Proposals have been revealed for a radical shake-up of the way council services in Edinburgh are run.

The council has produced a blueprint to restructure its organisations to give more power to the staff closest to the communities they serve.
But this could place a question mark over the roles of hundreds of middle managers.
Councillors will debate the proposals next week before they go out to consultation with unions.
The chief executive of Edinburgh Council, Sue Bruce, and her team have been working on the plans for more than a year.
The council needs to make big savings - Â£138m by 2017 - but is stressing these moves aren't simply about saving money and are separate from proposals on the local budget for local services.
The plan would aim to reorganise the management structures to make them simpler and organise local services around different areas of the city.
This could help speed up decision making and make services more responsive to local needs while the implications for staff are significant.  However it's unlikely the public would notice any immediately obvious changes.
However supporters argue these changes would be the right thing to do even if there was no pressing need to save money.
It will be some time before staff learn how they personally might be affected by the proposed changes.
They could leave a question mark over the current roles of hundreds of middle managers, though the council has a policy of no compulsory redundancies.
No figures have been produced for how the overall size of the council's workforce may change through the plan but it is likely the headcount will fall.
In general, councils have cut staff through voluntary redundancies, early retirements and leaving vacancies unfilled.
If the scheme goes ahead, changes would start to take place in about a year's time.
The proposed changes were due to be unveiled last month but were delayed so they could be finalised.
On Thursday the public spending watchdog expressed "growing concern" over how the council might deal with budget reductions.
The Accounts Commission said the council needed to develop a comprehensive strategy for managing its staff.
Some at the council were known to be disappointed by the timing of the commission's report as it drew attention to challenges the council knew it faced.
Budget decisions will be taken by councillors in February.
Options being considered include cutting the amount spent on sport and leisure centres and library opening hours.


Burnley midfielder Joey Barton has accepted a Football Association charge that he placed 1,260 bets on matches over the past 10 years.

Barton, who was charged in December, has requested a personal hearing before being sanctioned for breaking FA rules by betting on "matches or competitions" between 26 March 2006 and 13 May 2016.
It is expected Barton will offer mitigation for the breaches.
Players in England's top eight tiers are banned from betting on football.
Barton, 34, rejoined Burnley last month, having left Rangers in November.
In the same month, he was given a one-match ban for breaking Scottish Football Association rules on gambling.
Barton admitted the Scottish FA charge of placing 44 bets between 1 July and 15 September, while he was a player at Ibrox.
The FA brought in new rules in 2014 banning players and staff at clubs down as far as the eighth tier of the English men's football pyramid - as well as at clubs in the Women's Super League - from betting on any football match or competition anywhere in the world.
Players and staff are also prohibited from betting on football-related matters, such as player transfers, the employment of managers or team selection.
That outright ban on football-related betting applies to all involved in the game from Premier League level down to - and including - the Northern Premier, Southern and Isthmian Leagues.
Previously, participants were prohibited from betting on a match or competition in which they were involved or which could influence.
Barton has been charged with offences allegedly committed under both the new and old rules.
His Rangers contract was terminated following a training ground row which led to a falling-out with manager Mark Warburton and he played only eight games for the club.
Barton began his career at Manchester City in 2001, joined Newcastle in 2007 and then signed for QPR in 2011. He had a loan spell with Marseille in France for 12 months, before joining Burnley for the first time in August 2015.
It is understood that the FA was only made aware of the bets by the betting company prior to his second charge in December 2016, which led to its investigation.
The high number of bets has resulted in a detailed and complex investigation and the timing of the charge is not related to Barton rejoining Burnley.
He was expected to have been charged even if he had remained a free agent.


More than 500 staff have lost their jobs after a leading Scottish construction firm collapsed into administration.

The Dunne Group faced "severe cashflow issues" and had ceased trading with "immediate effect", its administrators said.
They said the move would result in the immediate loss of 524 jobs across the group, which is based in Bathgate.
It will affect 200 people in Scotland, with 16 retained to help the closure.
A total of 311 people will be made redundant in London and 13 in Leeds.
The firm has been involved in the construction of some major projects, including the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
Joint administrator Tom MacLennan said: "This is a sad loss for the construction and building industry.
"The business faced substantial trading losses on some contracts, leading to severe cashflow pressures.
"Additionally, rapid expansion led to pressure on working capital and a requirement for significant additional funding that was not available."
He added: "Given these issues, the joint administrators have had to cease trading, resulting in 524 employees being made redundant.
"A team of 16 staff will be retained to assist with the closure process and realisation of the business' assets.
"Our priority is to work closely with all agencies and services to ensure employees receive every support and assistance at this very difficult time."
According to the Dunne Group's website, the firm is also involved in a number of projects that were still under construction.
A spokesman for the administrators said: "The joint administrators are assessing the position with regards to a small number of outstanding contracts across the UK."
Mr MacLenann, Iain Fraser and Geoff Rowley, partners at FRP Advisory, have been appointed joint administrators to the Dunne Group and five subsidiaries.
They said the firm's turnover last year was Â£74m and it was forecast this year at Â£96m.
The business was founded in 2001 and it had grown rapidly in recent years, winning three high-profile contracts in London - Newington Butts, 100 Bishopsgate and One Blackfriars.


Researchers have found strong evidence that the Sars virus originated in bats.

Two novel Sars-like coronaviruses were found in Chinese horseshoe bats which are closely related to the pathogen that infects humans.
Critically, the viruses infect human cells in the same way, binding to a receptor called ACE2.
This suggests coronaviruses could transfer directly from bats to humans, rather than via an intermediate species like civets as was previously thought.
The results are reported in the journal Nature.
According to Gary Crameri, virologist at CSIRO and an author on the paper, this research "is the key to resolving the continued speculation around bats as the origin of the Sars outbreaks".
This Sars-like coronavirus is around 95% genetically similar to the Sars virus in humans, the research shows. And they say it could be used to develop new vaccines and drugs to combat the pathogen.
The Sars outbreak between November 2002 and July 2003 resulted in more than 8,000 worldwide cases and more than 770 deaths. This, along with the ongoing endemic of the Mers-coronavirus demonstrates the threat to humans from novel coronaviruses.
Dr Peter Daszak is the president of the EcoHealth Alliance and an author on the paper published in Nature. He said: "Coronaviruses evolve very rapidly. The ones we are seeing are exquisitely evolved to jump from one species to another, which is quite unusual for a virus. So the big question is why are they emerging now?"
At wildlife markets in China other animals and humans come into close proximity with bats, creating an ideal environment for the virus to jump between species. Also, those hunting in or living near bat caves have a significant risk of infection from such viruses, which are excreted in bat faeces.
Understanding the origins of infectious diseases like Sars could help scientists tackle future infectious viruses before they emerge, through knowing where they are likely to arise and which families of virus we are most vulnerable to, and taking action to prevent initial infection.
Dr Daszak said it would cost "about $1.5bn to discover all the viruses in mammals. I think that would be a great investment because once you have done it, you can develop vaccines and get ready with test kits to find the first stage of emergence and stop it."


The number of times passengers were stopped from entering London Underground stations because of overcrowding rose 3% in a year.

Transport for London (TfL) said there were 547 "temporary station controls" - where commuters are prevented from entering - from March 2015 to February this year.
That compares to 531 during the previous year.
More than a fifth occurred at Oxford Circus, with 219 in the past two years.
The data was released in response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request.
TfL said there had been 30 full station closures due to overcrowding in the past two years.
A spokesman for London mayor Sadiq Khan, said: "Sadiq has been clear that we can't have a situation where people don't feel safe on the Tube, and TfL are already taking short-term measures to avoid overcrowding."
Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said overcrowding was "a massive issue" and that managing the risk of passengers falling in the gap between platforms and trains had become "a daily problem".
TfL's website states that station control involves "temporarily preventing customers from entering the station because of crowding".
In a statement, it said: "(Station control) essentially means keeping the station open whilst managing the flow of customers to maintain a safe and reliable service.
"Temporary station controls normally last only a few minutes, and other entrances often remain available during that period for customers to use."
Between April 2015 and March 2016 TfL said 1.344 billion passengers travelled on the tube network, an increase of 39 million from the previous year.


Jonathan Kodjia scored against his former club as Aston Villa beat Bristol City to record back-to-back wins for only the third time this season.

Kodjia, who joined Villa in August in a reported £11m deal, endured a torrid first half, blasting a penalty over the bar after Gary Gardner was fouled.
But the 27-year-old's superb header put the hosts ahead after the break.
Conor Hourihane tapped home his first Villa goal after Albert Adomah's shot was blocked to seal victory.
Kodjia, whose every touch was booed by the travelling supporters, was also instrumental in the build-up to Hourihane's strike, superbly dispossessing Bailey Wright moments earlier.
Aston Villa had not won a game in 2017 prior to Saturday's 1-0 victory over Derby County, but now move up to 15th in the Championship table, nine points clear of the relegation places.
However, defeat at Villa Park increases the pressure on Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson, with his side only out of the bottom three on goal difference and having lost 11 of their past 14 league matches.
They did twice strike the woodwork against Villa, in the first half through Wright's header and then at 1-0 down via winger Calum O'Dowda.
Andre Green also hit the post with a brilliant long-range effort for the hosts, who have now kept clean sheets in two successive league matches for the first time since March 2015.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce:
"We've played far better than that and lost but what we have seen in the last few days is the resilience, two clean sheets.
"He [Jonathan Kodjia] can drive us all mad at times, there's no question about that. But when you look at his goals - that's his 12th in what, 24 games, that's not bad at all so fair play to him.
"He was devastated at half-time but he's come back. He's got us a good goal again."
Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson:
"I thought first half we were good, playing on the front foot.
"It's a fine line between success and failure.
"We had a wobbly spell 10 minutes into the second half and that disappointed me - we dropped a bit deep and got a bit timid."
Match ends, Aston Villa 2, Bristol City 0.
Second Half ends, Aston Villa 2, Bristol City 0.
Corner,  Bristol City. Conceded by Nathan Baker.
Attempt saved. Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Neil Taylor.
James Chester (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jamie Paterson (Bristol City).
Henri Lansbury (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lee Tomlin (Bristol City).
Attempt blocked. Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. David Cotterill (Bristol City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Bailey Wright.
Corner,  Bristol City. Conceded by Mile Jedinak.
Offside, Aston Villa. Henri Lansbury tries a through ball, but Jonathan Kodjia is caught offside.
Substitution, Aston Villa. Birkir Bjarnason replaces Andre Green because of an injury.
Joe Bryan (Bristol City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
James Bree (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joe Bryan (Bristol City).
Foul by Mile Jedinak (Aston Villa).
Bailey Wright (Bristol City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt blocked. Bobby Reid (Bristol City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Andre Green (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card.
Andre Green (Aston Villa).
Fabian Giefer (Bristol City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by James Bree with a cross.
Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Zak Vyner (Bristol City).
Foul by Nathan Baker (Aston Villa).
Jamie Paterson (Bristol City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. Lee Tomlin (Bristol City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Gary O'Neil.
Corner,  Bristol City. Conceded by Alan Hutton.
Substitution, Aston Villa. James Bree replaces Albert Adomah.
Substitution, Bristol City. Lee Tomlin replaces Aaron Wilbraham.
Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by David Cotterill (Bristol City).
Attempt blocked. Aaron Wilbraham (Bristol City) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Matty Taylor with a cross.
Foul by Mile Jedinak (Aston Villa).
Aaron Wilbraham (Bristol City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Alan Hutton (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Henri Lansbury.
Attempt missed. Alan Hutton (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left.
Bailey Wright (Bristol City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Alan Hutton (Aston Villa) wins a free kick on the right wing.


Kellingley Colliery, in North Yorkshire, closes on 18 December, bringing to an end centuries of deep coal mining in Britain.

Photographers Andrea Baldo and Rita Alvarez Tudela went along to meet some of the miners during their Christmas gathering at the Broken Bridge pub, in Pontefract, to find out how they felt about the closing of the mine and their final shifts.
I feel ridiculous about the closing of the mine. It's hard to explain. I've worked here with this whole group for about 25 years. I put a lot of pressure to stop it closing.
It's hard to find another job. It's like starting all over again, like going back to school. I am thinking about lorry driving next. My father was a miner for 39 years. He now works at the National Coal Mining Museum for England, in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, as a tour guide.
I feel terrible about the closing of the mine. Because I am 50, I can get a pension. It's been easier for them to shut us because they know that most of us are 50 or older. It's bad for the young because they will need a full-time job, otherwise they lose their houses and everything.
I am really unhappy. I thought I'd got a job for my whole life.
For years, coal and gas paid the tax for nuclear energy. Why can't we do something like that to keep it?  I think we should keep a diverse energy portfolio. Instead of going for nuclear and solar energy and wind power, which is never going to be the same.
This last week is going to be hard, really hard. To see all my friends, my work colleagues and the industry I know go.
I honestly don't know what follows next.
Basically I think the closing of the mine is government orchestrated,  England is an island built on coal and there's millions and millions of tonnes of it in the ground which can quite easily be accessed. You see many power stations within 20 miles of here, but we're getting coal from Colombia cheaper. We also talk about carbon footprint here, but how much does it cost to get it from Colombia?
I've not yet started looking for another job. I'll stay with my children and my family this Christmas, and then I will start looking.
I feel devastated. It is a sad day to see the end of the industry.
It's such a close community. The miners are going to figure out how to fit elsewhere. If the government had taken the carbon tax off, that could have helped us I think, but they won't do it.
I think the closing is a part of the social history of Britain that is going to be gone now. There is not going to be another industry like this ever again. It is quite an emotional break for people here because it is more of a brotherhood than a job.
I told my grandson that people have respect for coal miners. It is a respectful job. It is a honourable job. I am going to miss it, not the job itself but the people I worked with.
I feel very sad for the younger ones. Personally, it's the right age for me to be finishing.
I travelled thousands of miles, where I live is like 20 miles from the pit. I travelled that everyday for the past 40 years to work amongst good friends. It's a community. It is like a family.
I am still at the mine. I will be there for the last shifts. They are going to be sad. We all live in a wide area, and it will be difficult to see each other again.
Photographs by Andrea Baldo with interviews by Rita Alvarez Tudela.


A police social media plea to reunite the owners of a wedding photo album found in a bin backfired when they discovered they didn't want it back.

West Yorkshire Police's Kirklees Rural branch appealed to find the pair after it was found in rubbish in Holmfirth.
The finder handed the album to police as he was concerned it had been stolen.
After people replied suggesting there may have been a reason it had been dumped in a bin, police said it "looks like it will be staying with us".
Writing on Facebook, the branch posted: "We like to try and reunite people with lost property....but this has turned out to be totes awkward."
A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "This message was put out with the best intentions - we apologise for any offence caused."


A memorial service to remember seven miners killed in the Lofthouse Colliery disaster, near Wakefield, 40 years ago has taken place.

The men died when the seam they were working flooded after they had cut into an abandoned shaft, releasing three million gallons of trapped water.
The service was held at Outwood Parish Church, Wakefield.
A further service was held on Sunday in the village of Wrenthorpe at the site where the men died.
Frederick Armitage, 41, Colin Barnaby, 36, Frank Billingham, 48, Sydney Brown, 36, Charles Cotton, 49, Edward Finnegan, 40 and Alan Haigh, 30, all died in the disaster on 21 March 1973.
Only Mr Cotton's body was recovered from the disaster.  The bodies of the six other men remain in the mine.
After the service, a reunion for miners and the families of the men that died will be held at the Ledger Lane Working Men's Club, where the Lofthouse 2000 Brass Band will perform.
The service earlier was held at the memorial garden in Wrenthorpe and was led by the Bishop of Pontefract.
A procession of ex-miners and local dignitaries are expected to walk for more than a mile from the memorial garden to a church in Alverthorpe, where a documentary film will be shown of the disaster.
Eddie Downes, member of the Lofthouse Colliery Action Group and a mining historian and engineer, said more than 1,000 people from across the country, many from the mining industry, were expected to attend both services.
"They all feel the pain. It's a unique thing in the mining communities. They all feel for each other," he said.
"The services are extremely important. It gives them some continuity to how it unfolded and will complete the picture."


A Strictly Come Dancing live "spectacular" has experienced less than spectacular ticket sales, leading organisers to pull the plug.

The four-day event was to have been held at London's Excel Centre in June.
"Demand for this event has not been as strong as we had hoped so we've taken the difficult decision to cancel it," reads a post on its website.
The event had promised ticket holders "a day full of entertainment, dance, interviews, music, glamour and style".
Yet it had been criticised for imposing an additional fee on visitors to have photographs taken with the show's stars.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Spectacular was due to have featured presenters Tess Daly and Zoe Ball alongside judges Darcey Bussell, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli.
A number of the programme's celebrity contestants were also expected to attend, as were dancers Anton Du Beke, Gorka Marquez and Katya Jones.
Organised by BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm, with events company SME London, the event was to have featured a "brand-new 90-minute theatre show".
Attendees would also been treated to "an unrivalled shopping experience featuring a showcase of carefully selected lifestyle and fashion brands".
A full refund has been offered to those with tickets for the event, which is separate from the Strictly live tour.
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The fiance of a children's author who drugged and suffocated her before throwing her body in a hidden cesspit has been found guilty of murder.

Ian Stewart, 56, had denied murdering Helen Bailey at their home in Royston, Hertfordshire, in order to get his hands on her near-£4m fortune.
He was convicted at St Albans Crown Court following a seven-week trial.
Police say they will look again at the death of Stewart's wife Diane in 2010 following the verdict.
Mrs Stewart died after having an epileptic seizure in the garden of the family home in Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire. An inquest was held but police will now re-examine the case.
Helen Bailey: A life shaped by death
Live: Reaction to Ian Stewart guilty verdict
Described by police as "a narcissist" who was "cold" and "calculating", Stewart had "grossly deceived" 51-year-old Ms Bailey when they met online following the death of her husband in 2011.
Prosecutors said he had played "the long game" in order to inherit Ms Bailey's fortune, made from the publication of more than 20 books including the popular Electra Brown teenage fiction series.
Stewart had been secretly giving his fiancee a sleeping drug zopiclone for weeks before he eventually smothered her with a pillow, a pathologist told the jury.
On the day of the murder, 11 April last year, Stewart tried to change a standing order from Ms Bailey's account to the couple's joint account from £600 to £4,000 a month.
He later tried to use power of attorney in order to sell a flat she had in Gateshead.
He had reported Ms Bailey missing on 15 April and made a heartfelt appeal for his wife-to-be to make contact.
"Whatever has happened, wherever you are I will come and get you," he said.
He told police Ms Bailey had left a note saying she needed "space" and had gone to her holiday home in Broadstairs, Kent.
Her body was found three months later, having been pulled out of a "hard crust" of excrement inside the cesspit underneath the garage of the couple's £1.2m home.
Her pet Dachshund Boris was found alongside her.
The court heard how, in 2013, Ms Bailey had told her brother John the cesspit would be a "good place to hide a body" while giving him a tour of the house and grounds.
Stewart had been with them at the time, the jury was told.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Stewart had "conducted a cynical, deceitful and calculated charade as he watched the police conduct a futile missing person investigation".
All along he had denied murdering Ms Bailey, instead claiming two business associates of her late husband had kidnapped her and tried to blackmail him.
He told St Albans Crown Court that the men - Nick and Joe - had told him not to inform police about the kidnapping and had threatened to harm Stewart's two sons.
The prosecution said he was a liar and an actor who talked "bizarre nonsense".
Following the verdicts, Stewart refused to return to the dock while the judge heard mitigation from the defence.
Simon Russell Flint QC, defending, said "there is little I can say" regarding the offences Stewart had been convicted of, and there was every prospect his client would "end his days behind bars"
Judge Bright said he was prepared to sentence Stewart on Thursday morning, and if he refused to leave his cell he would be sentenced "in his absence".
Det Ch Insp Jerome Kent from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit described Stewart as a "particularly cold and wicked individual".
"There's no doubt in my mind that Helen Bailey loved him with all her heart," he said, "and he is the one person who should have protected her and should have looked after her.
"I don't believe he had any close feelings for Helen Bailey. Certainly the way he disposed of her body is an indication of the way he thought of her."
In a statement, Ms Bailey's family said despite the "victory for justice", there could be "no celebration", and their thoughts were with Stewart's family.
"Our families have been devastated and nothing can ever bring Helen back to us, or truly right this wrong," they said.
"A long shadow of loss has been cast over the lives of so many who will always remember Helen with enduring love and affection."
Det Ch Insp Kent also confirmed his team would be looking again at the death of Diane Stewart in 2010.
He said there was "no indication" of anything untoward, but understood the murder trial verdict opened up further suspicion.
"It's only right that I consider what might have happened in Ian Stewart's past to see whether there's anything I need to get involved in, whether there's any fresh evidence that might have come out from this trial," the detective said.
"That's something we will be doing in hand with the Cambridgeshire Coroner at the end of this investigation."
Stewart was also found guilty of preventing a lawful burial, fraud and three counts of perverting the course of justice.
He will be sentenced on Thursday.


One key sentence in President Barack Obama's press conference at Camp David last week clearly illustrates the gulf between Washington and its allies on the Arabian Peninsula when it comes to Iran.

"We gave [our allies] our best analysis of the enormous needs that Iran has internally and the commitment that Iran has made to its people in terms of shoring up its economy and improving economic growth," said President Obama, when asked about concerns that Iran would use the money from sanctions relief for nefarious aims in the region.
He added that "most of the destabilising activity that Iran engages in is low-tech, low-cost activity".
It was just as well that Mr Obama gave the press conference on his own. The Gulf leaders had just departed after a full day of talks at the Maryland retreat or they would have had a hard time resisting a collective eye roll at what they perceive to be American naivety about Tehran.
As it pursues a nuclear deal with Iran, Washington has been trying hard not to adhere to the positions, fears and sometimes paranoia of Arab countries vis-a-vis Iran.
At Camp David, the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council received assurances that Washington had their backs, with pledges about more military cooperation and hardware. But nothing can bridge what are essentially opposing world views.
Profile: Gulf Cooperation Council
Riyadh has accepted that there is little it can do about stopping a nuclear deal, but it's gearing up to push back more forcefully against its arch-nemesis, as Tehran boasts of a new Persian empire with influence over four capitals: Beirut, Baghdad, Damascus and Sanaa.
Lebanon's former Prime Minister Saad Hariri was scathing on a recent visit to Washington about the administration's assertion that the money from the sanctions relief would go to "building bridges and roads".
It's estimated that after a deal is reached and Iran is verifiably in compliance, Tehran would get access to at least $100bn (£64bn).
"I want to know how much of this money is going to Hezbollah," said Mr Hariri, whose political camp is staunchly opposed to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militant group backed by Iran, which has been fighting in Syria to help prop up President Bashar al-Assad.
A UN official also recently estimated that Iran had been channelling as much as $35bn a year into Syria since the conflict started.
Earlier this month, Syria and Iran were discussing a $1bn credit line to help Mr Assad's government, the second credit line since 2013.
Arab countries don't see Iran's efforts to expand its regional influence as a low-cost operation, though it could perhaps be characterised as low-tech.
When it comes to a military edge, Saudi Arabia is billions of dollars ahead of Iran.
Riyadh is now trying to deploy its hardware in the face of Iran's asymmetric warfare and is looking beyond Yemen.
A senior Saudi Arabian official told me they were deeply concerned about the cash injection Iran would get after a nuclear deal.
When I asked him whether they were planning to make a move on Syria before a deal is reached, his response was a surprisingly forceful "Yes".
Channelling his Saudi Arabian allies, Mr Hariri indicated that while replicating the Saudi military operation in Yemen was not an option in Syria, the kingdom had come to accept that the only way to get Washington more involved in the effort to push President Assad out was to take the initiative and hope the US followed.
After years of disconnected policies, Saudi Arabia is now working with Qatar, Turkey and Jordan to better coordinate their support for the rebels opposing President Assad, and this has quickly translated into significant gains on the ground in recent weeks.
The strategy is likely to tip the balance of power on the battlefield enough that Iran will agree to a political negotiation and push Mr Assad out.
Exerting real leverage on Damascus would require further action, and Washington has made clear it is opposed to an outright win by the Syrian rebels.
But it's unlikely anyone can micromanage advances on the ground - or that the Saudi Arabia has much patience left for Mr Obama's approach.
Just as the American president's pursuit of a deal with Iran upset the status quo that has prevailed in the region for the past three decades, Saudi Arabia's decision to go to war caused a further tectonic shift.
Saudi Arabia has never really gone to war in this way, and the jury is still out on how it is managing.
Former CIA analyst Bruce Riedel described it as bordering on drink-driving.
But it's clear that Riyadh is test driving its ability to lead military coalitions and wants to be the new military power of the region.


Captain Ashley Williams says Wales can cope with the emotion and expectation as they aim to qualify for Euro 2016 on Sunday.

Victory over Israel at Cardiff City Stadium will secure Wales their place in next year's finals in France.
Wales, who are unbeaten in the qualifying campaign and top of Group B, have not reached a major tournament since the 1958 World Cup.
"I am sure we will be ready,'' said Williams.
"We have a good group of lads here who are very humble, always work hard, always come in and show the right attitude.
"All the distractions and stuff over the past few camps, we have started to get used to that. I think we are used to dealing with it more now."
Another fervent full house is expected at Cardiff City Stadium, where Wales have not been beaten in six games, conceding just three goals.
Gareth Bale's late goal in the 1-0 win against Cyprus on Thursday has put Wales on the verge of a place in France next year.
Williams said the players have become familiar with growing expectations.
They are on the brink of an achievement which eluded the likes of Welsh greats Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes, Kevin Ratcliffe, Ian Rush and Neville Southall.
Williams said: "There's a lot going on and we are aware of it. People are excited. People are writing a lot of things, it's everywhere we go."
Williams - who has led Wales to ninth in the Fifa world rankings, their highest position ever - added: "We are very proud as a team of what we have achieved already, but at the end of the day we have this end goal, which is to qualify for the competition.
"Until we achieve that we are not really going to say or think any other way."
Manager Chris Coleman hopes Wales fans are patient as they enter "new territory".
"I just need our supporters to stay with us," said Coleman.
"We are having to deal with a new situation, which we have earned. It's going to be a tough, tough game for both teams.
"We know what it is going to be like, going to be a fantastic atmosphere - we must not get caught up in it."
After facing Israel, Wales complete their group games away in Bosnia-Herzegovina and at home to Andorra in October.


Kenny Miller reckons Rangers can learn from Celtic's example as they look to make major improvements next season.

The Ibrox outfit, thrashed 5-1 by Celtic on Saturday, are 36 points adrift of the champions and nine points behind second-placed Aberdeen.
But Miller believes Celtic have shown just how big an impact some key signings can make.
"You only need to look at them to see the difference a few players make," the 37-year-old striker said.
Despite winning the title last season, Celtic parted company with manager Ronny Deila in the summer and many observers predicted a squad overhaul.
But following the appointment of Brendan Rodgers and the capture of players such as Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembele, Celtic have made huge strides.
The champions, who remain unbeaten domestically this term and will secure a treble if they beat Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final in May, have won five and drawn one of the six Old Firm derbies this season, with two of those triumphs finishing 5-1.
Miller hopes his side can emulate their city rivals by making major improvements without wholesale changes.
"There is no doubt we need to strengthen, we need to be better," said Miller, who signed a new deal last week and scored Rangers' goal on Saturday. "But to start thinking you need to sign a whole new team, there is no proof that that is going to be the answer.
"As I said, you only need to look at them to see what a few good signings can make, and existing players being rejuvenated.
"But it is not my job to do that, it is up to the manager and the club to assess where we need to go and how many we need to bring in."
Miller, however, is under no illusions about the scale of the task facing manager Pedro Caixinha and his players as they look to become more competitive next term.
"The manager will assess where he needs to strengthen, that is not for me to say but you just need to look at the league table," he added.
"We seem to get carried away because of where we have been in the past, always used to being up there, being successful, winning trophies and challenging Celtic.
"If Aberdeen had won (on Saturday) they would have gone 12 points clear of us.
"So you need to look at the league table to see how much work is to be done and how much better we need to be next year."


British Airways has signed a five-year deal to hold the naming rights to Brighton's i360 tower.

The 162m (531ft) seafront viewing platform will open in summer and be known as the British Airways i360.
The tower was designed by the team behind the London Eye, which British Airways also initially sponsored.
The airline's director of strategy, Lynne Embleton, said the company will promote the attraction "all over the world".
The cost of the naming rights has been kept secret owing to "commercial sensitivity".
Construction is still ongoing with the glass viewing pod being installed on the tower.
It is being built directly in front of Brighton's derelict West Pier.
A beachfront building where visitors will disembark is also being built and will house a brasserie, cafe and gift shop.
Ms Embleton said: "Brighton is an important place for British Airways - so many of our staff live around here and it's just down the road from Gatwick.
"When we heard of the i360 we wanted to be part of it".
Developers hope the tower will attract at least 700,000 visitors per year, making it the city's most popular paid-for attraction.
Up to 200 people will be transported in the viewing pod, with the experiencing lasting 20 minutes during the day and 30 minutes in the evening.
There were plans to add a wind turbine to the top of the tower. However, these have now been scrapped.
The attraction's chief executive, Eleanor Harris, said: "British Airways and the i360 share a similar market regionally in the South East and a comparable international reach.
"We also share a proud history of engineering and design excellence."
If purchased on the door a ticket will cost Â£15 for adults and Â£7.50 for children.


One person has been shot dead and three others wounded in a shooting incident at Tennessee State University in Nashville, US police say.

Police in Nashville tweeted that the violence arose after an apparent row over a dice game on Thursday night.
A 19-year-old man was killed in the argument, and three female students who were passing by were wounded.
The latest incident comes a week after three people were wounded by gunfire at an off-campus party near the college.
The suspect fled the scene on foot.
A university spokeswoman said the two men involved in the argument were not students and were believed to have been gambling.


The MP Lisa Nandy has spoken to Newsround about Jo Cox's work helping children around the world.

17 June 2016 Last updated at 17:08 BST
Jo Cox was an MP who died after being attacked on 16 June in Birstall in West Yorkshire.
Lisa Nandy, who worked with Jo in Parliament, said that she "spent her whole life sticking up for vulnerable children".
Watch the interview with Lisa here.


Striker Cameron Jerome has said a "lack of respect" among his Norwich City team-mates is harming their Championship play-off hopes.

Jerome scored City's consolation in a 5-1 thrashing at Sheffield Wednesday - their 10th away defeat this season.
Norwich have picked up 36 points at Carrow Road, but just 16 on their travels this term.
"You've got to be honest with yourself and as players we're not honest with ourselves," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.
"I think we lack respect for our team-mates, we're not fighting for each other.
"We lack respect for the coaching staff. All the things they do for us we don't follow our instructions or orders. It's like everyone plays for themselves."
The defeat left Norwich in eighth place, nine points adrift of the Owls in sixth - the final play-off spot - with 11 matches of the season remaining.
Jerome, the Canaries' leading scorer with 12 league goals, said it would be an "uphill task now to make the play-offs".
"We've not got enough about us as a squad to roll our sleeves up unfortunately and we've been found out on more than one occasion, that's why our away record's so poor," 30-year-old Jerome said.
"Ultimately we've been embarrassing, and a lack of everything on the pitch has let us down.
"We'll keep fighting, we'll keep going to the end. We owe it to ourselves, we owe it the fans, we owe it to the club."


The number of overseas fans visiting Britain to watch top-flight football rose to 800,000 in 2014 and brought in £684m, according to research.

Most fans came from the Republic of Ireland (121,000), with Norway (93,000), Sweden (58,000) and the United States (53,000) next.
Old Trafford and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium were the most popular venues, both receiving 109,000 visits each.
Premier League chief Richard Scudamore said the rise was "very encouraging".
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However, football supporters groups said the figures, released by tourism body Visit Britain, underlined concerns they have about the make-up of fans in stadiums, ticket prices and club identity.
The last time Visit Britain - which has a partnership with the Premier League to encourage visitors to come to Britain and see a live match - published figures was in 2010, when 50,000 fewer fans attended games.
The Norwegian branch of the Liverpool Supporters' Club estimates that for big games, up to 1,500 Norwegians descend on Anfield.
The Premier League is already a huge global brand with an estimated 1.2bn fans worldwide and overseas TV rights expected to exceed the £2bn which was paid for the last deal running from the 2016-17 season.
The research shows that fans want to experience that excitement in person, which in turn is boosting the British economy.
Visit Britain says it is targeting key markets across the globe through its 'Football is Great' campaign, which includes a video from Manchester United assistant manager Ryan Giggs on the ease of travelling around the country.
And from a financial point of view, it appears to be paying off.
The 800,000 overseas fans who watched football in Britain last year spent £684m collectively, up £89m since 2010. On average they were likely to spend £855 per visit, considerably higher than those who chose not to watch football at £628.
Football also appears to be a good way of encouraging visitors to Britain in winter months while the football season continues, with 31% of visitors from January to March taking in matches, compared with 19% in July to September.
Almost three quarters (73%) of visitors who gave their primary journey purpose as watching sport said they had attended a football match.
Manchester taxi drivers will tell you how much busier they are on match days when Manchester United are at home, and it is clear that football is a big attraction to the area.
Ten percent of visitors to the North West of England, which is also the home of Manchester City and Liverpool, head to the region to watch football, compared to 5.6% in the north-east and just 1.3 in the south-east.
Tourism minister Tracey Crouch said: "It's fantastic to see the positive role football is playing in showcasing key destinations in many different regions of the UK."
Tore Hansen is the chief executive of the official Norway branch of the Liverpool Supporters' Club and has been travelling to Anfield for the past 30 years.
He says the love affair started in the 1960s when many Norwegians adopted English teams as a result of games being screened on TV. He also believes the numerous flight routes to Britain have made it easier for fans to travel.
"It's been building for many years," he told BBC Sport. "One of the reasons was because the standard of football in Norway wasn't that great. British football has always been popular in Norway and it's also a nice country to visit."
So popular in fact, that the clamour for tickets has increased at Anfield, a stadium which holds 45,500 fans and is dwarfed by the 60,000 capacity at Emirates Stadium and 75,700 at Old Trafford.
Hansen, 48, says that some Norwegian fans end up buying from season ticket holders, with some choosing to sell their seats every week. He also says there are many examples of fans paying for tickets on the internet, never to see them in person.
"The demand is massive and it's a shame it's gone that way, especially for local people in Liverpool," he added.
The Premier League says that stadiums were at 96% capacity last season.
Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) vice-chairman Sean Bones says there needs to be equilibrium between welcoming overseas fans and maintaining the club's heritage.
Asked whether a local or overseas supporter was considered more important by clubs, he said: "Manchester United has been built by generations of local support and we deserve that recognition. It's a question of balance, the fact we are so attractive to tourists is because of our history."
Bones also has concerns about the demand for tickets increasing prices. A BBC study found that the average price of cheapest tickets in England has increased by 13% since 2011, with the Football Supporters' Federation calling for clubs to reduce their cost.
Bones told BBC Sport: "It's good for the country when additional funds come into the economy but we need clubs to reward the long-term loyalty of our supporters."
As for whether overseas fans contribute to subdued atmospheres at Old Trafford, Bones says: "That's probably more to do with all-seater stadiums."
The top-10 largest markets for overseas visitors to British football are limited to European countries, the US and Australia.
But Visit Britain believes that the growth of the Premier League's appeal in Asia means the established order may not remain for long.
"The London 2012 Olympics put Britain on the map as the home of sport, and obviously football is a global draw," says Patricia Yates from Visit Britain.
"It's interesting to see the strong appeal it has in new-growth markets like China, Hong Kong and Indonesia where those new out-bound travellers tend to be younger and affluent. They have the same loyalty to their clubs as British fans and they want to come and see them play in the stadium."
Like Bones, Yates believes there needs to be a balance between local and overseas supporters but argues that foreign fans "add to the flavour of the match".
As for overseas football visitors reaching the 1m mark, do not expect Visit Britain to halt its use of the Premier League as key marketing tool.
"In 2014, we saw 35m people come to Britain where they spent £22bn, and we plan to grow that to 40m by 2020," Yates added. "So we have ambitious targets and we will continue to use football as a major draw to this country."
As Hansen says, the Anfield Stadium expansion has come at just the right time.


A centuries-old series of plays performed by amateur actors is set to return to York Minster for the first time in 16 years.

The Mystery Plays were first performed in York in the 14th Century and traditionally involve just one professional actor.
The plays will return to the Minster in June 2016. More than 28,000 people attended its last productions in 2000.
The 800-year-old gothic cathedral will host a month-long staging of the plays.
The Very Reverend Vivienne Faull, Dean of York Minster, said: "After a gap of 16 years it is a great pleasure and enormously exciting to confirm the staging of this second, landmark production of the Mystery Plays at York Minster."
In 2014 the plays were staged on wagons travelling around the city's streets.
The plays are described as telling the story of the world from the beginning of all things to the end of all things.
The performances traditionally take place on the feast day of Corpus Christi, which can fall in either May or June.
Nicola Corp, who has worked on projects for the BBC and Capital Radio, has been appointed to produce the event.


A seven-year-old boy died at a private hospital after vital equipment needed to monitor his sleep apnoea was switched off, a report says.

James Dwerryhouse suffered brain damage as a result of cardiac arrest following an operation at Portland Hospital in central London on 25 August last year.
A serious incident report found the equipment monitoring him overnight was turned off for almost three hours.
The hospital said it was "co-operating with all investigations".
Police have said his death is "deemed to be non-suspicious".
James suffered from numerous health conditions including sleep apnoea which can cause life-threatening stoppages in breathing.
He had been in hospital for an operation to create a colostomy bag.
The operation was a success but he was later found unresponsive in his bed at the private hospital's paediatric intensive care unit.
He was transferred to the Treehouse Hospice in Suffolk but died the next day.
The hospital's report found the root cause of James' death "appears to be the removal of vital signs monitoring between 01:15 and 03:58, as this resulted in the inability to be alerted to a suspected  deterioration in the child's respiratory condition and reducing oxygen saturations."
The report also found hospital staff working that night:
James's family have launched legal action against HCA Healthcare UK, the owners of Portland Hospital.
His mother Marguerite called her son's death "completely heart-breaking".
"Only days earlier, he'd been to a summer club and he'd been chasing around, up and down the slides and having a great time," she said.
A Portland spokesman said the hospital is "co-operating with all investigations, and we are unable to comment further until they are completed."
A statement from Scotland Yard said officers "are undertaking inquiries on behalf of the coroner".
"The death is deemed to be non-suspicious. No one has been arrested," it said.
An inquest has yet to be held, solicitors for the family have said.


Irish welterweight Steven Donnelly won his opening bout at the Olympic Games with an emphatic victory over Algerian Zohir Kedache in Rio.

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The Ballymena boxer, who is seeded eighth, had a unanimous first round win on a 29-28, 30-26, 30-27 score card.
The 27-year-old will face Tuvshinbat Byamba of Mongolia, who is a two-time Olympian, in the last 16 on Thursday 11 August (16:45 BST).
Donnelly needs two more victories to guarantee at least a bronze medal.
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After easing his way into the opening round, Donnelly looked comfortable with quick combinations and landed several punches on his Algerian opponent, all three judges scoring it 10-9 in favour of the Ballymena fighter.
His growing dominance was reflected in a second round card of 10-9, 10-9, 10-8.
Donnelly continued to pick off his opponent and eased through the third round in a comfortable start to his Olympic campaign.
Also on Sunday, Donnelly's Irish team-mate David Oliver Joyce progressed to the last 16 in the lightweight division as he earned a unanimous decision over Andrique Allisop of the Seychelles.
Joyce will face a tough next bout against Azerbaijan's number two seed Albert Selimov.
Selimov won a silver medal in the division at last year's World Championships and clinched gold in the inaugural European Games 14 months ago.


Voters across the Isle of Man went to the polls on Thursday for the general election.

Twenty-four people were elected to serve in the House of Keys - the lower chamber of a parliament first established by Viking settlers more than 1,000 years ago.
The first historical references to Tynwald -the world's oldest continuously sitting parliament - can be found in the Chronicles of Mann.
The Latin manuscript, held at the British Library in London, makes reference to the original Tynwald meetings which were established sometime between the 11th and 14th Century.
The document was written at Rushen Abbey and is one of the most valuable sources of Manx history.
It tells the story of the Viking settlement on the Isle of Man which brought together Scandinavian Paganism and indigenous Christianity.
Despite this potentially volatile merger, experts tell us it was a relatively peaceful transition.
Andy Johnson from Manx National Heritage (MNH) said: "There is no evidence pointing to a bloody clash of culture.
"Instead the Vikings seem to have married into the population and exerted their influence that way.
"They absorbed Christianity from the indigenous population and very quickly they assimilated themselves.
"At the same time though, they did hang on to their language, place names and other traditions."
One such tradition introduced islanders to the concept of early democracy, played out in a ceremony which still exists today.
The Vikings established an annual public open-air meeting held at the height of summer.
In old Norse this gathering was called Thingvollr - 'thing' meaning assembly and 'vollr' meaning field.
The purpose of the meeting was to settle disputes between neighbours, something which morphed from a town meeting into what we would now call a parliament.
A similar event, Tynwald Day, is still held every year on Tynwald Hill in St. John's.
"Archaeologically speaking, there is a good deal of evidence to suggest that this area of the island is important," said Mr Johnson.
"There is a Bronze Age burial ground nearby and if you imagine away the buildings you can get a sense of being cradled by the hills at a coming together of route ways to the North, South, East and West - it's like being in at a geographical and intellectual crossroads."
Over the years the Viking meeting is thought to have developed into a people's court where new laws were introduced and read out to the nation - a tradition still also observed today.
New laws cannot be introduced on the island until they have been "proclaimed" in both English and Manx on Tynwald Day.
Clerk of Tynwald Roger Phillips said it is a system which retains its legal impact.
"The idea was that if you were not present at the Tynwald meeting and you subsequently broke the law you had no defence.
"Even today, if a law is not proclaimed on the hill during the Tynwald ceremony it will lapse - that is a rather pleasing connection to our Viking ancestors.
"Everyone was expected to talk about how to end disputes - this was a very important part of keeping the peace and the beginnings of a very early form of democracy."
The Tynwald ceremony has continued unchanged, except in detail, for more than 1,000 years and for this reason Tynwald can claim to be the "longest continuous parliament" in the world.
Many other Thingvollr meetings were established in Scandinavia but none have endured.
"Its continued existence is of fundamental importance to the identity of the Isle of Man," explained Mr Phillips.
"Tynwald is the sole reason the Isle of Man never became a part of England - in the 18th Century this was certainly was on the cards.
"Without it the island may have been incorporated into an English county - somewhere like Cheshire.
"The fact that Tynwald still exists today means we don't look to Westminster- the UK is not entirely irrelevant to the island - but it is a neighbour rather than central government," he added.
It is this feature of Manx governance which attracts attention from all over the world.


Wales wing Alex Cuthbert scored on his return from injury as Cardiff Blues won at Bristol in their opening European Challenge Cup group match.

The hosts, who are yet to win in the Premiership this season, went ahead through Max Crumpton's converted try.
But Reynold Lee-Lo and Josh Turnbull crossed to give Cardiff a 21-13 half-time advantage at Ashton Gate.
Cuthbert, who injured his groin in September, and Tom James both scored after the break for a bonus point.
Joe Joyce touched down for a last-minute consolation try for Bristol, who have not won since beating Rotherham in the Championship play-off final in May.
Cardiff Blues head coach Danny Wilson:
"It's pleasing to win. It's a fantastic venue to play against a physical side and it rocked us in the first 10 minutes.
"What I'm pleased about is the reaction from last week. We spoke about it and we were desperately disappointed in how we rocked up and how we were dominated and we wanted to make sure we had a physical display tonight.
"We scored some good tries, we spent a lot of time defending against a very passionate Bristol side so it's pleasing to get the bonus point and away win."
Bristol: Wallace; Varndell, Tovey, Palamo, Lemi (capt); Jarvis, Williams; Tonga'uiha, Crumpton, Cortes, Evans, Glynn, Koster, Robinson, Eadie.
Replacements: Brooker, O'Connell, Ford-Robinson, Joyce, Fenton-Wells, Uren, Searle, Arscott.
Cardiff Blues: Morgan; Cuthbert, Lee-Lo, Shingler, James; Anscombe, T Williams; Gill, Rees, Andrews, Hoeata, Cook, Turnbull, E Jenkins (capt), N Williams.
Replacements: Myhill, G Jenkins, Lewis, Down, Dolan, L Williams, Smith, Fish.
Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France).
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.


Northampton's training will get more intense now they are five points clear at the top of League Two, according to assistant manager Alan Knill.

The Cobblers, with seven straight league wins, face Oxford on Tuesday.
"We've tried to get into the players that you only get accolades for working hard," Knill told BBC Look East.
"We believe we work as hard as, if not more than, any other team in the league. The minute we stop that we're not a top-seven team."
He continued: "If anything our training is becoming more intense. We just felt we needed that. Instead of easing off we'll go the other way and keep the hammer down and push the players even more.
"We've worked so hard to get into this position, the last thing we want to do is let it go."
Saturday's 4-0 victory over play-off hopefuls Leyton Orient came before a clash against third-placed Oxford, the side manager Chris Wilder was in charge of before he moved to Sixfields Stadium.
Earlier this season, the Cobblers faced an uncertain future, with players and staff not being paid by the club and the fourth division side itself facing a winding-up petition before Kelvin Thomas' takeover in late November.
Despite the off-field issues, the Cobblers continued a push towards promotion.
"This season, especially the last three months, has been really enjoyable. The players are playing with a real freedom and we are scoring goals," said Knill.
"Myself and Chris have walked off a couple of times and said to each other 'I really enjoyed that today'."


An Australian man who asked politicians why he wasn't getting a tax cut has become a symbol for progressives and a target for conservatives, writes BBC Australia editor Shaun Davies.

Duncan Storrar is an ordinary Australian in extraordinary circumstances. In the space of four days he's been heralded as a national hero, given A$60,000 ($44,000; Â£30,000) in donations and revealed as a drug-using criminal with an extensive rap sheet.
Yet all he did was ask a question on a television show.
Every Monday night, political enthusiasts tune into Q&A on the Australian Broadcasting Corp to see a panel of politicians, commentators and academics face a studio audience of ordinary Australians.
Bespectacled, messy haired and dressed in a white hoodie, Storrar made his Q&A appearance on 9 May, the first day of the Australian election campaign. He asked the panel about the government's plan to give workers who earn more than A$80,000 a year a tax cut, while providing nothing for low-income earners.
"If you lift my tax-free threshold that changes my life," he said. "That means I get to say to my little girls, 'Daddy's not broke this weekend, we can go to the pictures'.
"Rich people don't even notice their tax-free threshold lift. What don't I get it? Why do they get it?"
The studio audience erupted in applause. Conservative panel members struggled to find a narrative - Assistant Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer drew particular disdain when she settled on explaining how the government's planned tax cuts for business could help a cafe buy a A$6,000 toaster.
Unlike most Q&A audience members, Storrar cut through. His simple, plaintive message resonated through social media and was quickly picked up by major Australian news websites.
Commentators on the left side of politics immediately developed an acute case of Duncan-mania. He was dubbed a "good bloke", then soon after a "national hero". #istandwithduncan started trending on Twitter.
Someone started a tongue-in-cheek GoFundMe page to raise enough money to buy Duncan a toaster. Its target was A$6,000 - it has now raised more than A$60,000.
Duncan Storrar had been transformed, literally overnight, from a regular bloke with a valid question to an everyman symbol for progressive politics.
But for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and so it proved with Storrar. It took just one day for the nation's conservative broadsheet, The Australian, to go on the attack, first by demonstrating that he, in fact, paid no net tax when his social welfare payments were taken into account.
Harsher assessments followed. His son, Aztec Major, told The Australian that he had gone to live with his estranged father at age 17, only to end up addicted to drugs. He urged people to donate to charities, rather than giving to a man he described as "undeserving of the money".
On Friday, Storrar's lengthy criminal record was revealed. Various media reported that he had been convicted for offences including assault, drug possession and threatening to kill. He had also breached intervention orders taken out against him by ex-partners.
Storrar has gone to ground, overwhelmed by the unexpected intensity of the coverage. The revelations of his criminal past call into question the fate of the A$60,000 in donations. Commentators on the left are crying foul at the brutal takedown; those on the right are crowing that "social justice warriors" have turned a criminal into a hero.
It took a particular mix of circumstances to whip up this media storm. Australia's election campaign is in full swing and the Liberal-led government and Labor opposition are sharply divided on tax policy. The government wants to lower the company tax rate over 10 years, while Labor wants to outlay billions of dollars on education and health.
Accusations of "class warfare" have been flying thick and fast.
Storrar stepped into the middle of this narrative. The simplicity of his question and his disarming delivery caught the conservative panellists off-guard. Their flummoxed responses fed a great story - Aussie battler takes on intellectual snobs and wins.
Added to this is the pressure cooker of social media and digital news, where people can be raised up and then squashed in a matter of hours. Fifteen years ago, Storrar's moment in the spotlight would most likely have ended when the Q&A credits rolled. This week the Duncan train rolled on for four days straight.
Despite his past misdeeds, it's hard not to feel sorry for Duncan. He didn't ask to be made a hero and he didn't ask for donations.
He has a dubious past, but so do thousands of other Australians with criminal records. Most don't end up with their worst moments exposed before the entire country to prove an ideological point.
He will probably get to keep at least some of the A$60,000 donated to him, although ironically it may push him into a higher tax bracket. The media circus will find its next sideshow and life will move on. The left and right of politics are busy throwing stones at one another, but the truth is both sides played their role.
Duncan Storrar's story is a modern-day fable that contains salient lessons about the internet's mob mentality.  You can build a hero in a day, but you can tear them apart just as quickly.


The UK has become Santander's most profitable market, generating just over a fifth of the bank's profits in the first half of 2015.

Pre-tax profits in the UK rose £74m to £928m, while revenues were up 5%.
The results eclipsed the €1bn (£700m) posted by the Spanish bank's Brazilian operation, which saw its revenues jump by 9%.
Overall, the bank posted a 24% rise in attributable profit to €3.24bn, but was flat at €2.99bn on the pre-tax level.
Nathan Bostock, chief executive of Santander UK, said: "We are well placed to benefit from the positive economic outlook, although future earnings will be impacted by the bank corporation tax surcharge announced in the recent UK Budget.
"Nevertheless, I am confident that we can continue to grow the business, whilst maintaining balance sheet strength."
Although a flotation of the UK business has been mooted for some years, Mr Bostock said he did not expect it to happen "for the next couple of years".
UK lending rose nearly 3% in the second quarter, while the bank also benefited from the strong pound and an increased focus on business loans.
In February, Santander announced a near-£44m seven-year deal to sponsor London's 11,000 bicycles for hire, taking over from Barclays.
Santander chief financial officer Jose Garcia Cantera said on Thursday that higher UK tax rates and the bank levy would result in a £500m hit to the UK operations by 2020.
In its home market of Spain, profits were up 50% to €771m despite a dip in revenues as charges against bad debts fell.
Spain accounted for 16% of profits, with Europe making up 54% of the total.
Brazil accounted for 20%, while the rest of Latin America had a 37% share.
Emerging economies - Latin America and Poland - accounted for 41% of profit, while mature markets contributed the remaining 59%.
Ana Botin, Santander chairman, said the first-half results showed the "soundness and consistency" of the bank's business model.
Santander is worth €91bn (£64bn), making it the eurozone's most valuable bank and the world's 11th largest.
Shares fell 1.5% to €6.40 in Madrid on Thursday. The stock is down 17% over the past 12 months.
In January, Santander tapped shareholders for €7.5bn to bolster its balance sheet amid stricter EU regulation and greater competition.


The Pentagon inspector general is investigating whether a sacked Trump adviser took money from foreign governments without necessary approval.

Michael Flynn was warned in 2014 about declaring foreign funds, a year before he appeared on Russia television and was paid $45,000, documents show.
Mr Flynn's links to Russia are being scrutinised by the FBI and two congressional committees.
A lawyer for Mr Flynn said the Pentagon was aware of one of his paid speeches.
Congressional members now want the Army to determine whether he broke the law.
The inspector generals' letters also show that the agency found no evidence that he sought prior approval.
In a letter sent to the acting secretary of the Army, Republican House Oversight Committee chairman Jason Chaffetz requested that "in light of these apparent violations" the Army establish a way for Mr Flynn to repay the hundred of thousands of dollars that he received from the governments of Russia and Turkey.
The committee's ranking Democratic member, Elijah Cummings, also released a 2014 document given to Mr Flynn by his old employer, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), which outlines his ethics restrictions - including a prohibition on accepting payments from foreign governments.
He also released a redacted letter from the DIA saying they could not "locate any records of LTG Flynn seeking permission or approval for the receipt of money from a foreign source".
But a lawyer for Mr Flynn said that the redacted sections in the letter confirm that he had actually provided two briefings to defence officials, one before and one after the event.
"The Department was fully aware of the trip," lawyer Robert Kelner said. He also calling upon the DIA and the committee to release the full unredacted note.
Earlier this week, the White House refused to release Mr Flynn's forms that he filed in order to obtain a White House security clearance.
Mr Flynn received more than $33,000 (Â£25,700) from Russian broadcaster RT for giving a speech at its Moscow gala in 2015. He was seated at a table next to the Russian president.
He also received more than $500,000 from Turkey for lobbying he undertook on their behalf in Washington after leaving the Defense Intelligence Agency in August 2014, and before joining the Trump administration.
His lawyer has said that he wants immunity to testify before Congress on alleged Russian election meddling.
Mr Flynn quit as national security adviser in February after failing to disclose to the White House his conversations with the Russian ambassador to Washington.
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The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has said it intervened in an attempt to remove an Army team from one of its competitions in England as it is a matter for senior bosses to discuss.

A decision was made in September to include the Army's Irish Guards team after a rule banning British security forces from the GAA was overturned.
But a London hurling club has been attempting to have them excluded again.
The GAA has now moved to stop a vote that could see the Army team removed.
The London board of Gaelic games' ruling body was due to hold a vote on Monday night on the proposal by the Harrow-based Granuaile to scrap last year's decision to allow the Irish Guards to compete in the junior football championship.
But PÃ¡raic Duffy, the  director general of the Irish-based GAA, contacted the London board and it subsequently suspended the vote.
AogÃ¡n Ã³ Fearghail, the GAA president, said the association's central council would discuss the matter.
"We've written to the London GAA board and we've asked them not to make a decision on that until we, as a management, have a look at that," he said.
"Because it's nothing to do with one club, it's all clubs - we've close to 2,000 clubs.
"If we accept a club into our association, then it shouldn't be so simple to just remove them."
A spokesman for the GAA added that the association's management committee and central council would meet this weekend.
British security forces have been allowed to join the GAA since the rule banning them was historically lifted in 2001.
The GAA spokesman said "only [Granuaile] can confirm the rationale behind their submission" for a proposal to "revisit the affiliation processed in relation to the Irish Guards".


At a young age Noah was given a drug to help him, but the side affects lead to him becoming deaf.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Squash has helped him develop confidence on and off the court and now he says: "I want to get other deaf people and other kids playing squash."
"It's a community," explains Noah's dad. "And that community is very social, caring and welcoming the whole family.
"Squash is not a sport that makes deafness a disadvantage."
If you would like to learn more about squash check out our guide


Barnsley's first win in eight matches condemned Brentford to defeat in their 4,000th league game.

Adam Armstrong put the Tykes ahead as Conor Hourihane's free-kick was nodded down by Marley Watkins and fired in.
Scott Hogan had a fine chance to level as he got in behind the visitors' defence, but Adam Davies was quick off his line to deny the Brentford forward his ninth goal of the season.
The win was sealed when Ryan Kent hit the post and Sam Winnall pounced.
Late on, Davies again had to make a fantastic save as Josh Clarke rushed through on goal, as the Tykes' keeper forced him wide and then got down low to block.
Earlier, Watkins whipped a dangerous cross into the Bees' box, but Winnall could only head straight at home keeper Daniel Bentley.
The Bees suffered their fifth loss of the season and are winless in their last four, only picking up two points during this period.
Barnsley's sixth win of the season ends a run of three defeats for the visitors, and is their first victory since beating Wolves 4-0 at Molineux on 13 September.
Brentford manager Dean Smith:
"We controlled the first half without creating too many chances. There were half-chances for both sides but we gave them a hand.
"Our decision-making was poor on the ball. We had three or four opportunities to play Scott Hogan in but we took an extra touch which slowed play down for us.
"When you are two goals up you can afford to take a few chances and you will look sharper, but if we'd taken our chances it might have been a different story.
"There is an expectancy for us to beat Barnsley and people fancy us to beat them, but every game is different and there are no easy ones."
Barnsley manager Paul Heckingbottom:
"I'm really pleased. It's what we've been after for a few games now, where we've performed well and not got our rewards.
"There were fewer errors and the decision-making was much better. It's been easy to see what the problem has been because the eight goals we've conceded have been down to us and things we did wrong.
"We put that right today and got what we deserved. We have to bring the same level of performance we've shown today into every game."
"Brentford have only conceded two at home this season and are a good side, good with the ball and tough to handle, but we came with a game plan and executed it. We deserved the win."
Match ends, Brentford 0, Barnsley 2.
Second Half ends, Brentford 0, Barnsley 2.
Attempt saved. Conor Hourihane (Barnsley) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Marley Watkins.
Corner,  Brentford. Conceded by Adam Davies.
Attempt saved. Nico Yennaris (Brentford) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Maxime Colin.
Foul by Nico Yennaris (Brentford).
Ryan Williams (Barnsley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Barnsley. Jacob Brown replaces Sam Winnall.
Offside, Barnsley. Adam Davies tries a through ball, but Sam Winnall is caught offside.
Corner,  Brentford. Conceded by Adam Hammill.
Ryan Woods (Brentford) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Adam Hammill (Barnsley).
Attempt missed. Scott Hogan (Brentford) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Josh Clarke.
Josh Clarke (Brentford) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Sam Morsy (Barnsley).
Substitution, Barnsley. Adam Hammill replaces Ryan Kent.
Josh Clarke (Brentford) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Sam Morsy (Barnsley).
Substitution, Barnsley. Ryan Williams replaces Adam Armstrong.
Conor Hourihane (Barnsley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Yoann Barbet (Brentford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Conor Hourihane (Barnsley).
Attempt blocked. Philipp Hofmann (Brentford) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Josh Clarke.
Substitution, Brentford. Philipp Hofmann replaces Romaine Sawyers.
Corner,  Barnsley. Conceded by John Egan.
Foul by Scott Hogan (Brentford).
Adam Davies (Barnsley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Brentford. Conceded by Adam Davies.
Attempt saved. Josh Clarke (Brentford) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Attempt blocked. Josh Clarke (Brentford) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Josh McEachran.
Attempt blocked. Adam Armstrong (Barnsley) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ryan Kent.
John Egan (Brentford) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Sam Winnall (Barnsley).
Maxime Colin (Brentford) hits the bar with a right footed shot from the right side of the box.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Marley Watkins (Barnsley) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Josh McEachran (Brentford) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Maxime Colin.
Attempt missed. Conor Hourihane (Barnsley) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Goal!  Brentford 0, Barnsley 2. Sam Winnall (Barnsley) left footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal.
Ryan Kent (Barnsley) hits the left post with a left footed shot from the left side of the box. Assisted by Adam Armstrong.


Injured front row Henry Thomas has signed a new three-year contract with Premiership club Bath.

The 25-year-old former Sale Sharks tight-head prop, who has won seven caps for England, joined Bath in 2014 and has played six times so far this term.
"It is the place for me. It is my home. I've loved the past few years here," Thomas told BBC Radio Bristol.
Thomas is currently out long term after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in November.
"It wasn't a hard decision to make," Thomas added. "I've signed on for three years and I'm really excited."
Asked if he might play again this season, he replied: "It is a big doubt really.
"As a player you always like to push as much as you can but the physios always have your best interests at heart."
Bath are fourth in the Premiership after 13 league games this season and are at home to Brive in the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup after finishing top of their pool.


An exhibition featuring thousands of handmade ceramic poppies has had a "massive" cultural and economical impact on Derby, the city council says.

The Weeping Window was first seen at the Tower of London and commemorated those who died in World War One.
The exhibition has been at The Silk Mill, Derby, since 9 June and has had about 200,000 visitors.
Derby City Council culture spokesman Peter Ireson said he hoped people had been "inspired" by the installation.
Artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper's poppy installation, named Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, saw more than five million people visit the Tower of London in 2014.
The Weeping Window, a cascade of sculptured poppies, has been on tour across the UK and ends in Derby on Sunday.
Mr Ireson said: "[The exhibition] has been massive culturally in terms of numbers of people who have engaged with this wonderful exhibition, but also in terms of the local economy."
Ashley Lewis, spokesman for the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District, said: "It certainly has put Derby on the map nationally and we have had visitors from all around the world and all over the UK.  It's been a really positive thing to have here."
Derby businessman Steve Owens, who runs Jack Rabbits Kitchen, said: "It has pretty much doubled our take. To have something this iconic come to Derby has really increased salesâ€¦ and it is brilliant," he said.
Mr Ireson added: "This proves that â€¦ a fantastic piece of art can inspire people and have an economic  knock-on effect for the rest of the city."


Three former winners of the Costa Novel Award have been shortlisted again for this year's prize.

Maggie O'Farrell, Rose Tremain and Sebastian Barry will compete for the prize at the Costa Book Awards, formerly known as the Whitbread Awards.
Sarah Perry has also been nominated in the category for her novel The Essex Serpent.
Singer Kate Tempest leads the all-female shortlist in the poetry category.
There are five categories in the annual Costa Book Awards - for novel, first novel, poetry, biography and children's book.
The winners in each of the five categories will receive Â£5,000 before one overall winner is declared the Costa Book of the Year.
The author of the winning book receives a further Â£25,000 prize money.
In the best novel category, Barry is nominated for Days Without End, while O'Farrell gets a nod for This Must Be the Place and Tremain is recognised for The Gustav Sonata.
O'Farrell, who has now been nominated three times and won the prize in 2010 for The Hand that First Held Mine, told the BBC: "It's amazing - it's such a lovely phone call to get. Every time feels different because every book feels so different.
"I don't mind what happens in the ultimate decision. It's just so nice to be invited along to the party."
Her book tells the story of a reclusive actress and was inspired by seeing a "very, very famous" woman in a Soho cafe being besieged by paparazzi.
"I remember looking at her and thinking I couldn't live that life - I would fake my own death and run away," she said. "As I left, I was crossing the road and I thought - 'that's a good idea for a novel'."
O'Farrell is now writing her first non-fiction book.
"It's a bit of a new direction for me," she said. "I'm still not sure if I'll be able to pull it off. But it was just an idea I had, almost metabolising things that have happened in my life."
Set against the backdrop of mid-nineteenth century America during the Indian wars and the Civil War, Barry's Days Without End is about two men and the fate they have been dealt.
Speaking about the feeling of being nominated again, Barry said: "It's that slightly miraculous warm wind that goes through you, making you 12 years old again, it's absolutely lovely."
Last week, sculptor Helen Marten described art prizes as flawed and pledged to share the prize money she received from winning the Hepworth award with her fellow nominees.
But, speaking to the BBC, Barry said such prizes still have value in literature.
"It's possibly different in the art world... but without prizes it's very difficult to progress within the constrained economics of a book, and that's why they have this huge importance," he said.
"The Costa prize is not brutally commercial in any way, it is trying to celebrate the most enjoyable books of the year."
Tremain said she was "delighted" to join her fellow nominees on the shortlist.
"This is a wonderfully invigorating literary prize, giving us a menu of crazy variety in its the final shortlist," she said. "But as chair of the judges in 2013, I know that, on the night, the categories fade away and the winner is just clearly and squarely 'the book we all loved best'."
Tremain's The Gustav Sonata, set in a fictional Swiss town, follows the friendship between Gustav and his Jewish friend Anton from their childhood through to the 21st century.
She described her novel as the "small Americano" on the list, adding: "Most British punters go for lattes and cappuccinos - but who knows?"
Perry's The Essex Serpent is set in 1893 in the author's home county and centres on Cora Seaborne, a widow who goes on the hunt for a mythical Essex creature.
Mercury-nominated artist Tempest's collection Let Them Eat Chaos faces competition from Melissa Lee-Houghton's Sunshine, Alice Oswald's Falling Awake and Denise Riley's Say Something Back.
The category for debut novel sees nods for Susan Beale's The Good Guy, Kit de Waal for My Name is Leon, Guinevere Glasfurd's The Words in My Hand and Golden Hill by Francis Spufford.
Nominees in the biography category include Sylvia Patterson's I'm Not with the Band: A Writer's Life Lost in Music and The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar - which was also recently shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize.
Other nominees in the category are Keggie Carew for Dadland: A Journey into Uncharted Territory and John Guy for Elizabeth: The Forgotten Years.
In the children's book category, nods are given to Brian Conaghan for The Bombs That Brought Us Together, Patrice Lawrence for Orangeboy, Francesca Simon for The Monstrous Child and Ross Welford for Time Travelling with a Hamster.
The winners will be announced on 3 January 2017.
Last year's overall Costa winner was Frances Hardinge for her children's book Victorian murder mystery The Lie Tree.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


The next series of The Apprentice is going to look somewhat different.
The 42-year-old comedian has confirmed he will no longer be presenting the BBC Two spin-off show You're Fired.
"After five years hosting You're Fired, I've decided to pass the chair on to someone else," he explained.
His exit comes after PR expert Nick Hewer stepped down as Lord Sugar's right-hand man on the main show.
Dara has revealed he wants to spend more time on his own comedy.
"I'm back on tour again this year and I'd like to enjoy getting laughs off my own incompetence for a while," he said.
"Best of luck to whoever takes over the chair, you'll have lots of fun with them."
More than six million viewers tuned in for the final of the last series of The Apprentice.
Patrick Holland, executive producer of reality show, said: "Dara has been an absolutely fantastic host.
"It has been a great privilege to work with him and we wish him the very best with his next projects."
There is no word on who will replace Dara just yet.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


A former teacher has admitted paying men to abuse children as young as three in the Philippines while he directed and watched from elsewhere online.

Paul O'Neill, 57, from Nottinghamshire, preyed on poverty-stricken families, paying Â£6,000 to people who procured children to be abused.
He admitted three counts of rape and a further 27 sexual offences at Nottingham Crown Court.
The CPS said the virtual rape case was thought to be the first of its kind.
He is due to be sentenced later.


Labour will keep its election promises despite uncertainty over Brexit, but cuts to some services are inevitable, the first minister has warned.

The pledges are included in the party's five-year plan for government.
Increased free child care and more apprenticeships are promised, along with an M4 relief road and a South Wales Metro public transport network.
Plaid Cymru said the programme was "lacklustre", while the Conservatives said Labour had let Wales down.
The most expensive commitments cover 30 hours of free childcare a week over 48 weeks for parents of three and four-year-olds, and 100,000 apprenticeships open to people of all ages.
The programme covers what the Welsh Government will try to achieve, while the first indication of what will be cut will emerge when its draft budget is published in October.
The main pledges include:
A Welsh Government source said there had been a "full and frank assessment of every pound, shilling and pence that we spend" in light of the financial uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
He added: "Some tough decisions will have to be made in the first year.
"Salami slicing is not going to get the job done this time round. There will be areas and programmes that will be cut."
Responding to the claims on BBC Radio Wales, the first minister said: "There are going to be cuts... I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
"Of course, our budget is shrinking, it has been for many years and that means very difficult decisions have to be taken.
"We are going to have to look at some of the schemes we have delivered for many, many years and make a judgement."
A programme, called Taking Wales Forward, reflects many of the pledges outlined in Labour's manifesto for the Welsh Assembly election in May.
Mr Jones said Labour would see through its election promises, including building an M4 relief road and a South Wales Metro.
He said: "The UK's withdrawal from the European Union creates some uncertainty and challenges, but our mandate is clear.
"The Welsh Government's relentless focus will be on driving improvement in our economy and public services, which are together the bedrock of people's daily lives.
On local government reform, Mr Jones said many services would have to be delivered "on a wider basis" in future, but he would not say whether this meant council mergers were still on the cards.
Plaid Cymru AM Rhun ap Iorwerth said the programme for government portrayed the "gulf" between the two parties.
That was despite pledges that were part of a deal struck in return for allowing Carwyn Jones to be re-elected as first minister back in May.
"It should come as no surprise that a lacklustre manifesto has led to a lacklustre programme for government," said Mr ap Iorwerth.
"Yes, it's good to see the elements that Plaid Cymru drove through in our post-election one-off agreement, including a pledge to create 100,000 new apprenticeships and a new drugs and treatments fund, but Labour's lack of innovative ideas shines through again."
As the official opposition in the assembly, Plaid said it would be "challenging Labour to do better".
The Conservatives said it was "difficult to disagree" with the plans but said Labour had "let Wales down" since devolution.
Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said: "As usual we are left with little by way of detail, and Carwyn Jones's claim that Wales is punching above its weight is delusional.
"In spite of our many and varied talents, the evidence suggests that the exact opposite is true.
"Under Labour, the Welsh education system ranks behind Vietnam; large swathes of Wales are poorer than parts of Bulgaria, Romania and Poland; and Welsh NHS waiting times are the longest in the UK.
"If the Labour Party thinks that Wales punching above its weight, then they have a very low opinion of our country indeed."
Janet Jones, Wales policy chair for the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "We welcome the commitment in the Programme for Government to supporting innovation and providing additional support for businesses.
"Key to that commitment must be a new economic development strategy which meets the challenges facing the Welsh economy in the coming five years.
"That strategy needs to contain fresh thinking and should place a focus on growing small firms into the successful and grounded medium-sized businesses that Wales needs to put our economy on a stronger footing."
Brexit will cast uncertainty over the next five years, says Carwyn Jones.
But as someone who campaigned for a Remain vote, he is bound to talk up the risks - as he sees them - of leaving the EU.
Whatever comes from Brexit, we know for certain there are plenty of hurdles that will make life difficult for Mr Jones if he is to deliver this five-year programme.
Labour has no majority in the Senedd. Today's statement is a chance for him to explain how he will make Labour's manifesto a reality. But in doing so, he must keep other parties on side to maintain his grip on power.
And we know there will be growing pressure on the Welsh Government budget. More cuts loom and sources close to the first minister say they have already had to wield the axe to raise the funds necessary to pay for expensive manifesto pledges.


Pop star Prince is on course to dominate the UK charts this week, as mourning fans rush to buy his music.

The musician holds every spot in the top five in the midweek chart update, with 16 albums set to enter the top 100 the Official Chart Company says.
His 2001 retrospective The Very Best Of is at number one, followed by the 2006 collection Ultimate.
Purple Rain is at three, followed by The Hits / The B-Sides and 1987's double album Sign O' The Times.
Six of Prince's hits are also due to re-enter the singles chart, led by Purple Rain which is currently at number two.
The song reached Number eight upon its original release in 1984, meaning the song could hit a new peak on Friday's Official Chart.
The rock legend died suddenly last Thursday at the age of 57.
Even though last week's chart was compiled mere hours after the news was announced, the Ultimate compilation rocketed to tenth place in the countdown, with 5,389 sales.
In the US, The Very Best of Prince and Purple Rain took the number one and two spot respectively in the Billboard chart, outselling the rest of the market in less than 24 hours.
Such sales were undoubtedly spurred by Prince's absence from streaming services.
The star's catalogue is only available to stream on Tidal, while he relentlessly pursued people who illegally uploaded his material to sites like SoundCloud, Daily Motion and YouTube.
"I have a team of female black lawyers who keep an eye on such transgressions," Prince once said. "And you know they're sharp."
Prince died at his Paisley Park home near Minneapolis last week, after reports he was suffering with flu.
He was found in an unresponsive state in a lift on the first floor of his home. Emergency service personnel performed CPR, but were unable to revive him.
The star was pronounced dead at the scene. Details of the post-mortem examination have yet to be released, but his body was released to his family on Friday afternoon and he was cremated on Saturday.
Thousands of fans have flocked to Paisley Park, the First Avenue nightclub, and other sites made famous by Prince since his death, while tributes have come from Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake and President Obama, amongst others.
Eric Clapton said Prince had helped him battle depression and drug addiction in the 1980s, calling him "a light in the darkness".
"I was out on the road in a massive downward spiral with drink and drugs," he wrote on Facebook. "I saw Purple Rain in a cinema in Canada, I had no idea who he was, it was like a bolt of lightning! In the middle of my depression, and the dreadful state of the music culture at that time it gave me hope."
Justin Timberlake added: "He's somewhere within every song I've ever written."
Meanwhile, US comedy show Saturday Night Live dedicated this weekend's edition to the star, broadcasting archive performances and footage of an invitation-only concert he gave for the programme's 40th Anniversary.
The NFL also uploaded the star's memorable, rain-drenched SuperBowl concert to YouTube for the first time since it aired in 2007.
A senator in Prince's home state of Minnesota has called for purple to be adopted as its official colour, reported the St Paul Pioneer Press; while Prince's brother-in-law said plans were "in the works" for a large-scale public musical memorial.
A private memorial service was held for the rock star on Saturday, attended by about 20 of his closest friends and family.
Among them was Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham, who toured with Prince and converted him to the Jehovah's Witness faith.
Also present was drummer Sheila E, one of Prince's most frequent collaborators on records including Lovesexy, Erotic City and The Glamorous Life.
Speaking to EW after the service, she said the congregation was still struck by disbelief.
"What was challenging yesterday was listening to his music at a very low, soft volume and the room very low in lights and everyone just taking a moment, just sitting there, kind of going, 'Wow,'" she said.
The musician also confirmed plans to turn Prince's home and recording studio into a museum, akin to Elvis's Graceland.
"We're hoping to make Paisley what [Prince wanted] it to be. [He] was working on it being a museum," she said. "He's been gathering memorabilia and stuff from all the tours, like my drums and his motorcycle."
"There's a hallway of his awards and things, which he really didn't care about too much, but he displayed it for the fans because he knows that they would want to see it," she continued.
The percussionist added that she would be the musical director of the forthcoming tribute, which is expected to take place in Minneapolis.
And she said Prince never truly appreciated his impact on fans.
"When you're in a place of musically creating and writing, you just do your thing, and you don't realise how many people you touch," she explained.
"I don't know that he really knew how he touched almost everyone in this world."


Vietnamese police have detained 20 people after hundreds of farmers protested on a disputed plot of land near Hanoi, state media report.

Riot police used clubs and tear gas to evict the farmers who protested on Tuesday in Van Giang district of Hung Yen province near the capital.
Villagers had camped in the area to try to keep the authorities and private developers away from the site.
Land rights disputes in Vietnam are becoming increasingly violent.
Around 2,000 police and security officers were deployed to repossess the area.
"They threw stun grenades and came towards the field... then 100 bulldozers were sent in to clear crops," a local resident, who identified himself only as Kien, told the BBC Vietnamese service.
A private company, Vihajico, has been trying for years to build a satellite city called EcoPark, covering 500 hectares of land in the area.
More than 4,000 families will lose their farmland as a result of the development, AP news agency reports.
Residents have been offered 36 million Vietnamese dong ($1,700; Â£1,000) as compensation for every 360 sq m plot of land.
However, some locals have said that the compensation is inadequate, and accuse officials of corruption.
Land rights are a contentious issue in Vietnam, where the Communist government owns all land and usage rights are unclear.
In January, fish farmer Doan Van Vuon made headlines after he used homemade mines and shotguns in an attempt to stop police from seizing his land.


A fine art and antiquities museum founded by a "bibliophile and art collector" marks its 200th anniversary in 2016.

Viscount Fitzwilliam left his art and library - with Â£100,000 (about Â£74m today) to house them - to Cambridge University in 1816, and this was used to set up the Fitzwilliam Museum.


Dublin Airport has temporarily suspended flights because of a fire on the roof of a hangar.

It has advised passengers to check with their airline for flight information.
Four fire appliances were sent to the scene after the alarm was raised at about 07:15 local time. There are no reports of any injuries.
There are no further details.