The EU referendum campaign is looking more each day like a "blue-on-blue" political knife fight; no longer a question of which side has the best ideas for Britain's future.

Instead, the prime minister and his senior ministerial colleagues on either side of the European divide are competing to convince the country their rivals are the worst liars.
David Cameron declined to use the "l" word today, but he didn't need to.
This will hurt the Conservative Party. It will damage the credibility of senior ministers. It will erode trust in government departments like the Treasury, where some degree of trust is essential.
It will eat away at whatever may be left of public faith in the political process. And it will make David Cameron's job reuniting his party - assuming he survives the vote - much harder.
Far more worrying for the Remain side - and encouraging for the Leavers - is that, just now, the grotesque self-harm the Conservative Party is inflicting upon itself is beside the point.
Comparatively unnoticed, cast into shadow by the pyrotechnic light-show in the Tory party, the Labour Party has come to realise it is losing the argument, and may be in real danger of losing the referendum for the Remain campaign.
This morning, Labour's shadow cabinet agreed the party needed to "up its game" and to do so urgently. Alarmed backbench MPs have been excusing themselves from parliamentary duties to kick-start what they describe as the near-torpid campaigning in their constituencies.
MP after MP has returned to Westminster with depressing tales from their home turf; of door-knocking in staunchly Labour areas where apathy towards the EU question has given way to rank hostility. One former minister contacted dozens of local Labour councillors urging them to mobilise behind the Remain campaign. To the MP's fury, the appeal elicited one single reply.
Among the most ardent pro-Europeans on the Labour side, there is private frustration that leader Jeremy Corbyn has not been more active in support of the cause. Yet at today's shadow cabinet, Mr Corbyn is said to have shared the general sense of alarm.
Often, according to another shadow minister, the antipathy to the EU has little or nothing to do with Europe. "People just want to kick the establishment," he said.
Another shadow cabinet member told me: "We have never really set out to make the case for Europe. The sceptics have been winning the argument by default. Now we're playing catch up."
So the word has been sent out to energise the support for British membership of the EU among Labour voters.
There is still just over a fortnight of campaigning to come. The outcome is not settled.
But among Labour MPs representing areas which will be crucial to the outcome of the referendum, the nagging fear is starting to take hold that it may already be too late.


Radiographer Mala Trivedi was caught up in the Russell Square blast as she travelled to work from her Wembley home.

Mrs Trivedi, 51, was a manager in the X-ray department at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children with more than 30 years of experience in the profession.
She died on the Piccadilly Line train travelling south from King's Cross station.
Mrs Trivedi was born and educated in Nairobi, Kenya, and met her husband Ashock there while a student in 1968.
The couple travelled back and forth between the two countries, marrying in Britain 1975.
They returned to Kenya for four years, where Mrs Trivedi worked in a hospital X-ray department, but came back to the UK in 1979, and in 1986 had a son, Kunaal.
She worked in St Thomas's Hospital until June 2001 and rose to be the Pictures, Archiving and Communications System (PACS) manager.
Then she moved to the PACS manager position at Great Ormond Street.
Dr Cathy Owens, paying tribute to her on behalf of the department of radiology, said: "Mala had a particular combination of skills as an IT expert and a radiographer which enabled her to set up and run the imaging IT system at Great Ormond Street.
"Her dedication to her job and her cheery polite nature made her a very popular member of the close-knit team which she helped to lead.
"Mala was kind and empathic and for her, work was a vocation."
She said her colleagues would miss "her tireless dedication and her cheery disposition".
Ten days after the London attacks, Mrs Trivedi's son visited Russell Square, to be near the spot where his mother died.


Whether we are on the verge of an "Asian Century" or not, one thing is clear: there has already been a dramatic shift in the geographic centre of the global economy.

China is now front and centre, and its role as a leading dragon can be beneficial for growth prospects for the world economy.
The world desperately needs engines of growth right now, and fortunately - with continued strong and pragmatic economic policy making - China can provide that impetus.
China is now the world's second biggest economy and the largest exporter of goods, with 9.6% of the global share, followed by Germany, the United States and Japan. China has an income per capita of $4,400 in current dollars and is well established as a high-middle income country.
China's foreign reserves, which now exceed $3 trillion, are the largest in the world.
Behind this rise, there has been a dramatic structural transformation entailing rapid industrialisation, a massive movement out of agriculture, and an impressive stretch of trade-related growth.
China has the potential to grow dynamically for another 20 years. This is in part because, as of 2008, the country still had a capita income that was just 21% of US per capita income - measured in purchasing power parity terms. This US-China income gap is evidence that a big technological gap still exists between China and the industrialised countries.
China can continue to enjoy the advantage of backwardness before closing the gap.
By 2030, China's income per head (measured in purchasing power parity) may reach about 50% of that in the United States. By then, China's economic size (in purchasing power parity terms) may be twice as large as the US; and measured at market exchange rates, China may be at least the same size as the US two decades from now.
Yet China and other emerging markets must confront several serious challenges in the coming years. First, contagion from the Euro area and sagging demand in high-income countries could dampen hopes for moderate world growth over the next few years. Indeed, a double-dip recession in advanced countries cannot be ruled out as a downside risk.
Nationally, China must tackle what amounts to a triple imbalance.
Engineering a shift towards domestic demand and moving from an over-reliance on export-led growth represents the first rebalancing.
The process should be balanced between consumption and continued strong growth in investment. The latter is critical for industrial upgrading, raising incomes, as well as developing "green economy" sectors and protecting the environment.
The second rebalancing entails a structural transformation to reduce income disparities. In spite of the general improvement of living standards, China has shifted from a relatively egalitarian society in 1979 to a country with alarming income inequality. The Gini index [a common measure of social inequality] reached 41.5 in 2005, approaching the level of Latin American countries. The widening of disparity may threaten social stability and hinder economic growth.
The third imbalance relates to environmental costs that have accompanied rapid growth. China needs to shift its stance vis-a-vis short-term growth and long-term environmental sustainability. The future structure of production must shift towards cleaner technologies.
As a result of superior growth in the developing world, we are now in a multi-polar growth world, with economic weight shifting from the G7 economies [of seven leading industrialised nations] to developing economies.
China's contributions to the multi-polar world are manifold. For high-income countries, China's growth will expand markets for their capital goods and intermediate goods exports.
Many developing countries are still major producers of agricultural and natural resource commodities. Chinese consumption and production growth will continue to support adequate commodity prices and thus help these exporters.
In addition, the Chinese government and Chinese firms will also provide funds for natural resource and infrastructure investment in emerging markets and low-income countries. This is already happening, and it is likely to continue. In particular, there is a growing role of Chinese finance in the Africa region - the developing region with the most constrained access to finance.
Also, as China undergoes industrial upgrading, it will leave space for other developing countries to enter the more labour-intensive industries. Chinese enterprises are expected to relocate their existing production to other lower wage countries as they upgrade to higher value-added industries - just like Japan and East Asian economies did a few decade ago.
The difference is that, because of its size, China may become a "leading dragon" for other developing countries instead of a "lead goose" in the traditional flying geese pattern of the international diffusion of industrial development.
Over time, there is also the possibility of the gradual emergence of the Chinese Renminbi as a global reserve currency.
This is something that would require many fundamental reforms in the Chinese economy; however, it is almost inevitable given the growing relative strength of China in the multi-polar world.
Justin Yifu Lin is the author of Demystifying the Chinese Economy, the 18th book to his name. He is the World Bank's chief economist and senior vice president for Development Economics. Before joining the World Bank he served as Founding Director and Professor of the China Centre for Economic Research (CCER) at Beijing University.


Paralysed jockey Freddy Tylicki will return to the saddle next week when he has a riding lesson.

Tylicki was left paralysed from the waist down after a four-horse pile-up at Kempton in October last year.
The 30-year-old is now in a specialist spinal unit in London.
"It's not going to be a racehorse - it'll be something slower - but life goes on and you've got to make the most of it," he told BBC Look East of his riding plans.
"There's only two ways you can go in this situation and I've decided to go forward. Somehow, life goes on again."
Tylicki, who started riding racehorses when he was about 11, added: "It's like a drug - once you start with it, you can't stop."
Tylicki's life changed forever at what should have been a mundane Monday meeting at Kempton Park in Surrey.
He fell heavily from his mount, Nellie Dean, when appearing to clip heels with leader and eventual winner Madame Butterfly as the field rounded the home turn.
Tylicki broke 18 ribs in the fall, but most significant was the T7 paralysis, which meant he no longer had movement in the lower half of his body.
"In some ways I am lucky to be here," he said.
"I remember everything from the fall, and unfortunately that's racing. It's a very risky job and you know that as a rider."
Tylicki who has not watched a replay of the incident, added: "Apparently it was a horrible fall, I haven't seen it. I was there, so there's no point looking at it again.
"You are going to have falls, and when you do fall it's how bad it is afterwards. I got away with it a few times and unfortunately I didn't this time."


Work has begun to clear and prepare the former Army base at Lisanelly in Omagh, County Tyrone, into a shared education campus.

Education Minister John O'Dowd visited the 126-acre site on Wednesday as phase one of the project got under way.
Phase one will see the construction of a new school for Arvalee Special School and a resource centre.
Six schools, catering for 3,700 pupils will eventually be built and based on the site.
Mr O'Dowd described the start of work as a "hugely significant milestone".
"The Lisanelly project is visionary. It will be the largest single investment in education facilities ever made here, with construction costs estimated to be in excess of Â£120m, as it brings six schools together on one campus in the town for the first time," he said.
"The commencement of demolition marks the beginning of the delivery phase of the Lisanelly Shared Education Campus. It is symbolic of the progress we have made in recent years through working together in an atmosphere of collaboration and sharing.
"It is symbolic of our move away from the past, toward a brighter future where everyone here can fulfil his or her potential, irrespective of political, religious or social background."
The minister attended the site with pupils from each of the six schools involved to witness demolition of the first building.
The six schools that will move on to the site are Arvalee School and Resource Centre; Loreto Grammar School; Omagh High School; Sacred Heart College; Omagh Academy and Christian Brothers Grammar School.
Mr O'Dowd said the schools involved had a "unique opportunity to create something special".
"The opportunity exists to ensure the end result will be greater than the sum of the individual parts and the campus provides a model for shared education here," he said.
"A model that can act as a flagship for the area and as a beacon showing the way forward for other educational communities in the north.
"The schools involved have recognised strengths and capabilities and well deserved reputations for delivering quality education and pastoral support for local children.
"There is not, and never has been, any intention to dilute the individual strengths or capabilities of those schools. Rather we want to ensure that we harness and share all that is best in these schools and working together deliver a world class, 21st Century education for the area."
The new site will include some shared areas, such as a school of performance, sports facilities and an ecology centre.


Aaron Cresswell has signed a one-year contract extension with West Ham, taking his current deal to 2021.

The 26-year-old defender joins team-mates Michail Antonio, Dimitri Payet, Adrian, and Cheikhou Kouyate in committing his future to the club.
The former Ipswich Town full-back has made 89 appearances for the Hammers, scoring four goals.
"I've been here for two years now and I'm looking forward to the next five seasons now that I've signed," he said.


Donald Trump's election risks upsetting EU ties with the US "fundamentally and structurally", EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned.

"We will need to teach the president-elect what Europe is and how it works," Mr Juncker told students in Luxembourg.
The Commission chief predicted that two years would be wasted while Mr Trump "tours a world he doesn't know".
His remarks contrasted with other EU leaders' more muted reaction to the Tuesday's shock election result.
American cities have seen angry protests since Mr Trump's election victory over the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.
In New York, Mr Trump set about forming the team that will see him through to his inauguration on 20 January, when he replaces Barack Obama in the White House.
Mr Juncker had offered his formal congratulations to Mr Trump on Wednesday in a joint statement with Donald Tusk, head of the European Council.
Speaking on Friday, he said: "In general the Americans take no interest in Europe...
"During the campaign, Mr Trump said Belgium was a village somewhere on our continent...
"He raises questions which could have harmful consequences because he calls into question the trans-Atlantic alliance, and thus the model on which Europe's defence rests.
"He takes a view of refugees and non-white Americans which does not reflect European convictions and feelings."
During the election campaign, Mr Trump caused alarm in EU circles with his sharp criticism of Nato, the cornerstone of Western Europe's defence structure, and calls for better relations with Russia.
His promise to "cancel" the Paris Climate Agreement within 100 days of taking office and protectionist stance on trade have also caused concern, as have his controversial comments about ethnic and religious minorities.
While EU leaders congratulated the Republican on his shock victory over Hillary Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed in her message to him that the US and Germany shared "the values of democracy, freedom, respect for the rule of law and human dignity, regardless of origin, skin colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political belief".
Germany, France and the Netherlands all face elections in the new year, with populist and far-right parties poised to capitalise on discontent with the EU's continuing migrant problem and its slow recovery from the eurozone debt crisis.
Before Mr Trump's victory, the EU had already been rocked by the UK's vote to leave the body at a referendum in June.
However, on Thursday, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urged his EU colleagues to take a more positive attitude.
"I would respectfully say to my beloved European friends and colleagues that it's time that we snapped out of the general doom and gloom about the result of this election," he said on a visit to Serbia.
Meanwhile, in New York, outgoing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was confident Mr Trump would not rip up the Paris agreement on climate change, despite his campaign pledge.
"He has made a lot of worrying statements but I am sure that he will understand the whole importance and seriousness and urgency," he told AFP news agency.


The parents of a baby with a rare genetic condition have urged appeal judges not to stand in the way of their "only remaining hope" of his survival.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates are appealing a High Court ruling made last month that specialists can move son Charlie to palliative care.
The court heard his parents "wish to exhaust all possible options" and take him to the US for further treatment.
Doctors believe the nine-month-old baby has irreversible brain damage.
Lawyers for Great Ormond Street Hospital told the court the baby is unable to see, hear, make a noise or move.
The parents' barrister, Richard Gordon QC, told the appeal hearing specialists at the hospital were "usurping the parental function" and "seeking to detain Charlie Gard in hospital".
Referring to their hopes of taking Charlie abroad for a therapy trial, Mr Gordon said the pair believed it would cause no "significant harm" to their baby and they did not want to look back and think "what if?".
Lawyers for the parents also argued High Court judge, Mr Justice Francis, did not give enough weight to Charlie's right to life when making his decision.
Charlie, who was born healthy on 4 August 2016, has a disorder called mitochondrial depletion syndrome which affects the genetic building blocks that give energy to cells.
It causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.
Lawyers representing Great Ormond Street told the court it was hard for anyone to know whether Charlie is in pain because of the ravages of his illness.
Katie Gollop QC said any further treatment would leave the nine-month-old in a "condition of existence".
During the High Court hearing doctors had argued that continuing life-support treatment would not benefit Charlie but "prolong the process of dying".
Mr Justice Francis agreed and ruled it was in Charlie's best interests for him to be moved to palliative care.
The baby's parents, of Bedfont, west London, have raised more than Â£1.3m to treat their son abroad.
The judgement from the Court of Appeal will be announced on Thursday at 13:30 BST.


A 13-year-old boy died after being knocked down by a car on a road in Essex.

An ambulance and police were called to the Southend-bound carriageway of the A127 near the A132 junction in Basildon at about 20:00 GMT on Monday.
The boy was taken to Basildon Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The 31-year-old driver of the BMW car involved in the crash, who is from Southend, was arrested and bailed pending further inquiries.
Both carriageways of the A127 were closed for investigations and not reopened until 00:15 GMT on Tuesday.
Police have appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to contact them.


A man and a woman have been jailed after a parcel containing heroin worth £1.1m was seized at a house in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.

Rehman Ali, 27, and Shelagh Fenton, 40, of Minto Street, were found guilty of importing class A drugs and supplying cannabis.
A box sent from Afghanistan was delivered to a house in Penrith Avenue on 23 September 2013.
Ali was jailed for six years and Fenton was sentence to five years.
The pair were arrested on 30 September 2013.
Det Insp Dave Loughlin said: "Tameside organised crime team received intelligence the box contained drugs and, when it was delivered from Afghanistan, we seized the heroin.
"We have a number of covert tactics at our disposal and we remain committed to preventing such drugs from coming into our neighbourhoods."
He urged anyone who knew of drugs being produced or dealt to contact police.


Substitute Will Miller grabbed an injury-time equaliser as Burton denied Wolves a third win of the season.

Miller turned in Lloyd Dyer's cross in the fourth minute of added time.
Lucas Akins had a first-half penalty saved by Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme after Richard Stearman, in his first game since re-joining from Fulham, handled.
Prince Oniangue had broken the deadlock for Wolves in the second half of a tight match with a half-volley after good work from Jon Dadi Bodvarsson.
The Brewers edged the first half in the first meeting between the sides, with Jamie Ward forcing another good stop from Ikeme.
But Wolves, who are unbeaten in the league at home in 10 matches, came on strong late on with Bodvarsson wasting a free header from 10 yards, and Joe Mason poking wide from close range.
Miller's equaliser was the first time a visiting side had scored from open play at Molineux since February and left Burton 14th in the table, while Wolves dropped to 11th.
Wolves' manager Walter Zenga:
"I'm feeling good because the team played good, especially in the second half.
"We deserved to win the game without a doubt but we have to understand we can't give them one chance like this in the last minute of the game.
"Perhaps in the first half the quality wasn't there as we had hoped but then in my opinion the quality showed, we played some nice football.
"It is true sometimes that too much change can create confusion but if you work it the right way, change means you have a fresh team all the time."
Burton manager Nigel Clough:
"It was a bit frustrating that we had to wait until the 95th minute but it does feel like a win when you get a result so late in the day.
"I thought for long spells of the game that we were the ones who were creating the chances and looked the more likely to take the lead.
"Had we scored the penalty you never know it might have been a different story.
"It was only in the last 20 minutes when Wolves stepped it up a little bit and had chances. Apart from that we were comfortable.
"We are going to have a go this season. We will not sit back. We will try and take the game to teams and I think that has been evident in the first six games."
Match ends, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, Burton Albion 1.
Second Half ends, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, Burton Albion 1.
Jón Dadi Bödvarsson (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Kyle McFadzean (Burton Albion).
John Brayford (Burton Albion) is shown the yellow card.
Goal!  Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, Burton Albion 1. Will Miller (Burton Albion) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Lloyd Dyer.
Attempt saved. Jackson Irvine (Burton Albion) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by John Brayford.
Foul by Hélder Costa (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Matthew Palmer (Burton Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by John Brayford.
Substitution, Burton Albion. Marcus Myers-Harness replaces Tom Naylor.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. David Edwards replaces Ivan Cavaleiro.
Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card.
Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers) has gone down, but that's a dive.
Corner,  Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Ben Turner.
Attempt blocked. Joe Mason (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Cameron Borthwick-Jackson with a cross.
Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Chris O'Grady (Burton Albion).
Goal!  Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, Burton Albion 0. Prince Oniangué (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Jón Dadi Bödvarsson.
Substitution, Burton Albion. Will Miller replaces Jamie Ward.
Attempt missed. Hamza Choudhury (Burton Albion) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Chris O'Grady.
Attempt saved. Chris O'Grady (Burton Albion) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jamie Ward.
Attempt missed. Joe Mason (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right following a corner.
Corner,  Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Kyle McFadzean.
Attempt missed. Jón Dadi Bödvarsson (Wolverhampton Wanderers) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Cameron Borthwick-Jackson with a cross.
Substitution, Burton Albion. Hamza Choudhury replaces Lucas Akins.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Jón Dadi Bödvarsson replaces Paul Gladon.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Richard Stearman (Wolverhampton Wanderers) because of an injury.
Richard Stearman (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Chris O'Grady (Burton Albion).
Hélder Costa (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card.
Hélder Costa (Wolverhampton Wanderers) has gone down, but that's a dive.
Attempt blocked. Lucas Akins (Burton Albion) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jamie Ward.
Attempt blocked. Jamie Ward (Burton Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Tom Naylor (Burton Albion) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Matthew Palmer with a cross.
Corner,  Burton Albion. Conceded by Matt Doherty.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Kyle McFadzean (Burton Albion) because of an injury.
Foul by Prince Oniangué (Wolverhampton Wanderers).


A former holiday park which features eight chalets in converted rail carriages has sold at auction for £261,000.

The Brunel Camping Carriages site in Dawlish Warren, Devon, exceeded the guide price of £125,000 - £175,000.
The auction was held in St Mellion, Cornwall. The site closed at the end of last summer after 50 years.
Each eight-person chalet carriage includes a kitchen, living area, bedroom and bathroom.
More on the converted rail carriages story, plus other Devon and Cornwall news


It was during the late afternoon shift change when the fire which has so far killed nearly 300 people broke out at the garments factory in Karachi.

Survivors say the power was the first thing to go after the blast which preceded the blaze in Pakistan's commercial capital.
"There was an immediate scramble for the exit - leading to chaos," a survivor told the BBC.
"People piled on top of each other - some got crushed as there was just one way out and so many people.
"Everybody was screaming and pushing - it was pure panic and fear. I thought I was going to die."
Those who could not get out tried breaking through the iron-barred windows at the Ali Enterprises factory.
For many, fear of imminent death put paid to any misgivings about jumping 6m (20ft) to escape - leading to many broken bones.
But these were the lucky ones - those still trapped inside were faced with a horrific choice: suffocation or incineration.
Rescue workers had by that time started arriving on the scene.
They were able to get dozens of people out of the front of the building. Local residents and relatives of those inside also arrived to help.
Their numbers grew so big that at one point they hampered the rescue effort. Police had to stop distraught relatives from going into the factory - by now a death trap - in search of their loved ones.
Brothers and sons, sisters and wives were seen urging rescue workers to do more, while simultaneously trying to venture into the premises themselves.
This led to some ugly altercations - until more security personnel arrived and brought the crowd under control.
Meanwhile, the fire had become a raging inferno, dwarfing the cries of workers trapped in the factory.
Later Karachi's fire chief admitted to reporters that the rescue effort had been hampered by a lack of resources.
At one point the fire engines ran out of water.
Fire fighting equipment in general appears to have been minimal at the factory - fire exits had not been built or were shut to make space for storage.
Training the staff was probably never a consideration - although it remains part of Pakistan's industrial safety laws.
Eventually, the navy's fire fighting team was called in - but by then it was too late for most of those trapped in the building.
Karachi fire chief Ehtesham Salim later told journalists that aerial water spraying may have helped and the authorities had at one point considered calling in the air force.
Ironically it had been raining in Karachi for a week - the only exception being on the evening the inferno broke out.
Although the fire was brought under control on Wednesday, late into the evening rescue workers were still digging through the debris of the building for bodies and any survivors.
The structure itself is near collapse - the debris being slowly excavated to make sure those still inside are not crushed.
The source of the fire is thought to have been a faulty electrical switch. A case has been registered against the owner - and police officials say they have launched an investigation.
But it is clear to those who have seen such disasters in the past that the sheer human cost in this blaze was not just the result of an accident.
For many it was years in the making - and possibly the biggest industrial fire in Pakistan's history.
The Hub river massacre - as people are now calling the garment factory blaze - dwarfs others in scale, but the circumstances of the fire have unfortunately been replayed across Pakistan often of late.
In this case the factory was a recipe for tragedy - its low-ceiling halls were crammed with machines manned by workers toiling away in sweat shop conditions to produce top-of-the-line, ready-to-wear garments which earned the factory owners millions of dollars annually.
The workers, on the other hand, go home with $5 to $6 a day. There are no other benefits.
As the factory's profits turned to ashes, Karachi's Civil Hospital was besieged by hundreds of grieving relatives desperately searching for their loved ones among dozens of bodies, many burnt beyond recognition.
In the commercial sector it is not just textile mills - industries across Pakistan are more prone than ever to disasters, many here feel.
In pictures: Deadly Karachi fire
Although fires cause the main damage, it is not unknown for poorly constructed premises to collapse on top of workers or residents.
In general, the problem is the same that plagues all matters of governance in Pakistan - a failure to enforce the law. Whether it is an industrial disaster, a road accident or an air crash - the common denominator is the lack of adequate safety checks.
Textile factories are particularly at risk due to the lethal combination of chemical dyes and stacks of cotton often stored next to each other  - ensuring a deadly result.
Fire exits - as in the case of the factory in Karachi - exist only on paper.
That - along with the congested construction of the industrial zones - prevents escape and multiplies the death toll.
The city administration itself has a limited number of fire engines to serve the growing needs of the sprawling metropolis.
Lahore fares a little better in terms of equipment but is no better in terms of enforcement of standards or disaster management.
Observers see a common pattern. Industrial standards are disregarded to minimise cost as inspectors are paid to look the other way.
Small and potentially easily rectifiable problems are made worse by years of official neglect. Mistakes are covered up only to be repeated a few months later.
That is why many fear disasters such as the Karachi fire are on the rise in Pakistan.


A centre housing the world's largest interactive digital screens for learning about science and technology could be heading to Swansea.

The idea is based on The Cube in Brisbane, Australia, which has 48 multi-touch screens across two storeys.
Dinosaurs, physics and data relevant to the local area are among the subjects visitors can interactively explore.
A Swansea version would go on the civic centre site and form part of the city centre's Â£500m regeneration.
It is being explored between Swansea council, Swansea University and site developers Trebor.
This site would also include a national public aquarium, an aquatic science research facility and a science gallery.
"The Cube at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane has been phenomenally successful, bringing science to life by using 21st Century interactive, unlimited multi-touch technology for the benefit of local schools, communities and visitors," said council leader Rob Stewart.
"We're exploring the potential to introduce something similar on the seafront in Swansea.
"This proposal would attract many thousands of visitors, open up jobs, benefit Swansea residents of all ages, and help keep talented Swansea University graduates in Swansea."
Swansea University's Prof Chris Allton said: "The university's fascinating research into marine life, climate change, computer technology and a host of other activities could be explored by using innovative, ground-breaking technology like that developed in The Cube. The opportunities are endless."
The other part of the city centre regeneration has gone out to public consultation.
Residents are being asked to give their views on the St David's site which has been renamed Swansea Central.
It will include a digital arena, cinema, cafes, restaurants, shops, a hotel and apartments.
A public exhibition took place in the city centre at the weekend.


The mother of missing airman Corrie Mckeague says she is considering taking out an injunction to stop police filling in the landfill site where she believes her son's body is.

Corrie Mckeague, 23, was last seen since in Bury St Edmunds in September.
Police called off the landfill search near Cambridge on Friday.
His mother Nicola Urquhart said she was "beyond devastated". A petition calling for Suffolk Police to continue the search has more that 9,000 signatures.
The RAF serviceman from Dunfermline, Fife, has not been seen since a night out in the Suffolk town when CCTV showed him entering a bin loading bay.
Police began searching the Milton landfill site in March but after 20 weeks announced it was at an end.
The tortuous search for Corrie Mckeague
However, they have said they will now search previously incinerated waste and carry out a review of the investigation.
Mr Mckeague's mother said: "I'm so angry. I'm beyond devastated that they've misled me."
Mrs Urquhart said the police told her "we think he's still in there but we're not searching anymore".
On Friday night a petition was started calling on police to continue searching the site.
"Yesterday's decision to stop searching at the landfill means they have now given up on finding Corrie," Mrs Urquhart wrote on Facebook.
"Suffolk police have handed back the landfill and are trying to have it filled back in this week.
"I am getting advice about the possibility about an injunction to stop them filling the landfill in, at least until there is more honesty and plain speaking from the police."


Celtic set up a Champions League third qualifying round tie against Elfsborg by easing aside Cliftonville.

Already 3-0 up from the away tie in Belfast, the Glasgow side extended their lead through Efe Ambrose's powerful 16th-minute header.
But it took until the 70th minute for their pressure to bring a second, a close-range Georgios Samaras header.
While Cliftonville's hard work avoided the feared rout, it is Celtic who will host Swedes Elfsborg next Wednesday.
Elfsborg, who have on-loan Celtic striker Mo Bangura and former Portsmouth forward James Keene in their squad, had earlier completed their own demolition of Daugava.
Already 7-1 up from the home leg, they showed they will be a tough hurdle to overcome for Neil Lennon's side, hopeful of matching the £23.5m earned from last season's march to the last 16, winning 4-0 in Latvia.
Despite striker Gary Hooper's recovery from a groin strain, Northern Irishman Lennon named an unchanged side from the one that won in his homeland.
Last season's top scorer was on the bench even though he has been the subject of a transfer bids from Norwich City and, most recently, QPR.
Cliftonville manager Tommy Breslin had voiced his determination not to leave Scotland with a humiliating scoreline and not surprisingly named a more defensive formation, with former Werder Bremen striker Liam Boyce on his own up front.
The expected onslaught began with a Samaras shot being beaten away by goalkeeper Conor Devlin.
It was clever play by Sweden full-back Mikael Lustig that finally prised open the visiting defence, setting up Anthony Stokes to deliver a cross that was dispatched past Devlin by Nigeria defender Ambrose.
Part-timers Cliftonville battled away gallantly and threatened momentarily when Marc Smyth had a close-range effort blocked after a rare corner for the Northern Irish champions, while Ciaran Caldwell fired wide.
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That was a brief respite as Kris Commons and James Forrest threatened a second goal from range, with the latter's effort clipping the top of the crossbar.
Celtic's intensity dipped after the break, but Stokes forced a fine fingertip save from Devlin with a clever drive the Irishman steered towards the far corner.
Stokes was not so smart when presented with an easier chance after being set up by Scott Brown, the striker curling his shot wide of Devlin and the post.
Just as Cliftonville appeared to be tiring, a desperate clearance from Kelvin Wilson prevented a cross presenting Boyce the chance of a surprise tap-in equaliser.
Minutes after Hooper came off the bench, Celtic extended their lead when a fine Commons cross found the head of Samaras eight yards from goal.
Hooper fired an effort against the base of the post and summer signing Amido Balde headed just wide on his debut from the bench, but Cliftonville managed to restrict Celtic to a two-goal victory.
Full Time   The final whistle goes and the game is over.
Direct effort from the free kick comes in from Joe Gormley,
The ball is swung over by Mikael Lustig.
George McMullan is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Free kick taken by Emilio Izaguirre.
Tom Rogic has an effort at goal from long range that misses to the right of the goal.
Tom Rogic takes a shot. Blocked by Jamie McGovern.
Free kick taken by Conor Devlin.
Substitution      Joe Gormley is brought on as a substitute for Liam Boyce.
The assistant referee flags for offside against Gary Hooper.
The ball is delivered by Emilio Izaguirre, Barry Johnston manages to make a clearance.
Foul by Liam Boyce on Emilio Izaguirre, free kick awarded. Tom Rogic restarts play with the free kick.
Emilio Izaguirre delivers the ball, Header by Amido Balde from deep inside the penalty area misses to the right of the target.
Tom Rogic has an effort at goal from outside the box which goes wide left of the goal.
Substitution      Diarmuid O'Carroll comes on in place of Tomas Cosgrove.
Substitution      James Forrest goes off and Amido Balde comes on.
Kris Commons takes a shot. Conor Devlin makes a save.
James Forrest delivers the ball, Gary Hooper produces a overhead kick right-footed shot from deep inside the penalty area and hits the post.
Outswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Kris Commons, clearance made by Barry Johnston.
Short corner taken by Georgios Samaras. Georgios Samaras delivers the ball, Gary Hooper takes a shot. Save by Conor Devlin.
Assist by Kris Commons.
Goal!  - Georgios Samaras -    Celtic 2 - 0 Cliftonvle        Georgios Samaras grabs a headed goal from inside the six-yard box. Celtic 2 (5)-(0) 0 Cliftonville.
A cross is delivered by Kris Commons,
Tom Rogic takes a shot. Marc Smyth gets a block in. Kris Commons decides to take the corner short.
Shot from long range by Georgios Samaras goes wide of the left-hand upright.
Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Kris Commons, Headed effort from inside the area by Efe Ambrose misses to the right of the goal.
Mikael Lustig produces a cross, Eamonn Seydak makes a clearance. Short corner taken by Kris Commons.
Substitution      Gary Hooper replaces Anthony Stokes.
Substitution      Tom Rogic is brought on as a substitute for Beram Kayal.
Corner taken by Eamonn Seydak played to the near post, clearance by Scott Brown.
The ball is swung over by Stephen Garrett, clearance by Kelvin Wilson.
Free kick awarded for a foul by Kelvin Wilson on Chris Curran. The free kick is swung in left-footed by Eamonn Seydak, Efe Ambrose makes a clearance.
Effort from 35 yards by Scott Brown missed to the right of the target.
Shot by Anthony Stokes from deep inside the penalty area misses to the right of the target.
Shot by James Forrest went wide right of the net.
Substitution      Chris Curran joins the action as a substitute, replacing Ciaran Caldwell.
Scott Brown takes a shot. Blocked by George McMullan. Georgios Samaras produces a left-footed shot from just outside the area that goes harmlessly over the bar.
Anthony Stokes takes a shot. Save made by Conor Devlin. Short corner taken by Kris Commons.
Emilio Izaguirre crosses the ball, Marc Smyth manages to make a clearance.
The ball is swung over by Anthony Stokes, Jamie McGovern makes a clearance.
James Forrest takes a shot. Blocked by Jamie McGovern.
Anthony Stokes takes a shot. Eamonn Seydak gets a block in. Kris Commons produces a  right-footed shot from deep inside the penalty area which goes wide of the left-hand post.
Kris Commons fouled by Stephen Garrett, the ref awards a free kick. Fraser Forster restarts play with the free kick.
A cross is delivered by Eamonn Seydak, Georgios Samaras makes a clearance.
Corner taken short by George McMullan.
The referee gets the second half underway.
Half Time    The referee blows for half time.
Georgios Samaras produces a right-footed shot from close range which goes wide of the right-hand upright.
The ball is swung over by Mikael Lustig.
Eamonn Seydak takes the inswinging corner, clearance made by Georgios Samaras.
Mikael Lustig fouled by Stephen Garrett, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Kris Commons.
Effort on goal by James Forrest from just inside the penalty box goes harmlessly over the target.
The ball is swung over by James Forrest.
Kris Commons delivers the ball. Georgios Samaras is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Free kick taken by Conor Devlin.
Kris Commons produces a right-footed effort from long distance that goes harmlessly over the bar.
Kris Commons takes a shot. Marc Smyth gets a block in.
The offside flag is raised against Ciaran Caldwell. Free kick taken by Emilio Izaguirre.
Effort on goal by Ciaran Caldwell from inside the box misses to the right of the target.
Ciaran Caldwell produces a cross, blocked by Kelvin Wilson. Corner taken by Eamonn Seydak, Marc Smyth takes a shot. Clearance made by Kelvin Wilson.
Kris Commons takes a shot. Conor Devlin makes a save.
The ball is sent over by James Forrest, save by Conor Devlin.
Unfair challenge on Barry Johnston by Anthony Stokes results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Marc Smyth.
The ball is swung over by Mikael Lustig.
Emilio Izaguirre produces a cross, clearance made by Jamie McGovern.
Centre by James Forrest, Jamie McGovern manages to make a clearance. Corner taken by Kris Commons.
The ball is crossed by Ciaran Caldwell. A cross is delivered by Stephen Garrett, Close range headed effort by Ciaran Caldwell misses to the right of the target.
Assist on the goal came from Anthony Stokes.
Goal!  - Efe Ambrose -    Celtic 1 - 0 Cliftonvle        Efe Ambrose scores a headed goal from close range. Celtic 1 (4)-(0) 0 Cliftonville.
Anthony Stokes produces a cross,
Centre by Mikael Lustig, save by Conor Devlin. Short corner taken by Kris Commons.
The ball is crossed by Emilio Izaguirre, Marc Smyth manages to make a clearance.
James Forrest fouled by Eamonn Seydak, the ref awards a free kick. Mikael Lustig takes the free kick.
Kris Commons takes the outswinging corner, Marc Smyth manages to make a clearance. Mikael Lustig delivers the ball, Georgios Samaras takes a shot. Save made by Conor Devlin.
James Forrest fouled by Stephen Garrett, the ref awards a free kick. The ball is swung over by Kris Commons, Scott Brown has a headed effort at goal from deep inside the area missing to the left of the target.
Unfair challenge on Tomas Cosgrove by Efe Ambrose results in a free kick. Conor Devlin takes the free kick.
Anthony Stokes takes a shot. Barry Johnston gets a block in. Corner taken by Kris Commons, Conor Devlin makes a save. Georgios Samaras takes a shot. Save by Conor Devlin.
Liam Boyce fouled by Efe Ambrose, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Ryan Catney.
A cross is delivered by Mikael Lustig. The referee blows for offside against Georgios Samaras.  Conor Devlin takes the free kick.
The referee gets the match started.
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Support staff in Scotland's schools are feeling exhausted, undervalued and stressed, according to a trade union.

Unison said 1,841 jobs supporting teachers in schools had disappeared since 2010.
The posts included classroom assistants, technicians, cleaners and librarians.
The union said the cuts were impacting on the workload of the support staff who remained - with teachers and pupils also affected.
Council umbrella group Cosla said the job losses were due to cuts in government funding for local authorities.
But the Scottish government insisted councils' overall spending power to support local services was to increase by Â£241m in his budget.
Unison surveyed about 900 members who work in schools to get a sense of the impact of what it described as "stealth cuts".
The findings of the research included:
The number of teachers in Scottish schools rose last year for the first time in several years, according to government figures. Councils are now obliged to maintain the ratio of teachers to students so cannot easily cut teacher numbers.
However councils - which have faced years of tight budgets -  still decide how much to spend on the education service overall and can decide how many staff are needed in other roles.
Carol Ball, the chairwoman of Unison's education committee, said there were 7,000 more pupils attending Scottish schools now than in 2010 and that the sums "just don't add up".
She told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "In terms of support staff, who obviously assist especially with children with additional support for learning needs, what we're seeing on the ground is that that support has not increased.
"The resources that are necessary to fully support these children are not there and are not in the classroom."
Ms Ball said Unison members were also not receiving adequate training.
She added: "We fully support the mainstreaming of children with additional support needs. However, the resources need to be there.
"The special training needs to be there and they're not receiving that training. That puts extra strain on them and we want the best possible start for our children."
Dave Watson, Unison regional manager, added: "The Scottish government has targets to reduce inequality in educational outcomes. Sadly, it is children from the most deprived backgrounds that need the access to libraries, or help from librarians. They are less likely to have computers, printers or quiet warm places to do homework. "
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) warned that the cuts would lead to an "unsustainable situation" where schools and staff were asked to achieve more with less.
"This leads to increased stress amongst staff, and the potential for associated health problems to emerge - which can then compound workload pressures due to staff illness," he said.
Analysis by Jamie McIvor, BBC Scotland education correspondent
Councils have faced tough budgets for years.
Dramatic, controversial cuts have been relatively few and far between - councils argue they have tried their best to prioritise the most important local services including education.
Instead, the impact of tight budgets has often been felt through so-called stealth cuts: cuts in budgets or staffing which may not have an immediately obvious impact, grab headlines or attract widespread public comment.
The effect of these stealth cuts tends to take two broad forms; either the remaining staff find their workload increases or work ends up not being done.
Some may use evidence of stealth cuts as an argument that councils need more money or at least more freedom to raise money.
Others may argue individual councils are taking the wrong decisions or that it may be possible to find ways of delivering services more efficiently to make up for the impact of cuts or monetary pressure.
The survey comes as councils across Scotland deliberate over their budgets for the year ahead.
A Cosla spokesman said Unison was "absolutely right" about the impact on-going cuts are having an impact on services, and warned that any further cuts to councils in the Scottish government's forthcoming budget would "lead to real job losses and have a real impact on services".
He added: "Parents should be in no doubt that losing classroom assistants, technicians, cleaners and librarians does have a detrimental impact on their child's experience at school.
"Compounding this is the impact such significant job losses has on existing staff who are having to do their best to cover.
"Despite the best efforts of councils to maintain services, the reality is that the infrastructure around a lot of  service areas is really starting to crumble."
Education Secretary John Swinney said the Scottish government valued the work of school support staff, and wanted to put in place the mechanisms to ensure they fulfilled all that was expected from them.
He told the BBC: "If we look at the most recent information that we have, particularly for additional support for learning staff, we've seen an increase in classroom assistants over the course of the last 12 months.
"But undoubtedly there have been pressures on local authority staff and local authority budgets as there have been right across the public sector because of the financial climate in which we're operating."
He added: "The steps we're taking are designed to, across the board, close the attainment gap and to focus the whole of the system on improving the achievements of young people within education."
Mr Swinney added: "The proper training and support has to be in place for all individuals that are supporting young people who have additional support needs.
"If we have a policy agenda which the Scottish government and local authorities are signed up to, which is about getting it right for every child, we have to make sure that in every single circumstance the staff that we're expecting to provide that support are equipped with the knowledge and the experience and the techniques to ensure that young people can be properly supported.
"I think that's a very substantial issue that comes out of this survey that has to be taken seriously by local authorities."


The BBC is to broadcast a major e-sports tournament over the next six weeks.

It will show coverage of the Gfinity Elite Series contest every weekend on BBC Three online.
Some 160 gamers will compete in front of live crowds for a Â£225,000 prize.
There are already places where large numbers of viewers watch e-sports, but one analyst said the BBC's coverage could attract new viewers to the genre.
Under the deal, the BBC will include broadcasts of exclusive editorial content from the Gfinity tournament in west London.
The games to be played include fighting title Street Fighter V, first person shooter Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and robot football game Rocket League.
Currently, online streaming channels Twitch and YouTube command the biggest audiences for e-sports, although events are also now being shown on conventional TV stations such as Ginx in the UK.
The BBC has broadcast highlights of e-sports tournaments in the past, but said the Gfinity coverage would be "on a much larger scale".
Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at IHS, said the BBC would be able test the demand for e-sports on its network.
"It's correct to engage with the types of content that are really resonating with younger viewers, and e-sports is growing in popularity," he said.
"Yes, YouTube and Twitch have scale but the BBC touches on a wider audience which could bring new viewers.
"It would be a bigger risk if it was being shown on terrestrial TV, but this is online, so it's an opportunity to test whether it will work."
E-sports events are growing in popularity and can attract millions of viewers online.
Analyst Newzoo has predicted that global audience figures will double to nearly 600 million by 2020, with revenues passing Â£1bn.
The first stage of the Gfinity tournament will be shown on Friday at 20:45 BST on the BBC Three website and iPlayer.
It will be followed by episodes on Saturday at 21:00 and Sunday at 17:00.


The boss and co-founder of UK financial services business True Potential is showing me the firm's savings app on his iPhone.
But the screen freezes, revealing his account details. Mr Harrison has serious money invested.
"Well," he says, "if a car dealer is trying to sell you a Ford as the best on the market, you wouldn't expect him to be driving around in a Merc.
"It's about believing in what you're doing… If anything goes wrong - trust me - I know first."
Mr Harrison would prefer the exact figure was not disclosed. But it represents only part of his assets, which include a huge house next to Hadrian's Wall on the border between England and Scotland, and a luxury hotel.
Not bad for someone who was adopted soon after his birth in Cardiff, grew up in a Country Durham mining village, and whose first pay packet was £6 working as an apprentice for the steelmaker Consett Iron Company.
Set up a decade ago, Newcastle-based savings and investment firm True Potential now enjoys annual revenues of more than £70m a year, and is the second successful financial services venture that Mr Harrison has founded.
He ran his previous business, Positive Solutions, for six years from 1997 to 2003, before selling it to insurance giant Aegon for £130m.
So, now aged 66, what does Mr Harrison think is the secret of his success? "Work hard, lots of luck. There was no big plan. I just stumbled on, trying to make some money."
There aren't many businessmen who can claim that a broken leg was their big career break, but Mr Harrison is one of them.
Aged 33 at the time, after a number of years working on building sites, he was running his own bricklaying business and hating it.
"Everyone was earning more money than me," he says looking back.
Then during a casual football game he badly fractured his leg. Unable to climb up and down ladders at building sites, a career re-think was needed.
Family life: Married, with two daughters and two sons
What cars do you drive? Audi RS6 and Bentley Supersport
Favourite book? The Rational Optimist, by Matt Ridley
Best piece of business advice? Sell for a living
Your most irritating habit? Always making fun. Sometimes it isn't funny
Dislikes? Hipsters in skinny jeans
How do you keep fit? Run to the pub
Favourite drink? Mexican beer
First ambition? Be a professional footballer
Motto: Duck first, then run
"Everything is pure chance - either good luck, or bad luck," Mr Harrison says.
Good fortune found him in his local library in the north east of England, with his leg in cast, reading its only book on sales and marketing.
I'd make a good salesman, he told himself. And thanks to a friend who worked for the company, he got a job as a pensions seller at a company called Hambro Life.
Hardworking, but also easy going and affable, Mr Harrison rose to become a director.
But he attributes his success at Hambro Life (which went on to become Allied Dunbar), to yet more luck.
In the 1990s the UK pensions market expanded fast, and he says he rode the crest of the wave.
"It isn't false modesty," he insists. "I do work hard at what I do. But no matter how hard you work, you need a growing and thriving market."
However, he and Hambro eventually parted ways after what Mr Harrison admits was "a bit of tension".
This tension was caused by a light bulb moment he had while doing a master of Business Administration degree through the Open University in the early 1990s.
His university studies were increasingly done on a computer, and he wondered why writing investments couldn't be done the same way.
At the time selling financial products involved truck-loads of paperwork and thousands of back-office staff.
He wanted Hambro salesmen issued with laptops. Customers could be shown spreadsheets in the comfort of their homes. Sales could be signed off in days, not weeks.
It sounds quaint now. Back then "it was a revolutionary idea," Mr Harrison says. "It was also unpopular because it would have meant about 1,500 jobs going.
"I thought I was right, they thought I was wrong - so I left."
It was the catalyst for setting up Positive Solutions in 1997, which utilised computers from the start.
Mr Harrison says that he and a college re-mortgaged their homes to fund the firm, and "we would have been well and truly wiped out if it had failed".
Thankfully, it was a success, and within four years Positive Solutions was the biggest privately-owned UK independent financial advisor, turning over more than £10m a year.
Mr Harrison then sold up in 2003, before finally severing all links in 2006.
With a fortune in the bank, why didn't he just go and lay on a beach?
More The Boss features, which every week profile a different business leader from around the world:
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The 'diva of divorce' for the world's super rich
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It's a question his wife sometimes asks, he admits. "But I actually enjoy the work. I enjoy the craic, and I enjoy working with people."
So, in 2007 he and his investment partners launched True Potential - a year before the global financial crisis.
The timing wasn't great, but Mr Harrison says that merely meant that the expansion of the business was not as quick as it otherwise would have been.
"It slowed us down; probably cost us two or three years in terms of sales growth," he says.
But setbacks make you a better businessman, he believes. It's about "staying strong... Back yourself. You just have to get on with it".
A decade later, and True Potential is now enjoying annual sales growth of more than 27%.
"David Harrison is a genuine innovator," says Ian McKenna, an expert on technology in the financial advice marketplace.
"He's a hard-driving businessman who is making a real difference," adds Mr McKenna, who works for consultancy Finance & Technology Research Centre.
Mr Harrison likes to shrug it off as luck, but perhaps the most successful entrepreneurs make their own luck. David Harrison puts his money where his mouth is.


New Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson says he wants to "break free" from his father Gary Johnson's "mould" at the Championship club.

The 34-year-old was appointed on a three-and-a-half-year deal on Saturday.
Lee spent six years with the Robins as a player, four of them under Gary, who led City to promotion from League One and to the Championship play-off final.
"I've always been around it, but you also need your own experience. I do feel I've earned my stripes," said Lee.
"As a father, of course, he's very proud, just as I am of him and his achievements. But it's time for me to break free of that Gary Johnson mould at Bristol City and kick on as head coach of this fantastic club."
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Former Oldham boss Lee joined Bristol City following a one-year spell at Barnsley, who he guided to the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final last Thursday.
Gary, now in charge of National League leaders Cheltenham, took his first managerial role in the Football League at Cambridge in 1992, and he has since gone on to spend time with Latvia, Peterborough and Yeovil, where he also managed his son Lee.
"When I was about 10 years old I used to hide in the skip when him and John Beck were chucking out their half-time team talks at Cambridge," Lee told BBC Points West. "You learn a lot just from things like that.
"He hasn't stopped going on. I stayed at his house last night, watching the analysis from Saturday and I had to keep him out of the way because he kept peering over my shoulder and giving me pointers.
"I understand when I was playing here for my dad I could've been a Marmite-type player - I divided fan opinion. But it's completely different now I've stood up to the manager scenario."
City, promoted as League One champions last May, are currently 20th in the Championship after a 1-0 victory at fellow strugglers Charlton on Saturday.
The Robins have never reached the Premier League and have not competed in the top flight since 1980.
"The ambition is to continue the progression both on and off the field, develop some of the younger players in the academy, recruit as best we can and, of course, aim for the Premier League," Lee told BBC Radio Bristol.
"That's the dream and it's realistic. At the moment there's a short-term plan - we've got to stay in the division - but then we've got to continue to build."


Some people say if you drop something on the floor and pick it up in less than five seconds it's ok to eat, but is it safe?

Well, food safety expert Professor Anthony Hilton from Aston University says the "five-second rule" for eating things dropped on the floor is usually correct.
He says that if food is not on the floor for very long it won't have time to pick up harmful bugs, so unless it's got dirt on it you can actually see it should be okay to eat.
It does depend on what type of food is dropped and on to which type of surface.
It's worse to eat food dropped on smooth floor surfaces like tiles, rather than from carpets, as more potentially harmful bacteria are transferred when things fall on them.
Also if something is sticky, like jam or ice cream, it will pick up more dirt.
Lots of people do it, scientists asked people what they thought and 87% of people admitted they would eat, or had eaten, food from the floor.
But the best way to avoid getting bacteria on your food is not to drop it in the first place!


Toshiba has announced its foray into the fast-growing tablet market with its latest gadget called Thrive.

The Japanese electronics maker has priced its entry level model at $429 (Â£262), which is cheaper than the base model of Apple's iPad2.
The company said its base model comes with wi-fi ability and is targeted at consumers who use tablets at home.
The tablet will go on sale in the US on 10 July.
The success of Apple's iPad has encouraged many computer and electronics companies to enter the segment.
Samsung has launched its Galaxy tab, while Sony has also announced its entry with two new models.
While none of them have been able to make a significant dent in Apple's market share, Toshiba said demand for other products was increasing gradually.
"There is a market out there of folks who want to buy non-Apple products," said Jeff Barney of Toshiba America.


A colony of 12 Gentoo penguins have been settling in at their new home at the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham.

Media playback is unsupported on your device
28 March 2014 Last updated at 19:53 GMT
The birds, which are the third-largest type of penguin after the Emperor and King species, travelled to the UK from New Zealand.
The centre drafted in the West Midlands Fire Service and Severn Trent Water to help fill the colony's new tank with 70,000 litres of water.
The centre's general manager, Amy Langham, said the penguins will be kept comfortable at an indoor temperature of 8C (46F).
Curator James Robson said the colony will be used in a conservation breeding programme.


German sailor Erik Heil claims he has contracted an infection after competing in polluted waters which will host sailing at next year's Rio Olympics.

The German sailing team said Heil, who was third at a recent test event held at the same Guanabara Bay venue, was told by a Berlin hospital that he had been infected by multi-resistant germs.
Recent water quality tests revealed drug-resistant bacteria in the bay.
"I have never in my life had infections on the legs," Heil said on a team blog.
"I assume I picked that up at the test regatta. The cause should be the Marina da Gloria where there is a constant flow of waste water from the city's hospitals."
Heil's claims come after South Korean windsurfer Wonwoo Cho was taken to hospital during the week-long test event, with his coach Danny Ok claiming the cause was "probably from the water" at Guanabara Bay.
It led to the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) threatening to move the sailing and windsurfing events to the Atlantic Ocean if the situation did not improve.
But in a statement following Heil's infection, it said: "While work remains to be done, ISAF, Rio 2016 and all relevant local authorities are confident that the venue will be ready to host 380 sailors during the Olympic Sailing Competition in one year's time."
Three of the courses earmarked for the Olympics are in Guanabara Bay and three are in the Atlantic, with up to 1,400 athletes set to compete in water sports at the Games.
Research has shown that "super-bacteria" found in the water is usually found in hospital waste and produce an enzyme, KPC, resistant to antibiotics.
Nearly 70% of sewage in Rio - a city of some 10 million people - is spilled raw into the waters of Guanabara Bay.


As you make your way through the flag-waving, gesticulating, chanting crowds of pro and anti-government protestors here in Athens - in the lead-up to Greece's Sunday referendum on bailout conditions imposed by its international creditors -  you get the feeling that this is about something bigger than Greece's financial crisis, bigger even than the future of the eurozone.

This is where the two powerful socio-political currents currently pulsing through Europe collide and clash.
On the one hand, you have the traditional powers that be - bankers, big business and traditional political parties, imposing their will from above.
And on the other are grassroots movements, populist and people-driven, saying a loud NO to the status quo. They are offering an alternative vision of society (in Spain, Italy and France, for example) whose workability on a national level has yet to be proven.
The two lead-roles on the Greek stage are played by the Troika (that is, Greece's international creditors - the European Commission, ECB and IMF) and left-wing Syriza, carrying its supporters in its rolled-up shirt sleeves.
The ideological abyss between them has been publicly demonstrated over the last five months and it's not diminishing with time.
Angela Merkel is the most well-known face of Greece's paymasters.
On Monday, the German chancellor repeated her belief that "if the euro fails, Europe fails".
But what kind of Europe is she talking about?
Acute EU dissatisfaction is a syndrome now affecting and infecting the whole continent.
High unemployment, sluggish growth, if any, a deteriorating quality of life for the majority, while the super-affluent minority continues to profit - the call for change, for a new Europe, is widespread.
Two prominent European politicians now loudly trumpet that call: the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his British counterpart, David Cameron.
But their visions for a new European dawn are quite, quite different.


Just two years ago, Gazprom spent a reported $1bn on its 20th birthday celebrations, with Sting and the Bolshoi ballet entertaining President Putin and company executives in a lavish gala dinner hosted at the Kremlin.

And there was much to celebrate. Russia was the undisputed king of gas - the world's biggest producer with the biggest reserves and the biggest exports.
But the party has since fallen rather flat.
Weaker demand in Europe and plunging natural gas prices have hit revenues, while US and EU sanctions over the country's actions in Ukraine are targeting Russia's energy sector.
Add an EU charge of monopoly abuse, increased competition from Qatar and a potential glut of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) flooding the market next year - not to mention the possible unleashing of Iran's vast gas resources if sanctions are lifted following a nuclear deal with Tehran - and the threats are both numerous and real.
With state-controlled Gazprom, which dominates Russia's gas industry, one of Moscow's primary foreign policy levers, the stakes could not be higher.
As the biggest single supplier of gas into Europe, will Russia's influence on the continent begin to wane, and will she flirt ever more with China to compensate?
Most gas contracts are indexed to the price of oil, which has slumped more than 40% since last summer, dragging natural gas prices down with it. Mild weather and cutting off supply to Ukraine following a contract dispute compounded the problem - Gazprom saw profits plunge almost 90% last year, from more than $20bn to $3bn.
And with the oil price likely to remain relatively weak for the foreseeable future, revenues will remain under pressure. As Michael Moynihan at energy consultants Wood Mackenzie says, "the gas price is low and it's not going back to the highs of two years ago".
But low prices are hitting all gas producers. In fact, Mr Moynihan says, a weak rouble is helping to make Russian gas companies, which also include big producers such as Rosneft and Novatek, more competitive - allowing them to make the same profit margins despite falling prices.
The question for Gazprom now is whether to cut exports to combat oversupply, thereby supporting prices, or to keep volumes high to protect its market share. Rather like Saudi Arabia in the oil market, the company is perfectly able to withstand a prolonged period of low prices.
And there are many other reasons why the outlook for Russia's gas industry is far brighter than at first it may seem.
For a start, Russia's gas fields are running well below capacity, according to Irina Gaida from Boston Consulting Group. "Russia's gas industry has better production potential [than its oil industry] as the gas fields are much younger and are in the early stages of development".
There is, then, plenty of potential to ramp up production when new contracts are signed, as they will be.
The US and EU sanctions are primarily targeted at the country's oil industry, for very obvious reasons. Russia provides about 30% of Europe's gas, so it's simply not in the EU's interests to compromise Gazprom's ability to produce and export gas.
This month's deal with the UK's Centrica to increase gas supplies by 70% to more than 4 billion cubic metres (bcm) a year provides ample proof of this.
Equally, the sanctions are designed to hamper financing and stop Russian companies importing new technologies. But Russia's vast resources of conventional natural gas mean it does not need to develop new techniques to frack shale rocks, and it already knows well enough how to extract gas and build pipelines.
If sanctions remain in place over the long term, raising finance may become an issue, but right now they are having little impact on Russian gas producers.
The European Commission's charge last month that Gazprom has abused its dominant market position in Central and Eastern European gas markets is also unlikely to undermine the company's stranglehold on European gas imports.
As John Lough, of the Chatham House think-tank says: "The Commission hesitated over whether to pursue this as it was concerned about damaging its gas relationship [with Russia].
"Gazprom will make a robust defence and then try to seek some kind of settlement."
The likelihood is that a financial penalty will be agreed before business returns to normal.
But while Europe's actions are having little direct impact on Russia's gas industry, their indirect repercussions are profound, not least pushing Moscow towards closer ties with Beijing.
"Russia has been talking to China for 10 years about exporting gas, but for various reasons they couldn't find alignment," says Mr Lough. "It has not been prepared to go the last mile, but the pressure to sidle up to China has now increased."
Feeling ever more isolated in Europe and suffering from wider economic sanctions, Russia signed two significant gas deals with China last year. The first, worth $400bn at the time, provides for 38bcm a year from 2018. Construction of the pipeline to transport the gas from East Siberia began in September.
A provisional deal for a further 30bcm was signed a month later, with gas potentially being delivered from West Siberia through the Altai region in southern Russia. Some of this gas could, Mr Moynihan says, come from fields that currently export to Europe.
The combined 68bcm is half the 140bcm Russia currently delivers to Europe, but when the pipelines are in place, that number could grow significantly.
China's demand for energy to satisfy its rapidly expanding economy and increasingly wealthy population is growing fast, while environmental concerns - mainly pollution and water shortages - mean the country needs to reduce its dependency on coal.
As Ms Gaida says: "The share of gas in China's overall fuel mix will rise rapidly. The potential of China far exceeds that of Europe". And Russia's resources are such that it would have no problem supplying both.
There is also the tantalising possibility of a deal with India, another potentially gargantuan market for Russian gas. Any such agreement, however, appears a long way off with no easy route for a pipeline between the two countries.
Russia's gas industry, then, dominated by state-controlled Gazprom and with its vast resources and ideal location, seems perfectly placed to overcome the numerous obstacles laid before it.
As Mr Lough says, "I wouldn't underestimate Gazprom - it's a very capable company".
Despite frosty relations with Europe, it will continue to supply gas to a continent that, for now, has little viable alternative, while at the same time helping to satisfy China's voracious appetite for a cleaner alternative to coal.
With serious questions about whether Europe can develop a viable shale gas industry at all, let alone in the foreseeable future, and the slow adoption of genuinely clean, renewable energy technologies in many countries, Gazprom, and by proxy Moscow, will continue to hold the trump cards in any negotiations with the EU.
US and Iranian gas may offer another way out, but until European countries are able to wean themselves off Russian gas, this will remain the case.


The time new cars are allowed on Britain's roads before requiring an MOT could rise from three to four years, under government proposals.

The period before the annual safety check is needed could change in 2018 after a public consultation.
Northern Ireland and many European nations already have such an exemption.
The Department for Transport said safer technology and improved manufacturing means new vehicles stay roadworthy for longer.
It cites figures showing the annual number of three and four-year-old cars involved in accidents where a vehicle defect was said to be a contributory factor has fallen from 155 in 2006 to 57 in 2015.
The change would also apply to motorcycles.
MOTs were first introduced in 1960 for vehicles more than 10 years old, with the exemption period dropping to three years in 1967.
Vehicles must currently undergo the test on the third anniversary of their registration and every 12 months once more than three-years-old.
Cars and motorcycles made before 1960, goods vehicles powered by electricity and tractors do not, however, need an MOT.
A number of parts are checked during the MOT test to ensure vehicles meet legal standards, including lights, seatbelts, tyres and brakes, and emission levels are also examined.
More than 2.2 million cars each year require a first test, at a maximum cost of £54.85, with motorists facing a fine of up to £1,000 for driving a vehicle without a valid MOT.
But it is also a legal requirement that vehicles are roadworthy, regardless of whether they have passed.
Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: "We have some of the safest roads in the world and MOT tests play an important role in ensuring the standard of vehicles on our roads.
"New vehicles are much safer than they were 50 years ago and so it is only right we bring the MOT test up to date to help save motorists money where we can."
In November, a poll for the AA of more than 19,000 drivers suggested 44% were in favour of MOTs after four years, while 26% were opposed, and a third did not have a view either way.
Commenting on the proposals, AA president Edmund King said: "The benefits are that there will be cost and time savings for drivers, whilst the downside is that we are likely to see some more cars with faulty tyres and lights slipping through the net."


American rapper Chief Keef has had a digital show halted by police.

The 'holographic' projection was part of a music event called Craze Fest on Saturday in Hammond, Indiana, within the metropolitan area of Chicago, but it was shut down within minutes.
Now the company behind the presentation is threatening to sue the local mayor.
Speaking to the New York Times, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott said he believed Keef was "outlawed" in Chicago and so took steps to prevent the performance.
Mayor McDermott told the newspaper that he had heard Keef had recorded a lot of songs about gangs and gun violence.
Chief Keef, who has an outstanding warrant for lapsed child support payments in the state of Illinois, was originally due to perform via digital projection in a theatre in the centre of Chicago.
However, organisers were forced to move that event after intervention from the city's mayoral office.
The subsequent Craze Fest presentation was intended to be a surprise, according to the organisers, but police were made aware of the Chief Keef connection and arrived in time to shut off the display within minutes of the 'hologram' of Keef performing his track, I Don't Like.
According to Craze Fest organiser Malcolm Jones, officers shut down power for the whole event before turning the lights back on.
"The crowd were excited for Chief Keef, they had their phones out, they wanted to document the moment and once it got shut off everyone was a little disappointed," Mr Jones told the BBC.
Steven Sersic, an attorney for Hammond Port Authority, told the BBC: "The police believed, based upon information that they had and based upon the fact that there had been some violence associated with that performer in the recent past, that the showing of the hologram had the potential to incite violence."
The projection was not in fact a true hologram, but rather an illusion known as Pepper's Ghost, which uses glass or foil combined with special lighting techniques to make objects appear in mid-air.
Alki David, owner of two firms which provided technology for the projection and an online stream of the event, has expressed his anger at the police intervention.
"We're going to absolutely sue the city, sue the mayor personally and see if we can throw a lawsuit at [Chicago Mayor] Rahm Emanuel as well," he told the BBC.
David said he has spoken to Keef since the incident and says the rapper is "very laid back" about it.
"He's used to the police and city always shutting him down, that's been the case since day one," he commented.


The Government's flagship welfare-to-work programme deserves credit for producing results at least as good as previous systems at a "greatly reduced" cost, but should do better, MPs say.

The Work and Pensions committee says 70% of Work Programme participants are still not getting longterm jobs and "we owe it" to them "to do much better".
The MPs said the Â£5bn Work Programme - launched in 2011 - was "not working well" for people with complex problems.
Ministers say it is "a real success".
The programme, which replaced a number of different schemes in operation under the last Labour government, is aimed at helping the long-term unemployed find a job.
It is run by providers who offer support and training to people on jobseeker's allowance (JSA) and employment and support allowance (ESA). The providers are paid on the basis of the number of people finding and staying in work.
The committee said nearly 70% of people who had completed their two-year attachment to the scheme, which applies in England, Scotland and Wales, had failed to find sustained employment.
The MPs recommended a series of changes to the "complicated and less than effective" payments model when the current contracts expire in April 2017.
People with drug and alcohol addiction, illiteracy and innumeracy and the homeless should be better served, the committee said.
A separate, specialist scheme for people with "substantial disabilities" would also help the government meet its goal to halve the employment rate gap between disabled people and non-disabled people, the MPs added.
Committee chairman Frank Field said the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) "deserves credit for implementing a programme which, in general, produces results at least as good as before, for a greatly reduced cost per participant".
But the Labour MP added: "We must not forget that nearly 70% of participants are completing the Work Programme without finding sustained employment. We must do much better."
The Employment Related Services Association, which represents the programme's contractors, welcomed the "hugely positive" report and said the next round of contracts had to "build on success".
"However, the sector is working with jobseekers with ever greater barriers to work and thus the government has to ensure the next round of programmes also has the right financing in place," said its chief executive Kirsty McHugh.
The body called for earlier referral of jobseekers, rather than allowing them to stay on benefits without specialist support, and moving to an assessment process based on the needs of jobseekers rather than the benefits they received.
A DWP spokesman said it would respond to the committee's recommendations "in due course" but pointed out that almost half a million of the hardest-to-help claimants have been supported into employment through the Work Programme.
"That's a real success, and we welcome the committee's finding that the programme is better value for money to the taxpayer than any previous scheme.
"The programme helps people to overcome barriers to finding a job, including those with drug and alcohol problems and the long-term unemployed, and further intensive support is offered through Help to Work for those who complete the Work Programme without finding a job."


Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has streamlined his squad for Saturday's Test with Fiji in Suva.

Centre Alex Dunbar, one of the heroes in the victory over Australia in Sydney, will return home on Sunday to begin his summer holiday early.
Back-row Magnus Bradbury, who came off the bench against Italy in Singapore, has also been given a break.
Lewis Carmichael will return to his loan club, Western Force in Perth, after training with Scotland last week.
Stand-off Finn Russell and prop Allan Dell are travelling to New Zealand to join the British and Irish Lions. Both have been named on the bench for Tuesday's game with the Chiefs. Tommy Seymour will also be among the replacements, while countryman Greig Laidlaw starts the match.
"Alex and Magnus will not travel to Fiji as we always planned to reduce the squad for our final match on tour," said Townsend. "We felt it was right that they got a rest if they weren't being considered for selection."
Townsend congratulated Russell and Dell on their Lions call-up, saying: "They go with our blessing and we look forward to seeing them continuing their excellent form, enjoying the Lions experience and coming back better players."
Carmichael, the Edinburgh lock who has been loaned to the Force in Australia, was not in Townsend's original tour party but was invited to train with them in Singapore and Sydney.
"We've learned a bit more about him and it's been a very good experience," said the head coach. "He now has an opportunity to build on what he's learned over the summer and make a big impact at Edinburgh next season."


The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has expressed alarm as rebel forces advance towards the country's main eastern city of Goma.

Witnesses told the BBC that rebels of the M23 group were 40km (25 miles) from the city, near the Rwandan border.
They said rebels appeared to be taking towns and villages with ease, with government troops usually melting away.
The Congolese government and the UN say Rwanda is backing the rebels, a claim Rwanda denies.
DR Congo has accused its neighbour of wanting to keep it unstable so it can exploit its rich mineral wealth.
The Congolese government has called on the international community to condemn Rwanda.
On Sunday, rebels were reported to have seized the strategic town of Rutshuru, 70km north of Goma.
A senior official at a national conservation park speaking on Monday just 40km north of Goma, told the BBC that "the rebels are very much in control of this area".
Q&A: DR Congo conflict
Profile: Bosco Ntaganda - Congo's 'Terminator'
BBC international development correspondent Mark Doyle says it is not clear if the rebels intend to attack the city.
If they do, there will be a new and massive humanitarian crisis, he says.
However, the rebels may only be flexing their muscles to strengthen their negotiating position with the government, our correspondent adds.
The rebels - who took up arms in April - named themselves the M23 after a failed peace agreement signed on 23 March three years ago.
They are supporters of renegade Gen Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Gen Ntaganda is an ethnic Tutsi - like the majority of Rwanda's leadership - and a recent UN report accused Rwanda of backing the rebels.
Kikaya Bin Karubi, the Congolese Ambassador to the UK, told the BBC: "The United Nations Group of Experts last week published a report that says clearly that the so-called M23 are using Rwandan soldiers - and that's the United Nations talking, not us."
Rwanda has vehemently denied the accusations.
The M23 rebels defected from the army amid pressure on the government to arrest Gen Ntaganda.
An estimated 200,000 people have fled their homes since April, with about 20,000 crossing the border to Uganda and Rwanda.
Eastern DR Congo has been plagued by years of fighting.
In 1994, more than a million Rwandan ethnic Hutus crossed the border following the genocide in which some 800,000 people - mostly Tutsis - were slaughtered.
Rwanda has twice invaded its much-larger neighbour, saying it was trying to take action against Hutu rebels based in DR Congo. Uganda also sent troops into DR Congo during the 1997-2003 conflict.


A 13-year-old boy has died after a suspected firearms incident in a village in Suffolk.

Two teenage boys have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and are in custody, police said.
Emergency services received reports a boy had sustained "life-threatening injuries" at an address in Thurston at 13:35 BST.
He was taken to West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury St Edmunds, but died shortly afterwards.
Suffolk Police said they believe there was a "discharge of a firearm" and are investigating.
The two suspects have been taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning.


A car has crashed into a house and on to the roof of another car.

Police called to the collision on Long Street in Easingwold, North Yorkshire, found the white BMW 1 Series on top of a red Toyota Yaris.
A blue Vauxhall Corsa was also involved in the collision, which happened outside a terraced house near the Horseshoe pub at about 21:30 GMT on Tuesday.
The road was closed while the vehicle was recovered.
Live updates and more news from across Yorkshire
Jade Barnes, who lives a few doors from the scene, said: "The house the car crashed into is the house of a heavily pregnant lady, so I went to check she was ok.
"We heard a crash but presumed it was people putting the bins out.
"It was only when I saw the emergency services that I knew something awful had happened."
Police said no one was injured and there were no arrests.


The water supply in part of north Belfast has been disrupted after vandals damaged fire hydrants in the area for a second time in seven days.

Northern Ireland Water (NIW) had to shut down five hydrants in the New Lodge and North Queen St areas on Saturday evening because of vandalism.
NIW received about 20 reports from residents who had lost water supply.
It appealed to the community and public representatives to stop children and young people from damaging hydrants.
"Some may see it as 'harmless fun' by kids," the company said in a statement.
"The reality is, as they play in the water, homes and businesses are suffering low water pressure or no water at all."
The firm added: "The whole community needs to help us put a stop to this behaviour before the unthinkable scenario occurs where a fire breaks out and there is no water for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service to deal with the fire."
Last week, SDLP MLA Nichola Mallon told the BBC disruption to supply began on Sunday, 18 June.
She said it was "particularly hard" for elderly people and parents with young children "when there is no access to water to bath them".
At the time, Ms Mallon called on NI Water to find a "more robust way of securing the hydrants to prevent this abuse".
She asked: "Surely, in this day and age, there must be a way of securing them so they cannot be tampered with?"
However, NI Water replied it had used "vandal-proof" hydrant lids but insisted "if someone has the time and the resources, they can eventually break these open".


Education Minister John O'Dowd has decided there will be no change in GCSE grades in Northern Ireland.

He said that all exam boards operating in Northern Ireland must give their results using the letters A* to G.
In 2017, English examining boards will give their results in the form of numbers, where nine is the highest grade and one the lowest.
Around one in four GCSEs in NI is studied through an English examining board.
There is currently an 'open market' for GCSEs where schools can choose which examining board to use.
If schools in Northern Ireland want to continue operating through English boards like AQA and OCR, those boards will have to agree to operate a separate alphabetic grading system for Northern Ireland.
There is no indication yet that they will agree to do so.
The local examining body, CCEA, will continue to award GCSEs from A* to G only.
Mr O'Dowd said the decision he had made would present "challenges" for awarding bodies.
"I believe that it will be in the best interests of learners here to continue with the established practice of awarding using letters, and I believe we must avoid unnecessary complexity as far as possible," he told the assembly.
"I appreciate that there is anxiety around the perceived risk to our young people going out into the world with a GCSE certificate that is anything other than a string of numbers like their English counterparts.
"I have confidence in our education system, and I have confidence in the hard work and attainment of our young people."
However, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), which represents many grammar school principals, criticised the minister's decision.
ASCL President Stephen Black said that Mr O'Dowd was relying on the English examining boards following his plans.
"He is saying we can have an open market for GCSE qualifications, but he is totally reliant on the English boards accepting they will have different grading systems for England and Northern Ireland," he said.
"There's no precedent for this, so there's a real danger that we might lose a raft of qualifications which our young people are currently able to study for."
However, the chief executive of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, Jim Clarke, backed the minister.
"It's a statement that our education system is for Northern Ireland," he said, "and meets the needs of young people, our higher education providers and our employers".


Tate Modern's Damien Hirst retrospective was the most visited solo show and second-most visited exhibition in the gallery's history, it has revealed.

Hirst had 463,087 visitors, while 467,166 went to 2002's Matisse Picasso.
Almost 3,000 daily visitors saw the works of conceptual artist Hirst, beating Edward Hopper (429,909) in 2004 and Paul Gauguin (420,686) in 2010-11.
Works by Hirst on show included a shark suspended in formaldehyde.
The exhibition was the first substantial survey of Hirst's work, spanning 20 years of his career.
It also featured In and Out of Love, a two-room installation involving live butterflies and his diamond skull, titled For The Love Of God.
Chris Dercon, the gallery's director, said: "We are delighted that so many people came to see and discuss the Damien Hirst exhibition at Tate Modern.
"It was wonderful to see such iconic works brought together in one place and to offer our visitors a chance to experience them first-hand."
The retrospective was open to the public from 4 April to 9 September as part of the London 2012 Festival.
The festival, billed as an "explosion of arts and creativity", ran alongside the London 2012 Olympics.


Retired IT manager Nigel Clarke, from Kent in the UK, has launched a website listing the call centre menu sequences for accessing thousands of services.

He started the project after growing frustrated about the number of options and amount of recorded information on call centre menus.
Mr Clarke discovered that some automated menus have nearly 80 options.
It can take over four minutes to get to the service required if the caller listens to each stage in full, he said.
As an example, speaking to an adviser at HM Revenue and Customs only required pressing four buttons but it could take six minutes to get through each menu level, Mr Clarke said.
HMRC said it was working on improvements to the service.
"HMRC is looking at ways to improve its interactive voice responses and is getting ready for the introduction of new speech recognition technology," said a spokesman.
"This technology will react to what the caller says instead of asking them to select an option by pushing a button on their phone. HMRC plan to introduce these improvements later this year."
Mr Clarke said the website pleasepress1.com was a "labour of love" which he built after seven years of creating post-it notes of sequences he used regularly.
He used Skype and recording software to make thousands of calls, with the bulk of the work being carried out in the last six months.
Reporting a water leak to Lloyds TSB's home insurance department requires dialling a total of seven numbers, one at each stage of the call (1, 3, 2, 1, 1, 5, 4), and it takes more than four minutes to navigate the 78 menu options, according to the website.
"The companies have these systems in place for a reason," said Mr Clarke.
"I'm not against the system, but I am against bad design."
In an ideal world, he said, companies should just offer different phone numbers for different services.
"No menu is best - but if it is a necessity then design it properly. I think two levels maximum is ideal. Some stretch to three. You don't really want much more than that."
Mr Clarke said he was inspired to build the website after being surprised by the "emotional response" he got from people whenever he mentioned it.
He says he doesn't intend to devote himself full-time to maintaining it.
"I'd like the companies themselves to say, 'we care about our customers, we'll publish our menus'," he said.
When tested by the BBC, some of the sequences did not seem to result in significant time savings, while others ended with the user being transferred straight to a customer adviser rather than going through each level of the automated system.


Surrey Police has improved how it protects vulnerable victims but "still has work to do", a government inspector has said.

Last December the force was rated inadequate for the way it handles child abuse and missing people inquires.
A new inspection has found "good progress" with 117 additional staff and officers to investigate domestic abuse, sexual offences and paedophiles.
But the problem of missing children was still not fully understood.
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) also said the force had improved how it deals with child sexual exploitation, although some posts were still to be filled.
Last November an inquiry found Surrey Police failed to deal properly with a mother's concerns her son was being groomed. Breck Bednar, 14, from Caterham was stabbed to death by a teenager he met online.
The recently-appointed chief constable Nick Ephgrave admitted his force had been "in a difficult place".
The county's new police and crime commissioner David Munro praised the progress and said he wanted "improvement embedded within Surrey Police and to ensure that vulnerable victims have a greater voice".