China has defended its repatriation of two Chinese activists from Thailand who had been granted UN refugee status.

The foreign ministry said the men were guilty of crimes but did not say which laws they were accused of breaking.
Jiang Yefei and Dong Guangping, who fled China after being jailed for criticising the government, were sent back more than a week ago.
A third man - Swedish national Gui Minhai - was also sent to China on the same plane.
The United Nations has strongly criticised Bangkok's decision to repatriate those who have already been granted refugee status, warning that the men were at risk of "grave human rights violations".
Political cartoonist Jiang Yefei was a vocal critic of the Chinese government and had been tortured by Chinese authorities in the past, the BBC's Celia Hatton in Beijing reports.
He had been living in Thailand as a refugee for seven years, awaiting resettlement by the UN.
According to Amnesty International, both Mr Jiang and at least one other refugee from China, human rights activist Dong Guangping, were arrested by the Thai authorities at Beijing's request before they were deported to China.
The third man, Gui Minhai, was a well-known publisher of books that questioned China's Communist one-party rule.
He had been missing since mid-October.
Thailand is currently governed by the military, which took power in a coup last year.


The world's longest running radio soap opera, The Archers, is celebrating its 60th year.

Set in the fictional Midlands village of Ambridge, it has been recorded in Birmingham since 1950.
The milestone was reached as actors and colleagues gathered on Thursday to pay tribute to Norman Painting, best known for playing Phil Archer since 1950.
The Radio 4 drama was first described as an everyday tale of country folk but has since tackled controversial issues.
One storyline which led to a stream of listeners' letters was Ruth's battle with breast cancer.
"There was a woman who wrote in saying 'thank you, thank you, if it hadn't been for me listening to The Archers, I would never have found out I had a lump in my breast'," said actress Felicity Finch, who plays Ruth.
Another memorable episode in the BBC soap was when Phil Archer's wife, Grace, was burnt to death with 20 million listeners tuning in to find out what happened.
But actor Tim Bentinick, who plays David Archer said people do not always want high drama and the gentle ambling of the series gives it a sense of reality.
This week's stories included Tom and Jazzer having trouble with the pigs while Lilian confided in Jennifer about Paul, and Harry moved in at The Bull.
"I think people like it when it's not hugely exciting and you can go along kind of, not being dull but every day," Mr Bentinick said.
"I think that gives it a reality that high drama doesn't often have."


Mike Hay, Great Britain's chef de mission at the 2014 Winter Olympics, has rejected accusations that sports at the Games are elitist.

We have some great role models now and we are going to take advantage of the upturn in participation
He said that view was "narrow-minded", adding: "There are over 40,000 people who play curling in Scotland."
Britain won four medals in Sochi.
Lizzy Yarnold took gold in the skeleton, the men's and women's curlers claimed silver and bronze respectively, while snowboard slopestyler Jenny Jones pocketed a bronze.
"We have some great role models now and we are going to take advantage of the upturn in participation," said Hay.
He also highlighted the ease of access to curling facilities in Scotland, but conceded that is not matched in other parts of the United Kingdom.
"There are 30 ice rinks in Scotland - 15 of them dedicated to curling and the rest being multi-sport - but we have a problem in England," Hay told BBC Radio 5 live.
"We have the ice rinks but we do need the facility there in terms of the stones and the ice-making equipment."
Jones, who became GB's first ever medal-winner on snow, insisted her sport was "more accessible than a lot of people think".
"There are a lot of folks up in Scotland that can go and ride up in the mountains and there are loads of indoor and dry slopes I would encourage people to go to," said Jones, who learnt to ski on a dry slope near Bristol and funded her early career by working as a chalet maid.


GB Boxing has rejected an approach from Chris Eubank Sr about his son competing at the Rio Olympics this summer.

Chris Eubank Jr, the 26-year-old British middleweight champion, is eligible for Rio after a rule change allowed professionals to compete.
But GB Boxing said amateur middleweight Anthony Fowler, 25, would represent Team GB in that weight category.
Fowler secured his place at Rio 2016 by beating German opponent Xhek Paskali at the European qualifier in April.
Eubank Jr will make  the first defence of his British title against Welshman Tom Doran at The O2 in London on 25 June.
Media playback is not supported on this device


The head of the presidential guard under Ivory Coast's ex-leader Laurent Gbagbo has been sentenced to 18 years in prison over killings during the country's civil conflict in 2011.

Gen Bruno Dogbo Ble was convicted at the murder trial for four foreign businessmen, who were abducted from a top hotel in the main city of Abidjan.
Only one body was ever found, dumped in a lagoon in the city.
Some 3,000 people died in the conflict that followed elections in 2010.
The BBC's Tamasin Ford in Abidjan says there are still many unanswered questions about the case which was long shrouded in doubt and mystery.
A unit of the elite presidential guard was found to have stormed the Novotel Hotel in Abidjan's financial district on 4 April, 2011, as fighting raged for control of the commercial capital.
They abducted the French hotel manager along with the French head of Sifca, the country's biggest agro-industrial group, his Beninoise assistant and a Malaysian colleague.
The prosecution said that the victims were taken to the presidential palace, where they were tortured and killed.
After a 10-month trial in Abidjan, five others were also jailed for their role in the killing, including the country's former police chief.
But it remains unclear why they were killed and on whose orders.
Violence broke out when then President Gbagbo, now on trial at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, refused to accept defeat to President Alassane Ouattara.
President Ouattara has been criticised for only prosecuting his opponents following the country's civil conflict, despite both sides being accused of atrocities.


At least five police officers have died in clashes in Macedonia with an armed group from an unidentified neighbouring state, say officials.

The fighting in Kumanovo, close to the northern borders with Kosovo and Serbia, left another 20 injured.
Interior ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski said that the "terrorist group" was armed with bombs and automatic rifles.
He added that it had been planning attacks on state institutions.
Mr Kotevski said that the "well-trained" group was putting up violent resistance and that the operation against it was continuing.
"This is a risky operation because it is an area with narrow streets and police need to perform house-to-house searches very carefully," he told the AFP news agency.
Police armoured vehicles have reportedly helped seal off a suburb of the town, which lies some 40km (25 miles) north of the capital, Skopje.
Witnesses have reported hearing intense shooting there since early on Saturday.
Helicopters are reported to be still circling the town and smoke can be seen rising from several houses.
Several police officers have been taken to hospital with serious injuries, according to MIA news agency. It was not immediately clear if there were any civilian casualties.
Mr Kotevski said that some residents of the Diva Naselba neighbourhood had been sheltering the armed group which had entered the country illegally.
The mayor of the town, Zoran Damjanovski, has urged local people to remain calm.
Local media say that the area of Kumanovo at the centre of the fighting mainly inhabited by ethnic Albanians.
In 2001, rebels demanding greater rights for the ethnic Albanian minority launched an uprising against the government.
Further conflict was averted by a peace agreement, which guaranteed ethnic Albanians greater recognition, but tensions have continued to simmer.
Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov has cut short a visit to Moscow and is returning to Macedonia to deal with the incident.
The government is already under pressure over claims of illegal wire-tapping and the alleged cover-up of the death of a man in 2011.
Thousands of protesters clashed with riot police in the capital on Wednesday.
Macedonia's political crisis dates back to last year's elections, when an opposition party made allegations of electoral fraud, denounced the government as a dictatorship, and boycotted parliament.


A teacher who was caught by a colleague viewing pornography in class has been banned from teaching.

Neil MacFarlane, who taught computing, science and chemistry at Greenfaulds High School in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, was deemed unfit to teach.
The ruling was delivered by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).
They also found that MacFarlane should be unable to reapply to join the teaching register for at least two years.
He was caught by deputy head teacher Suzanne Beattie viewing an image of a naked woman on his computer screen on 24 October 2014.
Mrs Beattie told a GTCS hearing, held at the end of last month, that she had gone to MacFarlane's class in the former Greenfaulds High building, which has since been demolished and rebuilt, to speak to a pupil.
However, as she entered the room she said the teacher was sitting at his PC with a full-sized nude picture of a woman on the screen.
She described how the screen was facing MacFarlane as pupils sat around the three walls opposite.
Mrs Beattie told the hearing that anyone walking into the room would have seen the explicitly nude picture.
She added that when he saw her enter the room, he quickly minimised the screen or closed it down.
The hearing was told that MacFarlane was flustered but did not say anything.
The deputy head spoke to the pupil and left before reporting the matter to the head teacher.
When MacFarlane's computer was later checked by IT specialists, they found pornographic images downloaded onto the school computer.
However, he had claimed that the material had been inadvertently transferred to the PC by automatic synchronisation from his own personal Dropbox file sharing account.
This was discounted by IT witnesses who stated that the material that had been downloaded required "human intervention".
They also found that MacFarlane had accessed other inappropriate sites to view horror films, celebrity stories and sport.
The ruling panel heard that MacFarlane had not attended the hearing after claiming he had been unable to afford representation and had also been unable to get annual leave from his current employer.


Inmates at Lincoln Prison have told inspectors they felt "intimidated, victimised and unsafe".

Prisons inspector Martin Lomas said although his team thought the jail was improving there was a long way to go in tackling some of the issues raised.
The prevalence of drugs were also highlighted in the report.
The National Offender Management Service said the governor and his staff had worked extremely hard and deserved credit for the progress made.
Significant overcrowding was another area for concern in the report, which followed an inspection in November.
First-night arrangements for prisoners were also described as being "chaotic".
Mr Lomas said: "Overall, Lincoln is a much improved prison. When we visited in 2012 we described a prison that was poorly led and failing.
"I think we found across the operation it was much better than it had been."
However, he said there was a perceived fear of violence among prisoners, which needed to be taken seriously and dealt with.
He added: "It is a constant battle - they have to keep on, keeping on - and while we recognise there has been much improvement - we don't shy away from making the point that more needs to be done."
Prior to the inspection, an inmate was charged with murder after a 73-year-old man was found dead in his cell, and there have been two suicides since the last inspection.
The HM Inspectorate of Prisons report also found there was no strategy in place for managing about 80 sex offenders who were described as being in denial about their crimes.
The prison was praised for promoting equality and diversity, although prisoners from black and minority ethnic backgrounds expressed more negative perceptions of the prison.
Michael Spurr, chief executive officer of the National Offender Management Service, said he was pleased the chief inspector had recognised "the significant improvements that have been made at Lincoln despite the challenging operating environment".
"The governor and his staff have worked extremely hard and deserve credit for the progress made.
"There remains more to do and we will use the recommendations in this report to support further improvements."
HMP Lincoln is a category B prison, which is also used to relieve overcrowding at other prisons in the East Midlands.


Chinese President Xi Jinping has begun a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, part of his first trip to the Middle East since taking power.

Before holding talks with King Salman, he said he hoped to lift "co-operation in various fields to a new level".
Later this week, Mr Xi will travel to Saudi Arabia's regional rival, Iran.
China buys large amounts of oil from both states, and says it does not want to take sides in a bitter dispute over Riyadh's execution of a Shia cleric.
Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Iran earlier this month in protest at the storming of its embassy in Tehran by a crowd angered by the killing of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
"Regarding some of the region's problems, China has always taken a balanced and just position," Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Ming told reporters on Monday when asked whether the president would attempt to mediate in the dispute.
Mr Xi was greeted at Riyadh's airport on Tuesday by Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister, Mohammed bin Salman.
"Since China and Saudi Arabia forged diplomatic ties 26 years ago, our  relationship has developed by leaps and bounds, with mutual political trust deepening continuously and rich results in co-operation in various fields," Mr Xi was quoted as saying by China's official Xinhua news agency.
"I believe that my visit will be a friendly trip with fruitful achievements, thus conducive to lifting our co-operation in various fields to a new level and to elevating the collective co-operation between China and [Gulf Co-operation Council] nations," he added.
Xinhua reported that Saudi Arabia was China's biggest supplier of crude oil, and bilateral trade reached $69.1bn (Â£48.7bn) in 2014.
On Wednesday, Mr Xi and King Salman will inaugurate an energy research centre in Riyadh and open remotely the Yasref oil refinery, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and China's Sinopec.
The official Saudi Press Agency reported that the two companies signed a framework agreement for strategic co-operation on Tuesday, and also that the Saudi and Chinese governments had signed a memorandum of understanding to build a high-energy nuclear reactor.
After his visit to Saudi Arabia, Mr Xi will travel to Egypt, where he will meet President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and deliver a speech to the Arab League on China's policies in the Middle East, and then Iran.
Mr Xi will arrive in Tehran only days after crippling economic sanctions against Iran were lifted as part of a long-term nuclear deal with world powers, including China.


Coventry have terminated the contract of striker Yakubu by mutual consent.

The former Portsmouth and Everton forward joined the Sky Blues on a deal until the end of the season in February, having been released by Turkish side Kayserispor last summer.
Yakubu, 34, played three games for Coventry without scoring, but suffered a hamstring injury in a 3-1 defeat by Swindon on 25 February.
He was not involved in Sunday's EFL Trophy final victory at Wembley.
Coventry are bottom of League One, 13 points adrift of safety, with six games left to play.


A cyclist who was fatally injured when he was struck by a car in Nottinghamshire has been identified.

Dennis Dovey, 50, of Alcock Avenue, Mansfield, died from his injuries sustained in the crash on the A614 at Ollerton on Friday afternoon.
The collision happened on the southbound carriageway of the A614 near to the railway bridge.
Nottinghamshire police have appealed for anyone who witnessed the crash to contact them.


The M48 Severn Bridge has been closed in both directions as strong winds continue to affect many parts of Wales.

Motorists have been warned to expect "difficult" conditions on Tuesday as a yellow "be aware" weather warning remains in place.
The A466 near St Arvans has been partially blocked by a fallen tree, while there are speed restrictions on Britannia Bridge in the north.
Emergency services reported no major problems despite the severe weather.
A wind gust of 93mph was recorded at the Met Office weather station in Capel Curig at midnight, with further gusts of more than 80mph over the following two hours.
Gusts of between 55mph and 60mph were seen along the south Wales coast at about midnight, while winds of 69mph were recorded in Rhyl.
The A477 Cleddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire has reopened after being partially closed on Monday, while a house in Mountain Ash had its roof blown off.
Motorists are advised to be aware of the risk of localised damage from the high winds and for minor disruption to travel.


Google has revealed that "Euro 2016" was its UK search engine's top trending term of the year.

The football championship was followed by the game Pokemon Go, the late singer David Bowie and US President-elect Donald Trump in its rankings.
Google's list is based on words and phrases that stand out from the norm to get round the fact that an unfiltered version would be little changed from one year to the next.
The top global term was Pokemon Go.
Perhaps surprisingly, the death of Prince ensured the singer was more "googled" by UK users than either Brexit or EU referendum - the two phrases are grouped together in the firm's rankings.
The US firm has also analysed how its search tools are used to rank UK queries by topic, giving further insight into users' fads and preoccupations over the past 12 months.
Pikachu and his fellow monsters were obviously on a lot of minds because "How to play Pokemon Go?" was not only the most popular "How to...?" question, but "What is Pokemon Go?" was also the most popular "What is...?" entry too.
Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle may have only hit the headlines in late October - when their relationship was still a rumour - but she managed to become the UK's most searched for "famous woman".
Her male equivalent was Conor McGregor, the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion.
Deadpool beat other comic book movies including Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman and Captain America: Civil War to become the most searched for movie.
And Strictly Come Dancing edged out Celebrity Big Brother in the TV stakes.
In tech, Apple's iPhone topped the list of the most searched devices, beating Samsung's Galaxy S7 and Google's own Pixel handsets. The Sky Q set-top box was the most popular non-smartphone product.
Some of the queries might require additional context to make sense to many readers:


Dean Harrison recorded the fastest lap of the 2016 Festival of Motorcycling on Thursday before the session was red flagged.

Despite cool conditions the 28-year-old from Bradford posted a lap of 123.580mph on his Silicone Engineering Kawasaki Classic Superbike.
The lap moves him ahead of Michael Dunlop who has been quickest in every other session this week.
Dunlop posted a lap of 120.51mph after making some chassis changes.
Gary Johnson and James Hillier both posted laps in excess of 122mph to move into the top five on the leader board and Bruce Anstey completed a lap at 121.18mph.
Manx rider Ryan Kneen set the quickest lap in the Lightweight class at 111.63mph with only Ian Lougher and Anstey having gone faster.
Meanwhile, Isle of Man rider Andrew Dudgeon continued to impress in Manx Grand Prix practice with a lap of 118.96mph - his quickest of the week.
Tom Weedon (118.23mph), Barry Lee Evans (117.26mph) and Glenn Harrison (116.94mph) all improved on their lap times ahead of Wednesday's Junior Manx Grand Prix.
The session was later red flagged following an incident at Churchtown on the approach to Ramsey.
James Bucket was taken by helicopter to Noble's Hospital where he was reported to have fractures.
Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson ended the session after mist descended around the course.
Dean Harrison - 123.580mph
Ian Lougher - 113.893mph
John McGuinness - 107.199
Michael Dunlop - 102.082mph
Andrew Dudgeon - 118.96mph


An 80-year-old man has died in a house fire in County Donegal.

The blaze broke out in his home in Cloghan near Fintown at around 14:00 on Thursday.
Fire crews attended the scene but the man, who lived alone, died a short time later.
His body has been taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for a post mortem examination. The cause of the fire is being investigated.


A man has been shot three times in the legs in west Belfast.

The 37-year-old victim was walking in the Downfine Walk area of the Turf Lodge estate when he was approached by two men near the Holy Trinity Centre.
They dragged him through an alleyway before shooting him once in each calf and once in the thigh. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
The attack happened at about 18:30 GMT on Friday.
Police have appealed for witnesses to contact them.
A 15-year-old boy was shot in the leg in the nearby Ballymurphy estate on Thursday morning.
SDLP Councillor Tim Attwood said:  "This is the second vicious gun attack in west Belfast in two days, following the shooting of a teenager in Ballymurphy on Thursday.
"The cowardly men, wearing hoods, engaged in these attacks have no place in our community.
"Everybody who believes in human rights and justice must condemn these attacks and give their unequivocal backing to the PSNI in their efforts to police our communities."


Stop before you copy your boss into that email.

It's not going to make you look good - it's going to make everyone else in the office distrust you.
That's the finding of research into the pernicious "cc effect", carried out by a professor of management studies at Cambridge University's Judge Business School.
David De Cremer has looked into the emotional undergrowth of office email traffic.
When people keep copying in a manager, it doesn't create "transparency", says Prof De Cremer, but feeds a "culture of fear".
But what about the other unspoken evils of office email clogging up your inbox?
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BT has been hit with a record fine from telecoms regulator Ofcom and has set aside £300m to repay providers for delays in installing high-speed lines.

Ofcom has issued the firm with a £42m fine, which it said was the largest it has ever handed down.
It found BT's Openreach division had cut compensation payments to telecoms providers for delays in installing the lines between early 2013 and late 2014.
Openreach said it "apologised wholeheartedly" for the mistakes.
The investigation found BT had broken rules about its "significant market power" by cutting the payments.
Gaucho Rasmussen, Ofcom's investigations director, said: "These high-speed lines are a vital part of this country's digital backbone.
"We found BT broke our rules by failing to pay other telecoms companies proper compensation when these services were not provided on time.
"The size of our fine reflects how important these rules are to protect competition and, ultimately, consumers and businesses."
Openreach provides the wires and cables that powers the UK's broadband and landline phone network.
In this case, it failed to pay full compensation to providers when it was late installing ethernet lines - high-speed cables used by large businesses, and mobile and broadband providers, to transmit data.
Earlier this month, BT agreed to Ofcom's demands for it to legally separate Openreach from its main business.
Under the changes, Openreach will become a distinct company with its own staff, management and strategy "to serve all of its customers equally".
BT chief executive Gavin Patterson said the investigation "revealed we fell short of the high standards" for serving telecoms providers.
"We take this issue very seriously and we have put in place measures, controls and people to prevent it happening again," he said.


An umpire who was suspended as part of a betting investigation worked at last year's US Open, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) confirmed.

Croatia's Denis Pitner was banned for a year in August after passing on details about a player's fitness and accessing an account used to place bets.
Pitner was approved by the US Open on 13 July and picked up his credential before the USTA was notified of a ban.
The USTA responded on Friday, blaming "a flaw in our process".
After the Guardian newspaper revealed that Pitner had officiated while banned, a USTA statement said: "After learning within the last 24 hours that an official on the 'Do Not Credential' list may have worked at the 2015 US Open as a linesman, the USTA immediately investigated the claim.
"The USTA was shocked to find that this was in fact the case."
Last month, the BBC and Buzzfeed exposed evidence of widespread suspected match-fixing in tennis.
The sport's governing bodies announced on Friday that an independent review panel will take at least a year to investigate allegations of corruption in tennis.
Pitner also officiated at January's ATP Qatar Open at Doha, and the USTA vowed to work with the review panel to prevent any recurrence.
"We take this matter extremely seriously and make the investigation of what caused the error its highest priority."


The master of a Shetland boat that sank has been jailed for six months after he admitted failing to preserve a crewman's life.

Leonard Scollay, 40, died after the Diamond hit rocks and sank near Burrafirth harbour on 25 March 2014.
At Lerwick Sheriff Court, Christopher Smith, 39, also admitted neglecting to keep a proper lookout.
Sheriff Philip Mann acknowledged that Smith was "truly remorseful" over the death of a friend.
It was Mr Scollay's first voyage to sea and he had not had any sea survival training. He was not wearing a life jacket.
A previous Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report said both the skipper and Mr Scollay had taken drugs.
It said their ability to function had been significantly impaired as a result.
The MAIB report, released last year, said: "The skipper employed Leonard without ensuring that he was appropriately trained.
"It is likely that Leonard Scollay would have survived had he been wearing a lifejacket.
"However, he had taken heroin before the accident and this would have impaired his ability to survive or to appreciate his predicament."
Defence agent Martin Morrow said it was "unquestionably difficult" for the court.
Sheriff Mann said that Smith had pleaded guilty to a "very serious charge" of failing to keep a proper lookout.
"Unfortunately Mr Scollay lost his life; you fortunately survived," the sheriff said.
He said no sentence he could impose would "bring Mr Scollay back or lessen the grief" felt by his family, but by passing sentence he was "not engaged in trying to place a value on Mr Scollay's life" as that would be impossible.
Smith's six-month jail term was reduced from nine months to reflect his guilty plea.


Ambulance crews have agreed to respond to 999 emergency calls for cases that are life-threatening during Friday's planned strike.

However, no agreement has been reached about covering calls that are not immediately life-threatening.
The Ambulance Service said these account for about 60% of 999 calls.
An estimated 60% of accident and emergency crews and 80% of rapid response paramedics plan to strike.
Jimmy Kelly of the Unite union said "people who are frontline paramedics and in the ambulance service will be able to make the call on what emergency services are provided".
"Our concern is that in the past, when we've provided emergency cover it has been abused - it has turned into everything being made an emergency and made a farce of any agreement that we've made," he said.
"What we're saying is that we want to highlight the lack of services and the money that is being taken out of the service."
In a statement, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said it was expecting "a high level of participation in strike action which will impact significantly upon our ability to deliver our full range of services and will also jeopardise patient care and safety".
It said 999 calls assessed as immediately life-threatening including people experiencing chest pain, unconsciousness, choking and severe blood loss.
"While acknowledging their right to so do, NIAS regrets that the trade unions have pursued this line of action which withdraws emergency services for the majority of those who have need of it and puts lives at risk," it said.
Talks between Northern Ireland's health unions and management have been taking place in Belfast over emergency cover during the strike.
It is understood that most nurses are not taking part.
Paramedics have told the BBC that while members have not agreed to take part, they do not intend to cross the picket line and this would mean that there would be gaps in the system.
At a meeting on Wednesday, the trade unions and employers agreed that the statutory obligations to provide safe services and respect trade unions' right to take industrial action would be met.
In the past, members of St John Ambulance stepped in. It is understood that this time, volunteers are not keen to be seen crossing a picket line.
A number of services from various sectors in Northern Ireland are expected to be disrupted due to the planned strike.


It's not just the political parties who are urging you to vote, the Church of England is at it as well.

Russell Brand disagrees. The comedian's not going to vote at the General Election in May, and wants others to do the same.
In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Brand explained the current political system has created a "disenfranchised, disillusioned underclass".
A group of bishops has attacked Brand's view that voting is pointless.
In an open 52-page letter, the House of Bishops call for a "fresh moral" vision from politicians.
The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham James explained: "While the bishops of the Church of England don't quite have the sex appeal of Russell Brand, we think we should counter [his views].
"Do vote, do engage and do use the hard-won political freedoms that you possess."
The letter stayed clear of getting behind a particular party, but calls for us to discuss issues such as nuclear weapons and the economy.
While Brand says he won't vote because he's tired of the "lies, treachery and deceit of the political class", but the letter calls for Christians to see ignore him.
"It is the duty of every Christian adult to vote, even though it may have to be a vote for something less than a vision that inspires us."
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The former Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has given evidence before the country's top anti-corruption judge.

He was closely questioned for five hours by Judge Sergio Moro.
Lula has rejected allegations that he received a flat as a bribe in a corruption scandal linked to the state oil company, Petrobras.
He says the trial is politically motivated and he has denied any wrongdoing.
The hearing in a courthouse in the southern city of Curitiba was closed to the public but throughout the day thousands of his supporters gathered in a square nearby.
Supporters of the investigation in to the former president gathered elsewhere in Curitiba and in the capital, Brasilia.
If Lula is found guilty he faces a prison sentence. If cleared, he has said he will run again for the presidency.
This is the first of five charges against him.
Known throughout Brazil simply as Lula, he was Brazil's most popular president during his tenure from 2003 to 2010.
A former steel worker turned union leader, he came to office as the first left-wing leader in Brazil in nearly half a century.
Unable to stand for a third consecutive term, he was succeeded by close ally Dilma Rousseff, who was later impeached.
Profile: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Lula is facing five charges related to the Car Wash scandal, the nickname for Brazil's biggest ever corruption probe.
This first case, which is being tackled in court on Wednesday, accuses Lula of taking bribes from a construction company that allegedly renovated a beachfront apartment for him.
He is also accused of money laundering, influence peddling and obstruction of justice.
Lula is typically loved or hated in Brazil.
Wednesday will be the first time Lula and the powerful judge in charge of the Car Wash case, Sergio Moro, come face to face in court.
Lula says Judge Moro is politically-motivated and believes there is a witch-hunt against him.
Mr Moro is expected to hand down his verdict in 45 to 60 days.
Who is judge Sergio Moro?
Magazine covers in Brazil this week depict the face-off in epic style: one shows former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and judge Sergio Moro confronting each other in a boxing ring, raising their gloves and boasting muscular torsos in a montage. Another depicts them fiercely looking each other in the eye in superhero masks, announcing "the first face-to-face confrontation".
This gives a taste of the huge expectations surrounding Lula's testimony before Judge Moro.
Like a crowd before a boxing match, Brazilians will be split cheering on each contender.
Thousands of Lula's supporters are to rally in the city of Curitiba in his defence. Backers of the Car Wash operation will follow closely to see who has the upper hand.
But Lula won't be speaking to the judge only. He is the front-runner in next year's presidential elections, and his words will doubtless be measured to convey the right message to voters across the country.
Lula could eventually face prison or lose his political rights. But he could still become the next Brazilian president. What happens in the courtroom will help seal his fate.


Spain's Catalonia region faces fresh elections after a small anti-capitalist party, the CUP, refused to support the pro-independence leader Artur Mas.

Mr Mas - the Catalan president - is leading the movement for independence from Spain. But the CUP vote prevents him from forming a new coalition.
In September elections his Junts pel Si (Together for Yes) alliance won 62 of the 135 seats in the Catalan assembly.
The CUP is also pro-independence. It has 10 parliamentary seats.
Its rejection of Mr Mas means the Catalan parliament will be dissolved on 10 January and elections called for March.
The CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy) wants Catalonia to have a socialist economy with power devolved to local assemblies.
The Catalan deadlock comes as Spain faces weeks of political uncertainty nationally, after an inconclusive general election on 20 December.
In November the Catalan parliament voted to start the secession process - a move declared unconstitutional by Spain's conservative Popular Party (PP), which ran the country before last month's election.
Catalonia is a highly industrialised and populous region in Spain's north-east that accounts for about a fifth of the country's economic output.
Both the PP and the Socialists (PSOE), who came first and second respectively in Spain's general election, oppose Catalan secession.


Kezia Dugdale has been elected as the new leader of Scottish Labour, telling supporters: "We are down, but we are not out."

The Labour MSP got the job following the resignation of Jim Murphy in June, after Labour lost all but one of its 41 Scottish seats at the general election.
Ms Dugdale vowed to work "night and day" to reverse the party's fortunes.
Labour MSP Alex Rowley, a former aide to Gordon Brown, was elected as the party's new deputy leader.
Ms Dugdale - who stood against Ken Macintosh for the leadership - won the contest with 72% of the vote.
About 15,000 party members and 6,000 affiliated and registered members were entitled to take part in the ballot, which was held under a new one-person-one-vote system.
Ms Dudgale faces her first big test in the Scottish Parliament election next May, where a surging SNP is seeking a third term in office.
In a message to voters while speaking in Stirling, the Lothian MSP said: "Take another look at the Scottish Labour party.
"I am not so presumptuous to ask instantly for your vote. But at the recent election 700,000 of you stuck with us but many chose someone else.
"All I ask is that you take a fresh look at the Scottish Labour party under my leadership."
Scottish Labour has elected its eighth leader in 15 years.
But Kezia Dugdale's victory celebration will be short-lived. Her party is now in a fight for its very existence.
Ms Dugdale's first big challenge will be the Scottish Parliament election - less than nine months away. But right now, it's simply not possible to see how the party can win it.
Labour is one of those parties which hasn't in the past always taken kindly to losers in its senior ranks (Ms Dugdale's predecessor Jim Murphy lasted six months).
But party chiefs have made clear Scottish Labour must now be in it for the long haul.
That essentially means a move away from calls for yet another leader if next May's Holyrood poll produces a repeat of the recent UK election result, in which Labour lost all but one of its 41 Scottish seats.
Ms Dugdale's plan to rebuild the party centres on her - at the age of 33 and with just four years as an MSP - leading the charge of a new generation of Labour activists, while moving away from Scottish Labour giants of the past, such as Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling and the like.
At the same time she needs to fix the problem which has dogged Scottish Labour for the past eight years - namely that voters stopped listening to the party because they didn't know what it stood for anymore.
Basically, Kezia Dugdale has just taken on one of the toughest jobs in politics.
Ms Dugdale added: "We are changing. I am part of a new generation. Someone without the baggage of the past."
The new Scottish Labour leader also told gathered members of the party faithful: "I will work night and day over the coming weeks and months to make you proud, to honour that trust that you have put in me today, to give you some hope to renew your faith in our abilities to transform the communities that we seek to serve."
She added: "I want to transform this country - to shake it up profoundly, so that the life chances of a child born today aren't determined by how much their parents earn but by their potential, by their work ethic and by their ambition."
Mr Rowley, who took the deputy leadership on the second round of voting, said: "I grew up in the mining village of Kelty. As I grew up it was quite clear that the Labour party was the party of working people."
He added: "Labour must unite across Scotland to tackle inequality, poverty and create employment."
The SNP's Derek Mackay said a change of leader alone would not solve "the deep, deep problems which the Labour Party in Scotland now faces".
Patrick Harvie of the Scottish Greens said: "There doesn't seem to be much chance of Kezia's party being able to connect with voters in time for the Holyrood election in May."


Numbers of harbour seals in Scotland have continued fall, according to a new report.

Fewer animals were counted on Scotland's east coast and in Orkney in surveys by St Andrews University Sea Mammal Research Unit.
But the work commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), found an increase in harbour seals on the west coast.
Between Cape Wrath and Ullapool, 1,095 animals were recorded.
In 2008, a survey counted 2,687.
Sightings of harbour seals, also known as common seals, have been declining for several years, with the latest research suggesting the trend is continuing.
Between Aberlady Bay in East Lothian, 213 were spotted compared with 459 seven years ago.
The unit did not have enough time to survey the coast from Aberlady Bay down to the Scottish Borders.
At the Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary Special Area of Conservation, 50 seals were counted - the lowest figure so far recorded in that area. Previously, 78 were seen.
In Orkney, the latest research recorded 1,865 compared with 2,687 in 2010.


Lecturers at further education colleges across Scotland have announced more details of a planned series of strikes.

Members of the EIS Further Education Lecturers' Association were already set to go on strike on Thursday next week.
The union has now confirmed it plans to hold two strikes the following week and more after Easter.
If the dispute is not settled, they plan to go on strike three days a week indefinitely from the last week of April onwards.
The planned strike dates are:
The dispute is linked to the return of national pay bargaining in the sector.
Lecturers at most colleges are angry about a 1% pay offer and are concerned about the differences between pay at different colleges.
They claim there are disparities of up to Â£10,000 a year.
The dispute at colleges in Glasgow is over a distinct issue - the union wants these colleges to join the national pay bargaining set-up.
Colleges Scotland, the body that represents Scotland's colleges, has said the pay offer which it put before the union is the best deal possible.


Plans to build a classical stone bridge across the Downs in Bristol have been approved by the city council.

The bridge, for pedestrians and cyclists, over Bridge Valley Road would complete a missing link in the circular route around the Downs.
Engineer Dr Adrienn Tomor, from the University of the West of England, said she was "delighted".
She said planning conditions needed to be finalised and an independent charity set up before fundraising could start.
Dr Tomor, who proposed the scheme, together with the Friends of the Downs and Avon Gorge group (FODAG), and will be involved in its construction, said she believed the bridge would "provide great improvements for pedestrians and cyclists at a busy and dangerous junction".
She said: "This is the first time that a substantial stone bridge has been approved for construction during the past 100 years.
"Granting planning permission represents a new era for masonry arch bridge construction in the UK and Europe."
Jack Penrose, from FODAG, said: "We're extremely pleased the city council has approved such an important project.
"It'll be infinitely safer than what's on offer at the moment."


The Indian government has lifted a ban on Jallikattu, a version of bull fighting which has been popular for thousands of years in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

At the annual festival held in January, thousands of men chase the bulls to grab prizes tied to their horns.
The Supreme Court imposed the ban in 2014 following objections from animal rights activists.
The sport will resume this month, after no events were held last year.
While imposing the ban, the Supreme Court had said that use of bulls in the sport "severely harmed" the animals and was an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to the Animals Act.
The Animal Welfare Board of India has said they will challenge the government order that lifted the ban.
"We are hoping to make a mention today itself before the court. We anticipated this. We are surprised that the Centre [federal government] is ready to diminish the stature of a Supreme Court order so brazenly," The Hindu quoted an official as saying.
India's Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar issued a notification announcing the lifting of the ban on Thursday.
"Such event shall take place in any district, where it is being traditionally held annually, at such place explicitly permitted by the district collector or the district magistrate, bullock cart race shall be organised on a proper track, which shall not exceed 2km," The Times of India reported.
"In case of Jallikattu, the moment the bull leaves the enclosure, it shall be tamed within a radial distance of 15 metre," the notification added.
Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping and BJP MP from Tamil Nadu, Pon Radhakrishnan, tweeted thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Javadekar.
In Jallikattu, the bull is released from the pen and bullfighters are supposed to hold on to the animals hump for about 15-20 metres or three jumps of the bull to win the prize.
The ban had been criticised by political parties and cultural organisations in the state who had argued that Jallikattu was a part of their cultural tradition.
Jallikattu is more than 2,000 years old and considered to be one of the oldest sports still practised in the modern era.
Over the years, scores of people have been gored or trampled to death in the contests.
Hundreds, including spectators, have been mauled or injured.


It is 138 years old and 123 yards long, the shortest hole in Open championship golf and yet one of the most beloved unless you happen to the hapless German amateur, Hermann Tissies, who took five to get out of a greenside bunker on his way to a 15 here in the Open of 1950.

Alas poor Hermann, but he wasn't the only one to disappear without trace at Troon's storied par three.
Twenty-seven years before Hermann, Gene Sarazen's chances went south when he took five and lost the Claret Jug by one to Arthur Havers. And 74 years after Sarazen, a young superstar was going nicely in the final round of the Open when he fetched-up at the famous par three.
Six shots later, Tiger Woods' challenge was done.
Designed by Willie Fernie, the Open champion of 1883, given its name by Willie Park Jnr, the Open champion of 1887 and 1889 and refined by James Braid, five-time Open champion between 1901 and 1910,  the Postage Stamp is in the pantheon of great par threes.
History? It's all around you out there on the patch of land that is about to host the 145th Open. The tee-box at the top of a dune, a long and narrow green carved out of sand hills. Standing guard, like malevolent sentries, five cavernous bunkers that spell trouble, at best, and death, at worst.
Hit it high and the wind might kill it. Hit it low and it's tough to stop it. Hit it short or right or left and you're not quite in Hermann country but you're in a bad place, a circle of hell for some.
Talk to a few of golf's best thinkers and many of them smile when the Postage Stamp is mentioned. To them, it's not just a golf hole, it's more than that. It's the way golf should be.
We now live in an age where major championship par threes can push on for 300 yards long, and where the game's only answer to technology is to make courses ever longer, ever more brutal. "We're losing that skill element in golf," says Paul McGinley. "The Postage Stamp is great architecture. It's not about distance, it's about course management, it's about shaping a shot, it's about touch and feel."
Thomas Bjorn is of a like mind. "It shows that this game doesn't have to be controlled by the equipment," he said. "It's not about what's long, it's about what's really well designed."
In 2014, BBC Scotland asked 20 top players - who'd won a combined 11 Claret Jugs and almost 400 tournaments worldwide - to name their favourite Open championship hole. It came down to two - the Postage Stamp at Troon and the Road Hole at St Andrews were locked together on six votes each.
Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter, Nicolas Colsaerts, Louis Oosthuizen, Sam Torrance and Stephen Gallacher went with the Road Hole. Ernie Els, Luke Donald, Paul Casey, Paul McGinley, David Howell and Darren Clarke went with the Postage Stamp.
The casting vote went to Phil Mickelson. The American went for the par three. "Challenging a player for his precision as opposed to solely length is a lost art," said Mickelson at Castle Stuart earlier in the week.  "The Postage Stamp is a perfect example of how you can challenge the best players in the world. I would love to see that implemented more."
The Postage Stage demands accuracy over length, brain over brawn. It's a tease, a siren with a touch of the devil. In dead calm, it's a birdie hole. In the wind - different story.
"It was a little dinky eight-iron for me when I played it last week," says Henrik Stenson. "Most of the good par 3s in golf are probably ranging between 123 to maybe 180. I'm not a big fan of the new four-iron or three-iron par threes.
"Of these little ones, the 17th at Sawgrass, the Postage Stamp - you hit a good shot, you make two, you hit a bad one you can walk away with a five. You can have a three-shot swing on a pitching wedge. If you're the kind of fan that wants to see carnage I can highly recommend going out to that eighth hole and sitting in that grandstand on a difficult day."
"There's going to be carnage," says Graeme McDowell. "If the wind blows in the direction I was playing it in last week you're going to have all kinds of numbers. The bunker pin-high right is unplayable. I hit six-iron. The next day I hit eight. It's a very changeable golf hole."
Colin Montgomerie spoke about the outward seven holes at Troon and the feeling he gets when he plays them. All relatively downwind, all fairly straightforward. "I think, 'OK, I can do this, I can plot my way around here'," says Montgomerie. "And then you get to the eighth hole and it's the first one that turns into the wind.
"Even in a practice round you stand up there and it's a potential card-wrecker. Always was and always will be. It does bring to mind the great par threes in the world of golf - Pebble Beach's seventh, the 12th at Augusta, and the eighth at Royal Troon and they're all short holes.
"It's amazing how one can design a course back in the 1870s and it still stands the test of time today. Fantastic. Nearly 150 years old and it can still generate excitement and drama."
McGinley uses the Postage Stamp as an example of not just what a great golf hole should be but as an illustration of how far golf is getting away from artistry. "It's just brilliant and it shows that if you get clever green designs and just a bit of thought then you don't need massive length to challenge players.
"The wind at the Postage Stamp is a big factor, you have a very small target and the margin for error is tiny. You don't have to be far off line for it to be trouble. You have seven or eight yards of width to hit it into.
"I like watching the ball as it hits the green because that tells you what shape you've put on the shot. Normally it plays a little bit into the wind, in off the right. You need to hold the shot in there, which is a difficult skill with a loft on the club. With loft, it's easier to hook the ball but a lot harder to hold it. That's what creates the skill level.
"We're losing that skill from the game, absolutely. Firm and fast fairways and greens call for course management and short par threes do the same. We're not seeing course management much any more.
"The Postage Stamp is all about course management and ball control. It's about who can hold it in that wind, who can play it the right way and create the right spin on the ball so that when it hits the green, it stops. If you get it right, great. If you get it wrong, watch out."
There is another way of playing it, of course. Sarazen was 71 years old when he arrived at Troon for the 1973 Open, the 50th time he'd competed for the Claret Jug.
In his opening round, he punched a five-iron on to the green at the Postage Stamp and it rolled all the way into the hole for an ace. The day after, the great man found sand off the tee, then promptly holed his bunker shot for a birdie.
Sarazen's heroics add to the legend of the hole. Its majesty and danger have long since been written into the folklore of the game.


Top Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor has given birth to a baby boy.

The baby has been named Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, Kapoor and her actor husband Saif Ali Khan announced in a statement.
The couple, dubbed Saifeena by the paparazzi, were married in 2012 in Mumbai after a five-year courtship.
Khan is the son of former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore, a former actress. Kapoor's parents and grandparents were some of Bollywood's top actors.
"We are very pleased to share with you all the wonderful news about the birth of our son: Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, on the 20th of December 2016," the couple said in a signed statement on Tuesday morning.
On Monday, Khan said in a press release: "To have a child now completes us. There is something about a baby that is kind of half mine and half of hers, so, it's a nice feeling."
Saif and Kareena get married
Saif says acted in 'self defence'
Congratulatory messages have been pouring in on social media from their colleagues in the film industry as well as fans. Director Karan Johar was among the first to tweet a message:
Khan, who is 46, was previously married to actress Amrita Singh and they have two children who are now teenagers.
For the 36-year-old Kapoor, it is her first marriage and her first baby.
Khan has acted in more than 40 movies and won acclaim for Omkara, a Bollywood version of William Shakespeare's Othello.
Kapoor has starred in nearly 50 films. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her 2007 hit Jab we met (When we met).


A murder investigation has been launched after a woman died from stab injuries following a disturbance.

Armed police were called to reports of gun shots being fired on Shawclough Way in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, at about 21:50 BST on Tuesday.
A 35-year-old woman was found with knife wounds and treated by paramedics, but later died from her injuries.
Two men, aged 45 and 35, have been arrested on suspicion of murder, Greater Manchester Police said.
It was later established that the firearm involved was a BB gun, police said.
Supt Steve Howard said: "Our sympathies are with the family of the victim.
"We have specialist officers at the scene and we have local officers in the area providing reassurance to local residents.
"Understandably, there will be some disruption to local residents while the scene is examined and we will endeavour to keep that disruption to a minimum."


Researchers have found evidence of the world that crashed into the Earth billions of years ago to form the Moon.

Analysis of lunar rock brought back by Apollo astronauts shows traces of the "planet" called Theia.
The researchers claim that their discovery confirms the theory that the Moon was created by just such a cataclysmic collision.
The study has been published in the journal Science.
The accepted theory since the 1980s is that the Moon arose as a result of a collision between the Earth and Theia 4.5 billion years ago.
Theia was named after a goddess in Greek mythology who was said to be the mother of Selene, goddess of the Moon. It is thought to have disintegrated on impact with the resulting debris mingling with that from the Earth and coalescing into the Moon.
It is the simplest explanation, and fits in well with computer simulations. The main drawback with the theory is that no-one had found any evidence of Theia in lunar rock samples.
Earlier analyses had shown Moon rock to have originated entirely from the Earth whereas computer simulations had shown that the Moon ought to have been mostly derived from Theia.
Now a more refined analysis of Moon rock has found evidence of material thought to have an alien origin.
According to the lead researcher, Dr Daniel Herwartz, from the University of Goettingen, no-one has found definitive evidence for the collision theory, until now.
"It was getting to the stage where some people were suggesting that the collision had not taken place," he told BBC News.
"But we have now discovered small differences between the Earth and the Moon. This confirms the giant impact hypothesis."
But the difference, some say, could be explained by material absorbed by the Earth after the Moon formed.
And Prof Alex Halliday of Oxford University, is among many scientists who are surprised that the difference between the Theian material found in the Moon rock and the Earth is so small.
"What you are looking for is a much bigger difference, because that is what the rest of the Solar System looks like based on meteorite measurements," he said.
Dr Herwartz measured the difference in what is called the isotopic composition of the oxygen contained in rocks on Earth and Moon rock. This is the ratio of different forms of oxygen.
Studies of meteorites from Mars and the outer solar system show that these  ratios are markedly different - rather like a fingerprint. So Prof Halliday and others are puzzled by the fact that the fingerprints of Earth and Theia seem almost identical.
One possibility is that Theia was formed very close to the Earth and so had a similar composition. If that was the case, it raises the possibility that the assumption that each planet in the current Solar System has a markedly different fingerprint needs to be revisited, according to Prof Halliday.
"It raises the question of how well the meteorites from Mars and the asteroid belt in the outer Solar System are representative of the inner Solar System? We do not have samples from Mercury or Venus.
"They may well be similar to the Earth. If that is the case then all the arguments over the similarities of the Earth and the Moon fall away," he told BBC News.
Dr Mahesh Anand from the Open University described the research as "exciting" but noted that the data was from just three lunar rock samples.
"We have to be cautious about the representativeness of these rocks of the entire Moon, and so further analysis of a variety of lunar rocks is required for further confirmation," he said.
Other theories have been proposed to explain why the composition of the Earth and Moon are so similar: one is that the Earth spun much faster before impact, another is that Theia was much larger than current models suggest.
An alternative, controversial, theory proposed by Prof Rob de Meijer of Groningen University in the Netherlands is that the Earth's crust and mantle was blown into space by an accumulation of nuclear material 2,900km (1,800 miles) below the surface. It was this debris that clumped together to form the Moon.
He told BBC News that the new finding - demonstrating that there was a difference in the composition of the Earth and the Moon - did not change his view.
"The difference is too small," he said. "We don't know how the Moon was formed. What we need are manned missions to the Moon and a search for rocks deeper under the lunar surface, that have not been polluted by meteorite impacts and the solar wind."
Follow Pallab on Twitter


Bus drivers and other workers for First Leeds have called off a planned strike following a revised pay offer from the firm.

The Unite union previously said 1,000 of its members planned to walk out from 02:00 BST on Tuesday.
It said members would now vote on the revised pay offer.
Drivers have already held two 24-hour strikes, with Unite claiming they earn Â£2 less an hour than other First drivers in the region.
First Leeds has disputed the union's claim of a difference in pay.
The company originally offered a 38p per hour rise, frozen until May 2018, which Unite described as "insulting".
Details of the current offer have not yet been released.
Earlier, Unite and First Leeds representatives met in a bid to resolve the dispute.
First Leeds later announced on its website the industrial action had been called off and a normal service would be operating.


Scientists believe they have discovered a way to "steer" the immune system to kill cancers.

Researchers at University College, London have developed a way of finding unique markings within a tumour - its "Achilles heel" - allowing the body to target the disease.
But the personalised method, reported in Science journal, would be expensive and has not yet been tried in patients.
Experts said the idea made sense but could be more complicated in reality.
However, the researchers, whose work was funded by Cancer Research UK, believe their discovery could form the backbone of new treatments and hope to test it in patients within two years.
They believe by analysing the DNA, they'll be able to develop bespoke treatment.
People have tried to steer the immune system to kill tumours before, but cancer vaccines have largely flopped.
One explanation is that they are training the body's own defences to go after the wrong target.
The problem is cancers are not made up of identical cells - they are a heavily mutated, genetic mess and samples at different sites within a tumour can look and behave very differently.
They grow a bit like a tree with core "trunk" mutations, but then mutations that branch off in all directions. It is known as cancer heterogeneity.
The international study developed a way of discovering the "trunk" mutations that change antigens - the proteins that stick out from the surface of cancer cells.
Professor Charles Swanton, from the UCL Cancer Institute, added: "This is exciting. Now we can prioritise and target tumour antigens that are present in every cell - the Achilles heel of these highly complex cancers.
"This is really fascinating and takes personalised medicine to its absolute limit, where each patient would have a unique, bespoke treatment."
There are two approaches being suggested for targeting the trunk mutations.
The first is to develop cancer vaccines for each patient that train the immune system to spot them.
The second is to "fish" for immune cells that already target those mutations and swell their numbers in the lab, and then put them back into the body.
Dr Marco Gerlinger, from the Institute of Cancer Research, said: "This is a very important step and makes us think about heterogeneity as a problem and why this gives cancer this big advantage.
"Targeting trunk mutations makes sense from many points of view, but it is early days and whether it's that simple, I'm not entirely sure.
"Many cancers are not standing still but they keep evolving constantly. These are moving targets which makes it difficult to get them under control.
"Cancers that can change and evolve could lose the initial antigen or maybe come up with smokescreens of other good antigens so that the immune system gets confused."
James Gallagher, health editor, BBC News website
Harnessing the power of the immune system - what's known as immunotherapy - is the most exciting field in cancer and probably in all of medicine right now.
But while that excitement is justified, claims that a cure for cancer is around the corner are not.
Medical research is littered with the graves of hyped treatments that just never worked.
Two decades ago, gene therapy was "hype-central" and we're still waiting for it to transform medicine.
This study demonstrates some spectacular science that furthers understanding of how the immune system and cancer interact.
But this new knowledge has not been used to treat a single patient. There have not even been animal studies. So there is a real risk it will not work.
Even if it does, this is an hugely expensive approach that would need to be customised to every patient in a process that takes more than a year from start to finish.
Some immunotherapy treatments work spectacularly with some patients' cancer disappearing entirely.
They take the brakes off the immune system, freeing it up to fight cancer.
The researchers hope the combination of removing the immune system's brakes and then taking over the steering wheel, will save lives.
Professor Peter Johnson, from Cancer Research UK, said the research had shown "impressive results in the clinic" and although "the technology is complicated and quite recent... once you start doing it the cost will come down".
Dr Stefan Symeonides, clinician scientist in experimental cancer medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said designing a personalised vaccine was currently impractical, especially when a patient needed treatment straight away.
But he added that the "very elegant" study did provide a ground-breaking insight into current immunotherapy drugs, which do not yet work for most people.
"It's not just the number of antigens, it's how many of the cancer cells have them," he said.
"This data will be quoted in discussions for years, as we try to understand which patients benefit from immunotherapy drugs, which ones don't, and why, so we can improve those therapies."
Follow James on Twitter.


Aston Martin is to build its new luxury car in south Wales, creating 750 highly-skilled jobs.

24 February 2016 Last updated at 06:35 GMT
The DBX car will be hand-made in the super hangar at St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan.
It is a major coup for Wales, which beat off more than 20 other countries to secure the deal.
Here is Aston Martin's video of its car being unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March 2015.


Hopes of finding survivors under a collapsed rubbish dump in Sri Lanka are fading as anger builds among residents who say their concerns were ignored.

The death toll from Friday's collapse in the capital Colombo has risen to 26, including six children, the army says.
The 300ft (91m) high pile of rotting debris shifted after floods and a fire, destroying dozens of homes.
Residents had demanded for years the removal of the dump, saying it was causing health problems.
About a thousand people are thought to have been displaced by the disaster.
The government has now announced the closure of the Meethotamulla dump. Reports said 800 tonnes of waste were added to it every day.
President Maithripala Sirisena ordered hundreds of troops to search for survivors and bolster rescue efforts of the fire department.
The army said the operation would continue until all the missing were found.
"We expect we could complete this in the next 72 hours," spokesman Brig Roshan Senaviratne told the BBC.
Meanwhile, funerals for most of the victims were being held on Sunday.
Among them were four children, aged between 11 and 15, medical officials told AFP news agency.
Angry residents have barred politicians from visiting the site of the collapse.
"It's very unfortunate that no-one listened to us. Now, after so many deaths, politicians are saying they will stop dumping garbage. These are murders, we will take legal action," resident Nuwan Bopage told the BBC.
More than 600 people had been given temporary shelter at a government-run school in the area, AFP added.
The collapse occurred as many people were marking Aluth Avurudda, or the Sinhalese New Year, a major public holiday across Sri Lanka.
With the closure of the Meethotamulla dump, officials said the rubbish would be placed in two other sites.
Last month, a landslide at a rubbish dump in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, killed at least 113 people.


St Johnstone maintained pressure on fourth-placed Hearts in the Scottish Premiership with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Partick Thistle.

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Steven MacLean hammered in the only goal after 40 minutes when he exploited a weak Callum Booth headed passback.
The goal came against the run of the play, though, after Ryan Edwards and Niall Keown passed up chances.
In a tight second half, Ade Azeez had a header saved before Christie Elliott was dismissed in stoppage time.
Thistle dominated the first half, with some eye-catching football producing decent chances. Edwards blasted over from 20 yards before Steven Lawless had a left-foot effort from a similar distance which flew wide.
As the Jags continued to press, two top-class saves from Zander Clark kept them out. The first came after good build-up play saw Lawless fire a left-foot effort goal-bound which the Saints keeper stretched to his left to parry.
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Although the ball looped towards Edwards, the Thistle midfielder could only hit the side netting with his diving header.
Clark went one better with his next stop as he denied Keown his first Thistle goal. The on-loan defender, up for a corner, blasted a right-foot volley from eight yards which Clark superbly touched away.
Clark's heroics were rewarded when MacLean put the visitors ahead five minutes before the interval, after a mistake at the heart of the Thistle defence. Callum Booth looked to head a high ball back to goalkeeper Tomas Cerny, but failed to spot MacLean standing on the six-yard line and the Saints striker swivelled to volley into the corner of the net.
Either side of half time the Saints keeper again proved his worth with two fine saves from Doolan to deny the home side an equaliser.
Having won on their previous visit to Firhill, Steven Anderson and his fellow defenders looked determined to ensure they were leaving with the three points again - no matter what Thistle threw at them.
Saints were quick to counter attack and substitute David Wotherspoon should have done better than send a curling left foot effort over the bar after Murray Davidson had sent him clear on a run from his own half.
Thistle had Elliot red carded in the final minute as he lashed out at Graham Cummins at the corner flag as he tried to run down time. Cummins was booked for his part.
The hosts' five-game unbeaten run came to an end as St Johnstone consolidated their position in fifth place, level on points with Hearts.
Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald: "The result's disappointing. The performance first half was very good, we created a number of chances and worked the goalkeeper.
"But we switched off, made a horrible mistake for the goal and couldn't get back in. I'm disappointed we didn't really get a reaction in the second half.
"It's definitely a chance missed. We've got to score when we're on top of games, and take our chances.
"We made a number of chances tonight and didn't take them. It's been our Achilles heel all season, individuallyand collectively we've missed chances when we're on top of games and it's come back to bite us tonight."
St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright: "It's great for our players to be competing again this season at the right end of the table. I think everybody waits for the St Johnstone bubble to burst, but we just keep plodding away, picking up results people don't expect, proving people wrong.
"The spirit's unbelievable, the dressing room's buzzing tonight, and we keep on the coattails of Hearts. But it opens up a 10 or 11-point gap off the ones that were close to us."
Match ends, Partick Thistle 0, St. Johnstone 1.
Second Half ends, Partick Thistle 0, St. Johnstone 1.
Foul by Steven Lawless (Partick Thistle).
Steven MacLean (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner,  St. Johnstone. Conceded by Adam Barton.
Christie Elliott (Partick Thistle) is shown the red card for violent conduct.
Christie Elliott (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone).
Foul by Niall Keown (Partick Thistle).
Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by David Amoo (Partick Thistle).
Liam Craig (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. David Wotherspoon (St. Johnstone) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
Attempt missed. Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Attempt missed. Niall Keown (Partick Thistle) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
Attempt blocked. Callum Booth (Partick Thistle) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Christie Elliott (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Murray Davidson (St. Johnstone).
Corner,  St. Johnstone. Conceded by Liam Lindsay.
Foul by Niall Keown (Partick Thistle).
Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Ryan Edwards (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Chris Millar (St. Johnstone).
Substitution, Partick Thistle. David Amoo replaces Kris Doolan.
Substitution, St. Johnstone. David Wotherspoon replaces Danny Swanson.
Ryan Edwards (Partick Thistle) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Ryan Edwards (Partick Thistle).
Danny Swanson (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Steven Anderson (St. Johnstone) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Adebayo Azeez (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Steven Anderson (St. Johnstone).
Foul by Abdul Osman (Partick Thistle).
Chris Millar (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Adebayo Azeez (Partick Thistle) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Abdul Osman (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Murray Davidson (St. Johnstone).
Substitution, Partick Thistle. Abdul Osman replaces Sean Welsh.
Hand ball by Adebayo Azeez (Partick Thistle).
Danny Swanson (St. Johnstone) is shown the yellow card.
Danny Swanson (St. Johnstone) has gone down, but that's a dive.


Police are to significantly increase the number of officers in a racially diverse area of Glasgow after two elderly men were injured and robbed.

A 73-year-old man was pushed to the ground and robbed on Belleisle Street, Govanhill, at 18:45 on Wednesday.
An 83-year-old man is in hospital after three men barged into his flat in Garturk Street at 22:45 and robbed him.
The suspects in both are described as "of Eastern European appearance". It is not yet known if they are linked.
The 73-year-old man was pushed to the ground and robbed by a man was is described as of Eastern European appearance, dark skinned and in his late teens.
He was wearing a black leather jacket, grey hooded top and blue denims.
The victim did not require hospital treatment.
The victim in the second robbery sustained facial injuries and is currently in a stable condition in hospital.
The suspects in this case are described as of Eastern European appearance, in their early 20s. One of them had short shaved dark hair.
Ch Insp Graham McInarlin, of Police Scotland, said: "At this time we cannot confirm if the two incidents are linked, however, inquiries are ongoing.
"Thankfully, neither man was seriously injured. However, I fully recognise and understand the impact this has on the local community and in particular our elderly residents.
"The seriousness of these incidents is not lost on me and be re-assured that Police Scotland is treating these incidents head on and will fully commit all resources, both local and national to deal with those responsible."
Ch Insp McInarlin said "a significant additional number of officers" would be deployed to the area, including mounted police and a specially trained plain clothes unit and these would be maintained "indefinitely".
He added: "The men responsible for these robberies are nothing but cowards.
"They are despicable and deserve all that is coming to them and I am determined to catch them and put them behind bars."


Two men have denied charges relating to an attack where a 22-year-old woman had corrosive liquid sprayed in her face.

Adele Bellis had "life changing injuries" after the assault in Lowestoft, Suffolk in August.
Leon Thompson, 38, of Alma Road, Lowestoft has pleaded not guilty at Ipswich Crown Court to assault and wounding.
Anthony Riley, 25, of Raglan Street, denied conspiracy to wound and false imprisonment.
The attack happened in the London Road South area on 14 August.
Mr Thompson has also been charged with possessing a knife.
Both defendants have been remanded in custody and their trial is due to take place in March.
A Suffolk Police spokeswoman said Ms Bellis was continuing to undergo treatment for "serious, life-changing injuries".


Luton Town have signed forward Jordan Cook on a two-year deal after he rejected a new contract at Walsall.

The 26-year-old turned down a one-year Saddlers deal after scoring four goals in 44 appearances last term, helping them to the League One play-offs.
Cook played under Hatters boss Nathan Jones in Charlton's under-21 side.
"Jordan is one I've known for a long time and he's one I never felt fulfilled his true potential at Charlton," Jones told the club website.
"He's got a lot more to give and hopefully we'll see that at Luton."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Senegalese Fatma Samoura will begin work in her new role as Fifa secretary general on Monday after successfully passing an eligibility check.

Football's world governing body has confirmed its independent review committee has cleared Samoura to replace Jerome Valcke.
Samoura spent 21 years working for the United Nations and becomes Fifa's first female secretary general.
The 54-year-old will work alongside new president Gianni Infantino.
Fifa is desperate to repair its image following a series of corruption allegations under previous president Sepp Blatter and Valcke.
Blatter has been suspended from all football-related activities for six years and Valcke has been banned from all football-related activities for 12 years.


Police in France have launched operations to end two separate sieges, two days after an attack on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo offices that left 12 people dead.

Loud explosions were heard at the site of a siege at a Jewish supermarket in Paris on Friday afternoon.
Shortly after, a number of people, believed to have been hostages, were seen fleeing accompanied by police.
Other images showed children apparently escaping from the supermarket siege.
In Dammartin-en-Goele, where two suspects in the Charlie Hebdo shootings were holding at least one hostage, explosions were also heard. The two suspects were killed and their hostage escaped, police said.
After the explosions, police were seen on the roof of the building where the siege was taking place.
There are reports a number of people have been killed during siege in Paris. Ambulances were seen at the site.
Police had closed a number of streets around the supermarket in eastern Paris before officers stormed the site.
As darkness fell the phrase Paris is Charlie was projected onto the Arc de Triomph in the centre of the capital.


The first episode of Downton Abbey's fifth series was watched by an average audience of 8.1m on Sunday evening.

It beat the debut episode of five-part BBC One army drama Our Girl, which attracted an average audience of 3.9m.
An extra 300,000 watched Downton on ITV's +1 channel. But it was just over a million less than the 9.2m who saw the first episode of series four.
The latest instalment of Julian Fellowes's period drama attracted a mixture of reviews.
Andrew Billen, writing in The Times, gave Sunday's episode four stars in his review.
"Lord Fellowes, who may yet get through a series without resorting to murder, rape or sudden death, is filling his plots very enjoyably with sex instead," he said.
The Telegraph's Ben Lawrence concluded "there are still faults with Downton Abbey".
"Some of the dialogue should really have been left on the cutting room floor - 'Tom, come with me. You know where the sandbags are kept!' Also, the large ensemble is beginning to feel unwieldy.
"But it is such an enjoyable confection that these criticisms feel niggardly."
The Independent's Ellen E Jones described the episode as "slow-moving", but said that Dame Maggie Smith's portrayal of the Dowager Countess was worth seeing on its own.
"If this slow-moving series eventually unravels (as I think it must) into only the Dowager's decrepit form, alone at Dower House, whispering cutting asides into the fire, we will be none the worse off for it," she wrote.
The new season of Downton is set in 1924, as Britain's first Labour government comes to power.
New actors to join the series include Richard E Grant, who joins the cast as Simon Bricker, one of the guests of the Grantham family.
Anna Chancellor also joins in a guest role, playing Lady Anstruther, while 24 actor Rade Sherbedgia plays a Russian refugee.
Downton Abbey has also become a cult hit in the US, and more than 100 countries have broadcast rights.


A paedophile who filmed himself abusing young girls in the Philippines has been jailed for 19-and-a-half years.

Trevor Monk, 47, of south east London, also paid nearly Â£15,000 to watch child sex abuse in Manila on his webcam.
Police found more than 80,000 images and 1,750 indecent videos of children in a raid on his home in March 2015.
He admitted possessing and making indecent images of children, assault of a child under 13 and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
In total Monk pleaded guilty to 18 charges at the Old Bailey.
One of the girls he abused was eight years old and an image of a three-year-old child was discovered among the pictures.
Judge Anuja Dhir described the pictures as "harrowing images of very young children being abused and degraded in the most vile manner".
She said: "Your actions were depraved and revolting. It is astonishing that anyone would want to film such abuse, but you did.
"I have no doubt you did so so that you could watch it again for your own sexual gratification."
The court heard Monk paid "facilitators" to watch live streams of abuse and for access to the children during a two-week holiday to the Far East in the spring of 2014.
The National Crime Association (NCA) arrested Monk as part of an investigation into UK nationals who pay to live-stream child abuse in the Philippines.
It was found he spent more than Â£14,000 to pay for what he called "shows" which he watched from his Erith home, before travelling to Manila to carry out the abuse himself.
Analysis
By BBC Correspondent Angus Crawford
The case of paedophile Trevor Monk represents a growing problem of British men ordering abuse over the internet.
Law enforcement is beginning to make inroads into the trade. Police in the Philippines carry out raids and arrests on a regular basis, but it's impossible to estimate accurately the scale of the problem.
Monk's case is significant because it shows that although his crimes began in the UK, using live streaming, that then led to him travelling to carry out contact abuse in the Philippines. The internet facilitated an escalation in his offending.
Most important though, is the fact that he got caught - thanks to co-operation between forces in the UK, US, Australia and the Philippines - which should send a powerful message to offenders that they cannot hide in the anonymity of the internet.
He was re-arrested in November when officers discovered a video of him sexually abusing a child during a trip to South East Asia.
Erica Hall, from aid charity World Vision UK, said: "The widespread use of webcams coupled with dire economic conditions in many parts of the world means we're seeing many more cases of such vile abuse.
"It's encouraging that laws are keeping up with technology...[but] we suspect this is the tip of the iceberg with many cases still undetected."
Following sentencing Kelvin Lay, senior investigating officer for the NCA, said it was a "very important result".


Former scrum-half Mike Phillips has urged Wales' rising stars to prove they are good enough for the national side.

Capped 94 times, Phillips' comments come as criticism has been levelled at coach Rob Howley for failing to bring new players into the Wales team.
As they prepare to face France, Wales have capped just three new players since the 2015 World Cup, but Phillips says he understands the situation.
"You can't just blood youngsters because they are young," he said.
Since 2015, only Blues flanker Ellis Jenkins, Newport Gwent Dragons lock Cory Hill and Ospreys fly-half Sam Davies have been handed their senior debuts.
In Wales' final Six Nations clash in Paris, there have been calls for Howley to have one eye on the future and play new faces.
Instead the has stuck with the same side that beat Ireland last time out.
This comes despite Howley having a host of uncapped players in his squad in the shape of Ospreys flanker Olly Cracknell and lock Rory Thornton, Leicester fly-half Owen Williams, Scarlets wing Steffan Evans, Dragons wing Ashton Hewitt, Scarlets scrum-half Aled Davies and Wasps flanker Thomas Young.
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Howley has also ignored calls for Davies to start at fly-half and for Ospreys' teenager Keelan Giles to come in on the wing.
Phillips said he agreed with Howley's decision and that he believed the onus was on the young players to show they are ready for the senior side.
"There's a few guys on the verge, but those youngsters have still got to learn," Phillips told BBC Radio Wales.
"They are young and developing, but they will get their time in seasons to come. But they've got to improve in training and show Rob that they deserve to be first-choice players."
Against France, Phillips believes Howley has got his selection spot on.
He added: "It's a difficult one. In that international jersey should be the best because you are the best in the position. You should not just hand out caps willy-nilly to people.
"The development of the future is an important thing, but that needs to be done in a structured way.
"But it has been difficult because of the way things have panned out. They've looked to get the wins and back those players. The best players in Wales are playing on the field, it's as simple as that really."


Ospreys face a "cut throat" European Champions Cup tie on Sunday against an Exeter side who have not lost at home this season, says James King.

Winning would guarantee the Welsh region reach the knock-outs for the first time since 2010.
Number eight King says Exeter's home record is "brilliant", adding: "We know what we need to do."
Clermont Auvergne host Bordeaux-Begles at the same time with all four teams in the group capable of progressing.
"Our fate is in our own hands. It's coming down to the last game," said Wales Six Nations back-row challenger King.
Ospreys battled to pole position having often struggled in the Pro12 this season, beating Exeter in the opening round and picking up valuable losing bonus points in Montferrand and Bordeaux.
And after Clermont went into a 13-6 lead at Liberty Stadium last weekend, Ospreys fought back to win 21-13.
Ex-Wales and Ospreys back-five forward Jonathan Thomas underlined what it would mean for them to reach the last eight this time around.
"It's what everyone craves, isn't it, players and fans alike-  and six years ago is a long time.
"I think the ironic thing this season for the Ospreys is that everyone was writing them off because things haven't been going too well in the Pro12 in recent months.
"But obviously they've turned that around, they've had some good form - particularly over Christmas - and the win on the weekend was outstanding."
Rarely, every team in this pool goes into the final round with qualification for the knock-outs still possible.
If the Ospreys win, they are through. Any other result and the complications begin.
Draws, bonus points for losing by seven points or fewer; scoring four tries and getting four touchdowns in a defeat or a draw - those are the connotations the Welsh team hope to avoid.
A point would take Ospreys out of reach of Exeter and Bordeaux-Begles, who are tied on 11 points each.
That would leave Wales centre Jonathan Davies and his Clermont team-mates the biggest threat to Ospreys' position at the top of the group.
Clermont are favourites to see off their French rivals Bordeaux on Sunday and a straight win for them at the same time Ospreys lose might end the Welsh team's campaign.
At least the Pool Two games are the last of the weekend - every team in it will know what has to happen if they are to progress.
Exeter boss Rob Baxter hopes his side, who lie second in the English Premiership, can overcome the odds with the help of a Bordeaux win in Clermont and top the group.
But he accepts: "Realistically you would say no, but that's not at the forefront of my mind.
"At the forefront of my mind is the performance we put in this weekend."
Baxter is particularly keen his side ensure Exeter show they are "a better team than probably we produced when we went up to Ospreys".
He said: "You say people expected us to win - the truth was Ospreys had a team full of internationals and probably a bit more experience in the Champions Cup than us.
"And fair play to them. They dealt with the whole day way better than we did - we've got to take that on the chin and keep developing the side so that when those days come around, we deal with it better than the opposition."


Co-op Bank has said economic uncertainty following the UK's Brexit vote may hamper growth.

Market conditions are "challenging" for retail banks, it said.
The bank reported a narrowing of half-yearly losses to £177m but said "legacy issues" would continue to hit its financial performance until it has finished a rescue plan.
The bank almost collapsed in 2013, after bad property loans contributed to a £1.5bn hole in its finances.
"Today's market conditions are challenging for all retail-focused banks and the macroeconomic uncertainty following the result of the EU referendum, including the likelihood of lower-for-longer interest rates, may restrict our ability to grow revenue in the short term," said chief executive Niall Booker.
The Bank of England lowered interest rates at the beginning of August to a record low, as part of measures to stimulate the UK economy after the Brexit vote.
Co-op Bank said the vote could also lead to a contraction in the UK property market, affecting mortgage loan growth.
It added that reductions in income could force it to reduce costs and spending on projects, while higher unemployment and lower property prices could make it harder for the bank to recover the full value of some of its loans.
The bank's pre-tax losses of £177m were down from last year's £204.2m, but it said some of this was due to one-off gains, including £58.1m from the sale of its share in Visa Europe.
It has set aside another £33.5m for payment protection insurance (PPI) compensation after the Financial Conduct Authority proposed a later-than-expected deadline for claims.
The Co-op Bank said it would remain loss-making until the end of 2017.
"We have always been clear that turning the bank around would be a significant journey of at least five years and so far the overall story remains one of progress and improvement," said Mr Booker.
He added that the plan to replace him as chief executive was in place, saying that deputy chief executive Liam Coleman would succeed him on 1 January 2017.
The bank was owned by the Co-operative Group until 2013, when a £1.5bn hole was discovered in its finances.
That year the group had losses of £2.3bn - the largest in the Co-operative Group's 150 year history - £2.1bn of which were from the bank.
The group had to go to outside investors to support the Co-op Bank, which is now 80% owned by US hedge funds, with the remainder held by the Co-op Group.
In 2014 former Co-op Bank boss Paul Flowers pleaded guilty to drug possession at Leeds Magistrates' Court.
And in January 2016 the Bank of England banned two former Co-operative Bank executives - former chief executive Barry Tootell and former managing director Keith Alderson - from holding senior banking positions.


A 22-year-old man has appeared in court accused of causing the deaths of a father and son in Rhondda Cynon Taff.

Stuart Bates, 43, and seven-year-old Fraser were killed when they were hit by a car in Talbot Green in December.
Joshua Staples, from Tonyrefail, appeared at Pontypridd Magistrates' Court charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
The case was sent to Cardiff Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on 3 June.
Mr Bates and his son were crossing the A4119 at about 00:30 GMT on 6 December when they were hit by a car.
Mr Bates was taken to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital where he died from his injuries.
Fraser was taken to Bristol Children's Hospital but also died from the head injuries he sustained.


Uruguay's former military ruler Gregorio Alvarez has died, aged  91.

Officials said Alvarez, who ruled Uruguay from 1981 to 1985, had died of heart failure in a Montevideo prison where he was serving a 25-year sentence for murder and human rights violations.
Hundreds of people disappeared during the military rule that ended in 1985.
Alvarez, also known as "El Goyo", was arrested in 2007 on charges of kidnapping political activists living in exile in Argentina.
A court in Montevideo found him guilty in 2009 of 37 homicides during his time as head of the army in the 1970s and later as de facto president.
Alvarez, who came from a military family, had a meteoric rise in Uruguay's armed forces.
His brother, also a general, was killed in 1972 by the Tupamaros guerrilla group, an event which many said shaped his political outlook and hard-line stance.
He was a key figure in the 1973 coup d'etat, when President Juan Maria Bordaberry dissolved Congress to rule Uruguay with the support of the military.
Alvarez led the group of military officers who stormed the legislative palace to take control.
In 1981, he was named president by the ruling council. Repression during his time in office was severe, prompting protests in 1984.
With support for his rule dwindling and protests mounting, military and political leaders agreed to usher in a return to constitutional government.
Alvarez, increasingly isolated, did not take part in the negotiations.
Following the democratic election of Julio Maria Sanguinetti and just 15 days before Alvarez's rule was set to end, he resigned.
He continued to live in Montevideo shielded by a 1986 law which required judges to consult the executive before trying cases related to alleged crimes committed under military rule.
But following complaints from the parents of dissidents who had disappeared under military rule, Alvarez was arrested on 17 December 2007.
In 2009, Alvarez was sentenced to 25 years in prison for aggravated murder in 37 cases involving Uruguayan dissidents who had fled to Argentina.
They disappeared after being forcibly returned from Argentina under Operation Condor, a conspiracy between South American military rulers in the 1970s and 1980s to eliminate opponents across the continent.


Interpol has issued a "red notice" for a Scottish teacher over the death of a colleague in Myanmar.

Harris Binotti left the south-east Asian country in November last year following the death of English teacher Gary Ferguson in Yangon.
The notice, which is not an arrest warrant, is an international alert for a wanted person.
Mr Binotti, who is from Dumfries, took a flight to Thailand a day before Mr Ferguson's body was found in his flat.
The notice states that Mr Binotti faces a charge of murder and describes him as having brown hair and blue eyes and measuring about 1.68m (5ft 5in) tall.
Mr Ferguson and the 26-year-old are believed to have gone out drinking two nights before his body was discovered and neighbours reported hearing sounds of a fight.
Both men taught English at the Horizon International School in Yangon, in the south of the country formerly known as Burma.
Mr Ferguson, who had a four-year-old son, had worked there for a year while Mr Binotti had been there for three months.
His brother, Martin Ferguson, said the family were relieved the red notice for Mr Binotti had finally been issued.
He wrote on his Facebook page: "After such a hard and long fight, I am in tears to announce that Binotti has finally been put on the Interpol list of wanted persons. He can now be arrested internationally."
An Interpol red notice is issued when the subject is wanted by national jurisdictions for prosecution based on an arrest warrant or court decision.
Interpol's role is to assist the national police force in identifying and locating the persons with a view to their arrest and extradition.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We continue to do all we can to help and support the family of Mr Ferguson at this difficult time.
"We are in contact with the Burmese authorities responsible for the investigation."