A tunnel under the Menai Strait, which will contain cables linking Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station to the National Grid, is set to cost £100m and take up to five years to complete.

Last year, National Grid said it would use underground cables instead of pylons between Anglesey and the mainland in Gwynedd.
It said this would protect the Menai Strait's natural beauty.
The tunnel will be based on a network of power tunnels in central London.
Plans to connect Wylfa Newydd at Cemaes Bay to a substation at Pentir, Gwynedd, have been controversial, with campaigners concerned about the impact of pylons.
Aled Rowlands, external affairs manager for National Grid, said: "We are going to be using the same type of technology [that we are using under the River Thames] to go underneath the Menai.
"When we've listened to local people and to those specialist bodies, they've asked us to preserve the natural beauty that's already there.
"This option is more expensive than just putting cables across the top, but we think it's worth it.
"We are looking at probably over £100m just for this cable tunnel to take the link from Anglesey over to the mainland and into the National Grid.
"Here in London, we are digging through London clay. There are very different conditions around the Menai, with some rock and some limestone and some other things, so it's going to be a real engineering challenge for us.
"But at National Grid we do have an expertise in that.
"This project for 34km [in London] has taken about eight years. We think it will be... four or five to build those 4km from Anglesey across to Gwynedd."
Plaid Cymru MP for Arfon Hywel Williams and AM Sian Gwenllian have met with National Grid bosses to push for undergrounding the remaining 1km of electricity connection, for which pylons are currently proposed.
The National Grid has published an interactive map showing the proposed routes of the power cables.


Police have appealed for information on a five-year-old boy who has been reported missing by a family member.

Charlie Caston had been on an agreed visit with his birth mother, Alexandra Konstacka, but was not returned.
Ms Konstacka lives in the Warddykes area of Arbroath. She may be driving a grey Seat Leon car, with the registration number SP04 WRX.
Charlie is described as having short light brown hair and brown eyes.


Blackpool Supporters' Trust (BST) have launched a £16m bid to buy the League One club from the Oyston family.

Owner Owen Oyston has been in charge of the Tangerines since 1987 and son Karl is the chairman at Bloomfield Road.
The pair have had a fractious relationship with fans over how they run the club, with numerous protests over the past two years.
Blackpool, who were in the Premier League in 2010-11, finished bottom of the Championship last season.
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"BST has prepared what it deems a fair and reasonable bid, which in the current climate deserves serious consideration," said a statement.
"There is a range of serious challenges currently facing the club and a change in ownership is a logical step to help resolve the issues for all parties.
"BST believes that, under the current ownership, the club cannot return to its former glories and that a more likely scenario is ongoing poor performance on the football pitch, leading to knock-on impact on financial performance."
Valeri Belokon, the Latvian club president who has owned a 20% share since 2006, has previously called for Karl to resign after he sent abusive texts to a fan - something which saw him banned from all football activity for six weeks and fined £40,000.
The club was the subject of a takeover approach two months ago, but without the support of all directors the offer was rejected.
Former West Ham assistant Neil McDonald was appointed as the new manager replacing Lee Clark following their relegation to the third tier.


Muslim women are most likely to be at an economic disadvantage than other social groups in the UK, according to a report by MPs.

The Women and Equalities Committee reveals Muslim women are three times as likely to be unemployed and looking for a job than women generally.
Below are edited excerpts of the stories the BBC has received of varying experiences in the workplace.
"I am a qualified legal professional. I have a very good academic record and experience that surpasses many of my peers who are of a similar age.
"I have had interviews with five big household name companies for the role of in-house lawyer in the last year alone and have always worn my hijab.
"After four consecutive rejections I decided to walk into my fifth job interview without my hijab. Bingo, I got the job. I now feel I have betrayed my principles for a job I could do just as well with my hijab on.
"I do not know if I would still have got this job had I worn the hijab in the interview. I wish I had the guts to start wearing it again. Hopefully, one day I will have the courage and my employers won't batter an eyelid." Ayesha
"I am a Muslim woman who wears the headscarf and I am a qualified secondary school teacher.
"I have never had the experience of applying for a non-teaching job before I chose to wear the hijab and was also always successful in retail jobs pre-hijab.
"I chose to wear the hijab after I completed my PGCE and I have found that it has so far worked in my favour.
"For all my five teaching jobs except one, I have been the only hijab-wearing Muslim employee. I have in fact found I have experienced positive discrimination to tick all the boxes." Aalia
"I work part-time and my colleagues treat me like an alien because I am Muslim.
"I see disinterest in their faces. I am always friendly but they never bother with me. They talk amongst themselves as though I am invisible.
"Most of the time they assume a position of superiority over me. I am not apologetic for being me and have now given up being so friendly.
"It's sad that it is not us Muslims who are failing to integrate but others and their ignorance about other cultures." Sara
"As a young female Muslim woman who wears a headscarf and also as a working mother, I do feel in the past I have faced some discrimination when job hunting.
"This usually happened once I've passed the application stage and have been offered an interview.
"As soon as I walked into some interviews I felt I already knew I was not going to be successful - I can see the disapproval on the interviewers' faces as they quickly glance up and down at what I am wearing.
"This knocked my confidence and made me feel like no matter how much experience I have and how good my education is, there are just some jobs I won't get.
"I have been completely put off from applying for any corporate jobs where I just know the culture does not support a Muslim lifestyle.
"I now work part-time for a university, which is an excellent employer, and where I feel completely welcome and I am seen as an individual, not judged on my race, colour or religion."  Vasha
"I hate it when the discrimination banner is used to explain the lower statistics of Muslim women in the workforce.
"I am a Pakistani Muslim woman and have worked both in the voluntary and paid sectors since the age of 16.
"The real issue is not employers discriminating against Muslim women, but the fact that the majority of Muslim communities frown upon women working.
"I have always faced problems from within the Muslim community. Muslim men simply hate it. Responses from Muslim women are 'Your husband should provide for you!' or 'Who looks after your children?'
"In their view as a working woman, I can't be a good wife/mother/housekeeper as well.
"So I feel the real issue is actually Muslim culture preventing women from working!" Nargis
"This is about Muslim women being economically inactive. I have been one of them for the past 15 years, because I chose to be.
"I chose to look after my children while they were young and at the same time studied for a degree in Environmental Studies with the Open University and was very happy like that.
"Society cannot dictate how people should live. As Muslims often live more traditionally than the rest of society, these numbers should not be a surprise.
"But as I start training this year for a PGCE in primary education, I do expect to have the same employment opportunities as any other woman once I qualify.
"I wear the scarf and the abaya and had an interview for a job as a French tutor. At the interview, I was told not to speak of my religion to the pupils and I obviously agreed but felt judged because of my clothes.
"Employers sometimes see us as a more complicated bet than a non-Muslim person." Catherine
"I hadn't given this much thought until quite recently.
"I have never wanted to believe that my being a Muslim woman would in turn have an impact on people's perceptions of me as an individual, mainly because ignorance is bliss and also because I just thought surely I am part of a time that knows better than to discriminate.
"My parents have always pushed me to get an education and get myself a job.
"In the past though I applied for numerous jobs - very few replied and telephone interviews always went better than face-to-face interviews.
"I say this because I have been wearing a hijab for the last two years now and I've noticed the shift in attitude of some individuals.
"I don't blame them. Muslims are not painted in the best light, but it's still disappointing.
"One thing it does reinforce in me is to not judge a book by its cover." Anon
Produced by Kerry Alexandra, The BBC's UGC and Social News team


Former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard is to be awarded the Freedom of the City of Liverpool.

Gerrard has been put forward for his contribution to national and international football, and charity work by the Mayor of Liverpool.
Receiving the city's highest civic honour "leaves me speechless", Gerrard said as the nominations were announced.
Nominations are due to be formally agreed by councillors on 18 January. Ceremonies take place later this year.
Gerrard, who played 710 times for the Reds, winning nine trophies, said: "I was stunned and overwhelmed when I heard my name was being put forward.
"Liverpool is my home city and so to be acknowledged in this way leaves me speechless.
"To even think about getting such an award makes me feel very humble and of course immensely proud."
Mayor Joe Anderson said: "Whether you're a red or blue, everyone agrees he is a fantastic ambassador for the city."
Also being nominated is Tony McGann, chairman of the Eldonian Community Based Housing Association, who successfully campaigned for the regeneration of the local neighbourhood in Vauxhall in the 1970s.
He said he was "proud and delighted".
"All I want to do when I go away is come back to Liverpool. Our people are the best in the world and to be recognised by your home city is amazing," he said.
Other organisations being recommended to receive the Freedom of the City are:


A British lawyer has launched a drive to raise funds for a court case in Ireland to find out if the process of Britain leaving the EU could be halted.

Jolyon Maugham QC wants the case to go to the European Court of Justice for a ruling on whether British MPs could reject a Brexit deal after it is done.
He wants to raise Â£70,000 in donations to start proceedings.
The case will also raise the possibility that Article 50 has in fact been triggered already.
Mr Maugham says he anticipates that UK MEPs will be the plaintiffs in the court action against the Irish government and EU institutions for alleged breaches of Article 50.
If it has already been triggered, he argues, the Commission is in breach of its duties by not starting Brexit negotiations.
However, if Article 50 has not yet been triggered, he argues that the EU Council and Irish state are in breach of their duties by excluding the UK from Council meetings.
If the funding is gathered, the Irish, and potentially the EU courts will be asked whether parliament should be having a say on the final deal negotiated between the EU and Britain.
By bringing this case in the Irish Republic, Mr Maugham believes the EU's highest court in Luxembourg will have to consider the issue.
Mr Maugham said: "Everyone - those who voted Leave and Remain; the people and Government of Ireland - deserves to know the answer to these questions. People must plan their lives. Businesses need certainty to invest.
"The people of Ireland are entitled to a Government that can work for the best possible future for Ireland. It's right that we all have the maximum certainty that the law can give.
"Referring these questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union is the only way to deliver that certainty."
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale said: "The government's been arguing in the Supreme Court all week that parliament should not have the right to decide when Brexit negotiations should start.
"Now it's facing a second legal challenge to see if parliament has the right to decide when the talks should stop."


A retired police wildlife crime officer has told the trial of two men accused of breaking Scots fox-hunting laws he was waiting in a gulley with a shotgun.

Investigators from the League Against Cruel Sports said they saw no gunmen and heard no shots when they filmed the Jedforest Hunt in February 2016.
However, Malcolm Henderson told a court he had been there with a shotgun.
John Clive Richardson, 66, and his son Johnny Riley, 24, both deny deliberately hunting a fox with dogs.
Mr Henderson, who has worked with the hunt for the past two years, said he had been at the site near Jedburgh on the day in question.
He told Jedburgh Sheriff Court he was present when a fox was flushed from cover and pursued by hounds towards his gun which the law permits.
He told the trial: "I was there.
"I was down in the dip but they (the investigators) would not see me from where they were standing."
Earlier in the trial, Mr Richardson had told the court that Mr Henderson had shot and wounded the fox.
Mr Richardson and Mr Riley, of Bonchester Bridge, deny breaching the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.
The trial will continue later this month.


Arsenal are in advanced talks to sign Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil following Gareth Bale's world-record move to the Spanish giants.

The Germany international, 24, joined Real from Werder Bremen three years ago for a fee believed to be around £12.4m and has played 155 times for the club.
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On Wednesday, he pledged his future to the Bernabeu side.
The Gunners are also working on other deals, including a move for Palermo and Italy keeper Emiliano Viviano, 27.
With the transfer deadline at 23:00 BST on Monday, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has made only two signings - striker Yaya Sanogo, 20, and midfielder Mathieu Flamini, 29, arriving on free transfers.
The club are also interested in Ozil's team-mates, Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria, and Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye.
This summer the Gunners have failed in high-profile attempts to sign Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain, another Real Madrid player.
It is believed Bale's £85.3m switch from Tottenham to Real could trigger a busy day of deals on the transfer window's final day.


Chelsea appointing Italy boss Antonio Conte as Jose Mourinho's long-term replacement does not make sense, says ex-Blues striker Chris Sutton.

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Mourinho, 53, was sacked in December amid suggestions he had fallen out with several senior players.
Conte, who arrives with a reputation as a disciplinarian, will take over in the summer after signing a three-year deal.
"If he comes in and starts hitting the players with a whip are they going to respond?" said Sutton.
Under Mourinho, Chelsea won the Premier League title by eight points last season and also lifted the League Cup.
But they lost nine of their opening 16 league games this term and were 16th in the table, one point above the relegation places, when Mourinho was sacked.
Former Netherlands coach Guus Hiddink, who was appointed as Mourinho's replacement until the end of the season, has not lost any of his 15 league games in charge.
However, the Blues have turned to Conte - who will arrive after Euro 2016 - as their new long-term head coach.
"Chelsea have a good option of keeping Hiddink," Sutton, 43, added on BBC Radio 5 live. "It is working under him - the team have improved beyond all recognition.
"Bringing in a similar type of manager to Mourinho in Conte doesn't make any sense to me.
"If the players have downed tools before there is every suggestion that, with Conte coming in and being a similar type to Mourinho, they will down tools again if things aren't going well."
Conte won the Serie A title in each of his three years as Juventus boss, before leaving to take over the Italy national team in 2014.
And former Chelsea players Andy Townsend and Pat Nevin both believe the Blues have made a "good appointment".
"I don't think Conte will be far removed from what Jose was like at his very best," said former Republic of Ireland midfielder Townsend.
"Jose captured the attention of the players when he arrived. There was an intensity about what he did, the players responded and enjoyed working under that sort of regime.
"I feel Conte will do the same."
Ex-Scotland winger Nevin added: "People think of him as a one-system manager. He's not. He's always been very adaptable.
"Chelsea are going through a serious transitional period and he's got to sort it out."
One of Conte's first jobs at Stamford Bridge could be to make a final decision about John Terry's future.
The Chelsea captain, 35, is out of contract in the summer and says he has not been offered a new deal.
But Townsend believes Conte's arrival could help extend the former England defender's stay at Stamford Bridge.
"If Conte turns up and wants to play three centre-backs then I don't see why John couldn't play for another 12 months in that system," he said.
"Conte had Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini at Juventus - three very experienced players - so he is not against having experienced players around him."
Sutton added: "They have got to keep John Terry at the club in some capacity. I think Conte will keep him purely on his playing ability."
Conte would not have taken the Chelsea job had he not been promised funds to transform the squad by Blues owner Roman Abramovich, believes Sutton.
But the former England striker thinks the Blues will struggle to attract top-class players without the lure of European football.
Chelsea, who won the 2012 Champions League and 2013 Europa League, are 10th in the Premier League, 10 points adrift of the top four.
"Who is going to want to go to Chelsea?" said Sutton, who also played for Norwich, Blackburn and Celtic.
"How are they going to attract good players?
"If you want to play Champions League football you go to best teams. Chelsea are going to find signing top players tough."
After Mourinho's sacking, Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo said there had been a "palpable discord between manager and players".
But Nevin does not believe that former Italy international Conte will alienate players with his approach.
"He was a very strong midfield player, he could go and mix it with the best of them so he isn't going to be any shrinking violet," said Nevin.
"I suspect if anyone wants to be a prima donna they probably ought to get out now if they possibly can.
"He has dealt with top players like Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba so he can deal with all sorts."
Eden Hazard was one of the stars in Chelsea's title triumph last season, winning the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award after scoring 19 goals in all competitions.
But the Belgium midfielder, 25, has struggled to replicate the same form this season.
"Conte will have sat in front of Roman Abramovich and said 'I'll get more out of Hazard, I'll get him back to his best'," said Townsend.
"If I was Conte I would be saying 'don't give him away to Real Madrid or Paris St-Germain, I'll get him going again'."


UK authorities have been urged to tackle "anti-foreigner abuse" in the British press after a Sun column referred to migrants as "cockroaches".

UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein said the comments by Katie Hopkins were similar to language used before the Rwandan genocide.
Mr Hussein said the UK needed to take steps to curb the "incitement to hatred" caused by British newspapers.
News Corporation, which owns The Sun, has declined to comment.
Writing on Friday, Ms Hopkins did not apologise but said the episode had been "a cautionary tale".
A petition calling for her to be fired from The Sun has received more than 280,000 signatures.
In her column on 17 April Ms Hopkins likened migrants to "norovirus on a cruise ship" and said gunships should be used to stop people crossing the Mediterranean.
More than 1,700 migrants are believed to have died so far this year attempting to cross the Mediterranean. Ms Hopkins' column was published before a fishing boat capsized off Libya, killing at least 750 people.
Mr Hussein said the article was "one of the more extreme examples of thousands of anti-foreigner articles that have appeared in UK tabloids over the past two decades".
"This vicious verbal assault on migrants and asylum seekers in the UK tabloid press has continued unchallenged under the law for far too long," he said.
"I am an unswerving advocate of freedom of expression, which is guaranteed under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but it is not absolute.
"Article 20 of the same covenant says 'any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law'."
Mr Hussein called on all European countries to take a "firmer line" on racism and xenophobia, which he said "under the guise of freedom of expression, are being allowed to feed a vicious cycle of vilification, intolerance and politicisation of migrants, as well as of marginalised European minorities such as the Roma".
He added: "The nasty underbelly of racism that is characterising the migration debate in an increasing number of EU countries has skewed the EU response to the crisis."
In a press release containing Mr Hussein's comments, the UN said the article followed "decades of sustained and unrestrained anti-foreigner abuse, misinformation and distortion".
It said the use of word "cockroaches" in Ms Hopkins' column was "very similar" to that employed by Rwanda's Kangura newspaper and Radio Mille Collines during the run up to the 1994 genocide, as well as in the Nazi media.
BBC Geneva correspondent Imogen Foulkes said the statement reflected widespread concern within the UN that anti-foreigner sentiment in the media may dissuade the public from supporting action needed to save lives.
A spokesman for the Independent Press Standards Organisation said it had received more than 300 complaints about Ms Hopkins' article and that it was investigating whether the piece breached its editors' code.
Ms Hopkins used her column on Friday to respond to criticism, saying she was "grateful to The Sun for letting me speak my mind, and for all the letters of support from readers".
She did not apologise but said the episode had been "a cautionary tale," adding: "One should be brave enough to speak out - but aware of the dangers which lurk in the depths of our vocabulary."
Addressing her critics, she went on: "Accept our opinions differ. Channel your outrage at the regimes causing people to flee."


A motorcyclist has died in a head-on crash with a Mini.

The 54-year-old's Kawasaki and the Mini Cooper had been travelling in opposite directions when they collided at about 15:00 BST on Saturday.
Paramedics pronounced the motorcyclist, from Littlehampton, dead at the scene in Lyminster Road, Lyminster, Sussex Police said.
A man, 52, and a woman, 48, from Bognor Regis, are believed to have suffered minor injuries, the force added.


Five prison officers were taken hostage at a Suffolk jail by an inmate wielding a twin-bladed weapon, it has emerged.

The stand-off at HMP Highpoint on 12 May came the day after a second hostage incident at the same prison and an inmate attack with a bladed toilet brush in Staffordshire.
The first - which took place  on 11 May - involved a prisoner taken hostage inside a cell.
Both episodes, which ended without injury, are now under investigation.
Live: Leaked prison report revealed hostage situation
The three incidents were revealed in an internal prison report seen by the BBC.
On 12 May, five staff members were taken hostage in an office by a prisoner armed with a weapon. Three officers were quickly released.
The inmate demanded a transfer, to be re-categorised and taken off the prison wing.
Prison Service Gold Command, the national group convened during serious incidents and disturbances, was deployed and the prisoner surrendered.  The incident was also reported to police.
The previous day, staff had found four prisoners barricaded in a cell, and when they were able to see in, they saw one was tied up with a sheet over his head.
The prisoners surrendered five hours later.
Also on 11 May, a prisoner used a toilet brush studded with razor blades to slash and stab another inmate at HMP and YOI Swinfen Hall, Staffordshire.
The attack was filmed on a mobile phone smuggled in, the prison service said.
The victim suffered deep gashes to his head, face and ear before staff intervened and he was taken to Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham.
Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said: "Our prison system needs reform, which is why we are giving governors greater freedoms to innovate to find better ways of rehabilitating offenders.
"We have to ensure prisoners can be rehabilitated so they are no longer a danger to others."


Denis Buckley, Jack Carty and Quinn Roux have become the latest Connacht players to agree contract extensions.

The news follows hooker Tom McCartney's decision to commit to the Irish province for a further three seasons.
Highly-rated prop Buckley, Ireland second row Roux and fly-half Carty have all agreed new two-year deals.
There were fears of a possible player exodus following coach Pat Lam's announcement that he will take over at Bristol at the end of this season.
"Having witnessed the three of them grow and develop as players and men over the past four seasons, I'm personally very pleased that they will be part of a strong squad that will drive continued success on and off the field for Connacht," said Lam.
Roscommon natives Buckley, 26, and Carty, 24, are both products of Connacht Academy and have made 103 and 67 appearances respectively for the province.
Carty was Connacht's hero on Saturday evening when he kicked the injury-time conversion which helped the Irish province earn a vital 20-18 European Champions Cup win over Wasps.
Former Leinster lock Roux, 26, is in his third season at the Sportsground club and made his Ireland debut against his native South Africa in June.
All three helped Connacht clinch a remarkable Pro12 title triumph last season.
Connacht's star centre Bundee Aki, who is also a New Zealander, signed a contract extension earlier this season which will keep him at the Irish province until 2020 and he will become Irish-qualified next October.


A cap on household energy bills is set to be included in the Conservative manifesto, a cabinet minister has said.

According to the Sunday Times the plans could cut gas and electricity costs by £100 a year for 17 million families.
Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green told ITV people felt "taken advantage of" by energy firms.
Labour said the plan should be taken with "a pinch of salt", while price comparison company uSwitch said it would "do more harm than good".
The manifesto pledge would outline plans to cap bills for seven out of 10 households paying standard variable tariffs, which are often criticised as bad deals for consumers by industry watchdogs.
It follows the introduction of a cap for households using pre-payment meters early this month, after the Competition and Markets Authority released a report saying customers were overpaying by £1.4bn.
Mr Green told the Peston on Sunday programme: "There will be a lot about energy policy in the manifesto [and] obviously there will be more detail.
"But... I think that people feel that some of the big energy companies have taken advantage of them with the tariffs they have got."
Mr Green said his party's promise on energy was not the same as Labour's 2015 election pledge to freeze gas and electricity bills for every home and business in the UK for 20 months.
"We would have [energy regulator] Ofgem setting the limits," he said. "So it would be a cap, it would be more flexible, it would be able to reflect market conditions [and] the market would still have an influence.
"That would mean in practical terms that if the oil price fell again, then consumers would benefit, which they wouldn't have done under [former Labour leader] Ed Miliband's proposal."
Labour has not come out against the proposals but told voters energy bills had "soared" under a Conservative government.
Mr Gwynne, the national elections and campaign coordinator in the shadow cabinet, said: "Time and again [the Tories] promised action, but when it comes to it, they broke those promises.
"At the last election when Labour promised action, the Tories opposed it, putting themselves on the side of protecting the big energy companies' profits rather than the interests of working people.
"Only Labour can be trusted to deliver a country for the many rather than just the few."
Citizens Advice has released figures on how standard variable tariffs for energy bills affect people in the UK:
SOURCE: Citizens Advice
Co-leader of the Green Party Jonathan Bartley said the policy did not go far enough and he wanted more local choices of supplier for consumers.
"We don't just want the big six energy companies, we want 6,000," he said. "We want a community renewable energy revolution.
"We want that control going down to local communities, so they can invest and get a return on their investment to have clean energy projects in their local area, have control of that energy supply and get that cheap, clean energy there."
Conversely, industry leaders have criticised the Conservatives' plan for going too far.
Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at uSwitch.com, said previous market interventions had led to lower switching rates and higher prices for consumers.
"A price cap would be the death knell for competition," he said. "It would remove any incentive for energy companies to drive down prices and fight to keep their customers, entrenching the position of the incumbent big six.
"[And] it would create a false sense of security for consumers on poor value standard variable tariffs, reducing the chance of them seeking a cheaper deal."
Iain Conn, the chief executive of British Gas parent company Centrica, agreed that a highly competitive market was the best outcome for consumers.
He said: "Price regulation will result in reduced competition and choice, stifle innovation and potentially impact customer service.
"We are committed to more competitive pricing, improved service, rewarding loyalty and delivering propositions which customers want."
Spokesmen from both Npower and E.ON said they would not comment until they saw the detail of the policy in the manifesto, but the latter did give its support to a "competitive market".


A solicitor was allegedly "out of control" when he is alleged to have groped another solicitor, a court has heard.

Chris Logue, 33, from Lady Wallace Crescent, Lisburn, County Antrim, is accused of sexual assault on 23 November last year.
The incident is alleged to have happened at a solicitors' function in a hotel in Newcastle, County Down.
The court heard the woman solicitor had felt "humiliated".
She said she was pestered, manhandled and groped for 10 or 15 minutes.
She told Newtownards Magistrates Court that initially she had kept telling Mr Logue to stop and "respect my space" in a polite way.
She said she had been "giving him a bye ball as he had had too much to drink" but when he would not take no for an answer she used strong language to tell him to go away.
The woman claimed that both she and another female colleague at the table told Mr Logue to stop, and kept slapping his hands away.
The judge heard that at one stage, the woman's son who was working at the hotel identified himself to Mr Logue in the hope of embarrassing him into stopping.
He described Mr Logue's demeanour that evening as "arrogant and rowdy" and that when he moved to sit beside his mother, he saw her repeatedly pushing him away and telling him to stop.
Asked by a prosecution lawyer if he did anything about the alleged behaviour, the teenager told the court "yes I went over and put my hand on his shoulder and said 'that's my ma' thinking that he would be embarrassed and stop, but he "kept on doing it".
Under cross examination, it was suggested to the teenager that he could have gone to reception and reported the alleged behaviour to the manager.
However, he told the barrister that given it was a solicitors' function he "would have thought that they would have known what was right and what was wrong".
Later his mother said she had noticed Mr Logue earlier that evening as he was "intoxicated and loud" and that the first she had spoken to him was when he sat down beside her and made a derogatory comment about her salary.
She further claimed that Mr Logue also told her she was "very nice" and "suggested that he would like to 'enjoy me'".
The court heard that over the next 10 or 15 minutes, despite being told to stop and being forcibly pushed back, Mr Logue tried to hug her, touched her breast area, touched the top of her bottom, briefly "nuzzled" his face into her breast and at one stage, put his head in her lap.
She claimed that when he "tried to climb on top of me" she swore at him, but even then Mr Logue did not stop and at one stage he allegedly "lunged" at her from behind and received an elbow in the stomach.
Asked if that had any effect, she told the court "not particularly, despite my normal expectation".
She said she did not call the police to the hotel as it was not an emergency situation, she wanted to keep the reputation of County Down solicitors intact and that as he was drunk, it was possible Mr Logue would have caused a scene.
The woman solicitor claimed she did not report the alleged incident to police for another six days as she had anxiously considered the consequences of "putting my head above the parapet".
It was put to her that the defence case was that in those six days, she felt "annoyed and angry at the embarrassment" she had encountered, but that in no way was what happened an intimate sexual attack.
A defence lawyer suggested that she had misinterpreted Mr Logue's "loud and boisterous behaviour", but the woman solicitor refuted this, telling the lawyer she disagreed.
Describing Mr Logue's behaviour as that of an "eejit," the defence lawyer further suggested Mr Logue was "a nuisance and annoying but he wasn't a sexual predator".
The woman solicitor again responded that she disagreed.


A new driver who ploughed into a house, having swerved around two parked cars and a tree to avoid hitting a cat in the road, faces court.

The 17-year-old asked not to be named but said he lost control of his silver hatchback when he swerved to avoid a cat in Parkway, Chellaston, Derbyshire.
He estimated he was travelling at about 30mph when he smashed into the garage of a residential home on Friday night.
The owners were away at the time and the crash was reported to police.
The driver told BBC News: "I swerved to the right and the back of the car went out.
"I then swerved to the left and lost control - I couldn't bring it back.
"I just missed two parked cars and a tree and ended up in the wall - it was a big impact.
"I smelt burning, I thought it was the car, so I got out and laid down - I was in shock."
Neighbours reported hearing a "loud screeching" followed by a "massive bang".
The driver said: "It was a natural reaction to swerve to miss the cat, but I went into a state of shock and panic."
Derbyshire Police said the driver was due to appear before magistrates at a later date charged with driving without due care or attention.


A woman and an 11-year-old boy who were hit by a car were "deliberately driven at", police have said.

It was "only by chance" officers were not dealing with a murder inquiry, West Midlands Police said.
The 26-year-old woman and child were hit by a silver Vauxhall Vectra as they were crossing Tennyson Road in Wolverhampton at about 6.45pm on Wednesday 2 December.
A 27-year-old man has been arrested, the force said.
Det Sgt Lisa Tibbitts said the car's front end would have been damaged when the boy "hit the bonnet", causing front end damage.
She said officers were looking for a "sporty looking" silver Vectra with tinted windows.
"If you work at a garage and have recently had to repair a car matching this description then we want to hear from you," she added.
The woman and boy were treated in hospital for minor injuries.


A six-year-old girl, who survived a cancer battle, is back in hospital after being injured when an inflatable slide blew into a crowd in high winds.

Summer Wroniecki broke a bone in her leg when the inflatable was blown about 150 yards into the crowd at Duffus Park in Cupar, Fife, on Saturday afternoon.
Summer had previously battled a rare type of cancer, which was diagnosed just after her third birthday.
Her father Christian wrote on Facebook that his daughter was "comfortable".
He said: "Summer is a tough cookie as you all know and will again bounce back."
Mr Wroniecki posted on Monday morning that her operation would be taking place on Tuesday.
It is believed an adult was also treated for a shoulder complaint after the incident.
Organisers said every safety precaution was risk assessed.


Two-thirds of UK tenants still expect to be living in the rented sector in three years' time, with affordability their biggest concern, a survey says.

Estate agency Knight Frank estimated that 5.79 million households would rent from a private landlord by 2021, up from five million now.
That increase would include pensioners, as well as young adults, it suggested.
While many are saving for a deposit on a house, a third of the 10,000 tenants asked said they rented through choice.
Of these, the flexibility of renting and the reduced responsibility were popular. A fifth said they chose to be tenants as it allowed them to live in an area where owning a home was unaffordable.
"The number of people renting out of choice rather than due to affordability of ownership constraints is an interesting indicator of how the private rented sector market will continue to thrive in terms of tenant demand," said Tim Hyatt, head of residential lettings at Knight Frank.
The estate agency expects big investors to move further into the rental property sector, replacing some buy-to-let landlords who have been hit by recent tax rises.
The average cost of a house or flat in the UK is now Â£220,706, according to the latest property price survey from the Halifax.
The Knight Frank research found that across the rental sector the biggest group of tenants was those seeking to save up to buy their own property.
The affordability of rent was the biggest consideration, for them and other tenants. Location was the next biggest factor - a much larger concern than the size of the property itself.
Across the UK, more than half of commuters live within a 30-minute journey from work, while in London, this falls to 31%.
The estate agency forecast slightly faster growth in the number of households made up of under-25s who rent, but that there would also be a rise among the baby-boomer generation as well.
This echoes a separate survey published on Monday by lettings network Countrywide which suggested that retired people now accounted for 8% of tenants, compared with 5.2% in 2007.
It said that the average retiree paid Â£810 a month in rent, about 12% lower than the typical tenant, with people in the older age group tending to live in smaller properties,


A school in one of Glasgow's most deprived areas is training parents, pupils and staff in how to cope with stress.

As part of the pilot, all S4 pupils at St Paul's High School in Pollok were assessed before the programme began.
About 40% showed high levels of anxiety and depression, well above the national average .
This dropped to about 20% by the end of the programme which aims to intervene early to prevent longer-term problems.
Across Scotland, one in 10 adults is currently being prescribed an antidepressant.
Almost half of all adults with mental health problems developed them before they left school.
During the pilot programme, teachers were trained in how to run the course and a night class was offered to parents and relatives.
It was run by clinical psychologist Dr Jim White, who has delivered similar schemes for adults within the NHS.
He said that he wanted to run a programme for teenagers in a bid to prevent more serious problems from developing in later life.
"We were a bit surprised at just how many of the pupils were showing signs of difficulties with both anxiety and depression, about four out of 10 of them at the start of the programme.
"Now by the end of the programme, we had halved that.
"But when we followed them up nine months later we were seeing that they were still continuing to improve, so there was a suggestion that the pupils had learned all about stress management and in the months after the class had put it into practice."
Dr White said if early intervention was not taken, there could be "life-long consequences".
He added: "If we are able to get in quickly, then we might be able to stop those quite significant problems."
St Paul's plans to continue and develop the pilot because they believe it has been so successful.
Glasgow City Council said it planned to see if other schools could benefit.
A spokeswoman said: "We are keen to evaluate the results from the pilot with a view to seeing what other schools could benefit."
Lauren Mcghee is just 16 but says she has struggled in the past to deal with stress.
"Leading up to my exams, I get very stressed," she says.
"Physically it affects me. I get very nervous and panicky. Sometimes I have even ended up in hospital.
"Last year at prelims time my foot got very sore. I wasn't actually able to walk.
"My mum took me to hospital. They said the pain was unexplained but that they believed it was related to stress.
"Every time I get stressed I can feel the symptoms coming on. They said it is almost like gout because my stress levels are so high."
Lauren says young people have to deal with increasing pressures.
"With homework you have so many subjects and so many things due for certain days," she says.
"And as a teenage girl especially you have to look a certain way and have perfect hair and a tan and a nice body.
"If you're on one social media you have to have all the profiles.
"Everybody has to see everything you are doing all the time.
"You have got to say so much to keep up with all of them so you're telling people things you maybe wouldn't normally about where you're going and what you're doing all the time.
"But it's like constant. And everybody's got an insight into your life. And you've got to because everyone else is doing it."


When Sitawa Wafula was diagnosed as having bi-polar disorder and epilepsy, she struggled to find support online that spoke to her as a young African woman.

17 February 2016 Last updated at 18:31 GMT
So she set up her own blog and YouTube channel, My Mind, My Funk, to share her experiences with others and tackle the taboo around mental health in Kenya - and beyond.
According to Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization regional director for Africa, an estimated one out of every six people in Africa suffers from some form of mental disorder.
As part of the BBC's In The Mind series, Ms Wafula explains why giving a "human touch" to the coping with depression was so important.


Scotland's veterans minister has written to his UK counterpart to complain about the treatment of a Scots soldier at a hospital in England.

Callum Brown, from Ayr, lost both his legs in a bomb blast in Afghanistan six years ago.
He has been treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, but claimed staff told him future treatment would need to take place in Scotland.
Mr Brown told the Daily Record it was due to a funding row.
In his letter to Tobias Ellwood, Keith Brown said: "This is no way to treat a veteran who has served in the British Army and who has given so much for his country."
Former lance corporal Callum Brown has been receiving care at the Birmingham hospital, which has dedicated and specialised facilities for military casualties.
He was airlifted there from Afghanistan in 2011 and now receives treatment at the hospital as an out-patient.
But on his last visit he said he was told the hospital could no longer treat him and that he would have to receive future treatment in Scotland.
He told the Daily Record it was a "massive injustice" and added: "A senior member of staff told me that he was ashamed to say that they could no longer treat me there.
"He said it was because the English NHS would no longer foot the bill for me there since I wasn't from England."
Mr Brown, who served with 2 Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, said he still suffers constant pain and is concerned he will not have access to the same medication and specialists in Scotland.
Mr Brown said that while he had "huge respect" for the NHS in Scotland, the service simply did not have the specialists to treat him.
He said of the English team that looked after him: "I would not be here without them. I have paid my taxes for years so why shouldn't I continue to get my treatment and medication down there?"
NHS sources told the BBC Scotland news website that in cases where a patient receiving treatment in England was living in another part of the UK, hospitals had to apply for funding from that country.
A statement from the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said it had arranged two more follow-up appointments to "determine the effectiveness of Mr Brown's latest cycle of treatment".
"If he needs further treatment within the trust, we would need to seek pre-approved funding from NHS Scotland," it added.
Dr Alison Graham, medical director at NHS Ayrshire & Arran said the health board was "committed to funding and supporting Mr Brown's ongoing treatment, be that in Scotland or elsewhere".
She added: "We are in discussion with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust regarding this."
Scottish Veterans Minister Mr Brown has raised concerns to Mr Ellwood about how information about the funding of Callum Brown's treatment was communicated to him.
He said: "Our injured veterans expect and must be able to receive the best possible healthcare that is available, regardless of where it is delivered.
"They should certainly not be told that their healthcare can no longer be provided at a particular location due to funding arrangements."
He said that both NHS Scotland and NHS England had long-established guidance in place, which sets out who is responsible for the cost of patients' healthcare when they need to cross borders for treatment.
He added: "NHS healthcare providers on both sides of the border should be able to agree funding arrangements between themselves without the need to involve patients in such decisions.
"NHS Ayrshire and Arran - Mr Brown's local NHS board - recognises the brave service given by Mr Brown through his duties in the armed forces and will continue to fund and support Mr Brown's ongoing treatment, be that in Scotland or elsewhere.
"I trust that you will now take any necessary action to remind NHS England of the responsible commissioner arrangements so that there is no repeat of this distressing incident for Mr Brown, or for other veterans who require NHS healthcare after sustaining serious injuries while serving their country."
He added that "no member of the Armed Forces, Service family member or veteran in Scotland should face disadvantage when accessing services and support".


Paceman Steven Finn believes England can benefit from entering next year's World Cup as underdogs.

England lost both home one-day series in the summer, against Sri Lanka and India, and have won only seven of their 18 one-day internationals this year.
They are now touring Sri Lanka in the build-up to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, starting in February.
Finn, 25, told BBC Sport: "If we stick together, I think we're capable of upsetting people at the World Cup."
England beat Sri Lanka A by 56 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method in their opening match of the winter on Friday.
They face the same opposition on Sunday prior to a seven-match one-day international series against the full Sri Lanka side.
England are not among the favourites for the World Cup, but Middlesex right-armer Finn believes their status could benefit them.
"It suits us to go over there as underdogs and if we can slip under the radar having had a good month of preparation under our belt here in Sri Lanka," he said.
"In the last few games of the season we put in some good performances against India, who are arguably the best one-day team in the world.
"If we can get some belief and team ethics in place to go forward into the World Cup that should stand us in good stead."


A Rwandan Hutu rebel commander wanted for atrocities committed on Congolese soil has been arrested in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Habyarimana Mucebo, a senior member of the Rwandan FDLR rebel group, was captured in Rutshuru, north-eastern DR Congo.
Members of the FDLR fled into DR Congo after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
The slaughter of some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus sparked years of unrest in the region.
Mr Mucebo, the FDLR intelligence chief, has been taken into custody for interrogation, the army says.
Most senior figures of the group are wanted by Rwanda for their alleged role in the 1994 killings.
Mr Mucebo's arrest is not linked to genocide charges as initially reported.
Congolese officials accuse him of links to atrocities blamed on the FDLR.
For many years, the Hutu rebel group had become a source of instability in DR Congo's North Kivu province.
Rwanda has sent troops and militias into DR Congo on several occasions since the genocide, saying they were going after the FDLR.


A first edition Beatles jukebox worth more than £20,000 is among vintage items stolen in a "pre-planned raid", said police.

The rare machines, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, were taken by thieves who targeted a vintage store in Weybridge, Surrey.
Other gaming machines were also stolen in the burglary on The Games Room, in Hamm Moor Lane.
Collectors have been asked to help look out for the stolen items.
The machines are "extremely distinctive" and have unique serial numbers, making them easily recognisable, police said.
The burglary happened between 17:00 BST on 28 August and 08:00 the next day, but details have only just been released by Surrey Police.
PC Matt Ladd said: "Our enquiries so far have led us to believe that this was a thoroughly researched and pre-planned job.
"We are very keen to speak to anybody who saw anything or who has heard conversations around this incident."
He urged anyone who saw pictures of the items on sites like eBay or Gumtree, or who knew of someone selling them at car boot sales or vintage fairs, to get in touch.


Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng has arrived in Taiwan for an 18-day trip that is likely to anger Beijing.

Mr Chen, who arrived on Sunday, is expected to meet opposition lawmakers and discuss human rights in China.
The self-taught lawyer, who is blind, sparked a diplomatic row last year when he escaped house arrest and sought refuge in the US embassy in Beijing.
He was eventually allowed to travel to the US to pursue further studies.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, although the island has been separately governed since 1949.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Mr Chen thanked the Taiwanese public for their concern and support.
"I am impressed by the success of Taiwan's democracy. Taiwan should be proud of it," he said, adding that democracy was "an important treasure".
Mr Chen is scheduled to speak in parliament and meet members of the opposition and human rights groups.
His visit is being hosted by the Association for China Human Rights, which has described it as "a trip for freedom and human rights".
The group is linked to Taiwan's political opposition. Chaperoning Mr Chen will be many Taiwan democracy activists and individuals who have criticised China in the past, the BBC's Cindy Sui in Taipei reports.
According to AP news agency, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou is not scheduled to meet Mr Chen. Mr Ma has made improving the island's ties with China one of his key policies.
Mr Chen has been a fellow at New York University (NYU) since mid-2012. He is due to leave the university this month.
The self-taught lawyer, who had campaigned against forced abortions under China's one-child policy, has linked his departure to "unrelenting pressure" on NYU from Beijing - something NYU roundly denies.
NYU says Mr Chen's fellowship had always been expected to last a year at most, and that Mr Chen is in discussions with two other institutions about potential opportunities.


One of the undercover officers for whom Scotland Yard apologised for tricking women into sexual relationships carried out surveillance in Northern Ireland, say environmental campaigners.

Seven women were compensated for the deception, by five officers from two undercover units over a 25-year period.
Campaigner Kim Bryan said one of the officers spent some time in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
She said she went to Belfast in 2005 with Mark Kennedy at his suggestion.
"Mark Kennedy organised the travel - he paid for the trip and we went in his vehicle so he drove us around Ireland when he came to visit," she said.
"We did three events in total when we were in Belfast.
"I don't know exactly what he was doing, but I suspect he used the opportunity to spy on activists in Ireland - in Belfast and Dublin and in County Clare where we were.
"I suspect that information was fed back to his superiors, but again, I think what's highly problematic is that we would not have gone to Ireland if Mark Kennedy had not paid for us to go to Ireland."
Last month, the Met made an "unreserved apology" and agreed financial compensation packages for seven women deceived into relationships with undercover officers who were spying on campaign groups.
They took place over 25 years until the units were disbanded in 2008 and 2011.
The secret unit that Mark Kennedy worked for was called the National Public Order Intelligence Unit.
Asked about its activities, the PSNI said the unit "did not operate in Northern Ireland".
A spokesperson for the Met said, when asked if the unit worked in Northern Ireland, "we neither confirm nor deny".
Jason Kirkpatrick, a US environmental activist now living in Berlin, said he also accompanied Mark Kennedy to Belfast where they ran anti-globalisation events.
He said one was at a bar in University Street and another was at a church in the Holyland area that offered its premises at the time to various groups involved in community work.
"We had a public education event at a bar called the Menagerie where we did a kind of a pub quiz on globalisation," he said.
"We played a kind of anti-globalisation bingo in a church in the centre - the City Church.
"Mark Kennedy was definitely at the City Church.
"We have photos and we don't understand to this day why this was such a big event that the British police would send an undercover spy to target us."
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabularies investigated the use of the undercover police officers in 2012.
When asked for a comment about whether the undercover officers operated in Northern Ireland, it referred the BBC to a footnote in one of its reports that said: "The unit's remit covered England and Wales. They also worked with forces in Scotland and Northern Ireland."


Families need an annual income of at least £45,000 to be able to enjoy the natural beauty of their environment.

According to a report, less than half of people living in social housing felt they had the same access to beauty in urban or rural areas.
The study, by think tank ResPublica, says this inequality impacts health and the quality of people's lives.
The authors say the right to beauty should be enshrined in law for "all and not just the privileged".
A growing body of research in recent years has attempted to quantify the impact of nature and beautiful environments on quality of life.
This new report builds on that evidence by looking at the incomes and levels of access that people have to nature and other places of beauty.
The authors commissioned a poll that found that the households most able to access beautiful places and spaces need to be earning an income of at least £45,000  - £13,000 more than the national average household income in 2014.
The poll also found that among those who lived in rented social housing, only 45% felt they had access to things of beauty. Among homeowners the figure was 57%.
Just over half of all people polled felt they had access to green spaces and attractive places.
The report's authors argue that these findings show an inequality that has significant implications.
"Being in a more beautiful place has a range of positive impacts on health and wellbeing," Caroline Julian, the report's co-author told BBC News.
"It leads to lower crime rates, a whole host of things that can impact positively on a family, and it is those who are most deprived that often need those kind of aspects in their lives more."
Litter was one of the things that seemed to have a significant impact on people's perceptions of beauty and their ability to enjoy it, as did run-down buildings and too much signage on streets.
One of the report's key recommendations was to expand our traditional notions of what is beautiful.
"We want to introduce the idea of outstanding urban beauty alongside the well established Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, that people are more familiar with," said Caroline Julian.
"We are talking about communities really taking a lead in deciding for themselves what is beautiful or deciding what could make their area more beautiful and giving them the power to take a lead on this themselves."
The authors argue that beauty should be an idea enshrined in law, as something that underpins planning, working and living. This concept has support among many environmental organisations.
"Beauty improves wellbeing and encourages the prosperity of communities, nature and the environment," said Neil Sinden, from the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
"But it remains undervalued in political and policy debate, at national and local level. We hope this groundbreaking  report will challenge policy makers and politicians to put beauty at the heart of decisions that shape the future of our environment and communities."
Among a range of proposals, the report argues for the following:
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc


An MP from the ruling party in Indian-administered Kashmir has resigned to protest against the way authorities' have handled weeks of political unrest.

Tariq Hameed Karra described government policy as "brutal" and condemned his People's Democratic Party for its state-level alliance with the BJP.
He quit his party and resigned from parliament.
More than 80 people have been killed since wide-scale riots erupted in early July.
The mass closure of mosques in Kashmir hampered the festival of Eid al-Adha this week.
"For the first time in history, the people of Kashmir were not allowed to offer Eid prayers. Certain shrines and even the Grand Mosque were locked,'' Mr Karra told reporters on Thursday.
"Kashmiri blood is being spilled on the walls, lanes and drains of the valley," he added.
The demonstrations were sparked by the killing of a popular militant leader, Burhan Wani, 22, in a gunfight with the army.
Disputed Kashmir is claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan and has been a flashpoint for more than 60 years, causing two wars between the neighbours.
Within the disputed Muslim-majority territory, some militant groups have taken up arms to fight for independence from Indian rule or a merger with Pakistan.


Swindon Town director of football Tim Sherwood has been charged by the Football Association for allegedly abusing a match official.

The charge relates to an incident in Saturday's 1-0 loss at Bury.
The FA alleges that the 48-year-old used "abusive and/or insulting and/or improper words and/or behaviour towards a match official" around the tunnel area at half-time.
The former Tottenham and Aston Villa boss has until 20 February to respond.
Swindon have won three, drawn four and lost 11 of their 18 games in all competitions since Sherwood's arrival on 10 November, leaving them 22nd in League One.


Leicester City defender Molla Wague has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a dislocated shoulder.

The 26-year-old, who joined on loan from Italian club Udinese until May, with a view to a permanent deal, was injured making his debut in the 1-0 FA Cup defeat by Millwall in February.
City manager Craig Shakespeare told BBC Radio Leicester: "Our best wishes are with him. It was freak incident.
"He will be back and around the training ground, but won't be playing."


Billionaire Michele Ferrero, whose global chocolate empire made him Italy's richest man, has died aged 89.

His privately-owned firm is famous for its chocolate-hazelnut Nutella spread, Ferrero Rocher chocolates, Kinder eggs and Tic Tac sweets.
Mr Ferrero died on Saturday at his Monaco home after months of illness, according to his company.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella  called him a "born entrepreneur".
Mr Ferrero's father, a pastry maker named Pietro, developed the forerunner to Nutella in 1946, called Giandujot, combining a small amount of cocoa and lots of hazelnuts to make an affordable luxury at a time chocolate was expensive.
Michele Ferrero's son, Giovanni, told the BBC last year: "My grandfather lived to find this formula. He was completely obsessed by it... he woke up my grandmother at midnight - she was sleeping - and he made her taste it with spoons, asking, 'How was it?' and 'What do you think?'"
Michele Ferrero turned the paste into the Nutella now known the world over, produced in 11 factories and sold in 160 countries. The first pot was made in 1964.
Giovanni Ferrero became chief executive of the firm after his older brother Pietro died of a suspected heart attack while cycling in South Africa in 2011.
The Ferrero group employs more than 22,000 workers and has sales per year of more than â‚¬8bn (Â£5.9bn).
Forbes magazine described Mr Ferrero as "the richest candyman on the planet", putting him and his family in 30th place on their list of the world's wealthiest people, with wealth of $23.4bn (Â£14.9bn).


An teenager from the Republic of Ireland has drowned in Croatia.

The boy, who is understood to have fallen from a yacht in Split, was from Moycullen in County Galway, and was a student at NUI Galway.
He was among a group of 40 young people who had been attending a music festival and the group was due home this week.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance and the Irish Embassy in Zagreb is liaising with the family of the boy.


Great Britain won their final warm-up game before the World Championship as Jack Prince scored the winner in a sudden-death shootout against Poland.

The 5-4 victory in Coventry means Britain draw the two-game series, having lost the opener on Friday.
Assistant coach Tom Watkins said: "It was a really good match from both sides, our performance was excellent. The players showed heart and passion."
GB's World Championship campaign begins against Croatia in Belfast on 23 April.


The US has opened the door to trade sanctions on Iceland over its hunting of fin whales and exports of whalemeat.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has formally told President Obama that Iceland's hunt threatens the species, which is globally endangered.
The president has 60 days to give his response, which can include trade bans.
Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2006, and the fin whale catch has since risen to about 150 per year, with most of the meat exported to Japan.
But Iceland's fisheries minister said the country's whaling was based on "sound science".
"Iceland's disregard for the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) global moratorium on commercial whaling is unacceptable," said Mr Locke.
"Its harvest of whales and export of fin whale meat threaten an endangered species and undermine worldwide efforts to protect whales.
"It's critical that the government of Iceland take immediate action to comply with the moratorium."
He also notes the country's smaller annual catch of minke whales. Most of this meat is eaten locally, though some has been exported.
Iceland left the IWC in 1992, but controversially re-joined a decade later with the condition that it could resume commercial whaling in 2006, which it did.
Generally, commercial whaling has been banned since 1986.
Iceland's Fisheries Minister Jon Bjarnason said he was surprised at the US move given that Icelandic whaling was "based on sound science" and sustainable.
"The annual quota of minke whales is 216 from a stock of approximately 70,000 animals, and the annual quota of fin whales is 154 from a stock of approximately 20,000 animals," said a ministry statement.
"The fin whale stock in the North Atlantic is abundant and in very good shape, and is in no way connected to the stock in the Southern Ocean which is in a poor state."
The fin whale quota is calculated by Icelandic scientists based on computer models developed under the IWC's aegis.
The models can be "tuned" to produce quotas that are more or less cautious.
The current Icelandic quota is about three times higher than the figure the IWC would recommend based on the more conservative tuning it has decided is appropriate.
The process Mr Locke has instigated is "certification" under the Pelly Amendment to the Fishermen's Protective Act of 1967.
Guide to the oceans' great whales
He recommends measures stopping short of a trade sanction, including instructing diplomats to raise the issue in talks with their Icelandic counterparts, and reviewing any projects in which the US co-operates with the Arctic nation.
One possible casualty could be a proposed pan-Arctic search and rescue station near Reykjavik, for which Iceland is seeking US support.
But his letter to Mr Obama notes that "the Pelly Amendment authorises you to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to prohibit the importation into the United States of any products from Iceland..."
A number of anti-whaling groups have been calling on the US to take such a step; and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) described Mr Locke's action as "a massive step forward".
"The only way to make sure that whaling is finally ended in Iceland is for the president to send a strong and unambiguous message to Iceland's whaling industry - and that means sanctions," said Kate O'Connell.
The US has certified Iceland on several previous occasions over whaling, but has yet to impose trade restrictions.
However, there is a feeling among US officials that the size of the whalemeat trade to Japan, plus smaller exports to other countries, presents a new and serious threat to the well-being of Atlantic fin whales.
The company behind the fin whale trade, Hvalur hf, has not hunted any this year because of poor market conditions in Japan following the March earthquake and tsunami.
But it does intend to take to the seas again if and when the market improves.


A woman in New York got more than she bargained for when she found a dead mouse sewn into the lining of a new dress.

Cailey Fiesel said she bought the $40 (Â£32; â‚¬37) dress from Zara but weeks later detected a "disturbingly pungent odour" while at her desk at work.
Ms Fiesel, 24, felt something scratch her leg and discovered a mouse's foot poking out of the lining, she said.
"I froze, I was paralysed with fear," she told the New York Post.
"I saw the little leg that was coming out of the seam that I had touched, which was really horrifying," she said.
Ms Fiesel has filed a lawsuit against Zara, a Spanish fashion retailer. It describes how she wore the dress to work but was overwhelmed by a foul smell.
"I felt something brushing up against my leg and thought it was a string from the seam of the dress," she told the Post.
"When I went to pull at it, it didn't feel like a string. I then felt the hem of the dress and it felt like there was some sort of sensor.
"I turned up the seam of the dress and saw it was not a sensor and that it was a mouse."
Ms Fiesel's lawyers allege that she suffered emotional distress and developed a large rash that was diagnosed as a "rodent-born disease".
She's suing for an unspecified amount.
A spokesman for Zara USA said the company "is aware of the suit and we are investigating the matter further."
"Zara USA has stringent health and safety standards, and we are committed to ensuring that all of our products meet these rigorous requirements."


The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have visited landmarks on the north coast as part of their two-day trip to Northern Ireland.

Their first stop on a busy day of public engagements was a tour of the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim.
The Unesco World Heritage Site is made up of some 40,000 large black basalt columns which protrude from the sea.
It was the Royal couple's first visit to Northern Ireland's best known tourist attraction.
The causeway formed when molten rock was forced up through fissures in the earth to form a lava plateau.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh then travelled to the nearby village of Bushmills to commemorate local soldier Robert Quigg.
He won a Victoria Cross for bravery during the Battle of the Somme.
Sgt Quigg was given the highest military award for valour after going out into the line of fire to search for his commanding officer.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh unveiled a statue of the soldier as well as a commemorative stone.
His grandnephew, Leonard Quigg, also gave a short address.
From there, the Royal couple moved on to a reception at Portrush Golf Club as guests of the mayor for the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
Afterwards, they took a journey back in time as they travelled on a steam train from Coleraine, County Londonderry, to the village of Bellarena.
Large crowds gathered in Coleraine to greet the couple as they boarded the five-carriage train, built in 1932.
The Royal guests were accompanied by local schoolchildren as they travelled to Bellarena, where the Queen officially opened the village's new train station.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh first made the same journey along the historic Coleraine to Londonderry railway line in 1953 - the year of her coronation.
The original station had opened a century earlier in 1853.
Earlier this year, two new railway platforms opened in Bellarena, as part of a Â£46m upgrade to the Coleraine to Londonderry railway line.
On her arrival in the village, the Queen unveiled a plaque marking the new development.
Wellwishers lined the route, waving union flags and cheering.
On Monday, the Royal visitor met Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers at Hillsborough Castle in County Down.
The trip is the third high-profile royal visit to Northern Ireland in weeks and follows on from appearances by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall and then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh last visited Northern Ireland in June 2014.


A blockade of the Port of Dover planned for Saturday in support of truckers' concerns over illegal immigrants could be illegal, Kent Police have said.

A group called Support the Calais to Dover Truckers says it is highlighting the difficulties faced by lorry drivers crossing from France to England.
The Freight Transport Association said drivers faced regular and sometimes serious confrontations with stowaways.
The Port of Dover said the priority was to keep the port open.
About 2,000 migrants have gathered in Calais in they hope they can make the crossing to Dover.
Hauliers can face fines of up to Â£2,000 for each illegal migrant found on their lorry.
A Port of Dover spokesman said: "Over the next few days we will be monitoring the situation to ensure that we can deal with any planned protests in the safest and most constructive way."
Kent Police said "wilful obstruction of a highway" was an offence.
A force spokesman said: "The primary role of Kent Police is to facilitate lawful peaceful protest whilst ensuring public safety."
He said the force was in contact with the protesters via social media.
Natalie Chapman, from the FTA, said: "We completely understand the frustration of drivers who feel they are being used as scapegoats in what is a desperate situation.
"Our understanding is that they're looking at using lorries to blockade the Port of Dover. It has potential to cause huge disruption.
"However, we just don't think that this is the right way to resolve this situation."
Ms Chapman said some lorry drivers were having to take out personal loans to pay the fines.


A 57-year-old chef has been found guilty of murdering his former partner at the Perthshire home they used to share.

Mohammed Ali Abboud said he was attacked by Agnieszka Szefler in January 2015 at his Bridge of Earn home and acted in self defence.
However, a jury rejected the claims and found him guilty of inflicting 19 knife wounds on the 27-year-old teacher.
Judge Lord Uist urged Abboud to tell the truth about why he took her life.
Following a seven-day trial, the jury at the High Court in Edinburgh took two-and-a-half hours to return a verdict of guilty of murder.
They also returned a guilty verdict to a charge that Abboud attempted to defeat the ends of justice and had taken active steps to avoid arrest by tampering with evidence.
Lord Uist told Abboud he would defer sentence for the court to obtain reports about his character.
He added: "The crime of which you have been convicted of can only result in one sentence - life imprisonment.
"However, I cannot sentence you at this time as you are a first offender. I am required by law to obtain a criminal justice and social work report.
"I hope that when the reporter speaks to you, you will reveal what happened in the house on 23 January 2015 when you inflicted those injuries on Agnieszka Szefler."
During the trial, the court heard that Abboud and Ms Agnieszka had been in a long-term relationship, but the pair split after she took a job in Kuwait.
Jurors were told she had come back to Scotland on the day she was killed to spend time with friends and to remove items from Abboud's home.
The attack at the house was witnessed by neighbour Chloe Forbes Kindlen, who told the court that she went into shock after seeing Abboud plunge the knife into Ms Agnieszka.
In her 999 call, Ms Forbes Kindlen said: "I saw somebody getting stabbed. The guy was stabbing her in the garden."
She added: "She's saying 'ow ow ow'. I just see somebody lying and there's blood. I don't know if she's dead."
The court heard Abboud had then repeatedly stabbed himself to make it look like he was in a struggle and placed the knife under Ms Agnieszka's body so it appeared she had been in possession of the knife.
Abboud will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on 21 January 2016.


Welsh footballer Ched Evans "cannot go back" to playing the game after his rape conviction, First Minister Carwyn Jones has said.

Sheffield United are to allow ex-Wales star Evans, 25, to train with them.
Evans was freed last month after serving half of a five-year jail sentence and maintains he is innocent.
Olympic medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill says she wants her name removed from one of the stands at United's Bramall Lane home if Evans is given a contract.
Three club patrons have also resigned while one of United's sponsors has said it will end its association with the club if they re-sign Evans.
Speaking on the BBC's Question Time, Mr Jones said Evans had not apologised to his victim.
He said: "What does it mean for her to see him back in a job where he will earn a lot of money after being a convicted rapist?
"If you are a role model and you are convicted of a serious offence such as rape, and you don't apologise at the very least, you don't say you accept that you committed a serious offence, you can't go back to a job like football."
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, a former probation officer, said: "I think there is a danger of sending a message to young people who look at footballers as role models, there is a danger that we send a message that rape isn't a serious offence."
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams said she would feel "incredibly uncomfortable" if Evans were ever to play for Wales again.
But journalist and columnist Rod Liddle, also on the panel, said it would be "politically-correct hypocrisy" to prevent Evans from playing football.
"There are countless footballers plying their trade - most of them in the lower divisions - who have been convicted of various offences which are egregious and some of them have caused people to lose their lives," said Mr Liddle, associate editor of The Spectator magazine.
"Are you saying that rape is something ... worse than killing someone?  That there is one exception to made for this one offence?"
During the programme in Cardiff, the first minister also gave his backing to Labour leader Ed Miliband, who has been under pressure to improve the party's poll ratings with the general election six months away.
He said Mr Miliband's speech on Thursday had been "fantastic".
"We've got an election in May, and we need to win it for the good of the people of this country," said Mr Jones.  "Let's be positive."


Corinthians striker Alexandre Pato says Chelsea is his "new home" before a possible loan move to Stamford Bridge.

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The former AC Milan forward, 26, arrived in England on Wednesday amid reports he is about to join the Premier League strugglers until May.
Chelsea have not commented on a move for Pato, who spent the last two Brazilian seasons on loan at Sao Paulo.
"I really want to play for Chelsea. I need to play. I'm so happy," the Brazil international said.
Pato joined Milan as a 17-year-old in 2007 and was a success, but scored only once in his final 21 Serie A games before moving back to Brazil in 2013.
The forward has scored 10 goals in 25 caps for Brazil, but last appeared for his country in 2013.
He also won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
After landing at London's Heathrow Airport, Pato said: "Thanks Chelsea for the support and thanks for my fans.
"I want to know my new friends, the new players, and the team."
Pato was speaking as Chelsea midfielder Ramires joined Chinese side Jiangsu Suning in a deal believed to be worth about £25m.
by Tim Sturtridge, South American football journalist
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Head teachers are calling on the education secretary to stop the publication of this year's primary school results in England.

They warn of "serious mistakes" in the introduction of changes to tests and say results are too "unpredictable".
This year's primary tests also saw a series of leaks and cancellations.
But the Department for Education said its reforms would "help ensure all children leave primary school having mastered the basics".
Leaders of the National Association of Head Teachers have written an open letter to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan urging her to cancel the public use of any data from this year's primary tests.
It would mean there would be no primary school league tables, based on the tests taken by 10 and 11 year olds.
The head teachers' union says that individual pupils should be given their results, with warnings to parents about concerns about their reliability, but the results were not robust enough to be used to make comparisons between schools.
Heads are complaining about "inadequate" time to prepare for changes, "obscure guidance" and "massive variations" in how schools approached the tests.
They say that the outcomes of the tests are likely to be so "skewed" that "comparisons between schools become very risky".
The heads' union says ministers need to address the "growing disquiet about assessment".
There were further difficulties this year when part of the English test for seven year olds had to be cancelled because questions had been published on a Department for Education website.
There were then claims of a "rogue marker" trying to disrupt the exams, when part of the English paper for 11 year olds was put on to a password-protected website the day before it was due to be taken.
Baseline tests for reception pupils also had to be scrapped, when it was found that the different types of tests being used did not produce consistent results.
A Department for Education spokesman said: "We have reformed the primary curriculum to help ensure all children leave primary school having mastered the basics, and the support and hard work of teachers is key to making this happen.
"We are determined to get this right and remain committed to working with teachers and head teachers as we continue with our primary assessment reform. We will respond to this letter in due course."


When Peter Mandelson said the Labour Party was "intensely relaxed" about people becoming filthy rich (as long as they pay their taxes) he was saying something far more fundamental than he maybe realised.

Lord Mandelson made the comments in 1998, an era when income growth was 5.6% and inflation (the consumer prices index) was 1.4%.
Real incomes were rising by a healthy 4.2%.
Being relaxed about the rich was far easier when your income was also rising.
The picture is now very different.
Today's wage growth figures from the Office for National Statistics show a sharp decline to 2.3%, down from 2.6% the previous month.
Inflation is now at 1.8%, up from 1.6%.
Real income growth - admittedly on a slightly different measure from 1998 - is now running at 0.6%.
Of course, these are one month's figures but the trend is clear.
Inflation is rising, mainly a function of a weaker currency leading to higher import costs for things like food and fuel.
And wage growth is slowing despite a robust employment market.
As Matthew Taylor, the head of the government review into employment, told me, Britain is good at creating jobs and not so good at creating well-paid jobs.
With economic growth predicted to slow next year, employees are still fighting shy of demanding significant pay increases.
Productivity is still stubbornly low, which means that wealth creation per hour worked is limited.
And in the public sector the pay freeze continues.
This is the Prime Minister's significant and growing headache.
She made an economy "that works for everyone" the cornerstone of her government's offer to the electorate.
Falling real incomes do not fit comfortably with that narrative.
And if the incomes squeeze translates into falling consumer confidence, then the main driver of the better than expected economic news since the referendum could turn more negative.
As Torsten Bell of the Resolution Foundation said: "Our pay recovery is now rapidly ending.
"Pay growth is already zero on single month data and we expect 3 month growth to be just 0.2% next month."
Put aside Brexit, the Scottish referendum, Donald Trump - when it comes to the economy, falling incomes is becoming the real and present political danger.


The fourth instalment in the Jurassic Park series has become the first film to take more than $500m at the box office on its opening weekend.

Jurassic World was the most popular screening in all 66 countries where it was released.
The film made $204.6m (Â£131.4m) in the US, according to the firm Exhibitor Relations.
It took $100m in China and $29.6m (Â£19m) in the UK and Ireland as part of the record global total of $511.8m.
The Universal Pictures release had the second-highest grossing opening weekend in the US.
The record is held by Marvel's The Avengers, which took $207.4m in 2012.
But Jurassic World could still dethrone the comic book film, as the weekend figures are partially estimated. The final tally will be revealed later on Monday.
Jurassic World was co-produced by Steven Spielberg, who directed the first two films in the series, and directed by Colin Trevorrow.
It stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Jeff Bock, a box office analyst with Exhibitor Relations, told Variety.com: "People should call dinosaurs the original superheroes. They are just as big as Iron Man or Superman or Batman right now."
Jurassic Park was a major worldwide success in 1993, taking more than $1bn globally.
It was followed by The Lost World: Jurassic Park four years later, and Jurassic Park III in 2001.
The third film got poor reviews and made far less than its predecessors.
Analysts say the success of the latest movie will vindicate the decision to reboot the franchise for a new generation of dinosaur fans.


Danny Devine has left Inverness Caledonian Thistle to join Partick Thistle, who have also signed fellow defender David Syme.

The 18-year-old Syme, who has agreed a one-year contract, had been transfer-listed by Kilmarnock.
Devine signed for two years after three seasons with Caley Thistle.
Inverness manager Richie Foran said of the Northern Irish 23-year-old: "We made Danny our best offer to extend his stay with us in the Highlands."
Devine, who joined Caley Thistle after leaving Fleetwood Town, was a near ever-present last season, playing 45 times.
Midfielders Danny Williams and James Vincent had also rejected new contracts and accepted offers from top-flight rivals Dundee before Foran succeeded John Hughes as manager.
Striker Miles Storey, who had been on loan from Swindon Town, preferred to join Aberdeen on a permanent contract.
However, Foran has strengthened his attacking options by signing Scott Boden after the striker left Newport County.
The arrival of Devine and Syme at Firhill means that Thistle have signed three players in two days, with striker Ade Azeez having agreed a switch from Wimbledon to Glasgow.
Dundee United midfielder Chris Erskine has previously announced that he will be returning to Maryhill for a third stint after signing a pre-contract earlier this year.
Syme made six appearances for Kilmarnock in the last campaign, but his season was cut short by injury in January and he did not play under Lee Clark after the Englishman succeeded Gary Locke as manager.
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In an unusual move, the president of the west African state of Sao Tome and Principe has boycotted his own run-off election, handing victory to his rival.

Manuel Pinto da Costa withdrew from Sunday's poll, alleging fraud in the first round held on 17 July.
His rival Evaristo Carvalho, a former prime minister, is now certain to win the race.
He had won the first round with 49.8% of the vote while Mr Pinto da Costa had taken 24.8%.
Ahead of Sunday's run-off, he had called on his supporters not to vote, and later reports said many of them had stayed away.
Mr Pinto da Costa ruled Sao Tome with an iron fist for the first 15 years after independence from Portugal in 1975.
He lost the presidency after introducing reforms in 1990, including multi-party democracy, but in 2011, he was re-elected to office.
Sao Tome and Principe, a former Portuguese colony, consists of two islands of volcanic origin and a number of smaller islets lying off the western coast of Africa.


A tiger at an Australian zoo founded by the late conservationist Steve Irwin has attacked one of its keepers.

The man sustained puncture wounds to his hands and forehead.
Irwin's widow, Terri, later tweeted that the tiger had been "hot and bothered" and scratched the man, adding that both animal and keeper were "ok".
Irwin died in 2006 when a stingray barb punctured his chest while he was filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef.
Australia Zoo said in a statement that the animal, a 12-year-old male Sumatran tiger called Ranu, had "scratched" the keeper while walking through bushland at the zoo during a routine morning session.
Ranu "became overly interested in his surroundings and when his handler approached him to change direction, he swatted his paw resulting in a scratch on his left wrist, bicep and right side of the forehead," the statement said.
Ambulance service officials told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the 41-year-old keeper had sustained "two deep puncture wounds and deep scratches". He was treated at the scene and later taken to the hospital.
"Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin and his family founded the Australia Zoo in Queensland. Ranu is part of an attraction called The Tiger Temple which houses Sumatran and Bengal tigers.
The zoo said both tiger and keeper are doing well, and that the keeper would be returning to work "in the coming days".
As for Ranu, he will be continuing his normal "enrichment routines" at the zoo.
In its profile on Ranu on its website, the zoo called the tiger "cheeky" and said he "is continually challenging the others around him".
"With Ranu, the handlers have to keep in mind that he is the boss and it is very important to be patient with him," it said.


A 16-year-old boy has been arrested at Stansted Airport on suspicion of terrorism offences.

The teenager, from the Kent area, was due on a flight leaving the UK, and was arrested on Sunday afternoon.
He was arrested on suspicion of the collection of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
He is currently in police custody and was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE).
He was arrested by officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, working in collaboration with Counter Terrorism Policing South East.


Video replays will be used for key refereeing decisions during Italy's friendly with Germany on Tuesday.

Two video assistant referees will look at goals scored, penalties awarded, red cards and mistaken identities as part of a semi-live trial.
The referee will not be able to review the footage on a pitchside monitor.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said in April he hoped the 2018 World Cup in Russia would be the first tournament to use the technology.
Video replays were first used at international level during a friendly between Italy and France in September.
It has been tested in six other countries, including in the third-tier United Soccer League in America and the Dutch Cup, with a final decision on its use to be made by 2018.
"Football will not be changed by this and I hope that football will become more honest," said Marco van Basten, former Netherlands striker and Fifa's chief of technical development.
"I am convinced it will be good. It may take some time. Players, referees will have to adapt a bit but it will be good."


At least 32 people have been killed in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden while trying to flee heavy fighting in a boat, medics say.

Witnesses told the Reuters news agency the boat was struck by shells fired by Houthi rebels as it left the al-Tawahi district for al-Buraiqa in the west.
The Houthis have been battling southern militiamen for control of al-Tawahi.
Earlier, rebel sources said at least 34 civilians were killed in Saudi-led coalition air strikes in north Yemen.
Warplanes reportedly targeted more than 30 locations in the provinces of Saada and Hajjah.
The coalition had vowed to respond to a cross-border attack on the Saudi border town of Najran on Tuesday, which left three people dead.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen, as 22 international aid agencies warned that fuel shortages might halt their work.
In Aden, there was fierce fighting overnight between militiamen loyal to exiled President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and Houthi fighters, backed by allied security personnel.
Residents and militiamen told Reuters that at least 40 people were killed as a rebel offensive on al-Tawahi was repelled with the help of Saudi-led air strikes.
Among the fatalities was Gen Ali Nasser Hadi, who was appointed in March by the president to lead loyalist forces in the southern provinces of Aden, Abyan and Lahj.
It was later on Wednesday that a barge carrying people trying to flee the fighting in al-Tawahi was hit by shells as it left a small fishing harbour in the Gulf of Aden.
Medics and witnesses said Houthis fired the shells, and the pro-Hadi Popular Resistance Committees accused the rebels of a "massacre".
The coalition air campaign, which seeks to restore Mr Hadi's "legitimate government", has so far failed to stop the Houthis' assault on Aden.
The president took refuge in city in February after fleeing the capital, Sanaa, where he had been held under house arrest by the rebels. When the Houthis reached the outskirts of Aden at the end of March, he left the country for Saudi Arabia.
Since then, at least 646 civilians have been killed, according to the UN.
The latest fighting comes ahead of a visit to Riyadh by the US secretary of state.
Mr Kerry told a news conference in Djibouti that he would discuss ways to implement a "humanitarian pause" in Yemen to allow deliveries of aid.
On Wednesday morning, a joint statement by 22 aid agencies called for an immediate end to the conflict and warned that their work risked coming to an abrupt end within a week unless land, sea and air routes to Yemen were opened immediately for the importation of fuel.
The fuel shortage has meant entire communities have no access to clean water, while medical facilities have been forced to close or halt even basic services.
"Millions of lives are at risk, in particular children, and soon we will not be able to respond," said Edward Santiago, country director for Save the Children.
The lack of fuel is also hindering food deliveries in a country where about 20 million people, or 80% of the population, are estimated to be going hungry.


The Greek government says Germany owes Greece nearly €279bn (£204bn; $303bn) in war reparations for the Nazi occupation during World War Two.

It is the first time Greece has officially calculated what Germany allegedly owes it for Nazi atrocities and looting during the 1940s.
However, the German government says the issue was resolved legally years ago.
Greece's radical left Syriza government is making the claim while struggling to meet massive debt repayment deadlines.
Reacting to the Greek claim, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said it was "dumb" to link Greece's bailout by the eurozone with the question of war reparations.
"To be honest I think it's dumb. I think that it doesn't move us forward one millimetre on the question of stabilising Greece," he said.
He said ordinary Greek citizens however deserved "huge respect" for their economic sacrifices under the bailout programme. The Greek elite had "plundered" the country, he complained.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras raised the reparations issue when he met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin last month.
The new figure given by Greek Deputy Finance Minister Dimitris Mardas includes €10.3bn for an occupation loan that the Nazis forced the Bank of Greece to pay.
"According to our calculations, the debt linked to German reparations is 278.7bn euros," Mr Mardas told a parliamentary committee investigating responsibility for Greece's debt crisis.
Mr Mardas said the reparations calculation had been made by Greece's state general accounting office.
Berlin paid 115m Deutschmarks to Athens in 1960 in compensation - a fraction of the Greek demand. Greece says it did not cover payments for damaged infrastructure, war crimes and the return of the forced loan.
Germany insists the reparations issue was settled in 1990, before Germany reunified.
The budget spokesman for Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democrats, Eckhardt Rehberg, reiterated on Tuesday that "the reparations issue is for us closed, politically and legally - the same applies to the so-called forced loan".
Syriza politicians have frequently blamed Germany for Greek citizens' hardship under the austerity imposed by international lenders.
Mr Tsipras is trying to renegotiate the €240bn EU-IMF bailout that saved Greece from bankruptcy. Greece has not received bailout funds since August last year, as the lenders are dissatisfied with the pace of Greek reforms.
A Greek repayment of €448m to the International Monetary Fund is due this Thursday.
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has said that Greece "intends to meet all obligations to all its creditors, ad infinitum".


Students who stay in Wales to work after completing their studies, or return home to work after graduation, should have £6,000 a year of debts written off, Plaid Cymru has said.

The party said the policy would "ensure the Welsh economy can benefit" from the talents of Welsh graduates.
The Welsh government currently pays up to £5,190 a year towards Welsh students' fees wherever they go.
Plaid claims that system effectively subsidises universities in England.
Tuition fees are likely to be a major dividing line between the parties at May's assembly election.
The Conservatives have already said they would scrap the current grant system altogether.
Students from Wales currently only pay £3,810 towards their tuition fees, wherever they study in the UK.  The rest, up to £5,190 a year, is paid for by the Welsh government.
Education Minister Huw Lewis has suggested Labour will continue the fee policy if it wins the election in May, but hinted grants may be means-tested.
Plaid's education spokesman Simon Thomas said: "The Party of Wales wants everyone to be able to study any subject and in any university they want to.
"But the current tuition fee policy means we give more money to universities outside of Wales than we do inside of Wales.
"This is unsustainable and Plaid Cymru believes that this is wrong.
"Our plans will enable students from Wales to study anywhere they want, and will ensure that the Welsh economy can benefit from the talent of Welsh students."
Plans to create 50,000 apprenticeships and boost early years education are also included in a Plaid Cymru package of education, skills and training for people "from cradle to career".