Israeli team SpaceIL has booked a rocket ride to send a probe to the Moon as part of the Google Lunar X Prize.

It is the first group in the competition to formally lodge a verified launch contract with the competition's organisers.
That is significant because it will trigger an extension in the prize's deadline to the end of 2017.
To win, a team must land on the Moon, roam at least 500m, and return hi-res video and images to Earth.
SpaceIL intends to go to the lunar surface with a hopping probe in the second half of 2017, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to send it on its way.
The Israeli team's spacecraft will be a primary payload on a multi-mission launch.
The rocket contract was announced at a news conference in Jerusalem.
If SpaceIL can achieve its goal of winning the X Prize, it will become not only the first Israeli mission to the Moon, but also the world's first privately funded lunar mission.
"Only three countries have 'soft-landed' a rover on the surface of the Moon: the United States, the former Soviet Union and China. Now, the notion of the small state of Israel being added to this exclusive list look more promising than ever," SpaceIL CEO Eran Privman said in a statement.
"Last year, we made significant strides toward landing on the Moon, both in terms of project financing and in terms of the engineering design and now, we are thrilled to finally secure our launch agreement.
"This takes us one huge step closer to realise our vision of recreating an 'Apollo effect' in Israel: to inspire a new generation to pursue science, engineering, technology, and math(s)."
Other teams in the competition are sure to follow suit and lodge launch contracts in the coming weeks and months.
US team Moon Express said last week that it would be going on a New Zealand rocket, although the X Prize Foundation told the BBC that it had yet to see any paperwork and so could not verify a launch contract.
The Lunar X Prize was set up in 2007 with $30m in support from the internet giant Google.
The deadline for claiming its $20m first prize was originally set for 31 December 2012, but this was subsequently extended to give teams more time to grapple with the major technical and financial obstacles of building a Moon mission. Organisers even handed out some "milestone prizes" in 2014 to further encourage the challengers.
Earlier this year, the foundation announced that it would again extend the competition's deadline, this time to the end of 2017, but only if at least one team came forward with a verified launch contract before 31 December 2015. SpaceIL's announcement meets this provision, and so triggers the extension.
The remaining 15 teams in the competition now have until the end of 2016 to demonstrate their own launch contracts, to complete a mission and claim the prize by 31 December 2017.
The X Prize Foundation administers a number of competitions aimed at incentivising technological breakthrough in a range of fields, including climate, healthcare, education and exploration.
In 2005, a privately funded rocket plane, SpaceShipOne, won the Ansari-funded X Prize by completing two flights above the Earth's atmosphere inside a week.
The vehicle's technology now forms the basis of a spaceliner being developed by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Group.
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos


North Wales Police removed the highest percentage of convicted sex offenders from the register in the past four years - higher than any other UK force.

Since 2012, 679 criminals in the UK were told they no longer had to register with the police, figures released to the BBC show.
North Wales Police approved 90% of requests, while neighbouring Dyfed-Powys Police did not approve any.
Campaigners said they found the figures "worrying".
Across Wales, 55 requests by criminals to be removed from the sex offenders register were approved, according to figures obtained from 40 out of 44 UK police forces following a Freedom of Information request.
Gwent Police approved 65% of requests and South Wales Police approved 57%.
Find out the percentage of applications approved by your local police force.
It comes after the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that under human rights laws offenders in England and Wales should have the opportunity to prove they had reformed.
At the time of the ruling, Home Secretary Teresa May said: "We will deliberately set the bar for those appeals as high as possible. Public protection must come first."
But, according to BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Danny Shaw, the figures appear to demonstrate that police are interpreting guidance very differently.
"How else can you explain the huge variations between North Wales, where 90% of requests not to register with police succeeded and Dyfed-Powys where none did," he said.
What is the sex offenders register?
Kevin Hogg, director of Victim Care, a charity set up to support victims of crime, said he was "massively" concerned by the figures.
"The situation as it stands is there to protect the public but they're protecting the offender so much more," he said.
"It really worries me the police are allowing this to happen."
A spokesman for North Wales Police said removals from the register are only authorised after a senior officer has reviewed the case.
A Home Office spokesman said: "Public safety is at the heart of all decisions taken by police.
"Those who continue to pose a risk will remain on the sex offenders register - if necessary, for life."


Scientists have put a new turn on the theory of how the Moon was created.

It has long been thought that the lunar body resulted from an impact between the early Earth and another planet-sized object 4.5 billion years ago.
But this theory predicts Earth and its satellite should have a quite different chemical make-up - and the data shows in fact they are very similar.
Now, new modelling reveals that if the Earth had a much faster spin before the impact, the theory fits the chemistry.
It is one idea to fix the composition conundrum explored in two papers published this week by the journal Science.
The giant impact hypothesis was first posited in the 1970s. It holds that the Moon formed from the debris kicked into orbit by the collision of a smaller proto-planet with the infant Earth.
But the early models indicated that much of this debris would have originated from the impactor, whose composition would most probably have differed substantially from that of Earth.
This is not reflected in the analysis of Earth and Moon rocks â€“ for example, their oxygen isotope, or atom type, compositions are identical.
Matija Cuk, from the Seti Institute, and colleagues ran new simulations in which the early Earth was rotating on its axis in just a few hours prior to the impact - compared to the present 24 hours.
Drive a lunar rover across the Moon's surface
Were the moon landings faked?
In such a scenario, the team could get debris material thrown into a Moon-forming disc around the Earth that had the right chemical make-up. In other words, it was substantial Earth material from its mantle that was ejected in the collision.
After the impact, the gravitational interaction between the Sun and the Moon could then have slowed the fast rotation of the Earth to the speed we now experience.
Robin Canup from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and colleagues took a different approach.
Their simulations involved larger impactors hitting an Earth of comparable size and at comparatively lower speeds. Again, the team was able to produce a Moon with the same chemical composition as the Earth.


The general secretary of the Unite union has called for the governments in both London and Edinburgh to do more to protect the UK's oil industry.

Len McCluskey said the North Sea should get the same help the banking sector received during the financial crisis.
The Scottish government said Westminster controls tax on oil and gas, and must take action.
The UK government said it has provided more than £2bn of support for the industry.
Mr McCluskey was speaking in Glasgow, at the launch of his campaign to be re-elected as general secretary of Unite.
He is facing a challenge to the post from rival Gerard Coyne. A third candidate, Ian Allinson, is also standing in the contest.
Mr Cluskey told BBC Scotland that greater support was needed for the oil sector following the collapse in the oil price.
He said: "Contrary to what people might say, there are billions and billions of tonnes of oil still in the North Sea.
"It is huge, huge asset and we've got to make certain that both the Scottish government and the Westminster government intervene, in the way that they did with the banks, to assist this vital sector."
The Scottish government has called on the government at Westminster to take action to encourage investment and protect jobs in the oil and gas industry.
A spokesman for the UK government's department of business, energy and industrial strategy said: "UK oil and gas remains an important part of our energy mix.
"We've already provided extensive assistance through a £2.3bn package of support, and committed £40m to new seismic studies to help uncover more opportunities and strengthen the North Sea's appeal to international investors as a global centre of excellence."
A Scottish government spokesman said: "We have consistently argued for the UK government, which has received over 30 years of tax receipts from the North Sea, to invest more and to provide the incentives needed to ensure future production and we will continue to do so.
"The Scottish government has invested £12m this year in the Transition Training Fund to support individuals and help the sector retain talent, and a further £12.5m to sustain growth and help Scottish firms compete internationally by developing new innovative technologies."
Speaking ahead of the Glasgow event, Mr McCluskey also called for urgent action to boost the economy.
He added: "From listening to our members, I know all too well that they want much more done to build this economy for tomorrow.
"That is why I am here to call for a co-ordinated shot-in-the-arm for the workers of this country.
"That must begin with urgent investment in the vital offshore sector to protect the tremendous wealth of skills and unleash the potential in this sector."


Coastal repair work is needed along the sea front at Llandudno in Conwy, councillors have been told.

Sea defences along the west shore need to be bolstered to prevent flooding during future storms.
The plan is to bring in 3,000 tonnes of limestone to the seafront near West Parade.
A report to planners say the method has proved "very effective" and is aimed at stopping waves overlapping the sea wall and flooding gardens of nearby homes.
It says coastal erosion has been "accelerated" by winter storms.
But Natural Resources Wales has advised that any shingle used as part of the work should be brought in from elsewhere and not moved from other parts of the beach, to protect habitats.
If it gets the go ahead, the work would take place outside the main tourist season.


An NHS trust providing adult mental health services must "significantly improve", inspectors have again warned.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust was not "always safe, effective, responsive or well led".
Inspectors reported a lack of qualified nurses to manage complex cases.
The trust, which has faced similar criticisms previously, said it was "actively working" to address concerns about community services in Bristol.
CQC inspectors visited crisis, assessment and recovery services run by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) on 8 and 9 December after receiving information about a "number of serious incidents".
The watchdog said concerns had been raised by a whistleblower, staff and the Clinical Commissioning Group.
The trust was issued with a warning notice after the December inspection which was then followed up on 17 February.
The CQC said it was "satisfied" AWP had improved its management of referrals and waiting lists, but said it still needed to ensure care was provided in a "timely way" and was "safe".
Dr Paul Lelliott, from the CQC, said: "At the time of our first inspection there were more than 500 patients waiting for assessment. Some had been waiting for several months.
"Also, staff did not follow up patients who missed initial appointments or did not respond to telephone calls. These patients were sometimes lost in the system.
"The trust has made some immediate changes to address the waiting lists and manage the service better.
"We still require it to look deeper across the service before we return in May to undertake a comprehensive inspection which will look into the whole trust."
AWP's acting chief executive Dr Hayley Richards said: "It is important to realise that services should always be learning from the challenges and having them inform improvements.
"That's why we are in constant dialogue with our commissioners to make sure we are all providing the best care."
Richard Lyle, of the NHS Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group, said AWP had worked with partner organisations to develop "a new model of care" which led to a new contract award in October 2014.
Mr Lyle said: "This model has now been in operation for nearly a year; it is still evolving and developing and we are keen to continually review its effectiveness to ensure patients and service users can get the best possible care.
"We recognise that one of the major issues for AWP has been recruitment and retention of staff in the service and we're working with AWP to put in place appropriate measures to address this and to ensure staff feel well supported."
In September 2014, AWP received four warning notices requiring it to take "urgent action" to improve services.
The trust received a formal warning in 2013 over staffing levels at the Fromeside Unit of Blackberry Hill Hospital in Bristol.
A year before that the CQC expressed concerns over staffing levels, reporting: "There were insufficient qualified, skilled experienced staff to meet people's needs."
This came shortly after a report into two patients who committed killings in 2007 which described the culture of the trust as "centralist, top down and target driven, bureaucratic and controlling".
The trust was also criticised in the 2011 NHS staff survey where concerns were raised about staff morale.
Following the latest report on the trust, the CQC said inspectors would return in May to "undertake a comprehensive inspection which will look into the whole trust".


A Cardiff woman is missing after a boat incident in Laos in south-east Asia.

Johanna Powell, 37, who works as a picture editor at BBC Wales, was reported missing on Saturday.
The Foreign Office said it was working with local authorities after an incident involving a cruise boat on the Mekong River, near Pak Beng.
A BBC Wales spokeswoman said: "We are very concerned about our missing colleague and are in contact with the family to offer any support we can."
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was providing consular assistance to family members.


The partner of a Scot who has been jailed with five other UK nationals on firearms charges in India has said they will appeal against the verdict.

Billy Irving, from Connel, Argyll, was among 35 sailors and guards who were arrested on the anti-piracy ship MV Seaman Guard Ohio on 12 October 2013.
They have been now jailed for five years and fined 3,000 rupees (Â£30).
Mr Irving's partner, Yvonne MacHugh, said she was devastated by the ruling and all six UK nationals would appeal.
Ms MacHugh, from Glasgow, said: "After two long years of fighting to get my partner Billy home I'm devastated with today's verdict. For the next five years our son won't have a father at home.
"Billy has passed on to me all of the evidence that we couldn't mention while the trial was going on.
"I intend to release this to the media so that the public can see that the boys did nothing wrong, that everything was legal and that this has been a miscarriage of justice."
Mr Irving and five other former British soldiers were arrested after their ship strayed into Indian waters without permission.
When it was boarded, Indian customs officials and police found 35 guns, including semi-automatic weapons, and almost 6,000 rounds of ammunition.
They were working for AdvanFort providing anti-piracy protection in the Indian Ocean when their ship was detained.
The five other British nationals on the ship were Nick Dunn, of Ashington, Northumberland; Ray Tindall from Chester; Paul Towers from Pocklington, North Yorkshire; John Armstrong from Wigton, Cumbria; and Nicholas Simpson, from Catterick, North Yorkshire.
The charges against them were later dropped but the men were unable to leave India while prosecutors pursued an appeal, which has now been successful.
Ms MacHugh said all six men would now seek to have their convictions overturned.
"They are filing a petition against it but that won't happen until the 16th of January," she said.
"I hope to at least get them out on bail then figure out what to do next, but really this isn't a legal matter - this is a political matter."
"The government really has to get involved now because this is a miscarriage of justice."
Ms MacHugh previously started a petition on Change.org - which attracted the support of tens of thousands of people - saying the men had been "wrongly arrested and imprisoned by Indian authorities while working to protect ships from pirate attacks".
The six British men have consistently denied any wrongdoing and claim they have been abandoned by their American employers and not been paid since November 2013.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that the men had 90 days to appeal against the decision.
A spokesman said: "Our staff in India and the UK have been in close contact with all six men since their arrest to provide support to them and their families, including attending court.
"Ministers have also raised this case at the highest levels, pressing for delays to be resolved.
"We recognise what a difficult time this is for those involved. There is now a 90-day window to appeal and we will continue to provide consular assistance.
"However, we cannot interfere in another country's judicial process."
Ken Peters, director of Justice and Public Affairs at the Mission to Seafarers, said: "To think that highly-trained professionals, properly accredited and doing a job that is protecting the world's interests, are then penalised in such a way is unthinkable."


A former Cardiff postman is due to stand trial for terrorism offences.

Sajid Idris, 35, from the Grangetown area of the city, is charged with four counts of disseminating terrorist publications online.
He appeared at London's Old Bailey on Friday and spoke only to confirm his name.
The judge, Mr Justice Holroyde, ordered a trial to take place at Kingston Crown Court, in January. He was granted bail.


Exeter got their promotion bid back on track with a first win in eight games as they cruised to victory against Cheltenham at St James' Park.

The Grecians were looking to bounce back from Saturday's disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Accrington, and they started with intent.
Lloyd James' cross fizzed across the six-yard box with no-one on hand to convert, and Ryan Harley saw a shot deflect just over the crossbar.
However, Exeter's pressure told a minute before half-time when David Wheeler was felled by goalkeeper Scott Brown and Reuben Reid converted the penalty for his 10th goal of the season.
It was 2-0 six minutes after the break as Reid bagged his second goal of the game, lashing home from 12 yards from Jake Taylor's lay-off.
And it was 3-0 shortly afterwards as a Taylor shot from 12 yards took a wicked deflection to leave Brown wrong-footed.
Cheltenham, with manager Gary Johnson absent through illness, rarely threatened and were well beaten with their best chance coming late in the game, Exeter goalkeeper Bobby Olejnik pushing Jack Munns' effort wide of the post.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Exeter City 3, Cheltenham Town 0.
Second Half ends, Exeter City 3, Cheltenham Town 0.
Foul by Jack Stacey (Exeter City).
Jack Munns (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ryan Harley (Exeter City).
Harry Pell (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Jordan Cranston (Cheltenham Town) is shown the yellow card.
Attempt missed. Liam McAlinden (Exeter City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left.
Ollie Watkins (Exeter City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Manny Onariase (Cheltenham Town).
Attempt missed. James Dayton (Cheltenham Town) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Substitution, Exeter City. Matt Oakley replaces Jake Taylor.
Attempt saved. Billy Waters (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner,  Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Jake Taylor.
Corner,  Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Robert Olejnik.
Attempt saved. Jack Munns (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner.
Craig Woodman (Exeter City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Craig Woodman (Exeter City).
James Dayton (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Exeter City. Liam McAlinden replaces David Wheeler.
Attempt saved. David Wheeler (Exeter City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner,  Exeter City. Conceded by Tin Plavotic.
Corner,  Exeter City. Conceded by Jordan Cranston.
Foul by David Wheeler (Exeter City).
Manny Onariase (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Exeter City. Conceded by Manny Onariase.
Corner,  Exeter City. Conceded by Jordan Cranston.
Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Daniel Wright replaces Kyle Wootton.
Foul by Lloyd James (Exeter City).
Kyle Wootton (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ryan Harley (Exeter City).
James Dayton (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Exeter City. Ollie Watkins replaces Reuben Reid.
Goal!  Exeter City 3, Cheltenham Town 0. Jake Taylor (Exeter City) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner.
Substitution, Cheltenham Town. James Rowe replaces Carl Winchester.
Attempt blocked. Carl Winchester (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Goal!  Exeter City 2, Cheltenham Town 0. Reuben Reid (Exeter City) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jake Taylor.
Attempt missed. Kyle Wootton (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Second Half begins Exeter City 1, Cheltenham Town 0.
First Half ends, Exeter City 1, Cheltenham Town 0.


The Clipper Round the World yacht fleet has left Londonderry after the Foyle Maritime Festival came to a close on Sunday.

It was an emotional farewell for the crews of the 12 yachts as thousands of people waved them off from the City's quay.
The home crew, the Derry-Londonderry-Doire, sit second overall after finishing runners up in the 12th stage.
It is the last planned visit of the yacht race to the city.
More than 163,000 people are estimated to have enjoyed the nine-day Foyle Maritime Festival and the Clipper events.
It was the third time the race has included Derry as a stopover city.
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said he was confident the event could return in two years time.
"There's such a connection between the city and indeed the region with Clipper that I think it would be a huge mistake on our part not to do everything in our power [to bring it back].
"That doesn't mean there aren't big challenges, there are, of course. It is a very expensive event to host.
"I just think that the argument is so powerful for them to come back to the city that we can't fail."
Mr McGuinness said he had a positive and constructive conversation with the race organisers, but that the event could cost about Â£2m to host in two years.
Clipper race chairman and founder Sir Robin Knox Johnston said this year's stop over had been the best yet.
"It's just enormous and this stop over has got better every time we have come here," he said.
"This has definitely been the best yet given the reception the crew have had here all week, it's been fantastic to see the crowds and support. Frankly, you can't help but enjoy it."
The maritime festival concluded on Saturday evening with an outdoor performance featuring aerial performers, an illuminated flotilla of boats on the Foyle, fireworks and the story of the medieval maritime heroine Sunniva.
Mayor Hilary McClintock said the festival had been a major success for the region.
"It was a sad moment as we waved farewell to the Clipper race fleet today after an eventful week of celebration.
"Once again, we've demonstrated our ability to stage an international event generating substantial revenue for the local economy, and enhancing the region's profile as an exciting and unique visitor destination."


Barry McGuigan has called Tyson Fury "appalling" and told him to "grow up" after receiving online abuse from Britain's world heavyweight champion.

Fury, 27, was filmed making homophobic, sexist and anti-Semitic comments in a video posted on YouTube last week.
He had labelled McGuigan a "traitor" on Twitter in response to criticism from the former featherweight champion.
"Tyson is appalling and comes out with some appalling stuff," McGuigan, now a promoter and commentator, said.
"He was unnecessarily abusive towards me and my past and he can't behave like that - grow up Tyson and catch a grip of yourself."
The WBA and WBO heavyweight champion also voiced his views on bestiality and paedophilia during last week's 57-minute YouTube broadcast.
McGuigan had described Fury as "like a child [who] has no filter, no off button", in a column for the Daily Mirror.
Fury then labelled McGuigan "a traitor to your home country" in response on Twitter.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) has called on Fury to be barred from boxing following his comments.


Britain's Johanna Konta was knocked out of the Aegon Classic in the second round by American Coco Vandeweghe.

Konta, the highest seed left in the Birmingham event, was beaten 6-1 6-3 in 64 minutes by the world number 30.
The world number seven won only 11 points in losing the first set in 24 minutes and became frustrated as Vandeweghe finished the match strongly.
The Briton will now play at Eastbourne where she will hope for a good run in the last event before Wimbledon starts.
Konta, 26, was unable to find the form that helped her reached the Nottingham Open final last weekend and was overpowered by her opponent.
"The match showed two ends of the spectrum. She played very well and was hitting a big ball," said the Briton.
"I didn't find my footing and once you go down as I did in the first set it's very difficult to get back in the match.
"I think I did a reasonable job of playing as well as I could after that but it was nowhere near enough."
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller at Edgbaston Priory
This was a chastening experience for Konta so close to the start of Wimbledon. She was out-played and out-powered by a grass-court natural - who has just appointed Pat Cash as her coach.
Vandeweghe can be very inconsistent, but having reached the Australian Open semi-finals earlier in the year is one to watch very closely at Wimbledon.
Konta won only one point against Vandeweghe's first serve and appeared ill at ease throughout the match. She will hope her home town of Eastbourne gives greater cause for optimism next week.
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash was courtside to watch Vandeweghe for the first time since becoming her coach.
"He finally showed up! I had to get him down from commentating from Queen's," joked the 25-year-old New Yorker.
"We're going to give it a try and see how it goes. Maybe I'll get one of those headbands at the end of the experience."
Vandeweghe will play Spain's Garbine Muguruza in the last eight after the Spaniard overcame Alison Riske 6-1 6-4.
World number five and second seed Elina Svitolina may miss Wimbledon because of a foot problem sustained in her 6-4 4-6 6-2 defeat by Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi.
"I was really looking forward to this year at Wimbledon but today the court was slippery and it's so bad for my foot," said the 22-year-old Ukrainian.
"I will do my best. But for the moment it's very uncomfortable."
Giorgi, the world 102, faces Australian Ashleigh Barty in the last eight.
French fifth seed Kristina Mladenovic beat China's Zhang Shuai 6-4 7-6 (7-3) to set up a quarter-final with Czech Petra Kvitova.
Former world number one and two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka's comeback ended in a second-round defeat against 19-year-old Croatian Ana Konjuh at the Mallorca Open.
Belarusian Azarenka, 27 and playing her first event in over a year after giving birth to her first child, lost 6-1 6-3 in an hour and 15 minutes.


The government has been dealt a major blow after the House of Lords voted to delay tax credit cuts and to compensate those affected in full.

Peers voted by 289 votes to 272 to provide full financial redress to the millions of recipients affected.
They earlier inflicted a second defeat by backing a pause until an independent study of the impact was carried out.
George Osborne said he would heed the outcome of the vote, but said it raised "constitutional issues".
The chancellor criticised "unelected Labour and Lib Dem lords" for defying the will of the elected House of Commons, but said he would set out how the proposed changes to tax credits would be modified in response in next month's Autumn Statement.
"I said I would listen and we will listen to the concerns that have been raised," he said.
"I believe we can achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits, saving the money we need to save to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.. I'm determined to deliver that lower welfare economy the British people want to see."
But the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said it was a "very bad result" for the government but it was not clear what it meant for recipients of tax credits.
Labour reacted by calling for a "full u-turn" over the tax credit changes.
On a dramatic evening in the House of Lords, peers threw out a "fatal motion" tabled by the Lib Dems, which would have blocked the changes entirely.
If it had passed, the Lib Dem motion would have stopped the £4.4bn cuts to tax credits in their tracks and sent the proposals back to the drawing board.
But peers backed calls, by 307 votes to 277, led by crossbench peer Baroness Meacher for the cuts to be put on hold pending an independent analysis.
They also supported a Labour plan to provide transitional financial support for at least three years for those likely to be affected.
Baroness Meacher told Sky News that the government was "pulling the rug" from under the feet of working people, saying the outcome sent a "powerful message" to MPs to think again.
Ministers argued peers did not have the right to block financial measures approved by the House of Commons, with Lords leader Baroness Stowell telling them the "financial primacy" of the Commons had been in place for 300 years and to ignore this would be an "unprecedented" challenge.
Urging peers to reject the critical motions, she said the squeeze on tax credits should not be treated "in isolation" but was part of the government's "economic strategy and vision for the country".
But speaking during a three-hour debate, former Conservative Chancellor Lord Lawson urged "tweaks" to the policy to reduce the "financial harm" to those on the lowest incomes, saying "it is not just listening which is required, but change".
What are tax credits and what are the changes?
Tax credits are a series of benefits introduced by the last Labour government to help low-paid families. There are two types: Working Tax Credit (WTC) for those in work, and Child Tax Credit (CTC) for those with children.
Under government proposals, the income threshold for Working Tax Credits - £6,420 - will be cut to £3,850 a year from April.
In other words, as soon as someone earns £3,850, they will see their payments reduced. The income threshold for those only claiming CTCs will be cut from £16,105 to £12,125.
The rate at which those payments are cut is also going to get faster. Currently, for every £1 claimants earn above the threshold, they lose 41p. This is known as the taper rate. But from April, the taper rate will accelerate to 48p.
There will be similar reductions for those who claim work allowances under the new Universal Credit.
Opponents of the tax credit changes say they will leave millions of existing recipients - many of whom work but are on low incomes - some £1,300 a year worse off when they come into effect in April.
But ministers say that taking into account other changes, such as the introduction of the new national living wage, further increases in the personal tax allowance and an extension of free childcare, the majority of existing claimants will be better off.
The measures have been approved on three occasions by the Commons since June, but there has been growing unease on the Conservative benches about their impact and the government is more vulnerable to defeats in the House of Lords, where it has no majority.
Baroness Manzoor's so-called "fatal motion", a rarely used parliamentary device, would have "declined to approve" the plans.
It should not really be much of a problem - the House of Lords is not traditionally supposed to block financial legislation that has the backing of MPs.
This principle was established in 1911 during the constitutional gridlock that followed a decision by peers to block the Liberal Party's "people's budget".
But nothing is ever cut and dried in Britain's fluid, unwritten constitution. And both sides are angrily trading precedents and claiming that their opponents are overstepping the mark. If they could only agree where the mark is.
Lords v Commons: Tax credit battle gets constitutional
The Lib Dems told their 111 peers to vote for the motion but it did not attract support from Labour and the 176 crossbench members of the Upper House.
Labour's motion, under the name of Baroness Hollis, called for the changes to be delayed until a three-year package of transitional financial help has been agreed upon.
The Upper House, whose main function is as a revising chamber, has no powers to amend or block government money bills, but the tax credit changes are incorporated in a so-called statutory instrument rather than primary legislation.
According to parliamentary records, peers have killed off secondary or delegated legislation supported by the Commons on five occasions since 1945: in 1968, 2000 (twice), 2007 and 2012.
Conservative MP Michael Ellis told Sky News that it was a "constitutional outrage" for the Lords to defy the Commons over the issue, saying it should have "consequences" for the unelected chamber.


Anthony Crolla believes an enforced selfishness will help him create "one of the most special nights in Manchester boxing" on Saturday.

The 30-year-old faces WBA lightweight champion Jorge Linares at Manchester Arena, six months after being outpointed by the Venezuelan.
Trainer Joe Gallagher has asked Crolla to become more "selfish, angry and horrible" to beat the 31-year-old.
"My speed's improved, my variation of shots has improved," said Crolla.
"I just think I'm a bit more clever in the ring," the Mancunian told BBC Sport.
"I've had to be a little bit selfish and miss out on a few things, like training kids at the old amateur club. But I certainly feel the benefits of being locked away a bit more this camp."
Crolla believes September's fight turned in the sixth round after one of the hardest punches he has received.
Defending the WBA title he claimed in 2015, he was beaten for the fifth time in his 39-fight career.
If Crolla avenges the defeat, he will also claim the Ring Magazine title, becoming the first English lightweight to do so.
"He's a sharp counter-puncher with power in either hand, so I've got to fight using my head and not just my heart," added Crolla.
"It's very hard to top winning a world title but I believe winning back this world title, when I'm fighting a future hall of famer and for the prizes I'm fighting him for, would go down as one of the most special nights in Manchester boxing."
Linares, who left Venezuela to train in Japan at the age of 17, has held world titles in three weight divisions on his way to a record of 41 wins from 44 fights.


The bodies of a mother and her seven-year-old son have been discovered at their home.

Sinead Higgins, 37, and son Oisin O'Driscoll were found after police forced their way into the house in The Fairway, Ruislip, west London on Wednesday.
Police responded to concerns for the pair's welfare at about 10:50 GMT.
A Met Police spokeswoman said detectives do not believe a third party was involved in the deaths.
Det Insp Dave Bolton said: "Inquiries so far lead us to believe there is a likelihood that the tragic events that led to the deaths do not involve a third party."
A post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place on Friday.
Next of kin have been informed.


Britain's Helen Glover and Heather Stanning extended their unbeaten record to 28 races to retain their women's pair title at the World Championships.

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The Olympic and European champions streaked clear of New Zealand and USA on Lake Aiguebelette in France to preserve a four-year unbeaten run.
In the men's event, Matt Langridge and James Foad repeated their 2014 silver.
Britain also took silver in the men's and women's lightweight double races and bronze in the men's four.
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Glover and Stanning - who won gold in a world record time in Amsterdam last summer - won by almost four seconds after a dominant display.
"We spoke about the 'just in case' scenarios and the pressure but it didn't come," Glover told BBC Sport. "We probably were a bit surprised that it was kind of won at the halfway mark.
"We've just won the World Championships in a way that feels like a training row in a sense."
In the lightweight double, Kat Copeland and Charlotte Taylor - who hold the European title - lost out to New Zealand in a high-calibre contest.
"I'm a bit overwhelmed," Taylor said. "We just knew we had to believe in ourselves and put everything on the line.
"Sport gives you emotions you never feel anywhere else and I'm a bit of a wreck right now."
European Championships runners-up Richard Chambers and Will Fletcher were once again beaten by France in the lightweight double, but were encouraged by their performance against a crew who have dominated the event this season.
"We're a lot closer to the French than we have been but it's all about next year and hopefully the medal will be a different colour," said Fletcher.
The men's four of Scott Durant, Stewart Innes, Tom Ransley, Alan Sinclair were within 0.26 seconds of yet another silver medal, but the European champions lost out to a fading Australian quartet.
"It was great to get a medal but we were fractions off getting an even better one," Durant said.
Langridge and Foad - who took the European crown in Poland in May - were well beaten by reigning world and Olympic champions New Zealand.
"We thought we could challenge them but it wasn't our best row - we were racing for silver," Langridge said. "They are Olympic champions for a reason."
In the last final of the day, British men's quad of Pete Lambert, Sam Townsend, Charles Cousins and Graeme Thomas were unable to secure a sweep of medals after finishing fourth.
By reaching their respective finals, all six British boats had already qualified for the Olympics next summer.
The women's double of Katherine Grainger and Vicky Thornley have secured their place ahead of their final, while both the men's and women's eight know that they will be going to Rio as long as they do not finish last in Sunday's final two events.
The men's double, single and lightweight four must all avoid the same fate in their 'B' finals to ensure the British team fulfil their pre-championship target of earning qualification in 12 Olympic disciplines.
All four British Paralympic crews - the men's and women's single, mixed double and mixed coxed four - will also be in Brazil next year.


The Greek government has extended bank closures and a €60 (£43; $66) daily limit on ATM withdrawals until Monday.

The curbs were imposed on 28 June, after a deadlock in bailout talks with creditors led a rush of withdrawals.
The European Central Bank has decided not to increase support for Greek banks until the debt crisis is resolved.
Greek PM Alexis Tsipras says he will submit "credible" reform plans on Thursday - ahead of a Sunday deadline by the EU to find a solution.
An emergency summit will involve all 28 EU members - not just the 19 eurozone countries.
European Council President Donald Tusk has warned that this was now the "most critical moment in the history of the eurozone".
"The final deadline ends this week," he said after emergency talks of the eurozone leaders in Brussels on Tuesday.
Greece is desperate for a third bailout to avoid bankruptcy and possibly crashing out of the euro currency.
"The bank holiday is extended to July 13," the finance ministry said in a statement late on Wednesday.
The announcement came after the European Central Bank - which has been providing emergency liquidity to keep Greek banks from collapsing - said it would leave its current level of support unchanged.
Greece's last international bailout programme expired on 30 June and it missed an International Monetary Fund (IMF) payment.
Hewitt: The final showdown
Lavish lifestyles on hold in Athens 'Yes' neighbourhood
European media exasperated
Mr Tsipras, speaking during a fractious debate on the Greek debt crisis in the European Parliament on Wednesday, criticised previous bailouts for turning Greece into an "austerity laboratory".
He was speaking after the Greek people decisively rejected the latest proposals from creditors in Sunday's referendum.
In an address in Washington on Wednesday, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde reiterated that debt restructuring alongside a programme of reforms was the only way forward for the stricken Greek economy.
"Greece is in a situation of acute crisis, which needs to be addressed seriously and promptly," she said.
Meanwhile, the Greek government has insisted that there is no threat to food and fuel supplies.
In a statement, the Ministry of Economy, Infrastructures, Maritime Affairs and Tourism "reassures both the Greek citizens and the visitors (tourists) that there are adequate food supplies in the market and that their prices remain stable".
Greece's creditors - the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund - have already provided more than €200bn in two bailouts since a rescue plan began five years ago.
Greece has meanwhile formally asked the European bailout facility - the European Stability Mechanism - for help.
Sources say Athens is requesting a fresh three-year loan in exchange for reforms.
What happens next?


A murder investigation has been launched following the discovery of a person's body in Rhondda Cynon Taff, said South Wales Police.

A 50-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident in Pontypridd.
A police officer discovered the body at a flat at Andrews Court, Rickards Street, at 15:00 BST.
Areas of the town have been cordoned off, including near Pontypridd Rugby Club where officers conducted a search.
Det Supt Paul Hurley said: "We would like to speak to anybody who thinks they may have information that can help our investigation. No matter how insignificant the information may seem, we would like people to contact us.
"In particular, we want to speak to anyone who noticed anything suspicious in the vicinity of Andrews Court, Rickards Street, were the body was found, and also to anyone who may have seen something suspicious near the rugby ground on Sardis Road in the past couple of days."
Police said investigations were ongoing to confirm the identity of the body.
In a statement, Pontypridd Rugby Club said: "Supporters, partners and neighbours of Pontypridd RFC are advised that the Sardis Road stadium is currently not accessible. This is due to a police investigation into a major incident in the vicinity.
"The club will keep all concerned informed regarding access to the Sardis Road stadium as further information is received from the relevant authorities."


At least 18 people have been killed in a bomb attack on a predominantly Shia suburb of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, security sources say.

A suicide bomber detonated a vehicle in Sadr City, targeting a busy street full of garages and used-car dealers.
At least 42 people were also wounded in the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group.
Baghdad saw a wave of deadly suicide attacks in the first few days of 2017, but the number has dropped recently.
The IS group has stepped up its attacks since the Iraqi army, aided by US-led coalition strikes, launched its campaign to dislodge the group from its stronghold of Mosul in the north four months ago.
Wednesday's attack targeted the Habibya area of Sadr City, north of the centre of the Iraqi capital, an interior ministry official told AFP.
The blast follows a car bomb attack in southern Baghdad on Tuesday that killed four people.
On 2 January, 35 people were killed in a bomb blast in Sadr City, in an attack claimed by IS.
Iraq's capital has also been hit by violent protests in recent days by supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who are demanding changes to the electoral commission that oversees elections.
At least six people were killed in clashes with police on Sunday.


Three photos are all that Yaya Sangare has to remind him of the family he once had.

It was nine months ago when his wife and sons drowned off the coast of Libya.
"I was holding my newborn son Kami Davide in my arms when he died," he says quietly, as he goes through the small album of photos on his cracked mobile phone.
His wife Seri Dejezi and their other two sons - 12-year-old Eli and 14-year-old Elise - also died when their boat went down in the Mediterranean.
Sat on the steps of the Piazza Garibaldi in the Napoli heat, the 38-year-old lingers over the photo of his sons.
"These boys... I love them so much."
Now it is only Yaya and his four-year-old daughter, Deborah, left to pick up the pieces.
She is smiling and singing, occasionally grabbing her father's hand for attention.
Deborah was also on the boat that fateful night, but Yaya says they don't talk about it.
"I'll tell her one day what happened. She remembers sometimes. But one day I'll sit down and tell her all the stories, but not now. It's too hard."
Originally from the Ivory Coast, Yaya left during the first civil war in 2002. Crossing the desert into Mali and then Algeria, he and his young family lived in refugee camps before making the journey to Libya, where they stayed for three months.
However, Yaya had wanted to reach Europe by sea.
With its islands, and exposed coastline on either side, Italy has been the main destination for refugees and migrants. Between January and August this year, 97,000 people came illegally by boat according to the UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
But the route is often a fatal one. More than 2,000 people have died in the sea so far this year.
Pope Francis has called the Mediterranean a "vast cemetery", but Yaya says he knew he was taking a risk coming here.
"We wanted to leave because Libya was very difficult and I wanted to make a better life for my family in Europe," he says.
He paid more than €3,000 (£2,766; $3,560) to traffickers to get to Sicily but like many endured violence at their hands. They smashed the top row of his teeth as they pushed him and his family on to one of 19 small rickety boats.
"When we got on, there were 154 people on my boat and we were all on top of each other. It was terrible," Yaya says.
The boats gave way in the night - only 19 people survived from his. Three other vessels and all their passengers vanished into the dark waters.
Yaya's eyes start welling up, his voice cracks, but he takes a deep breath to avoid crying in front of Deborah.
"I couldn't find my wife Dejezi and the boys, my heart hurt. I couldn't help them. Then I saw their bodies floating."
He and Deborah finally arrived in Sicily, with a small backpack of clothes. Just the two of them.
There is a saying in this city: "Vedi Napoli e poi muori" (see Naples and die).
It traces back to the times when the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies - of which Naples was the capital - was an affluent and prestigious part of the world.
The meaning behind the old proverb is that once you have seen the glory of Naples, there is nothing else worth seeing, but for Yaya it is very much the opposite.
"This is a bad city. There is nothing here for us. Many things have happened here."
Yaya lives in a refugee centre in the city with his young daughter. They both have refugee status from the UN Refugee Agency in Liberia.
But he wants to get out, and angrily recalls a story over how a man approached him to buy Deborah.
"I'll never forget it. I got approached by a man with a phone number and was told, this man wants to buy your daughter for €30,000.
"I go to my office (refugee reception centre) and said 'see what's happened'. I gave them the number, I told them my story. I started to cry," Yaya says.
He adds that nothing was done and that the man was never caught. But he fears that eventually the city could destroy him and Deborah.
"I don't like the way some men look at my daughter. I worry she may be exploited into drugs and prostitution," he says.
As he tells his story, there are dozens of other young men and women, of African origin, congregated on the Piazza Garibaldi.
Pointing to them he says: "I don't want to live like this. I'm fearing that I'll be left in Napoli.
"I am strong enough to work but I can't get a job. I want to keep moving and take Deborah to the US or Australia."
Last week, a Catholic priest who helps refugees urged his fellow Africans not to turn their backs on their homeland.
Don Mussie Zerai said that people should think twice before making the perilous journey to Europe.
But Yaya shakes his head when I mention this: "I can't go back home. I don't like the politics there. Also I promised a better life for my family."
He says that he is focused on his plans and will only go back to get his mother and other family members.
"My mother is Christian. I get my strength from her and from God, and from my daughter Deborah. I do this all for Deborah."


In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the presidential election is set for November 2016.

Political opponents and activists say that everything is in place for President Joseph Kabila to extend his stay in power, thus violating the constitution and potentially precipitating the continent-sized central African country into chaos.
"What we need is to have a specific action plan for the elections," says Serge Syvia, a doctor and activist. "Because theirs (the government's) is already being implemented."
In a small wooden house that was built, like much of the eastern city of Goma, on dried lava rocks, members of a youth group called Lucha (struggle for change) are holding a meeting.
Lucha has a core of about 50 members and a few hundred sympathisers.
They believe in using non-violent protests to demand basic rights like running water, security and justice.
Currently, three of their members are in prison: one for taking part in a workshop in the capital Kinshasa on youth and democracy and two others for organising an outdoor tribute with candles and photos to victims of an armed group, based near the border with Uganda, which massacres people with machetes.
The government's spokesperson has in the past called Lucha members terrorists and Goma's mayor has banned their activities.
Why are they scared of a small, unarmed movement of young activists based over 1,500km from the capital?
"For us, the lowly people, there is nothing here and they know this, so when one of us raises a finger to protest, because they are very rich in vocabulary, they call it 'an attempt against state security'," says another member Aline Mukovi.
There is also the fact that, a year ahead of the planned election in DR Congo which should, if all goes according to the law, bring about regime change, the powerful are on edge.
In January, at least 30 were killed in the country's capital Kinshasa, according to the UN, after the police brutally repressed demonstrations against an electoral bill.
For opposition politicians and activists, that bill was part of the "plan" to which Mr Syvia referred.
It has become known here as the "glissement" or the slippage of the election dates.
Under the current constitution, President Joseph Kabila must stand down in December 2016, when his second five-year term ends.
The bill would have tied the election date to the completion of a nationwide census, which could have taken years.
At least 649 people - many protesters, activists and political opponents - have since been detained, according to a UN report published this month.
It found "the shrinking of democratic space was a likely to impact the electoral process".
Critics believe interfering with the process by silencing critical voices is precisely the government's intention.
The controversial clause in January's electoral bill was scrapped as a result of the protests, but opponents say several other ploys to push the election back are in motion.
First, there's the complexity and the cost of the votes. In theory five sets of local elections need to be organised before the presidential poll.
Local civil society groups accuse the electoral commission of intentionally dragging its feet to organise local polls and to be "illegally linking the organisation of the election to a national dialogue".
Mr Kabila called for a countrywide dialogue last month, saying on national television that it was only way to avoid a crisis and to revive the electoral process.
Critics see it as a strategy to try to co-opt political opponents with positions or money.
Kabila also hinted at the possibility of an indirect or an electronic vote in the presidential election, to save money, which some say would make rigging the poll easier.
He has not directly commented on suspicions that he might be trying to cling to power.
But the spokesman of the ruling party, AndrÃ©-Alain Atundu, said that it would take "two to four more years to organise credible elections".
Sources close to Kabila say that, as the man who secured an important peace deal in the early 2000s following years of civil conflict that killed millions, he genuinely feels the country could implode if he were to leave at the end of next year, especially without having organised a successful dialogue.
There are still dozens of armed groups with ties to politicians in the east of the country and the army's own loyalties are divided.
"Opposition leaders have said president Kabila should be judged by the International Criminal Court," said one source close to him. "That is hardly the language of appeasement."
It is true the country is still fragile. But it is difficult to see how the president staying on would guarantee peace.
Born in a rebel camp in eastern DR Congo - where he enjoys most of his support
Spent his childhood in Tanzania
His father, Laurent Kabila, overthrew long-time ruler Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997
He first became president - the world's youngest head of state - after his father's assassination in 2001
Oversaw the signing of a peace accord in 2002 to end a five-year conflict involving several other nations
Became DR Congo's first freely elected leader in 2006, winning a run-off poll with 58% of the vote
Secured another term in controversial elections in 2011
Has enjoyed the clear support of western governments, regional allies such as South Africa and Angola and mining groups that have signed multi-million dollar deals under his rule
Revered in the Swahili-speaking east, where he is widely credited with helping to end the 1998-2013 wars, he is less liked in the west
The January riots were an indication of how the streets might react to an attempt to hold on to power.
Activists believe violence would escalate if the election deadline is missed.
The powerful and historically political Catholic Church has already called on the Congolese people to oppose any attempt to violate the constitution.
Bishops said the country's situation was worrying and reminiscent of past wars and bloodshed caused by "power being seized by force and exerted against the common good".
The international community does not seem to know what to do. "We just have no leverage. We have carrots, but no sticks," a UN employee admitted.
The UN peacekeeping mission's newly-appointed leader's brief is basically to rebuild a relationship with a government that has been cutting the mission off from both political discussions and military operations for months.
"No one will fight this one for us," says Luc Nkulula, a lawyer and member of Lucha, perched on the leg of an armchair as he addresses his colleagues about their plans.
He believes that at the moment priority is a change at the top.
He isn't convinced that any of the potential opposition candidates would be any less corrupt or even more likely to bring more stability to the troubled east, but it's a matter of principle: upholding the constitution and ensuring accountability.
He also doubts that the majority of the population will never understand, even less adhere, to Lucha's non-violent activism. He fears extreme violence on both sides and worries that weakest will suffer the heaviest losses.
"But," he says, "the alternative to this struggle in a country like Congo is not being able to look at yourself in the mirror."


Lyon and Besiktas have been given suspended bans from European competition by Uefa after crowd trouble marred their Europa League quarter-final first leg in France on 13 April.

The bans are suspended for two years and both clubs have also been fined 100,000 euros (£83,800).
The tie at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, which ended 2-1 to Lyon, kicked off 45 minutes late.
The return leg in Turkey takes place on Thursday (20:05 BST).
A Uefa statement said the charges against Lyon related to crowd disturbances, setting off of fireworks, blocked stairways, insufficient organisation and field invasion by supporters after their second goal.
The charges against Besiktas related to crowd disturbances, setting off of fireworks and the throwing of objects.


A fire and explosion at a military explosives facility near the Iranian capital Tehran has left at least two people dead, reports say.

The semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (Isna) said the fire was in an "explosive materials production unit".
A pro-opposition website reported a huge blast near the Parchin military site, south-east of the capital, but this was not confirmed.
Parchin has been linked to Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not been given access to the complex since 2005.
Analysts say the IAEA suspects Iran of experimenting with explosives capable of triggering a nuclear weapon at Parchin.
The pro-reform website Sahamnews said the explosion on Sunday evening was so intense that windows of buildings 15km (nine miles) away were shattered.
The glare from the blast could also be seen from a great distance, the report added.
Isna, quoting Iran's defence industries organisation, said: "Unfortunately, due to the incident, two workers of this production unit lost their lives."
It gave no further details.
Last month, the IAEA said more activity had been conducted at the Parchin military base.
It said Iran had also missed a deadline to answer further questions about its nuclear programme.
Iran is in negotiations with six world powers on a permanent agreement over its nuclear industry.
The West suspects Iran of trying to develop a nuclear weapon but Iranian leaders insist they only want atomic energy.
Talks are focused on lifting Western sanctions in exchange for a scaling-back of Iran's uranium enrichment programme, and a deadline for the agreement has been set for 24 November.


The company behind the internet's most popular advert-blocking plug-in has pledged to open up its controversial "whitelist" to outside scrutiny.

Eyeo - the maker of AdBlock Plus - plans to set up an "independent board" that will inspect which ads it allows to circumvent its technology.
The move coincides with its launch of an extension for iPhones.
It also comes the day after Eyeo successfully defended itself against Germany's biggest publisher.
One expert said that it was too early to know how much of a difference the latest move would make, but added that many leading website operators were unlikely to be swayed by it.
"They're commercial enterprises and they want to make as much money as they can," said Ian Maude from the research firm Enders Analysis.
"But I do sympathise with the ad-blockers and internet users to the extent that you are now seeing vast volumes of data being gathered about people's behaviour without their express permission via trackers used by advertisers, and that's not a desirable outcome."
In a nutshell, the term covers a variety of technologies used to prevent adverts appearing on internet-connected devices.
They are already widely used on PCs, where the most common technique is to install a browser plug-in, but until recently were relatively rare on smartphones and tablets.
Once installed, web pages should be decluttered of distracting content.
Pages should also load more quickly, mobile data allowances should come under less strain and mobile device batteries can also last longer between charges.
However, one consequence is that websites can see a drop in revenues, causing them to start charging for content or paying for technologies that frustrate the ad-blockers' efforts.
Eyeo has faced criticism because of its business model: it provides its plug-ins to the public free, but charges publishers and websites a fee for "support services" to help them ensure certain ads get through.
To qualify, the ads cannot be "annoying" or "intrusive". For example, pop-ups and ads that automatically start playing sounds cannot qualify for AdBlock Plus's whitelist.
Google, Amazon and Microsoft are among those reported to have paid the Cologne-based firm.
However, several German publishers resisted and attempted to sue the firm, claiming it was "a constitutional right of the press to advertise".
On Tuesday, Axel Springer became the latest company to have its case rejected by the courts.
It was the fifth legal action of its kind. Eyeo's latest move may help it head off further legal battles.
Eyeo says it hopes to have the new review board in place by the end of next year, and eventually plans to give it full control over the whitelist's rules.
"Users determined the original criteria and can object in our forum to whitelisting proposals - but since we were the only ad-blocker to offer such a compromise, we have taken on a large role in the day-to-day maintenance of the criteria," said AdBlock Plus's co-founder Till Faida in a statement.
"We have been looking for a way to make the Acceptable Ads programme completely independent while also updating the criteria to evolve with changing forms of online advertising.
"An independent board solves both issues."
In addition, she highlighted that only a minority of the 700 publishers and websites currently on AdBlock Plus' whitelist had paid it money. She put the figure at about 10%.
Mr Maude noted that did not necessarily mean the two things were unrelated.
"Every company that pays Eyeo is on the whitelist, so there clearly is a connection between paying and being whitelisted," he said.
The launch of Eyeo's extension for the Safari web browsers on iPhones and iPads follows Apple's decision to allow such plug-ins to work in iOS 9.
The mobile operating system was released earlier this month, and several other smaller start-ups have already launched ad-blocking plug-ins of their own.
One of the most popular services, Peace, was pulled shortly after its release, when its developer said he did not feel good about being "the arbiter of what's blocked".
A leading alternative, Crystal, instead shares use of Eyeo's whitelist. Like Adblock Plus, it also allows customers to opt out of the list and block ads altogether.
Some organisations have taken steps to discourage the use of the technology.
The news site Cnet has prevented some of its content from being viewable when it detected ads were being blocked.
And the Interactive Advertising Bureau has announced plans to offer smaller publishers a script that lets them detect consumers using ad-blocking tech as well.
The IAB added that it was also exploring legal action of its own.


Republican Senators threatened to vote against the latest Obamacare repeal bill unless they received a guarantee it would be debated further.

Lindsey Graham, Ron Johnson, and John McCain's votes would have been enough to scupper the bill's chances.
The Senate and House have repeatedly disagreed on a series of healthcare bills ahead of summer recess.
House Speaker Paul Ryan seemed to accede to the demands, but said it was now the Senate's job to produce a plan.
The senators wanted guarantees that the bill would be sent to a "conference committee" - a normal process when the House and Senate approve similar but slightly different bills.
But if the House simply voted to approve a Senate bill "as-is", it would be sent to President Trump to be signed into law instead.
"If moving forward requires a conference committee, that is something the House is willing to do," Paul Ryan said in a statement.
"The reality, however, is that repealing and replacing Obamacare still ultimately requires the Senate to produce 51 votes for an actual plan."
Mr Ryan's statement produced a mixed response from wavering Republican senators.
Sen McCain told reporters it was "not sufficient" to allow him to vote for the bill.
But his fellow objector Lindsey Graham later said he had spoken to Mr Ryan and received a clear enough assurance to vote for the measure.
Another sceptic, David Perdue, said "the reassurance from Paul Ryan tonight is good enough for me".
Shortly after the senators received their assurances, debate began in the Senate on the unveiled legislation, called the "health care freedom act''.
A small number of protesters gathered outside the US Capitol late in the evening as the proceedings started.
Inside the chamber, Democrats appealed to their peers across the aisle to vote against the move.
"There has never been a process as absurd as what we are seeing here," Bernie Sanders told his colleagues.
Some chose to quote the critical words of the three Republican senators earlier in the evening.
In their news conference, the group had said they feared the House might blindly pass any version of the bill, "just because we have to get something done".
"I'm not going to vote for a bill that is terrible policy and horrible politics," Senator Graham said.
"Just give us the assurance that whatever we pass tonight will go to conference, so the good ideas... can get scored and have a chance to be argued," Senator Johnson said.
The proposed health care freedom act is being referred to as a "skinny bill" - a cut-down version of the previous attempt, which would scale back some of the more controversial parts of Obamacare.
But some politicians are dissatisfied with the so-called skinny bill.
"The skinny bill as policy is a disaster," Senator Graham said.
"I'd rather get of out of the way and have it collapse," he added, "than have a half-assed approach where it is now our problem."
The Senate is expected to work through the night on the healthcare bill.
Before it voted down the House version of the bill, President Donald Trump had urged senators to pass a bill - without indicating which one he supported.


Counterfeit goods with an estimated street value of more than £2m, including one shop's entire stock, have been seized in raids in Manchester.

A number of businesses suspected of selling counterfeit goods were raided on Moulton Street, Strangeways, on 13 and 16 December.
The items seized included fake Louis Vuitton, Prada and Vivienne Westwood handbags, Nike trainers and Adidas and Converse tracksuits.
Counterfeit jewellery was also seized.
The items seized in the raids, conducted by Greater Manchester Police and Trading Standards officers, filled two 40ft (12m) containers.
The raids follow similar ones in November when goods worth an estimated £1m were seized, Manchester City Council said.
Manchester's Cheetham Hill, near where the most recent raids took place, has been nicknamed "Counterfeit Street" because of the widespread sale of fake goods there.
Intellectual Property Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe described it as "almost like the counterfeit capital of the UK".


On the morning of 17 January 1991, exactly 25 years ago, Kuwaitis woke up to the news that the war to liberate their country, after five months of Iraqi occupation, had begun.

BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner interviewed Khaled Al-Sabah, who stayed on in Kuwait throughout the occupation, helping the resistance under an assumed name, about what he remembers of the day the US-led Operation Desert Storm began.
Khaled: It was 02:35 in the morning of 17 January. I was in my bedroom trying to listen to the BBC World Service.
Although the Iraqis were doing their best to jam the airwaves, luckily I was able to listen to the breaking news that the Coalition had just started their air campaign and the war for liberation of Kuwait had begun. I was so overwhelmed with euphoria, joy and excitement.
I had been living with relatives in a safe house on the outskirts of Kuwait City because it was getting too dangerous for us to remain in my uncle's house in town, which was only a few hundred metres from the Iraqi embassy.
I could hardly wait to break the good news to my uncle and aunt, but I didn't want to wake them up in the early hours.
So I wrote my uncle Ahmad a note and slipped it under his closed bedroom door, making sure to keep part of it sticking out, so I could retrieve it quickly and swallow it in case some Iraqi soldiers, who took over the school next door as barracks, were to break in.
After that I rushed downstairs to check on the safe room, which I had been preparing for weeks in the case of a chemical war attack, and made sure nothing was missing.
Gardner: Were you expecting the war to begin?
Khaled: After the UN deadline of 15 January 1991 expired (for Saddam to withdraw his forces from Kuwait), we had no doubt about the coming war for the liberation of Kuwait.
Iraqi forces' morale in occupied Kuwait was at rock bottom by then. The rate of exchange of the Kuwaiti/ Iraqi Dinar, which I was following very closely on the black market, was improving rapidly in favour of the Kuwaiti dinar. To me that was the most objective indicator of the current situation.
Gardner: What were conditions like in Kuwait by then, after more than five months of Iraqi occupation?
Khaled: There were continual random arrests by Iraqi forces and the thefts and break-ins never stopped. There were shortages of medical care and medicine and water had to be rationed.
But the situation in terms of food supply was not as bad as many people outside imagined, and electricity ran as normal.
Gardner: So how did Kuwaitis there react to the news that Operation Desert Storm had begun?
Khaled: To say that Kuwaitis were extremely happy and over the moon, would be an understatement. The boost to our morale was phenomenal, but we still had to be guarded in our expressions and to contain ourselves in the face of the occupier.
Gardner: Operation Desert Storm lasted just 40 days after that, before Saddam's generals surrendered. Twenty-five years on, do Kuwaitis still remember the US-led Coalition's efforts to free their country, or are most now too young?
Khaled: The current population of Kuwait is about 4.1 million, of which 1.2 million are Kuwaitis.
In terms of the demography of Kuwait, about 40% of the population is below the age of 25 years. So you have roughly half a million Kuwaitis who were born after the liberation.
There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that for the bulk of the Kuwaiti population the sacrifices by the Coalition troops are omnipresent and gratefully acknowledged and remembered.
I myself am a founding member of the Poppy Ball, a UK charity which has raised over the past few years more than Â£1m ($1.43m) for the Royal British Legion, as well as other Kuwaiti charities who did the same.
But yes, regrettably young Kuwaitis in elementary, middle and secondary schools are not taught nearly enough, if at all, about the horrors of that invasion and occupation.


Champions Celtic beat Hearts to become the first team to complete a Scottish top-flight season unbeaten for 118 years.

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Leigh Griffiths and Stuart Armstrong secured a 34th win of the campaign for Brendan Rodgers' side, who were then presented with the Premiership trophy.
The feat was last achieved by Rangers in 1898-99, over an 18-game season.
And Celtic join Arsenal (2003-04) and Juventus (2011-12) in being unbeaten over a 38-game league season.
Rodgers' side, who won the League Cup in November, will attempt to win the club's first domestic treble since 2001 when they take on Aberdeen in Saturday's Scottish Cup final.
Celtic, who have won six top-flight titles in a row, are unbeaten in 46 domestic games this season (38 in league, eight in cups), and 47 domestic matches overall including the final league game of last season.
And they are unbeaten in 31 games in all competitions since losing to Barcelona in the Champions League on 23 November.
With the win and goals against Hearts, Celtic set new records for the Scottish Premier League/Premiership era, including goals, points, wins and margin of victory.
With so much anticipated from the hosts, Hearts head coach Ian Cathro sought to frustrate Celtic, restricting them to long-range efforts.
Kieran Tierney and Callum McGregor came closest with those and Griffiths sent a free-kick into the side netting.
And it could have been Hearts that went in front, Bjorn Johnsen laying a free-kick off for Alexandros Tziolis to strike narrowly over.
When Celtic did get into the box, goalkeeper Viktor Noring was in fine form.
The Swedish stopper made an instinctive block to deny Dedryck Boyata at a corner and then punched away Patrick Roberts' dangerous cut-back.
However, Hearts' resistance was broken when Roberts danced clear on the right and set up Griffiths for a confident header.
And Griffiths was involved in the second, his cross not properly cleared and falling for Armstrong to finish.
Though sustaining a fourth straight defeat, Hearts competed well in Glasgow and fared much better than their 5-0 home loss to Celtic last month - the match that clinched the title for Rodgers' men.
Johnsen headed against the right-hand post from a Malaury Martin corner as Cathro's men sought consolation.
And substitute Martin's volley was then kept out by Craig Gordon late on.
Match ends, Celtic 2, Heart of Midlothian 0.
Second Half ends, Celtic 2, Heart of Midlothian 0.
Tomas Rogic (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Jamie Walker (Heart of Midlothian).
(Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Don Cowie (Heart of Midlothian).
Corner,  Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Craig Gordon.
Attempt saved. Malaury Martin (Heart of Midlothian) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Corner,  Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Erik Sviatchenko.
Corner,  Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Kieran Tierney.
Krystian Nowak (Heart of Midlothian) hits the right post with a header from the centre of the box.
Corner,  Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Scott Brown.
Attempt blocked. Malaury Martin (Heart of Midlothian) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Callum McGregor (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Arnaud Sutchuin-Djoum (Heart of Midlothian).
Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Euan Henderson (Heart of Midlothian).
Foul by Kolo Touré (Celtic).
Euan Henderson (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Dedryck Boyata (Celtic) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner,  Celtic. Conceded by Aaron Hughes.
Substitution, Celtic. Erik Sviatchenko replaces Stuart Armstrong.
Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Euan Henderson replaces Alexandros Tziolis.
Goal!  Celtic 2, Heart of Midlothian 0. Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner.
Substitution, Celtic. Kolo Touré replaces Jozo Simunovic.
Foul by Patrick Roberts (Celtic).
Alexandros Tziolis (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Jozo Simunovic (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) right footed shot from long range on the right is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Jamie Walker replaces Prince Buaben.
Attempt saved. Bjorn Johnsen (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
Arnaud Sutchuin-Djoum (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Patrick Roberts (Celtic) left footed shot from long range on the right is close, but misses to the left.
Foul by Dedryck Boyata (Celtic).
Malaury Martin (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Scott Brown (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Tomas Rogic (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the right.


An "alarming change" in Britain's attitude towards Saudi Arabia could lead to "serious repercussions", the Saudi ambassador has warned.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz highlighted the UK's cancellation of a deal to train Saudi prison staff.
He said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had "breached mutual respect" by claiming to have been instrumental in the move.
Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia would "not be lectured to by anyone".
Saudi Arabia has long been accused of human rights abuses, and has come under pressure from the UK over its treatment of both expats and Saudi nationals who have fallen foul of the country's Islamic laws.
Earlier this month, the government announced that it had withdrawn from a controversial £5.9m prisons deal with Saudi Arabia.
The contract was to provide a "training needs analysis" for Saudi prison service staff.
At the time, David Cameron's official spokeswoman said it reflected the government's decision to focus on domestic priorities.
Prince Mohammed said his country had "always had to deal with a lack of understanding and misconceptions", but just as his people respected "the local traditions, customs, laws and religion of Britain, we expect Britain to grant us this same respect".
He continued: "One recent example of this mutual respect being breached was when Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Opposition, claimed that he had convinced Prime Minister David Cameron to cancel a prison consultancy contract with Saudi Arabia worth £5.9m."
He also said the contract's cancellation had coincided with speculation linking it to a number of "domestic events" in the country.
He added: "If the extensive trade links between the two countries are going to be subordinate to certain political ideologies, then this vital commercial exchange is going to be at risk. We want this relationship to continue but we will not be lectured to by anyone.
"Hasty decisions prompted by short-term gains often do more harm than good in the longer term."
Mr Corbyn used his recent Labour Party conference speech to call for the prisons deal to be scrapped, and said the government had been "shamed" into a "U-turn on this terrible contract".
He said Mr Cameron should be sending a "strong message to repressive regimes that the UK is a beacon for human rights" and claimed the contract bid would damage Britain's standing in the world.
And the Times said Michael Gove, the lord chancellor and justice secretary, also wanted to pull out of the agreement, arguing the government should not assist a regime which uses beheadings, stoning, crucifixions and lashing under a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Kate Higham, of human rights organisation Reprieve, said the Saudi authorities "need to realise that until they put a stop to the horrific abuses in the kingdom, no country with any respect for human rights will want to go near their 'justice' system".
There have been recent tensions between the two countries over 74-year-old expat Karl Andree, jailed in Saudi Arabia after being caught with homemade wine and thought at one point to be facing 360 lashes.
And Mr Corbyn has also told Mr Cameron to urge Saudi Arabia to commute the sentence of Saudi national Ali Mohammed Baqir al-Nimr, who faces the death penalty after being found guilty of a long list of crimes including breaking allegiance to the king.
In addition, Prince Mohammed said the "intense criticism" of the state's response to the Syrian refugee crisis had been "unfair, as it failed to acknowledge that Saudi Arabia has taken in over 2.5 million displaced Syrians".
The intelligence provided by Saudi authorities had also helped Britain combat terrorism, he added.
"To further our shared strategic interests in the years ahead as we confront a variety of threats, it is crucial that Saudi Arabia be treated with the respect it has unwaveringly afforded the United Kingdom."


Newport County will be the Football League's bottom club on Christmas Day after losing at Crawley.

The Exiles trailed to James Collins' third minute opener, before Joss Ladabie's leveller gave them hope.
However, the hosts took control with two quickfire second half goals, as Josh Yowerth and Jimmy Smith scored twice in four minutes.
Newport's Josh Sheehan missed a late penalty in a bad-tempered affair that saw 13 players receive yellow cards.
Newport County boss Graham Westley told BBC Radio Wales Sport: "We were ill-disciplined and I think that came from a lack of work ethic.
"When I walked in the door I knew it was going to be a difficult job. There hadn't been a lot of winning going on.
"You can't just turn off a tap when people are used to losing.
"We have spoken a lot of home truths in the dressing room. We have not been good enough this season."
Match ends, Crawley Town 3, Newport County 1.
Second Half ends, Crawley Town 3, Newport County 1.
(Crawley Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Rhys Healey (Newport County).
Penalty missed! Still  Crawley Town 3, Newport County 1. Josh Sheehan (Newport County) hits the bar with a right footed shot.
Penalty conceded by Mark Connolly (Crawley Town) after a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty Newport County. Josh Sheehan draws a foul in the penalty area.
Attempt saved. Jordan Green (Newport County) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Substitution, Crawley Town. Kaby replaces Billy Clifford.
Attempt missed. Jimmy Smith (Crawley Town) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is close, but misses to the right.
Corner,  Newport County. Conceded by Andre Blackman.
Josh Sheehan (Newport County) hits the bar with a left footed shot from outside the box.
Substitution, Crawley Town. Adi Yussuf replaces Jordan Roberts.
Foul by Jimmy Smith (Crawley Town).
Jennison Myrie-Williams (Newport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Mark Connolly (Crawley Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Rhys Healey (Newport County).
Jazzi Barnum-Bobb (Newport County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Jordan Roberts (Crawley Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jazzi Barnum-Bobb (Newport County).
Andre Blackman (Crawley Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jordan Green (Newport County).
Substitution, Crawley Town. Bobson Bawling replaces Enzio Boldewijn.
Attempt missed. Josh Sheehan (Newport County) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the right.
Corner,  Newport County. Conceded by Glenn Morris.
Attempt saved. Josh Sheehan (Newport County) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
Foul by Enzio Boldewijn (Crawley Town).
Jennison Myrie-Williams (Newport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Jordan Roberts (Crawley Town) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt saved. Billy Clifford (Crawley Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Newport County. Finley Wood replaces Ben Tozer.
James Collins (Crawley Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Scot Bennett (Newport County).
Attempt missed. Andre Blackman (Crawley Town) left footed shot from the left side of the box is too high.
Attempt blocked. Darren Jones (Newport County) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Billy Clifford (Crawley Town).
Josh Sheehan (Newport County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Andre Blackman (Crawley Town).
Jordan Green (Newport County) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Rhys Healey (Newport County) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.


A village recreated entirely in cake - including a tiny cake shop - has raised more than £5,000.

Youlgrave in Derbyshire was crafted by villager Lynne Nolan in icing with neighbours baking 35 cakes.
Organisers said they had been surprised but delighted by the national media attention the story inspired.
The auction of the cakes raised £3,000 on the night with another £2,000 coming in from donations. All proceeds are going towards the church roof appeal.
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The model consisted of 16 detailed buildings including a pub and church,  with the icing alone taking 387 hours to apply.
The cakes have been soaked in whiskey which preserves them for months.
Mrs Nolan, who is a keen cake maker, said: "I think the butcher is my favourite.
"I did it first and it has got black puddings and pork pies and cuts of meat in it."
Ian Bright, one of the team behind the project, said: "We have had a lot of media attention. We have had reporters from lots of papers, TV cameras and of course it has travelled the world on the internet.
"One man who paid £1,000 for some of the cakes promptly donated them back and they will be divided up for elderly and needy people.
"As well as the cake auction money we have had donations from all over the country."


Toshiba has been forced to buy the 40% of the UK nuclear energy company NuGen that it does not already own.

NuGen has the contract to build a new nuclear power plant in Cumbria.
The French utility company Engie said it was exercising its "contractual rights" to sell its shares because NuGen was "facing some significant challenges".
Last week, Toshiba's Westinghouse in the US, which was to build the plant's reactors, sought bankruptcy protection.
The troubled Japanese giant said that only Westinghouse's US operations would be affected by the bankruptcy.
However, at the time media reports suggested bankruptcy could delay the project at Moorside in West Cumbria or even put its future in limbo.
It is estimated that the Moorside plant would eventually provide as much as 7% of the UK's energy needs.
In Tuesday's statement Toshiba said the bankruptcy filing was "an action that meets the definition of an 'event of default' under the terms of the agreement" with Engie.
"Engie has accordingly exercised its rights to require Toshiba to buy its holding."
Toshiba is paying about 15.3bn yen ($138.5m; Â£111.2m) for the stake.
The added that it would "continue to look for investors interested in investing in NuGen, and seek to sell off its holding in the company".
The problems at Westinghouse have dragged on Toshiba.
In December it emerged that it faced a heavy one-off loss linked to a deal done by Westinghouse, which had bought a nuclear construction and services business from Chicago Bridge & Iron (CB&I) in 2015.
But assets that it took on are likely to be worth less than initially thought, and there is also a dispute about payments that are due.
In February it emerged that the loss would be about  $6.3bn (Â£5.05bn).
Toshiba's chairman resigned, the firm delayed releasing its full financial figures - initially for a month - and then even longer.
To plug the gap, Toshiba is set to sell a majority stake in its NAND flash-memory business to get it through its continuing financial turbulence.
All this came on top of Toshiba's struggles to turn the corner after a profit-inflating scandal.
In a statement, the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "The NuGen consortium has always planned to bring in other partners to deliver the project and we engage regularly with a range of developers and investors.
"The Secretary of State is currently in South Korea for talks on future collaboration between our two countries, including on potential civil nuclear projects."


Mairis Briedis beat Marco Huck in a unanimous decision to claim Tony Bellew's WBC cruiserweight title.

Bellew's champion status was changed as a result of potential ongoing involvement in the heavyweight division.
The 34-year-old has held the title since May, but the WBC made him Emeritus Champion - so he can return to contest the title at any time.
Latvian 32-year-old Briedis remains unbeaten with a 22nd career victory.
The three judges scored the fight 118-109, 116-111 and 117-110 in his favour, with German 32-year-old Huck suffering a fifth defeat in 41 bouts.


Lewis Hamilton leads the World Championship for the first time this season after his dominant victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix, but in some ways events after the race were just as important as what happened on track.

Not satisfied with the inevitable psychological blow to title rival Nico Rosberg that must have come with the knowledge that Hamilton had gained 49 points on him in just six races, the world champion openly undermined his Mercedes team-mate in the post-race news conference. While sitting right next to him.
And after sitting listening to it, Rosberg waded right in there himself.
The argument was about the events of qualifying, when Hamilton had lost out on pole to Rosberg on Saturday in controversial circumstances.
Hamilton was far from the only driver who felt stewards had been wrong in allowing Rosberg to keep the lap time that was set while double-waved yellow flags - the highest caution warning before a safety car - were being displayed.
Despite that, he said at the time he was "not too disappointed", while adding that he felt the situation needed clarifying.
But the incident clearly still rankled after the race.
"The stewards need to come up with some kind of solution because the whole 23 years of my racing, it has been 'if it's yellow flag, you slow down' and if it's double yellow flag, you be prepared to stop and Nico was doing the same speed at the apex as I was doing on the previous timed lap," Hamilton said, as Rosberg sat, face like thunder, alongside him.
"If there happened to be a car that was spun or a marshal on the track, it would have been pretty hard for him to have slowed down in that case.
"And the fact that he didn't get penalised for it means that we need to be careful because the message we're sending not only to the drivers here but also to the drivers in the lower categories is that it's now possible for you to lose only one 10th of a second in a double-waved yellow flag section, which is one of the most dangerous scenarios.
"They need to clear that up because before it was two-tenths that you were meant to lose with one yellow flag and half a second with two yellow flags. It wasn't the case yesterday and there was no penalty.
"So going into the next race, we could be battling for pole position and we see double yellow flags and we know we only have to do a small lift and lose one-tenth of a second and we'll be fine and go purple in the sector."
Before the compere had a chance to move things on to the next subject, Rosberg jumped in and asked for right of reply.
"Thank you for making that statement," he said to Hamilton, slapping him on the shoulder, voice dripping with sarcasm, before going on to say that he had lifted off the throttle 30 metres earlier than normal for the corner and entered it "20km/h slower".
"That's a completely different world in an F1 car," Rosberg said. "Everything is safe. So definitely I significantly reduced my speed and that's what it says you need to do and that's why for the stewards that was completely acceptable."
As for the increased speed at the apex of the corner, Rosberg said that was to be expected "on a drying track".
Hamilton was not finished, though. A couple of hours later, he raised it again in another news conference, this time in the Mercedes motorhome.
He initially said he "didn't want to get into that again - I don't want to get into a war. It wasn't accurate what Nico actually said but it doesn't really matter".
But a few questions later, he could not help himself, saying "lifting and coasting into a corner is fuel saving, and braking at the same place and getting on the power five metres earlier and being the same speed at the apex and much quicker at the exit is not preparing [to stop, as demanded by the rules]".
Technically, both men had a point. Rosberg was allowed to keep the time because stewards adjudged him to have slowed down sufficiently.
The drivers work to guidelines that sufficient slowing of pace for a double-waved yellow flag is to lose 0.5 seconds in a section of track defined by timing loops.
These are normally eight seconds long. But in this case, the timing section was only three seconds long. Rosberg slowed by a little under 0.2secs; so, technically, pro rata, that was enough.
The issue for the other drivers was whether this interpretation was the appropriate one in the circumstances. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo were among the leading drivers who felt it was not.
This will run and run - Hamilton has said he has already raised it with FIA F1 director Charlie Whiting. "He is going to think about it because that's not the way it should be," Hamilton said, adding that he would definitely raise it as a discussion topic in Friday's drivers' briefing at next weekend's German Grand Prix.
Of course, a tasty public row between team-mates and title rivals is good box office. But what is more interesting is what this says about the relationship between the two men.
Three races ago, before the European Grand Prix, Hamilton was saying how the things between himself and Rosberg were as good as they had been for years.
Rosberg put the lie to that in an interview before this weekend's race in Hungary. And now Hamilton has effectively undermined his own argument.
He could have kept this behind closed doors, dealt with it privately with Whiting. He could have mentioned it once and left it. But to bring it up three times in separate situations seemed to many like an attempt to unsettle Rosberg, perhaps even rub in the dispiriting turnaround in the championship.
Hamilton feels a sense of superiority over Rosberg; that has been clear for a long time. And it's not hard to see why.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said after the race that it will always be close between Hamilton and Rosberg and that he expects the championship to go to the wire this season.
He may well be right, on one level. But the statistics of their time as team-mates tell their own story.
In two and a half seasons, Hamilton has won 26 races and Rosberg 16.
Three times in 2014, Hamilton's first world title for Mercedes, he made up gaps of 25 points - a clear win - or more and still won the championship by a significant margin after a difficult start to the season.
Last year, he walked it, hardly letting Rosberg get a look-in until the title was was good as sewn up.
And this year has strong echoes of 2014 again. Another difficult start - the worst part of it consecutive engine failures in qualifying in China and Russia - left Hamilton 43 points behind after four races.
In the next race, the two men crashed together on the first lap and had the riot act read to them by Wolff.
This, Hamilton said on Sunday, had felt like "rock bottom" but "ended up being a turning point".
"Where do we go from here?" he said of his thoughts at the time. "The only way was up. I managed to get my head together and get on with it."
Since then, he has hardly looked back. But for a bizarrely error-strewn qualifying session in Baku, he may well have won all six races.
If Hamilton's remarks were an attempt to score a psychological point, it was probably unnecessary. Hamilton utterly dominated in Hungary, even if he had an up-and-down weekend.
Blisteringly fast in first practice, he crashed at the start of the second. Struggling as a result in final practice, he was nevertheless on course for a pole with a lap that would probably have been half a second up on Rosberg's only to come across Fernando Alonso's spun McLaren broadside across the track.
In the end, the row over the yellow flags that incident produced was irrelevant. Hamilton made a slightly better start than Rosberg, and in a five-car concertina at the first corner involving both Mercedes, both Red Bulls and Vettel, the world champion emerged in the lead.
From there, he controlled the race at will, going only as fast as he needed to, upping the pace when asked. He kept Rosberg at arm's length as he protected the delicate Pirelli tyres - "like having £100 to spend and having to be careful how you spend it," Hamilton said afterwards.
He was "proud" he said, of how he had closed what he had thought back in Spain might be an insurmountable gap.
It will take more than this to break Rosberg, but his mantra that "it is only small differences that decide it; I just have to turn them around in my favour" is starting to wear thin.
More often than not, those differences are in Hamilton's favour.
His engine problems early in the season mean Hamilton will take a major grid penalty at one of the remaining nine races, which will almost certainly hand Rosberg an easy win such is Mercedes' superiority.
But if the battle between them continues in its usual manner, Hamilton is surely on his way to his fourth title and public point-scoring won't be necessary.