Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff admits that Nico Rosberg's decision to retire took him completely by surprise - but it is only the start of his problems.

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Now, he has to find a replacement for the German as team-mate to Lewis Hamilton. And at this late stage of the year, it will be no easy task.
So who will be on Wolff's shortlist and how likely are they to get the seat?
This is the fight many would like to see. Hamilton and Alonso are regarded as the two towering talents of their generation and their intense battle as McLaren team-mates in 2007 was cut short by Alonso falling out with boss Ron Dennis and leaving the team. They ended that year tied on points, one behind world champion Kimi Raikkonen, with four wins each.
Round two would be the biggest box office F1 could hope for, but it is highly unlikely to happen for two reasons: 1) Alonso is under contract to McLaren and even if he has a break clause - which they say he does not - they would not want to let him go; 2) More importantly, Wolff knows that the problems he had with Hamilton and Rosberg would pale compared to the potential difficulties of handling Hamilton and Alonso.
Chances of it happening: 6/10
The Australian was the choice of many observers as the driver of 2016, and Wolff is a big fan. The on-track battle with Hamilton would be intense, but Ricciardo is a laid-back character and would probably be easier to handle off it.
But he is under contract to Red Bull until 2018. Red Bull says they have no intention of letting him go, but if Wolff approached them there is just the possibility that they may consider selling Ricciardo. Why? Because most accept that, long term, Ricciardo and Max Verstappen is not a sustainable line-up - if Red Bull become title contenders their relationship is very likely to become incendiary.
Chances: 6/10
Verstappen is the big rising star of F1. Shaded by Ricciardo over 2016 as a whole, performances such as his stunning drive in the wet in Brazil last month mark him out as a future world champion.
Wolff would be very interested but, like Ricciardo, Verstappen is under contract to Red Bull - in his case to the end of 2019. And Red Bull are even more in love with the Dutchman than they are with Ricciardo.
Chances: 4/10
Vettel's love affair with Ferrari - and vice versa - is long over after a difficult and disappointing season. Relations with team boss Maurizio Arrivabene are frayed - especially since the Italian said the four-time champion should focus more on his driving and needed to "earn" a new contract beyond 2017. And Vettel was unhappy with the decision to split with technical director James Allison in the summer.
Likewise, Ferrari have been confused how, after a year and a half of easily beating team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, Vettel's form slipped in the second half of 2016 - although they might want to read the previous paragraph for an answer.
Vettel has been shopping around for a move and would almost certainly welcome a switch to Mercedes. But there are some problems: 1) his contract runs to the end of 2017 and there is no obvious replacement for Ferrari; 2) he might not fancy going up against Hamilton; 3) Vettel and Hamilton together is almost as much of a recipe for trouble as Hamilton and Alonso.
Chances of it happening: 8/10
Wolff has a long relationship with Bottas as part of his management team and rates him highly. The Finn has impressed in the last four seasons with Williams and would be a low-maintenance choice. He would deliver solid results on track and is calm and would not rock the boat off it.
Next year is the last year of his contract at Williams. The team is not the most flush with cash in the pit lane and Wolff would almost certainly be able to put together an attractive deal - either for a cash payment to release Bottas or a reduction in Williams' engine fee.
But Williams have an 18-year-old rookie in the well-resourced Canadian Lance Stroll in their other car next year and need experience in the lead car. Wolff could offer them Mercedes protege Pascal Wehrlein, who raced for Manor in 2016, in exchange. But would Williams accept? Felipe Nasr, who raced for Sauber in 2016, would also be an option for them, and please F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who needs a Brazilian in the sport to satisfy its largest single TV audience.
Chances: 9/10
The German is the obvious choice - he is Mercedes' reserve driver, he has tested for the team several times, and he is a free agent. But he has only one season's race experience, and although he has put in some promising drives, he has had a few shaky ones as well.
Putting him in a race-winning car with Hamilton as his team-mate would be a big ask. And that's without even considering his personality. Insiders say Wehrlein can be difficult and self-centred, and Wolff will be wary of putting such a character alongside Hamilton.
Chances: 8/10
Another Mercedes young driver, Ocon has impressed in his half-season alongside Wehrlein at Manor - so much so that Force India picked him rather than the German as their second driver alongside Sergio Perez for 2017.
But Ocon has only nine races under his belt and it's surely too early for him to get a seat at the factory Mercedes team.
Chances: 7/10
A left-field choice, the Scot has been out of F1 for two years now. But he was Williams reserve driver this year and is a Mercedes-contracted driver in the DTM German Touring Car Championship and would be a solid option.
Chances: 5/10
Button has retired from F1, but remains contracted to McLaren. He made it very clear in the last few weeks that he needed a break from the sport.
Chances: 1/10
The German has just signed a three-year deal with Renault, but the French company and Mercedes have links on a corporate level and Wolff is close friends with their racing boss Frederic Vasseur.
But taking Hulkenberg would leave Renault with a vacancy that would be tough to fill and Wolff is not overly enamoured with him either.
Chances: 2/10


Sepp Blatter, the head of Fifa has announced he will be resigning.

It follows the recent arrests of seven of the organisation's officials on charges of corruption, which means being dishonest in a position of power.
So who are Fifa and what do they do?
Fifa stands for (in French) FÃ©dÃ©ration Internationale de Football Association - or the International Federation of Association Football.
It runs world football and is in charge of organising and promoting big football tournaments around the globe - the biggest and most famous being the World Cup.
The World Cup Final is held every four years, in a different host nation each time.
Fifa chooses who gets to hold the World Cup by visiting the nations who have asked to host it and deciding who has presented the best plan for the tournament.
As well as organising international tournaments, Fifa sees its role as protecting and developing the game of football for everyone around the world.
Senior officials from Fifa are being investigated by officials in America, for corruption.
They're suspected of taking millions of US dollars in bribes by people who wanted football tournaments held in their country, rather than picking hosts fairly.
A separate investigation by Swiss authorities is looking into how the World Cups in Russia, in 2018 and Qatar in 2022, were awarded.
US officials quoted in an American newspaper said that Sepp Blatter, the head of Fifa, was under investigation as part of the inquiry.
On Tuesday Mr Blatter announced he would be stepping down as head of the organisation after 17 years in charge.
In the coming months there'll need to be another election to choose a new leader for Fifa.
Whoever gets that job will have a lot of work to do to restore trust in the organisation.


Foreign observers have expressed confidence in Kenya's electoral process, despite opposition leader Raila Odinga's claim of massive fraud.

African observers described Tuesday's poll as credible, while former US Secretary of State John Kerry said its integrity remained intact.
The European Union said candidates should accept losing as "natural".
Mr Odinga alleges that results of the presidential poll have been rigged to give incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta victory.
Mr Odinga's supporters celebrated in the western city of Kisumu after his National Super Alliance (Nasa) said he should be declared the winner, although unverified official results give Mr Kenyatta a strong lead.
On Wednesday, Mr Odinga said that the IT system of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had been hacked, and Kenya was witnessing the worst "voter theft" in its history.
The IEBC said there had been an attempt to hack its system, but it had failed.
Many fear a repeat of the violence after the disputed election 10 years ago when more than 1,100 Kenyans died and 600,000 were displaced.
Scores of people took to the streets of  Mathare, a slum in the capital Nairobi, shouting "Uhuru must go", AFP news agency reported.
In the Kawangware neighbourhood, police clashed with opposition supporters, Reuters news agency reported.
Mr Kerry, who is heading the Carter Center's observer team, urged all sides to wait for the final results, and for the loser to accept defeat.
He said there were "minor variances here and there", but none that had so far made him doubt the poll's integrity.
The "bottom-line" was that the IEBC had in place a "transparent process of voting, counting, reporting and securing the vote", Mr Kerry added at a press conference in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.
Commonwealth observer mission head and Ghana's ex-President John Mahama said there was no reason to doubt the IEBC's ability to deliver a "credible election".
"We believe that the election has been conducted in a transparent and credible manner and that Kenyans must be commended for that election," he added.
Expressing a similar view, African Union observer mission head and South Africa's ex-President Thabo Mbeki said he was satisfied with the way the electoral commission had conducted itself.
The opposition's hacking allegations should be looked into by the IEBC, he added.
In a statement, the European Union observer mission said the opposition had made "serious allegations" and it was up to the IECB to complete the "remaining steps with maximum transparency and adherence to the law".
"Candidates and their supporters must accept that not winning is a natural part of a democratic competition," EU observer mission head Marietje Schaake said.
"Any irregularities or challenges to the process and outcomes should be addressed through petitions and the courts," she added.
The IECB said it hoped to release final results from the presidential poll on Friday.
Raw polling data published on its website says that with almost all of results in, Mr Kenyatta - who is seeking a second term - is leading with about 54.3%, to Mr Odinga's 44.8% share of the vote.
These suggest Mr Kenyatta is heading for a first-round victory.
Mr Odinga's claim of rigging led to sporadic outbreaks of violence on Wednesday, but a government spokesman denied reports that two people had been killed in election-related unrest.


Kenyan police have found leaflets inciting violence being distributed in some areas with less than two weeks to go to general elections.

The police chief said they were intended to spread "fear and panic".
They have been circulating in Kimusu, home to Prime Minister and presidential contender Raila Odinga, and the coastal city of Mombasa.
Following post-election violence five years go, the authorities have been trying to crack down on hate speech.
Hate leaflets, as they are called, were widely distributed after the disputed December 2007 elections. More than 1,000 people were killed in the six weeks of unrest which also forced some 300,000 people from their homes.
Eight candidates are standing for president on 4 March, but Mr Odinga and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta are considered the two frontrunners.
Mr Kenyatta's candidacy has been controversial as he and his running mate, William Ruto, have been charged with crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over allegations of fuelling violence in the wake of the last election.
Police Inspector General David Kimaiyo said the leaflets found in Kisumu, a city in western Kenya, were inciting Luo residents to chase away people from the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities, who traditionally support Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto.
Officers were investigating where the leaflets were printed, how they were distributed and who the authors were, he said.
"We are therefore passing a strong message to all those who may want to cause unnecessary fear and panic among members of the public that the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them," he said.
Correspondents say Mombasa, where a secessionist group operates, is often tense in the run-up to elections because of some accusations that the government is marginalising indigenous communities.
The police chief assured the public that special security teams had been sent to areas identified as potential hotspots ahead of the elections when MPs and senators, county governors and members of the newly formed county assembly will also be chosen.
A number of politicians and musicians have appeared in court in the past year on charges of propagating hate speech.
Mr Uhuru and Mr Ruto - rivals in December 2007 poll - are due to go on trial in April in The Hague.


Only £5,000 of a £500,000 Welsh Government grant to a Denbighshire hotel which went into administration will be recovered, Economy Secretary Ken Skates has said.

Ruthin Castle Ltd was given the cash at the start of 2012 to fund improvements.
The Conservatives said it was "frittered away" - but Mr Skates said the business had been improving when the application was made.
The hotel was sold and continues to operate under a different company.
The government sought to recover the cash from Ruthin Castle Ltd as it did not meet job creation criteria set at the time the money was awarded.
Mr Skates told Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies in answer to a written question that the firm was awarded £500,000 in January 2012, but went into administration in June 2014.
In June 2015, the Welsh Government received £5,469 from administrators, Mr Skates said.
"No further recovery is possible given that the company in question went into administration," he added.
"However, the hotel continues to operate as a four-star establishment, making an important contribution to the local economy."
Mr Skates said that, at the time of the application in the 2011/12 financial year, its "performance was improving and the proposed upgrade... to create a four-star destination hotel and spa was seen as a strategic tourism priority".
He said four-star grading for the hotel was again confirmed in June 2016.
However, the Welsh Government's most senior civil servant, Sir Derek Jones, told an assembly committee earlier this year that job targets that were part of the grant criteria were not met.
"I'm not writing off the possibility that the jobs target will be met in future, but we don't have a claim against the liquidated company anymore," he said.
The matter was included as a £494,531 loss in the Welsh Government accounts for 2015/16.
Welsh Conservative tourism spokesman Russell George said: "This is sadly yet another example of cash being frittered away with little thought to outcomes or to the risk of investing in a business on the verge of insolvency, and comes off the back of a series of bad financial decisions."
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "The improvement work for which the funding was awarded to Ruthin Castle Ltd was completed to plan, achieving and sustaining a four-star quality."
He added: "From 2011 to 2015 we supported over 100,000 jobs in the Welsh economy and latest figures show the survival rate of companies supported by Welsh Government is above the UK average."


Brazil's state-run oil company, Petrobras, says it is investigating an alleged bribery scheme reported to be linked to top politicians.

The company said it asked a judge investigating a former Petrobras director, Paulo Roberto Costa, for access to his confidential statements.
Petrobras said it had also written letters to companies allegedly involved in the scheme asking for help.
The scandal comes less than a month before presidential elections.
"Any irregular acts that may have been committed by a person or group of people, whether or not they are company employees, do not represent the conduct of the Petrobras institution and its workforce, made up of thousands of employees,"  said Petrobras in a statement.
On Saturday, one of Brazil's leading magazines, published the names of more than 40 politicians whom Mr Costa had accused of involvement in the alleged scheme.
In the magazine report, Mr Costa, who was head of downstream operations for Petrobras from 2004 to 2012, claimed that politicians received 3% commissions on the values of contracts signed with Petrobras when he was working there.
He alleged that the scheme was used to buy support for the government in congressional votes.
Mr Costa - who is in jail and being investigated for involvement in the alleged scheme - named a minister, state governors and congressmen.
Among them were members of the governing Workers Party and groups which back President Dilma Rousseff.
But the list of names published by Veja magazine also included rivals of Ms Rousseff.
Mr Costa was arrested in 2013. He  struck a plea-bargain deal with prosecutors before providing the names.
Many of the politicians mentioned have denied involvement.
The BBC's Wyre Davies in Rio de Janeiro says the latest allegations could hurt President Rousseff.
During her presidency, Petrobras has dramatically underperformed and its costs rose sharply.


A prosecution witness in the trial of a man accused of the "frenzied" murder of a woman, has been accused of carrying out the killing himself.

Kelly Pearce, 36, was found with fatal throat wounds in a flat belonging to witness Joseph Withers on Canvey Island, Essex, on 19 November.
Accused Anthony Ayres, 49, of Fairlop Avenue in Canvey, denies murdering her.
At Chelmsford Crown Court his defence claimed Mr Withers killed her and then blamed Mr Ayres who arrived later.
Ms Pearce had been stabbed 40 times in the face and neck and bludgeoned to death with a weapon "consistent" with a hammer in a "frenzied attack", the court heard.
More on this and other news from Essex
She sustained fatal neck wounds and skull and brain damage, and died later in hospital.
The court was told she had been attacked in the bathroom of a flat in Fairlop Avenue in Canvey, belonging to Mr Withers.
On the day of the killing, Mr Withers, who described himself in police interviews as a paranoid schizophrenic, said he was briefly locked out of his flat, while Ms Pearce and Mr Ayres were inside.
When he got back in he claimed to have seen Mr Ayres swinging a hammer.
"I saw him hitting her with the hammer or something. I just saw him hitting like that," he told the court.
Defence lawyer Oliver Saxby, QC, said: "It sounds like you weren't sure. Why did you say 'or something'?"
"That's best description I could give," Mr Withers replied.
He claimed he had then run from the flat to call the police.
However, Mr Saxby said: "I'm suggesting that either you lost it with her, or that there was somebody else in there who was responsible for what happened."
"It was Tony," Mr Withers replied.
He had said early in the cross-examination: "You're trying to say I attacked Kelly. I would never attack anybody. I'm scared of Kelly."
The trial continues.


A man has been charged with 10 historic sexual offences against two young girls at a military rehabilitation centre in Surrey.

The charges against George Stephen Wanless, 67, of Belmont Avenue in Oldham, Greater Manchester, include nine counts of indecent assault.
It is alleged the offences happened at the former RAF Headley Court base near Epsom in the 1970s and 1980s.
Mr Wanless is due to appear at South East Surrey Magistrates on 1 August.


Yum Brands, the owner of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, is in talks with KKR and other financial firms about the sale of a stake in its China business.

The US firm could reportedly sell up to 20% of its Chinese operations, valuing the unit at about $10bn (Â£7bn).
Last October, it announced plans to spin off and list its China division by the end of 2016.
The shake-up is set to be the biggest since Yum was split from PepsiCo two decades ago.
However, talks are said to be in their early stages and a deal is not guaranteed.
"We continue to make good progress since we announced the transaction separating Yum and Yum China," a Yum spokesperson said in a statement.
"We will provide updates on the transaction at appropriate times and we won't comment on rumours or speculation."
Yum has an overall market value of $32bn, but gets more than half of its profits from the China business.
However, its earnings from the mainland have been hit in recent years by a food safety scandal involving a meat supplier, as well as increased competition.
Shares of Yum rose by nearly 2% in US trading following the reports about the sale talks.


Former world number one Martina Hingis will come out of retirement to play her first match on the WTA Tour since 2007.

The 32-year-old has accepted a wildcard to play doubles with Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova at the Southern California Open in Carlsbad later this month.
Hingis, who won five Grand Slam singles titles including Wimbledon in 1997 at the age of 16, was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Singles: Australia (1997, 1998, 1999), Wimbledon (1997), US Open (1997)
Doubles: Australia (1997, 1998, 1999, 2002), French (1998, 2000), Wimbledon (1996, 1998), US Open (1998).
Mixed Doubles: Australia (2006).
"My competitive spirit is still very much alive," the Swiss said.
"I feel in good shape at the moment after playing World Team Tennis. I love being out on court.
"I am very much looking forward to making a return to competitive play at the Southern California Open. I remember winning the singles and doubles here in 1997 and winning the singles again in 1999."
As well as winning Wimbledon in 1997, Hingis also won the US Open and the first of three successive Australian Open titles that year.
Hingis retired in 2003 at the age of 22 after a series of ankle injuries, but returned to the WTA Tour in 2006.
She quit the game for a second time in November 2007, revealing she had tested positive for cocaine at that year's Wimbledon.
Hingis, who has won 43 WTA singles titles, said she had "never taken drugs", but did not appeal against the two-year ban she was given.


Police investigating the murder of Paul McCauley have said they have examined "vital" information contained in a sympathy card sent to his father.

Mr McCauley died earlier this month, nine years after being severely beaten in a sectarian attack in Londonderry.
Jim McCauley said the letter he received may add "another facet" to the investigation into his son's murder.
Det Ch Insp Michael Harvey appealed to the person who wrote the card to contact police to assist their inquiry.
"I would specifically like to ask one person, who wrote to Mr Jim McCauley expressing their sympathy and disgust at the attack on Paul, to please contact the detectives at Maydown, as I believe they hold vital information in relation to this investigation," he said.
Mr McCauley was 29 years old when he was beaten by a loyalist gang at a barbecue in the Waterside nine years ago.
He was left in a persistent vegetative state until his death in a care home on 6 June.
It is believed the attack was carried out by a gang of up to fifteen people.
Jim McCauley told BBC Radio Foyle's Breakfast programme that the letter was one of hundreds the family had received after his son's death.
"[It] is of interest because there is a feeling [from] this very kind letter that there may be further information from the individual that sent it," he said.
"There may be another facet to the investigation that this individual may be aware of.
"The letters are not anonymous but [this is] a request to that individual to maybe speak to Det Ch Insp Michael Harvey or come back to me or any member of the family, and hopefully we can make contact again."
He added that he had been disappointed that people he said he knew were holding crucial information had not cooperated with the police inquiry.
"I find that in a crime so horrendous the silence in both communities is appalling, and a sad reflection being tolerated by the good people within those communities that they cannot lever the truth out from those who are basically holding them to ransom," he said.
Mr McCauley said he and his wife Cathy felt "a tranquillity" with the passing of their son.
"There is a mixture of emotions. There is the sadness, the loss, the miss of the person, but also, in Paul's case because he had suffered so much, there is a contentment that he has passed to a better place," he said.
The PSNI has said "upwards of 15 detectives" are working on the inquiry into Mr McCauley's murder.
While Mr McCauley said he had been unhappy with the first investigation into his son's death, he said the second inquiry has done "an awful lot of groundwork".
He added: "I'm quite definite that we will see justice in that the core that attacked Paul will be brought to book."
"These people are not anonymous, they've not ridden into the night after the extremely cowardly and bullying attack."
On Tuesday's Spotlight programme on BBC One NI at 22:35 BST, Enda McClafferty reports on the death of Paul McCauley.


The company which built Cambridgeshire's guided busway is to be "held to account" for the cost of defects, the county council has agreed.

BAM Nuttall handed over the project two years late in August 2011.
The council said it was left with £31m of defects on the St Ives to Cambridge route. It said while there were no safety concerns, the defects needed to be fixed.
No-one from BAM Nuttall was available to comment.
At a meeting of the general purposes committee, the council's technical advisers said the contractor should be held responsible for fixing problems including shallow foundations and inadequate drainage.
Although these were not dangerous, "ride quality would deteriorate" over time.
Councillors voted unanimously to begin legal action against BAM Nuttall.
It is estimated the repairs could take three years to complete.
The council originally paid BAM Nuttall £117.7m for its work.
However, last August after an on-going legal battle over the late delivery of the project, the company paid back £33m of that, reducing the cost to £84.7m.


Scotland's political parties have clashed in a debate aimed at winning over young voters ahead of the general election on 8 June.

With polls narrowing, experts say the votes of young people will be "absolutely crucial" in the contest.
BBC Scotland teamed up with The Social to host a debate with young politicians taking questions from an audience of people aged under 30.
They highlighted issues including housing, human rights and homelessness.
Taking part in the debate, which was streamed live on Facebook and Twitter, were the SNP's Stewart McDonald, Labour's Pam Duncan-Glancy, Conservative Kirstene Hair, Lib Dem Kris Chapman and Green MSP Ross Greer, attempting to win over a panel of young voters.
The key topics discussed focused on engaging young people in politics.
Prof John Curtice of Strathclyde University said the turnout rate among the young could be "absolutely crucial" in the election.
He said: "One thing we know from every single election about younger voters is that they are less likely to vote. And therefore how many of them turn up to vote, whether they abstain in the kind of numbers they did in the last election or whether they turn out in rather high numbers this time, could well in truth determine or have a significant impact on the outcome of this election."
Discussing political engagement in the debate, Mr McDonald said: "My experience is that young people are generally quite well tapped into the issues in a way that perhaps older generations aren't. Young people tend to be more broad and open-minded on the issues, and the more time we spend engaging them the better."
Mr Greer, who was elected as Holyrood's youngest MSP aged 21, said: "When I was elected, there were some people saying 'how can you possibly be a politician at that age, you don't have enough life experience to know what you're talking about. But our parliaments are supposed to represent all of society - they're not doing that if they're full of white men over the age of 50."
Ms Hair said it was "really important that you engage with young people", and said she had seen more young people involved in Tory campaigns in recent years.
She also said Ruth Davidson had lobbied Tory colleagues at Westminster to reduce the voting age in UK-wide elections to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote.
Meanwhile Ms Duncan-Glancy said her party was standing on policies aimed at engaging young voters.
She said: "The manifesto we have put forward for this election is a manifesto for young people. We've got policies to be proud of, which is why you'll see a lot more from Labour on social media on what we'll do for young people."
And Mr Chapman said future generations were the "most powerful tool in society", saying it was important to invest in them.
He said: "It's all about engaging young people and representing them and making sure they have a voice at all levels of parliament and politics."
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A collection of vintage railway posters is expected to fetch £9,000 when it goes under the hammer in New York on Tuesday.

Northampton-born Henry George Gawthorn was one of the artists who created the five pre-war posters to promote East Anglia's seaside resorts.
The artworks, produced between 1923 and 1947, will be sold at Swann Galleries.
The colourful posters were commissioned by rail companies and displayed on station platforms and waiting rooms.
In recent years the artworks have become increasingly fashionable, auctioneers said.
In 2002, a poster produced by Henry George Gawthorn for the London and North Eastern Railway featuring St Andrews in Scotland, sold for more than £21,000, three times its top estimate.


Badgers may not transmit TB to cattle by direct contact, according to new research.

A study suggests that cows contract the disease by coming into contact with infected faeces and urine in pasture.
The scientists involved suggest that advice given to farmers to control the spread of the disease may need to be reassessed.
The research has been published in Ecology Letters.
Scientists have known for 40 years that badgers transmit TB to cattle and, more recently, probably vice versa. But no one knows exactly how the disease is transmitted.
To find out whether it is by direct contact, researchers tracked the movement of hundreds of cattle and badgers using collars with GPS and proximity sensors across 20 farms in Cornwall.
Despite the fact that the collared cattle spent the equivalent of nearly 15 years in the home ranges of GPS collared badgers, the two species were never found in close proximity.
The researchers found there was not a single instance of direct contact and there was also some evidence that if anything badgers avoid the bigger animals, with the tracking data indicating that the creatures preferred to be at least 50 metres away from the cattle.
Current control measures recommended by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) assume that direct contact is an important method of transmission.
According to the lead author, Prof Rosie Woodroffe of the Zoological Society of London, advice to farmers will now need to be re-assessed.
"There are loads and loads of things that farmers are being advised to do and there is no certainty that any of them will actually work and because of this, hardly any farmers implement any of these sorts of measures," she told BBC News.
"If we can focus on the things most likely to work on that massive array of things farmers are being advised to do more people will do them."
Prof Woodroffe and her colleagues are now trying to identify how the disease is transmitted. The most likely possibility is that it is through badger faeces and urine which may leave the TB infection in grazing pasture for many months.
This would help to explain why it takes so long for culling badgers to have an effect - because the infection they have left in the environment can last for months.
If that is the case it raises the possibility that some cattle-to-cattle transmission is happening through the environment.  That is important because TB in cattle is managed as a contagious disease and assumes that cows need to be in close contact with each other to get the disease.
If there is a possibility that some cattle-to-cattle transmission is happening through the environment, Defra will have to consider whether to modify its control measures further, according to Prof Woodroffe.
"We are now beginning to identify how the transmission happens and that ought to open up an array of finely tuned management approaches instead of the blunt instrument we have now," she says.
In response to the findings of the study a Defra spokesperson said:
"Our comprehensive strategy to beat bovine TB includes tighter cattle controls, good biosecurity and badger control in areas where the disease is widespread, and a number of measures are in place to prevent the spread of infection.
"These include frequent testing and rapid removal of infected cattle, pre- and post-movement testing and wildlife proofing of high risk units. To reduce the risk of cattle-to-cattle transmission from contaminated environment, farmers are required to carry out cleaning and disinfection and to keep cattle out of fields grazed by reactors for two months after their removal. There are also rules about the use of manure and slurry on infected farms to mitigate the risks associated with their spread."
Defra is expected to extend its badger cull to seven new parts of South West England to help control the spread of the disease at the end of this month.
The department is understood to have received 29 applications and expressions of interest for extensions of the cull in areas thought to include South Devon, North Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and North Cornwall.
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Ex-FBI chief James Comey will tell Congress on Thursday President Donald Trump wanted a "patronage relationship" and asked for his "loyalty".

According to his opening statement, Mr Comey will also testify the president asked him to drop an inquiry into fired National Security Adviser Mike Flynn.
He says Mr Trump called the Russian probe "a cloud" over him.
Mr Comey also says he had told Mr Trump three times he was not under scrutiny, confirming the president's account.
Reacting to the prepared testimony on Wednesday evening, Mr Trump's private legal counsel on the Russia inquiry, Marc Kasowitz, said the president was "pleased" Mr Comey had confirmed he was not in investigators' crosshairs.
"The president feels completely and totally vindicated," said the attorney.
Two national security officials, NSA Director Mike Rogers and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, earlier testified to senators that they never felt pressured by the White House to do anything illegal.
But in Thursday's Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Mr Comey will detail how Mr Trump made him uncomfortable during a series of encounters leading up to the FBI director's firing on 9 May.
It is one of several congressional panels that, along with the Justice Department, is investigating US intelligence assessments that Russian hackers meddled in last November's presidential election in an effort to help Mr Trump beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
The inquiries are also investigating whether any Trump campaign officials colluded with the alleged Kremlin plot, which Moscow has repeatedly denied.
According to seven pages of prepared testimony, Mr Comey will say his first meeting with the president occurred on 6 January in a conference room at Trump Tower, where Mr Comey briefed him alone on "salacious and unverified" allegations about him.
A dossier compiled by a former British intelligence official had claimed the Russian security services possessed compromising material on Mr Trump, including that he had been recorded consorting with prostitutes at a Moscow hotel.
Mr Comey's statement says the president "expressed his disgust for the allegations and strongly denied them" during a subsequent meeting.
That denial came in a one-to-one dinner on 27 January at the White House, Mr Comey will say, adding that he had a "very awkward conversation" with the president that evening.
It's like a sneak preview of a blockbuster movie - this opening statement should be preceded with a "Spoiler Alert!" warning.
Mr Comey is going to largely confirm all the reports that were circulating in the media about what took place during his private meetings with the president - the talk of loyalty, the pressure on the FBI to ease off its Flynn investigation, the multiple requests for public confirmation that the FBI was not targeting Mr Trump himself.
While Mr Comey casts the president in a less-than-flattering light, he does shy away from directly accusing the president of obstruction of justice. Much will be made of how the two men may have interpreted the phrase "honest loyalty" differently. In addition, Mr Comey viewed the president's Flynn request as only relating to his conversations with the Russian ambassador and not the investigation as a whole.
That may not matter much, however.
Large portions of the former director's account is in direct contradiction to Mr Trump's version of their meetings. It sets up a "he-said, he-said" situation - but Mr Comey has memos and conversations with other FBI officials to buttress his case.
What's more, if recent polls are any indication, the American public trusts him more than the president. Mr Comey's performance under questioning - particularly if Mr Trump responds angrily via Twitter - could further sour the public mood.
Four takeaways from Comey's testimony
Mr Trump asked the FBI director during the discussion in the Green Room whether he wanted to stay in his job, Mr Comey will testify.
He will say he found this "strange" because Mr Trump had already told him twice in earlier conversations that he hoped he would not step down.
The former FBI director will testify the question "concerned me greatly" because he felt the dinner was an effort to "create some sort of patronage relationship".
The former FBI director will say: "A few moments later, the president said, 'I need loyalty, I expect loyalty.'
"I didn't move, speak, or change my facial expression in any way during the awkward silence that followed. We simply looked at each other in silence."
In testimony, the former FBI director will detail his next encounter with Mr Trump, during a meeting attended by intelligence chiefs at the White House on 14 February.
The president asked Mr Comey to stay at the end of the Oval Office meeting and told him: "I want to talk about Mike Flynn."
Mr Trump accepted Mr Flynn's resignation as national security adviser just 24 days into the job after he misled the White House about his conversations with the Russian ambassador.
Mr Comey will say Mr Trump told him: "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy."
The former FBI director will testify that he offered no such assurance.
Mr Comey will also say the president phoned him on 30 March and said the Russia investigation was "a cloud that was impairing his ability to act on behalf of the country".
The former FBI director will testify that Mr Trump "said he had nothing to do with Russia, had not been involved with hookers in Russia".
Mr Comey will say he assured Mr Trump during their discussions on 6 January, 27 January and 30 March that the president himself was not under investigation.
He will testify that Mr Trump told him during the 30 March phone call: "We need to get that fact out."
The former FBI director will say Mr Trump phoned him again on 11 April to press him on this matter. It was the last time they spoke.
Mr Comey will say he told the president the White House should contact the Department of Justice.
The former FBI director notes that he spoke with President Barack Obama only twice during the more than three years that their time in office overlapped.
But he can recall nine one-on-one conversations with Mr Trump in four months, three in person and six on the phone.


A charity worker has appeared in court in New York, accused of throwing her newborn baby daughter out of a window to her death.

Jennifer Berry, 33, was charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter at the court in the Bronx on Monday.
The girl was found in a rubbish-strewn alleyway last week, her umbilical cord still attached.
Prosecutors now say they are re-examining the March 2008 death of Ms Berry's infant son.
The death of the two-and-a-half-week-old boy was attributed to sudden infant death syndrome.
Ms Berry had worked for family charities and in the child protective services branch of the New York City Administration for Children's Services, according to the New York Times.
Ms Berry's friends and family did not even realise she was pregnant, authorities said - as she had told them she had miscarried or had an abortion weeks before.
Under questioning, she also initially denied having been pregnant before claiming to have given birth to a stillborn baby in the shower, they said.
But prosecutors say the baby died from blunt force trauma - meaning the baby was alive when she was thrown from the seventh-floor window of her boyfriend's apartment. They say Ms Berry knew she was alive.
Ms Berry is now in custody until the date of her next court appearance on 27 October.
"This situation has me really sad," a man who identified himself as Giovanni Johnson, Ms Berry's boyfriend, told the New York Times.
He said he believed he was the father of the dead baby.
"I lost a daughter, you know what I mean?"
Mr Johnson's mother, Tressonya Johnson, told the newspaper her family was "really going through something right now - a real big hardship. "We're torn apart."


The father of an alleged "honour killing" victim has been granted bail in Pakistan "due to lack of evidence".

Samia Shahid, 28, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, died in Pakistan in July.
Chaudhry Muhammad Shahid is being held as a suspected accessory to the crime, with Ms Shahid's ex-husband accused of murder.
Lahore High Court heard the prosecution provided insufficient incriminatory evidence for him to be kept in police custody.
The prosecution claim Mr Shahid, who has been in custody since July, was involved in planning her journey to Pakistan in July and also assisted in her murder.
Their arguments were based on Ms Shahid's conversations with friends and differences in the statements of her father in police reports, but the court said it could not accept this as evidence at the bail hearing.
Mr Shahid will be released on bail shortly, with police investigations continuing.
Neither Chaudhry Muhammad Shakeel, who is accused of her murder, nor Mr Shahid have been formally charged.
Ms Shahid, a beautician, married her second husband in Leeds in 2014 and the couple moved to Dubai.
Her second husband Syed Mukhtar Kazim claimed his wife, who died while visiting relatives, was killed because her family disapproved of their marriage.
Initially it was claimed she had died of a heart attack, but a post-mortem examination found she had been strangled.
In October, police said they wanted to question Ms Shahid's mother, Imtiaz BiBi, and sister, Madiha Shahid, with arrest warrants issued after they failed to appear at a court appearance.


From the beginning, when Marks and Spencer sold its first bra in 1926, the brand became a byword for British-made quality goods.

Shoppers fell in love with 'easy-care' fabric dresses in the 1950s and 60s and with its tailoring and knitwear in the 70s and 80s.
The customer was always right, and they got what they wanted - quality everyday wear.
A renewed focus on design in the 1990s saw the retailer scale new heights. Its clothing even graced the front cover of Vogue magazine. Supermodel Amber Valetta was featured wearing a £21 M&S polyester shirt.
And with acclaim from the fashion press came bumper sales. Marks and Spencer's profits peaked in 1997 and 1998, topping £1bn.
But after the magic and sparkle, and despite the launch of a range of sub-brands like Per Una and Autograph - aimed at a more fashion-focused shopper - fortunes began to change for Britain's biggest clothing retailer, and the love affair began to chill.
Sali Hughes, a beauty and fashion journalist, says the retailer lost its crown producing high quality pieces that are key to a woman's wardrobe.
"Marks and Spencer should be about beautiful basics. They used to be really brilliant for quality knitwear, tailoring and good hosiery and underwear. I could go there and know I could buy a white t-shirt that wasn't too short or a plain cashmere jumper that was well made.
"Now it seems the designs are terrible, the sizing is all strange and the styles are badly cut. There are also far more retailers on the high street and it's easier to go somewhere else."
In 2008, M&S splashed out £31m on advertising and profits peaked again, topping £1bn. They have steadily fallen since.
Not even the slew of celebrity endorsements from the likes of model Twiggy and actress Dame Helen Mirren have been enough to raise womenswear sales.
But there have been some glimmers of hope. Fashionistas went mad for the mid-length suede skirt from M&S after it was worn by fashion celebrity Alexa Chung.
In 2015, the skirt was credited with helping to "jump start" the first profit rise for four years but not everyone was convinced.
The Guardian's Hadley Freeman claimed the skirt represented "a triumph of M&S PR over actual fashion for women".
For the past five years, clothing sales have been in an inexorable decline, but apart from the fashion what else is to blame?
Was it the weather? Marks and Spencer said its recent 5.8% drop in general merchandise sales - which include clothes - was due to "unseasonal conditions and availability".
It also claimed the weather was a factor in January 2015, when it said its 14th consecutive quarterly drop in clothing sales was down to unseasonal autumn weather.
However, retail analyst Nick Bubb said: "You can't make excuses about the weather every year."
He says that one of the main problems has been that the retailer has been besieged, and bitten from both ends.
Discounters and budget chains have been taking market share from M&S at the lower end. Brands like Zara and H&M are taking a chunk out of the middle end of the market, while John Lewis has stolen a march on M&S at the higher end.
"If you want to be all things to all men - and all women - it's going to be an impossible task," he said.
M&S also has problems competing with certain chains on price versus quality. Barclays Capital analyst Christodoulos Chaviaras said the quality of M&S clothes is good, but people can get better value for money elsewhere.
The firm's focus on full price items while other retailers have discounted, also played a part in M&S's negative sales, he said.
And Mr Bubb says that Marks and Spencer has failed to keep up with the Joneses online - which is now the key battleground for retailers.
John Lewis started investing in online sales more than ten years ago, he says, and Marks and Spencer has been playing catch-up.
"Marks and Spencer has too high a share of a declining market - offline retailing - and too low a share of the online market."
Senior management must also examine its conscience, he adds.
"They [the board] have taken the decisions on branding and marketing, and they've been very late to the party [with online]," he said.
Many yearn for the retailer to succeed again, so what can M&S do?
Kirsty McGregor from fashion industry publication Drapers says: "There has been a good response to the last few seasons from the fashion press... what we're not really seeing is these styles and sizing options in the regional stores and customers find that quite frustrating."
Retail analyst Tony Shiret adds: "They need to decide where the gaps in their coverage are, improve the quality of their classic staple lines and continue to make progress with the fashion."
But be warned M&S, there is a troubling rival also striving for the title of national treasure.
"Unfortunately for them [M&S] John Lewis has stolen the crown as the retailer that everyone loves and trusts," Sali Hughes said. "They have become the well loved and dependable aunty on the high street.
"I don't think this is the end for M&S, they can turn it around. They just have to get back to what they were really good at."


An organ installed in memory of soldiers who died in World War One has been played for the last time before being shipped to its new German home.

A church near Dusseldorf has bought the instrument from Avenue Baptist Church in Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex.
Minister Andrew Picton said sending it to Germany was a "remarkable symbol" of "Christian reconciliation" 100 years after the two countries were at war.
The "rarely used" organ was sold as the church is being redeveloped.
Avenue Baptist Church congregation raised money to fund the organ between 1919 to 1921 in memory of the 15 men from the church who died during World War One.
It was made by organ manufacturers Henry Speechley and installed in 1921.
However, the 120-year-old church is now being redeveloped "to make it more appropriate for 21st Century worship" and it was decided to sell the instrument.
Rick Owen, from the church, said it was initially advised it would be hard to find a buyer and it was feared the organ would be scrapped.
"Someone in Norfolk expressed an interest, but it fell through," he said. "Then a colleague posted its details on websites specialising in church organs - and within a week a German church got in touch."
The church, Bauernkirche, in Iserlohn, decided that the organ "suited them perfectly".
An organ builder sent from Germany will take three days to dismantle the instrument.
The Baptist church declined to say how much it had received from the sale.


Two Kenyan men have signed an agreement to "marry" the same woman.

The woman had been having affairs with both men for more than four years and apparently refused to choose between them.
The agreement sets out a rota for Sylvester Mwendwa and Elijah Kimani to stay in her house and states they will both help raise any children she bears.
Mr Mwendwa told the BBC he loved the woman and said the contract would "set boundaries" and "keep the peace".
Lawyers said the "marriage" would only  be recognised if they could prove polyandry - a woman having more than one husband - was part of their custom.
The BBC's David Okwembah in the capital, Nairobi, says polyandry is not practised by any community in Kenya.
People have reacted with shock to the "marriage", arguing that it is not acceptable in terms of their culture, religion or the law, he says.
Defending the "marriage", Mr Mwendwa told the BBC Focus on Africa programme that while he may acting in breach of the law, he had decided to enter into a contract with Mr Kimani to end their rivalry.
"It could have been very dangerous if the other man would have come to her house and caught me... So our agreement is good as it sets boundaries and helps us keep peace."
Community policing officer Adhalah Abdulrahman persuaded the two men to marry the woman after he saw them fighting over her in Mombasa county, the local Daily Nation newspaper reports.
"We have agreed that from today we will not threaten or have jealous feelings because of our wife, who says she's not ready to let go of any of us," the agreement says, Kenya's NTV station reports.
"Each one will respect the day set aside for him. We agree to love each other and live peacefully. No-one has forced us to make this agreement," it adds.
Mr Mwendwa said her parents had given their blessing, while he is planning to pay the bride price.
The woman, a widow with two children, did not want to be named.
Mr Mwendwa told the BBC he did not marry the woman simply to satisfy his sexual desires but because he loved her and, most of all, her children.
"I have never been called a dad and her two children call me daddy," he said.
He said he hoped to have his own children with the woman, but she would have to decide.
"She is like the central referee. She can say whether she wants me or my colleague," he added.
Kenyan family lawyer Judy Thongori told the Daily Nation that the law does not explicitly forbid polyandry.
"The laws we have do not talk about it but for such a union to be recognised in Kenya, it has to be either under the statutory law or as customary marriage. The question we should ask now is whether these people come from communities that have been practising polyandry," she is quoted as saying.


Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry says fellow Scot John Higgins is the man to beat at this year's UK Championship in York.

Hendry, who retired in 2012 and remains the most successful snooker player of all time with 36 ranking event wins, will be back in the BBC Sport commentary box for the 2015 tournament.
And when the action gets under way on Tuesday, Hendry believes Higgins has the form and quality to succeed absent reigning champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Four-time world champion John Higgins secured the 28th ranking title of his career by winning the International Championship in China. The 40-year-old Scot struggled for form for much of 2012 and 2013, and openly talked about his standards slipping. But he has won two ranking events so far this season and has said he has "not played much better" throughout his career.
"The form man is John Higgins - I have been very impressed with him. It might be too powerful a statement to say he has turned his career around, but at times I am sure he would have thought he would not be winning tournaments again. He looked low in confidence and like his career was winding down but his return has been pretty remarkable.
"A couple of years back he was quite open in talking about his struggles and I don't know if he is just working harder, but that is what I would hazard a guess at.
"Maybe his focus returned when he was struggling, but you can see how good a player he is. No-one is dominating the sport at the moment and he is definitely still one of the best around."
"Along with John, it's the usual suspects. Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, Shaun Murphy - it's the same names I expect to be challenging. There are plenty of talented players, but these are still the guys to beat.
"Mark has the match-winning mentality and all the top players should be particularly focused on one of snooker's 'Big Three' events. These are the tournaments where you expect the best players to produce their best.
"Personally, I would be targeting this event. When I was playing and at my peak in the 1990s there were not nearly as many tournaments, but even then the focus would be on the Worlds, the UK and the Masters. Anything else was a bonus.
"And someone like Mark Williams has also been showing his quality. He's not winning tournaments, but is coming back to form. It will be an interesting tournament."
Stuart Bingham, the 2015 Crucible champion has struggled for form so far this season, with his only noteable success coming with a run to the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters in September.
"For Stuart Bingham, being world champion brings huge expectation - from yourself and from others. Every time you play a tournament you are introduced as a world champion and I certainly used to feel like I had something to prove to live up to that.
"The pressure can go one of two ways when you are trying to prove why you are world champion - you can respond and try even harder than before or relax and think you've reached the pinnacle. Stuart has struggled so far this season, but proved he has the ability in Sheffield.
"With myself, when I got to seven world titles and beat Steve Davis I did think 'where do I go from here?' In a way it can be hard to get yourself back up. It depends on your mindset. He's had a tough time so it will be interesting to see how he responds in York."
Reigning UK Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan did not enter this year's tournament and has not played a competitive match since losing to Bingham in the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Championship in April.
"It's a real shame for any tournament to lose the biggest draw in the game and that is what Ronnie still is. Him not being involved is a big blow.
"But he is still playing snooker and obviously he still wants to play, otherwise he wouldn't be playing exhibition matches, so I very much doubt we have seen the last of him. He must have his own reasons for not entering."
O'Sullivan has also now said he intends to play the Masters in January.
Stephen Hendry has been working as a pool ambassador in China in recent years and says there is plenty of up-and-coming talent around the world. Schoolboy Yan Bingtao, 15, shocked Shaun Murphy at the Champion of Champions event in Coventry, but Hendry believes there is a huge step to make to turn talent into titles.
"I am still really enjoying that role. I am playing exhibitions and helping out. Snooker is still my life. The talent is there in China and it's not just in China. I saw Thepchaiya Un-Nooh reach a semi-final in China and he really impressed me.
"But it's about winning titles, not taking the odd big scalp. Great talents need to prove their talent by winning titles and that's not easy to do.
"Having that winning mentality is taking it to a completely different stage and you cannot teach that.
"Any given player can win a few matches, but it's taking the sport by the scruff of the neck and no-one from the next generation of players is doing that at the moment and that is what I look for."
World Snooker supremo Barry Hearn has engineered some major changes since he took over as chairman in 2010. His decision to change the format of the UK Championship - sport's second biggest tournament - by introducing an all-in 128-person first round and shortening the length of the matches - was widely criticised.
"I have always preferred the longer format and longer matches and was quite critical when they changed the UK to make it a bit shorter: having longer matches separated it from the other tournaments, which I felt was right because it is the second biggest event in the snooker calendar.
"Now, if I am honest, I quite like it. Having the best-of-11 frames means you still get a big session and it's long enough. The sport has to compete with so many other sports and this helps for television and to promote the sport.
"But I would never want to see the World Championship changed. That should stay as it is."
Stephen Hendry was talking to BBC Sport's Owen Phillips.


Civilians and rebel fighters have begun leaving the Syrian town of Darayya after a deal was reached ending a four-year government siege.

The first buses left the town, near the capital Damascus, accompanied by ambulances and Red Crescent vehicles.
But the UN has expressed concern over the plan, saying it is essential that those leaving do so voluntarily.
The Syrian army encircled Darayya in 2012 and just one aid delivery has reached the town since then.
The first bus to emerge from the town carried mostly children, women and elderly people, AFP news agency reports.
Some 700 armed men and 4,000 civilians will be evacuated as part of the agreement, according to Syrian state media.
Opposition fighters are due to be given safe passage to the rebel-held city of Idlib, while civilians will go to government shelters in Damascus.
The office of UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura sounded a note of caution saying it was "imperative that people of Darayya are protected in any evacuation that takes place, and that this takes place voluntarily".
A statement said the UN was neither involved nor consulted about the evacuation plan, but added, "the world is watching."
For years those living in Darayya have endured constant shelling, as well as suffering shortages of food, water and electricity.
Some of those leaving said the town had become uninhabitable.
Darayya saw some of the first protests against the Syrian government, an uprising that transformed into a full-blown civil conflict.
The withdrawal of rebels just a few miles from Damascus is a boost for President Bashar al-Assad, analysts say.
The evacuation comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry holds talks on Syria with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva.
They are meeting in a bid to broker a temporary ceasefire in the city of Aleppo, where fighting between government and rebel forces has escalated in recent weeks, leaving hundreds dead.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have agreed a deal to boost aid to Aleppo, Turkish media reported.
Russian and American teams in Geneva, involving military officials and diplomats, have been able to reach agreement on most details of a possible deal. It is up to John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov to try to close the last difficult gaps. One of the most sensitive issues is said to be the grounding of Syria's warplanes.
Western sources say senior US defence officials are deeply sceptical, if not resistant, to closer military co-operation with Moscow. But achieving progress in Syria, especially in the battle against so-called Islamic State, is one of the White House's key goals. So John Kerry continues his determined diplomacy to reach some kind of deal with Russia.
But today's evacuation in Darayya which involves the surrender of rebel forces, underlines the Syrian government's long-held view that the road to peace goes through local Syrian deals, largely on its terms.


Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cyhoeddi eu bod unwaith eto'n oedi cyn penderfynu a fyddant yn cefnogi cynllun Cylchffordd Cymru, gan gyhuddo'r datblygwyr o ddarparu gwybodaeth "ddiffygiol" am eu cynlluniau.

Mae'r cwmni sydd y tu ôl i'r cynllun gwerth miliynau o bunnoedd, Cwmni Datblygu Blaenau'r Cymoedd, wedi gofyn am warant o dros £200m o arian cyhoeddus, ffigwr sydd dros hanner cost y prosiect.
Yn wreiddiol, roedd disgwyl penderfyniad ym mis Mawrth, ond mae gweinidogion nawr yn dweud y bydd y broses yn cymryd rhai wythnosau eto.
Mae Plaid Cymru a'r Ceidwadwyr wedi cyhuddo Llywodraeth Cymru o geisio cuddio newyddion drwg tan ar ôl yr etholiad cyffredinol.
Er mai nawdd preifat fyddai'n ariannu'r trac ger Glyn Ebwy, mae'r datblygwyr yn gofyn i'r llywodraeth am hanner y gost o £425m.
Mewn ateb ysgrifenedig, dywedodd Ysgrifennydd yr Economi, Ken Skates, fod swyddogion a chynghorwyr allanol wedi "nodi nifer o fylchau a diffygion yn y wybodaeth sydd wedi ei gynnwys o fewn cais Cylffordd Cymru".
Cafodd y cyflwyniadau terfynol eu derbyn yr wythnos ddiwethaf, fydd yn caniatáu i ddadansoddiad o'r cynlluniau i gael eu cwblhau.
Mae'r cwmni'n dweud eu bod nhw wedi ymateb i bob cais am wybodaeth.
"Mae'r oedi pellach yn golygu fod yr amserlen i gwblhau erbyn mis Mawrth wedi ei fwrw yn ôl", meddai Mr Skates.
"Y cyngor rwyf wedi ei gael ydy y bydd y broses yn cymryd rhai wythnosau eto, cyn y bydd y Cabinet yn ystyried y prosiect cyn gynted â phosib."
Cafodd y wybodaeth ei datgelu mewn ateb i ymholiad gan Aelod Cynulliad Plaid Cymru, Adam Price, a gyhuddodd y Llywodraeth o "ragrith ac oedi".
"Wedi iddyn nhw ddweud yn wreiddiol y bydden nhw'n dod i benderfyniad wedi'r etholiadau lleol ym mis Mis Mai, maen nhw nawr, mae'n ymddangos, yn ceisio oedi'r cyhoeddi tan ar ôl 8 Mehefin - a beio'r cwmni yn y broses," meddai.
"Mae rhywun yn cael ei orfodi i feddwl - ar sail yr ateb hwn - eu bod wedi dod i benderfyniad, ond eu bod yn ceisio cuddio newyddion drwg tan ar ôl yr etholiad."
Ym mis Chwefror, dywedodd Mr Skates y byddai yna astudiaeth fanwl o'r cynlluniau fel rhan o broses fyddai'n cymryd chwe wythnos.
Yn ddiweddarach, dywedodd na fyddai 'na benderfyniad tan ganol Mai oherwydd nad oedd y cwmni wedi darparu'r holl wybodaeth angenrheidiol.
Mae'r cynllun eisoes wedi cael dros £9.3m mewn benthyciadau a grantiau gan Lywodraeth Cymru.
Fis diwethaf, dywedodd Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru bod yna "wendidau sylweddol" yn y modd y cafodd y nawdd ei gymeradwyo.
Dywedodd yr AC Ceidwadol Russell George: "Mae pobl Glyn Ebwy wedi aros yn rhy hir i Lywodraeth Lafur Cymru wneud penderfyniad ynglŷn â Chylchffordd Cymru ac rwy'n synhwyro fod y stŵr ddiweddaraf wedi ei chydlynu er mwyn mygu newyddion gwael tan ar ôl yr etholiad cyffredinol."
Dywedodd hefyd y dylai'r cyhoedd allu disgwyl i'r £9.3m ddychwelyd i'r pwrs cyhoeddus os na fydd y cynllun yn mynd yn ei flaen.


Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth said there will be "no way we'll be resting" after Tuesday's 5-1 thrashing of Crewe in League Two.

The Chairboys won for only the third time in the league this campaign to move up to 19th in the table.
"We've had some tough times lately. We're at the wrong end of the table, I know that," said Ainsworth.
"I'll be doing everything I possibly can to build on this. One result doesn't make a season."
Sam Wood and Paris Cowan-Hall found the net for the first time this campaign to put Wycombe two ahead against the Alex before on-loan Southampton midfielder Dominic Gape scored his first professional goal to make it 3-0 before half-time.
Scott Kashket then added a brace on his home debut to make it 5-0 before a late Crewe consolation.
"I'm just really pleased we've got a win," Ainsworth told BBC Three Counties Radio.
"But I won't get carried away. I didn't get too down when we got beat 4-1 (by Luton), I'm not going too get carried away when we win 5-1.
"I want to get ready for Exeter now and back this up. The fans were great, hopefully we've put a few more on the gate for Saturday and this club can start moving up the table.
"The second half of the season, I'm expecting to be stronger."


A UKIP parliamentary candidate has "apologised unreservedly" for posting offensive remarks about a female journalist.

John Leathley used sexually explicit language about the British Muslim journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown on an online forum.
Mr Leathley is the UKIP parliamentary candidate in Tony Blair's former seat of Sedgefield, County Durham.
Ms Alibhai-Brown said his comments were "absolutely appalling".
They were made on 20 November last year while Ms Alibhai-Brown was appearing on the BBC's Question Time programme, but have now been made public.
In a statement, Mr Leathley said: "I would like to apologise unreservedly to Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.
"Having now read what I wrote, I am shocked and am appalled and deeply ashamed of my words.
"The comments were made during a private conversation in the evening and clearly were never meant to be publicly released, and they should never have been said.
"I am very sorry and regret deeply being so coarse, it is out of character but no more excusable for that."
In response, Ms Alibhai-Brown told Mirror Online: "I saw the apology and of course I'm not going to give any credence to it at all. You don't apologise because you are found out.
"Was he drunk? If he wasn't, then what he said was absolutely appalling. It's sexist, it's racist, it's violent."
Labour's candidate in Sedgefield, Phil Wilson, who is defending the seat, called on UKIP to sack Mr Leathley.
Speaking on Twitter, he said his comments against women were "obscene and disgusting".


Northern Ireland striker Will Grigg will miss next month's World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Germany for family reasons.

The Wigan player's partner gave birth 10 days ago, and Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill said Grigg "didn't feel being here was right".
"Will asked to not be in the squad due to a family situation, which I'm not going to go into," he added.
Defender Ryan McGivern and midfielder Matthew Lund are included.
Grigg, 25, missed the opening qualifier against the Czech Republic as his partner was expecting to give birth at the time.
"It's a blow for Will - he's been on the scoresheet and I had a good chat with him," added O'Neill at Wednesday's squad announcement.
Uncapped Rochdale midfielder Lund and Shrewsbury Town defender McGivern were late call-ups to the squad for the scoreless draw in Prague because of injuries, and they have another chance to impress O'Neill.
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Hartlepool keeper Trevor Carson and Burton Albion defender Tom Flanagan are the other uncapped players in the 24-man squad.
Northern Ireland host minnows San Marino in Belfast on 8 October before facing world champions Germany in Hanover three days later.
Northern Ireland squad:
Goalkeepers: Michael McGovern (Norwich), Alan Mannus (St Johnstone), Trevor Carson (Hartlepool)
Defenders: Gareth McAuley, Jonny Evans (both West Brom), Craig Cathcart (Watford), Conor McLaughlin (Fleetwood), Lee Hodson (Rangers), Michael Smith (Peterborough), Tom Flanagan (Burton), Ryan McGivern (Shrewsbury Town)
Midfielders: Steven Davis (Southampton), Niall McGinn (Aberdeen), Oliver Norwood (Brighton), Corry Evans (Blackburn), Jamie Ward (Nottingham Forest), Shane Ferguson (Millwall), Stuart Dallas (Leeds), Paddy McNair (Sunderland), Matthew Lund (Rochdale)
Forwards: Kyle Lafferty (Norwich), Josh Magennis (Charlton), Conor Washington (QPR), Liam Boyce (Ross County)


Threats have been made against a family member of a couple who were shot in their west Belfast home last Thursday, a Sinn Féin MLA has said.

The husband and wife were both shot in the legs at the house in Norglen Parade as they tried to protect their son from paramilitaries, it is understood.
West Belfast MLA Pat Sheehan said the threats against their relative had piled "insult on top of injury".
He called on those responsible to "lift the threat immediately".
Mr Sheehan knows the couple who were shot several times when a gang of masked and armed men entered their family home in Turf Lodge on Thursday night.
He said the threat "beggars belief".
"It is despicable that this man and woman were shot in their own home in the first place. They have done absolutely nothing wrong unlike the armed gang who shot them."
The MLA added: "Those responsible have nothing to offer this community and I call on them to lift the threat immediately and get off the back of the people of Turf Lodge."


A woman accused of murdering a love rival took flowers to her adversary's home in a "macabre test run", a court heard.

Sarah Williams, 35, claims delivering flowers to Sadie Hartley, who was murdered a week later, was the idea of her co-defendant Katrina Walsh, 56.
The Crown says it was a dry run by both women as reconnaissance for the murder.
Ms Hartley, 60, was paralysed with a stun gun and stabbed 40 times in Helmshore, Lancashire on 14 January.
Ms Williams and Ms Walsh, both from Chester, deny murder.
The prosecution claims Ms Williams, who had had an affair with Ms Hartley's partner, Ian Johnston, 57, was driven by a jealous desire to "get rid of" the mother of two.
But Ms Williams claims she was in bed ill at the time of the murder and that the evidence points to Ms Walsh as the perpetrator.
On January 7, the two women visited a Tesco store in Haslingden where Ms Williams bought a Â£3 bunch of chrysanthemums, Preston Crown Court heard.
The aim of the night-time delivery was perhaps to see if Ms Hartley opened her front door, how she might be dressed or to make sure it was her address, the prosecution said.
Giving evidence, ski travel firm worker Ms Williams said they went into Tesco to use the toilet and that she bought the flowers at Ms Walsh's request.
"I paid for the flowers and we walked out and I asked who are these for. There was a little giggle and she said 'I have got an idea'", Ms Williams told the court.
"She said Sadie was renting a house in Helmshore near Ian. I asked her how she knew and she laughed, and in an expression she uses she said 'I have my ways'.
"There was more giggling and she said she wanted to know what she looked like. At the time it was a bit silly."
Ms Walsh delivered the flowers with Ms Williams nearby out of sight - but not hiding, she said.
The following day, Ms Hartley emailed her business partner to say the episode was a "bit creepy" and "needless to say had a bad sleep last night as a result!"
Asked by prosecutor John McDermott QC if she thought it "was a giggly and girlie thing to do to the partner of the man you were throwing yourself at". Ms Williams replied: "It was silly, it was ridiculous."
Mr McDermott said: "What is ridiculous is this story", adding "it was pretty creepy what you were giggling about."
The defendant replied: "It was certainly not intended by me to be creepy. Looking back, it was a stupid thing to allow to have happened."
Ms Williams reiterated she had no desire to hurt Ms Hartley. The case continues.


The parents of Otto Warmbier, the US student who is in a coma after being freed this week by North Korea, say he was "brutalised" by a "pariah regime".

The 22-year-old is now being treated in hospital after the flight carrying him landed in Ohio on Tuesday.
Mr Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour for attempting to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel.
He was given a sleeping pill after becoming ill after his trial last year and did not wake up, North Korea said.
He is now being treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
How harsh is prison in North Korea?
"We want the world to know how we and our son have been brutalised and terrorised by the pariah regime," his parents, Fred and Cindy, said.
Former US ambassador and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who has previously served as special envoy to North Korea and in 2016 attempted to negotiate the release of the student, said the Warmbiers had updated him on their son's condition.
"In no uncertain terms, North Korea must explain the causes of his coma," Mr Richardson said.
The BBC's Stephen Evans in Seoul says it remains to be seen if Mr Warmbier's illness is the direct result of brutality in prison.
If it were, there might be pressure on President Trump to take action against Kim Jong-un's regime, he says.
Otto Warmbier is an economics student from the University of Virginia, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio.
He was in North Korea as a tourist with Young Pioneer Tours when he was arrested on 2 January 2016.
He appeared emotional at a news conference a month later, in which he tearfully confessed to trying to take the sign as a "trophy" for a US church, adding: "The aim of my task was to harm the motivation and work ethic of the Korean people."
Foreign detainees in North Korea have previously recanted confessions, saying they were made under pressure.
After a short trial on 16 March, Mr Warmbier was given a 15-year prison sentence for crimes against the state.
His parents told CNN in early May that they had had no contact with their son for more than a year.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr and Mrs Warmbier said: "Sadly, he is in a coma and we have been told he has been in that condition since March 2016. We learned of this only one week ago."
They were quoted by the Washington Post as saying they had been told Otto had contracted botulism, a rare illness that causes paralysis, soon after his trial in March 2016.
He was given a sleeping pill and had been in a coma ever since, the newspaper said.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made no mention of Mr Warmbier's condition in a statement, saying only that he was on his way home to be reunited with his family and would not make any further comment, out of respect for the privacy of the family.
There are reported to be three other US citizens in custody in North Korea. They are:
The US has in the past accused North Korea of detaining its citizens to use them as pawns in negotiations over its nuclear weapons programme.
The arrests have come at a time of heightened tension between North Korea and the US and its regional neighbours.
Mr Warmbier's release comes hours after US basketball star Dennis Rodman arrived in North Korea.
Mr Rodman is a friend of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and has made several visits to the country in recent years.
There was some speculation that he might plead the case for the American detainees, but en route to North Korea he told reporters "my purpose is to actually see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea".


A man found dead in a Birmingham shed was killed by multiple stab wounds, a post-mortem examination has revealed.

The man, who has not been formally identified, was believed to be a 34-year-old from the Yardley area, West Midlands Police said.
The body was found at a property on Carlton Road, Bordesley Green, at about 23.30 BST on Friday.
Eleven people who were arrested in connection with his death have been released on police bail.
The 11 - five men aged 45, 33, 28, 24 and 23, four women aged 50, 41, 25 and 19 and two boys, aged 15 - are all thought to be known to the dead man, police said.
Officers are appealing to anyone who may have seen the man's car - a white Toyota Yaris registration FM64 PHU - in and around Carlton Road on Thursday or Friday.
The car was found about a mile away in Adderley Road on Friday evening.


24 January 2017 Last updated at 07:07 GMT
Alice is blind and needs help getting around, so now she has a furry friend to help her out.
She is one of the youngest person in England to be given a guide dog and Billy has made a big difference to her life.
Check out the video to hear Alice and Billy's story.


Jeremy Corbyn has said that 16-year-old workers should be paid at least £10 an hour, as he addressed the Unison conference in Brighton.

The Labour manifesto included a pledge to raise the minimum wage to the level of the Living Wage - now paid to those aged 25 or over - for 18-24 year olds.
But questioned about whether 16-year-olds should get it, Mr Corbyn said it "should apply to all workers".
"I don't think young people eat less than old people," he added.
The National Living Wage was introduced by the Conservative then-chancellor George Osborne in his July 2015 Budget.
As of April this year, it is paid at a rate of £7.50 an hour for workers aged 25 and over, with the aim of increasing it to £9 an hour by 2020.
Labour's general election manifesto pledged to raise it to at least £10 an hour by 2020 for workers aged 18 or over. But when Mr Corbyn was asked whether 16-year-olds should get it as well, he replied: "You're absolutely right.
"Yes, the £10 an hour living wage, real living wage, is correct and also should apply to all workers, because I don't think young people eat less than old people - that's my experience anyway."
Currently workers aged 21-24 get a minimum wage of £7.05 an hour, while those aged 18-20 get £5.60 and under 18s get £4.05 an hour. If you are an apprentice. it can be as low as £3.50 an hour.
Mr Corbyn also used his address to the conference to link the Grenfell Tower fire, which is thought to have killed at least 79 people, to "austerity economics".
"Make no mistake about it - this is the brutal reality of austerity economics that has failed in its own terms, and leading to falling living standards, rising inequality and disasters," he said.
He added that Labour was "ready for another election at any time, to finish the job of beating the failed, clapped-out Tories and form a government that works for all".


Channel 4's Gogglebox and BBC One game show Pointless were among the British winners at the 53rd Rose d'Or festival.

The Berlin ceremony honoured the year's best and most creative TV and radio shows with nine Golden Rose Awards.
Toast of London, starring Matt Berry as eccentric middle-aged actor Steven Toast, won Channel 4 the sitcom award.
Gogglebox, which won the reality and factual entertainment category, films real people watching and discussing the week's TV in their own living rooms.
The Channel 4 show returns for a new series on 26 September.
It has made stars of many of its sofa-dwellers, such as 'posh' couple Steph and Dom Parker and George Gilbey, who recently entered the Celebrity Big Brother house without mother Linda and step-dad Pete.
Comedian and actor Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman host popular early evening game show Pointless, which is made by Endemol for the BBC. It has aired several celebrity specials.
BBC Radio 4 comedy Bridget Christie Minds The Gap, featuring the comedian's personal take on the state of modern feminism, was also honoured at Wednesday night's ceremony, hosted by Croatian TV entertainer and journalist Aleksandar Kostadinov.
Winners from other countries include Israel's Little Mom, which won the comedy award, after what organisers called "a record-breaking year" for entries from TV companies around the world.


A man has been shot dead outside the takeaway where he worked on South Tyneside.

Tipu Sultan was found with a gunshot wound at the back of the Herbs n Spice Kitchen in Lake Avenue, South Shields, on Tuesday night.
The 32-year-old father of two received treatment but was pronounced dead at the scene.
Northumbria Police has started a murder inquiry and believe two men on a motorbike were involved.
They said witnesses had reported seeing two men wearing crash helmets and dressed in dark clothing on a motorbike drive into the rear lane in Lake Avenue just before the shooting, shortly before 22:00 BST.
They were seen driving away from the area in the direction of Lizard Lane immediately afterwards.
Northumbria Police South Tyneside Supt Sav Patsalos said their investigation was in its early stages.
"We are trying to establish the motive behind the incident and a full murder investigation is currently being carried out," he said.
"We believe that this has been an isolated incident and not a random shooting, enquiries are ongoing to establish this.
"Those responsible may have planned the incident in advance of carrying it out and if anyone has seen anything or anyone suspicious in the area at any time in the past few days, then I'd ask them to come forward and speak to us."
He said there was nothing to suggest there was any risk to anyone else but there were extra officers in the area.
He appealed for anyone who saw the motorbike in the area or with information to contact them and said they would be speaking to other takeaway and restaurant owners.
A cordon has been set up around the scene.
Victoria Chisholm, from the nearby Lake Pub, said: "I saw a commotion out on the street, one of the lads from the curry house was outside.
"I just thought it was a wind-up, stuff like that doesn't happen round here. It shouldn't happen."
Speaking about the victim, she added: "He was an absolutely wonderful bloke, everybody round here loved him. He was a proper part of the community.
"He was just a wonderful bloke, I'm completely shocked.
"It's a nightmare for his family as well."


Muhammed Ali Jinnah - founding father of Pakistan
Screening the life of Jinnah
1906 - Muslim League founded as forum for Indian Muslim separatism.
1940 - Muslim League endorses idea of separate nation for India's Muslims.
1947 - Muslim state of East and West Pakistan created out of partition of India at the end of British rule. Hundreds of thousands die in widespread communal violence and millions are made homeless.
1948 - Muhammed Ali Jinnah, founding leader of Pakistan, dies. First war with India over disputed territory of Kashmir.
1951 - Jinnah's successor Liaquat Ali Khan is assassinated.
1956 - Constitution proclaims Pakistan an Islamic republic.
1958 - Martial law declared and General Ayyub Khan takes over.
1960 - General Ayyub Khan becomes president.
1965 - Second war with India over Kashmir.
1969 - General Ayyub Khan resigns and General Yahya Khan takes over.
1970 - Victory in general elections in East Pakistan for breakaway Awami League, leading to rising tension with West Pakistan.
1971 - East Pakistan attempts to secede, leading to civil war. India intervenes in support of East Pakistan which eventually breaks away to become Bangladesh.
General Zia's death in 1988 ended 11-year military rule
Echoes of General Zia
1972 - Simla peace agreement with India sets new frontline in Kashmir.
1973 - Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto becomes prime minister.
1977 - Riots erupt over allegations of vote-rigging by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP). General Zia ul-Haq launches military coup.
1978 - General Zia becomes president, ushers in Islamic legal system.
1979 - Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto hanged amid international protests.
1980 - US pledges military assistance to Pakistan following Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.
1985 - Martial law and political parties ban lifted.
1986 - Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's daughter Benazir returns from exile to lead PPP in campaign for fresh elections.
1988 August - General Zia, US ambassador, and top army brass die in air crash.
Benazir Bhutto: Twice prime minister of Pakistan
Obituary: Benazir Bhutto
1988 November - Benazir Bhutto's PPP wins general election.
1990 - Benazir Bhutto dismissed as prime minister on charges of incompetence and corruption.
1991 - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif begins economic liberalisation programme. Islamic Sharia law formally incorporated into legal code.
1992 - Government launches campaign to stamp out violence by Urdu-speaking supporters of the Mohajir Quami Movement.
1993 - Prime Minister Sharif resigns under pressure from military. General election brings Benazir Bhutto back to power.
1996 - President Leghari dismisses Bhutto government amid corruption allegations.
1997 - Nawaz Sharif returns as prime minister after Muslim League party wins elections.
1998 - Pakistan conducts its own nuclear tests after India explodes several nuclear devices.
Nawaz Sharif, ousted in 1999 coup, exiled, back in government in 2008
Profile: Nawaz Sharif
1999 April - Benazir Bhutto and husband convicted of corruption and given jail sentences. Ms Bhutto stays out of the country.
1999 May - Kargil conflict: Pakistan-backed forces clash with the Indian military in the icy heights around Kargil in Indian-held Kashmir. More than 1,000 people are killed on both sides.
Musharraf coup
1999 October - General Pervez Musharraf seizes power in coup.
2000 April - Nawaz Sharif sentenced to life imprisonment on hijacking and terrorism charges over his actions to prevent the 1999 coup.
2000 December - Nawaz Sharif goes into exile in Saudi Arabia after being pardoned by military authorities.
2001 June - Gen Pervez Musharraf names himself president while remaining head of the army.
2001 September - Musharraf swings in behind the US in its fight against terrorism and supports attacks on Afghanistan. US lifts some sanctions imposed after Pakistan's nuclear tests in 1998.
2001 December - India, Pakistan prompt fears of full-scale war by massing troops along common border amid growing tensions over Kashmir following suicide attack on Indian parliament.
Tensions with India over Kashmir go back decades
Q&A: Kashmir dispute
Kashmir conflict 'unfinished business'
The future of Kashmir?
2002 January - President Musharraf bans two militant groups - Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad - and takes steps to curb religious extremism.
2002 April - President Musharraf wins another five years in office in a referendum criticised as unconstitutional and flawed.
2002 May - Pakistan test fires three medium-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, amid rumours of impending conflict with India.
2002 August - President Musharraf grants himself sweeping new powers, including the right to dismiss an elected parliament.
2003 November - Pakistan declares a Kashmir ceasefire; India follows suit.
Military ruler put under pressure by US's "war on terror": Pervez Musharraf
Profile:  Pervez Musharraf
2003 December - Pakistan and India agree to resume direct air links and to allow overflights of each other's planes from beginning of 2004, after a two-year ban.
2004 February - Leading nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan admits to having leaked nuclear weapons secrets, reportedly to Libya, North Korea and Iran.
2004 June - Pakistan mounts first military offensive against suspected Al-Qaeda militants and their supporters in tribal areas near Afghan border. US begins using drone strikes to target Al-Qaeda leaders in the area.
2004 April - Parliament approves creation of military-led National Security Council, institutionalising role of armed forces in civilian affairs.
2004 May - Pakistan readmitted to Commonwealth.
2005 April - Bus services, the first in 60 years, operate between Muzaffarabad in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and Srinagar in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
2005 August - Pakistan tests its first nuclear-capable cruise missile.
2005 October - Earthquake kills tens of thousands of people in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
The 2008 storming of the radical Red Mosque killed more than 100 people.
Profile: Islamabad's Red Mosque
2006 September - Government signs peace accord to end fighting with pro-Al-Qaeda militants in Waziristan tribal areas near Afghan border.
2007 February - Sixty-eight passengers are killed by bomb blasts and a blaze on a train travelling between the Indian capital New Delhi and the Pakistani city of Lahore.
Pakistan and India sign an agreement aimed at reducing the risk of accidental nuclear war.
2007 March - President Musharraf suspends Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, triggering a wave of protests across the country.
2007 July - Security forces storm the militant-occupied Red Mosque complex in Islamabad following a week-long siege.
Supreme Court reinstates Chief Justice Chaudhry.
The assassination of former PM Benazir Bhutto shook Pakistani politics
Special: Bhutto assassination
2007 October - Ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto returns from exile. Dozens of people die in a suicide bomb targeting her homecoming parade in Karachi.
Army launches offensive against militants in North Waziristan. Nearly 200 people die in the fighting.
2007 October-November - Musharraf wins presidential election but is challenged by Supreme Court. He declares emergency rule, dismisses Chief Justice Chaudhry and appoints new Supreme Court, which confirms his re-election.
2007 November - Former PM Nawaz Sharif returns from exile.
2007 December - State of emergency lifted.
Benazir Bhutto assassinated at political rally at election campaign rally in Rawalpindi.
2008 February-March - Pakistan People's Party (PPP) nominee Yusuf Raza Gilani becomes PM at head of coalition with Nawaz Sharif's Muslim League party following parliamentary elections in February.
2008 August - President Musharraf resigns after the two main governing parties agree to launch impeachment proceedings against him.
Taliban militia expanded their influence in Pakistan's tribal areas in 2008
Who are the Taliban?
Nawaz Sharif pulls his PML-N out of the coalition, accusing the PPP of breaking its promise to reinstate all judges sacked by Mr Musharraf.
2008 September - MPs elect Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari - the widower of assassinated former PM Benazir Bhutto - president.
Suicide bombing on Marriott Hotel in Islamabad kills 53 people. Soon after, government launches major offensive in Bajaur tribal area, killing more than 1,000 militants.
2008 November - The government borrows billions of dollars from the International Monetary Fund to overcome its spiralling debt crisis.
2008 December - India blames Mumbai attacks in November on Pakistani-based militants and demands Pakistan take action. Islamabad denies involvement but promises to co-operate with the Indian investigation.
2009 February - Government agrees to implement Sharia law in north-western Swat valley in effort to persuade Islamist militants there to agree to permanent ceasefire.
2009 March - After days of protests, government yields to demands for reinstatement of judges dismissed by former President Musharraf.
2009 April - Swat agreement breaks down after Taliban-linked militants seek to extend their control. Government launches offensive to wrest control of Swat from militants.
The 2010 monsoon floods were the worst in 80 years
2009 August - The leader of Pakistan's Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, is killed in US drone attack in South Waziristan. He is succeeded by Hakimullah Mehsud.
Suicide bombing in northwestern city of Peshawar kills 120 people.
2010 April - Parliament approves package of wide-ranging constitutional reforms. Measures include transferring key powers from office of president to prime minister.
2010 August - Worst floods in 80 years kill at least 1,600 people and affect more than 20 million. Government response widely criticised.
Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was found hiding in a suburban compound in Pakistan
Ridicule and rage for Pakistan's army
BBC News - Death of Bin Laden
2010 October - Rise in targeted political killings, bombings in commercial hub of Karachi.
2011 January - A campaign to reform Pakistan's blasphemy law leads to the killing of two prominent supporters, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer in January, and Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti in March.
2011 April - The founder of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, is killed by American special forces in Abbottabad.
2011 November - Pakistan shuts down Nato supply routes after a Nato attack on military outposts kills 25 Pakistani soldiers, boycotts the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan.
2011 December - Government comes under pressure over a leaked memo alleging senior officials sought US aid against a military coup after the killing of Osama bin Laden in April.
2012 January - Amid growing tension between government and military over "memogate" scandal, army chief Gen Pervez Kayani warns of "unpredictable consequences" after PM Yousuf Raza Gilani criticises army leaders and sacks top defence official.
Supreme Court threatens to prosecute Prime Minister Gilani for contempt of court over government's refusal to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and other political figures.
2012 May - A US Senate panel cuts $33m in aid to Pakistan over the jailing of Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi who helped the CIA find Osama Bin Laden.
2012 June - Supreme Court disqualifies Prime Minister Gilani from holding office after he declines to appeal against a token sentence in President Zardari corruption row. Parliament approves Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf as his successor.
2012 July - Pakistan agrees to reopen Nato supply routes to Afghanistan after the US apologises for killing Pakistani soldiers in November.
Sunni extremist violence increases
2012 September - Muslim cleric Khalid Chishti is arrested on suspicion of planting burnt pages of the Koran on a Christian girl briefly detained for blasphemy. Amid widespread condemnation of the case against the girl at home and abroad, a court dropped it November.
2012 October - Taliban gunmen seriously injure 14-year-old campaigner for girls' rights Malala Yousafzai, whom they accused of "promoting secularism". The shooting sparked a brief upsurge of anger in Pakistan against the militants.
2012 November - Taliban suicide bomber kills at least 23 people at a Shia Muslim procession in the Rawalpindi.
2013 January - Supreme Court orders the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf over corruption allegations dating back to his time as a minister in 2010. He denies wrongdoing.
The government sacks Balochistan chief minister over bomb blasts in the provincial capital Quetta that kill at least 92 Shia Muslims. Sunni extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claims responsibility.
Populist cleric and anti-corruption campaigner Tahirul Qadri leads a nationwide march on Islamabad. The government responds by agreeing to dissolve parliament early and to consult Mr Qadri over the formation of a caretaker government.
2013 February - Bomb attack targeting Shia Muslims in Quetta kills 89 people. Police detain Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militant group founder Malik Ishaq after the group claims responsibility.
2013 June - Parliament approves Nawaz Sharif as prime minister after his Muslim League-N wins parliamentary elections in May. Taliban conduct systematic campaign of attacks and intimidation, but fail to deter largest turnout of voters since 1970.
2013 September - More than 80 people are killed in a double suicide bombing at a church in Peshawar. It is the deadliest attack so far against Christians in Pakistan. Taliban-linked Islamists claim responsibility.
2014 March - Government and Taliban representatives meet in North Waziristan for peace talks, with a cease-fire top of the agenda.
2014 June - A deadly assault on Karachi's international airport leaves dozens dead. Uzbek militants fighting with the Pakistani Taliban say they carried out the attack. Peace talks with the Taliban collapse and the army launches a major offensive on Islamist hideouts in north-west Pakistan.
2014 September - Arrests of opposition activists amid days of violent anti-government protests on the streets of Islamabad. Government and opposition figures hold talks but fail to resolve differences.
2014 October - Teenager Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban but survived to become a campaigner for girls' education, becomes the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
2014 December - Taliban kills nearly 150 people - mostly children - in an attack on a school in Peshawar.
Government responds to the massacre by lifting a moratorium on the death penalty and launching round-up of terror suspects, although critics complain major terror organisers are left alone.
2015 January-February - Taliban attack Shia mosques in Sindh and Peshawar in two incidents, killing nearly 80 people and injuring dozens more.
2015 April - India protests over Pakistan court release on bail of suspected mastermind of 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Human rights activist Sabeen Mehmud shot dead in Karachi.
2015 June - Pakistan acknowledges that eight out of ten Taliban members allegedly jailed for the gun attack on teenage education activist and Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai were secretly acquitted at their trial in April.
2016 January - Islamist extremists attack Bacha Khan University in Charsadda in north-west Pakistan, killing 19 people and injuring 17 others before security forces killed the four suspected assailants.
2016 March - Taliban offshoot Jamaat-ul-Ahrar says it carried out a suicide attack at a popular park in Lahore on Easter Sunday killing 72 people, saying it had targeted Christians.
2016 March - Former president Pervez Musharraf leaves the country for Dubai after the Supreme Court lifts a three-year travel ban. His lawyers say he needs urgent spinal treatment and will return to face treason and murder charges against him.
2016 September - Pakistan's military acknowledges for the first time the presence of so-called Islamic State militants in the country, but says it has foiled attempts by the group to expand there.
2016 September - Taliban offshoot Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claims suicide attack on a court in the northern city of Mardan in which 12 people are killed and 50 are injured.