The police investigation into the so-called "ClimateGate" affair is over.

Norfolk Constabulary
          says
 there is no realistic prospect of finding the culprit within the statutory time limit of three years since the 2009 offence.
The theft and release of e-mails from the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit provoked a huge furore over the integrity of climate science.
Police say the theft was "sophisticated and orchestrated", and that no-one at the university is implicated.
"The complex nature of this investigation means that we do not have a realistic prospect of identifying the offender or offenders and launching criminal proceedings within the time constraints imposed by law," said Detective Chief Superintendent Julian Gregory, the officer in charge of the investigation.
"The international dimension of investigating the World Wide Web especially has proved extremely challenging."
The local police force has worked with the national e-crime unit and intelligence agencies in an attempt to find the perpetrators.
Thousands of e-mails and other documents were obtained from a backup server at the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) late in 2009, after a number of passwords were attacked and breached.
They were released on the web on 17 November, shortly before the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, where governments were due to make a new global agreement to tackle global warming.
CRU maintains one of the three most authoritative and widely-used records of global temperature.
Its work has been crucial in attempts to work out how the Earth's surface is warming up under the impact of humanity's greenhouse gas emissions.
Some of the e-mails released appeared to show scientists at CRU and their collaborators in other institutes deviating from accepted academic standards in an attempt to paint an alarmist picture of climate change.
However, examination of the broader context by three separate investigations resulted in the scientists being cleared of malpractice.
And a fourth, entirely independent global temperature record from the University of California at Berkeley -
          released last year
 and compiled using funding from a climate sceptic group - confirmed the broad accuracy of the CRU record.
The police investigation was running under the 1990 Computer Misuse Act, which sets a three-year limit from the date of the alleged offence.
Prof Edward Acton, the university's vice-chancellor, said he was disappointed that the perpetrators had not been caught.
"The misinformation and conspiracy theories circulating following the publication of the stolen emails - including the theory that the hacker was a disgruntled UEA employee - did real harm to public perceptions about the dangers of climate change." he said.
"The results of the independent inquiries and recent scientific studies have vindicated our scientists, who have returned to their important task of providing the best possible scientific information on this globally critical issue."
The scientist most criticised in the wake of the e-mail release, CRU research director Prof Phil Jones, said he hoped the announcement "will draw a line under the stressful events of the last two and half years".
"My colleagues and I remain committed to the research CRU undertakes to illuminate the globally important issue of climate change," he added.
Prof Michael Mann from Penn State University in the US, who collaborated with CRU researchers on many projects and led the development of the noted "hockey stick" graph, said it was important that the criminals be brought to justice.
"I hope that the separate investigation underway by the Justice Department in the US will continue undaunted, especially since the British police concluded that the data breach was the result of a 'sophisticated and carefully orchestrated attack'," he told BBC News.
Follow Richard
          on Twitter


Nine men and five women have been arrested by police investigating a disturbance in which a petrol bomb was thrown at officers outside a club.

Merseyside Police raided 10 homes in the Anfield area of Liverpool.
Four officers were treated for minor burns after Tuesday's incident outside the Dockers Club in Townsend Lane.
Supt Mark Morgan said officers had "a lot of support" from the community, and promised that increased patrols would continue in the area.
Read updates on this story and more from across Merseyside and Cheshire
All 14 were arrested on drugs charges, police said.
One of the men was also held on suspicion of possession of a firearm in relation to a previous offence and another was held on suspicion of burglary.
One of the women was arrested on suspicion of breach of the peace and obstructing police.
On Thursday, a man was charged with resisting arrest and a drugs offence in relation to the incident.
He appeared before magistrates and was remanded in custody until next month, when he will appear at Liverpool Crown Court.


Artificial intelligence will be the main way that banks interact with their customers within the next three years, a report from consultancy Accenture has suggested.

Banks such as Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are increasingly using chatbots to answer customer queries.
The report examined the views of 600 bankers and other experts.
Many, perhaps ironically, felt that AI would help banks create a more human-like customer experience.
"The big paradox here is that people think technology will lead to banking becoming more and more automated and less and less personalised, but what we've seen coming through here is the view that technology will actually help banking become a lot more personalised," said Alan McIntyre, head of the Accenture's banking practice and co-author of the report, Banking Technology Vision 2017.
"(It) will give people the impression that the bank knows them a lot better, and in many ways it will take banking back to the feeling that people had when there were more human interactions."
A similar report conducted by Accenture, looking at consumer attitudes to banking, suggests that customers too are willing to embrace AI.
"With things like Netflix, customers are used to smart AI offering advice in the background and we found consumers are surprisingly willing to accept robotic advice about banking products," Mr McIntyre told the BBC.
In future he envisages banking will be made much simpler - with people able to conduct transactions on social media platforms such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.
Accenture is currently working with a number of UK banks to allow customers to interact with their banks - get balance information and transfer money - via Amazon's smart home speaker Alexa.
He also imagines how banks could use systems such as Alexa to transcribe conversations with customers to cut down on "form-filling".
"Rather than sit down and log on to a website, people want to interact naturally," said Mr McIntyre.
The vast majority of customers, according to Accenture, want both easy digital interactions and the ability to speak to a human.
"People want a dialogue and as AI is more and more able to replicate that, so it doesn't feel like speaking to a machine," he said.
RBS and NatWest began testing an AI customer service chatbot, dubbed Assist, in December and in Sweden, Swedbank's Nina web assistant now has an average of 30,000 conversations per month and can handle more than 350 different customer questions.


As the US deals with a president who tweets stories his own staff don't believe, and an environmental chief who denies carbon emissions are the primary driver of climate change, a Florida election fight shows the ups and downs of dealing with the politics of confusion around climate and energy policy.

A few days after early voting had begun in Florida last October, an 84-year-old woman called Mary Ellen Klas, the state capital bureau chief of the Miami Herald, with an urgent question.
Was there anyway she could take back her vote?
Klas told the woman that wasn't going to be possible - there are no do-overs in voting.
But the woman didn't want to change her vote for president - she wanted to undo her vote on a Florida ballot measure, Amendment 1.
Amendment 1 read simply, asking voters if there should be "a right under Florida's constitution for consumers to own or lease solar equipment".
The woman on the phone had voted Yes. She, like 89% of Americans in a recent survey, supported expanding solar power in some way.
But she wanted to switch her vote because of a story Klas had just published.
A leaked recording all but confirmed what editorials in Florida papers and opponents had been arguing for months: the amendment was a deliberately misleading effort, aimed at drastically limiting solar competition.
"Your article came one day too late," she told Klas, vowing to tell all her friends to vote no. "I read it and I almost cried."
In 2015, a group called Floridians for Solar Choice begin petitioning for a ballot amendment that would allow state residents to set up contracts with third party companies that install solar panels for no cost and in return, sell the energy produced back to the consumer.
Across the US, utility firms see such companies as a threat, as they reduce revenues from residential consumers who are otherwise still connected to their grid.
A competing amendment by a group called Consumers for Smart Solar cropped up, titled "Rights of Electricity Consumers Regarding Solar Energy Choice". The title sounded similar and the language seemed to indicate the amendment would be broadly pro-solar, promising a right to "own or lease solar equipment".
But instead of being backed by renewable energy and environmental groups, the Smart Solar group was funded by Florida utilities.
The issue was the second half of the utility-backed amendment: non-solar consumers would be "not required to subsidize" solar installations. Critics saw this as a way of constitutionally enshrining raised fees to make third-party solar prohibitively expensive.
"We need more solar in Florida and we need it to be done in a way that is fair, transparent and protects all consumers," said Ana Gibbs, a spokeswoman for Duke Energy, one of the major utility firms who supported Consumers for Smart Solar.
Both sides were soliciting signatures for "the solar amendment" says Josh Gillin, a reporter at the Tampa Bay Times and contributor to PolitiFact Florida. "There were reports of people saying 'Well I already signed for that'," Gillin says.
In the end, Consumers for Smart Solar got the signatures needed, and was listed on the ballot as Amendment 1. Floridians for Solar Choice admitted they would not get the required signatures in time, and began switching their efforts to organising a No campaign against Amendment 1.
Consumers for Smart Solar also won a legal battle in early 2016 challenging the amendment's wording.
In a 4-3 ruling, the Florida Supreme Court said the amendment could go forward. But one of the judges in the minority called the amendment "a wolf in sheep's clothing", writing that the ballot's title was "misleading".
Consumers for Smart Solar's Yes on 1 began their campaign in earnest - TV advertisements, direct mail and opinion pieces. Many voters received four or five pieces of mail from the group, Klas says.
They also targeted their messaging for Florida's large elderly population - claiming the amendment would protect seniors from scams, despite the amendment language guaranteeing no such thing. Some leaders in Florida's black and Latino communities came on board, swayed by argument that third-party solar would ultimately raise electricity rates on Florida's poorest.
By the end of the election, Consumers for Smart Solar had raised $27m (£21m) for the campaign - $20m of that from utility companies, and the vast majority of the rest by political organisations not required to disclose their donors or coalition groups.
Floridians for Solar Choice raised about a tenth of that - $2.5m. Most of it was donated by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) action fund - also not required to disclose their donors - and from environmental groups, solar industry groups and several hundred individuals.
"I don't think people thought we could win," Susan Glickman, Florida Director for SACE Action Fund says. "It's a big state, lots of media markets...It's a real investment."
Meanwhile, Florida newspaper editorial boards invited both groups in to make their case.
"We really bent over backward to be as open minded as possible," says Paul Owens, opinions editor of the Orlando Sentinel. "We met with groups on both sides…for at least an hour [each]."
After the meetings, Owens' team did their own reporting and ultimately decided they would advise their readers to vote no.
"Energy seems to be an area that's changing rapidly," Owens says "We didn't think that was a good idea to lock something in a rapidly changing policy area in the constitution."
But how the amendment came to the ballot also affected their decision.
"The major utilities in Florida had invested so much money into this," Owens says. "Of course, they were saying they were doing it on behalf of the consumers. But," - he laughs - " we were a little sceptical."
Owens and the Sentinel eventually wrote two separate editorials opposing amendment one, and they weren't alone. More than two dozen Florida newspaper editorial boards all came out against the amendment.
When asked if the firm is concerned about being associated with what many editorials called a misleading amendment, Gibbs says Duke Energy "believes our numbers speak for themselves" and described the firm's own solar installations and projects.
The No on 1 campaign was losing the fundraising race, but they had an odd and energised coalition on their side - environmental groups, solar firms, Christian conservatives and Tea Party groups frustrated over state utility monopolies.
As the editorials came out, they ran with them.
"We were on radio, on debates, on Facebook Live," Glickman said. "People were emailing their list - the Christian Coalition - that's a couple hundred thousand of people."
Their language was easy to get across, Glickman says. "People understood - the only reason utilities spent [millions] was to help themselves."
A tech millionaire ran his own $100,000 internet marketing campaign against the amendment, telling Klas he had "nothing against power companies" but disliked "companies try to fool me".
"Margaritaville" singer Jimmy buffet recorded a video in opposition. Even Al Gore got angry about it (and got fact checked himself).
In order to pass, the amendment need 60% support. But polling had showed support as high as 84% in September. Two weeks before the election, it had dropped - but only to 60%.
And then Klas got a scoop.
It was an audio recording of Sal Nuzzo, a policy director at James Madison Institute, a think tank hired by Consumers for Smart Solar, calling the amendment campaign "an incredibly savvy manoeuvre" that "would completely negate anything they [pro-solar interests] would try to do either legislatively or constitutionally down the road".
Nuzzo, who was speaking at a conference put on by the think tank, suggested political operatives in other states could "use a little bit of political jiu-jitsu and take what they're kind of pinning us on and use it to our benefit either in policy, in legislation or in constitutional referendums".
"As you guys look at policy in your state, or constitutional ballot initiatives in your state, remember this: solar polls very well," Nuzzo said.
The reaction to the leaked recording was quick. More editorials came out. Yes on 1 removed all references to the James Madison Institute on their website. A fire fighting union rescinded their endorsement of the amendment and demanded the group stop airing television ads featuring fire-fighters.
"It was confirming a narrative," Klas says. "It's got that 'Hey Mabel" quality to it - oh what's this story? I should pay attention."
And readers paid attention - and shared. "It was picked up on Facebook and recirculated," Klas says, adding reader engagement with the story made it one of the largest political stories of the year for the Herald. "People read to the end."
But without the leaked recording, would Amendment 1 have lost?
"You know, I still think we would have won," Glickman says, but "it was close".
Klas thinks it was a combination of multiple factors: an organised, if underfunded, opposition, the tape, the editorials, the drip-drip of bad news near the election.
But she's not convinced the experience will change how amendment campaigns are run.
"I think they got caught," she says.
"I think they are going to make sure they are not going to get caught again."


Portsmouth will not "break the bank" in their attempts to keep defender Ben Davies and midfielder Danny Hollands, says chief executive Mark Catlin.

Davies, 34, and midfielder Hollands, 30, are out of contract this summer and talks have started to re-sign the pair.
"It has to be the right deal for both the players and the club," Catlin told BBC Radio Solent. "We'll only get that deal when it suits both parties.
"They're both great lads who've had great seasons for us."
Pompey missed out on promotion from League Two following a play-off semi-final defeat by Plymouth.
Catlin said any new deals for Davies and Hollands would have to fit within the football budget.
"You can't be sentimental in football," he said. "You have to move forward and look to improve next season.
"I'm not saying that signing Ben and Danny wouldn't improve us but, financially, we've got a strict budget and it's whether or not we can accommodate them."


World and UK champion Mark Selby began his Masters campaign with a thrilling final-frame 6-5 win over Mark Williams.

Selby, the world number one, made breaks of 139, 109 and 62 to lead 3-1, but Williams hit back to level, before the pair shared the next two frames.
Three-time winner Selby snatched a tactical ninth frame, Williams forced a decider, but a kick on the blue allowed Selby in for a 89 clearance.
Selby faces Shaun Murphy or Barry Hawkins in the quarter-finals.
The remaining first-round match will be played at 19:00 GMT.
Leicester's Selby won the UK Championship title last month to go with his triumph at the Crucible in May and is now bidding to become only the fifth player to hold all three BBC titles at the same time.
Ironically, opponent Williams is the last player to achieve the feat in 2003, and the Welshman had a chance to oust Selby in the first round at Alexandra Palace but for an unfortunate kick while on 20 in the 11th frame.
"If I am playing the blue, I would punch it in to take the kick out of the equation," Selby told BBC Sport. "But Williams rolls them in and he has won things that way so why does he need to change?
"He did not win frames in one visit but he is such a clever player. He shut me out for a little while.
"Coming here, winning all three tournaments has been on my mind. It is such a tough tournament to win but it will be better if I just go out and play."
The invitational tournament sees only the top 16 players in the world compete and Selby's win was the fourth match to be won on a decider after Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Allen and Marco Fu all held their nerve to progress.
1991 world champion John Parrott on BBC Two:
"What an unbelievable match. I feel so sorry for Mark Williams. There is no worse way than to lose on a kick, it is a horrible way to lose.
"After that, Mark Selby showed why he is the world number one."
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app.


Visibly exhausted, the 15-year-old boy slumped in a chair at a little-known cricket ground in Kalyan, a Mumbai suburb, on Monday afternoon.

Pranav Dhanawade, son of an auto-rickshaw driver, had just scored more than 1,000 runs in a single innings to set a new world record in school cricket.
An army of reporters had descended to find out more about the young cricketer, who The Guardian called "the first cricketer to navigate the nervous 990s".
The teenager was crisp and brief while facing the excited media after his enervating innings.
"I wanted to score big runs. I remember my coach telling me that no one will take me in the Mumbai team if I score these hundreds and two-hundreds," he told The Indian Express newspaper.
Dhanawade's life has changed overnight after he smashed a mind-boggling 1,009 not out for his Smt KC Gandhi School in an inter-school game for the HT Bhandari Cup, an under-16 tournament.
An aggressive batsman by nature, he made merry at the crease for over six and a half hours. He faced 327 deliveries, hit 129 fours and 59 sixes, and ended up with an awe-inspiring strike rate of 308.56.
It surely helped that the opposition Arya Gurukul School weren't fielding their first team for this two-day game.
Their senior players were away preparing for an exam. Some of their bowlers were as young as 11. They batted first and were shot out for an inglorious 31 runs in 20 overs.
Dhanawade opened the batting for Smt KC Gandhi. At lunch, he had scored 45 runs. By the end of Monday he was unbeaten at 652 runs. The ground was small and the boundaries came fast and furious.
"When I go to bat, I only keep in mind that I had to play a big innings and after playing on and on I scored 100 runs, 200, 300, 400 runs," he told the BBC.
The family's phones kept ringing on Monday night. Friends and relatives were delirious: Dhanawade had already broken Arthur Collins' 1899 record of 628 not out, and the Indian school cricket record of 546 runs by Prithvi Shaw.
Tuesday brought with it an avalanche of expectations.
Dhanawade's voracious appetite for runs had not waned: by lunch, he had scored an astounding 921 runs. Spectators and reporters had begun invading the ground during the breaks in play. A few well-wishers cordoned him as he scampered to the dressing room at tea break.
After lunch, he crossed 1,000 runs. KC Gandhi declared with their score on 1,465 of three, and Dhanawade had scored nearly 70% of his team's total. He had his share of luck - a few catches dropped and a couple of stumpings missed by the opponents.
The one-sided contest ended with Arya Gurukul being bowled out for a paltry 56 in the second innings, giving Dhanawade's team an emphatic 1,382-run innings win.
The match umpire says he was impressed with Dhanawade's mindset and fitness.
"I would say he was 101% fit [temperamentally], and even after scoring so much he was not tired," Sunimal Sen told ESPNcricinfo.
"Many times we see that batsmen, after scoring a hundred, say 'Sir we want water', but he did not create this type of disturbance. He was very fit."
Life hasn't been easy for young Dhanawade and his family. His father Prashant, an auto-rickshaw driver, has done everything he could to support his son's cricketing dream.
Dhanawade had taken a two-year-break from cricket due to "some issues". There was a time when his mother Mohini would reprimand him for not focusing on studies.
His father had worked overtime to ensure his son got a cricket kit. On Monday, they stood beside him, beaming with pride, with tears of joy, accepting the accolades. They also learnt that the Maharashtra government had decided to fund their son's studies and sports.
Dhanawade's innings propelled him to the top of the trends on Twitter in India, where reactions to his innings ranged from praise to shock and disbelief. Sachin Tendulkar congratulated him - "You need to scale new peaks!," he tweeted.
But the biggest - and measured - accolade possibly came from Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni.
"To score like that anywhere in the world, in those conditions, is very difficult. Not to forget the age of the individual," Dhoni told reporters..
"We need to nurture him, guide him, because all of a sudden the limelight will be on him. He will be compared with a lot of individuals who have been very successful. It is important for the individuals who are close to him - his coach, his parents - to guide him to move in the right direction."
For the moment, Dhanawade is still soaking in his new-found celebrity and trying to make sense of it.
"I want to become a big cricketer. I want to play for India," he says.
Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Mumbai-based journalist


Ross Murdoch won 200m breaststroke gold as Britain claimed five medals on the fourth day of the European Swimming Championships in London.

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The Scot, 22, will not be competing in the event at the Olympics after only finishing third at the British trials.
But he held off Germany's Marco Koch to win the hosts' third gold of the meet.
Siobhan-Marie O'Connor (200m medley) and Jazz Carlin (800m) won silvers, with Hannah Miley (200m medley) and Kathleen Dawson (800m) claiming bronze.
The British women's team just missed out on a medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay, finishing fourth.
Britain have now won 13 medals - the joint highest of any country - but are second in the table behind Hungary, who have won six golds.
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Murdoch, who won silver behind Adam Peaty in the 100m on Tuesday, said he was "absolutely delighted" to win gold in the 200m.
"It's been a long time coming that swim," the Commonwealth Games champion told BBC Sport. "To come away with a gold, I never thought that would happen.
"I had a few demons from the trials but I want to thank my coach and family, and this proves I'm on course for the next cycle."
Double Olympic champion Becky Adlington: "Ross seemed shocked because that was almost a second faster than he swam at the trials.
"It'll be frustrating that he won't be competing in this event in Rio but there is such strength in depth. What it does mean is that he can focus on the 100m."
Former world champion Mark Foster: "He's still young and has a big future in the event. I think he can break the world record one day."
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England's O'Connor, who also won gold in the 4x200m mixed relay, recorded a season's best in claiming silver behind Katinka Hosszu of Hungary. Scot Miley, who prefers the 400m, did enough to hold on for third.
O'Connor, 20, said: "This is my favourite event and I'm really happy with that time. This medal gives me a lot of confidence ahead of Rio."
In the 800m, 25-year-old Welsh star Carlin was unable to defend her title and came second behind Hungary's clear winner Boglarka Kapas.
However, 18-year-old Scot Dawson, who is not going to the Olympics, was thrilled with her surprise bronze.
"I haven't stopped smiling since yesterday when I went under the minute and to get a medal today is overwhelming," she said.
Georgia Davies, who is going to the Olympics and is in hard training, came fifth.
Chloe Tutton, bidding for a second medal of the week, won her semi-final and qualified fastest for the 200m breaststroke final.
Team-mate Molly Renshaw came third in the second semi-final to reach Friday's final.
Sign up to My Sport to follow swimming news and reports on the BBC app.


A fire at a disused pub in Caerphilly county was set deliberately, firefighters have said.

South Wales Fire and Rescue said its crews tackled the blaze throughout the night at the former White Hart Pub on Newbridge Road, Pontllanfraith.
They were called to the premises in the Sirhowy Valley village at about 19:30 GMT on Saturday.
Fire crews were back at the scene on Sunday checking for any hotspots after extinguishing the flames.
A joint investigation with police is now under way to establish how the fire was started, and who was responsible.


A man who was found stabbed to death in Belfast may have been involved in a row in a nearby flat that spilled out onto the street, police have said.

His body was found on Botanic Avenue, near the city centre, at around 05:00 GMT. It is believed the victim was originally from Pakistan.
Police have recovered two knives at the scene and a flat in India Street is also being investigated.
A man in his 30s, believed to be from Africa originally, has been arrested.
Det Ch Insp Richard Campbell said: "The victim had been stabbed a number of times and he died at the scene as a result of his injuries."
He said the dead man's nationality was still being confirmed but added "initial enquiries suggest he is Pakistani".
The detective said: "It appears there has been some sort of altercation possibly in that flat which has then spilt out onto the street and ended up with the murder in Botanic.
However, he added that the investigation was at a very early stage and he had an "open mind" in regard to motive.
The police placed a forensic tent at the corner of Cameron Street where it meets with Botanic Avenue on Thursday morning.
Officers cordoned off the road from University Street to Shaftesbury Square and Botanic railway station was also closed for several hours, but both have since reopened.
Earlier, Det Ch Insp Justyn Galloway appealed for information about the murder.
"We are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area of Botanic Avenue early this morning and witnessed the incident, or anyone with any information that could assist this investigation, to contact detectives at Musgrave police station on the non-emergency number 101."


Whether or not Mullah Omar is dead or alive, his long absence from public view is posing a growing threat to the strength of his splintering Afghan Taliban movement.

"Where is Mullah Omar?" is a question sources say is being increasingly and angrily directed at the commander regarded as the acting head, Akhtar Mohammad Mansour.
Commander Mansour has long been reported to be fighting off threats to his authority from more hardline Taliban opposed to any peace talks, including Abdul Qayum Zakir.
The Taliban are also facing a growing challenge from the still small, but increasingly significant presence of the so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan. Videos have emerged of disgruntled Taliban fighters swearing allegiance to the IS's self-declared Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The Iraqi cleric, who also declared a modern day caliphate in areas under IS control in Iraq and Syria, has publicly mocked the religious and political leadership of Mullah Omar.
In a Taliban movement said to be founded on a pledge of allegiance to the Amir ul-Mumineen (Commander of the Faithful), Mullah Omar's authority was regarded as a binding force of political and military strength.
"I really hope peace talks are concluded before Mullah Omar dies," a former senior Taliban official nervously remarked to me several years ago with unexpected candour about the movement's leader. "When he's gone, it will be much harder to maintain Taliban unity," he admitted with palpable concern.
Our conversation, outside Afghanistan, took place at a time when Nato-led forces were killing many mid-level Taliban commanders in their operations in southern Afghanistan. That was raising concern that younger, more radicalised fighters, without a strong allegiance to the Taliban leader, would rise through the ranks and be hard to keep in line.
In 2010, when US diplomats first engaged in face-to-face talks with the Taliban through what later became known as the movement's Political Office in the Gulf state of Qatar, they first sought to establish that the Talibs were acting with Mullah Omar's authority. At the time, US diplomats involved in the process told me credible assurances were received that Syed Tayyab Agha, his former personal secretary, had his blessing.
That green light was, however, said to be strictly limited to negotiations with the Americans about Taliban prisoners and the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan.
They eventually resulted in last year's swap of the remaining American soldier in Taliban captivity, Bowe Bergdahl, for five Taliban members held at Guantanamo Bay.
This year, in the midst of a series of unprecedented informal meetings between the Taliban's Political Office and Afghan government officials, Taliban sources emphasised they still did not have formal authorisation from Mullah Omar to negotiate officially and openly with the Afghan government.
That again raised the most salient issue: how to get a ruling from a leader who has not been seen in public since late 2001 when the Taliban movement was ousted in Afghanistan after the attacks of 11 September. Even his recorded messages stopped several years ago.
Taliban officials often insisted their leader had to keep an exceptionally low profile because of US efforts to kill or capture him. But he was widely rumoured to be in Pakistan, despite Islamabad's denials. A senior Afghan official told me a few years ago that the Americans had confirmed to him that Mullah Omar was living in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi.
This month, a written message from Mullah Omar suddenly appeared,  to mark the Islamic Eid Festival. It did not directly refer to a new separate process of peace talks being organised by the Pakistani government which represented the first publicly recognised formal talks.
But the text said "peaceful interactions with the enemies is not prohibited" under Islamic tradition. It led to speculation over whether the message had been written by Mullah Omar himself, or someone who wanted his seal of legitimacy.
Reports of the Taliban leader's death have circulated for years but these latest ones have now emerged just days before another round of peace talks in Pakistan is about to get under way at the end of this month.
They also come at a time of disagreement over who should represent the Taliban in any negotiations with the Afghan government.
Sources say Pakistani military intelligence officers, who have long had close ties to the Taliban, are urging Taliban field commanders they have worked with to come to the table instead of members of the Political Office in Qatar with whom they have had difficult relations.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who has adopted a new policy of working closely with the Pakistan government and military on Taliban issues, is said to be giving Islamabad considerable leeway in a negotiating process making slow and indeterminate progress.
Before the first round of talks in the Pakistani hill resort  of Murree in early July, Mr Ghani was said to be under mounting pressure to abandon his approach to Pakistan, which was markedly different from his predecessor Hamid Karzai's strained relations with Islamabad.
And there's the larger question of how committed Taliban commanders are to a political process when they continue to conduct bloody attacks not just against military and police targets but also brazen assaults on Afghan civilians everywhere from crowded markets to the country's national assembly.
Numerous countries are known to have been involved for years in secret and not so secret efforts to bring the Taliban to the table including China, Norway, Britain, and some private mediation groups.
The legitimacy conveyed by the mythical Mullah Omar was always regarded as essential even if the reclusive leader had long ceased to be involved in the day-to-day running of the movement.
Now the issue of who can replace such a powerful figurehead is emerging as one of the most significant challenges to its survival as a cohesive political and military force.


Microsoft's Excel has been blamed for errors in academic papers on genomics.

Researchers trying to raise awareness of the issue claim that the spreadsheet software automatically converts the names of certain genes into dates.
Gene symbols like SEPT2 (Septin 2) were found to be altered to "September 2".
However, Microsoft, which released the first version of Excel in 1985, said the gene renaming errors can be overcome if users make alterations in the application settings.
"Excel is able to display data and text in many different ways. Default settings are intended to work in most day-to-day scenarios," a spokeswoman for the corporation told the BBC.
"Excel offers a wide range of options, which customers with specific needs can use to change the way their data is represented."
The study also claimed that the Excel conversion problem was present in other spreadsheet software, such as Apache OpenOffice Calc.
The systemic error was not, however, present in Google Sheets.
The researchers claimed the problem is present in "approximately one-fifth of papers" that collated data in Excel documents.
The trio, writing for the Melbourne-based academic institute Baker IDI, scanned 3,597 published scientific papers to conduct their study.
They found 704 of those papers contained gene name errors created by Excel.
Ewan Birney, director of the European Bioinformatics Institute, does not blame Excel and told the BBC: "What frustrates me is researchers are relying on Excel spreadsheets for clinical trials."
The Excel gene renaming issue has been known among the scientific community for more than a decade, Birney added.
He recommended that the program should only be considered for "lightweight scientific analysis".
One of the paper's three researchers, Assam El-Osta, said the errors were found specifically on the supplemental data sheets of academic studies.
He told the BBC that supplemental pages contained "important supporting data, rich with information," and added that resolving these errors was "time-consuming".
Excel's automatic renaming of certain genes was first cited by the scientific community back in 2004, the Baker IDI study claims. Since then the problem has "increased at an annual rate of 15%" over the past five years.


A bus driver has been charged with causing the deaths of two passengers who died when his vehicle crashed into a supermarket.

Rowan Fitzgerald, aged seven, and pedestrian Dora Hancox, 76, died in the crash in Coventry in October 2015.
Kailash Chander, 79, a former mayor of Leamington Spa, is charged with causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving.
He is due at Coventry Magistrates' Court on 7 September.
His employer, Midland Red (South) Limited, has been charged with two offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The firm is also due to appear in the court on the same day.
More updates on this story
When the crash happened, Rowan, of Leamington Spa, was on the upper deck with his grandparents and his cousin, an eight-year-old girl who was seriously hurt.
He was described by relatives as "an adorable caring person who gave so much love to anyone he met".
Ms Hancox was a was a lollipop lady in Coventry and Nuneaton and had dedicated many years of her life as a foster carer for Coventry social services, her family said.
Five other people required hospital treatment after the crash in Trinity Street on 3 October.
The bus hit a number of cars and a lamppost before crashing into the open supermarket.


Moray Council's new administration has been confirmed as a Conservative and independent coalition.

The Conservative group of eight councillors has joined forces with six of the independent members.
The council leader is independent George Alexander, with Conservative James Allan as convener.
Nine SNP councillors were elected in Moray at the recent local elections.


The head of the French anti-doping agency (AFLD) has questioned the credibility of the testing due to be done during this year's Tour de France.

Pierre Bordry told the BBC that an international team of observers was being brought in.
This follows concerns over the way anti-doping was being handled by cycling's governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI).
The AFLD has been prevented from carrying out extra tests this year.
Mr Bordry questioned the transparency of the UCI and said he had serious concerns about the biological passport for cyclists, the latest weapon in the fight against doping.
But the UCI says the decision to exclude the French was made by the World Anti-Doping Agency who fully endorse their testing programme.
In last year's tour, responsibility for anti-doping was shared between the UCI and the AFLD.
It was not a happy marriage. Afterwards the French complained that some riders, including Lance Armstrong and the winner Alberto Contador were given preferential treatment when it came to surprise tests.
This year the AFLD has been excluded from direct participation in the testing process.
Mr Bordry suggests that his agency's targeted testing, based on customs information and enforced by French police, is a more effective weapon than simply screening samples.
Mr Bordry says that the presence of international observers from the World Anti-Doping Agency, Wada, highlights his concerns.
"I think if this year there are three people from Wada to control UCI, surely there is a reason for that?" he said.
"If there was no problem last year, there wouldn't be any people from Wada as observers? If the UCI system was credible there wouldn't be any people from Wada. So we will see if it becomes credible with Wada people."
Mr Bordry also says the recently introduced biological passport is flawed.
The passport works by establishing a biological profile of riders.
Professional cyclists give samples of blood and urine several times a year.
Any deviation from their normal values is taken as an indication of doping even if the exact substance isn't known.
But Mr Bordry says cyclists can get around it by consistently taking small amounts of doping substances.
"I have no information about the blood passport from the UCI, I have information from some cyclists like Bernard Kohl saying some cyclists can do what they like with the passport, so if they have the same profile all the year, if they are doped all the year, they have a good passport," Mr Bordry said.
"The passport is not a good organisation for anti doping. I don't believe in the blood passport as it is done now."
The UCI rejects the accusations and says the decision to exclude the AFLD from this year's tour was made by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The governing body says its testing is rigorous and effective and they will do their best to protect cycling, to protect the tour and to reduce the risk of any doping offence.
Their spokesman Enrico Carpani also defended the biological passport.
"We have created the most sophisticated tool that many other international sports organisation would like to introduce," he said.
"We are explaining, we are selling the biological passport to other federations so that's proof that this new approach is the most important and the most reliable that sport has today to fight against doping."
So bad have relations between the two organisations become that Mr Bordry is refusing to let his scientists work with the UCI on new methods of catching dopers.
"I won't work with UCI - I don't want to work with UCI," he said.
"We work with a lot of doctors and specialists all over the world, so we have no international problem but we don't want to work with the UCI on these projects, because they are not scientific people."


Newcastle University has reopened after a controlled explosion was carried out on suspicious items that prompted buildings to be evacuated.

Students and staff at the INTO language skills centre in the Haymarket area had to leave the building on Tuesday night.
A bomb disposal team performed a controlled explosion on the Town Moor in the early hours.
An 18-year-old man was arrested in London. The university said the campus was now open as normal.
No-one was reported injured and police said there was no danger to the public.
A spokesman for Newcastle University said: "The INTO building is now open for staff and students following last night's evacuation and we are working closely with Northumbria Police with their on-going inquiries."
Roads in the area reopened before 01:00 BST.
A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: "Residents around Newcastle Town Moor may have heard a slight bang and I would like to reassure them this is in connection with the incident at the University and was planned.
"Inquiries are in the early stages and we are working closely with Newcastle University.
"There is currently no cause for concern for students and the wider community."
Newcastle University caters for more than 22,000 UK and international students and has 1,200 academic staff.
The INTO Centre offers facilities for more than 700 mainly international students and is spread over four floors.


One in five children from poor families in Scotland leaves primary school unable to read well, according a group aiming to tackle poor literacy levels.

The "Read On. Get On." report said children who fell behind could feel the impact for the rest of their lives.
It said they were less likely to gain good qualifications and go on to further education.
The coalition behind the report aims to have all 11-year-olds reading well within a generation.
Organisations such as Save the Children and the Scottish Book Trust are part of the coalition. They want to see parents reading to young children for 10 minutes a day.
Their report said that 40% of families in the lowest income bracket had fewer than 10 children's books at home and fathers from these households were half as likely to read with their children at age two as fathers in the highest income households.
It said that this impacted on children later in life as those who were read to often as toddlers were more likely to become keen readers themselves.
The Read on coalition said there were 220,000 children living in poverty in Scotland and they expected this number to rise.
Neil Mathers, head of Scotland at Save the Children, said: "As a country we cannot continue with a situation where one in five poor children are not reading well at the end of primary school. It is unfair.
"We know that getting every child reading well at 11 cannot happen overnight but it is possible within a generation if we work together.
"Read On. Get On. is a mission to galvanise the nation so that parents, grandparents and volunteers play their part in teaching children to read. We want every child to be given a fair and equal chance to learn to read well, regardless of their background."
While children are still reading books, the report found that the most commonly read material by children is now text messages, with websites and e-books growing in popularity.


A Euromillions winner who scooped one of the UK's biggest jackpots is to host a music festival in his "back garden".

Adrian Bayford, who netted £148m with his then-wife in 2012, has volunteered to hold this year's Cambridge Rock Festival on his estate in Horseheath.
Festival director Dave Roberts said he had been "unsure" whether to go ahead with the event, which is usually held at a farm near Barton, this year.
The festival attracts about 3,000 music fans on each of its four days.
More on this and other news from Cambridgeshire
Since 2009, it has been held at Haggis Farm Polo Club in Barton.
However, before Mr Bayford approached organisers two weeks ago, its director said he was "a little unsure about whether to go ahead" with this year's event.
Mr Bayford, who owns Black Barn Records in Cambridge, approached him and offered the venue for free, in return for publicity for his company, Mr Roberts said.
"I know Adrian would like to do lots of things with his estate and [that's] great, he's a lovely fellow, and absolutely into his music," he said.
"He has come to us with his love of music so the two knitted together."
The acts for this year's festival - from 3 to 6 August - have not yet been announced, but Mr Roberts said "Eddie and the Hot Rods will be back".
Headliners in the past have included The Stranglers, Hazel O'Connor, Australian Pink Floyd and Dr Feelgood.
When Mr Bayford and his wife won their millions, The Sunday Times Rich List said their fortune rivalled that of Jamie and Jools Oliver (£150m), Sir Tom Jones (£140m) and Eric Clapton (£130m).
Their win placed them 516th in Britain's Rich List.


A police helicopter has been targeted with a laser pen while responding to a call in south Wales.

The National Police Air Service (NPAS) said the incident on Monday involved a crew from St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, and could have had "devastating consequences".
About 1,380 laser attacks on aircrafts were reported to the Civil Aviation Authority last year.
Ollie Dismore from NPAS said such attacks were a "serious concern".
"What may seem harmless fun to the culprit could potentially have devastating consequences for the crew and passengers in the aircraft [and] innocent members of the public on the ground," he said.


A rucksack belonging to a 14-year-old girl who has been missing for a week has been found beside the River Brent in west London.

Alice Gross of Hanwell, west London, was last seen by her family at about 13:00 BST on 28 August.
Her mother told the BBC Alice had recently been diagnosed with anorexia.
CCTV footage shows her walking along the Grand Union Canal tow path near the Holiday Inn at Brentford Lock between 13:30 BST and 17:30 BST.
Speaking on BBC London 94.9, Alice's mother Rosalind Hodgkiss said: "Alice had been diagnosed with anorexia and was going through a tough time in a number of ways and we are wondering whether her disappearance had anything to do with that, but we don't know.
"That is the main reason why we have had such concerns for her well being and her health in particular."
The teenager had told her family she was going to meet up with friends but went for a walk alone on the riverside tow path, CCTV footage showed.
"We are desperate to know that she is safe and we really want her to know that we want her home, and we are desperate for her to know how loved she is," the mother added.
The Met Police's homicide team has "taken the lead" on the case.
The purple rucksack, which contained items that have been identified by Alice's family, was found alongside the towpath on Tuesday, police said.
CCTV footage of the towpath shows the Brentside High School student wearing a rucksack-style bag while walking in the River Brent area.
She was heading in the direction of the Kew at about 14:23 BST and more than an hour later was seen on the same tow path, walking alone, heading in the direction of Hanwell.
The Met Police said it was "not unusual" for the homicide team to be involved, although it remains a missing person inquiry.
Det Ch Insp Andy Chalmers said: "A week on since Alice was last seen by her family we are becoming increasingly worried about her welfare and safety as each day passes.
"Her disappearance is out of character and this investigation continues to be a priority for us.
"Our investigation has reached a point where we now know Alice was heading along the Grand Union Canal tow path in the direction of Hanwell and one would assume she was heading home."
Divers have also been seen in the River Brent near to where the teenager went missing.
Police have appealed for anyone who saw Alice on the towpath or befriended her while she was on a song-writing workshop at the Camden Roundhouse to contact them.
The teenager has been described as being 5ft 2in tall, slim, with shoulder-length light brown hair.
When she was last seen by her family, she was wearing dark blue jeans, a dark green lacy cardigan and denim Van's shoes. She may also be wearing tartan-framed spectacles.


A young asylum seeker from Afghanistan who evaded French and UK border checks to reach England has described his "scary" journey across the Channel.

21 September 2016 Last updated at 09:36 BST
Sixteen-year-old Ali, who is now living in Peterborough, has also explained to BBC South Today reporter Emma Vardy why he was forced to leave his family behind in a bid to flee the Taliban.
There are currently more than 4,000 asylum seeking children in the care of councils in England.
Dorset's Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill has called on border force to review its security at Poole Port where it is believed Ali made it to England from Cherbourg.


A memorial to three soldiers murdered by the IRA in north Belfast has been damaged in an attack.

The monument at Ballysillan Avenue had paint thrown over it on Thursday.
The memorial commemorates three fusiliers from Scotland who were killed in March 1971.
North Belfast MLA Nelson McCausland condemned the attack as "shameful", adding:  "It was clearly intended to cause the maximum possible damage to the memorial."
He added: "Two of the soldiers were just teenagers when they were killed and the families are still scarred by the callous manner in which the young men were murdered by republican gunmen.
"Northern Ireland was shocked by the murders and at the inquest in August 1971 the coroner described the killings as 'one of the vilest crimes ever heard of in living memory'.
"Those were vile acts of murder and this is a vile act of vandalism," Mr McCausland said.
Ulster Unionist MLA Andy Allen said he was "disgusted" that the memorial had been targeted.
"This needs to stop. My thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of the Three Scottish Soldiers as they learn of this despicable and totally unacceptable attack."
The Alliance Party's Justice spokesperson, Trevor Lunn MLA, called the incident "a cowardly act" and said there can never be any justification for such attacks.
The memorial was built using funds raised by the Royal British Legion.


UK construction output has fallen in June but there is "little anecdotal evidence" to suggest that the referendum has had an impact, the Office for National Statistics says.

Output fell by 0.9% in June compared with May.
Between April and June it fell by 0.7% compared with the first three months of the year.
The release mainly covers the period in the run up to the referendum, which was held on 23 June.
An influential survey released last week, the Markit/CIPS purchasing managers' index (PMI), indicated that activity in the construction industry also fell in July, confirming "a clear loss of momentum since the second quarter of 2016".
However it suggested that the Brexit vote was the main factor weighing on activity.
Brexit latest: housing and construction
"The downturn looks set to deepen in the third quarter," said Samuel Tombs from Pantheon Economics.
"Meanwhile, Brexit negotiations will be protracted, so businesses will hold off committing to major capital expenditure for a long time to come," he added.
"In addition, the public investment plans won't be reviewed until the Autumn Statement at the end of the year and few construction projects are genuinely 'shovel ready'.
"Accordingly, we continue to think that a slump in construction activity will play a key role in pushing the overall economy into recession over the coming quarters."


Get Inspired visits a mosque in Manchester to see the Sporting Equals and Tennis Foundation Serves project, which takes tennis to faith centres.

Media playback is not supported on this device
"I don't think I'd be playing tennis if it wasn't at the mosque," says 18-year-old Hamza.
Waled Ahmed, a project manager and coach for the project, adds: "There's definitely been an improvement in the children - with their behaviour and especially their confidence.
"They're trying out a new sport - before they'd just be playing football and nothing else.
"It gives them the confidence to pick up a racquet and start playing tennis."
READ MORE: Find out how you can get into tennis with our special guide.


Singer Meghan Trainor has called time on her current US tour due to ongoing problems with her vocal cords.

"I have hemorrhaged [sic] my vocal cord again," she wrote on Instagram.
"I will need to cancel the remainder of my tour and get surgery to finally fix this once and for all."
The All About That Bass star, who had been due to round off her MTrain tour with a string of dates in August and September, told her fans she was "devastated, scared and so sorry".
She added: "I am determined to do what it takes to get better and come back around stronger than ever."
She is not the only singer to have suffered voice problems in recent months. Sam Smith and Jess Glynne are among other recording stars to have had vocal cord issues.


Adam Lyth and Adil Rashid shared a new sixth-wicket record stand for Yorkshire as they piled up 610-6 before declaring on day three against Lancashire.

The pair put on 296 at Old Trafford before opening batsman Lyth was caught at mid-on for a career-best 251.
Stephen Parry took 3-109 but Lancashire continued to toil as Rashid made 159 not out before the declaration.
Trailing by 332, the Red Rose county soon lost Luis Reece, but were 144-2 at stumps, with Usman Khawaja 69 not out.
Resuming on 396-5 at the start of play, Yorkshire were in no mood to waste their opportunity to build a big first-innings lead and Lyth reached 200 by sweeping Simon Kerrigan for four.
Rashid's second century of the summer - and ninth of his career - followed off 169 balls and he also passed 5,000 first-class runs as they batted through the entire morning session, adding 130 to the total.
Left-hander Lyth finally departed following the interval, clipping a catch to Kerrigan off fellow spinner Parry, having batted for just 11 minutes short of 10 hours and hitting a six and 22 fours.
Skipper Andrew Gale allowed Rashid to complete his 150 before calling a halt and Yorkshire stuck immediately as former England seamer Ryan Sidebottom knocked back Reece's off stump in the seventh over.
Paul Horton and Usman Khawaja saw off the new ball and added 81 for the second wicket before Horton gave a return catch to leg-spinner Rashid when one short of a half century.
But that was Yorkshire's final success of the day as Khawaja passed fifty for the fourth time this summer as he and Ashwell Prince (18 not out) put on 81 before the close.
Lancashire vice-captain Paul Horton:
"We've given ourselves a fighting chance of saving the game. We're desperately trying to stay in the division, so we've got to fight for everything.
"We are disappointed with our first innings, it's put us behind in the game. It's going to take a few people to stand up, but it's a very good pitch to bat on.
"We batted poorly in the first innings, so hopefully we can address that, bat well in the second innings for three sessions and save the game."
Yorkshire opener Adam Lyth:
"The way I've played this season, if I got the call (from England) now, I think I'd be ready to step in.
"I've got to wait until I get that phone call, but what I've got to do is keep scoring runs. I won't get too carried away with where I am at the moment.
"There's two more big games in the season and a win tomorrow would be great for us.
"We're in a great position, there's not much for seam bowlers out there, but there's quite a bit for spin bowling."


US President Donald Trump comes face-to-face with Russia's President Vladimir Putin for the first time on Friday.

The formal meeting will be scrutinised across the world, set as it is against the backdrop of US investigations into possible collusion between Russia and Trump campaign figures during last year's election.
Whether Mr Trump will raise the issue of election hacking is the million-dollar question, given he has downplayed Russia's alleged role.
First meetings between major world leaders can be unpredictable affairs. Mr Trump has in the past suggested he could get along with Mr Putin and praised him as a "strong leader" but it is unclear how he feels now.
In Moscow, the Kremlin is painting the meeting as an opportunity for the pair to "get acquainted and finally understand the true approach of each other".
But looking beyond the testy politics of US-Russia relations, what do Mr Trump and Mr Putin have in common, and what sets them distinctly apart?
If there's one sharp difference between these two men, it is their back stories.
Vladimir Putin spent his early career in the world of Cold War espionage, and was working as a Soviet spy in East Germany when the communist state crumbled.
He is used to operating in the shadows, and kept a low profile as an aide to the mayor of St Petersburg in the 1990s before taking the reins of the FSB intelligence agency and later the presidency.
Mr Putin has been at the top of Russian politics since 2000 and has the reputation of a cunning street fighter, an image that can be traced back to his days growing up in a tough communal housing block in Leningrad.
He has said those years taught him that "if a fight is inevitable, you have to throw the first punch".
Donald Trump, in contrast, was born into wealth as the son of a New York real estate tycoon.
He managed to avoid being drafted into military service during the Vietnam War, and got started in real estate himself with a $1m loan from his father, eventually building a property, hotel and entertainment empire.
Far from keeping a low profile like Mr Putin, Mr Trump shot to stardom as host of reality TV show The Apprentice.
He later used his fame and wealth as a springboard to make a bid for the Republican Party's presidential nomination in 2015.
Yet though his public style is very different - brash and unpredictable where Mr Putin is comfortable yet controlled - like the Russian leader he doesn't shy away from a fight.
Neither man hides his ambition to recover some sense of lost grandeur for his country.
Mr Putin famously called the collapse of the Soviet Union "the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the [20th] Century".
His moves in Ukraine and Syria are seen as attempts to bolster Russia's power and influence, and hit back at the West for the expansion of Nato into Eastern Europe that he so resents.
And Western European officials accuse him of meddling in their elections to try and weaken the European Union.
On his side, President Trump's stated ambition is to "Make America Great Again".
For him this means boosting US military spending, putting pressure on allies to pay for more their own defence, and pulling out of efforts to fight climate change to protect jobs in domestic industries like coal.
They also share a "strongman" style and macho attitudes which have shone through in meetings with world leaders.
Mr Trump refused to shake German Chancellor Angela Merkel's hand during an awkward March photo-op, and pushed past Montenegro's prime minister at a Nato summit in Brussels in May to ensure he was front and centre.
Vladimir Putin uses more calculated means to intimidate others, once letting his large labrador into a meeting with Mrs Merkel, who is afraid of dogs.
The Trump White House is a family affair, something that certainly cannot be said of Vladimir Putin's Kremlin.
President Trump's daughter, Ivanka, has an office in the West Wing and advises her father in an unpaid role.
Her husband, Jared Kushner, is a senior adviser to the president and a significant force in the White House. His responsibilities stretch from the Middle East and China to criminal justice reform and relations with Mexico.
President Putin, on the other hand, zealously shields his private life and family from scrutiny.
He and Lyudmila, his wife of nearly 30 years, announced their divorce in 2013, and his two daughters are kept well away from the public gaze.
Little was known about them until media reports in 2015 revealed his youngest daughter Katerina was living in Moscow under a different name and working in a senior position at Moscow State University. She is also an acrobatic rock and roll dancer.
Maria, the elder daughter, is an academic specialising in endocrinology.
The differences in approach to family are stark. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's five-year-old daughter Arabella sang in Mandarin to Chinese President Xi Jinping during his US  visit in April.
Mr Putin, meanwhile, recently refused to disclose the names and ages of his two grandchildren.
Mr Trump might have popularised "fake news" as a pejorative term that politicians the world over can now hurl at journalists, but he's not alone in describing critical coverage as false.
Mr Putin's government keeps a public list of foreign press stories that it says contains "false information about Russia".
In dealing with the media, however, Vladimir Putin normally remains calm.
Unlike Mr Trump, he does not fire off angry tweets about coverage he doesn't like - he is calculating and level-headed when taking questions from journalists.


Two tries in each half helped Jersey Reds to a bonus-point win over Richmond which secured their highest-ever finish and points tally in the Championship.

Adam Peters went over in the corner for the visitors, but Uili Kolo'ofa'i and Max Argyle scored to put Reds 14-7 up.
Richmond moved to within two points as Cameron Mitchell went in, before Lewis Robling scrambled over for the hosts.
Ali Chisholm scored to set up a tense finale but Ross Adair sprinted clear to end Jersey's season with a victory.
Harvey Biljon's side finished the campaign level on points with fourth-placed Doncaster, but missed out on the play-offs because they won fewer games.
Reds went into the match knowing they could not finish in the top four and changed their entire starting XV, after defeat by Doncaster last time out ended their play-off chances.
The Channel Islanders could yet finish the season with silverware, however, as they play Munster A in the British & Irish Cup final on Friday.
Jersey: Katz; Adair, Robling, Eastwell, Lane; Cope, Dudley; McCarthy (capt), Selway, Armstrong, Kolo'ofa'i, Campbell, Argyle, Voss, Rae.
Replacements: Macfarlane, Woolmore, Tampin, McKern, Haining, Fisilau, Ma'afu.
Richmond: Kirby; Simpson-Hefft, Mitchell, McLean, Woodward; Gabbitass, Stuart; Walford, Grimstone, Harden, Warden, Corker, Peters, Allcock, Davies.
Replacements: Townsend, Tarrant, Edwards, Gibbs, Chisholm, Sargeant, Cunnew.
Attendance: 2,210
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The contents of a military museum, which closed in September, have been saved by residents determined that the history of their Cambridgeshire village should not be lost.

The museum was housed at Waterbeach Barracks, north of Cambridge. The entire site is set to close in early 2013 as part of Ministry of Defence (MoD) cuts.
Artefacts gathered since the station was opened in 1941, including photographs and medals, were set to be dispersed before villagers got together to ensure that would not happen.
They set up a trust and the museum's contents have been officially signed over to them.
Oliver Merrington, the museum's curator, said he was extremely pleased "to have found such an excellent group of trustees" which includes retired army staff.
About 900 personnel and relatives from 39 Engineer Regiment have moved off the base and been deployed to the former RAF base at Kinloss.
The barracks site is currently being considered for development by South Cambridgeshire District Council.
Adrian Wright, chair of the Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum, said: "The museum is part of the heritage of the village and the heritage of so many squadrons that were stationed there.
"It's so good that we've had this opportunity to save this museum for the future."
The items will be stored in the village while a new venue is sought.
They include the medals awarded to Walter, Jack and Clifford Day who were born in Waterbeach and died in World War I.
The former curator, retired major David Hornby, said: "Little was known about the brothers until a local man found the medals at a Norwich auction a few years ago.
"He purchased them for the village and they were given to the museum."
The museum was set up by the Royal Engineers in 1985, to commemorate the men and women who served at RAF Waterbeach station from its opening until 1966 when 39 Engineer Regiment moved there.
It also tells the story of the regiment since its arrival in Cambridgeshire.
Much of the material in the museum was donated by members of 514 Squadron who flew Lancasters from the station during World War II.
Veterans from the squadron return to the village every summer for a reunion, and hope to continue this tradition.
Maj Hornby said: "They come from all over the world and they want to keep returning to the museum."
He said the barracks site also contained a memorial garden where the ashes of 13 squadron members had been scattered.
Bernard Yeomans, 91, who was a Leading Aircraftsman at RAF Waterbeach from 1942, has attended the reunions for more than 15 years.
"A lot of the photographs in the collection are of people I recognise," he said.
"I don't think people realise the casualty rate among Bomber Command.
"The first 1000-bomber raid by 514 Squadron was from Waterbeach - the last one was a disaster because we sent eight aircraft and we only got four back."
Mr Merrington will spend next year cataloguing the collection and creating a photographic record of each item.
He hopes the museum will reopen on the airfield when it is developed.
"We have had an assurance from the most likely developers of the MOD-owned airfield and barracks that the inclusion of a museum will form an important part of the site's heritage," he said.
Maj Hornby added: "This is 72 years of the history of Waterbeach and it's important that we retain that history forever."


The Carolina Panthers are in talks about moving their NFL match with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday following violence in the city of Charlotte.

The club, who play at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium, are in contact with government officials and police.
North Carolina's governor, Pat McCrory, declared a state of emergency on Thursday after a second night of protests over the death of a black man.
Keith Lamont Scott was shot dead by a black officer on Tuesday.
The NFL released a statement on Thursday stating that it was monitoring events in Carolina but intended to play the game as scheduled.
"We are continuing to monitor events as we prepare for Sunday's home game," club president Danny Morrison said.


Revered for his economic acumen, political nous and powers of persuasion, Dominique Strauss-Kahn made a name for himself in the grandest salons of international finance.

By early 2011, his work as head of the International Monetary Fund saw him touted as a potential challenger to Nicolas Sarkozy as president of France.
But in May 2011, his political ambitions were all but ended in a single day when the US authorities filed charges of attempted rape.
He resigned as head of the IMF and, although the criminal charges in the US were eventually dismissed and a civil case against him settled, the scandal ushered in months of accusations and media stories about his private life.
By March 2012 he was facing another serious scandal, when French police launched an investigation over his alleged involvement with a gang suspected of hiring prostitutes.
The case became known as the Carlton Affair, named after the Lille hotel where sex parties took place. Mr Strauss-Kahn acknowledged attending the parties but always denied knowing that some of the women who took part were prostitutes.
He was acquitted of the charge of "aggravated pimping" on 12 June, bringing to an end four years of legal proceedings against him.
Born in 1949 to left-wing Jewish parents, Mr Strauss-Kahn spent his early years in Morocco, leaving with his family after a devastating earthquake in 1960.
He studied law and economics in Paris during and after the famed protests of 1968, eventually becoming an academic known for his diligence and professionalism at the University of Nancy and, later, the University of Paris.
In person, Mr Strauss-Kahn confounded the expectations of those who saw academics as fusty, bookish sorts.
"He seduced with words," one French journalist told the BBC.
He is also known to enjoy a lavish lifestyle.
In 2012 Mr Strauss-Kahn separated from his wife of some 21 years, Anne Sinclair.
The American-French journalist is one of France's richest heiresses, having inherited a fortune from her grandfather, Paul Rosenberg, a leading French art dealer who represented Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse among others.
The couple were said to have owned properties in Paris, Washington and Marrakesh.
In politics, though, Mr Strauss-Kahn seemed prepared to work for his rewards, taking up a seat in France's National Assembly for the town of Sarcelles, just outside Paris.
After a stint as industry minister he was appointed finance minister in Lionel Jospin's Socialist government in 1998, responsible for steering France towards the era of the euro.
Controversy forced him from office by 2000, though, as he faced accusations of corruption and financial scandal. He was eventually cleared of the allegations.
He sought national prominence again in 2006 but lost out to Segolene Royal in the battle to become the Socialist Party candidate for president.
When he re-emerged in 2007 at the helm of the IMF, Mr Strauss-Kahn's reputation as a ladies' man was not far behind him - with some people nicknaming him Chaud Lapin (Hot Rabbit).
In 2008, he had an affair with a fellow IMF employee, and was accused of harassment and abuse of power. He was cleared after an internal inquiry.
Those who know Mr Strauss-Kahn suggest that he may have benefited from the traditional French reluctance to probe the private lives of public figures.
In his professional life he continued to win praise at the IMF, with one colleague who recently left the organisation comparing his political skill to that of a "top-level chess player".
"The man is an absolutely brilliant political operator," economist Simon Johnson said in a 2010 BBC Radio 4 profile of Mr Strauss-Kahn.
But his career disintegrated with a series of scandals in 2011 and 2012.
The allegations of the attempted rape of a maid in New York were swiftly followed by allegations of sexual assault made by French writer Tristane Banon.
US authorities dismissed the criminal case against him amid concerns about hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo's credibility. She pursued the case in the civil courts before settling for an undisclosed sum in December 2012.
The events inspired the film Welcome to New York, with French actor Gerard Depardieu in the lead role. It was released in 2014 and prompted Mr Strauss-Kahn's lawyer to say he would sue US film director Abel Ferrara for defamation.
Meanwhile French authorities took no action against Mr Strauss-Kahn for the writer's sex assault claims because of a statute of limitations.
In October 2012, French prosecutors ended an investigation into allegations of "gang rape" at a hotel in Washington after the woman who made the claim retracted her evidence.
However, Mr Strauss-Kahn remained embroiled in the Carlton Affair scandal surrounding his alleged involvement in a prostitution ring.
During three weeks of hearings in February, sex workers described his rough behaviour at some of the parties.
But Mr Strauss-Kahn said that he was not on trial for "deviant practices". He told the court he participated in the parties because he needed "recreational sessions" amid one of the world's worst financial crises.
Aside from his time spent in the courthouse, Mr Strauss-Kahn has served as economic adviser to the Serbian government and helped open a bank in South Sudan in recent years.
He launched investment firm LSK & Partners with French-Israeli entrepreneur Thierry Leyne in October 2013. Mr Leyne died in Tel Aviv a year later, having reportedly committed suicide.


Sir Patrick Stewart has revealed he has been taking art lessons from a Scottish artist.

Frank To first met the actor, who plays Professor Xavier in the X men films, while studying at university in Huddersfield in 2000.
Sir Patrick, who was born in West Yorkshire, became vice chancellor of the university three years later.
When Frank, who comes from Glasgow, staged his degree show, Sir Patrick came along.
"He actually had a sneak preview because he couldn't come on the day of the show," Frank said.
"I couldn't believe it when he walked in. He didn't buy anything but he had a good look round, spoke to me for about half an hour and took one of my invitation cards away.
"A year later, I got an email from him. I thought it was a joke at first but I realised it was genuinely him, asking how I was, and our friendship took off from there."
Frank went on to Dundee to study for a Masters degree at Duncan of Jordanstone but continued to keep in touch, and it was at that point that Sir Patrick bought some of his work.
"He asked me to bring two paintings to his home in London - one from my masters' show and one from the earlier degree show," he said. "He bought both of them on the spot."
Despite the difference in age, and careers, the two have much in common.
"When we first met, Patrick had just had a heart operation and I had gone from degree, to masters to unemployment," Frank said. "It was a strange and confusing time for us both but we discovered we had so much in common.
"He became my patron, but he also became my mentor. Things haven't always gone smoothly but he's always been there for me.
"Thanks to him, I'm a lot more mellow. Perhaps he saw his younger self in me, all that passion and energy and wanting to take on the world."
Sir Patrick has purchased several of Frank's works over the years.
"I think he has the bookmarks of my career so far," Frank said.
But last summer the actor asked Frank to give him art lessons after his wife Sunny bought him a box of watercolours.
Frank, who now lectures in art at Perth College, University of the Highlands and Islands, has since given Sir Patrick a number of lessons.
"I have taught him all the things I've learned, sketching, use of colour and so on.
"He's got a great grasp of colour. So much so, that I think he may have had a say in the new Logan movie because I recognise the colour scheme in scenes, and even in what he's wearing.
"It feels like he's already incorporating what he's learned into his workplace."
Sir Patrick admitted he was taking lessons in art in a recent interview with The Australian in which he said of Frank: "I spotted him early on when I was chancellor of the University of Huddersfield and saw this young man's work in his final degree show.
"His career is really beginning to take off; his work is very bold, adventurous, unusual and distinctive.
"I'm now actually taking painting lessons from him myself, and enjoying myself immensely."
Although Frank has two exhibitions coming up - at Gallery Q in Dundee and the Glasgow Art Club - he doesn't think Sir Patrick intends to stage a public exhibition of his work.
"It's too early to tell, really. He doesn't see it as work, it's more a way to help him relax. But if he did stage anything, he says he'd like it to be at the University of Huddersfield."


A man was beaten to death with a hockey stick by a neighbour in the Forest of Dean, a court has heard.

Christopher Cooling, 44, died after allegedly being attacked by Edward Belson at his home in Berry Hill, Coleford last August.
On the first day of the trial, Bristol Crown Court heard the men had both been drinking before the "vicious and sustained" attack.
The accused denies murder and the trial continues.
Prosecutor Michael Mather-Lees told the court there was a "history" between Mr Belson and Mr Cooling, who had been arrested and charged by police the previous week after an argument with Mr Belson's partner.
The accused, of Aston Close, Berry Hill, had drunk eight pints of lager and was confronted by the victim at his house on 3 August, the court heard.
He picked up a hockey stick and beat him "severely" with it, causing Mr Cooling to stagger back to his house, the jury was told.
The court heard he was incapacitated and the door had to be forced open by paramedics, who were unable to save him.
He died three hours later in hospital.


Liverpool's 2-0 Premier League defeat by Hull City was "not acceptable", said manager Jurgen Klopp.

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Alfred N'Diaye scored on his Tigers debut and loanee Oumar Niasse added the second as the Reds lost for the fourth time in their past five matches.
Klopp's men remain fourth - though they could slip to fifth on Sunday - but are yet to win a league match in 2017.
"The overall performance was not like it should be. It makes no sense for us to play like this," said Klopp.
"If we played like we did in the second half for the whole game, no team can cope with us. But we need to wake up; that was not acceptable."
Five-time European champions Liverpool have played in the Champions League just once in the past six seasons.
They remain in the qualifying places despite their defeat at Hull, but Manchester City will pass them if they avoid defeat by Swansea on Sunday (13:30 GMT) and Manchester United will move to within one point of the Reds if they beat Leicester City (16:00 GMT).
Klopp has told his players to forget about focusing on their league position and accept all the criticism that will come their way because "it's 100% true".
"The Champions League is a big, big target but it is so difficult because there are so many challengers," he said. "After today's performance we don't have to think about this.
"A week ago I spoke about expectations and said we were still allowed to have a positive look on the situation because we are still fourth in the league.
"But, after a game like this, we have to take all the criticism because we expect more from ourselves and we have to show more than we did today. It is my responsibility to make it possible."
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Victory for Hull maintained their 100% home record under Marco Silva, who succeeded Mike Phelan last month.
"Of course I'm happy with our performance," he said. "My team showed a fantastic attitude and fantastic spirit, and the important thing is to keep focus and continue to take more points.
"We need to keep sight of our goal because we have only won three points and nothing more. But this shows the players that this is the right way and they can believe.
"This is important because when the players don't believe it is impossible."
Former England striker Alan Shearer on Match of the Day
"One of the problems Klopp had when he arrived at Liverpool was they were defensively really poor and 16 months on they're still really poor.
"It was far too easy for Hull to score. That can't be allowed to happen and that's why Liverpool won't win the title.
"Hull were absolutely superb and deserved the three points."


The last 10 years has seen a mixture of "highs and lows" in the Scottish property market, according to a new report.

Registers of Scotland (RoS) research found the market had largely weathered the financial crash of 2007-08, with average prices now at their highest level in 10 years.
However, the volume of sales is down by 35% over the decade.
The report also shows that the number of cash sales has increased.
The RoS data details trends in the property market during the period between 2005 and 2015, and covers detached, semi-detached, terraces and flats.
RoS is the government department responsible for compiling and maintaining registers related to land and property.
Key findings in the report include:
RoS director of commercial services Kenny Crawford said picture over the last 10 years was one of "highs and lows".
He added: "Activity in the property market gives us an insight into what's going on in the Scottish economy, which is possible thanks to Registers of Scotland's digital land register."
Last month, Office for National Statistics figures found house prices in Scotland had experienced their highest annual increase since 2007.


Kyle Lafferty says he has joined the "biggest club in Edinburgh and the third-biggest club in Scotland" after signing for Hearts.

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Lafferty, 29, signed a two-year deal at Tynecastle after leaving Norwich City on a free transfer.
The Northern Ireland striker was also wanted by Hibernian, but said his "heart didn't really want to be there".
"Where Hearts want to go, I want to play a massive part in it," Lafferty said.
The striker, who has 58 international caps, won three Scottish top-flight titles during a spell with Rangers from 2008-2012. He has also played for Burnley, Swiss side Sion and Italian outfit Palermo.
Lafferty was accused by his compatriot Keith Gillespie - the former Manchester United and Newcastle winger who now acts as an agent - of disrespecting Hibs by failing to show up for talks with manager Neil Lennon.
However, Lafferty says a move to Tynecastle was always his preferred option.
"I think it would be disrespectful from me towards Hearts to negotiate for four days and then go across the city to speak to Hibs," he said.
"I can probably say my heart did not want to be there. I showed Hearts massive respect by staying here. The chairwoman here Ann Budge wouldn't let me out the office door anyway.
"She told me to go in there with a cup of tea - then she locked the door. The only way out was through the window and I didn't really fancy jumping down three storeys.
"Keith can come out and say what he wants. I've come here with my actual agent Martin [Lyon]. We spoke for four days solid and it was well worth it as I'm now a Hearts player."
In his spell with Rangers Lafferty was never far from controversy, with perhaps the most notable incident coming in a match in 2009 when he feigned injury to get Aberdeen's Charlie Mulgrew sent off.
He believes he has matured since his last spell in Scotland and Hearts will reap the benefits of a player hungry for playing time after a frustrating few seasons at club level.
"Everyone remembers me from the Charlie Mulgrew incident and other stupid things I've done. I have definitely matured since I left Rangers in 2012. I came to Scotland nine years ago as a young boy to play for the team I supported.
"Did I do as well as I wanted to? Probably not but I did score some important goals for Rangers.
"This is the first time in about 13 years that I've been looking forward to a pre-season. There is a space for us to push up towards the top of the league. If we keep this team, we will do well.
"European football is a target and there is no reason why we can't reach our goals. It was an easy decision for me to come after hearing what the manager had to say, what he wants me to do and where he wants to take the team.
"They have matched my expectations as well and I actually can't wait to get started."


A 40-year-old man has been injured in a shooting in Londonderry, police have said.

Police received a report at about 22.35 BST on Monday that a man had been shot in both ankles at Culdaff Gardens in the Creggan area of the city.
It is believed that four masked men were involved in the paramilitary-style attack.
The victim was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital for treatment. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
A woman, who lives in the area, heard the shots.
The witness, who did not want to be named, told BBC Radio Foyle she saw the man crying for help.
"I just heard a car pulling up really fast and people getting out of the car and gunshots. Then they got back into the car and took off speeding.
"When I looked out the window I seen the fella coming crawling, on his hands and knees crying out for help.
"I just can't get over it really, the kids on the street could have been out playing or anything," she said.
The shooting was condemned as "wrong" by Sinn FÃ©in councillor Colly Kelly.
"There can be no place for these type of incidents in our society," he said.
"I would urge anyone with any information on this shooting to bring it forward to the police."


The SNP has cut student bursaries by more than £40m since coming to power, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has claimed.

Ms Davidson said figures obtained from the Student Awards Agency of Scotland showed £60m would be spent on bursaries in 2016, compared to £104m in 2007.
She said the SNP had "gutted" the funding for poorer students.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland was reducing the attainment gap "faster than the rest of the UK."
Ucas figures have shown that pupils from more affluent areas are far more likely to want to go to university, with 15.1% of youngsters from the poorest areas in Scotland applying for places in 2015, compared to 52% in the least-deprived areas.
At First Minister's Questions, Ms Davidson said the SNP policy of opposing university tuition fees had "failed to produce a more egalitarian outcome compared to the rest of the UK".
She produced a Freedom of Information request to the awards agency which showed bursary support had fallen from £104.8m in 2007/8 to £63.6m in 2014/15.
She said: "Not only are those people from the most deprived areas not getting their foot through the door, but their bursary support has fallen too.
"How can she explain to them that when the SNP came to power there was more than £104m in the pot, but next year it will have plummeted to just £60m?
"The SNP is slashing college places and has cut bursaries - and now the universal free tuition policy designed to counter those things has been shown not to work."
Ms Davidson backs introducing a graduate contribution, which would see students pay back some money once in work and earning a certain amount.
Scottish Labour later joined the attack, with Iain Gray saying the SNP were "strangers to the truth" over student debt, adding: "Thousands of young people from poorer families who have the grades to access the best courses can only get the extra support they need by borrowing more. We need to deliver better student support for our young people."
Ms Sturgeon hit back at the claims, saying more students from disadvantaged backgrounds were making it into higher education.
She said: "The number of people from our most deprived communities achieving a university qualification has increased under this government by 24%.
"The number of 18-year-olds from our most deprived areas applying to university is up by 50%.
"Those are the facts and what will certainly not help us make any further progress is to go down the road of the Tories by taking away bursaries from all students.
"We will continue to make sure that we have a funding support package for our students that supports students, particularly those from the poorest backgrounds, to go to college and university."
She also said that with the Conservative chancellor George Osborne announcing the UK government would "abolish all bursary support" in his Spending Review, she would "take no lectures whatsoever" on the matter from Ms Davidson.


Police did not try to identify a child sex gang which exploited a 15-year-old girl for four years, a watchdog says.

Despite more than 40 child protection forms being completed, South Wales Police did not investigate the men or protect other children.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary examined the force earlier this year.
South Wales Police said the report had not given the full details surrounding the cases it mentioned.
HMIC also identified the case of another 15-year-old girl who had been raped by a pupil at her school.
"Although the initial response was good, the girl was not interviewed for five months," HMIC's Drusilla Sharpling said.
The police said the girl had not wanted to be interviewed for that length of time.
The report also said South Wales Police did not understand the extent of child exploitation on its patch.
Inspectors were concerned about:
But HMIC was encouraged that:
Ms Sharpling said the force was "clearly committed" and children's welfare was a priority.
"Whilst we saw some quite good practice across the force, there were pockets of poor cases that need to be addressed," she said.
"We were particularly concerned about the difficulties they have in understanding the numbers and the meaning of the numbers of missing children they have in the force area.
"It's really important they get it right because it might be a symptom of child sex exploitation."
The force has been given six weeks to provide HMIC with an action plan on how it will improve the areas criticised.
Responding to the findings, Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Holland said the report highlighted areas of good work and improvements were "already under way".
She said: "A lot of the areas identified in this report have already been rectified but the challenges we face are mirrored by every force and the best way to resolve problems in relation to child protection is through a successful multi-agency approach.
"In one of the cases the HMIC highlighted it was reported that we delayed in taking a statement from her for five months.
"That's simply not correct. It was five months before she reported the incident and then we responded to her immediately.
"And we worked with her until she was ready to make that statement and it did take a couple of months. It's right we work at the pace the victim wants to work.
"And the other case talked about a female with an adult male. That male was 16 and the police did respond and there has been arrests.
"The report picked up on that particular victim going on to engage with older men.
"HMIC have reported the facts, but they haven't given the full detail of the case."
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Sophie Howe said it was "pleasing" the report reflected the force's commitment to improving how children are protected, but there was more work to do.
"It will be essential to work with care providers and those who inspect them to support their approach to identifying children at risk and responding when they go missing from care," she said.
"We need local authorities to keep working with us to put in place more multi-agency safeguarding hubs, and we need everyone to contribute to our understanding of where and when children are at risk so we can all intervene at an earlier stage," she added.


A 12-year-old boy has been reported for allegedly carrying a knife in a North Lanarkshire street.

The incident is said to have happened in Main Street, Bellshill, on Sunday.
The boy was referred to the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA) by Police Scotland.
SCRA runs a hearings system  for children and young people in Scotland who are either at risk or who have allegedly committed an offence.


The producer of Dreamgirls has said its belated London transfer might not have happened had shows like The Lion King not helped foster black acting talent.

The musical, which opened on Broadway in 1981 and was filmed in 2006, has taken 35 years to reach the West End.
Sonia Friedman partly attributes the delay to actors not being available to populate its predominantly black cast.
"Thankfully, shows like The Lion King have meant many more people of colour are now working in theatre," she said.
"When Dreamgirls opened [in New York] 35 years ago, it would have been very hard to cast it here at that time," the producer continued.
"We now have a fantastic talent pool and will be able to keep it running for years and years because of the talent that is out there."
The Lion King opened in 1999 in London and still plays to full houses at the Lyceum Theatre, 17 years on.
Several members of Dreamgirls' ensemble have appeared in the show there, or in other stagings of the Disney musical.
Freidman also cited the specific demands placed on the show's lead actress as another reason why Dreamgirls has taken so long to cross the Atlantic.
Dreamgirls tells of a black female singing trio, reminiscent of The Supremes, who fight to make their mark in '60s America.
The 2006 film, starring Beyonce and Eddie Murphy, was many Britons' first exposure to the Tony Award-winning show.
Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar, a Bafta and a Golden Globe for playing Effie White, the threesome's most gifted and volatile member.
The role - which Friedman says is like "climbing Everest and doing a marathon at the same time" for a performer - is played in London by Amber Riley.
Riley, best known for playing Meredith Jones in US TV show Glee, was in tears as she took her bows at end of Wednesday's opening night.
"Some nights it's like that," she told the BBC News website. "I get so overwhelmed and caught up in the story."
Riley, who is making her West End debut in the production, said the part of Effie was "the role of a lifetime".
"She starts really young and ballsy and she gets to be vulnerable, and then she gets to be an adult," the 30-year-old explained.
"I get to show her whole entire journey, and I've never really gotten to share that arc before."
Reviews of the show have praised the US actress, with The Guardian describing her as "a notch above... on a stage of great singers".
Its critic Lyndsey Winship said that her "huge and effortless voice... rips through the auditorium".
"Without question, Riley is the biggest reason to buy a ticket," writes Dominic Cavendish in the Telegraph.
Casey Nicholaw's "slick" and "tinselly" production, he continues, offers "tremendous gusto of soul and gaiety of spirit".
The Mail's Quentin Letts says the show "has great costumes and incessant dancing" and is "likely to be a hit".
The Times' Ann Treneman, however, thinks "it doesn't deserve to be" one - as its plot is "far too skimpy" and its singing "way too loud".
Riley's Glee co-star Chris Colfer and comedian Sir Lenny Henry were among the audience at the Savoy Theatre on Wednesday.
Sir Lenny has been a vocal campaigner for more representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people in the broadcasting industry.
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