The present borders of Belarus were established during the turmoil of the Second World War.

The former Soviet republic was occupied by the Nazis between 1941 and 1944, when it lost 2.2 million people, including almost all of its large Jewish population.
Belarus has been ruled with an iron fist since 1994 by President Alexander Lukashenko. Opposition figures are subjected to harsh penalties for organising protests. In 2005, Belarus was listed by the US as Europe's only remaining "outpost of tyranny".
In the Soviet post-war years, Belarus became one of the most prosperous parts of the USSR, but with independence came economic decline. President Lukashenko has steadfastly opposed the privatisation of state enterprises, and the country is heavily dependent on Russia for its energy supplies.
Population 9.5 million
Area 207,595 sq km (80,153 sq miles)
Major languages Russian, Belarussian (both official)
Major religion Christianity
Life expectancy 65 years (men), 76 years (women)
Currency Belarussian rouble
President: Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko, often referred to as Europe's last dictator, won a fifth term as president in October 2015, with no significant opposition candidate allowed to stand.
Observers from the OSCE European security body said the election fell far short of the country's democratic commitments.
Mr Lukashenko's win in December 2010 was followed by violent confrontations in the capital Minsk between the security forces and thousands of opposition demonstrators protesting about alleged vote-rigging.
A former state farm director, Mr Lukashenko was first elected president in 1994, following his energetic performance as chairman of the parliamentary anti-corruption committee.
Belarus has been heavily criticised by rights bodies for suppressing free speech, muzzling the press and denying the opposition access to state media.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Belarus 157th out of 180 countries in its 2015 World Press Freedom Index.
Freedom House says the "state-dominated mainstream media consistently glorify [President] Lukashenko and vilify the political opposition".
TV is the main news source. The eight national channels are state-controlled. Their main competitors are Russian networks. Most Russian bulletins are not rebroadcast live, allowing censors to remove content.
Newspapers owned by the state vastly outnumber those in private hands. Private titles include embattled pro-opposition paper Narodnaya Volya.
Some key dates in the history of Belarus:
1918 - Towards the end of the First World War, Belarus proclaims its independence as the Belarusian National Republic. But, with the end of the war, these aspirations are short-lived. The Red Army invades.
1919 - The Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic is proclaimed.
1921 - The Treaty of Riga divides Belarus between Poland and Soviet Russia.
1922 - The Belarusian SSR becomes founding member of the USSR.
1941-45 - Nazi Germany invades during the course of the Second World War. More than one million people are killed during the occupation, including many Jews.  In 1944 the Soviet Red Army drives the Germans out, and at the end of the war, much of western Belarus - previously part of Poland - is amalgamated into the Soviet Republic.
1986 - Belarus is heavily affected by the fall-out from the nuclear explosion at Chernobyl in neighbouring Ukraine.
1991 - Belarus declares its independence as the Soviet Union breaks up. Minsk becomes the headquarters of the successor to the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States.
1994 - Alexander Lukashenko becomes president. He introduces policies designed to strengthen ties with Russia.
2001 - President Lukashenko re-elected to serve second term. Opposition and Western observers say elections were unfair and undemocratic.
2006 - EU imposes visa ban on President Lukashenko and numerous ministers and officials.
2010 - Presidential elections. President Lukashenko declared winner. Opposition and western observers allege vote rigging. Mass protests in Minsk are broken up by force, with 600 arrests.
2011 - President Lukashenko is inaugurated for a fourth term in office. The EU reinstates a travel ban on him and freezes his assets, while the US imposes stricter financial controls and widens its travel bans on senior officials.
2015 - President Lukashenko wins fifth presidential term. No significant opposition candidate was allowed to stand.


Nationally televised American Monday night football kicked off after San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick continued his demonstration against police brutality and inequality by kneeling during the national anthem.

Some of his teammates and players around the nation have been following Kaepernick's lead by raising fists in the air while the "Star Spangled Banner" is played.
The players are seen to identify with the Black Lives Matter movement, which started after a string of US police killings of unarmed black citizens.
But the protest draws on a rich history of fist-raising symbolism.
The fist salute has represented various acts of solidarity and defiance over a long time, but the acts of the NFL players are most reminiscent of the salute during the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. Black athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists after receiving medals at the games.
In the 1960s the fist salute became a symbol of black-power militant groups in the US like the Black Panther Party which carried out armed citizens' patrols to monitor police behaviour in California during the 1960s.
In a recent interview with the news agency, Reuters, Olympic sprinter John Carlos said Kaepernick's protest was a "shock treatment" for America.
"He's bringing attention to the issues. And how did he bring attention to them? The same way we did 48 years ago in terms of giving America shock treatment."
Carlos said that the Black Lives Matter Movement was connected to the civil rights movements in the 1960s.
"We were gardeners and caretakers. We till the earth. We plant the seeds. We water the ground. And what you see today is the fruit of our labour," Carlos said. "This is a movement, this is not a moment."
The performance by African-American singer Beyonce, at the NFL Super Bowl earlier this year drew strong reactions. Dressed in black leather and black berets, the singers and dancers raised fists into the air during the show, mimicking the Black Panthers' salute.
In May, a group of 16 female African-American cadets studying at the US military academy West Point took a photo on the steps of the academy with fists raised.


Lightning strikes in several European countries have killed one man and caused serious injuries as summer storms hit across the Continent.

The man was killed in southern Poland as he was hit by lightning while descending a mountain.
In Paris, a birthday party in Parc Monceau was struck, injuring 11 people, eight of them children. Several are in a life-threatening condition.
Three people were seriously hurt at a youth football match in Germany.
The children injured in Parc Monceau on Saturday afternoon were aged about nine. Six of the injured are in a serious condition.
They were struck after seeking shelter under a tree, police said.
An off-duty firefighter, Pascal Gremillot, happened to be nearby and was able to rapidly administer first aid and heart massages. Officials said the situation would have been much worse if he had not been there.
The referee was one of three adults at the match in Hoppstaedten in the south-west of Germany who suffered serious injuries, police in Kaiserslautern said.
He took a direct lightning hit, suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to hospital by helicopter.
Another man was also airlifted to hospital and a third was taken by ambulance. All three injured men were in their 40s, the police added.
Initial reports said 35 people had been injured at the match - however, many were taken to hospital as a precaution.
Witnesses at the match said there were no dark clouds and the sky was blue when lightning struck just after the final whistle.
Torrential rain also halted play at the French Open as defending champion Serena Williams was about to start a match against Kristina Mladenovic.
Source: Rospa
The storms developed because a very warm and humid air mass covered mainland north-west Europe at the same time as the air higher up in the atmosphere was becoming colder, creating a very "unstable" atmosphere.
This instability manifested itself in the storms which developed extremely rapidly once the air had warmed up sufficiently.
Over much of the area, the temperature climbed to 25 Celsius, more than enough to trigger the storm clouds. Such storms produce intense rainfall, hail, and numerous lightning strikes and it is typical for them to be at their most widespread and intense in the early afternoon. They are not unusual over the Continent during the summer, although today's outbreaks were perhaps more widespread than normal.
Further storms are likely over Europe on Sunday: the areas expected to see the storms are southern and eastern Germany, the Czech Republic, and the western half of Poland.
In addition to the widespread nature of Saturday's storms, the fact that they came at a weekend, and during otherwise fine, warm weather, made it more likely that they would have an impact on people.
How do you recover from being struck by lightning?


Aaron Collins scored an 88th-minute debut equaliser as Notts County made it four games unbeaten by coming from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Grimsby.

The Mariners started brightly with Ashley Chambers firing off target following a neat flick by Shaun Tuton.
Tuton was linking up well with Omar Bogle up front and he wasted a glorious chance to give Grimsby the lead when he raced through only to slot wide of the post.
County's response was for Richard Duffy to force James McKeown into a save with a smart volley.
But it was Grimsby who made the breakthrough when Shaun Pearson's header from a corner snuck in.
Bogle extended the lead when he raced on to a poor back pass from Stanley Aborah and beat the advancing Adam Collin.
The hosts gave themselves hope when Jonathan Forte forced home his first goal for the club and they could have equalised straight when Vadaine Oliver was hauled down in the area.
Michael O'Connor took the spot-kick, but his shot hit a post. But Collins did snatch a 2-2 draw for County with a lovely finish from Oliver's brilliant knockdown.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
REACTION: Grimsby boss Paul Hurst speaks to BBC Radio Humberside
Match ends, Notts County 2, Grimsby Town 2.
Second Half ends, Notts County 2, Grimsby Town 2.
Foul by Jonathan Forte (Notts County).
Luke Summerfield (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Shaun Pearson (Grimsby Town) header from the left side of the six yard box is just a bit too high.
Corner,  Grimsby Town. Conceded by Louis Laing.
Attempt blocked. Josh Gowling (Grimsby Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Scott Vernon (Grimsby Town) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is blocked.
Corner,  Grimsby Town. Conceded by Richard Duffy.
Attempt saved. Omar Bogle (Grimsby Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Richard Duffy (Notts County) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Omar Bogle (Grimsby Town).
Corner,  Notts County. Conceded by James McKeown.
Attempt saved. Vadaine Oliver (Notts County) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Goal!  Notts County 2, Grimsby Town 2. Aaron Collins (Notts County) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Vadaine Oliver.
Substitution, Grimsby Town. Craig Disley replaces Dominic Vose.
Corner,  Notts County. Conceded by Josh Gowling.
Attempt blocked. Alex Rodman (Notts County) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Aaron Collins (Notts County) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Penalty missed! Still  Notts County 1, Grimsby Town 2. Michael O'Connor (Notts County) hits the right post with a right footed shot.
Penalty Notts County. Vadaine Oliver draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Danny Andrew (Grimsby Town) after a foul in the penalty area.
Goal!  Notts County 1, Grimsby Town 2. Jonathan Forte (Notts County) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner.
Attempt blocked. Vadaine Oliver (Notts County) right footed shot from very close range is blocked.
Substitution, Grimsby Town. Scott Vernon replaces Shaun Tuton because of an injury.
Substitution, Grimsby Town. James Berrett replaces Ashley Chambers.
Hand ball by Omar Bogle (Grimsby Town).
Corner,  Grimsby Town. Conceded by Thierry Audel.
Hand ball by Shaun Tuton (Grimsby Town).
Foul by Thierry Audel (Notts County).
Brandon Comley (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Vadaine Oliver (Notts County) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Foul by Matt Tootle (Notts County).
Dominic Vose (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Notts County. Vadaine Oliver replaces Jon Stead.
Substitution, Notts County. Thierry Audel replaces Stanley Aborah.
Substitution, Notts County. Aaron Collins replaces Adam Campbell.
Attempt missed. Shaun Tuton (Grimsby Town) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Goal!  Notts County 0, Grimsby Town 2. Omar Bogle (Grimsby Town) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the centre of the goal.
Attempt blocked. Dominic Vose (Grimsby Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.


Peter Wright hit the second-highest average in televised history - 119.50 - in his 7-2 Premier League win over Adrian Lewis in Exeter.

Wright's performance was second only to Michael van Gerwen's 123.40 against Michael Smith in the 2016 tournament.
With world champion Van Gerwen not playing because of a back injury, Phil Taylor went top of the table with a 6-6 draw against Gary Anderson.
Dave Chisnall won both of his matches in week five.
Chisnall, playing twice because of Van Gerwen's absence, overcame Raymond van Barneveld 7-2 in his first outing and returned later to inflict a first defeat on James Wade.
Jelle Klaasen drew with Kim Huybrechts in Thursday's other fixture.
Van Gerwen will decide on Friday whether he is fit enough to defend his UK Open title in Minehead.
Dave Chisnall (Eng) 7-2 Raymond van Barneveld (Ned)
Jelle Klaasen (Ned) 6-6 Kim Huybrechts (Bel)
Gary Anderson (Sco) 6-6 Phil Taylor (Eng)
Adrian Lewis (Eng) 2-7 Peter Wright (Sco)
James Wade (Eng) 5-7 Dave Chisnall (Eng)


A further funding commitment is being sought to allow £3.1m plans for a major art gallery project in Kirkcudbright to proceed.

The scheme would see the town hall converted to house "nationally significant" collections.
The Kirkcudbright Common Good Fund is being asked to agree to support the project with up to £200,000.
The money would allow the creation of a second floor gallery to host a hoard of Viking treasure found in the region.


League One Peterborough twice came from behind to earn a home FA Cup replay against a lacklustre West Brom.

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In a rare start, striker Saido Berahino put the Premier League side ahead with a brilliant long-range finish.
Shaquile Coulthirst levelled for what was the first of three late goals in a space of an incredible seven minutes.
Berahino put the Baggies ahead once again from an acute angle before Jon Taylor earned the underdogs a draw with a hooked finish 60 seconds later.
Terrible defending led to Taylor's equaliser and a below-par West Brom were booed off for failing to overcome a side two divisions below them at home.
Baggies manager Tony Pulis opted to start with the unsettled Berahino, who has again been linked with a move in the January transfer window.
In the build up to the match, the Welshman said Berahino - who threatened to strike earlier this season after the club rejected transfer bids - had "wasted three or four months" of his career.
The England-21 international has failed to make an impact this season, scoring just three league goals, with 10 of his 18 appearances coming as a substitute.
But while the 22-year-old's all-round performance against Peterborough could have been better, his two superb goals illustrated why he has reportedly attracted the interest of a number of Premier League clubs.
He collected Rickie Lambert's past in the first half to finish with ease inside the D, while his second-half strike was an instinctive finish.
Berahino celebrated his second by cupping his ears to the home fans and, with transfer deadline day on Monday, it remains to be seen whether that was his last appearance for the club.
"He's a good player and he can score," said Albion boss Tony Pulis. "The problem we've got is his fitness is not what it should be - but put him in front of goal and he'll score.
"Will those be his last goals for the club? We'll see. That's the chairman's decision."
West Brom's recent form will be a worry for their fans. They failed to register a shot on target in a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa last week, and should have dominated against Peterborough.
The hosts, fielding a strong line-up, were comfortable in the first half, but their lack of intensity after the break gave the League One promotion hopefuls another bite at the ABAX Stadium next month.
James McClean had two chances in the first half to double his team's lead, but of the Baggies' 13 shots on goal only four were on target.
Craig Gardner shot high over the crossbar when he should have done better after the break, and from there on Posh began to make inroads.
West Brom manager Tony Pulis: "It's going to be four games in the first two rounds of the FA Cup - it's a lot of games for us, but at least we're still in the draw.
"It was our demise, when you're leading twice to concede the goals we did was pretty poor."
Peterborough manager Graham Westley: "The lads showed some great composure and some great maturity. I watched them grow this afternoon and I am very pleased.
"I think over the 90 minutes, the young players will have gained a lot of experience and they showed that important ingredient, desire.
"The replay will be tough because they are well managed and are a good side. We will give it our everything, it is the FA Cup."
West Brom - seven points above the relegation zone - will host Swansea in the Premier League on Tuesday and defeat against the Welsh team could drag the Baggies into a relegation scrap. Meanwhile, Peterborough, three points adrift of the play-offs, must refocus on their league visit to Chesterfield on 6 February.
Match ends, West Bromwich Albion 2, Peterborough United 2.
Second Half ends, West Bromwich Albion 2, Peterborough United 2.
Attempt missed. Marcus Maddison (Peterborough United) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
Foul by Sébastien Pocognoli (West Bromwich Albion).
Martin Samuelsen (Peterborough United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Claudio Yacob (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Corner,  West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Ricardo Santos.
Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Ricardo Santos (Peterborough United).
Attempt saved. Martin Samuelsen (Peterborough United) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Goal!  West Bromwich Albion 2, Peterborough United 2. Jon Taylor (Peterborough United) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ricardo Santos.
Goal!  West Bromwich Albion 2, Peterborough United 1. Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Craig Dawson.
Lee Angol (Peterborough United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Craig Dawson (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ricardo Santos (Peterborough United).
Michael Smith (Peterborough United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
James McClean (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Michael Smith (Peterborough United).
Attempt blocked. Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Goal!  West Bromwich Albion 1, Peterborough United 1. Shaquile Coulthirst (Peterborough United) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Michael Bostwick.
Foul by Craig Gardner (West Bromwich Albion).
Jack Baldwin (Peterborough United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. James McClean (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Victor Anichebe (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Ricardo Santos (Peterborough United).
Attempt saved. Marcus Maddison (Peterborough United) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Claudio Yacob (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jon Taylor (Peterborough United).
Foul by Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion).
Ricardo Santos (Peterborough United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Michael Smith (Peterborough United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Craig Gardner (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Foul by Victor Anichebe (West Bromwich Albion).
Chris Forrester (Peterborough United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Victor Anichebe replaces Stéphane Sessegnon.
James McClean (West Bromwich Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Salomón Rondón replaces Rickie Lambert.
Substitution, Peterborough United. Marcus Maddison replaces Erhun Oztumer.
Corner,  Peterborough United. Conceded by Sébastien Pocognoli.


Bradford Bulls centre Adrian Purtell was kept in hospital overnight on Sunday after being taken ill on the coach after the defeat by Leeds.

The 27-year-old began to feel unwell on the journey back from the derby clash and the club doctor fitted a drip.
Football manager Stuart Duffy said: "Adrian's condition was giving cause for concern and the club doctor advised he should be taken to hospital.
"Our thoughts are with the player at this time."


Michael Gove has branded a decision by Rotherham council to remove three children from a foster couple because they belong to UKIP as "indefensible".

The foster parents say "no discussions" took place between them and the council prior to the children's removal.
The children - who are European migrants - were removed by social workers who accused the unnamed couple of belonging to a "racist party".
Council leader Roger Stone said it was launching an immediate investigation.
The BBC understands that the three children are all under 10 and one is a baby.
The education secretary said the "wrong decision" was made "in the wrong way for the wrong reasons".
By Alan SoadyPolitical correspondent, BBC News
There's been an outbreak of agreement from the main parties on the principle that being a member of a political organisation such as UKIP should not prevent someone from being considered as a foster parent. Michael Gove called it "indefensible". Ed Miliband said it should "not be a bar", distancing himself from the decision made by Labour-run Rotherham Borough Council.
The investigation announced by the government and the council inquiry will seek to establish the circumstances of this particular case.
But, politically, it will be interesting to see whether it has any bearing on political campaigning in the run up to Thursday's Parliamentary by-election in Rotherham.
He added that the Department for Education, under his leadership, would "ask the necessary questions" to determine what happened in this case.
Officials from the department are understood to be trying to make contact with children's services counterparts at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.
Mr Gove told the BBC: "It is entirely wrong for this couple to have been treated in this way. That's why I believe we need a full explanation from the local authority as to why this decision was allowed to be taken.
"If we say you cannot foster children because you're a member of a mainstream political party or because you have views on multiculturalism then that's utterly wrong.
"This decision is arbitrary, ideological and indefensible."
The education secretary added that the government was bringing forward new laws in the Children and Families' Bill to reverse the current position, which takes into account ethnic and cultural factors when placing children for adoption.
"We want to make it clear that you should not allow ideological matters to preclude what's in the best interest of the child."
Rotherham councillor Paul Lakin, cabinet member for children, young people and families Services has ordered an immediate investigation.
He said: "Membership of a political party should not stop someone fostering children. The council takes its safeguarding responsibilities very seriously and always puts the needs of the children at the centre of that care."
Mr Lakin added he wanted the report on his desk by Monday morning.
Meanwhile, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said that the decision may have breached the parents' right to freedom of political opinion. It welcomed the council's decision to investigate what had happened.
The council's strategic director of children and young people's services, Joyce Thacker, earlier defended the decision, saying it was influenced by UKIP's immigration policy.
She said: "I have legal advice I have to follow for the placement of children and I was criticised before for not making sure their cultural and ethnic needs were met.
"If the party mantra is, for example, ending the active promotion of multiculturalism I have to think about that... I have to think of their longer-term needs.
Ms Thacker added she did not think UKIP was a racist party, but said it had "very clear" immigration policies which she could not ignore.
SOURCE: UKIP website
The unnamed couple in their late 50s, who have been approved foster parents for seven years, were eight weeks into the placement when they were approached by social workers about their membership of the party.
The BBC's Robin Brant reports that UKIP sources say the couple have been members of the party for "over three years" and that Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council was "tipped off" about their membership.
And the couple first knew there were problems around their continued fostering on 14 November.
The wife told the BBC she believed the decision had been taken "prior to the social worker visiting us in person to tell us that the children were being removed because we were UKIP members".
She insisted they felt they were meeting the cultural needs of the three children.
"We were actively encouraging these children to speak their own language... we enjoyed singing one of their folk songs in their native language.
"Having been told of the religious denomination of these children - we took steps to ensure that a school of their denomination was found.
"The children have now been placed with families who are white British, therefore how are these people going to meet the cultural needs of the children?" she added.
UKIP's immigration policy states the party wants an "end [to] the active promotion of the doctrine of multiculturalism by local and national government", and urges Britain to leave the European Union (EU).
The party's leader, Nigel Farage, said he was "very upset and very angry" about the decision and called for "heads to roll" at the council.
He added: "This couple... have been fostering for many years and are very decent people. This was an awful shock to them, not to mention the upset for the children themselves."
He also accused the Labour-controlled council of bigotry towards his party.
Earlier, Labour leader Ed Miliband called for the council to urgently investigate the circumstances of the case.
He insisted: "Being a member of UKIP should not be a bar to adopting or fostering children.
"We need to find out the facts and the council urgently needs to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.
"There are thousands of children who need to be looked after, who need fostering, we shouldn't have the situation where membership of a party like UKIP excludes you from doing that."
Robert Tapsfield, chief executive of the Fostering Network, said the decision seemed "very strange" considering the council viewed the couple as providing a good standard of care.
He said the placement of foster children should not be influenced by their political affiliations.


China's Communist Party this week set out the thinking behind recent guidance on weddings and funerals for party members.

The theme was frugality when the party's disciplinary watchdog  issued a raft of tweaked guidelines for its 88 million members last October.
Even though the wording was vague, Wednesday's statement on how these guidelines should be enforced remained well within the spirit of the party's ongoing austerity drive.
It is all in the name of stamping out corruption, but the perceived intrusion into life's most significant rituals sparked a backlash online.
It is part of traditional Chinese custom for guests at such events to give cash to the bride and groom or to the grieving family.
At weddings, gifts are seen as wishing the couple good luck, whereas at funerals the money is seen as a way of paying condolences and it also helps out with funeral expenses.
Wedding and funerals are seen as key indicators of one's social status in Chinese culture, and there is an emphasis on holding extravagant affairs.
Now, members are discouraged from using their power to "hold large parties" and using the "manpower and resources" that come with one's position, such as employees or service staff, at such events.
They also cannot use weddings and funerals "as vehicles to make money", so the custom of giving and receiving money at these events is frowned upon.
The watchdog noted that sometimes members could hold events "on a very large scale or invite lots of guests" where in the process they would receive "large sums in gifts".
In smaller villages weddings and funerals can last days and involve mass processions.
So the guidance noted that  such events cannot "disturb or obstruct daily production, lives, work, business, teaching, research, traffic and any other regular orders".
It added for good measure that they also cannot "injure or kill people" or "violate the interests of the country, collective and people".
Members are encouraged not to adhere blindly to their local cultural customs, although the watchdog stressed this did not mean a total ban on local traditions.
"Members, particularly those in the leadership, must note that they could cause a bad impression among the public, and so should observe customs while also organising simple and regular weddings and funerals," it said.
But the explanation cut no ice among some, as a backlash took place online.
On microblogging network Weibo, many users complained of the rules as being too overbearing and draconian.
"The enforcing of rules has become askew, even normal citizens are being regulated now," said one user.
"Holding a wedding can damage the country's interests? Are you referring to a marriage with the Dalai Lama?" mocked another.


A tweet by a popular Indian writer fat-shaming a policeman has had an unexpected outcome - free weight-reduction surgery for him in Mumbai.

Inspector Daulatram Jogawat left the hospital on Monday, and thanked Shobhaa De for making him famous.
The writer had tweeted a picture of Mr Jogawat last month, saying the police in Mumbai had planned "heavy security" for local elections.
The viral tweet led to Saifee Hospital offering to pay for his treatment.
The hospital said Mr Jogawat was doing well after the surgery, and can lose up 80kg (176lb) in the next year. He weighed 180kg before the operation.
Bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, is used as a last resort to treat people who are dangerously obese (having a body mass index of 40 or above or 35 plus other obesity-related health conditions).
Sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass is where some of the stomach is removed or the digestive system is re-routed past most of the stomach.
Saifee hospital made headlines in January when it started treating an Egyptian woman, believed to be the world's heaviest, at 500kg (1,102lb).
Mr Jogawat told the Hindustan Times that he got "the opportunity to come all the way to Mumbai for treatment" because of De's tweet.
He added that he started putting on weight because of medical complications, and not because he ate too much.
"Honestly speaking, my weight never came in between my duty because I was physically active and had the brains to solve crimes. I was fairly rewarded for my work," Mr Jogawat said.
De later defended her tweet, saying she did not intend to offend anybody.


A fire in an air traffic control facility that grounded all flights in and out of Chicago's two major airports was set by an employee, officials say.

Brian Howard, 36, has been charged with one count of destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities in connection with the fire in the building's basement.
Mr Howard was found with burns and self-inflicted wounds. Investigators say he used petrol to light the blaze.
By Friday afternoon flights in and out of the airports were slowly resuming.
More than 850 flights were cancelled in Chicago alone and many already in the air were redirected.
In a statement, the FBI said Mr Howard was charged on Friday but remained in hospital recovering from his injuries. No court date has been scheduled.
"We believe he set the fire and he used some kind of accelerant," Aurora Police Chief Greg Thomas said in a news conference on Friday.
The building was damaged by the fire and the water used to extinguish the blaze.
Officials said they did not yet have a possible motive for the act but said Mr Howard was a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and was authorised to be in the building. He had no ties to terrorism.
The fire broke out just before 06:00 local time (11:00 GMT) on Friday morning in the Aurora, Illinois, air traffic control building, 40 miles west (64km) of Chicago.
Air traffic control officials said the radio frequencies with which they worked went dead and the control system was immediately shifted to a back-up system, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Workers used the back-up system until they were forced to evacuate.
"The [radio] frequency failed," a unnamed controller told the newspaper. "Depending on how bad the fire was, it could be a real mess getting things back to normal."
One man was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene but no-one else was injured.
FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said management of the region's airspace was transferred to another facility as the Aurora centre was evacuated.
By Friday afternoon, flights already on their way to Chicago were allowed to continue but landed at a slower pace.
Flights were taking off at a slower rate as well and air safety officials said they did not know when full service would be restored.


World number four Simona Halep says she has only a "50-50" chance of being fit for next week's French Open.

The 25-year-old Romanian tore an ankle ligament during the Italian Open final.
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed," said Halep, the beaten finalist at Roland Garros in 2014. "Doctors say it's 50-50 at the moment but it's made good improvement since Sunday."
British number four Tara Moore will not be in Paris after losing 6-2 7-5 in qualifying to Taiwan's Kai-Chen Chang.


A second gecko in two weeks has accidentally been brought back to Swansea from a holiday.

The small lizard was found in a suitcase after a trip to Spain and taken to Llys Nini Animal Centre.
The RSPCA said it was most likely a Moorish gecko, also known as a common wall gecko, which can grow up to 15cm (6in).
Last month a couple from Swansea found a tiny gecko in their luggage after returning from the Caribbean.


Scientists say they have exposed a scandal at the heart of Ancient Egypt's animal mummy industry.

A scanning project at Manchester Museum and the University of Manchester has revealed that about a third of the bundles of cloth are empty inside.
Researchers believe there was a huge appetite for these religious offerings, and demand for the mummies may have outstripped supply.
The project has been followed by the BBC's Horizon programme.
The research team has been conducting the largest scanning project of its kind.
More than 800 mummies, ranging from cats and birds to crocodiles, have so far been analysed using X-rays and CT scans.
About a third of those scanned contain complete animals, which have been remarkably well preserved.
Another third contain partial remains - but the rest have been empty.
Dr Lidija McKnight, an Egyptologist from the University of Manchester, said: "There have been some surprises.
"We always knew that not all animal mummies contained what we expected them to contain, but we found around a third don't contain any animal material at all - so no skeletal remains."
Instead, she explained, the linen was padded out with other items.
"Basically, organic material such as mud, sticks and reeds, that would have been lying around the embalmers workshops, and also things like eggshells and feathers, which were associated with the animals, but aren't the animals themselves."
Unlike human mummies, which were created to preserve the body for the afterlife, animal mummies were a religious offering.
"We know the Egyptians worshipped gods in animal forms, and an animal mummy allowed you some connection with the world of the gods, " explained Dr Campbell Price, curator of Egypt and Sudan, at Manchester Museum, which will have an exhibition on animal mummies in October.
"Animal mummies were votive gifts. Today you'd have a candle in a cathedral; in Egyptian times you would have an animal mummy.
"You would go to a special site, buy an animal mummy, using a system of barter. You'd then give it to a priest, who would collect a group of animal mummies and bury them."
Excavations have revealed that demand for these sacred gifts was high.
About 30 vast catacombs have been discovered in Egypt, packed from floor to ceiling with millions of mummies.  Each tomb is dedicated to a single creature, such as dogs, cats, crocodiles, ibis and monkeys.
Scientists estimate that up 70 million animals may have been mummified by the Egyptians.
"The scale of animal mummification between about 800 BC and into the Roman period was huge," said Dr Price.
"In terms of how many animals were reared and killed, it would have been on an industrial scale. The animals were young and killed when they were quite small. To achieve those numbers you had to have a very specific breeding programme."
The researchers believe that despite the fact that animals were mass-bred, the mummy makers probably struggled to keep up with the demand.
However, they do not think that the partial or empty mummies were a scam, and the pilgrims may have known they were not burying a complete creature.
"We think there is probably more to it than that," Dr McKnight told the BBC.
"We think they were mummifying pieces of animals that were lying around, or materials associated with the animals during their lifetime - so nest material or eggshells.
"They were special because they had been in close proximity with the animals - even though they weren't the animals themselves.
"So we don't think it's forgery or fakery. It's just that they were using everything they could find. And often the most beautifully wrapped mummies don't contain the animal remains themselves."
Horizon - 70 Million Animal Mummies: Egypt's Dark Secret, will air on BBC 2 on Monday 11 May at 2100.
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Ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne is set to be charged with racially aggravated abuse over a comment he allegedly made during a stage show.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it initially declined to charge him following the show at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on 30 November.
That decision was later overturned after a request to review evidence.
Mr Gascoigne, 49, has been issued with a summons to appear at Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court on 17 June.
Under the Victims Right to Review, a legal decision could be challenged by a victim or complainant, a CPS spokesperson said.
This was implemented to charge Mr Gascoigne for a "joke" he made during the Evening with Gazza show, the spokesperson added.
The Express & Star reported that the complaint centred on a remark the ex-England international is said to have made about a black security guard who was in a darkened part of the stage, about whom Mr Gascoigne allegedly said he could not tell "if he was smiling or not".
The former Newcastle, Tottenham Hotspur, Rangers, Middlesbrough and Everton midfielder, who retired from football in 2004, has openly spoken about his struggles with mental health and battles with alcoholism.


A North sea offshore worker has told the BBC that he dreads flying in the Super Puma 225 helicopters again.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Norwegian authorities have allowed flights to resume if new safety conditions are met.
A crash involving the helicopter off the coast of Norway killed 13 people, including Iain Stewart from Aberdeenshire, in April 2016.
The worker said he could not tell his family if he had to fly in one again.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "When you go on everyone tries to go to sleep, so if something happens you are not going to know about it.
"You can't tell your kids that you're flying in a 225 because they worry and the last thing you want to do is to worry them when you're away"
The Super Puma 225 and L2 type helicopters were grounded following the fatal crash off Norway last year.
Offshore firms are yet to confirm whether they would use the aircraft again.
Unite union said that it would be inappropriate to lift any ban before the root cause of the 2016 accident is known.
The union's regional organiser in Aberdeen, Tommy Campbell, said Unite is "very disappointed and very angry" that the decision has been made before questions have been answered concerning last year's crash.
The CAA said that helicopters would not begin flying immediately and that a plan of checks, modifications and inspections will be undertaken before any flights take place.
These include:
CAA head of airworthiness John McColl said: "This is not a decision we have taken lightly. It has only been made after receiving extensive information from the Norwegian accident investigators and being satisfied with the subsequent changes introduced by Airbus Helicopters through detailed assessment and analysis."


Rhys Hanbury has signed a new three-year deal with Widnes Vikings that ties him to the club until 2019.

The Australian full-back, 30, was out of contract at the end of this season.
Hanbury moved to the Vikings in 2012 after a two-year spell at Celtic Crusaders, having previously played for South Sydney Rabbitohs and West Tigers.
"I am really pleased that I have got the deal done, I always wanted to stay at the Vikings and me and my girlfriend are really happy," he said.
"Coming to work every day with your best mates is a dream come true, I get on with the coaching staff and everybody at the club and wouldn't want to leave.
"I came over to the UK as half-back but when I sat down with (head coach) Denis (Betts), he had faith in me and let me take the full-back role. I am so glad to be staying here for a further three years doing so."
He follows Stefan Marsh, Chris Dean, Joe Mellor and Charly Runciman, who have all signed new deals over the past month.


An actor has died after being shot while filming a music video in the Australian city of Brisbane.

The man, in his 20s, suffered a chest wound inside the Brooklyn Standard bar in Eagle Lane in the city centre, Queensland police said.
Several firearms had been discharged during the filming just before 1400 local time (0400 GMT), said Detective Inspector Tom Armitt.
The video was for Sydney-based hip hop group Bliss n Eso.
The band's management released a statement to Australian news outlets confirming the death.
"The video production crew and our team are currently working with the police in their investigation and we are unable to provide further comment at this time," the statement said.
It said band members were not present at the time.
Insp Armitt told reporters police were conducting a criminal investigation.
"We do not know specifically how those injuries occurred at this point in time and that'll be [the] subject of our investigation," he said.
He said members of the film crew had tried to administer CPR on the victim, but the man eventually died from his injuries.
Insp Armitt did not say whether the gun was loaded with live ammunition or if blanks were being used. It is also unknown how many shots were fired.
Nobody else on set was hurt, and there was no risk to the public, police said.
The Australian Associated Press quoted an eyewitness as saying he heard a series of loud bangs.
Construction worker Blake Shaw was working on the floor above the bar at the time of the incident.
"There was like three gunshots and then about five minutes all the cops came," he said.
He said that when he looked through a hole in the floor, he saw money strewn around the bar and a man's torso covered in blood.
Brooklyn Standard bar said the venue had been "wholly rented out, outside of opening hours" for the filming.
"We would like everyone to know that none of our staff were involved in the incident and everyone is safe, and we are doing everything we can to help the police investigation at this time.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the individual involved, and we appreciate your respect and understanding at this time," said the statement.  The bar will remain closed on Monday.
The sequel to the Hollywood blockbuster Pacific Rim, starring British actor John Boyega, had been filming in the same area in recent weeks.
A spokesman for that production told Australian media that the incident had nothing to do with their filming and that their set was closed on Monday.


One of the last unaltered examples of a classic Pembrokeshire cottage is to be restored by the National Trust.

The Grade II-listed "two up two down" home near St Davids, which dates back to the 1700s, was left to the charity by its late owner Glyn Griffiths.
The cottage needs "substantial" repair work and Mr Griffiths left it with the wish that it would be restored and its character preserved.
Once renovated it will be let as a holiday cottage.
The coastal home is a traditional lime-washed house with outbuildings, and was lived-in by Mr Griffiths since childhood.
It has been unaltered since it was built and its photo has featured in several publications celebrating the special character of the Pembrokeshire landscape.
Jonathan Hughes, the National Trust's general manager for Pembrokeshire, said: "We're delighted that Mr Griffiths has chosen the National Trust to safeguard his cottage and we know it holds a special place in the hearts of many people.
"The restoration work planned will preserve the layout as far as possible to provide simple accommodation, whilst retaining the spirit and charm of the traditional Pembrokeshire cottage."
Renovation work will be funded by the National Trust's Neptune Coastline Campaign, set up to protect coastal heritage.
Visitors will be able to view the repair work at a series of open days and people will eventually be available to rent it for short stays.


Negotiating the assault course of toddlers and pushchairs outside the Baby Show at Olympia in west London I am eager to see what all the fuss is about.

The show is enormous and with most of the 225 exhibitors offering discounts of up to 50%, it's easy to understand why 25,000 people are expected to flood through the doors this weekend.
Parents are spending more than ever on their children. Sales of baby products such as furniture, clothes and food are rocketing.
The Baby Show takes place around the UK three times a year - two events in London and one in Birmingham - and has seen an almost 30% rise in spending from year to year.
The 2014-15 shows saw visitors spend over £30m, while at the 2015-16 events, more than £39m was spent.
The pressure to provide the best is clear when you take a look at popular parenting discussion site Mumsnet. The number of threads in the forum about how much to spend on various items is staggering.
And as new entries to the market bring different ideas and innovative products, the spending pressure on parents grows even more.
Take cots, for example. The decision to buy one should be simple. A baby needs somewhere to sleep.
But should the child be in a Moses basket or crib before a full-size cot? Do you also need baby positioner supports? What about the wide variety of pods, wraps, pillows, mats and even "nests" available out there?
The choices are overwhelming.
Jenny Ward, director of services at the Lullaby Trust, which provides expert advice on safer baby sleep, is very clear on what is required.
"Babies need their own sleeping place, although it can be in the same room as parents. They need a firm, flat, waterproof mattress. Bedding must not be too loose as it could become a danger by covering their head and it must not make the baby too warm," she says.
Beyond that, she says it is up to parents to make decisions on the type of cot that fits in with their lifestyle.
Some of the biggest sellers at John Lewis are cots where the side drops down completely, allowing a mother to have it positioned almost as an extension of her own bed.
This "co-sleeping" design is particularly popular with breastfeeding mothers, and sales at the department store are up 134% compared with last year.
On the cot market you can also find: bunk cots - a space-saving option for twins or for a toddler and infant sibling combo; cots with storage built in underneath; ones that can convert into beds as the child grows; the options go on and on.
The top end of the market is epitomised by London-based Dragons of Walton Street. The showroom in Harrods, Kensington, is a sight to behold.
Princess Diana commissioned the company to design nurseries for Princes William and Harry. Its cots are, quite literally, fit for a (future) king.
The Arab and Russian markets are very important for the brand.
"We are currently working on a big project in Abu Dhabi," says global sales director Simon Croft. "It's a complete redesign of four bedrooms and we are flying a team out to install everything."
Discretion is key at Dragons, and Croft won't comment on the price of such a job, but it would certainly be beyond the reach of most parents.
As is the world's most expensive cot, the €12m (£10.7m) Dodo Bassinet by Suommo. Made of solid 24-carat gold it takes six months to build and weighs 188kg.
Suommo's chief executive and designer Ximo Talamantes says his creations are "works of art". He is currently working on a special project for the Dubai royal family.
There is no doubt that celebrity endorsements and trends are followed closely by parents these days. Generally speaking, whatever Harper Beckham, the Kardashian kids and other famous tots wear sells out.
The same is true of sleeping arrangements. In April 2013, the Duchess of Cambridge was spotted buying a Moses basket while pregnant with Prince George at high-end shop Blue Almonds. Sales immediately picked up.
Beyond the products we would all think of as traditional for a sleeping baby, the market has exploded in recent years.
From cushions and pads, designed to keep a baby in a particular position, to pods, hammocks and cocoons all meant to recreate an enclosed "womb-like" sleeping environment, the list is endless. At the Baby Show some 31 stalls are categorised as selling "sleeping" products.
Jenny Ward from the Lullaby Trust says these items are simply "not necessary".
But for a desperate parent, with a child who just will not sleep, anything is worth a try.
"There's not much that exhausted parents won't do to help their baby sleep, budget permitting," says Kate Williams, editor at Mumsnet.
One such story is what led Charlotte Marshall to design the Poddle Pod. In November 2011 her son Deacon was born.
"He just did not want to be put down," Charlotte says. "He would fall asleep in my arms and then wake up after a few minutes if I tried to put him down anywhere."
After reaching the point of desperation, she and her mum came up with the £49.99 Poddle Pod, a design that fits snuggly around the child, imitating the feeling of being held.
While the Poddle Pod is not recommended for overnight sleeping, there are other similar products on the market which are.
John Lewis has seen sales of the Sleepyhead pod range, which starts at £110, more than double compared with last year.
"Conversations on Mumsnet indicate that people buy Sleepyheads for quite specific reasons - often because they've found that their baby won't take to a cot - and so despite the expense, the product seems to be successfully meeting a particular need," says Mumsnet's Kate Williams.


A plaque with the names of those from Merseyside who lost their lives fighting in the Spanish Civil War has found a permanent home in Liverpool.

The memorial, with the names of 27 local people, has been unveiled at the Unite building in Islington.
The city's office block has been called Jack Jones in honour of the ardent trade unionist from Garston who was badly injured in the conflict.
Unite's regional secretary Paul Finegan said: "We feel very privileged."
There were approximately 180 men and women who left the safety of Merseyside to defend the Spanish government against the might of General Francisco Franco's nationalist rebels between 1936 and 1939.
Jack Jones survived the war and became the leader of the Transport and General Workers' Union. He was heavily involved with the unions until he died aged 96 in April last year.
Local historian, Danny Payne, said that although there were 27 names on the plaque, after further research it is believed that 30 people from Merseyside died fighting.
They had to travel there in secret, after the UK government declared it illegal to fight in Spain as it tried to appease Hitler's huge fascist force in the lead up to the Second World War.
In total, 2,500 from across the British Isles fought in the Spanish Civil War and 500 did not survive.
Mr Finegan said: "The plaque used to be on the wall of the unemployed and trade union centre in Hardman Street, but since it closed years ago, it has been sent from place to place across the city.
"Now it's good that it has a permanent home here, it all seems to fit together well - a newly refurbished building called Jack Jones and a memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives in the same war he fought."
The civil war ended after WWII had started. More than 300,000 people died and the Republicans were persecuted by the victorious nationalist parties.
Mr Payne added: "It was an horrific war, Franco's uprising was supported by the Hitler and Mussolini regimes so he was furnished with arms.
"The Republic was short of weapons and medical supplies and it was basically strangled by the might of Franco."


The global pharmaceutical industry is being called on to pay for a $2bn (Â£1.3bn) innovation fund to revitalise research into antibiotics.

In return, there would be guaranteed payments to companies which produced vitally needed new antibiotics.
There are currently very few new antibiotics in development amid a global spread of resistant bacteria.
The proposals are in a report by a UK government-appointed review team headed by economist Jim O'Neill.
Mr O'Neill said: "We need to kick-start drug development to make sure the world has the drugs it needs, to treat infections and to enable modern medicine and surgery to continue as we know it."
He has previously warned that drug-resistant microbes could kill 10 million people a year worldwide by 2050 and cost $100 trillion in lost economic output.
Resistant strains of bacteria are spreading globally, threatening to make existing drugs ineffective.
A global innovation fund of $2bn over five years would be used to boost funding for "blue-sky" research into drugs and diagnostics - with much of the money going to universities and small biotech companies.
One promising area of research concerns so-called "resistance breakers".   These are compounds that work to boost the effectiveness of existing antibiotics  - a far less costly approach than attempting to discover entirely new drugs.
Helperby Therapeutics, a spin-out company founded by Prof Anthony Coates, St George's, University of London, has created a resistance breaker that acts against the superbug MRSA.
The compound, known as HT61, will shortly go into clinical trials in India, where it is being developed under licence by Cadila Pharmaceuticals India.
The review team said this kind of research could benefit from the innovation fund and could be the key to making existing drugs last longer.
Mr O'Neill said the big pharmaceutical companies should pay for the fund and look beyond short-term assessments of profit and loss.
Formerly chief economist with the investment bank Goldman Sachs, Mr O'Neill drew parallels between the banking crisis and the looming catastrophe of a world where antibiotics no longer worked.
He said big pharma needed to act with "enlightened self-interest" because "if it gets really bad, somebody is going to come gunning for these guys just how people came gunning for finance".
Mr O'Neill was speaking to the BBC's Panorama programme, which has spent six months following the work of the review team, filming in India, the US and UK.
Mr O'Neill was appointed last year by Prime Minister David Cameron to head the review into antimicrobial resistance - which already claims an estimated 30,000 lives a year across Europe.
Many large companies have pulled out of antibiotic research.
The report says this is partly due to the uncertain commercial returns for new antibiotics.
New drugs are often kept in reserve for years, to preserve their potency, by which time they may be nearing the end of their patent.
After this expires, cheaper generic versions are available.
In order to incentivise drug development, the review team says, there should be lump-sum payments to companies that create proven new antibiotics.
This would break the link between the profitability of a drug and its volume of sales.
The review team predicts its proposals could lead to 15 new antibiotics a decade, of which at least four should be "breakthrough products" targeting the bacterial species of greatest concern.
It estimates the cost of guaranteed payments for these drugs would be $16-37bn over a decade but says this is a small price to pay given that antibiotics are essential to so many aspects of healthcare, from common infections, to surgery and cancer treatment.
It is nearly 30 years since a new class of antibiotics - meaning a group of drugs with an entirely novel action - was introduced.
But this decades-long drought could be over as a result of a breakthrough recently announced by US scientists.
A team at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, has discovered 25 potential new antibiotics, all of them derived from soil microbes.
One of them, teixobactin, is effective against both tuberculosis and MRSA.
The drug is being developed by NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals and should go into patient trials within two years.
Prof Kim Lewis, of Northeastern University, who co-founded the company, told Panorama:  "We think there could be thousands more antibiotics in the soil, yet to be discovered."
There are still many uncertainties.
Teixobactin has yet to undergo patient trials, and it is at this stage that many promising drugs fail.
Nor is it effective against bacteria such as E.coli and Klebsiella, which are responsible for a huge proportion of resistant infections.
But the Boston team's discoveries are the type of innovative research many scientists believe essential to ensure we do not run out of effective antibiotics.
Patrick Vallance, GlaxoSmithKline's president of pharmaceutical R&D said that, as one of the few companies still conducting antibiotic research they welcomed the report: "We are very encouraged by the ideas it sets out to modernise the economic model to encourage investment in research and ensure reasonable returns."
Prof Dame Sally Davies,  chief medical adviser to the UK government, said: "We have to respond to the challenge of antimicrobial resistance by making sure we secure the necessary antibiotics for generations to come, in order to save millions of lives and billions of pounds."
Panorama: Antibiotic Apocalypse is on Monday 18 May on BBC ONE at 20:30 BST or you can catch up oniPlayer.


Nintendo has announced a release date for their newest console, the NX, which it first told the world about in 2015.

The company teased fans by saying the console will be a ''brand new concept'', but they haven't released many more details or pictures of it.
Gamers have had a long wait since Nintendo's last console was released back in 2012.
Now they can look forward to checking out the newest release in March 2017.
Details on this latest tech are hard to come by and Nintendo seems to want to keep it that way.
Some reports have said that the NX might include a hand held device that can be used alongside the console but also on its own, similar to the Wii U.
For now, all we can do is guess, and hope for a sneak peak in the future.


Syrian troops and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies have launched a long-anticipated offensive against militants in the border area, officials say.

Pro-Hezbollah media said the forces were attacking the Jroud Arsal area and Qalamoun mountains from two directions.
The area is home to about 1,000 militants, including Islamic State (IS) group and al-Qaeda's former affiliate.
The operation has raised fears for the safety of thousands of Syrian refugees around nearby Arsal in Lebanon.
Earlier this week, Lebanon's prime minister said the army was preparing its own offensive against militants, who have used Arsal's refugee camps as a safe haven.
Last month, five militants blew themselves up as troops searched camps for suspects and weapons. A young girl was killed and three soldiers wounded by the blasts.
Hezbollah-affiliated media said the operation to flush out "armed terrorists" would carry on indefinitely.
It said Syrian forces and Hezbollah shelled the area, then advanced from Flita on the Syrian side of the border and from the south of Arsal, on the Lebanese side.
Television pictures showed columns of smoke rising as Hezbollah fired artillery towards hills where the militants are based.
Hundreds of militants belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly al-Qaeda's official branch in Syria, are believed to be in Jroud Arsal, and a similar number of IS fighters are thought to be in a neighbouring area.
Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed Lebanese security source as saying refugees were fleeing towards Arsal.
The area around Arsal is home to tens of thousands of refugees from the war in Syria. The influx has heightened sectarian tensions inside Lebanon since the conflict began in 2011.
A Sunni enclave surrounded by Shia villages, Arsal was the scene of an attack in 2014, when more than two dozen Lebanese security force members were seized by militants from al-Qaeda and IS who had crossed the border from Syria.
Sixteen have since been released and four killed by their captors.


The company behind the Star Wars franchise has laid to rest rumours that Carrie Fisher may be digitally recreated for future films after her sudden death last month.

"Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher's performance" as Princess Leia, it said.
Fisher died, aged 60, just days after suffering a cardiac arrest last month.
She had already finished filming for the next instalment, Star Wars: Episode VIII, due out at the end of the year.
She was also expected to appear in Episode IX, which is still being scripted and scheduled for release in 2019.
Stars and fans pay tribute to Carrie Fisher
A life of fame - with a price
The story of Princess Leia's hairstyle
But Lucasfilm, which produces the franchise, says Episode VIII will be Fisher's last, adding: "Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family.
"She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend. We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honour everything she gave to Star Wars."
Computer graphics technology was used in the most recent film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, bringing back British actor Peter Cushing - who died in 1994 - to play the role of the Grand Moff Tarkin - which he first played in the original 1977 film.
A digitised version of Fisher from the same year also made a brief appearance in the film. The move was embraced by some fans, but slated by others for being too cartoonish and distracting.
In pictures: Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher: The fans' princess
Fisher appeared in four of the Star Wars franchise films, starting with Episode IV in 1977 and most recently in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.
The actress had been on tour promoting her book The Princess Diarist when she was taken ill on a flight from London to Los Angeles on 23 December.
She never regained consciousness and died four days later at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre.
Her mother, Debbie Reynolds, died the following day.
Both mother and daughter were laid to rest at a private service one week ago.


The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) came to Tal Maarouf in the early hours of the morning, a surprise attack that took the lightly guarded village by surprise.

"They came to our house, and kicked in the door," said a woman who was among a small group of villagers taken away. She did not want to be named.
"We were terrified," she added. "It was dark, and the children were crying and screaming. They pointed their guns at us and said: 'Get moving, and if you talk to the kids in Kurdish, we'll shoot you.' We shut up and walked."
They were taken to a nearby village, Tal Hamis, which is still under the control of ISIS, a jihadist rebel group whose practices are so extreme that it has even been disavowed by al-Qaeda.
The women were questioned and later released with the children. Some of the men are still being held.
ISIS occupied Tal Maarouf for less than 24 hours.
The Popular Protection Units (YPG) - the mainly Kurdish militia that controls this "canton", known as al-Jazira, along the Turkish and Iraqi borders in remote north-eastern Syria - rallied for a counter-attack, and the ISIS fighters pulled out.
They left behind an extraordinary trail of devastation in a village now virtually deserted except for chickens, cats, stray dogs and YPG fighters.
Any building associated with the YPG was ransacked and torched.
But by far the greatest damage was done to the village's two mosques, which were systematically demolished - not the collateral damage of war, but deliberate destruction.
There was even a pile of ashes and charred pages where a collection of Korans had been burnt, the verses of some of its Surahs still clearly identifiable on the delicately carbonised leaves.
For most Muslims, these would be the ultimate acts of desecration because they consider the Koran the sacred word of God.
But the mosques and the adjacent seminary and residences, which were also torched, belonged to the Naqshabandis, members of a liberal Sufi sect of Sunni Islam who would be regarded as heretics by hardline fundamentalists such as ISIS.
That, presumably, would also explain the burning of the Korans, on the grounds that they had been contaminated and defiled by being handled by such "heretics".
The most recent eminence of the sect, Sheikh Mohammed Mashouq al-Khaznawi, was abducted and killed, allegedly by the Syrian government, in 2005.
He had famously said: "I am Kurdish first, and Muslim second."
But the struggle here is not simply one between Syrian Kurds and Arabs.
At a cemetery in a muddy field near the village of Ain al-Khadra, we attended the highly emotional funeral of Tahsin al-Mushawwa, from the big Arab tribe of al-Tayy.
Although an Arab, he was a fighter - going by the nom de guerre Zagros - with the mainly-Kurdish YPG. He was fatally wounded when a suicide bomber from ISIS blew himself up near a YPG checkpoint.
Thousands of Kurds flocked to the cemetery and joined his Arab relatives weeping and grieving for the young man.
"We have no problems among ourselves," said Tahsin's angry cousin Jamal al-Kharouf.
"The trouble is these terrorist takfiri gangs sent by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey," he added, referring to extremists who believe Muslim society has reverted to a state of non-belief, legitimising attacks on other Muslims.
"And behind them, the West is sending us their terrorists, the scum of Europe. They grow beards, but they have nothing to do with Islam. What kind of Muslim would destroy a mosque and desecrate the grave of a sheikh who taught generations of students?"
ISIS itself said that two of its fighters killed at Tal Maarouf were from the United Arab Emirates.
We were given access to a jail where the mainly Kurdish security force, Asayesh, is holding Islamist rebel prisoners we were told had been captured by the YPG during clashes, or intercepted on failed suicide- or car-bombing operations.
The handful of prisoners paraded for us were all said to be Syrians, both Arabs and Kurds, though we were not allowed to speak to them.
But we were shown the passports and identity papers that the YPG said were found on the bodies of nine fighters from ISIS or the al-Nusra Front - the only official al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria - killed in recent clashes.
They were three Turks, three Iraqis, and one each from Tunisia, Libya and Bahrain. Stamps on their passports showed that the Arabs had transited through Turkey.
A separate register bearing the insignia of al-Nusra logged the details of another 35 fighters, many of them clearly from outside Syria.
Another nearby village, Gerhok, was occupied by al-Nusra's Eagle Brigade for six months last year.
Although the village - lying close to the oilfields at Rumaylan - has an Arab majority, the entire population fled and only returned after the YPG had driven out al-Nusra.
"Al-Nusra was interested in the oil," said Ali al-Salih, head of the local farmers' association.
"Now that they've gone, things are stable and we can enjoy our homes again. But the oil is still a problem - there's a kind of anarchy."
"Gangs fight over it at night, and people are refining it by hand at the roadside. It's ruining our crops and our health, and we're getting nothing out of it."
Hospital officials say the most common ailment in the area now is pulmonary problems caused by the pollution from hundreds of primitive mini-refineries pumping acrid black smoke into the air.
"Even so, there's no way we would want al-Nusra or the other terrorist groups back," Mr Salih added.
"Now, I can receive you as my guest. If they were around, you wouldn't last five minutes. They'd probably kill you in my house."
Officials of the YPG militia and its political affiliate, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), say they have lost more than 500 fighters repelling ISIS, al-Nusra and allied Islamist groups.
"We may have political differences with the rest of the Syrian opposition, but our basic problem is with the groups like ISIS and al-Nusra, which are linked to al-Qaeda," said Aldar Khalil, a senior PYD figure.
"They are trying to penetrate here and make Syria a centre and base for themselves, so we have to confront them and fight them."
"It seems ISIS have taken a strategic decision to make war on us, and not just us - they want to control the area, and they'll fight any force that stands in their way."
The PYD and its affiliates announced in January the establishment of "democratic self-administration" in the three Kurdish-dominated cantons - al-Jazira in the north-east, Ain al-Arab (Kobani in Kurdish) in the central sector, and around Ifrin in the far north-west.
Despite the move, they have denied accusations that they want to join them up and pursue a path of autonomy verging on virtual independence, as the Kurds next door in Iraq have done.
"We are part of Syria, regardless of the ruling regime," said Mr Khalil.
"The regime is one thing, and the state is another. You can be at odds with the regime and want to change it, but not the geography of Syria. These cantons remain tied to Syria and subject to the central state."
That ambivalence, which has drawn accusations of collusion with the regime, is evident as you move around Qamishli, the biggest town in the al-Jazira canton.
A huge portrait of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad adorns the entrance to the busy post office. Syrian troops man positions around a base in the centre of town, and control the nearby airport.
A statue of the president's father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad, stands untouched in a busy square, one of the few to survive the uprising around the country.
Syrian secret police officers in their trademark black leather jackets saunter casually past Kurdish Asayesh police stations.
There are many other signs of de facto co-existence between the state and the Kurdish forces.
That is hardly surprising. The PYD is strongly linked to the Turkish rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Pictures of the imprisoned PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, adorn offices throughout the Syrian Kurdish areas.
Syria backed the PKK in the 1980s and 1990s and harboured Ocalan until a Turkish military mobilisation forced Damascus to expel him in 1998, enabling his subsequent capture and detention in Kenya the next year. So ties between the regime and the PKK and its affiliates go back a long way.
It is taken as axiomatic among many residents of the Kurdish-majority cantons that there must be invisible high-level co-ordination between the regime and the PYD, even if at the grassroots nothing is known.
But there is another, contradictory yet widely held, perception: that the regime is also in cahoots with ISIS and other Islamist groups that the Kurds are fighting.
Again, the roots of alleged regime complicity with radical Islamist networks go back 10 years to the war in Iraq, when Damascus was bitterly accused by Iraqi officials, the Americans and others, of facilitating and encouraging jihadists to cross the border to join the insurgency.
Now, Kurds and others point to circumstantial evidence of collusion between the government and the jihadists.
There are many stories of government forces refraining from bombarding ISIS positions, but targeting them if other rebel groups take them over.
"The regime seems to have a hand in everything, and we don't know who is friend or foe," said one puzzled Kurd.
The "self-administration" announced by the PYD and its allies remains largely theoretical or vestigial for the moment.
Throughout the al-Jazira canton, teachers, hospital staff, municipal workers and others continue to be paid by the Syrian state, and official paperwork has to be done through government offices in the provincial capital, Hassakeh.
The course that the PYD is charting is not universally approved in the cantons, and is strongly criticised by rival political factions which accuse it of imposing itself through the guns of the YPG.
Although sounding public opinion is difficult, many Kurds seem to agree that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which predominates in neighbouring northern Iraqi Kurdistan, is more popular than the PYD despite the latter's control on the ground in Syria.


Turkish giants Fenerbahce confirmed they are on the brink of signing Morocco midfielder Nabil Dirar from French Ligue 1 champions Monaco.

The 31-year-old, who can also play in defence, has been with Monaco since 2012, making 167 appearances for the principality outfit and has scored 12 goals, creating 33 assists.
"We have an agreement in place with Dirar and Monaco, and we are delighted to confirm that he will be joining us," Fenerbahce announced on the club's official website.
The versatile Dirar has arrived in Istanbul and is expected to sign a three-year deal this week.
"I am proud to have the chance to play in a big club like Fenerbahce," Fenerbahce TV quoted the player as saying.
"I have had the chance to play here in Istanbul with Monaco - the facility, great atmosphere and the enthusiastic fans left a good impression on me.
"There are top talented players here and I am confident that together we will achieve great things."
Fenerbahce finished third behind champions Besiktas and surprise runners-up Istanbul Basaksehir in the Turkish Super Lig last season.
New manager Aykut Kocaman, who replaces Dutchman Dick Advocaat, has snapped up the experienced Moroccan as the club mount their quest for the league title and their campaign in the third qualifying round of the Europa League next season.
Dirar first impressed at Belgian club Westerlo where he spent two seasons before joining rivals Club Brugge in May 2008.
His 19 goals in 153 appearances between 2008-2012 for Club Brugge were enough to secure a record-transfer switch to Monaco in January 2012.
Capped 21 times by Morocco and scoring twice, Dirar played all four games for the Atlas Lions as they exited the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations at the quarter-finals stage.


This year's Christmas special of Doctor Who will see the Doctor team up with a comic book superhero.

The 60 minute episode, called The Return of Doctor Mysterio, will be written by Steven Moffat and broadcast on BBC One on Christmas Day.
The Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, will work with the superhero to save New York from a deadly alien threat.
Doctor Mysterio will be played by Justin Chatwin, who has previously appeared in Orphan Black.
The pair will be joined on their quest by an investigative journalist, played by Wolf Hall actress Charity Wakefield.
Matt Lucas, who announced his return to Doctor Who earlier this year, will also appear in the episode.
Chatwin said: "Working with the amazing people at Doctor Who has been one of the most fun and rewarding projects I've ever had the pleasure of being involved with."
Moffat hinted that he was interested to explore the character of Grant, the man who becomes Doctor Mysterio.
Moffat said: "I've always loved superheroes and this Christmas Doctor Who dives into that world. My favourite superhero is Clark Kent. Not Superman, Clark Kent."
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UTV, the Belfast-based media firm, has reported half-year profits of £6.1m on a turnover of £55.2m.

That compares to a £10.7m profit for the same period in 2012.
The firm, which owns the talkSPORT radio brand, said it had been a challenging six months.
It added that a lack of major sporting events over the period had hit advertising revenues.
However, the firm said that there was an improving outlook for the second half of the year, with revenues predicted to grow across all its main business sectors.
UTV chairman Richard Huntingford said the year might be described as a "game of two halves" as a slow start gave way to a better performance later in the year.
"In particular, talkSport's revenue, which was impacted in the first six months by poor market conditions and the absence of a major sporting event, is forecast to grow in the post-summer months, contributing to an overall improvement in GB Radio's performance," he said.
Mr Huntingford added that signs that the broader economy was finally picking up suggested better times ahead.
"Recent macroeconomic data suggests that we are heading towards recovery which should see advertising enjoy renewed growth," he said.
The group's interim results for the first six months of the year covered a period when it renewed Premier League broadcasting rights for the next three seasons and achieved its highest ever audience.
It also extended its rights to broadcast top-flight commentary across Europe - now available in nine languages.
Further deals have now been signed for markets in China, Malaysia, Vietnam and the US.
Television advertising revenue in Ireland fell over the six months, though was expected to grow in the third quarter.


A white gunman shot dead nine people in an African-American church in the city of Charleston on 17 June, police say, two months after an unarmed black man was killed by a white police officer in North Charleston.

The killings have reignited the debate about race relations in the US. Here are six surprising statistics that help tell the story.
2
black billionaires
There are only two black billionaires in the US - chat show host Oprah Winfrey and former basketball star Michael Jordan. This compared with about 500 white billionaires.
9.8%
over-25s have a degree
Black students appear to do well in high school - just over 30% of over-25s have a diploma, compared with 27% of white over-25s. But fewer than 10% of black over-25s completed a bachelor's degree, compared with 14.4% of whites.
75%
of white Americans have only white friends
A survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute in 2013 asked a range of questions to assess how diverse people's friendship groups were. It found that while 65% of black Americans reported only having black friends, 75% of white Americans said they had only whites in their social circle.
10.9%
black unemployment
Unemployment remains far higher among the black population, than the white. Currently 4.8% of white Americans are out of work, compared with an overall average of 5.8%
37%
male prison inmates are black
Figures based on the prison population at the end of December 2013 show black Americans made up a disproportionate number of inmates. Some 32% were white and 22% Hispanic.
Data sources: US Census, Public Religion Research Institute, Forbes, US Dept of Labor, US Dept of Justice
Correction: An earlier version of this story did not make clear that the figures for people with high school diplomas or bachelor's degrees were for those aged over 25.


The Royle Family actress Sue Johnston is the latest star to join series five of ITV's Downton Abbey in a guest role.

She will play Denker, a lady's maid to Dame Maggie Smith's character, the Dowager Countess of Grantham.
Johnston, who has also appeared in Waking the Dead and Coronation Street, joins new stars Richard E Grant and Anna Chancellor, both of whom will play guests of the Granthams at Downton.
The hit period drama will return to screens this autumn.
Series four of the show, which followed the wealthy Grantham family and their servants, achieved an average of 11.9 million viewers in the UK.
The very British drama has also been a huge hit in the US, winning both Emmy Awards and Golden Globes.
More than 26 million viewers watched series four on Masterpiece on PBS, making it one of the highest rating shows on American television.
Previous high profile guest stars include Shirley Maclaine who played Martha Levinson, Lady Grantham's mother, and Oscar-nominated actor Paul Giamatti who appeared in last year's Christmas special as her "maverick, playboy" son.
Series five will also feature 24 star Rade Sherbedgia as a Russian refugee who has fled the revolution after World War 1.
Earlier this year, executive producer Gareth Neame promised it would have "all the usual highs and lows, romance, drama and comedy".


Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts came within millimetres of becoming the first man to shoot a sub-60 round in the 42-year history of the European Tour during the opening round of the Portugal Masters.

The 31-year-old missed a 20-foot birdie putt at the 18th at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Club on Thursday to miss out by one stroke.
He posted seven birdies in his first 12 holes before eagling the 15th and 17th.
"Walking down 17, I told my caddie, 'it's 59 or nothing'," said Colsaerts.
"I managed to make an eagle and then hit a good drive on the 18th. It's too bad it just shaved the edge," he added of his putt.
A round of 60 has been achieved 19 times on the European Tour. American Peter Uihlein did so twice in 2013, as did Scotland's Scott Jamieson.
The latter sits three strokes adrift of world number 185 Colsaerts in Portugal, alongside Alexander Levy of France.
Play was suspended for the day because of rain, with 45 of the 125 players still to complete their first rounds.


Ministers say they do not know if the Queen's Speech can be delivered on time because of post-election talks between the Conservatives and the Democratic Unionist Party.

The set-piece event is scheduled to take place on Monday 19 June.
Earlier, sources said it would be delayed - but First Secretary of State Damian Green said he "can't confirm anything yet".
Labour said the government was "in chaos".
Mrs May is meeting her backbench MPs for the first time since losing the Tories' majority in Thursday's general election.
The Queen's Speech is written by the government and presents an outline of its planned legislation for the next Parliamentary session.
Mr Green cited the ongoing negotiations with the DUP when he was asked if next Monday's speech had been delayed.
"I can't confirm anything yet until we know the final details of the agreement," he said.
"We know those talks are going well and also we know that, at this very important time, we want to produce a substantial Queen's Speech."
BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said there was an "ambiguity" about both what would go in it - with several manifesto pledges expected to be watered down or dropped - but also the need for the Tories to "nail down" DUP support.
A defeat for its Queen's Speech would be tantamount to a vote of no confidence in the new minority government, he said.
One of the reasons for the delay is also believed to be because the speech has to be written on goat's skin parchment, which takes a few days to dry - and the Tory negotiations with the DUP mean it cannot be ready in time.
Although it is rare for a Queen's Speech to be delayed, when the Conservatives and Lib Dems formed a coalition government in 2010, it did not take place until 20 days after the general election while in 1992 nearly a month elapsed between polling day and the government announcing its new programme.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: "This is an utter humiliation for Theresa May. It is time to stop trying to cling to power and time to admit enough is enough."
Meanwhile, the backbench 1922 Committee is expected to raise concerns about the PM's leadership style, and press for more details on talks with the DUP.
The committee is made up of all Conservative backbenchers - the name is taken from the year in which its original members were elected.
Its primary function is to keep the leadership of the party informed of the mood among the rank and file, and if a Conservative leader or other senior figure loses its support they could be in a particularly vulnerable position.
Mrs May's new cabinet also met for the first time after a reshuffle.
Earlier Brexit Secretary David Davis predicted some parts of the Tory manifesto would have to be "pruned" following the election result.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Davis said that while the Tory election campaign had been disappointing, Mrs May was a "formidable prime minister" and accused people speculating about her leadership of "the absolute height of self-indulgence".
But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused Mrs May of "squatting" in No 10, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday that the country "cannot go on with a period of great instability".
On Sunday evening the PM finalised her cabinet with a small reshuffle, with Michael Gove returning to a ministerial role as environment secretary.
Mr Gove, who took on Mrs May for the party leadership after David Cameron quit, was sacked by the PM in her reshuffle in July last year.
A number of high-profile members kept their posts in the reshuffle, with Philip Hammond staying at the Treasury, Boris Johnson remaining at the Foreign Office and Amber Rudd keeping the Home Office brief.
But some changed jobs too, with Liz Truss being demoted from justice secretary to become chief secretary to the Treasury.
Mr Green, who was work and pensions secretary, was promoted to become the first secretary of state - effectively Mrs May's second in command.
Analysis by BBC political correspondent Iain Watson
Widespread demands for Mrs May to go are not expected at Monday's 1922 Committee meeting.
Instead, there will be demands for her to consult more, including meeting regularly with the 1922 executive, and to turn Downing Street from a bunker into an open house by broadening her range of staff.
However, few MPs expect her position to be strong and stable for the next five years.
One senior backbencher told me: "It is inconceivable she will lead the party into the next election. Her authority has been diminished unquestionably."
Another said: "Party members have been too bruised by her."
"She has bought herself some time", said another senior backbencher, but added: "How she behaves will determine how long she's there."
There is a feeling that the party is holding on to nurse for fear of something worse.
Read more from Iain Watson here.
After speculation in the Sunday newspapers that he was mounting a leadership challenge, Mr Johnson has called for Tory MPs to back Mrs May.
Writing in Monday's Sun, the foreign secretary said those calling for the PM to step down should "get a grip", adding the electorate wanted the government to "get on with the job".
Mr Johnson admitted the prime minister's election campaign did not go well - "to put it mildly" - and that Tory messages "got lost or misunderstood".
But he added: "Theresa May led a campaign that inspired 13.7m people to vote Conservative, in the biggest total tally of Tory votes since the days of Margaret Thatcher.
"That is a stunning achievement, for which she deserves the support of her party. And she will certainly get it from me."
He also said the proposal of a deal with the DUP to keep her minority government in power was "feasible".
"The people of Britain have had a bellyful of promises and politicking," he wrote.
"Now is the time for delivery - and Theresa May is the right person to continue that vital work."
The return of Mr Gove to the front bench as environment secretary has been a shock to some, including the politician himself.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, he said he had been "quite surprised" to be asked to rejoin the cabinet.
He added: "Of course I knew that today was reshuffle day, but I genuinely didn't expect this role - although I am delighted to be part of the government, and delighted to be able to support Theresa."
However, the BBC's environment analyst Roger Harrabin said green campaigners were angry at Mr Gove's appointment, pointing to his time as education secretary, when he tried to remove climate change from the geography curriculum, and as chief whip, when he reportedly blocked the then environment secretary from important international talks.
Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas said: "It is hard to think of many politicians as ill equipped for the role of environment secretary as Michael Gove."
But others have welcomed the new minister.
One senior farming industry source said they were happy that a "big hitter" was taking the top job at the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra).
"Defra has long been a backwater, so at last it's not someone in charge who is being put out to grass," he said.
Mr Gove promised to "protect our precious environment" in his new role.
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Two members of the Cambridge spy ring were so drunken and unstable that US officials were stunned they had been employed by the Foreign Office, papers released to the National Archives show.

The defection of Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean to Moscow in 1951 left the US State Department's confidence in British officials "severely shaken".
Both had been involved in notorious drunken escapades, the files say.
US officials were "highly disturbed" and demanded Britain "clean house".
Burgess and Maclean were part of a group of Cambridge graduates working as double agents and passing official secrets to their spymasters in Moscow.
The files, released online on Friday, also reveal:
The files show that both Burgess - who had worked at the BBC before joining the Foreign Office - and Maclean had been involved in drunken escapades.
Maclean admitted he was a communist when he was drunk, but he was not believed, and Burgess revealed the identities of two British intelligence officers during a row in Tangiers.
They left for Russia when it looked as if Maclean's cover was about to be blown - and when Burgess's career looked to be over after he was found guilty of "serious misconduct" for drink-driving.
A telegram from the British embassy in Washington, in June 1951, reported that the US State Department and CIA were "highly disturbed" by the men's disappearance.
The message continued: "They pointed out that in the State Department repeated drunkenness, recurrent nervous breakdowns, sexual deviations and other human frailties are considered security hazards, and persons showing any one or more of them are dismissed summarily."
Dr Richard Dunley, records specialist at the National Archives, Kew, said the papers were the first to show the "inside story" of how the Foreign Office, Cabinet Office and secret services reacted to the shock defection.
"At the time, it was probably the biggest scandal in British society since World War Two," he said.
"It was a huge story - these hugely influential figures, suddenly going over to 'The Reds' as they were then called."
Dr Dunley suggests Burgess and Maclean's behaviour should have raised suspicions before they suddenly left for Russia in the middle of the night.
Burgess had travelled to Gibraltar and Tangiers in 1949 - a trip that his friend Goronwy Rees described as a "wild odyssey" of indiscretions.
And an MI5 representative in Gibraltar said: "Burgess appears to be a complete alcoholic and I do not think that even in Gibraltar I have ever seen anyone put away so much hard liquor in so short a time as he did".
"Both had almost breakdown-type incidents in the lead-up to their defection," said Dr Dunley.
"The idea of a relatively senior officer going around Gibraltar talking about MI5 and MI6, and who their agents were, to anyone - to modern eyes, it would seem like an instantly sackable offence."
Dr Dunley added: "In some ways, it worked well to protect him [Burgess] because everyone thought he was so outrageous there was no way he could be a Soviet spy."
Burgess's own mother also struggled to believe her son could be a spy, saying in a telephone call: "You don't think that thing in the Express about two Foreign Office people trying to get through to Russia could be Guy, do you?"
It was several years later that Burgess and Maclean surfaced in Russia.
Burgess exchanged letters with his mother from his village outside Moscow, but while boasting about his new life, there was evidence he was homesick and often "drunk and depressed", Dr Dunley said.
"There's the impression he wasn't entirely convinced by his own decision," he added.
In fact, the prospect that Burgess might return caused serious concern within the British government .
Not only was there relatively little evidence that could be put before a trial, due to the covert methods of information gathering used, but he was linked to many high-profile figures, including W.H. Auden and E.M. Forster.
In the end, Blunt - himself a member of the "Cambridge Five" - was asked to write on behalf of MI5, pleading with Burgess not to return.
Blunt, who admitted his own treachery in 1964, knew his own loyalties would be questioned if Burgess returned.
"You would be arrested on landing - that is certain - and put on trial," he wrote.
"What the outcome of the trial would be is, of course, a matter of speculation, but on the way the whole story would be raked up again, many of your friends would certainly be called as witnesses, and mud would be slung in all directions."
In the end, neither Burgess or Maclean would return - Burgess drinking himself to death in 1963, aged 52. Donald Maclean also died in Russia, in 1983.