Norwich City have signed Hamilton Academical midfielder Tony Andreu for an undisclosed fee, while Canaries striker Kyle Lafferty has joined Turkish side Caykur Rizespor on loan.

Frenchman Andreu, 26, follows former Accies boss Alex Neil to Carrow Roa on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
Lafferty, 27, will be with Caykur Rizespor until the end of the season.
The Canaries failed to sign Graham Dorrans from West Brom but kept left-back Martin Olsson at the club.
Norwich and West Brom had agreed a deal for the players to switch clubs, but the move broke down with Albion claiming that Olsson and his advisors were too late to arrive for a medical.
Lafferty arrived at Carrow Road from Palermo in the summer, and has one goal in 18 Championship games.
He started his career at Burnley, and on top of his spell in Italy with Palermo, has played in Scotland with Rangers and Switzerland with FC Sion.
Caykur Rizespor are a top-flight Turkish side.
Meanwhile, also exiting Hamilton is French striker Mickael Antoine-Curier, with Accies saying the 31-year-old's contract was terminated by mutual consent.
Antoine-Curier scored 34 goals in 103 appearances during three spells at New Douglas Park, returning to Accies in 2013 after a spell with Atyrau in Kazakhstan.
The striker began his senior career with Preston North End and also had spells with Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Oldham Athletic, Kidderminister harriers, Rochdale, Sheffield Wednesday, Notts County, Grimsby Town, Vard Haugesund, Hibernian, Dundee, Ermis Aradippou, Ethnikos Achnas and Felda United.


The local government in the Indian capital has said that private vehicles with odd and even registration numbers will only be allowed to operate on alternate days to curb pollution.

The scheme will be implemented from 1 January, officials said.
Earlier, officials said they would ban trucks and buses over 15 years old.
Delhi is experiencing hazardous levels of pollution due to diesel emissions, construction dirt and the burning of crop stubble in farms around the city.
Air pollution causes more than 600,000 premature deaths in India each year.
In recent days, pollution levels in Delhi have reached alarming levels and on Thursday, the Delhi high court said the city resembled a "gas chamber".
On Friday, a government official said that from 1 January 2016, vehicles with number plates ending with an odd number would be allowed one day while only those ending with an even number would be allowed the next day.
The transport department would run extra buses, he added.
Critics, however, say the decision is not practical, adding that in a city with an inadequate public transport system and poor last-mile connectivity, the new measures are likely to inconvenience commuters.
Environmental activists, however, have welcomed the decision - saying the situation is so grim that urgent drastic steps are needed.
New car sales are soaring in India, with 1,400 extra cars taking to the capital's streets every day.
Last week India said it would require vehicles to abide by stricter emissions standards by 2019, three years ahead of a previous deadline.
Earlier this month, on the night of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, air pollution in Delhi reached 40 times the limit recommended by the WHO.
The capital city is not alone - India has 13 of the world's 20 most polluted cities, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported last year.


Mexican authorities have captured the man they believe organised an arson attack on a casino in Monterrey that killed 52 people last year.

Baltasar Saucedo Estrada - known as the "dog-killer" - is alleged to be a local leader of the Zetas drugs cartel.
The attack on the Casino Royale in Monterrey in August was one of the deadliest in Mexico in years.
It is thought it was ordered because the owners refused to pay protection money.
Mr Saucedo, 38, was detained on Thursday in a suburb of Monterrey after crashing his car as he tried to escape a police patrol, officials said.
More than $1m (Â£640,000) had been offered for information leading to his capture.
He is also accused of involvement in the murder of police officers.
Nearly 20 suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack, which shocked Mexico.
The Zetas are one of Mexico's most powerful and violent drugs cartels, and have been expanding their influence in recent years.
Monterrey - a major industrial city close to the border with Texas in the US - has seen rising violence as the Zetas battle the rival Gulf cartel for control of territory and smuggling routes.


Toby Jones is to play a villain in the fourth series of BBC One's Sherlock.

Jones will join Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in the second episode of the new three-part series. Filming began on Monday.
Jones said: "I'm excited and intrigued by the character I shall be playing in Sherlock..."
The show's co-creator Steven Moffat said: "Delighted to have Toby Jones on board, bringing to life one of Doyle's finest villains."
Co-creator Mark Gatiss added: "We're thrilled to welcome one of our finest actors to the Sherlock family. I know Toby will embrace the part with true relish!"
It was announced last month that series four will begin with Holmes (Cumberbatch) back on British soil, as Doctor Watson (Freeman) and his wife, Mary (Amanda Abbington), prepare for parenthood.


A pilot accused of smuggling more than Â£2.4m of cocaine into the UK was arrested while sitting on a toilet with his trousers down, a jury heard.

Dutch pilot John Buwalda and another man are accused of bringing the drug into Kent by light aircraft.
Both have denied conspiracy to import Class A drugs.
Mr Buwalda, from Hilversum, was found in a bathroom, while his co-defendant was arrested outside a Holiday Inn, the Old Bailey was told.
National Crime Agency (NCA) officer Jim McMorrow told the court the co-defendant Jan Polak, of Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, was found to be carrying 48lb (22kg) of cocaine when he was arrested outside the hotel near Rochester Airport.
He said NCA officers then found Mr Buwalda, adding: "Mr Buwalda was sitting on the toilet. He had a white top on and his trousers were by his legs.
"I informed him we had arrested a man... and he had given us the room as the one he had been in.
"I asked him what he was doing here and he said, 'I flew in from Hilversum today'. I informed him I was arresting him."
The Old Bailey was told the drugs had an 80% purity level and were worth Â£2,408,040 on the street.
Prosecutor Ailsa Williamson said Mr Buwalda told officers he worked for the Chinese Europe Medical Post Grad Academy, which trained dentists.
He is said to have told officers he flew the academy's Piper Alpha aircraft into the UK on 30 June to network at the University of Greenwich, but admitted he spoke to no-one at the university beforehand.
It is claimed he brought the drugs over in metal boxes which he said were wing weights - used to prevent the wind lifting the wings while the aircraft is on the ground.
The court was told the boxes, which he took into the hotel, were not wing weights.
Ms Williamson said: "The prosecution say the reason he was dragging that trolley into the hotel was because he was bringing the drugs in to hand over to Polak."
Mr Polak told officers he worked for a cosmetics company and had been paid Â£300 to collect a package but he denied knowing what was inside, the court heard.
The trial continues.


Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called a parliamentary election for 19 October.

In an announcement he said he had asked Governor General David Johnston to dissolve parliament.
Correspondents say the campaign is likely to focus on Canada's sluggish economy and security issues.
Mr Harper's centre-right Conservative Party has been in office since 2006 but analysts say he could struggle to form another majority government.
If he is successful, Mr Harper would be the first prime minister since Sir Wilfrid Laurier in 1908 to win four consecutive elections.
He made his announcement after meeting Mr Johnston, who represents Queen Elizabeth II, Canada's head of state.
Mr Harper said the election would be about "leadership on the big issues that affect us all, our economy and our nation's security".
The 11-week election campaign will be one of the longest in Canadian history.
The main parties opposing Mr Harper's Conservatives are the Liberals, led by Justin Trudeau, and the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP) under Tom Mulcair.
A new poll released on Sunday put the Conservatives only slightly ahead of the NDP, with the Liberals close behind - all of them at about 30%. Other polls have put the NDP slightly in the lead.
Commentators said the three parties were essentially tied going into the election campaign.
Canada's economy has been badly affected by falling oil prices. In July the Bank of Canada cut interest rates for the second time in six months.
The Canadian dollar has also lost more than 20% against its US counterpart over the past two years.


US President-elect Donald Trump has praised Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, amid growing reports he is going to appoint him secretary of state.

In an interview with Fox News, Mr Trump called Mr Tillerson, 64, a "world-class player" who has made "massive deals".
As Exxon CEO Mr Tillerson has had business ties with Russia's leadership and is said to have a good relationship with President Vladimir Putin.
He has criticised sanctions against Russia for its annexation of Crimea.
In an interview Fox News Sunday, Mr Trump praised Mr Tillerson, saying: "He's a world-class player. He's in charge of an oil company that's pretty much double the size of its next nearest competitor."
Mr Trump added that Mr Tillerson knows many of the players and he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia."
Republican Senator John McCain expressed "concern" about Mr Tillerson's potential links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the senator called "a thug, a bully and a murderer", during an interview with Fox News on Saturday.
However, speaking on to CBS on Sunday, he said the Senate would give Mr Tillerson a "fair hearing" should he be selected by Mr Trump.
Mr Tillerson is likely to be named America's top diplomat next week. NBC News reports that ex-US ambassador to the UN John Bolton may serve as his deputy.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani withdrew himself from consideration for the post last week.
This is the latest twist in Donald Trump's weeks-long search for a top diplomat: he has been considering close to a dozen candidates with significantly different views and backgrounds.
Transition officials say he has finally settled on Rex Tillerson although there has been no official announcement.
The long-time oil executive does not have any diplomatic experience but he has done business with many foreign governments, including in Russia where he has developed a good relationship with President Vladimir Putin.
That is one reason his nomination would be closely scrutinised by lawmakers - especially in the wake of intelligence assessments that Russian hackers acted covertly to promote Mr Trump's campaign.


Ireland centre Robbie Henshaw has fully recovered from a hamstring problem and is fit to face Romania in Sunday's World Cup match at Wembley.

Earlier in the week Irish management said they were not sure if the 22-year-old Connacht man would be able to play.
But on Thursday team manager Michael Kearney reported that all players were 100% fit for the Pool D fixture.
Coach Joe Schmidt will reveal his line-up on Friday as Ireland attempt to make it two wins from two matches.
Schmidt is keen to give Henshaw and Ulster's Jared Payne time to get reacquainted in midfield.
The coach is expected to mix up selection for the Wembley encounter, with one eye on the key battles with Italy and France.
Eoin Reddan, 34, is likely to step up to take over from first-choice scrum-half Conor Murray as the Irish coach aims to keep his two number nines fresh.
Ireland have only two specialist scrum-halves in their squad, with versatile Leinster fly-half Ian Madigan the emergency back-up.
Murray may take a seat on the bench for Sunday's clash with Romania, but says he has prepared himself to play a role in all of Ireland's World Cup matches.
"Mentally you have to prepare to be involved in every game," said Murray.
"It doesn't change for me or Eoin during the week, we are both preparing for a Test match at the weekend.
"If there were three or four scrum-halves in here they would be doing the same thing, because anyone can be called to slot in at any point.
"And you have to slot in without disrupting the team."
Leinster stalwart Reddan applied ice to his knee after Saturday's 50-7 victory over Canada, but has trained without issue through the week.
Reddan is the obvious candidate to step up and start against Romania in London, easing the burden on Munster playmaker Murray.


"I would promote and safeguard the good reputation of this assembly, here in the chamber and beyond," promised Elin Jones in May 2016, before the vote in which she defeated Lord Elis-Thomas for the role of Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales.

The Llywydd, as she prefers to be known, wants to "encourage democratic debate that is vigorous and robust", but she and her deputy have had to rule several members out of order since her election.
UKIP group leader Neil Hamilton - one of a third of the 2016 intake of AMs completely new to the assembly -  sparked a row in his maiden Senedd speech, describing two senior female AMs as "political concubines" in Carwyn Jones' "harem".
The former Tory MP made the reference to Liberal Democrat AM Kirsty Williams and Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood after they backed Mr Jones to be reinstated as first minister.
"What a gruesome prospect that must be," he added, before asking what the two had had in reward for "the sacrifice of their political virtue".
Elin Jones said she found the "insult of the integrity of other members through sexist language and sexual innuendo to be unacceptable".
But how unruly is the Assembly compared to other institutions - and has it got worse since the last election?
Political commentator Gareth Hughes, who previously worked for ITV Wales, says: "UKIP has changed the dynamics in the chamber, but there have been examples of bad behaviour from the start of the assembly.
"The powers of the assembly have increased over the years, therefore the scope to attempt to frustrate government has also increased, as there is more at stake."
He adds: "The assembly is a very respectful parliamentary institution compared to some, especially when you consider the robustness of the Parliament of Australia or the cut and thrust of Westminster."
The assembly's Standing Orders state the presiding officer must call to order any member who "seeks to raise a matter outside the scope of the debate or motion, is guilty of discourteous or unbecoming conduct or is using disorderly, discriminatory or offensive language or language which detracts from the dignity of the assembly".
The Llywydd has also asked members not to eat, drink or take photographs in the Siambr (Senedd chamber).
She did not name any AMs, but Nathan Gill - then a UKIP AM but now independent - had been tweeting images from the floor of the chamber, while two of his then party colleagues had been spotted with soft drinks bottles.
In July last year, the Llywydd called Economy Secretary Ken Skates to order for accusing Plaid Cymru's Neil McEvoy of making an "untrue statement".
"I'll retract that statement," said Mr Skates.
Mr McEvoy has accused the Llywydd of failing to stop First Minister Carwyn Jones from "sneering and insulting him".
Ms Jones has also had to warn Mr McEvoy over several contributions he has made.
This included First Minister's Questions on 5 July, when the Plaid Cymru AM, rather than immediately asking his supplementary question, addressed the first minister "before I come to a question, I was heckled by you last week, and you audibly called me a coward".
"When you are called to ask a supplementary question, you must do so," the Llywydd said in a letter to Mr McEvoy.
She told Mr McEvoy that "this behaviour must not continue" and that she would "impose sanctions if you continue to disregard these rules and procedures".
In September, UKIP's Neil Hamilton was again ruled out of order - by Deputy Presiding Officer Ann Jones - for referring to Mid and West Wales Labour AM Joyce Watson as "Joyless Watson".  So did Mr Hamilton regret the remark?
"I regret I gave way to Joyce Watson," he said.
Rhianon Passmore, Labour AM for Islwyn, indisputably used unparliamentary language in October, when she referred to "lies from the parties opposite".
When Jenny Rathbone, Labour AM for Cardiff Central, said that "the leader of Plaid Cymru has already stolen my question", the Llywydd pointed out that "questions are not stolen in this place. Somebody has asked your question before you got to it."
In January, Elin Jones forced the Health Secretary Vaughan Gething to apologise for arriving late for a debate to which he was responding on behalf of the government.
During a debate on Brexit in February, Dawn Bowden, Labour AM for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, said that "when whipped up by the lies and the Goebbels-like propaganda from the right-wing media, immigrants became demonised".
Following a written complaint by Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies, the Llywydd wrote that "however passionately Members feel about a subject, I do not consider that comparisons with the Nazi regime in 1930s and 1940s Germany are appropriate and normalising the use of such references risks trivialising the horrors perpetrated by that regime".
Finally, she has on several occasions reminded members the term 'honourable member' is unnecessary and unwelcome, following the precedent set by the assembly's first presiding officer, Lord Elis-Thomas.
Her mantra is that "none of us are honourable in this chamber. We are all equal."


A 14-year project to recreate the lost tapestries of James V has been completed at Stirling Castle.

The project was commissioned by Historic Scotland in 2001 as part of a wider effort to restore the king's palace to its 1540s style.
A team of 18 weavers from across the globe came together to reinterpret and create the "Hunt of the Unicorn" tapestries.
Visitors can now see all seven tapestries together for the first time.
In the 1540s, the palace was home to James V's wife, Mary of Guise, and their young daughter, Mary Queen of Scots.
It was known from royal inventories that when James V built the palace he owned more than 100 tapestries, but there is no record of what happened to them. The inventories, however, described a set of tapestries depicting "the historie of the unicorne".
The "painstaking" project to recreate the tapestries involved extensive research and took the team to New York, where the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts a set of 15th Century tapestries on the same theme.
Peter Buchanan, Historic Scotland's project manager who oversaw the process, said it had been a "privilege to watch" the weavers recreate the tapestries "in all their Renaissance glory".
He said: "Whilst we may never know what happened to the original tapestries, the fact that we now have these fantastic recreations, with the assistance of the Met in New York and through the generosity of our donors, will provide visitors to the castle now, and for generations to come, with a real insight into how the palace may have been at the time of James V.
"The completion of this last tapestry, The Mystic Hunt of the Unicorn, is made all the more impressive by the fact that only two fragments of the original remain in New York.
"Through extensive research, the team were able to build up a picture of how the panel might have looked originally and it's thrilling to see the end result hanging in the palace with the rest of the series, marking the final step in a 14-year journey."


Michael Murphy's made his 100th Donegal appearance as Rory Gallagher's side edged out Down 1-11 to 0-11 in the Dr McKenna Cup opener at Ballybofey.

Second-half substitute Murphy's late point helped an experimental Donegal side hold off a committed Down outfit.
Frank McGlynn's early goal contributed to Donegal's 1-3 to 0-4 half-time lead.
Ciaran Thompson's third point helped Donegal move five ahead but Down kept battling and Donegal needed late Murphy and McGlynn points to stay clear.
Donegal boss Rory Gallagher named five debutants Jack O'Brien, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Ciaran Thompson, Stephen McBrearty and Michael Carroll while Cathal Doyle, Joe McDermott, Joe Murphy and Gareth Johnson made their first Down appearances as Eamonn Burns took charge of the Mourne County for the first time.
McGlynn lobbed in Donegal's goal in the opening minute after being found by Odhran MacNiallais.
Peter Turley had an immediate chance to level from a Down goal chance but fired over the bar and two Thompson points helped Donegal lead by two at half-time with debutant Johnson and Aidan Carr among the Down first-half scorers.
Johnson added another Down point immediately after the restart but the visitors missed other scoring chances and Donegal increased their advantage to three with Martin O'Reilly, Hugh McFadden and man of the match Thompson all on target.
Donegal went close to notching a second goal as a fierce Jack O'Brien shot hit the underside of the crossbar with suggestions the ball may have bounced over the line before being cleared.
As Paddy McGrath hit what is believed to be his first ever inter-county point, Donegal appeared to be in command as they moved five clear but a Shane Dolan point started a Down revival as Donegal needed the late Murphy and McGlynn scores to keep the Mourne men at bay.
Murphy received a big cheer from the home crowd as he was introduced with 16 minutes remaining.
Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup results
Section A
Derry 4-16 2-12 Antrim
Tyrone 3-17 0-11 Queen's
Section B
Donegal 1-11 0-11 Down
Fermanagh P-P St Mary's College
Section C
Armagh 0-11 2-08 Cavan
Monaghan 1-09 2-16 Ulster University


Police and community support officers are being taken off patrol in Devon and Cornwall to deal with a backlog of call centre work, the BBC has learnt.

About 50 officers have been diverted to process reports of crimes filed on the internet and by email.
The force said "the significant majority were on restricted duties".
But the BBC has been told some were neighbourhood patrol officers and communities were "noticing fewer police on the beat".
More on how officers are being taken off patrol, plus more Devon and Cornwall news
Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg said earlier this year the 101 service was currently not fit for purpose and had got worse.
Devon and Cornwall Police has since encouraged people to use email or an online form to report crimes to cut delays calling the 101 non-urgent number, which has been criticised for long delays.
In a statement, Devon and Cornwall Police said: "In response to the 101 delays, the force moved around 50 people including officers, PCSOs and other staff to assist the contact centre.
"The significant majority of these were on restricted duties therefore were unable to undertake front line duties or their usual job role.
"The team have been recording crime information, to release our call handlers to answer 101 and 999 calls.
"This is a short term position and we expect all the staff to be returned to their original roles by Christmas."


A suspicious bag has caused major disruption to rail services in and out of Manchester Piccadilly station.

Greater Manchester Police were called to the Westcoast Train Care facility on Kirkmanshulme Lane, Longsight, just before 02:30 BST.
A cordon was put in place while the bag was examined.
Police at the scene later said there was "not believed to be any threat to the public" and the investigation was passed to British Transport Police.
However, delays of up to 30 minutes to and from the station were expected until 11:00.
Commuters are already facing road delays in the city while a hole which has closed part of the Mancunian Way is filled in.
Check if this is affecting your journey


A girl was offered a loaded gun before it was fired accidentally causing her an injury, her mother has said.

The seven-year-old suffered a minor lip injury when a bullet casing from the assault rifle hit her after it was shot into the ground at Nottinghamshire Police headquarters last year.
The officer, who has not been named, has been taken off firearms duties following an incompetency hearing.
The officer said he did not remember the weapon being offered to the girl.
Her mother told the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) her daughter was offered the gun for a photograph shortly before it was fired.
Updates on this story and more from Nottinghamshire
The IPCC, which has released a report into the incident, asked the officer about the mother's allegation to which he said it was "not something I recall specifically".
He went on to say: "that's not to say that it maybe didn't happen, it's certainly something I don't recall".
The girl, from Worksop, was on a tour of the force's headquarters in Hucknall with a group of youngsters, aged six to 13, and their parents, in October.
She suffered a burn to her lip when she was hit in the face after the gun, a Heckler & Koch G36C assault rifle, was fired.
Derrick Campbell, from the IPCC, said: "The seriousness of this matter cannot be underestimated. It is through good fortune that no one was more seriously injured.
"The officer's actions, while not deliberate, posed a genuine risk to those present."
Following the investigation, the IPCC concluded that operational firearms officers must keep their weapons loaded and therefore should not be involved in community events.
It also criticised Nottinghamshire Police for not having a policy in place regarding firearms at public events or carrying out a risk assessment before the display.
Another officer, involved in the incident, has since left the firearms department while a third has been recommended to undergo further training.


Keith Earls could play in Ireland's Six Nations game against France on Saturday as he continues to recover from a suspected concussion sustained in the 16-16 draw with Wales in Dublin.

The indications from the Ireland training camp were positive on Tuesday, although Fergus McFadden has joined the squad as cover for the Munster man.
Rob Kearney and Sean O'Brien are set to be fit to return against the French.
Mike Ross and Cian Healy are likely to make their comebacks with Leinster.
Both props are set to feature in the Pro12 fixture against Zebre on Friday night, with neither part of the Ireland squad at the moment.
Ross has overcome a hamstring complaint while Healy is on the verge of a playing return after knee trouble.
With Marty Moore ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring strain, Nathan White and Tadhg Furlong look set to hold down the tight-head side of the scrum.
Earls, 28, is going through the return to play protocols at the Ireland base at Carton House.
"Keith feels pretty good himself but a six-day turnaround - we will just have to assess that later in the week and see where he is at," said Ireland assistant coach Richie Murphy.
"We are squeezed for time but no player is going to be ruled out yet."
Leinster pair Kearney and O'Brien have returned to training as their recoveries near conclusion, and both are in line to make comebacks this week after missing the Wales game with hamstring injuries.
Flanker Tommy O'Donnell passed a head injury assessment and took a full part in Tuesday's workout in Kildare.
Johnny Sexton did not participate in the session because of a shoulder injury but the fly-half is expected to train on Thursday.
Simon Zebo (knee) and Andrew Trimble (shoulder) also sat out training but should be back in action on Thursday.


Britain's Geraint Thomas moved into third overall as Marcel Kittel won the first stage of the six-day Tour de Romandie in Switzerland.

Germany's Kittel won a sprint finish ahead of Niccolo Bonifazio of Italy.
Tour de France winner Chris Froome, targeting a third Romandie victory, finished in the peloton.
Spaniard Jon Izagirre, who won Tuesday's prologue, kept his overall lead as Welshman Thomas moved up from fourth to third.
The stage was shortened to 100km because of overnight snow and slippery roads, and the threat of ice and hail.
Tour de Romandie, stage one:
1.  Marcel Kittel (Ger/Etixx - Quick-Step)  2hrs 27mins 46secs
2.  Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita/Trek) same time
3.  Michael Albasini (Swi/Orica)
4.  Tosh Van der Sande (Bel/Lotto)
5.  Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu/Cannondale)
6.  Davide Cimolai (Ita/Lampre)
7.  Samuel Dumoulin (Fra/AG2R)
8.  Enrico Gasparotto (Ita/Wanty)
9.  Kristian Sbaragli (Ita/Dimension Data)
10. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus/Katusha)
Selected others:
22. Geraint Thomas (GB/Team Sky) same time
36. Christopher Froome (GB/Team Sky)
139. Ben Swift (GB/Team Sky)
141. Alex Peters (GB/Team Sky)
150. Mark McNally (GB/Wanty - Groupe Gobert)
152. Adam Blythe (GB/Tinkoff Team)
DNF: Ian Stannard (GB/Team Sky)
Overall classification:
1. Jon Izagirre (Spa/Movistar) 2hrs 33mins 19secs
2. Tom Dumoulin (Ned/Giant) +6secs
3. Geraint Thomas (GB/Team Sky) +7secs
4. Reto Hollenstein (Swi/IAM Cycling) +11secs
5. Tejay van Garderen (US/BMC Racing) same time
Selected others:
55. Christopher Froome (GB/Team Sky +26 secs
120. Alex Peters (GB/Team Sky) +5mins 24secs
122. Ben Swift (GB/Team Sky) +5 mins 28secs
153. Adam Blythe (GB/Tinkoff Team) +8mins 27secs
154. Mark McNally (GB/Wanty - Groupe Gobert) +8mins 29secs


First Harriet Harman took a stand - saying Labour had to wake up and listen to voters on welfare.

Then she compromised - tabling an amendment designed to sidestep a row.
And then almost 50 rebels ignored her instructions.
Were she Labour's permanent leader, her authority would be in tatters.
But it's not about her; she'll be gone by the autumn.
The real question is: could any of her would-be successors persuade the party that welfare must be reformed now?
Would they want, or dare, to try?
One of them, Andy Burnham, says he's "firing the starting gun on Labour's opposition" to the welfare bill, but he didn't vote against it.
How come? Labour's compromise amendment said the party "declines to give a Second Reading" to the Bill.
So Labour MPs who did what they were told last night - Burnham among them - voted for a Labour amendment that said they wouldn't give the bill a second reading, then abstained 15 minutes later when they got a chance to vote for real on whether to give the bill second reading.
Confused? That's political compromise for you.
Burnham can fairly hint he fell out with Harriet Harman over the idea of accepting cuts and pushed her to change her position - and say he would do things differently if he got elected leader. But the comments below his Facebook posting explaining all this suggest some potential supporters are unimpressed.
One reads: "I am so sorry Andy, but tonight you lost my vote for leadership."
Posts on the net are no certain judge of sentiment, but it's fair to say if George Osborne hoped to create splits, confusion and rancour in Labour's ranks, he succeeded.
There have been bigger tussles between left and right in Labour's history, and bigger and more memorable rebellions.
But this drama is staged in plain sight, with fresh, young MPs playing leading roles, at the moment the party chooses a leader who may - perhaps - be in place at the general election.
In influencing what positions the leadership candidates take, it could help define the sort of party that fights the 2020 campaign.
And it could reveal how much space in the centre ground of British politics is left for the chancellor to try to claim for his own.


Holders TP Mazembe of DR Congo must overcome a 2-0 deficit against visiting Wydad Casablanca of Morocco in the African Champions League.

The two clubs meet on Wednesday in the second leg of their tie with the winners progressing to the group stages of the tournament.
The losers get a second chance as they enter the draw for the play-offs in the second-tier Confederation Cup.
For the first time continental club matches are being played in midweek.
Mazembe's French coach Hubert Velud described the club's players as "incredible professionals" when he was hired this year.
The clubs also met in a last 16 tie five years ago with Wydad winning 1-0 at home and losing 2-0 away only to be reinstated when Mazembe were disqualified for using an ineligible player.
Wydad went on to finish runners-up, the second best showing by the club  from the Moroccan commercial capital after winning the 1992 competition.
Mazembe have been much more successful, winning the premier African club  competition in 1967, 1968, 2009, 2010 and last year.
But their African campaign this year has been less convincing.
They needed the help of an own goal to draw 2-2 with Saint George in Ethiopia and took 85 minutes to score the only goal of the second leg through a Jonathan  Bolingi penalty.
"Winning trophies is a habit at Mazembe and you are aware of that although  I was not given specific objectives when signing a one-year contract," Velud said.
"Continual success in the Champions League is very important to Mazembe  because winning the competition secures a place at the Fifa Club World Cup."
Wydad coach, twice Real Madrid manager and former Liverpool and Wales  striker John Toshack has mixed emotions ahead of the second leg in Lubumbashi.
"Our first leg performance was among the best since I joined the club two  years ago, but it is likely to be a very different game in DR Congo," he said.
"We will  be playing on an artificial surface in an atmosphere unique to  Africa. What does count in our favour is not conceding at home."
Mazembe have yet to find a successor to Tanzania striker Mbwana Aly Samatta,  who has moved to Belgium.
Mazembe and Wydad are among nine Champions League winners seeking group places and just one of the eight second legs does not involve a title-holder.
On Tuesday ex-Birmingham City and Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish guides Egypt's Zamalek as they defend a 2-0 lead over Mouloudia Bejaia in Algeria.
Also on Tuesday A brace by DR Congo-born Idris Mbombo has put Zambian outfit Zesco United in a favourable position as they host Stade Malien of Mali holding a 3-1  advantage.
Another Algerian club Entente Setif, who won the title in 2014, scored two vital away goals in a 2-2 draw in Sudan against Al Merreikh.
On Wednesday Enyimba of Nigeria defend a 3-0 lead over Etoile du Sahel in Tunisia.
The Nigerian lead thanks to a first leg hat-trick from Mfon Udoh, who is the top scorer in the competition so far with seven goals.
Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa hope Colombian Leonardo Castro and Zimbabwean Khama Billiat can transfer sparkling domestic form to Africa as they strive to overcome a 1-0 defeat by AS Vita Club in DR Congo.
Al Ahly of Egypt, under former Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol, enjoy home advantage over Young Africans after drawing 1-1 in Tanzania.
The other tie sees Al Ahly Tripoli take on Asec Mimosas of Ivory Coast at a neutral venue due to the political instability in Libya, the first leg ended 2-0 to the Ivorians.


Venezuela has arrested two top executives of one of the country's largest pharmacy chains.

Pedro Luis Angarita Azpurua, president of the Farmatodo chain, and his vice president were accused of pricing "irregularities".
They were charged under laws aimed at controlling skyrocketing inflation.
The arrests come days after President Nicolas Maduro ordered the arrests of the owners of the well-known Dia a Dia supermarket chain.
Mr Angarita and his deputy Agustin Antonio Alvarez Costa are accused of understocking shelves and of leaving cash registers unstaffed, thus causing long queues to form outside.
Prosecutors said their actions were intended to lead to speculation and rising prices, which would have a "destabilizing" effect on the economy.
News of the arrest came days after President Maduro ordered the arrest of the owners of the Dia a Dia supermarket chain on similar charges.
President of the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce Jorge Roig said the offences the executives had been detained for were "completely subjective".
"We consider it as an attack not only on Farmatodo, but on a specific attack on private industry," he said .
In late January, thousands of Venezuelans attended an opposition march in Caracas, banging empty pots to highlight what they say is the shortage of many staple foods.
Demonstrators also voiced discontent at high inflation, crime and long queues.
Many analysts say currency controls that restrict the availability of dollars for imports play a key role in creating a scarcity of many items.
But President Maduro is adamant that many businessmen are colluding with the political opposition to oust his government.
He has accused four supermarket chains of hoarding goods and smuggling items out of the country.
Venezuela - a major oil producer - has been heavily affected by the fall in oil prices on international markets. The economy officially entered recession in December.


Manager Neil Warnock says Cardiff City will benefit from having Craig Bellamy on the club's staff.

The ex-Bluebirds striker has been appointed player development manager to oversee the club's youth development as they progress to the first team.
"He's always been around the academy but now I see him looking for the younger players we want, looking to put people into first team," Warnock said.
"I don't think you cannot take advantage of him being here."
And Warnock added: "Craig knows what I'm looking for.
"You pick the brains of people who you think can help you, and that's what we're doing.
"It won't stop him if a job comes with more opportunities, we'll say well done and off you go.
"But in the meantime I think it will do him the world of good working with me and the club and the development."
The 37-year-old former Wales captain ended his career with the Bluebirds in 2014 and made 91 appearances during two spells with his hometown club.
Bellamy, who also played for Manchester City, Celtic and in two spells with Liverpool, has been a volunteer academy coach with Cardiff after calling time on his playing career.
Warnock, who succeeded Paul Trollope as Cardiff manager in October, says the former Wales striker will be an asset to the club as he embarks on his coaching career.
"When you look at Craig's record, where he's been what he does, Craig just being there gets 20% more from the kids, but his knowledge of where to go, how to make the runs, [and] not just with kids.
"I can see him coming in with us [senior team] now and again, because you can never know enough in this game, no matter how old you are.
"When you've got a young player having Craig Bellamy telling you what to do it's something special, not many clubs can say that - he can even tell me a few things about strikers.
"He's still passionate, you don't lose that. I have to calm him down at times."


The crisis over the US addiction to painkillers - opioids - is a national emergency, says President Donald Trump.

"It's an emergency, it's a national emergency. We are going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis," he said.
The number of deaths from the drugs - prescribed to a third of Americans in 2015 - has quadrupled in 20 years.
Declaring a national emergency means the issue can get prioritised funding and resources from Washington.
"There's never been what's happened to this country over the last four or five years," said President Trump.
Mr Trump spoke to reporters on Thursday from his golf resort in New Jersey, where he has been taking a 17-day "working vacation".
The declaration came in response to a reporter's question, and was not announced through an official White House press release or statement.
On Tuesday during a meeting at his golf course to discuss the opioid crisis, Mr Trump took a moment to threaten North Korea with "fire and fury" if it continued to engage in provocative nuclear behaviour.
Opioids, according to the US National Institute of Drug Abuse, include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic medications such as fentanyl, or pain relievers that are available by prescription, such as oxycodone, morphine, codeine, and many others.
Many of the victims of drug addiction were initially prescribed legal drugs by doctors to combat pain, but then later switched to the illegal version after their prescription expired.
Patients who are no longer receiving opioids as medication sometimes turn to street drugs such as heroin, which in many cities is cheaper than beer.
Mr Trump had previously been urged by the White House Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis to declare the emergency.
The commission said this would "awaken every American to this simple fact: if this scourge has not found you or your family yet, without bold action by everyone, it soon will".
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who chairs the commission created by Mr Trump, applauded the announcement, saying the group looks forward "to working with this President to address the approximately 142 deaths a day from drug overdoses in the United States".
But on Tuesday, Health Secretary Tom Price suggested that Mr Trump already had the necessary authority to tackle the crisis.
"We believe at this point that the resources that we need or the focus that we need to bring to bear to the opioid crisis at this point can be addressed without the declaration of an emergency," he said.
Mr Trump campaigned partly on a promise to tackle the drug epidemic which has claimed lives in urban, suburban and rural America.
Last week transcripts revealed that Mr Trump referred to the state of New Hampshire, where he campaigned often, as drug-infested.
"I won New Hampshire because New Hampshire is a drug-infested den," Mr Trump told the president of Mexico, according to a leaked transcript of the January phone call.
As an open-air heroin camp is closed, options narrow


A 70-year-old man wrestled two men to the ground and detained a third after seeing a group of "15 to 18 men" getting out of a lorry.

Parish councillor Patrick Smith was driving with his wife Christine when they spotted the group near Dunstable.
The Smiths, from Caddington, Bedfordshire, spotted the stowaways on the A5 on Friday.
A total of six people were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences, police said.
The couple were travelling to go shopping when they saw the men exit the lorry.
"It was like something out of a film," Mrs Smith said.
They phoned the police and then watched as the group split up.
"Two of them went into a restaurant car park," Mr Smith said. "We went in there and I grabbed them. I went down on the floor with them.
"When they managed to get away I chased them. I took the car at them - one went in to the ditch."
Mr Smith, who said he spent time in the military and also worked for a security company, said the men got away but he spotted another "a short while after".
He "grabbed him" and put him in his car until the police came.
"He had no option," Mr Smith said. "He had to shut up and sit there."
Mrs Smith said the incident was "quite sad".


A web-based programme encouraging people to wash their hands more frequently could reduce the risk of catching and passing on infections, a study suggests.

Researchers writing in The Lancet tested it on around 16,000 households in the UK during the winter flu season.
They found a 14% reduction in general risk of infection and a 20% lower risk of catching flu in those who used it.
This group also visited their GP less and needed fewer antibiotics.
Most people wash their hands five or six times a day, but Prof Paul Little, from the University of Southampton, who led the research, said that if that could be increased to 10 times a day it would have an important effect on reducing the spread of bugs and infections.
Previous research has shown that infections in adults could be prevented if they washed their hands more often and reduced their 'viral load'.
This would be of particular benefit to people who do not want to catch flu, such as those with heart or lung problems or the elderly.
The programme, called PRIMIT, has four weekly sessions which explain the medical evidence behind regular hand-washing.
It encourages users to learn simple techniques to avoid catching and passing on viruses and to monitor their own hand-washing behaviour.
Those using the programme in the study were followed for 16 weeks and asked to fill in a questionnaire afterwards.
Prof Little said that because most households now have access to the internet, the programme could be a good source of health information in a pandemic and help prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed.
Commenting on the study, Prof Chris van Weel, from Radboud University in the Netherlands, said promoting the routine of regular hand-washing was a good thing because it was cost-effective and had public health benefits too.
"The investigators showed improved management of infections while using fewer antibiotics, which is in line with policies to counter the threat of population resistance to antibiotics."


Two second-half mistakes from Kolo Toure gifted Borussia Monchengladbach a Champions League victory at Celtic.

The visitors dominated the first half but Celtic held firm, and even passed up a good chance when Scott Sinclair sliced over from close range.
However, Lars Stindl drove in the visitors' first goal after Andre Hahn robbed Toure of possession.
Hahn made it two when he raced past Toure to score following the Ivory Coast defender's poor pass.
Media playback is not supported on this device
The Germans came here without some stellar names, most notably chief goalscorer Raffael and one of their most creative players, Thorgan Hazard. Both missed out through injury, a bout of misfortune Celtic would have hoped to exploit.
They were unable to. Too many Celtic players were out of sorts, in their passing, their concentration, their aggression. They were out-played and out-fought. Celtic were lucky to lose by only two goals.
Gladbach did something Manchester City could not when they were here a few weeks back - they kept Celtic down and kept their vast support largely hushed. If two of their most dangerous players were absent, they had others.
Ibrahima Traore, Tobias Strobl and, most tellingly, the excellent double act of Stindl and Hahn, moved it quickly and found space time and again. They got in behind their hosts and asked all sorts of questions.
Traore had a shot saved wonderfully by Craig Gordon, then Jonas Hofmann forced another stop from the Celtic goalkeeper. Just after, Hahn had a decent effort, then Strobl caused some bother.
Celtic could not hold on to the ball and could not do anything with the ball they kept. This was the polar opposite of the thrill-fest against Manchester City.
Gladbach's dominance continued after the break. They were pacy and intelligent and far too much for Celtic. Eventually, they found their ruthlessness in front of goal, too.
Toure had a double meltdown. For the first, he tried to see a ball out for a goal-kick only to be ransacked of possession by Hahn, who managed to scramble a pass to Stindl, who shot past Gordon.
Later, after Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers had made his move by bringing on Leigh Griffiths to play alongside Moussa Dembele, Gladbach scored again. Toure gave it away and Hahn took advantage, motoring through on the Celtic goal and finishing brilliantly.
Given that Gladbach were missing four key first-team players, this was Celtic's chance to secure a precious victory, a win that would have put them in the box seat for a third-place finish in the group - and Europa League football beyond Christmas.
That hope is withering now. Celtic's away record in Europe is horrendous, and when Celtic go to Germany the probability is their hosts are going to have their injured men fit again. If they cannot beat a diminished Gladbach in Glasgow, what chance of overturning this loss on the road?
After the giddy highs of that classic against Manchester City, this was a return to sobriety for Rodgers' team.
Match ends, Celtic 0, Borussia Mönchengladbach 2.
Second Half ends, Celtic 0, Borussia Mönchengladbach 2.
Attempt blocked. Nico Schulz (Borussia Mönchengladbach) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is blocked. Assisted by Oscar Wendt.
Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Patrick Herrmann replaces André Hahn.
Corner,  Celtic. Conceded by Tobias Strobl.
Substitution, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Nico Schulz replaces Ibrahima Traoré.
Foul by Callum McGregor (Celtic).
Christoph Kramer (Borussia Mönchengladbach) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. André Hahn (Borussia Mönchengladbach) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Lars Stindl.
Attempt blocked. Moussa Dembele (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Patrick Roberts.
Erik Sviatchenko (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by André Hahn (Borussia Mönchengladbach).
Goal!  Celtic 0, Borussia Mönchengladbach 2. André Hahn (Borussia Mönchengladbach) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner.
Foul by Erik Sviatchenko (Celtic).
André Hahn (Borussia Mönchengladbach) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Celtic. Patrick Roberts replaces James Forrest.
Substitution, Celtic. Leigh Griffiths replaces Tomas Rogic.
Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
Jonas Hofmann (Borussia Mönchengladbach) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner,  Celtic. Conceded by Tobias Strobl.
Corner,  Celtic. Conceded by Julian Korb.
Attempt blocked. Tomas Rogic (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Callum McGregor.
Offside, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Ibrahima Traoré tries a through ball, but Jonas Hofmann is caught offside.
Substitution, Celtic. Callum McGregor replaces Nir Bitton.
Offside, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Jannik Vestergaard tries a through ball, but André Hahn is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Nir Bitton (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Tomas Rogic.
André Hahn (Borussia Mönchengladbach) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
Attempt blocked. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Goal!  Celtic 0, Borussia Mönchengladbach 1. Lars Stindl (Borussia Mönchengladbach) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right to the centre of the goal. Assisted by André Hahn.
Attempt missed. Tobias Strobl (Borussia Mönchengladbach) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by André Hahn following a corner.
Corner,  Borussia Mönchengladbach. Conceded by Erik Sviatchenko.
Attempt missed. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Mikael Lustig with a cross.
Second Half begins Celtic 0, Borussia Mönchengladbach 0.
First Half ends, Celtic 0, Borussia Mönchengladbach 0.
Attempt missed. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) left footed shot from the left side of the box is too high. Assisted by Tomas Rogic with a through ball.
Foul by Jannik Vestergaard (Borussia Mönchengladbach).
Tomas Rogic (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
André Hahn (Borussia Mönchengladbach) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Erik Sviatchenko (Celtic).


Malware that launched the net's largest ever cyber-attack last year had links to Minecraft servers, according to those investigating it.

Security blogger Brian Krebs has spent months investigating the attack which knocked his blog offline.
He claims that the origins of the Mirai botnet can be traced back to rivalries in the Minecraft community.
His claims are backed up by a security expert who provided net security for Minecraft servers.
Robert Coelho, vice president of security firm ProxyPipe, told the BBC that his suspicions about who was behind the Mirai code have been passed to the FBI, which is "actively investigating" the claims.
The botnet Mirai was made up of more than 500,000 web-connected devices such as webcams and routers.
The attacks it launched - so-called denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that hit web pages with so much data that they fall over - were the biggest the net had ever experienced.
Victims that were knocked offline included Twitter, Spotify and Reddit.
Shortly after the attacks, the individual claiming responsibility - using the codename Anna Senpai - released the source code online, paving the way for copycat attacks.
A modified form of the malware was later used to attack UK internet service providers TalkTalk and the Post Office.
Since being hit by the Mirai botnet in September 2016, Mr Krebs has devoted "hundreds of hours" into uncovering who was behind it.
"If you've ever wondered why it seems that so few internet criminals are brought to justice, I can tell you that the sheer amount of persistence and investigative resources required to piece together who's done what to whom (and why) in the online era is tremendous," he wrote.
His research led him directly to the community around Minecraft, a computer game now owned by Microsoft, in which users build things from cubic blocks.
It has a huge following, especially among children, and it is estimated that at any one time a million people are playing it.
According to Mr Krebs, a large successful Minecraft web server with more than 1,000 players logging on each day can earn up to $50,000 (Â£40,600) per month, mainly from players renting space to build their Minecraft worlds.
"The first clues to Anna Senpai's identity didn't become clear until I understood that Mirai was just the latest incarnation of an IoT [internet of things] botnet family that has been in development and relatively broad use for nearly three years," he writes.
The code for these earlier versions was often used to knock over web servers used to host Minecraft, he claims.
ProxyPipe - owned by Mr Coelho - had plenty of Minecraft servers as clients and in mid-2015 was hit by a massive attack, launched from a botnet made up of IoT devices such as web cameras.
Mr Coelho told the BBC that he had his suspicions about who was behind the attack: "Minecraft is a tight knit community. We know who is talking to who."
He alleged that the attack came from a competing security firm, which also offered DDoS protection to Minecraft clients.
He claimed that the founder of the security firm had previously run a Minecraft web server and was one of his clients.
He also claims that the Mirai author - Anna Senpai - contacted him via Skype at the end of September, partly to explain that the attack on his firm was "not personal" but also to brag that he had been paid by the owners of a large Minecraft server to launch an attack on a rival server.


Up until recently, people in Uzbekistan knew only one leader - Islam Karimov, who created one of the most repressive states in the world.

When he died, society was caught in uncertainty - who would succeed him, and how?  Some even predicted a violent power struggle.
But the power transfer went remarkably smoothly. Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev was named as the acting president and Karimov's Liberal Democratic party nominated him as its candidate for the presidential election scheduled on 4 December.
Few people today doubt that Mr Mirziyoyev will be the next leader of Uzbekistan.
But the job is far from over.
Mr Mirziyoyev has not been officially registered as a presidential candidate yet but his campaign seems to be in full swing. He has been criss-crossing the country meeting people, issuing decrees and signing laws.
"He does that because he needs to become visible, not everyone will know him," argues Luca Anceschi, a lecturer in Central Asian studies at the University of Glasgow.
Mr Mirziyoyev worked in the shadow of Karimov's rule and, according to cables released by the Wikileaks organisation, he instructed state media not to show images of him because the president may have got jealous.
Now, he's trying to make up lost time: he has visited eight of Uzbekistan's 13 regions of Uzbekistan in two weeks.
Interestingly, Mr Mirziyoyev has so far avoided visiting regions in the Ferghana valley, where discontent over the government's policies is believed to be high. People there still remember how the army violently broke up a major public protest in Andijan in 2005.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev seems to be consolidating power by reshuffling the cabinet, appointing new governors, police chiefs and prosecutors.
He even changed the minister of education and his deputy. The resources of this ministry are regularly used during elections to manipulate votes and reach out to the voters.
Regional media also report that Mr Mirziyoyev's family has started taking over the businesses that belonged to the Karimov family.
But gaining control over finance and powerful state agencies is not enough. The interim president has to compete with Karimov's legacy and convince people he is the rightful successor.
The entire legitimacy of the regime in Uzbekistan was based on Islam Karimov's image. Any thought that someone else could lead the country was suppressed before it could be even voiced. State propaganda relentlessly reminded people that Uzbekistan was a "state with a great future" thanks to Karimov.
"People in Central Asia are very close to their first-generation leader because they have this first president's aura, which others don't have," says Dr Anceschi.
Mr Mirziyoyev needs to boost his legitimacy - and he has done that by promising to follow the course of his predecessor.
"It is our duty to implement the main concepts of the progressive path determined by [Islam Karimov] and follow its direction, goals and aims without questions and in full," he announced when the joint session of the parliament named him as the interim president.
And yet, his first steps reversed some unpopular decisions made under Karimov's rule. He abolished "unscheduled" audits of businesses. Foreign currency revenue regulations for farmers were eased. Main roads used by the president's convoy, and closed for the public, were opened again.
These measures seem to have had an effect on the population. "People say that the new leader cares about them," a resident of the capital Tashkent tells the BBC. "Many are quite optimistic."
In foreign policy, Mr Mirziyoyev called for an "open and widened dialogue" with Tajikistan, which until recently was regarded as the arch enemy. He also invited a delegation from Kyrgyzstan a month after a tense stand-off between the two countries over disputed territories.
These moves are also aimed at bolstering legitimacy, says Alisher Khamidov, from the University of Newcastle.
"In the absence of Karimov, the Uzbek elites need new forms of legitimisation. Good relations with large states such as Russia and with neighbours fit this purpose."
But Lawrence Markowitz, associate professor at Rowan University in New Jersey, says that these steps are superficial. No changes in the political system can be expected in Uzbekistan, he says.
"Elites have vested interests in preserving the status quo that enables them to continue to channel side payments and rents into their private coffers," Dr Markowitz says. "Political institutions are too weak to support a diffusion of power away from the presidency."
In his attempt to get recognition, the new leader of Uzbekistan seems to be offering carrots to the society. But observers agree that this honeymoon period will unlikely last very long and that soon, sticks will replace carrots.
Population 28.1 million
Area 447,400 sq km (172,700 sq miles)
Major languages Uzbek, Russian, Tajik
Major religion Islam
Life expectancy 66 years (men), 72 years (women)
Currency  Uzbek som


Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo wants to the leave the club, a source close to the player has told the BBC.


A mosque in Galway was vandalised on Monday night while a full congregation of worshippers was inside.

It happened about 23:00 local time, during Ramadan nightfall prayers at the Masjid Maryam mosque, in Ballybrit.
Irish national broadcaster RTÉ is reporting the mosque's Imam Ibrahim Noonan believes it was a targeted incident after Saturday night's terrorist attack in London.
He said he initially thought the huge bang was caused by an electrical fault.
It is understood CCTV footage shows suspects fleeing the scene after shattering a window.
Garda (Irish police) confirmed they are investigating the criminal damage at the premises in Ballybrit, County Galway.
They are appealing for witnesses and reviewing the CCTV. No arrests have yet been made.


The grandparents of two children hurt when a car mounted a pavement and hit a group of pedestrians are still in hospital with serious injuries.

The family were among seven people injured in the crash outside The Friary Centre in Guildford on Friday morning.
A boy, aged two, and his one-year-old sister were both released from hospital over the weekend, Surrey Police said.
The condition is not known of three other women who were hurt. Their injuries had been described as minor.
A spokeswoman for the force said the police investigation was ongoing.
At the time, police said the Volkswagen Polo was being driven by a woman in her 80s, and she had a male passenger with her.
The siblings were in a children's push-along shopping trolley, in the shape of a car, which was being pushed by their grandparents.
A specialist crash investigation unit has been investing the circumstances of the crash in North Street.


St Helens have named an unchanged 19-man squad from the one that secured a narrow victory at Warrington.

Saints have lost both games against the French side this season, 30-12 in front of their own fans in April and then 33-16 in June in the reverse fixture.
Catalans forward Willie Mason was released from his contract this week as he was out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury.
Half-back Lucas Albert replaces Thomas Bosc in their only change.
St Helens (from): Lomax, Turner, Percival, Swift, Walsh, Walmsley, Roby, Amor, Vea, Wilkin, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Tasi, Richards, Thompson, Peyroux, Greenwood, Owens, Fleming, Knowles.
Catalans (from): Gigot, Broughton, Duport, Carney, Anderson, Aiton, Casty, Stewart, Horo, Baitieri, Taylor, Bousquet, Pelissier, Mounis, Elima, Yaha, Escare, Albert, Garcia.


The Speaker of the House of Commons is one of the biggest jobs in British politics.

But what does the Speaker do? Read our guide to the role, how the Speaker is chosen, and the history of the job.
The Speaker of the House of Commons chairs debates between Members of Parliament (MPs). They keep order and call up MPs to speak.
The Speaker also represents the House of Commons to the Queen, the House of Lords and other authorities.
They have three deputies.
The role of the Speaker goes to an MP who is decided in a secret vote of their fellow MPs.
They are elected on the first day a new parliament comes together, or after a Speaker has resigned.
The Speaker must remain impartial at all times - that means they cannot take sides.
When elected, they must resign from their political party and stay separate from political issues - even after they retire.
The Speaker has a powerful role in the House of Commons.
They can ask an MP to withdraw remarks if they think it's inappropriate, and tell MPs to be quiet so opinions can be heard.
They can also suspend MPs who misbehave - or even call off a session if things get really out of hand.
Debates in the House of Commons can get very heated, especially during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) - when the prime minister answers questions from MPs on Wednesdays.
MPs will often shout and jeer at each other and call each other names.
In April, Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband made the news for using the insults "muppet" and "dunce" for each other.
With more than 600 MPs to control, it can be hard work keeping things running smoothly.
The current Speaker is John Bercow. He was elected on 22 June 2009.
He is the 157th Speaker of the House of Commons.
He was elected MP for Buckingham in 1997 as a member of the Conservative Party.
The Speaker role is more than 600 years old.
The first Speaker, Sir Thomas Hungerford, was appointed in 1377, but earlier versions of the role date back to 1258.
Until the 17th Century, the Speaker was seen as working for the king or queen. But the Speaker was often blamed if they brought news from Parliament that the monarch did not like.
Due to this, seven Speakers were executed between 1394 and 1535!


A 15-year-old boy has died after being found unconscious in his cell at a young offenders institution in Kent.

The Prison Service said Alex Kelly had been identified as being at risk of suicide or self-harm, but did not give details of the boy's condition when he was found.
Kelly was taken to hospital from HMP Cookham Wood, near Rochester, but he later died, a spokeswoman said.
He had been serving a 10-month sentence for burglary and theft from a vehicle.
The teenager was found in his cell at about 20:30 GMT on Tuesday.
Staff tried to resuscitate him and paramedics attended before he was taken to hospital, but he was pronounced dead at 19:30 GMT on Wednesday.
Kelly is the second young offender to die within a week at young offenders institutions in the UK.
Jake Hardy was found at Hindley young offenders institution in Wigan on Friday and taken to hospital, where he died on Tuesday.
The Prison Service spokeswoman said: "Every death in custody or the community is a tragedy for families and has a profound effect on staff and other offenders.
"The National Offender Management Service (Noms) is committed to reducing the numbers of deaths in custody.
"Each death is subject to an investigation and, since 2004, these have been undertaken by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.
"Additionally, for young people who die in custody there will be a serious case review, commissioned by the local safeguarding board."
A spokeswoman for the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) said investigators would try to answer any questions Kelly's friends and family may have, and would also involve them in the investigation if they wished.
She said: "Our independent investigation will aim to identify the full circumstances of the death and whether there were any failings in Alex Kelly's care.
"Where possible we will identify lessons to be learned and make recommendations to the Prison Service to help prevent similar deaths in future."
Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust campaign group, said: "Lessons must be learnt from the tragic deaths within one week of two children in prison.
"Above all, we need to become 'wise before the event' and avoid locking up our most vulnerable young people in our bleakest institutions."
She also said that low staffing levels and lack of resources made it very difficult for staff to respond to youngsters in extreme distress.
Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the prison had a "chequered past".
"The last inspection report found the prison to be unsafe. So why do we continue to send children there, and places like it?," he said.
"The truth is that warehousing children in large prisons is completely inappropriate and ignores the fact that young people in conflict with the law often present many complex needs that a prison simply cannot provide for."


The deadline for a deal on Scotland's future finances has been pushed back as negotiations continue on the so-called fiscal framework.

A deal was meant to be agreed by Friday, but MSPs have now pushed the deadline back to 23 February.
The prime minister has said the Scottish government must be prepared to give ground in the talks.
BBC Scotland understands the Treasury and Scottish government are to table fresh proposals in the coming days.
Meanwhile, some key opposition politicians have told BBC Scotland they back the Scottish government's stance.
Talks over the fiscal framework have been going on for several months, but have stalled over differences of opinion on the Smith Commission's "no detriment" principle - the idea that any deal should not impact adversely on the budgets of Scotland or the rest of the UK.
The Scotland Bill on new powers for the Scottish Parliament, which is currently going through Westminster, cannot proceed until an agreement is reached.
The two sides will now have extra time to thrash out a deal after the devolution committee demanded a "full explanation" of their positions by a meeting on 23 February.
Convener Bruce Crawford said there would be "very substantial impacts" on the Scottish Parliament's ability to scrutinse the deal if matters were delayed beyond 19 February.
He said the Holyrood and Westminster teams would have to give a "full explanation of their position on a fiscal framework" at the committee's meeting on 23 February, "whatever the circumstances".
Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney said Scotland stood to lose about £3bn over 10 years under proposals put forward by the UK Treasury.
This would be because Scotland's population is expected to grow more slowly than the UK's.
The Treasury is to table a fresh offer, which BBC Scotland understands would include £4.5bn of compensation for the impact of population growth, spread over 10 years.
However, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said this simply restated existing proposals, calling the figure "the difference between the UK government's opening position of a £7bn cut and current position of an almost £3bn cut".
Scottish ministers have argued that they cannot effectively tackle slower population growth without immigration powers.
Six of the 10 members of the cross-party Smith Commission which drew up the blueprint for the devolution settlement, including senior Labour, Liberal Democrat and Scottish Green members, have said they broadly support the Scottish government over the issue.
They include Labour's Iain Gray, Liberal Democrat Tavish Scott and Green co-convenor Maggie Chapman, who explicitly back calls for budget protection from the population effect.
Mr Gray said: "To a degree I think I largely agree with John Swinney on this position. What has been talked about is a population trend which is in place and would be nothing to do with decisions that had been taken in Scotland. In my view it does have to be factored into the discussions."
Mr Scott agreed it was "logical" that the new fiscal framework should take Scotland's slower population growth into account.
And Ms Chapman said: "We heard time and time again during the referendum campaign that if Scotland voted 'No' it would be better for everybody because we were all in this together.
"Under that principle, the UK government has a responsibility to ensure that Scotland does not face detriment."
Lord Smith himself said he would not comment on the details while talks were ongoing, but said it was "vital" the two governments resolve their differences.
He said: "The new powers set out in the Scotland Bill will lead to a transformation of the powers held by Holyrood and it would be a terrible shame if they were to fall away at this late stage."
But Adam Tomkins, a Conservative member of the Smith Commission, said: "The no detriment principle is a principle that must be applied equally to taxpayers in Scotland and to taxpayers in the rest of the United Kingdom, it is not a one-way insurance policy."
Meanwhile, a House of Commons committee has called on the two governments to explore an adjusted version of the method favoured by the Scottish government in order to find a solution to the apparent deadlock.
The method - known as per capita indexed deduction - would take Scotland's slower population growth into account.
The Scottish Affairs Committee said an additional adjustment could be applied to secure the principle of taxpayer fairness for both Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
It has also suggested that the operation of the new fiscal framework should be reviewed after four years.
During Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, David Cameron said "no-one is keener on agreement" than he was.
But in a letter to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Mr Cameron said the Scottish government "need to be prepared to move towards us".
He said any deal must to be fair for taxpayers across the UK as well as in Scotland, and claimed the Scottish government seemed to lack confidence in its ability to make Scotland an even more attractive place for people to live.
Mr Swinney responded: "Any mechanism that would systematically reduce the Scottish government budget simply as a result of devolution and before the Scottish government makes any policy choices is unacceptable and will not be agreed by the Scottish government".


Further development plans have been announced for a County Durham castle which was home to the Bishop of Durham for 800 years.

Proposals already exist for a £17m museum at Auckland Castle in Bishop Auckland, where religious paintings by Spanish artist Francisco Zurbaran hang.
Now planning permission for additional schemes costing more than £7m is to be sought before the end of the year.
They include a £3.5m gallery dedicated to Spanish art and a £1.5m study area.
Auckland Castle Trust, which owns the former Bishop's home, said it hoped the redevelopment would attract 130,000 visitors a year.
Building work is due to begin in 2015 and take about three years.
The castle's current biggest attractions are the Zurbaran paintings, which have hung in the castle for 250 years.
Trust chief executive David Ronn said: "Our aim in all this is to be a catalyst for the regeneration of Bishop Auckland and especially the historic and very fine Market Square.
"The work of the Trust over the last two years has created 40 jobs, with 80% of those employed living within 20 miles of the castle and there are many more to come."


Vang Pao, the former general and leader of his Hmong ethnic group in Laos, has died in exile in the US, aged 81.

He had been in hospital for about 10 days before his death late on Thursday.
As a young man, he had fought against the Japanese during World War II, and with the French against the North Vietnamese in the 1950s.
He led a 15-year CIA-sponsored secret war in Laos during the Vietnam War and, when it was lost, led tens of thousands of his people into exile.
Thousands of ethnic Hmong are expected to attend his funeral in Fresno, California.
"He'll be remembered as a great general, a great warrior, a great Hmong soldier," his friend Charlie Waters told AFP news agency.
However the response from the Laos government was muted. "He was an ordinary person, so we do not have any reaction," a government spokesman was quoted by AFP as saying.
Gen Pao was a controversial figure, deeply loved by many Hmong - an ethnic minority in Lao that complains of persecution - for his insistence on freedom from foreign domination.
Former Central Intelligence Agency chief William Colby once called Gen Pao "the biggest hero of the Vietnam War".
But critics say that by allying himself with the US, Gen Pao caused his people untold suffering - something that he himself recognised.
"I lost 17,000 men, almost 10% of the total Hmong population. The Hmong sacrificed the most in the war and were the ones who suffered the most," he said at the Heritage Foundation think tank in 1987.
Americans who first came into contact with him found a man skilled in warfare and with the charisma necessary to sustain a dangerous, 15-year operation in support of the US against the North Vietnamese.
The CIA airline, Air America, carried Gen Pao and his fighters across the country.
Laos' forgotten Hmong
On the ground, he and his men disrupted Vietnamese supply lines and engaged in pitched battles to try to stave off the Vietnamese-backed communist victory in Laos.
When that effort failed in 1975, Gen Pao led many thousands of Hmong into what are now well-established exile communities in the US.
The Central Valley of California, Minneapolis and cities throughout Wisconsin have a Hmong presence of an estimated 30,000-40,0000.
In his later years, Gen Pao was accused of leading rebellions or sponsoring subversion against the People's Democratic Republic of Laos.
In 2007, he was charged along with nine others with plotting to use AK-47 rifles, missiles and mercenaries to overthrow the Lao government. Charges against him were later dropped.
He was regarded by some as an exiled head of state.
"He's the last of his kind, the last of the leadership that carries that reverence that everyone holds dear," said Blong Xiong, a Fresno city councilman and prominent Hmong-American.
"Whether they're young or old, they hear his name, there's the respect that goes with it."
BBC News website readers have been sending in their reaction to the news.  Here is a selection of their comments.
General Vang Pao is our greatest leader and will remain this way. He was our beacon of hope and is the very reason why we are here in the US, our land of opportunity. He will forever be missed and no one will be able to replace him in our hearts, mind and community. He was a much loved leader that led his people. He wasn't one to be above anyone, but rolled up his sleeves and challenged our everyday struggles with us. He is a great hero that - even though was considered "exiled" - was truly not because his people followed him to the very end. Mao Lee, Fresno, California, US
I cannot believe that there can be any celebration of someone who supported the US and the CIA in Vietnam/Laos. Your note that as a Community Leader he worked as a security guard at a supermarket in the USA says it all. The US should still be damned for the horror that they exercised on Vietnamese (and US) people in the Vietnam war - and in Laos and Cambodia. Mike, Cape Town
It's a tragic loss for the Hmong community. A historic Hmong leader has passed away. Neng Vang, St Paul, Minnesota, US
General Vang Pao will always be regarded as the Hmong people's saviour of the war. He negotiated our freedom from what would be certain death for many of us in Laos. It is too bad that young people, like me, will never fully understand the extent of his courage, and the charismatic nature of this man. I just wished that he had done more for the young people here in the US. Maybe now that the only "leader" we have known is gone, maybe the Hmong community can finally understand that a divided community is not as strong as one that is unified. I certainly hope his death will cause unification and not further separation. Gregory Yang, Merced, CA, US
I met Vang Pao once in the refugee camp at Loei when he and Jerry Daniels were engineering the translocation of the entire tribe to America against the wishes of Congress. The visionary leadership at that point has become, and deserves to be, legendary. He could have just joined his relatives in Missoula but he stayed and engineered the future of hundreds of thousands of his people with craft and brilliance. With Jerry dead in 1984, the Hmong people have lost the last of the pair which worked together and alone created their destiny. I feel so proud to have met a man of his stature, may he be at peace in the presence of the Lord. Dan Pride, I.C.E.M Evacuation Officer Ampur Loei
As we heard the news, my parents were crying. They couldn't sleep last night and they told me that they don't know what is going to happen to the Hmong people now that General Vang Pao is gone. He has been the father figure for the Hmong people and this is going to be a very hard time for our community. Our community leaders will meet together and get this funeral done first and then we will talk about what we are going to do next. Pao, St. Paul, MN, US
General Pao was the last of the Nationalist leaders from the Vietnam era. Men like him fought the Japanese and anyone else that wanted to dominate their country. We, in the US, could not tell the difference between a nationalist and a Communist. So we supported Catholics to rule a country of non-Catholics and other such stupidities. General Pao and the loyalty of his people is a good story with a semi-tragic ending in that most are far from home, the worst hell on earth for a nationalist. Mike Reid, Sheridan, Oregon, US


The boss of this year's London World Para-athletics Championships wants the event to make an immediate return to the city in 2019.

Numerous athletes have called for the event to stay at London Stadium.
More than 230,000 people will attend this year's championships, with more tickets sold than in all eight of the previous championships combined.
"I'd love it back here in two years' time," said Ed Warner, co-chair of London 2017.
"This call from the athletes for it to return here has come organically. Athletes from around the world think this is the place to be.
"Can we make it happen? I hope so. I've had some interesting early conversations. I think the door is ajar. The International Paralympic Committee have loved what they've seen."
Canada's Brent Lakatos, the United States' Tatyana McFadden and Ireland's Jason Smyth are among the international athletes to call for the event to return to London.
The London 2017 organising committee is responsible for hosting the World Para-athletics - in partnership with governing body the IPC - as well as the IAAF World Championships, which start in August.
It is the first time both events have been held at the same venue in the same summer and while the locations for the next two IAAF Worlds have been determined, the International Paralympic Committee has yet to announce a 2019 host.
The 2015 championships were held in Doha, where just 15,000 tickets were sold in total.
The London championships will be the best attended outside of a Paralympics, but the 56,000-capacity London Stadium, which hosted athletics at London 2012, has looked sparse at times.
"We've had huge audiences by the standards of these championships," said Warner.
"There are usually tiny audiences and for the first time we've had serious crowds. It should be back in this stadium - it's built for athletics. I've seen a lot around the world and this is the best by far."
Ireland's double gold medallist in London, Jason Smyth: "The reality is that as an athlete you want to compete in the best stadiums and in front of the most people. When I look back at my career so far, London 2012 was a highlight and it was because of the crowd on top of the medals.
"Looking back at World Championships over the last 10 years, we've never been supported as well as we have here. That's why people like the idea of coming back."
Germany's T44 long jump champion Markus Rehm: "It would be great for us to come back. We feel really really welcome here.
"The crowd are amazing and support us so well. We've never had audiences like this before in the World Championships. If we had the chance to come back here, I would always do it."
Germany's T42 sprinter and long jumper Vanessa Low: "In London, athletes feel like they are accepted for their performance and not for their disability.
"It would be nice to be here again because you can be sure it will be a great championships again. But I'm wondering if we should give another country a chance to match that. Maybe a country can learn from London."


A 70-year-old former vicar accused of raping a boy in the 1980s has been found dead.

An arrest warrant had been issued for Trevor Devamanikkam, from Witney, after he failed to appear at Bradford Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
Mr Devamanikkam was accused of six sexual offences allegedly committed while he was a vicar in Bradford.
His body was found by police just after 16:00 BST on Tuesday, at an address at Otters Court, Priory Mill Lane.
Thames Valley Police officers attended the scene after concerns for Mr Devamanikkam's welfare were raised.
A spokesman said: "Officers entered the property and found a man in his 70s deceased.
"He was declared dead at the scene.  At this stage the death is not believed to be suspicious.
"A file is being prepared for the coroner."
The six offences Mr Devamanikkam was accused of are alleged to have taken place against a 16-year-old boy, between March 1984 and April 1985.


A French court has rejected a case in which the family of late Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi sued the makers of Call of Duty over his depiction in the best-selling video game.

Three of Savimbi's children accused Activision Blizzard of defamation by representing him as a "barbarian".
Magistrates said the lawsuit contained procedural flaws and that they had no jurisdiction in the case.
Savimbi founded the Unita movement, waging a civil war with Angolan forces.
More about this and other African news stories
Angola became a Cold War battleground, with Unita backed by the US and the apartheid government in South Africa, while Angola's ruling MPLA party was supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba.
The rebel leader was eventually killed in clashes with state forces in 2002.
The family was seeking â‚¬1m ($1.1m; Â£0.75m) in damages.
"We are disappointed," Savimbi's son Cheya was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.
In the last years of the Angolan war, Jonas Savimbi became a symbol to the outside world for everything that was wrong in Angola.
Although it's difficult to separate the truth from the propaganda and the "Heart of Darkness" stereotypes that stick to many African conflicts, Savimbi's reputation is based on some confirmed incidents.
Suspected witches were burnt alive at Savimbi's headquarters in the early 1980s.
Fred Bridgland, Savimbi's previously admiring biographer, later wrote a horrifying tale of the murder of the Chingunji family who had fallen from grace with Savimbi.
Yet the Angolan civil war lasted for 27 years and both sides committed acts of brutality.
It would be wrong to pin everything on one man, who is still remembered with awe by many who lived under the rule of Unita, and admired by a generation that has grown up since the war.
Justin Pearce is a former BBC Angola correspondent, now at the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge
More about Angola
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 shows him rallying his troops with phrases like "death to the MPLA".
His family had said they were outraged at the depiction.
"Seeing him kill people, cutting someone's arm off... that isn't Dad," Cheya Savimbi said.
The three children live in the Paris region and took the French branch of Activision to court in Nanterre, near the French capital.
A lawyer for Activision Blizzard, Etienne Kowalski, argued that the case was about freedom of expression.
"He was a warlord, there is no possible contestation," the lawyer said, according to AFP.
The latest Call of Duty was the world's top selling game last year, and the game has often featured versions of real-life figures.
In 2014, a bid by former Panama dictator Manuel Noriega to claim damages over his depiction in the game was dismissed by a US court.
Obituary: Jonas Savimbi, Unita's local boy


Police in the Ukrainian capital Kiev have launched a fresh attack on anti-government protesters as the death toll in renewed clashes has climbed to 26.

The new attempt to uproot the protest stronghold came as President Yanukovych blamed opposition leaders for the worst violence in months of unrest.
After failed overnight talks, he urged them to distance themselves from radical forces.
The EU says it expects to agree sanctions on those behind "repression".
By Daniel SandfordBBC News, Ukraine
This no longer seems to be a democratic argument over Ukraine's relationship with Russia. It is a violent power struggle.
The violence is contained - and mostly takes place in four square kilometres in central Kiev - but the determination of the most active protesters should not be underestimated, nor should President Viktor Yanukovych's determination to survive.
It's unlikely that any leader of a Western European democracy would still be in post if similar events had happened in their country.
But although the violent protesters, many inspired by far-right politics, are now focused on revolution, their numbers are small. They alone could not overthrow the government.
What makes this crisis so serious is the quiet support that many in western Ukraine, particularly in Lviv, are giving to the violence.  It means that a split between eastern Ukraine and western Ukraine is being openly discussed, even though few people say they want that.
A violent power struggle
You can follow Daniel on Twitter
Russia, however, has accused opposition protesters of trying to engineer a "violent takeover of power".
Police launched their latest assault on Independence Square, also known as the Maidan, shortly after 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT). Several tents were set ablaze, and water cannon was later used.
The BBC's Daniel Sandford said police had taken control of a corner of the square for the first time since December.
The protests began in late November, when President Viktor Yanukovych rejected a landmark association and trade deal with the EU in favour of closer ties with Russia.
Tensions had begun to subside as recently as Monday, as protesters ended their occupation of government buildings in return for an amnesty against prosecution.
But violence erupted outside parliament on Tuesday morning as government supporters blocked opposition attempts to scale back the president's constitutional powers.
Correspondents say it was unclear what sparked the clashes, with each side blaming the other. Protesters accused pro-government agents provocateurs, known as "titushki", of inciting some of the violence while the government said radical Right Sector supporters were involved.
Fighting spread to surrounding streets and police launched a first attack on Independence Square on Tuesday evening.
The number of dead on both sides has risen to 26 and it is feared the death toll could rise further.
As police gained ground in the Maidan, stones and petrol bombs were met with tear gas.
The protesters tried to hold their defence lines, burning tyres on the barricades and more anti-government activists were said to be on their way to join the camp.
A trade union building where many protesters had been sheltering was set alight and people could be seen climbing down the walls to escape the flames.
There were reports of unrest breaking out elsewhere in Ukraine, including the western cities of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil.
Ukraine protests timeline
Why is Ukraine in crisis?
Media shock and despair
Opposition leaders Vitaly Klitschko and Arseniy Yatsenyuk met President Viktor Yanukovych for late night talks but failed to come to an agreement.
In a statement broadcast on TV news channels on Wednesday morning, President Yanukovych said: "The opposition leaders have disregarded the principle of democracy according to which one obtains power not on the streets or maidans - but through elections."
"They have crossed the line by calling for people to take up arms," he said, warning that those responsible for violence would face the law.
But the president added that there was a "better and more effective way" to solve the crisis - through dialogue and compromise.
"It is not too late to stop the conflict," he said.
Security forces had given the protesters a deadline of 18:00 on Tuesday (16:00 GMT) to leave the square, the scene of a mostly peaceful protest camp since November.
When the deadline expired, riot police advanced with an armoured vehicle, dismantling barricades and firing stun grenades and water cannon.
Protesters resisted, throwing missiles from behind piles of burning tyres.
In speeches from the main stage through the night, protest leaders urged people already on the Maidan to stand firm, and called on Ukrainians elsewhere to come to the square.
"This is an island of freedom and we will defend it," said Vitaly Klitschko, the leader of the Udar (Punch) party.
Mr Yatsenyuk, who heads the Fatherland party, appealed to President Yanukovych to "stop the bloodshed and call a truce".
He had earlier accused the president of blocking attempts to reform the constitution in parliament.
But MPs who support the president said the proposals had not been thoroughly discussed, and that more time was needed.
There has been widespread international alarm at the bloodshed in Kiev.


Germany will allow the potential prosecution of a top comedian after the Turkish president filed a complaint.

Jan Boehmermann had recited a satirical poem on television which made sexual references to Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Under German law, Chancellor Angela Merkel's government had to approve a criminal inquiry.
Mrs Merkel stressed that the courts would have the final word, and it was now up to prosecutors to decide whether to press charges.
The chancellor added that her government would move to repeal the controversial and little-used Article 103 of the penal code, which concerns insults against foreign heads of state, by 2018.
Boehmermann is a satirist and television presenter well-known for pushing the boundaries of German humour. He was given police protection earlier this week.
Some experts say he has a strong defence against potential charges, because his poem could be seen as part of a wider piece of satire about free speech, rather than a deliberate insult, the BBC's Damien McGuinness reports from Berlin.
An earlier remark by Mrs Merkel that the poem was "deliberately offensive" had led to accusations in Germany that she was not standing up for free speech.
The poem was broadcast on ZDF television two weeks ago. The public TV channel has decided not to broadcast Boehmermann's weekly satire programme this week because of the furore surrounding him.
Turkish row stirs German free speech fears
Paragraph 103 of Germany's penal code, on defamation of organs and representatives of foreign states, has the following to say:
(1) Whosoever insults a foreign head of state, or, with respect to his position, a member of a foreign government who is in Germany in his official capacity, or a head of a foreign diplomatic mission who is accredited in the Federal territory shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding three years or a fine, in case of a slanderous insult to imprisonment from three months to five years.
The article dates back to the penal code drafted when the German Empire was formed in 1871, although at that time it just applied to monarchs.
It has been little used in recent years and is colloquially known as the "Shah law" among German lawyers after the Shah of Persia successfully brought a case against a Cologne newspaper in 1964.
A Swiss man living in Bavaria was also prosecuted under the article in 2007, after he posted offensive comments about the then-Swiss President, Micheline Calmy-Rey, on the internet, according to German and Swiss media.
Criminal code in full (in English)
Before announcing that Boehmermann could be prosecuted, Mrs Merkel stressed her government expected Turkey to comply with EU democratic norms in the areas of free speech and judicial independence.
"In a state under the rule of law, it is not a matter for the government but rather for state prosecutors and courts to weigh personal rights issues and other concerns affecting press and artistic freedom," she said.
"The presumption of innocence applies," she added, explaining that she was not making any prejudgement about Boehmermann.
In her statement in Berlin, Mrs Merkel said that the approval of the federal government was a legal precondition for the prosecution of this specific offence.
"The foreign office, the justice ministry, the interior ministry and the chancellery took part in this review," she said.
"There were diverging opinions between the coalition partners... The result is that in the present case the federal government will grant its approval."
Mr Erdogan has drawn much criticism in Turkey and internationally for attacking opponents, including harassment of journalists. Many accuse him of authoritarian methods, stifling legitimate dissent and promoting an Islamist agenda.
Some Germans worry that Mrs Merkel is compromising on freedom of expression in order to ensure Turkey's continued co-operation to stem the influx of migrants into the EU.
Thomas Oppermann, head of the Social Democrat (SPD) group in the German parliament, tweeted: "Prosecution of satire due to 'lese majesty' does not fit with modern democracy."


Colchester United have appointed their under-21 boss John McGreal as the club's new first-team coach.

The 43-year-old former Tranmere and Ipswich defender replaces Kevin Keen, who left last week after the club's relegation to League Two was confirmed.
McGreal becomes the third recent boss to step up to the first team having previously worked in the youth set up, following Joe Dunne and Tony Humes.
Colchester's under-21s finished fourth in their league this season.
Keen left his position three days after Colchester's relegation to the fourth tier was confirmed by 23 April's 3-0 home defeat by Burton.
The former West Ham coach only won five out of 24 games in charge, having replaced Humes on 21 December.
"It's obviously a negative to get relegated, but I think it's a great time to come in and get Colchester United moving in the right direction again," said McGreal.
He had a one-game spell in joint-caretaker charge of the U's with Richard Hall, but the duo were replaced by a single caretaker in Richard Hall after a 5-1 loss to Burton.
McGreal, who has signed an undisclosed-length contract, will be assisted by Steve Ball.


Malawians have voted in a tight election, with President Joyce Banda facing three strong challengers.

Mrs Banda came to power two years ago after the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika.
Her reputation has been dented by a corruption scandal, known as Cashgate, which has led donors to cut aid.
Her main challengers are Mr Mutharika's brother, Peter, Atupele Muluzi - the son of another former president - and a former preacher, Lazarus Chakwera.
By Chakuchanya  HarawaBBC Africa, Blantyre
Competitive election
Mr Chakwera is the candidate of the Malawi Congress Party, which governed from independence in 1964 until the first multi-party poll in 1994.
Voting was delayed in parts of the largest city, Blantyre, due to a shortage of election material.
"There's no ink. We're still waiting for the consignment," one of the officials told the crowd, reports the Reuters news agency.
There are reports of angry scenes at some polling stations.
But in the capital, Lilongwe, voting mostly started on time, Reuters reports.
Mrs Banda has denied any wrong-doing in relation to Cashgate and last week told the BBC that the fact the affair has gone to court was her "greatest achievement" because in the past, such scandals would have been covered up.
Scores of officials, including former ministers, have been arrested over the scandal, often with large amounts of cash. Up to $250m (Â£150m) may have been lost through allegedly fraudulent payments.
Analysts say that despite the close race, she is likely to win because of her popularity in rural areas.
The candidate with the most votes is declared the winner of the presidential race - there is no run-off.
There is a total of 12 presidential candidates.
Parliamentary and local elections are being held at the same time.
Malawi is one the poorest countries in the world and is heavily dependent on aid, with donors proving 40% of the budget.