep in touch with the game between Alloa and Cowdenbeath on Saturday, preferring to focus on trying to lead his team to victory over Queen of the South. Whatever happens this weekend, though, Burchill has impressed with the way that he has approached the job.
He is out of contract in the summer, and wouldn't rule out reverting to player/manager next season, having felt it was important to focus on the managerial side since December. The effort has been worth it. "I believed in myself and the Livingston players," he said. "I believed we could do it."


Pope Francis has called for international mediation to ease rising tensions between the US and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear activity.

The pontiff suggested that Norway, for example, was "always ready to help".
He warned the crisis risked sparking a devastating war in which "a good part of humanity" would be destroyed.
His comments came hours after North Korea test-fired another ballistic missile, which the US and South Korea say exploded shortly after take-off.
The missile was fired from a site in South Pyeongan province, north of Pyongyang, South Korea said.
US President Donald Trump accused Pyongyang of showing "disrespect" towards China and its president.
Mr Trump recently hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping and praised him for "trying very hard" on North Korea.
The test came just hours after the UN Security Council had discussed North Korea's missile programme.
Speaking to reporters aboard his plane after a visit to Egypt, Pope Francis said: "There are so many facilitators in the world, there are mediators who offer themselves, such as Norway for example."
He warned that the situation had become "too hot" and said the "path is the path of negotiations, of a diplomatic solution".
The United Nations, he said, had become "too watered down".
In 2003 six-party talks - involving the two Koreas, the US, China, Japan and Russia - were launched to address concerns over the North's nuclear programme. But Pyongyang withdrew from the negotiations in 2009.
Tensions in the region have increased lately, with both North and South Korea conducting military exercises.
North Korea is believed to be continuing efforts to miniaturise nuclear warheads and fit them on long-range missiles capable of reaching the US.
It is not known what kind of missile was unsuccessfully launched on Saturday. However, US officials told Reuters news agency that it was probably a medium-range missile known as a KN-17.
The land-based, anti-ship ballistic missile has already had two failures.
Meanwhile, the American aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and supporting warships have arrived on the Korean peninsula.
The US has threatened to use military force in North Korea if necessary.
In an interview with CBS on Saturday, Mr Trump said he would "not be happy" if North Korean leader Kim Jong-un went ahead with a further nuclear test.
Asked whether that would mean US military action, he said "I don't know. I mean, we'll see."
North Korea has had two failed missile launches this month - but that does not mean they will always fail, an expert has said.
Jeffrey Lewis, a scholar at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, told the BBC this was to be expected when testing a new missile as there was such a variety of things which could go wrong.
"Every time you have a new missile there are going to be growing pains," he said. "There is nothing unusual if it is new missiles.
"It will fail until it doesn't.
"In fact, the [American] rocket which put Alan Shepard [the first US man] in space was known as 'Old Reliable', but it failed nine out of 10 of its first tests."
Data collected by his institute also suggested North Korea's old missiles "work just fine", he added.
Among other developments in recent weeks:


UK ministers handling Brexit have "no idea of their plan", the chairman of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee has said.

German MEP Elmar Brok told the BBC that "reality" had "not arrived" in London and a "realistic plan" was needed.
It was wrong to think the UK could stay in the single market without "minimum" commitment to its funding, he said.
The government is working out its negotiating position before full Brexit talks begin next year.
Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, starting the full process of leaving the EU, by the end of March.
Talks will then last up to two years, with the government saying on Tuesday that it was "very likely" Parliament would get a vote on the final deal reached.
Last week Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, one of the leading voices of the Leave campaign, which won June's referendum on EU membership, predicted that the UK would arrange a trade deal "possibly of greater value" than it currently has as part of the single market.
He told MPs it would also be possible to keep "control of our borders" and save "a fair bit of cash".
Mr Brok, an MEP for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat party, told the BBC: "I've met Boris Johnson for two hours' meetings privately. We've known each other for more than 25 years and these are interesting debates on Brexit."
Two other prominent Leave campaigners, Brexit Secretary David Davis and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, have been tasked, along with Mr Johnson, with overseeing the process of exiting the EU.
Speaking in London, Mr Brok added: "I'm astonished what they (pro-Brexit ministers) think about the European Union, what they know about the European Union and which conditions have to be fulfilled to come to a deal.
"I've sometimes a feeling that after all this happiness after Brexit, the reality has not arrived in this city - what are the real conditions for coming to a deal and all the technical implications that have to go through?"
Mr Brok said: "I have no clear idea of their plan because they have no idea of their plan. I have not the impression that they know where they want to go and I have also the feeling that they do not know certain conditions which you have to know in order to make a realistic plan."
He added: "They believe, for example, that you can play a part in the single market without financing structure funds."
That would mean "the minimum of conditions" for staying in the single market were "not fulfilled", Mr Brok added.
Mr Fox has described Brexit as a "golden opportunity", urging UK to "rise to the challenge", while Mr Davis has said he will negotiate for continuing tariff-free access to the single market, arguing that this "is in the interest of the other members of the EU as well as us".


Fast patrol craft have been deployed to investigate reports of fishing boats operating illegally in marine protected areas, BBC Scotland has learned.

The Scottish government's introduction of marine protected areas (MPAs) has proved controversial and divisive.
Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said there had been "reports of alleged incursions" into MPAs.
Fishermen's leaders said crews did not agree with the MPA regulations but insisted they were respecting them.
Skippers have warned the new restrictions on fishing are putting west coast fishing communities at risk.
Crews are being backed by the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, which has claimed there is a danger of "modern day clearances" as a result of the protection zones.
MPAs are designed to protect Scotland's internationally important marine ecosystem, allowing damaged areas of seabed to recover.
Fishermen's leaders say their fears have been ignored, but insist crews are respecting the MPA regulations.
Elaine Whyte of the Clyde Fishermen's Association said: "I would stress that as much as they don't agree with them, they are respecting them.
"They are not taking vigilante action and breaching the areas.
"They are tying up and taking losses, not fishing MPAs."
Bertie Armstrong of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) said there was "considerable unhappiness" about the new rules, but said there was "quite simply no campaign of disobedience".
He said protests against the MPAs were being conducted at a political level and were "exclusively peaceful".
He added: "The SFF has participated fully in the MPA process and you will find no more conscientious stewards of the marine environment than those making their living from it.
"The difficulties with a small number of new MPAs has been created by the decisions made by the fisheries minister which overreached the evidence and advice from his own process, to the detriment of perfectly sustainable fishing carried out from delicately balanced communities."
Mr Lochhead told BBC Scotland: "Marine Scotland Compliance has received reports of alleged incursions into Marine Protected Areas.
"They have deployed enforcement officers, Marine Protection Vessels, and fast patrol craft to investigate these incidents and to deter and detect any illegal activity in MPAs."
Meanwhile, creel fishermen in support of the measures have told BBC Scotland they have been the victims of intimidation by the crews of larger vessels.
Loch Fyne in Argyll is said to be a particular flashpoint.
Police Scotland has confirmed an investigation is under way following allegations of intimidation there.
Richard Luxmoore of the National Trust for Scotland and Scottish Environment Link said: "The majority of skippers understand that MPAs are in the best interests of local communities, the environment and their industry.
"Unfortunately irresponsible flouting of the regulations by a tiny minority could risk undermining all of these.
"Working with other environmental groups we would urge the fishing industry to stamp out any illegal fishing and encourage members of the public to report suspicious activity to Marine Scotland Compliance."
Marine Scotland Compliance has three ships in its fleet of Marine Protection Vessels.
The MPV Minna operates mainly in Scotland's inshore waters. The vessel is 42m in length, has a crew of 15, and a top speed of 14 knots.
Two other vessels, the MPV Jura and the MPV Hirta, are larger and faster and are used mainly in offshore enforcement duties.


A "discriminatory" law means British people on low incomes who marry foreign nationals are unable to live with their partners in the UK, according to an MP.

UK citizens must prove an annual income of Â£18,600 or have Â£62,500 in savings to bring a spouse into the country.
Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts will raise the question of Hailey Aldirmaz of Pwllheli, whose Turkish husband was refused a visa.
A Home Office spokesman said she did not satisfy financial requirements.
Mrs Aldirmaz, 26, married Turkish national Hasan four years ago and the couple have two children together.
But the trainee teaching assistant will not pass the minimum financial threshold needed to bring him to the UK when she starts work.
Ms Saville Roberts said the rules discriminate against low-pay earners, with more than half of full-time workers in her constituency taking home a wage below the threshold.
She told BBC Radio Wales' Good Morning Wales programme: "We are looking at people who are working not on benefits and it is a loving marriage."
The MP will raise the matter in the House of Commons, saying the ruling "prejudices against" low-earners and people in rural areas, where wages are usually lower.
She added Mrs Aldirmaz' situation was affecting the couple's children and that other means must be used to establish if a marriage is genuine.
A Home Office spokesman said it welcomes those who want to make a life in the UK, but said: "Family life must not be established here at the taxpayer's expense".
"Mr Aldirmaz's application was refused because it did not meet the financial requirements of the immigration rules," the spokesman added.


A few days ago a school friend sent me a very disturbing video on WhatsApp of a three-year-old being taught maths at home.

The tutor, whose face cannot be seen, appears to be a family member - she's either the child's mother or aunt or another relative.
She's teaching the child to recognise numbers from one to five.
Tears streaming down her face, the little girl is seen begging with her tutor to spare her, show a bit of leniency, "teach with a bit of love".
At one point, frustration takes over, she says her head is aching. Put under more pressure, she's angry, and continues to sob as she repeats the numbers through clenched teeth.
The video ends with her getting slapped across the face.
In many countries, if a video surfaced of parents treating their children with such cruelty, it would be treated as a serious case of child abuse and she would possibly be removed from the parents' custody.
Abusing and hitting children is a crime in many parts of the world and corporal punishment in schools is banned in India too. But it's still an accepted way of disciplining children within homes.
Many middle class Indian parents believe education is the key that opens the door to a better life and put tremendous importance on education of their children.
In India, where WhatsApp has 200 million monthly active users, the video of the three-year-old spread within hours and soon went viral on social media sites. Watching a three-year-old being treated so badly made many people angry.
Virat Kohli, the captain of India's cricket team, and several of his team-mates were among those who took to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to express their outrage.
"The fact that the pain and anger of the child is ignored and one's own ego to make the child learn is so massive that compassion has totally gone out of the window. This is shocking and saddening to another dimension. A child can never learn if intimidated. This is hurtful," Kohli posted on Instagram.
Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan wrote that it was "one of the most disturbing videos" he had seen.
Many others too said they were distressed by the video.
"When I saw this video on Whatsapp it was heart wrenching... And no matter how many excuses the parents or family give in support of their behaviour it cannot be justified," commented Nidhi (nid048).
"This is pretty sad, I mean that kid at that age shouldn't be taught that way," commented egadwiprasetya.
"Can anyone in India help to save this little girl's life from her lunatic Mum please ? Media, police please? I am broke," Sudhi Pooniyil wrote on Twitter.
For several days, the identity of the little girl remained a mystery, but on Wednesday, it was reported that she was Bollywood singer-composer Toshi Sabri's niece.
In an interview with the Hindustan Times newspaper, Sabri said the video was made for their family's WhatsApp group and defended the family's treatment of the child.
"Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan don't know about us. We know about our child better," he said. "Her nature is such that after being scolded, the next minute she runs off to play. But, because of her nature if we don't push her, she won't study."
He said the video was made by the child's mother, who wanted to show her brother and husband that the child had become very stubborn. "But she is very dear to us," he added.
Experts, however, insist this is "abusive behaviour" and in many countries, it would be "treated as a crime against a child".
Psychiatrist Achal Bhagat says he cannot comment on this particular case because he hasn't examined the child, but warns that treated in such a way, a child can be "harmed permanently".
"It can result in the child developing a mistrust of people because those who are supposed to be loving her are mistreating her. It can either make her too cautious or too impulsive in forming relationships later in life. She can also start developing self-harm behaviour."
Also, he says, focusing on a child's limitations are not going to help her learn anything.
"This is likely to be very damaging. The child is crying for help. She needs immediate help. And so do her parents," he adds.


Kenya faces censure from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) for failing to carry out a full inquiry into the alarming surge in the number of their athletes caught taking banned drugs.

Since January 2012, 17 Kenyan athletes have been suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs compared with only two between 2010 and 2012.
The issue is to be discussed at Wada's world conference on doping in sport in Johannesburg next month.
Although Wada has no powers to directly sanction Kenya's sports authorities it can rule that they are non-compliant with its code.
However, ultimately it is up to the International Olympic Committee to decide whether a nation's athletes should be banned from competing at future Olympic Games.
Compared to other countries we do not have a serious problem
That measure looks extremely unlikely at this stage, but Wada's director general David Howman is known to be frustrated and concerned at the lack of action in Kenya since the doping problem was first highlighted last autumn.
He is expected to name Kenya as one of the major problems facing the organisation in his report to the conference in South Africa.
According to Kenyan Athletics head Isaiah Kiplagat, Wada had given the Kenyan Olympic Committee (Nock) and the country's sports ministry a deadline of November to produce a report on their progress. Sources have told the BBC that with only two weeks to go to the Wada conference, no correspondence has been received.
It is also understood that a special committee set up by Kenya's sports bodies to look into the rash of positive tests has not met once since it was formed last year.
Rodney Swigelaar, director of Wada's Africa office, said: "We are very frustrated. It's more than a year now since we went there and even longer since the rumours started to spread.
"The procrastination has been frustrating. Officially I cannot say where they are at with their investigation.
"We have been extremely patient. Wherever these things happen, it's our role to go in there and ask what is wrong and why people are not complying with the code."
But Kiplagat told the BBC: "I can assure everyone that the government commission will start its work soon. We are hoping to start work before the Wada conference."
He added: "I don't think there is really a problem with drugs in Kenya. All our top athletes were tested before London and then again before the World Championships in Moscow this year.
"Compared to other countries we do not have a serious problem."
Despite Kiplagat's remarks, Wada could decide to set up an independent audit of Kenya - similar to the one being carried out in Jamaica this week.
A three-man team arrived on the Caribbean island on Monday to carry out an independent investigation into its anti-doping programme after serious concerns were raised about testing procedures in the run-up to London 2012.
But the situation in Kenya - a powerhouse of middle and long-distance running - is potentially much more significant.
The increase in bans has been accompanied by allegations of a widespread doping culture in Kenya.
Last October, a German TV investigation claimed that doctors in Kenya were supplying athletes with banned drugs in return for a percentage of their winnings from races.
Then in February this year, one of Kenya's greatest distance runners, Moses Kiptanui, said he believed the country had a major problem.
One of the biggest problems for Kenya has been the lack of a Wada-accredited blood testing laboratory in the country. The nearest facility is in South Africa, which means collecting, transporting and analysing blood samples is extremely difficult.
Earlier this year, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) sent in a special team to carry out blood tests on more than 40 athletes as part of their biological passport programme. The results were analysed locally but also sent to the Wada lab in Lausanne.
IAAF statistics for 2013 show that their anti-doping teams have carried out 725 tests on Kenyan athletes - 307 in competition and 418 out of competition - which represents a big increase in the scrutiny of the country's top runners.
But the IAAF wants to do more and had hoped to set up a permanent blood-testing facility in Eldoret in the Rift Valley where so many training camps are based. The BBC understands those plans have been scrapped and an alternative lab in neighbouring Ethiopia is now being considered.
Kenya's authorities say elections in March and the terrorist attack on the Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi have contributed to the delays in addressing the doping problem.


The Ministry of Defence is to close the British Army's Welsh headquarters at Brecon, Powys, in 2027.

It comes in a shake-up of UK military buildings and resettling of regiments.
Brecon and Radnorshire Conservative MP Chris Davies condemned the closure, saying there had been a barracks in Brecon since 1805, home to troops who fought the Zulus at Rorke's Drift.
"This decision is abhorrent and I shall be fighting it every step of the way," he said.
"The government has a great deal of questions to answer over why it is proposing to close a well-loved and historic barracks in a vitally important military town.
"Brecon Barracks has served our country with distinction over its long history, with soldiers from the site fighting in every conflict since the early 19th century.
"This decision shows a blatant lack of respect for that history."
Mr Davies said he was launching a petition against the decision, saying the Brecon area had some of the highest unemployment levels in Wales.
He also hoped the closure would not damage the town's "thriving" military tourism industry.
Brecon barracks has about 85 civilian staff and 90 military but it is not thought jobs are at risk.
Mr Davies said he understood the nearby Sennybridge training ground and infantry school at Dering Lines would not be affected.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon told the Commons on Monday the reorganisation in Wales would see a specialist light infantry centre created at St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan.
Cawdor Barracks, Pembrokeshire - whose closure was previously announced in 2013 - will now shut in 2024, while a storage depot at Sennybridge will go in 2025.
Responding for Labour, Shadow Defence Secretary Nia Griffith, MP for Llanelli, said the ministry was "right to restructure its estate".
But she warned closing bases would affect the livelihoods of many people who would face "gnawing uncertainty" over their future.


Tokyo has been chosen to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games ahead of Istanbul and Madrid.

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The Japanese capital won a final round of voting by International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in Buenos Aires to beat Istanbul by 60 votes to 36.
Madrid had earlier been eliminated in a first-round ballot.
There were huge scenes of celebration from the Tokyo delegation - it means a huge amount to them.
There are always frontrunners and outsiders in any bidding process but what went on here in the last few days and hours proved decisive.
Madrid appeared to have the momentum but Tokyo's presentation was wholly impressive.
The announcement was met with jubilant scenes in Japan, as Tokyo prepares to host the event for the first time since 1964.
When IOC president Jacques Rogge - who will retire after 12 years in the role on Tuesday - announced the winning city, the Tokyo delegation jumped to their feet in celebration and waved the Japan flag.
A number of them were overcome with emotion and wept, following two years of intense lobbying.
"I would like to thank everyone in the Olympic movement and we will host a wonderful Olympic Games," a delighted Prime Minster Shinzo Abe said.
Bid leader Tsunekazu Takeda added: "It is a great honour that Tokyo has been chosen. The first thing I will do when I return is to thank all of Japan."
London mayor Boris Johnson sent "huge congratulations to Tokyo for winning the honour of hosting the greatest sporting spectacular on the planet".
He continued: "I am sure that, like London, your great city will put on an extraordinary event. This is a magical moment of celebration to savour before the years of hard work ahead."
The decision means Tokyo - which campaigned with the message that "the Olympics will be safe in our hands" - will become the first Asian city to host the Games twice.
They were also awarded the event in 1940 but the Games were cancelled because of World War II.
The success of the Tokyo bid followed a personal address from the Japanese prime minister during the presentation stage, in which he allayed fears over the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant 150 miles (240km) from the city by saying: "It has never done, and will never do, any damage to Tokyo."
The plant had been leaking radiation after an earthquake and tsunami hit the north east of the country in 2011.
"I cannot believe it," Japanese fencing Olympic silver medallist Yuki Ota told BBC Sport. "A thousand times I imagined Jacques Rogge opening the paper - it has become a reality.
"After the earthquake everyone in Japan was depressed but now we have to make a dream come true."
The prime minister's presentation also revealed the role sport had played in boosting the country in the past two years and pointed out that no Japanese athlete had failed a drugs test at an Olympics or Paralympics.
It added sponsorship would reach record levels and 10 new permanent sports venues would be constructed, including the Olympic Stadium, which will be finished by 2019 in time to host the Rugby World Cup.
For Istanbul, their campaign had not been able to overcome concerns about serious political unrest in the country, a series of doping scandals among the country's athletes, the jailing of political opponents and journalists, plus the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had flown to Buenos Aires from the G20 summit in Russia to argue the Turkish city's case.
But his efforts were to no avail, and Istanbul registered its fifth failed bid. If it had been successful, it would have been the first Games in a predominantly Muslim country.
In Madrid, tens of thousands of people were left dejected in the city's Puerta de Alcala square when the news was announced that it had failed for a third straight time to win the summer Games.
The Spanish capital's presentation - which featured former Olympic sailor Crown Prince Felipe - had emphasised providing a "sensible, reliable and trustworthy" Olympics but ongoing worries about the economy undermined the bid, along with the recent Operation Puerto doping scandal.


Mary Berry is heading to the US for a festive-themed remake of The Great British Bake Off, reports Deadline.

The British cook will join pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini as a judge on The Great Holiday Baking Show, as amateur bakers attempt a series of themed challenges.
The four-week special, hosted by Nia Vardalos, of My Big Fat Greek Wedding fame, and husband, Cougar Town star Ian Gomez, will debut on 30 November.
Last month's Bake Off final became the UK's most-watched TV show of the year.
An average audience of 13.4m viewers tuned in to see Nadiya Hussain crowned the winner of the sixth series.
US network CBS remade a version of The Great British Bake Off in 2013, called The American Baking Competition, but it premiered to dire ratings and was cancelled after its first seven-episode season.
The Great Holiday Baking Show will be produced by Love Productions for the ABC Television Network.


Douglas Carswell has said UKIP must be willing to "work with anyone" to win the vote on the UK's future in Europe.

He told activists that the party must "radiate optimism" and its recent success would be "worthless" if the UK did not leave the European Union.
His message comes amid divisions over which anti-EU campaign group to back.
Party leader Nigel Farage has endorsed the umbrella Leave.eu group while Mr Carswell has suggested he would back a separate group, Business for Britain.
On Friday, Mr Farage suggested this difference of opinion showed Mr Carswell had "residual loyalties" to the Conservatives - from whom he defected last year.
In his main address to the party's conference in Doncaster, which came after a day of behind-the-scenes tensions between UKIP's sole MP and other UKIP figures, Mr Carswell said UKIP must throw everything it had at the in-out referendum on Europe, to be held before the end of 2017.
Mr Carswell urged the party to make an "upbeat" case for leaving the EU, arguing the UK was "more tolerant and open than ever" and UKIP "must never blame outsiders" for problems caused by politicians.
"We must be prepared to work with anyone, left or right, politician or undecided," he said. "There are good patriotic politicians in all parties and we must work with them all."
He thanked UKIP members for helping electing him twice in the space of eight months, firstly in a by-election and the general election, saying "my win in Clacton wasn't my victory, it was UKIP's victory, it was their victory".
He told the BBC he was "very loyal to people called Eurosceptics in all parties", insisting "we're on the same side" and he had no doubt about remaining in UKIP.
The gathering in Doncaster is being dominated by the forthcoming referendum on the UK's future in Europe, with Mr Farage urging activists to seize the opportunity of the first public vote on Europe for more than 40 years.
The exact date of the referendum has yet to be announced and the official "in" and "out" campaigns and who will lead them have yet to be officially announced.
Speaking to delegates on Friday, Mr Farage appealed to his members to put "country before party" over the next two years and hailed a "show of unity" among anti-EU groups, who have formed Leave.eu to push for a UK exit.
Several of the disparate groups now joining forces within Leave.eu addressed the conference.
But Mr Carswell has suggested Business for Britain is a better vehicle to lead the "Out" campaign despite its not being part of Leave.eu and having yet to categorically commit itself to backing EU exit pending the outcome of Prime Minister David Cameron's negotiations with EU leaders.
Mr Carswell says Business for Britain's founders, who have links to the Conservatives, are "individuals with a proven track record of winning referendums".
The Clacton MP had an angry exchange of views on the matter with Arron Banks, a UKIP donor and leading light behind Leave.eu, at the conference.
It followed a claim in the Guardian that Mr Banks suggested Mr Carswell could face deselection from UKIP, if he endorsed a different eurosceptic campaign.
Mr Carswell dismissed comments made about him by Mr Banks that he was "borderline autistic" with mental illness, saying "politics can be a rough trade. I have a big chin and take it in my stride".
On the second day of their conference, UKIP have been making the case for reform to the UK voting system following May's election, in which it only won one seat despite getting nearly four million votes.
The party also announced that Peter Whittle will be its candidate for the 2016 London mayoral election while broadcaster Mike Read is among 11 candidates for the London Assembly.


As changes to the state pension come into place, who will financially benefit, and who will be worse off?

4 April 2016 Last updated at 17:00 BST
A new system, which changes the way the state pension is calculated for new pensioners, comes into force on Wednesday.
Simon Gompertz reports.


A dangerous driver is facing a jail term after being convicted of causing the death of an American tourist.

Jordan Kenvyn, 26, from Dumfries, was driving on the wrong side of the road when his Renault Clio hit Barbara D'Amato's Fiat hire car.
The crash happened on the A702 near Elvanfoot, Lanarkshire, on 16 January 2014.
Mrs D'Amato, who hoped to buy a house in Scotland, died after suffering serious facial injuries.
Judge Lady Scott told Kenvyn: "You are facing the possibility, if not likelihood, of receiving a prison term."
He will be sentenced next month.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Kenvyn had not been paying attention at the time of the crash.
Mrs D'Amato's friend, Colette Ralph, age 48, who was travelling with her, suffered abdominal injuries in the crash.
She told the trial that Kenvyn had been travelling at "very high speed" at the time.
Mrs Ralph said: "It all happened so quickly. It was over in seconds.
"There was a loud bang and a violent jolt and the airbag was in my face. It took me a few seconds to register what happened.
"I couldn't get out of the front door. I climbed out of the back seat and tried to get out the back door. "
Mrs Ralph, a British ex-pat living in Switzerland, was taken to hospital where doctors informed her that her friend had died.
Kenvyn admitted that he was on the wrong side of the road but could offer no explanation as to why.
Mrs D'Amato, age 61, who lived in France, was visiting Scotland with a view to buying a property for her retirement.
Mrs Ralph said: "She had been planning to retire in Scotland. It was always her plan. Her intention was to come and live here."
The jury took 90 minutes to find Kenvyn guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.
Lady Scott banned him from driving and ordered reports.
He will return to the High Court in Edinburgh for sentencing on 19 August.


Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has launched Neuralink, a start-up which aims to develop technology that connects our brains to computers.

A report from the Wall Street Journal, later confirmed in a tweet by Mr Musk, said the company was in its very early stages and registered as a “medical research” firm.
The company will develop so-called “neural lace” technology which would implant tiny electrodes into the brain.
The technique could be used to improve memory or give humans added artificial intelligence.
According to the Journal, leading academics in the field have been signed up to work at the company which is being funded privately by Mr Musk.
Specialists in the field envision a time when humans may be able to upload and download thoughts.
In a tweet on Tuesday evening, Mr Musk confirmed the existence of the company and said more details about the firm would be made public next week via WaitButWhy - a site known for illustrating its lengthy post with often crude but charming stick figure drawings.
Mr Musk is considered one of Silicon Valley’s most visionary figures - and surely now its busiest.
As well as heading electric carmaker Tesla, Mr Musk is involved with running space exploration company Space X, a project to reinvent transport called Hyperloop and, most recently, a firm investigating the feasibility of boring tunnels underneath Los Angeles - and a new project to power Australia.
Tweeting about Neuralink, Mr Musk conceded it would be “difficult to dedicate the time, but existential risk is too high not to”.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC. You can reach Dave securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370


Palm oil giant Olam has been accused of using suppliers that may use unsustainable practices in parts of Southeast Asia.

The claims against the agricultural commodities trader were made in a report by Mighty, a US-based environmental lobby group.
Mighty also accuses Olam and its main stakeholder, Singapore state-owned investment company Temasek, of turning a blind eye to these practices.
Both companies reject the allegations.
Singapore and Malaysia regularly suffer from haze caused by slash-and-burn practices by small-scale farmers and rogue palm oil traders in Indonesia.
Indonesia is often blamed for not doing enough to tackle the agriculture fires used to clear vegetation for palm oil, pulp and paper plantations in the Riau province in East Sumatra, South Sumatra, and parts of Kalimantan on Indonesian Borneo.
Singapore-based Olam has confirmed that it buys 99% of its palm oil from third party suppliers and while it is a relative newcomer to the industry, it says it accounts for less than 1% of the global market.
Mighty's report says Olam and Temask could be unwittingly encouraging unsustainable palm oil trading practices that may contribute to the haze that is caused by the fires.
It also says Olam created a "secretive market for rogue palm oil companies" that allowed the vast majority of its product to be bought from unknown sources.
But Olam chief executive Sunny Verghese told the BBC that the firm had a "very vigorous sourcing policy and we insist that there is zero tolerance for burning, so it's a 'no burn-no peat-no deforestation' compliance policy".
The company only agreed to release the names of its 14 suppliers on Monday, having previously resisted calls by Mighty to do so.
Mr Verghese said he believed the firm's current suppliers all met Olam's strict requirements, but added that the vetting and verification process would take several more years to complete.
He added that producers who do not comply with the company's sustainable principles would be removed from its supply chain.
Since Temasek is the majority stake holder in Olam, Mighty's allegations could link Singapore's state fund to the devastating annual haze affecting Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia - if the claims of sourcing from rogue palm oil producers are proven.
Temasek's investment in Olam means that "the people of Singapore have unwittingly financed what is likely one of the world's black boxes for the kind of unsustainably produced palm oil that fuels the haze," the report says.
Temasek has dismissed the allegations, explaining that they "fully support no-burn policies for land clearance, and would urge oil palm companies and plantation owners to do the same."
The fund told the BBC: "Olam's operations are properly matters for the board and management of Olam to address.
"As a matter of proper governance, Temasek does not direct the business operations of our portfolio companies, including Olam."
It would be fair to say that the palm oil industry globally has a troubled track record.
It is one of the world's biggest industries, projected to be worth $88bn by 2022 but also often accused of unfair and illegal labour practices, as well as deforestation and the burning of plantations.
Green groups and palm oil executives often find themselves at loggerheads with one another - NGOs say that the industry is wilfully turning a blind eye to environmentally unfriendly practices, while palm oil executives claim it is an industry-wide problem, and policing third party suppliers is impossible.
Activists say governments need to punish palm oil firms that don't comply with acceptable standards of protecting the environment - but changing the government mindset can be challenging, because the reality is many of these firms bring jobs and investment to rural areas.
The report also highlights concerns in the African state of Gabon, where according to Mighty, Olam "bulldozes rainforests to establish monoculture palm oil plantations," bringing the same practices to Africa "that have destroyed vast natural landscapes in Southeast Asia".
In response to the accusation that Olam is responsible for vast forest clearings through its joint ventures with the government of Gabon, Olam said its private-public partnerships in the country strove to be both responsible and transparent.
"We agree with Gabon's sovereign right to convert a tiny percentage of its least valuable forested land for agriculture, so long as it is responsibly and transparently done," it said.
"Our plans and progress for developing sustainable palm oil plantations have been shared transparently with stakeholders and put in the public domain."


Garry Ringrose is refusing to get distracted by a possible British and Irish Lions call-up as he prepares for Ireland's three Summer Tests.

Lions coach Warren Gatland has name-checked Ringrose several times when asked about potential standby players.
But Ringrose says he is focusing totally on Saturday's encounter with the USA in New Jersey.
"I feel so lucky to go and represent Ireland for the next three weeks against USA and Japan," he said.
"This time last year I missed out on a summer tour (in South Africa).
"I appreciate the fact that I am pretty lucky, from where I have come from last year, to come and play on the summer tour.
"Hopefully we get the matches (in New Zealand) up on the projector and support the lads that are there."
The 22-year-old responded to his omission from the 41-man Lions squad by scoring a stunning display in Leinster's 27-22 defeat by Clermont in the Champions Cup semi-final.
Ringrose's solo score was reminiscent of Brian O'Driscoll's unforgettable effort for the Lions against Australia in Brisbane back in 2001.
The try continued Ringrose's breakout season which included winning his first cap against Canada in November a week after sitting on the bench during Ireland's brilliant victory over the All Blacks in Chicago.
After playing for most of the rematch in Dublin as the All Blacks avenged their Soldier Field defeat, Ringrose starred in Ireland's 27-24 closing Autumn win over Australia and the former Blackrock College student was ever-present during the Six Nations.
"I was involved in all of the Six Nations games, which was a big learning experience for me.
"And then getting a bit of disappointment with Leinster with the way we finished the year. A lot of rugby has been played since November."
After a long season Ringrose insists there will be no hint of complacency from Joe Schmidt's youthful squad as they look to seal victory in New Jersey this weekend before a two-Test series against Japan in Shizuoka and Tokyo.
"You always want to put on the best performance possible, individually and collectively, put the best performance forward and hopefully win.
"That will be our primary focus and we will do everything we can preparation-wise to ensure that."
Former Munster and Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara, now part of the coaching set-up at French club Racing 92, has been working with Schmidt's squad this week.
Munster assistant coach Felix Jones and Leinster backs coach Girvan Dempsey will also work with the squad during the two-week tour of Japan as Schmidt looks give some promising young coaches a taste of top-level Test experience.
"There are fresh faces in and around camp and they can offer a different perspective about things," Ringrose added.
"Anything they can see, or improvements they can give advice on, it's really beneficial no matter what position or number you are."


Macclesfield Town have signed former York City defender John McCombe on a deal until the end of the season.

McCombe appeared 61 times in a two-year spell with the Minstermen prior to leaving the club last month.
The 30-year-old was a member of the York side that reached the League Two play-off semi-finals in 2013-14.
Starting his career with Huddersfield Town, he also played for Port Vale and Hereford and won promotion from League Two with both sides.


Police are still searching for a rare bulldog puppy worth £16,000 which was snatched from its breeder's home.

A man interested in buying the pup ran away with the eight-week-old lilac bulldog, known as Lila, from a property in Tadworth, Surrey, in October.
Five men aged between 24 and 27 from Oxford have been arrested on conspiracy to commit robbery.
It is thought the puppy - high in demand because of its colour -  is somewhere in the Oxford area.
The thief ran from the property with the animal, allegedly assaulting a relative of the breeder in the process.
Det Con Eloise Lock, from Surrey Police, asked the public to watch their neighbours for "unusual behaviour".
She said: "We still need to find the puppy and return her to the rightful owner.
"If you have noticed any unusual behaviour by your neighbours, or anybody you know in relation to any new pets they have, we need to hear from you."
Four men - aged 24, 26 and two aged 25 - were arrested on 28 November. A 27-year-old man was arrested on 23 December, Surrey Police said.
The men have been released on bail until 19 and 20 February.


The RSPCA was alerted to more horses in distress in Kent than anywhere else in England last year, it has revealed.

The charity said it was a growing problem across the South East, with more than 9,500 horses rescued last year in Kent, Sussex and Surrey.
The organisation took 22,000 calls about neglected horses in England and Wales, in what it has described as a national crisis.
It has now started an urgent appeal to find homes for rescued horses.
Horses in Kent prompted the second highest number of complaints to the RSPCA, after West Yorkshire, but with a greater number of horses affected.
Last year, the RSPCA received 1,242 calls about horses in Kent, concerning 4,326 animals.
'Just given up'
The charity has suggested that as the cost of horses falls and the price of keeping them increases, so too does the number that are left to suffer or die.
It said the main reasons for horses being taken into care were injuries, starvation, untreated wounds and irresponsible ownership.
Claudia Corner, equine re-homing officer at the RSPCA, said: "It is very bad this year. We have had a lot of horses coming out of the winter that have been found neglected.
"There are a lot of horses being fly-grazed, being left on land that is too small for them, too many horses for too small an area, and not being given enough food or hay."
Chris Johns, of the Happy Endings Rescue group, added: "I've never seen so many horses in such a poor condition, whether they are worm-riddled or purely emaciated, their bodies just go into shutdown.  And it doesn't matter what we do, they just have given up."
The RSPCA said the number of horses in its care now exceeded 600.


A police firearms officer who shot an unarmed man dead in Cheshire has been warned he could face a murder charge.

The Greater Manchester Police officer has been interviewed under criminal caution over Anthony Grainger's death.
Mr Grainger, 36, was shot in the chest after the car he was in was stopped in Culcheth, Cheshire, last month.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said the officer had been interviewed on suspicion of committing a criminal offence.
It said potential offences he could be charged with include manslaughter and murder.
The police watchdog served a formal notice of investigation on the officer on 2 April.
In a statement, it said: "The IPCC remains in close liaison with the Crown Prosecution Service and at this stage a range of potential offences are under consideration, including unlawful act manslaughter and murder."
It confirmed no firearms or weapons were found on Mr Grainger when he was shot in a village car park.
It said the red Audi that he was in had been stolen and had false registration plates on it.
Greater Manchester Police officers shot the car's tyres twice and threw a CS canister into the vehicle.
The fatal shot was one round fired by an officer carrying a Heckler and Koch MP5 carbine, which pierced the windscreen and hit Mr Grainger.
Mr Grainger, an "odd job man", was originally from Salford and lived in Deane Church Lane, Bolton.


More than 100 company leaders have declared support for a Conservative-led government in a letter published in the Daily Telegraph.

Signatories including former Dragons' Den star Duncan Bannatyne backed Tory plans to lower corporation tax to 20%, which come into force on Wednesday.
Labour, which dismissed the letter, says it would prioritise lower business rates for small firms.
It is also set to promise a curb onw "exploitative" zero hours contracts.
BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said the letter to the Telegraph was a "significant intervention" from the business leaders with 36 days to go before the general election.
Other business chiefs to sign the Telegraph letter include BP chief executive Bob Dudley, Prudential boss Tidjane Thiam, Arcadia retail group head Sir Philip Green, and Nick Robertson, chief executive of ASOS.
David Cowling, editor, BBC Political Research
YouGov's first poll following their Sunday 4% Labour lead had Conservative and Labour level-pegging on 35%; and TNS had the Conservatives one point ahead of Labour (33% v 32%) with UKIP on 16% - their highest figure in a campaign poll so far.
A ComRes poll of 40 Labour seats in Scotland confirmed other national polls, with a 19% swing from Labour to the SNP.
There was better news for Labour in two London-wide polls. ComRes had Labour on 46% and YouGov on 45%, with the Conservatives hovering around their 2010 share of 34%.
ComRes represented a 5.5% swing to Labour and YouGov a swing of 4%.
The Lib Dems were down from 22% in 2010 to 8% now.
UKIP continued to underperform in London with around 8-9%; and the Greens will be disappointed that they were on 4% in both polls in a city where they have performed better than average in the past.
BBC poll tracker
The business leaders, who signed the letter in a personal capacity, say that the present government has supported investment and job creation.
"We believe a change in course will threaten jobs and deter investment. This would send a negative message about Britain and put the recovery at risk," they said in the letter.
The paper says the letter has five signatories who have previously supported New Labour: the entrepreneur Mr Bannatyne, the hotelier Surinder Arora, chairman of Dixons Carphone and Talk Talk Sir Charles Dunstone , theatrical producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh and businessman Moni Varma.
Chuka Umunna, Labour's shadow business secretary, said: "No one will be surprised that some business people are calling for low taxes for big businesses.
"That's nothing new and under Labour Britain will have the most competitive corporation tax rate in the G7.
"But whilst the recovery may have reached some firms it hasn't reached many others which is why we will prioritise tax cuts for the smallest firms with an immediate cut in business rates for 1.5 million small business premises."
However, Chancellor George Osborne said: "An intervention on this scale and with this clarity from Britain's business leaders is unprecedented in any recent general election."
The Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has also said that leaving the European Union would be an act of economic "self-harm" and could put the UK recovery at risk.
This issue includes the wider economy and deficit reduction but also employment and the role of business.
Policy guide: Where the parties stand
Later, at a campaign event in Yorkshire, Labour leader Ed Miliband will say a Labour government would guarantee "zero hours" workers the right to a contract after 12 weeks of working regular hours.
He is expected to say the "explosion" of zero hours contracts is a "symbol of the Tories' failing economy".
"It is leaving people without a reliable income, not knowing from one day to the next how much work will be coming in, unable to plan from one week to the next," he will say.
Under the changes, Labour said more than 90% of existing zero-hours contracts would be banned.
The CBI said Labour's 12-week proposal on zero hours contracts was "wide of the mark".
"Of course action should be taken to tackle abuses, but demonising flexible contracts is playing with the jobs that many firms and many workers value and need," said director-general John Cridland.
But unions welcomed the proposal.
TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "We need a fairer system that guarantees zero-hours workers decent rights at work and stops them from being treated like second-class employees."


A helicopter left "significant gouge marks" on the deck of a North Sea platform, it has emerged.

The CHC helicopter was landing on West Franklin on 28 December when it developed what has been described as a technical fault.
A wheel of the helicopter came into contact with the platform. Those on board the aircraft - two crew and nine passengers - were uninjured.
The helicopter has been moved to Aberdeen by boat for examination.
Air accident investigators are being sent to Aberdeen to gather evidence about the incident.
The S92 helicopter had been shuttling passenger from Total's Elgin platform to the nearby West Franklin wellhead installation which is normally unmanned.
A statement from CHC said: "We can confirm that one of S92s operating from Aberdeen experienced unexpected control responses during the final stages of a landing at an offshore platform.
"The crew responded immediately in accordance with their training and the aircraft was successfully landed and shut down; there were no reported injuries amongst the passengers or the crew.
"We are in close contact with the aircraft manufacturer and we will be keeping customers and fellow operators informed of any significant factual information as it emerges."
Platform operator Total added: "Safety is Total's core value. Following the helicopter incident on West Franklin we continue to work with our helicopter contractors, manufacturers and regulators to better understand its causes."


At least 22 people have been killed after a bus they were travelling in collided with a truck in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

The crash happened early on Monday in the city of Bareilly, 251km (155 miles) from the state capital, Lucknow.
A senior police official said all 22 victims had been charred badly and could not be immediately identified.
The passenger bus had caught fire following the collision. Police are searching for the driver of the truck.
The AFP news agency quoted police as saying the doors of the bus jammed after the collision, trapping passengers inside.
A few people managed to escape by breaking open the windows of the vehicle.
The chief spokesman of the Uttar Pradesh police, Rahul Srivastav, said the bus was carrying 41 passengers, and that those who were injured had been rushed to hospital.
The condition of many of them is said to be serious, and officials warn that the toll is likely to rise.
India has the world's highest number of road deaths, with an accident taking place every four minutes.
Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and ageing vehicles.


Nearly 17,000 patients in Scotland failed to show up for an NHS hospital appointment on at least five occasions last year.

NHS Tayside had the highest number followed by NHS Lanarkshire  and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
The figures also revealed that more than 560,000 people missed at least one NHS outpatient appointment in 2014/15.
Each missed appointment is thought to cost the NHS Â£120, putting the total cost to the health service at Â£100m.
The figures were obtained by the Scottish Conservatives through a Freedom of Information request.
The statistics revealed:
The Scottish Tories have previously suggested those who fail to show for appointments on a certain number of occasions could face some sanction from the health board.
The party has also urged the Scottish government look at more innovative ways of reminding patients to turn up at appointments.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: "Missing a hospital appointment can happen to anyone, and for a range of reasons.
"But when you're getting to the point where you are missing five or more in the space of just a year, something really has to be done.
"That is costing the NHS thousands of pounds, wreaking havoc with hospital planning, and of course potentially harming the health of the patient involved.
"We've been critical of the NHS in the past for cancelling appointments and procedures, so it's only fair we do everything we can to make sure patient no-shows are limited too.
"We need to find ways to ensure people turn up at the appointments that are made and stop showing contempt for our NHS, doctors and nursing staff."
Health Secretary Shona Robison said the percentage of patients missing appointments has decreased slightly over the last five years.
She added: "However, it is important that all health boards understand why patients are not attending appointments and look at ways to reduce this.
"The Scottish government is committed to supporting health boards to deliver secure messaging services, including reminders.
"Health Scotland also recently published a report looking at those who did not attend appointments over a 10 year period from 2002/03 to 2011/12.
"We welcome this report which will provide boards with further learning on the issue of non-attendance."