US-style professional wrestling is leaping off the top ropes and into the Chinese market.

From Friday, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is making its video streaming service available in the mainland.
The part-sport, part soap-opera joins a long list of sports eager to tap into a new customer base.
Industry-watchers say finding local stars will be key to its success.
WWE's service will be available through its Chinese partner PPTV, with subscribers required to download an app to access the content.
Past events have "received a great response from WWE fans in China," according to Godfrey Zeng, executive vice president of Suning Sports Media, parent company of PPTV.
China has held a number of WWE events over the years, and there's even a local WWE-style wrestling organisation, but this is the first time an entire channel devoted to WWE will be available.
The network will feature WWE's major live events and original series, as well as reality shows and classic matches.
The organisation is kicking things off by making one of its marquee events SummerSlam, which takes place on Monday, available live in Mandarin.
Sports ranging from mixed martial arts to Australian rules football have all been trying their luck in China.
Other sports have managed to capitalise on the success of Chinese stars.
The country's huge population means that most organisations would only need a small share of the market to see a return on their investment, but some industry watchers caution that it's not as easy it might seem.
"Everyone's trying to break into China, and you've all got those much more established sports. Then you've got things like rugby, and combat sports and they're all trying to compete for the same demographic," said Mark Dreyer, who runs the China Sports Insider website.
Two-time grand slam champion Li Na helped to make tennis more popular, while Chinese NBA star Yao Ming made a huge difference to basketball's popularity.


As darkness fell on the battlefield at Waterloo on 18 June 1815, 47,000 men lay dead and wounded in the blood and mud.

Amid the carnage of the battle is an incredible story of bravery and survival that has become legendary amongst the stories of Wellington's defeat of Napoleon.
The role played by Irish soldiers in the battle 200 years ago is being commemorated in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
The Inniskilling Dragoons and Fusiliers both fought in the battle and helped to turn the tide of European history.
Pte Peter McMullen, a weaver from Downpatrick, was serving with the 27th Inniskilling Regiment when he was seriously wounded.
Incredibly, his heavily pregnant wife Elizabeth was watching the battle nearby and fearing her husband was dead, she rushed into the midst of bodies.
As the battle continued around her, with cannon shots, sniper fire and cavalry charges, Elizabeth was shot in the leg with a musket ball.
Despite her injury and the chaos, she discovered her husband still barely alive and dragged him away from the battlefield.
They were taken to a hospital in Antwerp where Peter lost both arms through his injuries and Elizabeth was able to rest, allowing here shattered leg to heal.
The couple were then transferred to a hospital in Chelsea and it was there that Elizabeth gave birth to a baby girl.
The Duke of York, the commander in chief of the army, was told of their bravery and visited them in hospital.
He agreed to be godfather to the infant, who was christened Frederica McMullen of Waterloo.
Pte McMullen's Waterloo medal has been acquired by the Inniskillings Regimental Museum and is part of a display at Enniskillen Castle to mark the bicentenary of the battle.
Neil Armstrong, the curator of the museum, believes it is probably "the perfect love story", and having his medal in the collection brings the experience of a County Down man into a battle of international importance.
The key role played by soldiers from Ireland is being commemorated in Enniskillen ahead of events throughout Europe to mark the bicentenary of the battle.
They suffered heavy losses.
Of the 747 men and officers of the 27th Inniskilling Regiment of Foot who marched into cannon and sniper fire, 493 were either killed or wounded.
The defeated Napoleon commented on their bravery.
"That regiment with castles on their caps is composed of the most obstinate mules I ever saw; they don't know when they are beaten," he said.
The Duke of Wellington praised them with the words: "They saved the centre of my line at Waterloo."


Prominent human rights activist Mohammad al-Qahtani has gone on trial in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Qahtani, an economics professor, faces nine charges, including setting up an unlicensed organisation and breaking allegiance to the king.
Another rights campaigner, Abdullah al-Hamid, also appeared in court.
Human rights groups say political activists are regularly jailed for their work in Saudi Arabia, some without access to lawyers.
Mr Qahtani, a co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), is one of several Saudi human rights activists who are being tried on similar charges.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
Mr Hamid, who is also on trial, is another founder of ACPRA.
The BBC's Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher says supporters and relatives of Mr Qahtani and Mr Hamed were allowed into the courtroom but were later ordered to leave by the judge.
During the hearing, they were using Twitter to report on proceedings, giving the opening of the trial a measure of transparency that is unusual in Saudi Arabia, he says.
Mr Qahtani said he was told by the court to issue a new written response to his charges by Monday.
Speaking afterwards to the BBC, he said: "We have been doing our work for several years. The authorities kept quiet for a long time, but now they are coming after us hard. We are not going to be silent. We will continue to do our work."
Amnesty International says Mr Qahtani faces other charges which include inciting public opinion by accusing authorities of human rights abuses, and turning international organisations against the country.
In April, rights activist Mohammed al-Bajadi received a four-year jail sentence, in what Amnesty said demonstrated "a blatant disregard for his fundamental rights".
Saudi Arabia's interior ministry has said there are no political prisoners in the kingdom.


Burnley midfielder Dean Marney has signed a new two-year contract until 2017 with Championship side Burnley.

The 31-year-old has been out since February with a cruciate knee ligament injury but is close to full fitness.
After beginning his career at Tottenham he spent time on loan at Swindon, QPR, Gillingham and Norwich and joined Hull in 2006, before switching to the Clarets four years later.
"I'm over the moon to secure my future for the next couple of years," he said.
"I love it here. If it was for five years to stay here, then I would have signed that."


There are scarred landscapes surrounding the northern French town of Henin-Beaumont and on them stand the ghosts of forgotten industry.

Rusting pit wheels, towering over disused mine shafts and mountainous slag heaps, are now disguised beneath wild and rampant vegetation.
Even the light industry that replaced the coal mines is disappearing.
On the edge of town the local Samsonite factory, which closed in 2007, is forlorn and abandoned.
Its enormous factory floor is now home to squatters - they have replaced the workers whose jobs were transferred to Eastern Europe.
Five years on from the closure half of the 200 people who were made redundant are still unemployed.
To former worker Brigitte Petit the factory provided more than just a salary - it gave structure and life to her local community.
"We were like a family," she said. "We loved our work. And they made us believe it was a job for life."
"Today we feel abandoned, betrayed," Ms Petit said.
Amid such anger and despair the far right party of Marine Le Pen is finding record support.
Nowhere in France did Marine Le Pen perform better in the presidential election than in this region. This weekend she stands for the parliamentary seat - one of a handful of constituencies where her party, the National Front (FN), believes it can win.
"We want change," said one supporter who waited for a signed photograph of Ms Le Pen.
"No to Europe. We want to go back to the franc. We have been ripped off by the euro. We don't have the means to live any more. I had to cancel my car insurance to feed my children."
But scenting blood is Ms Le Pen's arch rival, Jean-Luc Melenchon, champion of the far left and leader of the Left Front.
He has descended on Henin-Beaumont to "shine a light," he said, "on the vampires of the National Front" and to snatch from them a seat that a month ago looked guaranteed.
The FN dismiss him as an outsider who has parachuted into Henin-Beaumont to satisfy his own ego.
"It's true, I am not from here," Mr Melenchon told me. "I am not from anywhere. I was born in North Africa. I have lived all over France, like many of the people in this country."
"Madame Le Pen represents a France that no longer exists. People who've lived forever in the same place, who can never accept people from the outside."
They divide bitterly on immigration and in recent weeks the battle has grown ugly.
The National Front's well-marshalled supporters have been busy and the billboards are re-pasted every day with images of Marine Le Pen.
This week a new flyer was being distributed among traders in the town.
It caricatured the far left leader as Hitler, sporting the moustache and a swastika and behind him the Nazi party slogan "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work makes you free"). Mr Melenchon has complained. The FN have denied any responsibility.
But while on many issues these two parties are firmly opposed to one another, on economic matters there are surprising parallels.
These are populist parties, inward-looking. They appeal to the suspicion in France that surrounds capitalism and the free market.
Both advocate a rise in the minimum wage. They are Eurosceptic, albeit in different ways. Mr Melenchon is not anti-Europe, but he does not think it is working for France. And both pledge protectionism, to defend French jobs from the "evils" of globalisation.
In the local party headquarters Marine Le Pen tells me she is amused by Mr Melenchon's challenge.
"I think he loves me," she laughed. "He follows me all around the country."
But she tells me I am wrong to draw parallels between her party and the Left Front. There are fundamental differences, she says.
"The extreme left remain 'internationaliste'," she said. "We are patriots. We believe in the French nation."
"Only the French people can guarantee their own prosperity, security, identity," Ms Le Pen said. "The far left is opposed to our brand of nationalism. They are not against Europe. Far from it, they want more Europe."
There are two rounds of the parliamentary election - and the decisive 17 June round follows a first-past-the-post system. Up to 10 candidates will stand in the first round this Sunday.
The frontrunners go through to the second round, which tends to become a two- or three-horse race.
There has been a longstanding agreement, particularly on the left, that candidates running third will stand aside to give a better placed candidate a clear run.
That could happen in Henin-Beaumont, where either the governing Socialists or Mr Melenchon will progress alone.
Nationally the first round will give a true picture of what level of support each party has.
Bruno Jeanbart, a pollster from OpinionWay, says he expects to see the Socialists win with a narrow majority - essential if President Francois Hollande is to force through his reform programme.
But the vote for the National Front, Mr Jeanbart said, could mark a turning point. Not least in its challenge to the party of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, the conservative UMP.
"Traditionally the (National Front) lost one-third of their votes between presidential and legislative elections," Mr Jeanbart said.
"If they perform well in this election it shows people are not only voting for Marine Le Pen, they are voting for the National Front itself. And they are voting for the far right, and its agenda, to become part of the mainstream."
On a personal level Ms Le Pen badly needs to capture Henin-Beaumont to capitalise on her recent success.
The polls do have her comfortably ahead for Sunday's first round vote. But she will be defeated a week later if the Socialists do decide step aside and endorse Mr Melenchon, in the decisive second round.


The US has returned about 20 ancient artefacts - some more than 1,800 years old - to Peru.

The objects include pottery and pieces looted from ancient Peruvian graves dating back from before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th Century.
They were found during four separate investigations over several years by US the customs service.
A spokesman said the objects belonged to the people of Peru, and were part of the country's rich heritage.
Investigators say a middleman in Peru bought some of the pre-Columbian items from local farmers in Peru who robbed burial sites. They were then shipped by post to a smuggler in the US.
Since 2007 the US authorities have returned 7,150 items to 27 countries including France, China, Poland and Iraq.


Nottinghamshire's relegation from the County Championship's top flight is "embarrassing", according to director of cricket Mick Newell.

Notts will drop into Division Two next season after losing their penultimate fixture to leaders Middlesex.
Newell, who will hand first-team duties to ex-England coach Peter Moores, told BBC Radio Nottingham relegation in cricket is "about the shame".
"It's about the embarrassment of getting relegated," Newell added.
"Financially it is not like losing your place in the Premier League in football. Financially it doesn't make a huge difference; it makes a difference to the supporters.
"It is more about the impact it has on the ego of the players and the impact on the supporters who are used to seeing Division One cricket.
"We are proud club; we have been in Division One for a long time and it's ten years since I stood here and had to explain away a relegation."
Notts have only won once in the Championship this season and now return to Division Two for the first time in nine years.


The High Court is to rule later on the legality of UK arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

The court will decide whether the British government failed to suspend weapons sales to the Saudi kingdom, which is fighting a war in Yemen.
The UN claims Saudi air strikes against Houthi rebels in that country have caused thousands of civilian deaths.
The Campaign Against the Arms Trade, which is bringing the case, claims the UK has contravened humanitarian law.
Yemen crisis: Who is fighting whom?
Equipment sold to Saudi Arabia includes Typhoon and Tornado fighter jets, as well as precision-guided bombs.
The sales contribute to thousands of engineering jobs in the UK, and have provided billions of pounds of revenue for the British arms trade.
Saudi Arabia has been supporting Yemen's internationally-recognised government after a civil war broke out in 2015.
Houthi rebels, loyal to deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh, began an attack in 2014, forcing  leader Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee the country for a time.
Since then the Saudi kingdom, and eight other mostly Sunni Arab states, have supported an air campaign aimed at restoring Mr Hadi's government.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said: "For more than two years now the Saudis have been conducting air strikes there against Houthi rebels but the UN blames these attacks for the majority of civilian deaths.
"Monday's verdict could have far-reaching consequences for Britain's relations with its Gulf Arab allies."
Restrictions on food and fuel imports have pushed Yemen to the brink of famine, and two million people in the country have been internally displaced.


England finished runners-up in Group B at Euro 2016 after failing to break the massed ranks of Slovakia during a goalless draw in Saint-Etienne.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Manager Roy Hodgson made six changes to his side from the win over Wales and the move did not come off.
Which players struggled and do any of them deserve any credit?
One anxious second half moment of confusion with Chris Smalling and some routine work, but otherwise untroubled.
A real threat going forward with some good crosses and almost scored in the second half. Had little to do defensively.
Had little to do but what he did was solid and effective.
Same as Cahill. He had that one worrying moment with Hart but was never given much work to do.
Spent too much time going into challenges with his arms in dangerous positions and was deservedly booked. Did not make any sort of case to oust Danny Rose.
Dier is having an excellent Euro 2016. Solid as a rock as the defensive shield but also contributed as England pressed forward and looked like he might even break the deadlock late on.
Looked exactly what he is. Less than fully fit and off the pace after barely any game time for Arsenal last season. A poor selection.
Had a good spell in the middle of the first half but too many poor deliveries and simply not enough quality. Did not take his chance.
Positive opening with good feet, but lacked a cutting edge when in scoring positions.
Started well with some neat touches but then drifted out of the game. Came too deep and was marginalised.
Tireless running and hustling of Slovakia's defence. Should have scored in the first half. His effectiveness was reduced when Slovakia camped on the edge of their own area for the last 30 minutes.
Slovakia were already in base camp on the edge of their own area when he came on. Tried hard but could not fashion a breakthrough.
Almost scored seconds after coming on but still waiting to make his impact on the tournament.
One or two half chances but the pattern of the game was set when he came on.
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The mayor of Romania's capital, Sorin Oprescu, has been arrested at home in an investigation into allegations of taking bribes.

Now serving his second term as Bucharest mayor, Mr Oprescu is accused of taking kickbacks from companies awarded contracts with the city.
Prosecutors allege he took a 10% cut from deals. He denies any wrongdoing.
It is the latest of several corruption scandals to engulf top political figures in Romania.
Mr Oprescu, 63, who is backed by Romania's governing Social Democrats, was taken into custody for an initial 24 hours.
Prosecutors will ask a court to extend this for a month while investigations continue.
Companies which won public works contracts kept up to 33% of the gross profit, prosecutors said in a statement.
"The rest was given as bribes to employees of the Bucharest mayor, with 10% of the contracts' value requested by the accused Sorin Oprescu."
The mayor was caught accepting a bribe from people who became informants, prosecutors allege.
His lawyer, Alexandru Chiciu, said his client had "never asked for money from anybody, directly or indirectly".
Several high-profile Romanians have lost their jobs recently over allegations of corruption.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta was charged in July with several counts of corruption in a long-running investigation.
He faces charges of fraud, tax evasion and money laundering dating back to when he was a lawyer before he became prime minister in 2012, the country's anti-corruption agency DNA said.
Mr Ponta, who resigned as Social Democratic party leader, also denies any wrongdoing but continues as PM despite opposition calls for him to quit.
Romania's reputation has suffered from allegations of corruption - it ranks 69th out of 175 on Transparency International's corruption perceptions index for 2014, where a low ranking suggests less corruption.
However, the DNA agency is stepping up efforts to combat corruption, earning praise from Romania's European partners, correspondents say.


Ten-man Scottish Championship strugglers Ayr scored twice at the death to draw with hosts Dumbarton.

Ayr's Ross Docherty was dismissed in the first half for a reckless tackle on Andy Stirling.
Hibernian loanee Sam Stanton scored twice after the break as the dominant Sons pressed home their advantage.
But Ayr would stun the hosts in stoppage time, with Michael Rose firing in a 25-yard free-kick before Craig Moore's penalty levelled.
Match ends, Dumbarton 2, Ayr United 2.
Second Half ends, Dumbarton 2, Ayr United 2.
Goal!  Dumbarton 2, Ayr United 2. Craig Moore (Ayr United) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Darren Barr (Dumbarton) is shown the yellow card.
Goal!  Dumbarton 2, Ayr United 1. Michael Rose (Ayr United) from a free kick with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Foul by Stuart Carswell (Dumbarton).
Paul Cairney (Ayr United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lewis Vaughan (Dumbarton).
Craig McGuffie (Ayr United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Patrick Boyle (Ayr United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Andy Stirling (Dumbarton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Patrick Boyle (Ayr United).
Corner,  Dumbarton. Conceded by Patrick Boyle.
Corner,  Dumbarton. Conceded by Jamie Adams.
Foul by Ross McCrorie (Dumbarton).
Patrick Boyle (Ayr United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Dumbarton. Lewis Vaughan replaces Samuel Stanton.
Attempt missed. Michael Rose (Ayr United) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Foul by Ross McCrorie (Dumbarton).
Paul Cairney (Ayr United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Patrick Boyle (Ayr United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Andy Stirling (Dumbarton).
Substitution, Ayr United. Craig McGuffie replaces Gary Harkins.
Substitution, Dumbarton. Garry Fleming replaces Christian Nade.
Substitution, Dumbarton. Ross McCrorie replaces David Smith.
Goal!  Dumbarton 2, Ayr United 0. Samuel Stanton (Dumbarton) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Robert Thomson.
Tom Lang (Dumbarton) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jamie Adams (Ayr United).
Goal!  Dumbarton 1, Ayr United 0. Samuel Stanton (Dumbarton) left footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Stuart Carswell.
Attempt saved. David Smith (Dumbarton) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Attempt missed. Michael Rose (Ayr United) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Foul by Gregor Buchanan (Dumbarton).
Daryll Meggatt (Ayr United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner,  Dumbarton. Conceded by Nicky Devlin.
Attempt blocked. Robert Thomson (Dumbarton) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Mark Docherty (Dumbarton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Gary Harkins (Ayr United).
Attempt blocked. Craig Moore (Ayr United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Foul by Andy Stirling (Dumbarton).
Paul Cairney (Ayr United) wins a free kick on the right wing.


The courses for the 2017 British Cycling National Road Championships in the Isle of Man have been revealed by British Cycling.

The biggest date in the British road race calendar will see champions crowned in both road and time trial disciplines in June.
Both the men's and women's road races will include the TT course and start and finish at the Douglas grandstand.
Meanwhile the time trials will start and finish in St John's.
Manx rider Mark Cavendish, who won the national road race title in 2013, said there is a "huge amount of enthusiasm" for hosting the national championships on the Isle of Man.
He said: "It will be fantastic to see some of the country's best cyclists competing over these courses next month."
Last year Adam Blythe, Hannah Barnes, Alex Dowsett and Hayley Simmonds were crowned elite champions in Stockton-on-Tees.
The men's road race on 25 June will see riders complete two laps of the 37.7-mile (60km) Mountain Course before 10 laps of a 4.5-mile (7.2km) finishing circuit in Douglas.
The women's race, held on the same day, will involve one lap of the TT course and six laps of the finishing circuit.
The time trials on 22 June will involve a 13.8-mile (22.2km) circuit on the west of the island which starts and finishes at Tynwald Hill.
British Cycling's director of cycling Jonny Clay said the routes incorporate some of the island's "most famous sites".
He said: "The course announcement is another hugely exciting milestone for a championships which will help to underpin elite road racing on the island and raise its profile nationwide."
A mass participation sportive event will also take place on 24 June.


The number of Syrians trying to cross into Turkey amid an upsurge of fighting in northern Syria has nearly doubled, a Turkish official says.

The governor of the Turkish border province of Kilis said 35,000 refugees had reached the border area - up from an estimated 20,000 on Friday.
Turkey says it is prepared to help the refugees but the frontier remains shut.
They are fleeing a Syrian government offensive on rebel-held positions near the northern city of Aleppo.
In the past few days, the Syrian army - backed by Russian air strikes - has made a series of gains around Syria's largest city.
In other developments:
On Saturday, Kilis Governor Suleyman Tapsiz said Turkey was able to help refugees inside Syria.
"Our doors are not closed, but at the moment there is no need to host such people inside our borders," he said.
Turkey has been providing food, shelter and blankets to thousands of civilians who are stranded on the Syrian side of the border.
The Turks have so far refused to open the border crossing.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn on Saturday urged Turkey to do so.
"The Geneva convention is still valid which states that you have to take in refugees," Mr Hahn said, as EU foreign ministers discussed the crisis in Amsterdam.
The call was echoed by Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, whose country currently holds the EU presidency.
"I look at these images of people standing at the Turkish border and I just wanted to underline the message people who are in humanitarian need should be allowed in," he said.
The thousands fleeing Aleppo have spent their first night in temporary shelter at the Turkish border but the crossing remains closed.
Turkey has welcomed more than two million Syrians since the start of the war and it is unclear whether it will accept another huge wave in one go.
Human rights groups are calling for the gates to open but at a time when the EU is trying to reduce the flow of refugees to Europe, there will be diplomatic pressure on Turkey to act with caution.
The Turkish government is using the new refugee exodus to take aim at Russia, whose air strikes on Aleppo have prompted thousands to flee. But there is no sign that Russia is pulling back and as opposition fighters retreat, the Assad regime is strengthened and thousands more civilians will flee, hoping for sanctuary in Turkey.
In November, the EU clinched a deal with Turkey, offering it â‚¬3bn (Â£2.3bn; $3.3bn) to care for Syrian refugees on Turkish soil.
On Thursday, 60 donor countries meeting in London pledged billions of dollars to ease the plight of Syrian refugees.
About 4.6 million people have fled Syria during the civil war that began in 2011. Another 13.5 million are said to be in need of humanitarian assistance inside the country.
Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees - 2.5 million.
March 2011: Anti-government protests erupt across Syria, but Aleppo is initially untouched as a result of a state crackdown
February 2012: As the rebellion turns into a conflict, clashes between rebels and the government are reported with increasing frequency in Aleppo province
July 2012: The battle for Aleppo begins. Rebels make swift advances, but are unable to consolidate their gains and the city becomes divided
2013: The government begins bombarding rebel districts with barrel bombs, causing thousands of casualties
September 2015: Syria launches a fresh offensive in the wake of Russia's intervention in the conflict
February 2016: The government captures towns north of Aleppo, threatening to encircle the city
Aleppo profile


A millionaire caught speeding at more than double the limit in his Rolls Royce has been fined £750.

Garreth Wood, son of oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood, was banned from the road for three months after driving at 72mph through roadworks with a 30mph limit.
The 36-year-old admitted speeding on the A90 near Kinfauns in August last year in his £250,000 car.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that there were crews working on the road at the time, with traffic lights in operation.
Wood's family is Scotland's third richest, reputedly worth more than £1.3bn. He lives in Gifford, East Lothian, but was travelling to Aberdeen late at night when the offence was committed.
He asked to keep his licence so he could continue his charity work, with his solicitor arguing that banning him from the road could have "a massive effect, not only on himself but on several charities".
Sheriff Gillian Wade rejected his plea for leniency after noting that he had already committed six previous motoring offences, including a number for speeding.
She said: "I have had regard to the testimonials and references provided and they are all very favourable. Mr Wood is very philanthropic.
"However, this is the seventh road traffic offence and a fourth speeding conviction. He was travelling at two and a half times the speed limit and, importantly, workers were engaged on the road at the time.
"The court has to take account of the seriousness of the offence."


Macclesfield Town have signed former Manchester United and Leicester City midfielder Richie Wellens on undisclosed terms.

Wellens, 36, left Salford City in October on the back of other permanent spells at Blackpool, Oldham Athletic, Doncaster Rovers and Shrewsbury Town.
He has made 698 professional appearances, scoring 49 goals in total.
The Silkmen, currently 11th in the National League, play Oxford United in the FA Cup second round on Friday.


Nico Rosberg set the pace in final practice at the Japanese Grand Prix as title rival Lewis Hamilton could manage only seventh fastest time.

Hamilton failed to get a lap time on his qualifying simulation run on soft tyres, finishing over a second adrift.
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was second separated from team-mate Max Verstappen by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
The surprise of the session was the Renaults of Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen in eighth and ninth.
Palmer and Magnussen set identical lap times but the Englishman was classified ahead as a result of doing the time first.
Hamilton appears to have a bit of work to do ahead of qualifying, with Rosberg also setting the pace on the medium tyres earlier on in a session in which conditions improved throughout after starting on a damp track.
Hamilton was actually faster than Rosberg in sector one on his final lap on the soft tyres but the lap went awry in the middle sector and he aborted it.
There is added uncertainty headed towards qualifying at 15:00 local time (07:00 BST), with rain predicted.
If it does rain, Red Bull - for whom Ricciardo was only 0.302secs adrift of Rosberg in the dry conditions at the end of final practice - could be a major threat for pole position.
Vettel's lap time in third was a timely reminder of his quality to team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, who appeared to criticised the four-time champion in an interview on Italian television on Friday evening, in which he said the German would have to "earn" a new contract at the team from 2018.
He struggled with the car balance on Friday and was 0.5secs off Raikkonen, who has matched him in recent races, but after a slow start to the final session pipped Verstappen by 0.053secs.
Raikkonen headed Williams' Felipe Massa, Hamilton and the Renaults, whose performance was a major surprise following a difficult season at the start of what is expected to be a lengthy rebuilding process for the French manufacturer after taking over the Lotus team last winter.
McLaren continued with the difficulties they were experiencing on Friday, when neither of their drivers were happy.
Fernando Alonso was a respectable 11th fastest - 1.622secs off the pace - but team-mate Jenson Button was all at sea, complaining of understeer and ending up 19th, a massive 0.834secs behind the Spaniard.
Japanese Grand Prix final practice results
Japanese Grand Prix coverage details


Sale Sharks prop Karena Wihongi has been suspended from playing for four months after testing positive for banned stimulant methylhexaneamine.

The 31-year-old was provisionally suspended by the Rugby Football Union on 28 January for failing a drugs test after Sale's game with Newcastle.
He then appeared before a disciplinary panel and it was ruled he would not be allowed to play again until 27 May.
The club have confirmed they will not be appealing against the decision.
A statement on the Sale website says the club and player told the RFU panel that the stimulant entered Wihongi's body "without his knowledge and without any pre-meditated plan to gain an advantage".
It continued: "It was demonstrated to the panel that the stimulant became present via a contaminated product that was available through the club's supplements programme.
"When the product in question was supplied to the club it was issued with a batch test certificate that showed no traces of any banned substance. The ingredients of the product had previously been checked and all had been cleared.
The club are frustrated and disappointed with the verdict given to a player who without his knowledge took a product that was wrongly contaminated.
"Sale Sharks would like to place on record our full support for the UK Anti-Doping Testing Programme. There is no place in sport for drug cheats and the penalties enforced for those that attempt to gain an advantage by using banned substances are correct and appropriate.
"However the club are frustrated and disappointed with the verdict given to a player who without his knowledge took a product that was wrongly contaminated."
Former Oyonnax front-rower Wihongi, who was born in New Zealand but is qualified to play for France on residential grounds, joined the Premiership side last summer from Bourgoin on a two-year deal.
He made his debut on the opening day of the season against Newcastle and went on to make 10 appearances before failing the drugs test after the reverse fixture against Falcons on 7 January.
Under the terms of his ban, which runs from the date of his provisional suspension, Wihongi is not able to participate in playing, training, coaching, officiating, selection, team management, administration or promotion of the game.
Commenting on Wihongi's suspension, Rugby Players' Association chief executive Damian Hopley says there is an inconsistency of punishments handed out to players: "The RPA fully endorses the fight against doping in all forms of sport and actively promotes strong anti-doping messages to all of our members.
"But we are extremely concerned at the inconsistency concerning the recent punishments handed out to players who have unknowingly taken these contaminated substances containing the stimulant methylhexaneamine.
"The fact that Karena was given the supplement at half-time in a game with the tacit understanding that the substances were certified as clean, seems to have had no impact whatsoever in the sentence that was subsequently passed.
"While we fully accept that all athletes are ultimately responsible for whatever supplements they ingest, the RPA will be taking up this matter with the relevant national and international authorities as we believe this inconsistency and the lack of empathy shown in this case is wholly unacceptable in professional sport."


Swansea's "tired" Castle Square is to be revamped with the aim of making it a key focal point in the wider city centre regeneration.

Cafes will be introduced to the site as well as more green space which has been lacking since the square was created from gardens in the 1990s.
The city's council wants to breathe new life into the square and has listened to ideas from the public.
Leader Rob Stewart said it was important to get the scheme right.
"At the moment, there isn't really a reason to be in this square unless you're sitting here or walking through it," he said.
"What we want is make this a destination in itself because it's a really important part of the city."
Mr Stewart said the public made it known "loud and clear" they wanted gardens to form part of the revamp.
Provisional drawings show the square opened up with two levels to it, incorporating cafes, with grass surrounding much of the area.
The main fountains are due to be ripped out and replaced with a smaller water feature.
If approved, it is hoped work would be completed by 2018.
The square is in the middle of the city centre which is set to see other regeneration schemes including the St David's and civic sites, Kingsway and Parc Tawe retail park.
Chris Holley, leader of the opposition, said: "My biggest concern is that we lose so much public space.
"I think that's the important bit - that we've got to maintain public space."


A pedestrian has died and another has been seriously injured in a road accident in Dalmeny near Edinburgh.

The man died at the scene of the incident on the B800 road after a collision with a blue Mini which happened at about 12:00.
A woman who was also struck was taken to hospital.
Police have appealed for anyone who witnessed the collision or who has information that can assist with their investigation to contact them.
Sgt Denise Humphrey said: "Sadly a man has lost his life in this incident and a woman is in a serious condition in hospital.
"I would ask anyone with information who has not already spoken to us, to please get in touch."


Two Billy Paynter penalties were enough to beat 10-man Mansfield and extend Hartlepool's unbeaten run to seven.

The Stags went a man down when Krystian Pearce tripped Nicky Featherstone, and Paynter netted the resulting spot-kick.
Mansfield equalised when Colin Daniel rifled a half-volley into the top corner, but Paynter grabbed the winner from the spot after Mal Benning's foul.
The Stags, who announced first-team coach Micky Moore's departure prior to kick-off, have now not won in seven.


The Alzheimer's Society is to close all its Surrey day centres blaming a lack of funding and declining attendance.

The centres in Byfleet and Haslemere are due to close in March with the Bletchingley centre closing in June.
Chris Wyatt from the society said: "They are underused because people are not able to get a personal budget to come to the day centres."
Surrey County Council said the centres were "vastly underused" and would be looking for alternative services.
The Alzheimer's Society said about 115 people used the society's Surrey day centres.
Ms Wyatt, the South East's area manager for the society said: "Not very long ago we had six day centres across Surrey that were well attended and well funded.
"We are down to three day centres and we're faced with closing them as well.
"They are underused because people are not able to get a personal budget to come to the day centres."
The society said a lack of affordable transport meant many clients could not attend day centres without the support of a carer.
"Nobody is getting the right level of support and care they need," Ms Wyatt said.
Surrey County Council said it would be looking for alternative places for day centre users.
A spokesman said: "This will not be any easy task with the huge financial pressures we face to deliver our services, in particular adult social care where we face a funding gap running into tens of millions of pounds."


A 12-year-old girl has been found "safe and well" after going missing from her Gateshead home, Northumbria Police has said.

Jodi Denton was reported missing in Ryton on Monday morning, but at about 21:00 GMT the force tweeted the girl "had been found safe and well".
The force had appealed for anyone with information to contact them.
The police also thanked everyone who shared the messages about her disappearance.


Blaise Matuidi scored in injury time as Paris St-Germain sealed a remarkable win at Metz to go level on points with Monaco at the top of Ligue 1.

Matuidi headed home in the 93rd minute after PSG had allowed Metz to come back from 2-0 down to level late on.
Edinson Cavani and Matuidi had put the reigning champions in charge during a three-minute first-half spell.
Yann Jouffre curled in a free-kick before Cheick Diabate levelled for Metz but Matuidi had the final say.
PSG move to 77 points, level with Monaco who have a vastly superior goal difference and a game in hand.
Match ends, Metz 2, Paris Saint Germain 3.
Second Half ends, Metz 2, Paris Saint Germain 3.
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Chris Philipps (Metz).
Goal!  Metz 2, Paris Saint Germain 3. Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint Germain) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Javier Pastore with a cross.
Attempt blocked. Maxwell (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Marquinhos (Paris Saint Germain) header from very close range is blocked. Assisted by Edinson Cavani.
Corner,  Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Matthieu Udol.
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Yann Jouffre (Metz).
Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Cheick Diabaté (Metz).
Yann Jouffre (Metz) hits the bar with a left footed shot from outside the box from a direct free kick.
Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain).
Ismaila Sarr (Metz) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Goal!  Metz 2, Paris Saint Germain 2. Cheick Diabaté (Metz) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ismaila Sarr with a cross.
Attempt saved. Gonçalo Guedes (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Thomas Meunier.
Attempt saved. Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Gonçalo Guedes (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Opa Nguette (Metz).
Attempt missed. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
Javier Pastore (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Chris Philipps (Metz).
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Cheick Diabaté (Metz).
Attempt missed. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Marco Verratti with a through ball.
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Chris Philipps (Metz).
Corner,  Metz. Conceded by Maxwell.
Foul by Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint Germain).
Opa Nguette (Metz) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Gonçalo Guedes (Paris Saint Germain).
Ismaila Sarr (Metz) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Jonathan Rivierez.
Goal!  Metz 1, Paris Saint Germain 2. Yann Jouffre (Metz) from a free kick with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Foul by Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain).
Cheick Diabaté (Metz) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Gonçalo Guedes (Paris Saint Germain).
Matthieu Udol (Metz) wins a free kick in the defensive half.


On the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city of Hiroshima, Leah travels to Japan to find out more about what happened on that day in 1945.

Media playback is unsupported on your device
5 August 2015 Last updated at 19:05 BST
She discovers what it was like first hand from one survivor who was just 14-years-old at the time.
We also talk to two young Japanese girls about what Hiroshima means to them.
Watch Newsround's special programme about Hiroshima.
Bun Hashizume's books are published by Koubunken Co., Ltd.


So perhaps people will pay for quality journalism after all.

Subscriptions to leading British current affairs magazines, due to be published tomorrow, show a combination of Brexit, Trump and other cultural factors has led to an increase in the number of people handing over money to read smart stuff.
Advance sighting of circulation figures for two leading publications - The Spectator and New Statesman - shows a clear pattern.
For weekly or fortnightly publications that don't do general news, there is a growing willingness to pay for high-quality journalism - whether written, in the magazines, or video and audio online.
This time last year, The Spectator had combined print and digital sales of 62,718, passing a record set in 2006. Of that, 55,165 were print (though print subscribers get access to digital content) and 7,553 were digital only.
Now the combined print and digital figure is 67,120. Of this, 59,923 are print sales, and 7,197 are digital subscribers. In the second half of last year alone, print circulation rose by 3,270.
I pointed out earlier this week Donald Trump has been a boon to the finances of much of the mainstream media - particularly in America. In Britain, Brexit was a more significant factor.
Spectator editor Fraser Nelson told me: "Brexit seems to have been the catalyst. News events since then (Trump, etc) have led to a lot more interest in high-quality news and analysis."
Other cultural factors are at play too. This is what really interests me - and Nelson: "The market has changed. There's a lot more acceptance of the idea of paying for films, music and content in general.
"Netflix has helped pave the way for a change in culture. People who would not be seen dead paying for content five years ago are now in the habit of paying for Amazon Prime, music, the odd film and a subscription or two.
"We hear about Trump helping NY Times subscriptions, but I think it's more than that. The market has just turned, and is now welcoming to titles whose brand and quality is strong enough."
There is another factor: "Weirdly, the phenomenon of fake news has also helped emphasise the importance of paying for edited content. Where you get your news from has never mattered more."
Nor is this phenomenon restricted to just one part of the political spectrum. People are paying for high-quality stuff regardless of their leaning.
In his time as editor, Jason Cowley has made the New Statesman much less slavishly left-wing, picking fights with some figures on the left, such as Ed Miliband.
I would say that the Statesman is now a magazine of scepticism rather than leftism. Of course, some of the smartest scepticism originates on the left: Bertrand Russell's Sceptical Essays is among the most important collections published in the 20th Century.
Combined circulation is now 34,025 - of which 32,098 are print and 1,927 are digital - compared with a combined figure of 32,300 this time last year, and 24,000 in 2010. This is a 35-year high.
In 2016 newstatesman.com hit 4 million monthly unique visitors and 27 million monthly page views - close to a 400% increase on 2011.
Cowley told me: "In an era of fake news, people are realising that good journalism is worth spending money on. While much of the liberal media has been struggling to survive in a declining market dominated by powerful media groups, the New Statesman has not merely held its position but expanded dramatically - all achievedâ€¦ with no marketing spend."
A bright picture - but several caveats are necessary here.
First, I don't yet have the age profile of new subscribers. It would be interesting to know a bit more about this.
Second, many magazines are succumbing to the temptation to bundle print and digital numbers together.
The attempt to conflate numbers is really a way of showing a bit of leg to advertisers. But it is a deliberate misrepresentation of the real picture.
We can hardly take magazines seriously when they call out deceitful public figures if they play fast and loose with their own numbers.
Third, there is a much broader story about web traffic, whether at general newspapers or specialist magazines.
Fourth, the fact people are paying for high-quality magazine content does not mean that this model will necessarily work for newspapers.
The Times, which has a paywall and is growing its subscriber base, has found a business model that works.
The New York Times operates a metered paywall, but it has an editorial budget of over Â£300m, has a much vaster domestic target market than, say, The Independent and competes with fewer national newspapers in America. It is a curiosity of Britain that we have so many more national titles for our smaller population.
The Financial Times, which also operates a metered paywall, is both a generalist and a specialist publication, because it does so much financial news. It also has the advantage that many of its readers are either rich or, because they work for companies dependent on that financial data, able to buy subscriptions on company expenses.
So it is important not to read across from the success of weekly magazines, which deal in high-quality commentary and analysis, and say the same will necessarily work for daily newspapers.
Their meat and drink is the much more generally available commodity of daily news, and in Britain they compete with the BBC website, whose reach is huge.
Finally, for many publications, the growth in subscriptions will not offset the precipitous decline in display advertising across the market, which is not far off 20% down year on year, as eyeballs migrate to the web.
The Spectator now gets two-thirds of its revenue from paying consumers rather than advertisers. The Economist magazine has argued publicly that it expects display advertising revenue to "pretty much vanish" by 2025.
The model for print media is being revolutionised. Those dependent solely or mainly on print advertising are in trouble, and will have to diversify their businesses.
Those flaunting a generally available commodity - daily news - will have to do it better, present it more boldly, and manage costs more smartly.
But now we know: those who specialise, and publish regularly but not daily, can ask people to pay, with confidence that they will.
That's good news for journalism.


Police have arrested 76 people who were taking part in a mass protest at a major west London shopping centre.

An estimated 600 people gathered at Westfield in Shepherd's Bush for the so-called "die-in" demonstration.
Police said the arrests were made when a breakaway group assaulted security staff and damaged property.
The protest was in solidarity with rallies in the US prompted by the death of Eric Garner, a black man who died during an arrest in New York in July.
Two peaceful protests were held in west London on Wednesday evening, one inside the Westfield shopping mall and one outside.
It is believed those staging the occupation were asked to move outside, a request that was peacefully complied with, Scotland Yard said.
But, according to a police statement, a group then tried to gain access to the centre and were arrested on suspicion of public order offences and one man was held on suspicion of assault.
The Metropolitan Police said they dealt with the protesters using tactics "including a containment for the purpose of preventing violence and effecting arrests".
Commanding officer Ch Supt Mark Bird said: "We will always work with those that wish to demonstrate lawfully - as the majority of protesters did yesterday.
"However, we will not tolerate the small minority that offer violence or commit other criminal acts, such as that witnessed outside Westfield."
The Met said their inquiries into the incident were continuing.
Mr Garner, 43, was stopped on a street in New York on 17 July on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.
Police officers wrestled him to the ground and he complained he could not breathe as he was restrained in an apparent chokehold. He became unresponsive and later died.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in the US in protest over his death and that of Michael Brown, 18, who was killed in Ferguson, Missouri on 9 August.
Grand juries in Missouri and New York have decided not to charge the officers involved.
West London protesters held signs carrying the same "Black lives matter" message as seen in US demonstrations.


A driver who paralysed her five-year-old daughter in a crash, and killed an elderly passenger in the car she hit, has received a community service order.

Leonie Troke, 38, veered across to the other side of the road when she lost control of her car near the village of Great Wigborough in Essex in July 2015.
Her daughter Lucille was left paralysed from the waist down, Colchester Magistrates' Court heard.
Troke, of Wendover, Aylesbury, admitted causing death by careless driving.
The court heard the crash happened when she clipped the kerb or a rut in the road, tried to correct the steering but overcompensated, careering into a Vauxhall Astra.
Troke's two-year-old daughter was also in the back of her VW Polo but it was the older girl who was badly injured, also suffering injuries to her liver, spleen and lungs.
Jean Wilcox, 82, from Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, a passenger in the Astra, died at the scene.
Troke, who sat with her head bowed during the hearing, was ordered to carry out 180 hours of community service.
She was also disqualified from driving for 18 months and told to pay Â£145 in court costs and charges.
Passing sentence, District Judge John Woollard told Troke: "I want to express the sadness that I have that nothing I could do today will have the effect of bringing Mrs Wilcox back, or repair the serious injuries caused to your daughter."
Outside court, the family of Mrs Wilcox told reporters they were happy with the sentence.


Household waste and recycling is being mixed together in Birmingham as huge piles of rubbish are cleared during a refuse workers' strike.

The waste, left on the streets for several weeks, is being dumped into the same trucks by staff and incinerated.
It comes as bin workers step up their strikes in a dispute with the city council over job losses.
The council said combining the waste was a "regrettable but temporary" measure.
Labour councillor Victoria Quinn described the situation as the "biggest waste disaster the city has seen".
She told colleagues earlier she could smell the "stench" of uncollected rubbish while driving - even with the car windows up.
Why is the dispute happening?
The dispute is over restructuring plans which trade union Unite says are threatening the jobs of more than 120 staff, while the council says plans will modernise the service and save Â£5m a year.
More updates on this story
Union members have been refusing to work overtime since 30 June and have been carrying out almost-daily two-hour stoppages, which will increase to three hours from Friday.
The council said changes to working practices were vital because budgets had fallen.
But the authority has been criticised for mixing and burning the waste as it battles to remove the stockpiles.
Rob Grant, chairman of Birmingham Green Party, said he was "appalled" by the move.
"Families go to a lot of trouble to carefully sort cardboard, plastic bottles and glass from the rest of the rubbish, ready for collection," he said.
"It's completely unacceptable for the council to just decide to burn the lot without telling anybody. It's just irresponsible - I'm quite shocked."
Moseley resident Alison Wilkinson said she was "not impressed" that recycling was being mixed with other waste.
"I am going to be taking my recycling to the local supermarket, but you can't recycle plastic there, and there is so much plastic," she said.
However, Unite said on Friday afternoon that talks with the council aimed at ending the dispute appeared to be "on the cards".
If no agreement is reached, the walkouts are scheduled to continue into September.
The council, which has apologised to residents for the disruption, said "positive discussions" were taking place.


More than 53,000 working days at Police Scotland have been lost to stress in the past two years, according to figures from Scottish Labour.

Between January and March this year, more than 10,000 absences were recorded due to anxiety and depression.
Police Scotland said the numbers were falling and services had not been adversely affected by absences.
Labour's legal affairs spokeswoman Elaine Murray said it was time the SNP government "got a grip on policing".
Ms Murray added: "The fact that under the SNP government more than 53,000 working days have been lost to stress in the last two years is shocking.
"Although modest progress has been made, the spike at the start of this year is concerning. The SNP government should investigate why there was such a big increase compared to the same time last year.
"Our police officers and civilian staff need more support to cope with the difficult situations they find themselves in, so that fewer working days are lost to stress and they can get on with the job of keeping people safe."
The Freedom of Information figures were released as the fallout continued over the failings that led to Lamara Bell and John Yuill remaining in a crashed car for three days.
Ms Bell, 25, and her 28-year-old boyfriend were involved in a crash off the M9 near Stirling on Sunday 5 July.
The incident was reported that day via a 101 call to police from a member of the public, but the message was not logged in the system and no action was taken at the time.
The pair were only discovered in the car three days later after police received a further call to the scene.
Mr Yuill was found dead inside the blue Renault Clio. Ms Bell, who was discovered alive but critically ill, died in hospital a week after the crash.
Two investigations are under way to review police call handling and Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House has faced calls to resign.
Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick said the total number of days lost through stress-related absence had fallen year on year by more than 17,000 since the single police force was set up two years ago.
She added: "Police Scotland has almost 23,000 people who work for the service and in common with any other large organisation recognises that stress can be a factor in absence rates amongst personnel.
"We work hard to ensure that having come through the most significant public sector reform of recent generations, absence and the causes of it are closely monitored and managed to ensure attendance at work is maintained and the level of service to communities is not adversely affected."
A Scottish government spokeswoman said the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland "take the welfare and wellbeing of their officers and staff seriously" and provide a range of support services to help officers and staff "in what can be a stressful job".


The first full reviews for the new Star Wars film The Force Awakens have hailed it as "a triumph" and "a classic".

UK newspapers were happy with the movie, with many awarding it five stars.
The Times critic Kate Muir wrote: "Adults will be floored by tearful nostalgia because this is a classic."
However Variety criticised a "derivative story that, despite the presence of two appealing new stars, doesn't exactly fire the imagination".
Justin Chang added: "Marvellous as it is to catch up with Han Solo, Leia and the rest of the gang, fan service takes priority here."
The Daily Mail's Brian Viner described The Force Awakens as "a triumph of escapism and the most exhilarating film yet in this mighty franchise".
Viner began his four-star review with the words: "Boy, has the force awoken," and raved about its "almost balletic airborne battle scenes, evocative of all the best Second World War films".
The "real star of the show", he declared, was British actress Daisy Ridley, whose performance as scavenger Rey should "send her career into orbit".
The Telegraph's Robbie Collin, who admitted to crying three times, said director JJ Abrams and his team had "taken a slightly tattered franchise and restored its sense of magic and myth".
Harrison Ford is "terrific", he says, giving pilot Han Solo "a sardonic, rough-chinned world-weariness that's perhaps not entirely acting".
The sequel - the seventh movie in the Star Wars franchise - is "a humongous piece of cinema", according to Kate Muir in The Times.
She went on to describe Abrams as "a better action director" than Star Wars creator George Lucas, concluding that the film was "exactly what we were hoping for".
The Daily Mirror, John Hiscock wrote: "All I can say is The Force Awakens evokes magical memories of 1977's Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, with plenty of humour, action, drama and heart."
Christopher Hooton in the Independent gave the film four stars and said: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens is actually probably objectively the best Star Wars yet, and would be held up as untouchable had it come first."
The Guardian also gave the film five stars, with Peter Bradshaw pointing out: "The Force Awakens is ridiculous and melodramatic and sentimental of course, but exciting and brimming with energy and its own kind of generosity."
Todd McCarthy in The Hollywood Reporter said: "The Force is back. Big time. As the best Star Wars anything - film, TV show, video game, spin-off, what-have-you - in at least 32 years, Star Wars: The Force Awakens pumps new energy and life into a hallowed franchise in a way that both resurrects old pleasures and points in promising new directions."
The New York Times said the "big news about Star Wars: The Force Awakens is - spoiler alert - that it's good!".
"Despite the pre-release hype, it won't save the world, not even Hollywood, but it seamlessly balances cosy favourites - Harrison Ford, ladies and gentlemen - and new kinetic wows along with some of the niceties that went missing as the series grew into a phenomenon, most crucially a scale and a sensibility that is rooted in the human," Manohla Dargis said.
Empire's Helen O'Hara gave the film four stars and picked out Kylo Ren as "the best villain that the franchise has ever produced. He's not just a worthy heir to Vader; he may be more interesting".
While Total Film's Jamie Graham said: "If Episode VII is almost too slavishly reverential, its every sub-plot mirroring or reversing those that have gone before, and its nods and winks so plentiful as to border on the distracting, it is better this than to repeat [George] Lucas's prequel mistakes."
"This, undoubtedly, is the movie that fans wanted, the movie that fans deserve. And it's only fitting that it is, beneath the scintillating action and striking world-building, a film about parents and children, about the effects of one generation on the next, about legacy. Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be viewed and passed down for many years to come."
The film will receive its UK premiere later on Wednesday and will begin its release roll-out, opening in cinemas in France, South Africa and several other countries. It had its world premiere in Los Angeles on Monday evening.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is released in the UK and Ireland on 17 December and  18 December in US.
There's much in The Force Awakens to please fans of the original Star Wars trilogy, and not just the return of Han, Luke and Leia.
The look and tone of the film is extremely reminiscent of A New Hope, from the production design to the familiar story of a youngster from a desert planet dreaming of a better life.
And that's at the heart of what makes this film feel less like the prequels and more like the films from the 1970s and '80s.
The story is rooted in strong characters and real conflict, making them relatable - even if they're not always likeable.


A new road sign in honour of Dame Shirley Bassey outside the Children's Hospital for Wales has a typo in it.

The singer is a patron of the Noah's Ark Appeal, a charity set up to fund the building, and it named the walkway outside the Cardiff hospital Dame Shirley Bassey Way.
However, the Welsh version on the sign says Ffordd Y Fonsig Shirley Bassey. The Welsh word for dame is Fonesig.
A Noah's Ark spokeswoman said action will be taken to rectify the mistake.
"It is a shame that this has detracted attention from the occasion," she added.


A Sun newspaper reporter has been found guilty of receiving story tips from a Heathrow Airport anti-terror officer.

Anthony France, 41, from Watford, had denied aiding and abetting PC Timothy Edwards to commit misconduct in a public office between 2008 and 2011.
Edwards sold 43 stories to France, 38 of which made the paper, in exchange for more than Â£22,000.
France had said he was a "man of good character not involved in crime". He will be sentenced on 29 May.
His mother burst into tears as he left the dock after being found guilty.
The Old Bailey heard that Edwards, 49, sold the information while working at Heathrow Airport in SO15 Counter Terrorism Command.
But the jury was not told that Edwards had pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and was jailed for two years in 2014.
The trial was part of the Met Police's Operation Elveden, which is investigating alleged payments to police and officials in exchange for information.
The court heard that Edwards had passed on details which included airline pilots being breathalysed.
France was also told of a model erupting into a rage after "catching her boyfriend romping with a woman next to him".
But France told the jury he had never been advised by anyone at the Sun that speaking to a police officer - or any public official - could be breaking the law.
He also said he would never have become involved in receiving story tips from Edwards if he had known it was illegal.
When asked what he would have done if he thought talking to Edwards might be illegal, he said: "I would never have got involved with it. I would have told him to get lost."
The court was told that Edwards had been "given" to France as a source.
He was told by a colleague "I've spoken to a lawyer and it's fine" after meeting Edwards at a pub in 2008.
Det Ch Supt Gordon Briggs, who leads Operation Elveden, said France and Edwards had been in a "long-term, corrupt relationship".
He added: "Edwards was not a whistleblower, he obtained confidential information in the course of his duties and leaked it for financial gain.
"Corrupt relationships of this kind undermine confidence in the police service and harm the public interest. Officers found guilty of acting in this way merit criminal sanction.
"Journalists who encourage or aid and abet their corrupt actions, and do so without reasonable excuse or justification, are equally culpable."
The BBC's Gaetan Portal says that France's conviction is significant, because he is the first journalist to face trial under Operation Elveden since the CPS changed its guidance to prosecutors last month.
That guidance effectively raised the bar for prosecution of journalists, for payments to public officials, so that only payments to police officers over a period of time would see the journalist end up in court.
Those journalists who had paid civil servants, health workers or prison staff had the charges against them dropped.


Bradley Wiggins became the first British rider to win the Tour de France as compatriot Mark Cavendish claimed a fourth consecutive final-stage victory.

Wiggins, 32, finished with a winning margin of three minutes and 21 seconds after ending Sunday's race around the streets of Paris in the peloton.
Fellow Brit and Team Sky team-mate Chris Froome consolidated second place with Italy's Vincenzo Nibali third.
Cavendish won the traditional sprint down the Champs Elysees with some ease.
The 27-year old from the Isle of Man is unbeaten in Paris, having also won on his three previous Tour finishes in 2009, 10 and 11.
He began his sprint early and held off the challenge of the faster-finishing Peter Sagan of Slovakia, with Australia's Matthew Goss third.
It lifted his tally of Tour de France stage wins to 23, to surpass seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong and Frenchman Andre Darrigade and move into fourth in the overall stage-win standings, 11 short of Belgian Eddy Merckx's record of 34.
But the day belonged to Wiggins, who safely negotiated himself around the streets of Paris, to complete the formalities after Saturday's stunning time-trial victory gave him an almost unassailable lead.
The three-time Olympic track champion crossed the line arms raised having helped set up Cavendish's sprint victory in front of thousands of British fans on the Champs Elysees, who had come to witness history being made.
"Bradley Wiggins has done something unbelievable by winning the Tour de France, but I know he will be the first to recognise that he would not have been able to achieve his victory without a terrific team behind him"
Read more of Geraint's blog
And in winning this year's Tour, Wiggins not only fulfilled a life-long ambition but also sealed his place in the pantheon of cycling greats.
"I don't know what to say, I've had 24 hours for it to soak in," said Wiggins.
"I'm still buzzing from the Champs Elysees, the laps go so quick. We had a mission with Cav and we did it. What a way to finish it off.
"I've got to get used to that [being a legend in the spotlight], it's going to take a while. I'm just trying to soak it all in. You never imagine it will happen to you but it's amazing."
In three demanding weeks, he toiled over the Alps and the Pyrenees to complete the mammoth 20-stage, 2,173-mile race which was in its 99th edition.
During his stunning transition from track to road racing, Wiggins finished fourth in the Tour in 2009 - equalling Robert Millar's 1984 British best - before crashing out with a broken collarbone when among the favourites in 2011.
But having worn the yellow jersey for 13 consecutive stages, Wiggins showed why Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford has placed so much faith in his man as he accumulated a winning margin of more than three minutes.
The margin of Wiggins' victory also answered many of those who questioned why Froome, who appeared marginally stronger in the mountains, was not Team Sky's Tour leader.
Team Sky themselves achieved the rare feat of a 1-2 on the podium, the first since 1996, when Dane Bjarne Riis finished ahead of his German team-mate at Telekom, Jan Ullrich.
It is also the first time compatriots have taken the first two places since France's Laurent Fignon finished ahead of five-time winner Bernard Hinault in the 1984 edition.
Frenchman Thomas Voeckler of Europcar won the polka dot jersey for the race's best climber, with Sagan of the Liquigas team easily securing the green jersey in the points competition.
"This Tour win has secured Wiggins alongside Steve Redgrave, Daley Thompson, Chris Hoy, Ian Botham and Bobby Moore in the public sporting consciousness"
Read more of our chief sports writer's thoughts
American Tejay Van Garderen made up for BMC team leader Cadel Evans' disastrous title defence by winning the race's white jersey for the best-placed rider aged 25 and under.
Evans, who made history by becoming Australia's first champion in 2011, finished nearly 16 minutes behind Wiggins, although he did suffer with stomach problems during the final week.
Top five on final stage:
1.  Mark Cavendish (GB) Team Sky 3:08:07"
2.  Peter Sagan (Svk) @ same time
3.  Matthew Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge
4.  Juan Jose Haedo (Arg) Saxo Bank
5.  Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Vacansoleil
Final overall standings:
1. Bradley Wiggins (GB) Team Sky 87h 34' 47''
2. Christopher Froome (GB) Team Sky @ 3'21"
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas @ 6'19"
4. Jurgen van den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol @ 10'15"
5. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC @ 11'04"


The rush among Brazilian journalists did not go unnoticed by the locals attending a national team training session in Wroclaw, Poland in the autumn of 2012.

Brazil were to face Japan in a friendly the following day and the reporters had all converged towards a middle-aged man, dressed in skinny jeans and a leather jacket, who had just taken a place at the stands.
A Polish TV reporter asked: "Who is that ex-footballer?"
"That's no ex-footballer. He is a much richer guy," joked a member of the visiting media.
That man was Neymar Sr, supposedly merely watching his son take part in drills and exercises on the pitch, but in reality milking the buzz generated by the transfer talk around a player fiercely fought for by both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
"So, which club are you guys saying my son will be playing for this week," he quipped with a sarcastic smile.
Neymar's father may also have been a professional footballer - but nothing he ever did on the pitch can compare to his work as the main adviser and influencer in Paris St-Germain's world record 222m euros (£200m) signing of the 25-year-old Brazil forward. And his dealings - often controversial - started many years ago.
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When Neymar Jr was born on 5 February 1992, his father's dreams of a career in football were a memory. Instead, he was trying to make a living in low-paid jobs in Mogi das Cruzes, a lower working-class district in Greater Sao Paulo.
Struggling to put food on the table, Neymar Sr was forced to move his family - which also included daughter Rafaella - into a single room in his mother's house in the seaside town Sao Vicente, close to the more famous Santos - which lends its name to the local club who gave Pele to the world.
One of the few luxuries the family could afford was the fee to join Tumiaru, a humble social club where little Neymar would spend hours kicking a futsal ball around.
Soon another working-class club, Gremetal, had spotted the boy and recruited him. At the age of 10, he was already playing against older kids at a place where Santos steelworkers and their families would wind down and making them look like fools.
Word about this phenomenon started to spread and Portuguesa Santista, a feeder club in Santos, came knocking. That was when Neymar Sr demanded the club provided educational support for his son.
In the 1990s, one in five Brazilians over the age of 15 was illiterate, and even now the vast majority of footballers only studied to primary school level - according to the Brazilian Football Confederation.
Neymar Sr was preparing himself for the eventuality that his son might not make it, or would end up playing at a low level like the majority of professional players in Brazil, where more than 80% earn less than the national average monthly income of £421.
His demands were met. Neymar Jr was granted a full scholarship to Liceu Sao Paulo, one of Santos' finest private schools.
When the kid started shining in student sporting events, rival schools complained that he was merely being used to win games rather than gain an education. But they did not know Neymar Sr.
Unlike many of his underprivileged neighbours, Neymar rarely bunked off school. His kickabouts were actually training sessions and games for Portuguesa. His father would make sure the boy toed the line as he was aware how the son could change the family's fortunes. The chance came sooner rather than later.
In 2005, Real Madrid were negotiating with Santos FC over Robinho - then the hottest property in Brazilian football - when the agent involved in the deal "casually" mentioned another prospect.
Legend has it that Wagner Ribeiro told Real about the 13-year-old Neymar, who was earning little more than £100 in Santos' youth academy.
A trial in Madrid soon followed, along with the offer of a house and jobs for both of Neymar's parents, but his father instead negotiated a hefty pay rise with Santos - £250,000 to stay and a monthly pay cheque of £5,000.
"The kid's father was already fierce in negotiations at that time. He was like a tractor," recalls a Santos director.
Those earnings grew exponentially as Neymar reached the senior squad in 2009, but his father's modus operandi did not change.
The family were installed in a luxury apartment, and Neymar was permitted perks such as a credit card and a hefty allowance in the region of £2,500 a month.
But he had to earn extra indulgences - earrings and fancy clothes were subject to performances on the pitch.
In 2010, when Brazilian fans and media were already putting pressure on national team coach Dunga to take the boy to the World Cup in South Africa, Neymar wanted a car as an 18th birthday present. He got one, but only after reaching the target established by his father of winning the Under-20 South American Championships with Brazil and scoring at least twice in the final game.
"Just because we can afford things now, I will not simply allow him to burn his money," said Neymar Sr. "He needs to learn the value of things."
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That statement would come back to haunt Neymar Sr when details of his son's 2013 transfer to Barcelona emerged.
As well as documents showing Papa Neymar had conducted secret negotiations with the Catalan club that excluded Santos FC, he had also received an undeclared compensation payment of £33m to ensure the player joined Barca as well as £2m in agents fees.
Both Neymars are under investigation by the Spanish authorities and face accusations of tax evasion by the Brazilian Inland Revenue. Both have consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The media in both countries started describing Neymar Sr as a shady operator, especially after news that his dealings had expanded into working for Barcelona as a consultant for other signings.
But one thing has not changed - the kid worships his dad and tells the world about it via social media.
He does the job he is paid for. Despite stating publicly that he tried to persuade the player to stay at Barcelona, Neymar Sr followed his son's wishes by arranging the move to Paris and making sure both made a hefty profit as well.
Is that not the job of a father/agent?
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A selection of your pictures of Scotland between 2 and 9 September. Send your photos to scotlandpictures@bbc.co.uk or our Instagram at #bbcscotlandpics.


Civil rights campaigners in the US have begun a 40-day march to highlight what they say is a fresh attack on equal rights for African Americans.

They set out from Selma, Alabama - the starting point 50 years ago for a march in support of watershed legislation enabling black people to vote.
Activists say a 2013 Supreme Court decision has allowed some states to reverse some of that progress.
They hope thousands will join a final rally in Washington DC in September.
America's Journey for Justice will take an 860-mile (1,385 km) route passing through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
Organisers say the outcry triggered by the recent police killings, including the shooting of a black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, needs to be channelled into a long-term commitment to bring about change, Reuters reports.
"We can continue to be serially outraged, or we can engage in an outrageously patriotic demonstration with a commitment to bringing about reform in this country," said Cornell William Brooks, leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Marchers sang as they crossed the Edmund Pettus bridge, where state troopers beat activists protesting about the death of a black man at the hands of a white police officer in March 1965.
That event, and a follow-up march from Selma to Montgomery led by Martin Luther King helped build momentum for Congress' approval of the Voting Rights Act that removed all barriers preventing African-Americans from registering as voters.
In March, President Barack Obama visited Selma to pay tribute to the original marchers.
He called them "heroes" and said that they had "given courage to millions".
Despite progress, he said, the fight against racism was not over.
"This nation's long racial history still casts its long shadow upon us. We know the march is not yet over, the race is not yet won," the president said.
He also condemned new attempts by state governments to restrict voting rights.


Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has failed to combat anti-Jewish discrimination, according to a senior figure in the party.

The chairman of the Jewish Labour movement, Jeremy Newmark, would not say whether Labour's track record on dealing with anti-Semitism would cost the party a significant number of votes at the general election. But he does see it as a cause for concern.
"Jeremy Corbyn appears to have failed to understand the nature of contemporary anti-Semitism in the same way that it's understood by most of its target group," he said.
Labour MP Wes Streeting - a frequent critic of Mr Corbyn's leadership - has also criticised the party's record on the issue.
"I don't think many Jewish voters in my constituency have been very impressed with the way the Labour party as a whole have responded," said Mr Streeting.
Mr Corbyn has previously said the party does not tolerate anti-Semitism in any way.
The Labour leader's record on handling anti-Semitic behaviour has the potential to cause problems for the party at the ballot box. While fewer than 0.5%, or 263,000, of Britons described themselves as Jewish at the last census, a majority of them live in just 10 parliamentary constituencies, including some of the most tightly contested in the country.
Since Mr Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour Party, there have been allegations that he has failed to do all he can to tackle anti-Semitism.
Having repeatedly refused to apologise for calling the Islamist Lebanese militia, Hezbollah "friends", he has also had to deal with a string of anti-Semitic comments from Labour councillors, an MP, and party stalwart Ken Livingstone.
In April, Mr Livingstone was suspended from the party for standing by his claim that Hitler supported Zionism in the 1930s. The party decided to conduct a report into its handling of the issue.
At the launch of Labour's race and faith manifesto this week, Mr Corbyn reaffirmed the party's commitment to "build a society free from all forms of racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
"We will stand up to and take effective action against hate crime, notably, but not only in Muslim, Jewish and non-Abrahamic faith communities," he said.
In June last year, an inquiry led by Shami Chakrabarti - now a Labour peer - a former director of human rights group Liberty - concluded that the party was not overrun by anti-Semitism or other forms of racism but there was an "occasionally toxic atmosphere".
As with any community, a range of issues will influence Jewish voters' decisions, said Simon Johnson, chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council.
But he says "this is probably the first election at which this has been an issue" to such a big extent.
"People within the Labour party leadership are in no doubt about the concerns of the Jewish community," he said.
One early indication is a Jewish Chronicle opinion poll published this week, which suggested just 13% of British Jews plan to vote for Labour, compared with 77% backing the Tories. The poll by Survation, which polled a sample of 515 British Jews, also suggested Labour would do better with Jewish voters if Jeremy Corbyn was not the leader.
One of the most marginal seats in the country is the leafy north-east London suburb of Ilford North, home to a Jewish community of about 6,600.
Two years ago, Labour's Wes Streeting won it by just 589 votes. He says he is taking no votes for granted. He is relying on his track record to impress voters, including the ones who, he says, have brought up Labour's anti-Semitism record on the doorstep.
He says they have not been impressed by the party's reaction as a whole, "but they have seen that I have been unflinching in my condemnation of anti-Semitism within the party."
He also points to his record of trying to tackle the issue within wider society, which dates back at least as far as his time as NUS president more than a decade ago.
The seat won't be decided on a single issue. On its border sits the large, modern King George hospital whose A&E is threatened with closure.
The NHS, social care and schools will be on voters' minds too.
However, another reason Labour's record on anti-Semitism could be an important issue is that UKIP is not running, in the hope of boosting Conservative candidate Lee Scott's chances.
Born locally, Mr Scott held the Ilford North seat from 2005 until 2015. He said "a number of people" he has met during the campaign have cited Labour's "reluctance to tackle" anti-Semitism as a reason "they cannot vote Labour any longer".
On the other side of the capital is the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency. Crucially for Labour it's also home to the sixth biggest Jewish population in the country - 8,482 according to the 2011 census. However, it's almost certainly grown since then as younger Jews move to congregate around the wider area's Jewish schools, kosher restaurants and other amenities.
Labour's Tulip Siddiq, who has worked hard to build ties with the Jewish community, is defending a majority of just 1,138. In what could be interpreted as a sign that the Conservatives also see the importance of that relationship their candidate, Claire-Louise Leyland, was selected in a meeting at a local synagogue.
According to Marcus Dysch, political editor of the Jewish Chronicle, it's one of a handful of seats around the country, including Bury South, where this issue has made Labour vulnerable.
"Anti-Semitism has become the number one topic of political discussion amongst the Jewish community nationwide," says Mr Dysch. "It is the issue people are talking about above and beyond Brexit, the economy or healthcare."
Other candidates standing in Ilford North are Richard Clare, Liberal Democrat; and Doris Osen, Independent. In Hampstead and Kilburn: Kirsty Allan, Liberal Democrat; Hugh Easterbrook, Independent; John Mansook, Green Party; and Rainbow George Weiss, Independent.


A second strike in Scotland's further education colleges is going ahead after fresh talks failed to settle the dispute.

Members of the EIS Further Education Lecturers' Association said no progress had been made to even out pay differences.
But Colleges Scotland said pay could not be separated from issues such as holiday entitlement.
The union wants the Scottish government to help to settle the dispute.
Lecturers began industrial action in March last year over claims that there were disparities of up to Â£10,000 a year in pay at different colleges.
Union bosses said lecturers did not want to strike but had been forced to by the refusal of management to honour an agreement reached more than a year ago.
After talks on Tuesday, Colleges Scotland said it had made three new proposals to the union but they were all rejected.
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "We welcome the fact that Colleges Scotland did, belatedly, agree to further talks today, following repeated requests from the EIS.
"While the EIS went into today's talks in good faith and eager to find a way to resolve this dispute, the lack of any significant movement from management meant that no agreement was reached in these discussions."
Mr Flanagan said: "The reality is that it is likely that the intervention of the Scottish government will be necessary to compel college management to meet their obligations to lecturers and students."
A spokesman for Colleges Scotland said: "The employers put forward three new proposals today in addition to the average pay increase of 9%.  However, disappointingly, the EIS has rejected these.
"The EIS is so far unwilling to accept the terms the union signed up to last March, which was clearly about pay and conditions."
He added: "Our number one priority is ensuring that students are not affected by more disruption, and we urge the EIS to accept the very reasonable and fair offer that is on the table.
"We have offered to meet with the EIS again this week on Wednesday and Friday to continue talks."
The planned strike follows the first day of action on Thursday last week.
If the dispute is not settled, the union says members could be on strike three days a week later this month.
More talks are expected to take place on Wednesday afternoon.


Anglesey council needs to make cuts of nearly £3m in order to balance the books next year, the local authority has said.

Proposed cuts include raising primary school dinner costs, transferring heritage sites to other organisations and changing library services.
The council is also looking at increasing council tax by 3%.
The executive committee agreed to start a five-week public consultation on the proposals, beginning on Friday.
Head of resources Marc Jones said a better financial settlement from the Welsh Government for 2017-18 would not "meet a host of new demands and pressure" on the local authority.
These include an increase in inflation, an increase in the number of children brought into care, a new apprenticeship levy and increasing staff costs.
Council leader Ieuan Williams said: "There's no doubt that it's going to be another difficult year in terms of our finances; and we'll have to make some pretty tough decisions to balance the books.
"We're also looking to transform and restructure a number of services within the council in order to make additional efficiency savings.
"This year, our aim is to ensure a prudent budget which will help protect services from more stringent cuts in 2018-19 and 2019-20 when the funding we receive from Cardiff Bay is likely to be considerably less."


A 27-year-old man is in a critical condition after a crash on the A703 in the Scottish Borders on Saturday.

The man was a passenger in a silver Vauxhall Vectra that left the road near Eddleston at about 06:50.
The 35-year-old male driver is also in hospital with a "serious but non-life threatening injury" to his neck.
Police said a number of people had stopped at the scene to help and officers have appealed for them to get in touch.
They also want to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time who may have seen the car before the crash.
The road was closed for about eight hours on Saturday to allow crash investigators to work at the scene.
Both the injured men are being treated at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.


Inquiries into serious crimes committed by recently-released prisoners should be published, politicians have said.

A review into the murder of Rhys Jones, who was killed by a man released five days earlier, questioned whether his killer's risk to the public should have been reassessed.
But Mr Jones' family were initially blocked from reading it.
Plans to transfer the management of such reviews to HM Probation have been put on hold.
Mr Jones, 36, who had schizophrenia and had been under the care of mental health services for much of his life, was stabbed to death by Rhys Barnes in November 2015 at the Solas supported housing hostel where they were living in Newport.
Barnes, 28, who had 17 previous convictions for 41 separate offences including grievous bodily harm, assault and carrying offensive weapons, was jailed for life in March 2016.
At the time of the killing he was being supervised by the National Probation Service after his release from prison, having been assessed as a high risk to his family and a medium risk to the public.
He had been readmitted to prison at the beginning of November for breaching supervision conditions, but five days after coming out, he murdered Rhys Jones following a row about a girlfriend.
A review into the killing questioned whether Barnes' level of risk to the general public should have been reassessed, and whether a multi-agency public protection meeting should have been held.
The report said staff should consider referring prisoners who breach their licence conditions to a probation-approved premises following re-release.
The findings of the review were shared with staff across Wales, "to highlight areas of learning so that staff across the organisation can embed the learning into their own practice".
But Mr Jones' family had to push to see it after they claim they were initially told it "would not benefit" them to know the findings.
David Hanson, Labour MP for Delyn and a member of the justice select committee in Westminster, said it was important families and the public know what went wrong in cases such as these.
"That means that the report has to be published for the victim, but also for those like myself who take an interest to make sure the system is working well," he said.
"Without that we think something may well be hidden and something may not be dealt with that could be dealt with."
Labour's Newport East AM John Griffiths, who had been supporting Mr Jones' family, echoed his call.
"I would pay tribute to Rhys' family because they've shown dogged determination to try and ensure that the whole of the circumstances are understood, and that lessons are learnt for the future, crucially, to try and minimise the chances of further tragic loss of life in these sorts of circumstances," he said.
"The more openness the better, for public confidence; if people feel things are being hidden that arouses suspicions and concern."
Tania Bassett, of the National Association of Probation Officers, called on the government to honour its pledge to transfer management of serious further offence reviews from the probation service to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation.
She said: "We welcome that [the transfer] because it would apply a much more consistent approach across the board: everyone would have the same treatment, it would be an external independent body looking at that investigation rather than those who may have their own commercial interests, and also it would mean greater transparency for the public, which we think is the right way forward."
The National Probation Service said: "Serious further offences such as this [Mr Jones's murder] are rare but each one is taken extremely seriously and investigated fully.
"Public protection is our priority. A full review was undertaken and all identified learning was taken forward."
Nick Taylor, of Solas Cymru, said an internal hostel review of Mr Jones' killing found there was "absolutely no way that this incident could have been predicted".


French scientists have carried out tests on the remarkably well-preserved body of a 17th Century woman found in the north-western city of Rennes.

They say they believe the 1.45m (5ft) remains are those of Louise de Quengo - a noblewoman who died in 1656.
"We've got soft tissue - organs - to work with. This is unprecedented in archaeology," forensic doctor Fabrice Dedouit said.
The body of the woman - still wearing her cap and shoes - was found in 2014.
It was discovered at a construction site for a convention centre.
The forensic team says a post-mortem examination and scans showed "significant kidney stones" and "lung adhesions", according to the AFP news agency.
The woman's heart was also taken out "with real surgical mastery", say the scientists.
The woman is believed to have been in her 60s when she died.
The remains were discovered in a lead sarcophagus in March last year.
The heart of Toussaint de Perrein - believed to be the woman's husband - was found in a heart-shaped urn nearby.
There were about 800 other graves at the site, but they only contained skeletons.
The scientists say the clothes on the woman's body have been restored and are expected to be put on display.


Police searching for a man who went missing last month have found a body on the banks of the River Severn.

Thomas Bebbington, 22, from Shrewsbury, was last seen entering the river near the Dana Steps at about 19:20 GMT on 10 November.
A body was found by a member of the public on private land near Leighton, about 10 miles (16.09km) away from the centre of Shrewsbury, on Monday.
Mr Bebbington's family has been informed, West Mercia Police confirmed.


A book annotated by the Bronte family has been returned to their former home in West Yorkshire.

The Remains of Henry Kirke White by Robert Southey belonged to Maria Bronte, mother of Charlotte, Anne, Emily and Branwell.
Haworth's Bronte Parsonage Museum acquired it with £200,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
It was one of a few possessions saved from a shipwreck shortly before Maria married Patrick Bronte in 1812.
The purchase of the book was paid for with £170,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
The remaining money came from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund and Friends of the National Libraries.
Museum collections manager Ann Dinsdale said it was "much-treasured by the Bronte family" and "clearly well-used and of great sentimental value to the Bronte children, who lost their mother while they were very young."
Patrick: Priest and author, father of Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne. Born 1777, died 1861 outliving all his children and his wife Maria.
Maria: Mother of Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne. Born 1783, died 1821 a few months after Anne was born. She met Patrick in 1812 when visiting her aunt and uncle in Yorkshire.
Charlotte: Born April 1816, she was the eldest of the siblings to reach adulthood but the last to die. She wrote Jane Eyre, Shirley and Villette, and died in March 1855, aged 38.
Branwell: Born 1817, the only Bronte brother. He was a writer and painter and died in 1848, aged 31.
Emily: Born 1818, wrote Wuthering Heights but died of tuberculosis aged 30 in December 1848, two months after the same illness killed her brother.
Anne: Born 1820, wrote Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Died May 1849, aged 29.
Two older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, died during childhood.
Source: BBC History.
Inside the salt-water-stained book is a Latin inscription in Patrick Bronte's writing.  It reads: " ...the book of my dearest wife and it was saved from the waves. So then it will always be preserved".
It also contains notes, markings and sketches by various members of the family, a poem and prose by a teenage Charlotte Bronte and a letter by her husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls, written shortly after her death in 1855.
Bronte specialist Dr Juliet Barker said: "The book alone is a valuable acquisition because of its rare associations with Mrs Bronte before her marriage to Patrick.
"But its importance is immeasurably increased by the unpublished manuscripts tipped into it."
It was sold after Patrick's death in 1861, spent most of the last century in the United States, and is currently available to view as part of the museum's Treasures Tours.
It will go on public display in the former home of the Bronte family, now The Bronte Parsonage Museum, in 2017.