Peter Kay has said there will be no more episodes of TV sitcom Car Share.

Series two reaches its climax on BBC One later, but many fans have already seen the finale on BBC iPlayer and know what happens between John and Kayleigh.
But the star told BBC Radio Manchester there will be no series three and no Christmas specials.
Asked whether John would ever switch from Forever FM to Radio Manchester, Kay replied: "There's not going to be a series three so it won't ever happen."
He added: "You've got to get out while the going's good. No Christmas special, no."
Viewers have been waiting throughout series two to find out whether John - played by Kay - finally gets together with his passenger Kayleigh, played by Sian Gibson.
Kay said: "I am absolutely delighted and overwhelmed by everybody's support and the fact that everyone's loved it so much has been wonderful for everyone who's made it, but you're better quitting while you're ahead.
"There's only so much you can do in a car and the last thing you want to do is ruin it because I think it's a lovely thing.
"It's been wonderful working with Sian, who's one of my closest friends in the world. We have a good laugh but I think sometimes you've got to just leave things.
"You need good ideas - that's the problem. You need good strong stories. A lot of series tend to go on for one series too many, especially with comedies, and I think people say 'ooh, it's gone off, that'.
"If you're struggling and you just get a sense when you're writing that you might be running out of ideas, that's when I think you should walk away."
Kay, who also co-writes and directs Car Share, also revealed he's had the opportunity to make more of his Channel 4 comedy Phoenix Nights - but hasn't got around to it.
He said: "I love Phoenix Nights and I would love to go back. I've got a lot of ideas about Phoenix Nights.
"In fact there's a whole series three been written for about 15 years but so many things get in the way in life like touring and being a father. Real life continues and Car Share takes about a year to make and edit."
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Brazil's former first lady Marisa Leticia da Silva has died, ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said.

He said Marisa Leticia - who had been earlier pronounced brain-dead - passed away on Friday evening. She was 66.
The funeral service will be held in Sao Paulo on Saturday and her body will then be cremated.
She was taken to hospital last week with a brain haemorrhage. Doctors later said her condition was "irreversible". Her organs will be donated.
"Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his family are sad to confirm the death of Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva," Lula's spokesperson said in a statement.
"The former Brazilian president's wife of 43 years passed away peacefully this evening in Sao Paulo surrounded by her family.
"The whole family is absolutely devastated by Marisa's untimely death and this is a sad day for many people across Brazil."
Regional leaders have sent their condolences to Lula, and there was a minute's silence in Brazil's Congress.
Marisa Leticia had helped Lula found the Worker's Party, and the former president said in a Facebook message that she had made its first flag.
Profile: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Once adored by many in Brazil, Lula ended his second term in 2011 with an 83% approval rating.
He had boosted Brazil's global profile and overseen rapid economic growth during a commodities boom.
But last year Lula and his wife became ensnared in a far-reaching corruption investigation involving the state oil company, Petrobras.
They said the accusations against them were politically motivated and designed to prevent Lula standing for president again in 2018 elections.


The body of a woman has been found hidden in a suitcase in an alleyway, police have said.

Kiran Daudia, 46, was discovered in the suitcase by a member of the public on Tuesday morning on Cromer Street, in Leicester.
A 50-year-old man is still being questioned after being arrested on suspicion of murder.
In a statement, the family of Mrs Daudia called her a "much-loved mum, daughter, sister and auntie".
"She will be deeply missed by us all," the statement added.
The street, a nearby road and a premises were cordoned off while Leicestershire Police investigated the discovery.
Anyone who may have seen someone "pulling a suitcase" in the area of Lyme Street and the alleyway behind Cromer Street in the late afternoon or early evening of Monday has been urged to contact the force.


Egypt's decision to cede sovereignty over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia has sparked anger from some commentators online.

The move comes while Saudi King Salman is on a rare visit to Egypt during which he has announced plans for Saudi aid and investment for Egypt.
Some Egyptians have been expressing outrage at the decision on the islands.
But some Saudis have taken the opportunity to boast of their country's new possessions.
An Egyptian government spokesman told the ONTV channel the decision on the islands had come after 11 rounds of negotiations by experts from the two countries over more than six years, the Associated Press reports.
But some Egyptians were quick to see the deal as a sign of the country's weakness, saying Egypt had effectively sold the islands.
Well-known satirist Bassem Youssef mocked the deal in a tweet suggesting President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was selling the islands to the highest bidder in the style of someone conducting an auction.
Other users commented that the giving up of the islands had led to a loss of legitimacy for President Sisi, and that it may even be in contravention of the constitution.
Memes also appeared mocking the perceived blind loyalty of supporters of President Sisi, as opposed to the criticism levelled at previous Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.
One joke circulated on Facebook goes that in answer to the question of whether the islands are Egyptian, "if Morsi sold them, they're Egyptian, but if Sisi sold them, they're Saudi".
Some Saudi tweeters, in contrast, seemed to relish the opportunity to needle their Egyptian counterparts.
Saudi Tweeter @_naiif10 mockingly used an Arabic hashtag meaning "Tiran and Sanafir are Egyptian" and asked: "Will you keep quiet or shall we move the pyramids to the Empty Quarter [in Saudi Arabia]?
While another Saudi user, @QG_7H, posted several idyllic pictures of the islands and said "Now I'm planning a visit to our islands in the north, Tiran and Sanafir... Lovely views".


As many as 40,000 householders sought help from Citizens Advice last year on home improvement jobs, mostly for shoddy workmanship.

Roofing and fitted kitchens were the worst offenders, attracting nearly 5,000 complaints each.
In one case, a builder failed to finish work on the roof, leading to thousands of pounds' worth of water damage.
In another typical example, a kitchen contractor disappeared, leaving no doors on the cupboards.
The top five building jobs which caused problems were:
"People trying to improve their homes are finding them in a worse state than before they started," said Gillian Guy, the chief executive of Citizens Advice.
"Dealing with botched jobs and unfinished work means many are left out of pocket and face huge disruptions to their lives."
The charity is advising householders to get references before hiring a builder, to find out if they are a member of a trade body, and to get written quotations and contracts.
If things do go wrong, and the builders are not co-operative, consumers should consider using an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme, said Citizens Advice.


The flow of talent coming through in the English game is as strong as ever, so BBC Sport has picked out five players you should keep an eye out for during the Premiership season.

Three of them are members of England sides who have dominated the World Junior Championship in recent years, although only two are from this year's triumphant crop.
There is also someone who has already made a big impression at club level but is newly qualified in England terms, and a young giant from Lithuania.
Any hopes Marchant might have had of easing his way into the public consciousness ended when coach Eddie Jones picked the youngster in his provisional England squad last month.
The centre, who has just turned 20, has made only a couple of starts for Harlequins but has been a stand-out in age-group rugby for England for several years.
Marchant's assured play was a significant factor in England's victory in the World Under-20 Championship in June.
He looks to be almost the complete centre, combining power, pace, footwork, footballing skills and a fine understanding of the game.
Expect him to make a big impact with Quins this season - and England too in the not too distant future.
Joe Marchant is not the youngest player in Eddie Jones' England training squad - Leicester flanker Will Evans is only 19 and has enjoyed a meteoric rise.
The open-side flanker made his Tigers debut as recently as April but his excellent performances saw him picked for the World Under-20 Championship and he shone in England's powerful pack.
Standing 6ft tall and weighing less than 15 stone - he has still got plenty of filling out to do - he is a classic open-side who is quick to the ruck and good at getting over the ball.
A different option to many of the back-row monsters often found in the seven shirt these days, if Evans continues his ascent then the sky is the limit.
Whereas Joe Marchant and Will Evans impressed for England Under-20s this summer, it is two years since winger Nathan Earle lit up the same stage.
A 2014 IRB Junior Player of the Year nominee and contemporary of Saracens and England lock Maro Itoje, Earle's career has been derailed by a long-term injury.
Now back to full fitness and getting game time under his belt with New Zealand powerhouses Canterbury in the country's National Provincial Competition, Earle faces a make-or-break season when he returns to Saracens.
Lightning fast and with dancing feet, the 6ft 1in flyer is a danger every time he gets the ball - and with a bit of luck Premiership defences will be all too aware of that by the end of this season.
He lit up the Singha Premiership sevens during the summer - and he may make a big impact with Harlequins this season.
Big, quick and powerful, Jonas Mikalcius comes from the rugby outpost of Lithuania, and has only been playing the game for five years.
But as plenty of players from the Singha Sevens will tell you, the 6ft 3in recent convert to winger from the flank is mighty hard to stop when he gets the ball in hand.
Quins have him dual registered with Hartpury College, where he has been learning his trade, and, although he may be a wildcard with lots to learn, do not be surprised if this physically gifted powerhouse makes his mark on the Premiership at some point this season.
At 25, he may not be a youngster any more, but he is box fresh in England terms and, after qualifying for the national side this summer on residency, Fiji-born Nathan Hughes is set to be given his chance at international level sooner rather than later.
A powerful and skilful ball carrier, Hughes has been ripping up trees at number eight for Wasps for the past couple of seasons.
But, with Billy Vunipola filling the eight shirt for England in impressive fashion, coach Eddie Jones says he is looking at Hughes as a blind-side flanker.
Hughes has been picked in the 45-man training squad and, if he shows the form for Wasps he's produced over the past couple of years early in the season, it is not implausible that he will be running out with the red rose on his chest come the autumn Tests.
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A fleet of "revolutionary" electric buses is being introduced in Bristol.

8 January 2016 Last updated at 20:03 GMT
The vehicles are designed to charge wirelessly when parked over a induction plate.
The plates could eventually be installed throughout the city road network, allowing electric buses to charge on the go.
Geo-fencing GPS technology has been fitted to the vehicles, which will switch from diesel to electric mode in areas with poor air quality.
Scott Ellis spoke to James Freeman, managing director of First West of England.


Brighton forward Jamie Murphy will be banned for three games after the Football Association rejected Albion's appeal.

The 26-year-old was sent off for a challenge on Neil Danns in the 2-2 draw with Bolton Wanderers last Saturday.
Murphy will now miss matches against Cardiff, Leeds and Bristol City.
"I find it hard to understand. He slipped, there was no obvious intent and no strong contact," Seagulls boss Chris Hughton told BBC Sussex.
"I was confident we would get the decision we felt would be the right one.
"It seems incredibly harsh for a lad who has never been sent off before. There was nothing malicious."
Murphy was shown a straight red card by referee Mark Haywood and Hughton said after the match he felt the official was influenced by Danns's reaction to the tackle.
"It was deemed as dangerous play," the 56-year-old added.
"I understand there can be an element of the referee seeing the incident at full speed, and that he might make a certain decision.
"There is a difference between a player slipping and dangerous or malicious play.
"We are going to be missing a player for three games who has been very good for us. We feel for him."


The lifetime ban on blood donations by homosexual and bisexual men will be lifted in England, Scotland and Wales.

Ministers have agreed to let men who have not had sex with another man in the past 12 months to donate from November.
The restrictions were put in place in the 1980s to prevent the risk of HIV contamination.
However, the latest medical evidence presented to a government panel argued the ban could no longer be justified.
Ministers in the three countries accepted the argument and said they would be relaxing the rules. Northern Ireland is expected to make a decision soon.
The National Blood Service screens all donations for HIV and other infections. However, there is a "window period" after infection during which it is impossible to detect the virus.
In the UK, a lifetime ban was introduced in the early 1980s as a response to the Aids epidemic and the lack of adequate HIV tests.
The ban had been questioned both on equality and medical grounds.
The government's Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs has been reviewing the policy.
Committee member Prof Deirdre Kelly said the safety of the blood supply is "absolutely essential" and that any restrictions "must be based on the latest scientific evidence".
She said there had been advances in the testing of donated blood which had significantly reduced the chance of errors and had reduced the size of the "window period".
She said the data showed that "the risk from a 12-month deferral was equivalent to permanent deferral" so "the evidence does not support the maintenance of a permanent ban".
Other at-risk groups, such as people who have been sexually active in high-risk countries, are already banned from donating for a year.
The findings were accepted by health ministers and a one-year ban will come into force in England, Scotland and Wales on 7 November.
Several other countries have already come to similar verdicts.
South Africa has introduced a six-month gap between sex and donation. It is a year in Australia, Sweden and Japan.
Research published at the end of last year suggested there was no significant increase in the risk of HIV infection after the change in the rules in Australia.
Source: Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs
Dr Lorna Williamson, medical and research director of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "The change does not alter the estimated risk, therefore patients needing a transfusion can be sure blood is safe."
'No concern'
She said enforcing the one-year rule would be "based on trust" when men register to donate blood.
Gabriel Theophanous has needed a blood transfusion every month for 30 years because he has the condition thalassaemia. He said: "I just want to know the blood is safe - this issue doesn't cause me any concern."
The gay rights group Stonewall said the move was a "step in the right direction".
However, its chief executive Ben Summerskill said there would still be tighter controls on low-risk gay men than on high-risk heterosexuals.
"A gay man in a monogamous relationship who has only had oral sex will still automatically be unable to give blood but a heterosexual man who has had multiple partners and not worn a condom will not be questioned about his behaviour, or even then, excluded."
Sir Nick Partridge, chief executive of the Terence Higgins Trust, a sexual health charity, said the new rules were "necessary, fair and reasonable".
However, he said it was impossible to say how many men would actually be able to start donating blood as "the vast majority of gay men are still [sexually] active".


Horse head hats, Ferrari Samurais and Geishas - it can only be the Japanese Grand Prix.

Few fans are as colourful and creative when it comes to Formula 1 than those who descend on Suzuka.
McLaren's Fernando Alonso describes them as "one of a kind", while Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton says they are some of the most welcoming in the sport.
Here are some of the best pictures of Japan's fantastic fans at Suzuka this weekend...


France, Germany, Italy and Spain have backed the idea of a multi-speed EU, as the 28-nation bloc prepares to mark 60 years since its founding treaty.

"Unity does not mean uniformity," French President Francois Hollande said as he hosted the other leaders in the ornate Versailles Palace near Paris.
The EU Commission accepts that projects do not have to involve all EU members.
Brexit - a psychological and budgetary blow - now overshadows the anniversary, the BBC's Kevin Connolly reports.
EU leaders are focusing on a strategy of promising both deeper co-operation but also the possibility of different member states joining common projects at times that suit them, our correspondent says.
In some respects the EU is already a multi-speed organisation. Not all members are in the Schengen border-free zone, and 19 of the 28 use the euro.
The UK, poised to trigger the withdrawal mechanism soon, already has many opt-outs from EU policies.
"Italy wants a more integrated EU, but one that can allow various levels of integration," Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said.
Europe's future: Small steps rather than big dreams?
Brexit: All you need to know
Juncker lays out EU's post-Brexit options
Goodbye Britain - EU ponders the future
EU summit talks in Brussels on Friday will focus on how the EU moves forward post-Brexit, amid tensions over integrating migrants, globalisation and how to revive ailing eurozone economies.
Versailles was a symbolic place to hold such talks - the palace where peace in Europe was mapped out after World War One.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "we need to have the courage for some countries to go ahead if not everyone wants to participate.
"A Europe of different speeds is necessary, otherwise we will probably get stuck. If Europe gets stuck and doesn't develop further, then this work of peace may run into danger faster than one might think," she said.
The 1957 Treaty of Rome established the goal of "ever closer union". And the 60th anniversary is an occasion to stress unity, amid widespread speculation that the EU could disintegrate.
Poland is among the newer EU member states which view multi-speed development with suspicion.
Since the end of communism they have been catching up economically. And as net recipients from the EU budget they fear being left behind by their stronger European partners.


Experts warn more research is needed to find out how to reduce the number of babies born early.

Prematurity is the second most common cause of death for children aged five or under.
An analysis of 39 developed countries, suggests numbers could be cut by measures such as stopping multiple IVF pregnancies - but only by 5%.
But experts writing in the Lancet say the reasons for many early births remain unknown and much more research is needed.
Each year 15 million babies are born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, and rates are rising almost everywhere.
But there is limited understanding as to why this is happening or what could be done.
An estimated 1.1 million premature babies die each year.
Most are born just a few weeks early in developing countries, where they die from a lack of simple care.
But experts believe developed countries can also cut rates.
Child health experts from organisations including the World Health Organization, Save the Children and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine looked at what could be done in the 39 most developed countries if five recognised measures were implemented.
These interventions are stopping smoking, promoting single pregnancies in IVF treatments, reducing planned Caesarean sections - which are often carried out before due dates - unless there is a medical reason by 80%, providing progesterone supplements to women with high-risk pregnancies and cervical stitches for women with a "weak" cervix that could mean a baby does not go to term.
If all these were implemented, the researchers suggest premature birth could be prevented for 58,000 babies.
Issuing their call in advance of World Prematurity Day on 17 November, the experts say the reductions - which could be achieved by 2015, would vary from 8% in the US to much smaller reductions in most European countries, and only 2% in the UK.
Dr Joy Lawn, of Save the Children, who is part of the Born Too Soon initiative that seeks to cut prematurity rates, said: ""Our analysis shows that the current potential for preterm birth prevention is shockingly small.
"Our hope is that the proposed target of a 5% relative reduction in preterm births in high income countries will motivate immediate programme action, and the 95% knowledge gap will motivate immediate, strategic research.
"Research should also focus on preterm birth causes and solutions in low income countries where preterm birth rates are highest and the underlying causes may be much simpler to address."
Writing in the Lancet, Jane Norman and Andrew Shennan, of Tommy's Centre for Maternal and Fetal Health, at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Until considerable strides have been made in our understanding of how, why and when preterm births occur, and the effects that this has on both mother and baby, preterm births will remain a major public health problem, from which no country in the world is immune."


Cookery writer and broadcaster Mary Berry from Buckinghamshire is among those to be recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Ms Berry, who has been made a CBE, is one of the UK's best-known cookery writers and appeared on television co-presenting The Great British Bake Off.
She has written more than 70 cookery books and has sold millions of copies.
The honours also see Peter Birkett, chief executive of Barnfield College in Luton receiving a knighthood.
He is being honoured for his services to further education and the academy movement
In 2007, Barnfield was the first further education college to sponsor two underperforming secondary schools, create academies and form a federation.
In under three academic years, GCSE results more than tripled in both academies.
From a position of special measures, they were judged as Outstanding and Good by Ofsted, the highest results achieved in the history of these schools.
Other people living in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire to be given awards include Professor Janet Thornton, head of the European Bioinformatics Institute, who was made a Dame for services to bioinformatics, the application of computer science to the field of biology and medicine.
Matthew Robert King was made an OBE for services to people with disabilities and charity fund-raiser Frank Stapleton, who raises money for The MS Therapy Centre, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, has been made an MBE for services to people with MS and their families.
Former chief executive of The Children's Society, Robert Reitemeier, from Hertfordshire, has been made a CBE for services to children.


Thirteen suspects are listed in security documents linked to the 1976 Kingsmills Massacre, an inquest has heard.

The inquest into the IRA murder of 10 Protestant workmen, which resumed at Belfast Coroners' Court after almost a year, heard from a counter-intelligence officer, known only as J2.
He said security documents showed suspects included four IRA members.
Two of the four were understood to be on the run having escaped from custody.
It stated that the two men had crossed into Monaghan after the murders, later re-crossing the border into the Crossmaglen and Cullyhanna areas of south Armagh.
The document said the two suspects were "well-armed".
Giving evidence from behind a screen, J2 examined documents including referring to one of the suspects, a wanted man, as "a known killer".
Another suspect was described as being from Dundalk, and a "big man in the IRA".
It emerged that within days of the murders, the police were able to access descriptions and photographs of several of the suspects.
At the time it was claimed by a group calling itself the South Armagh Republican Action Force, thought to be a splinter group of the Provisional IRA (PIRA).
The Historical Enquiries Team of the PSNI later stated that the attack was carried out by PIRA members.
Some intelligence discussed in court suggested the South Armagh Republican Action Force was used as a cover-name by an IRA unit when there was a public outcry against their activities.
Officer J2 agreed that the attack had required a certain amount of planning, but stated that there was no evidence of prior intelligence suggesting it was going to be carried out.
The witness is helping the coroner with sensitive police intelligence material and is expected to testify for up to three days.
The 10 workmen were shot dead on 5 January 1976 after the gunmen stopped their van and asked which among them was a Catholic, and instructed that man to leave the scene.
No-one has ever been held to account for the murders, but in recent years the Historical Enquiries Team identified the killers as the Provisional IRA.
The inquest was halted in June 2016 after just a month, and after hearing evidence and statements from 53 witnesses.
The adjournment came after the PSNI arrested a man in connection with the murders.
That followed the discovery that a left palm print was recovered from a window of a vehicle used by the attackers.
It is understood the print matched the man arrested in the Newry area.
Earlier this year the Public Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute the man, saying the test for prosecution had not been met.
Before the inquest resumed on Monday there was a brief protest outside the court against the continuing delay in the case.
As the inquest resumed, a solicitor for some of the victims' families called a recent letter from An Garda SÃochÃ¡na "insulting" and said it was the latest  in a "diet of obstruction".
The coroner repeated his assurance that the inquest will not finish until relevant material had been received from Dublin.
He also repeated an appeal to members of the community with any relevant information about the Kingsmills killings should take this opportunity to come forward.


British stars David Oyelowo and Daniel Craig are to star together in an Off Broadway production of Shakespeare's Othello next autumn.

The James Bond actor will star as Iago in the play staged by the New York Theater Workshop (NYTW), with Selma actor Oyelowo in the title role.
The play will be presented in a 199-seat theatre for a limited run, although dates are yet to be announced.
It will be directed by Sam Gold, who won a Tony this year for Fun Home.
The director told the New York Times he and Craig had been in talks for some time to collaborate on a theatre project, before reaching out to Oyelowo.
'Sublime actors'
He added he was excited to present the play in a small theatre because of the intimacy it would afford, but said it was too early to describe the production in any detail.
"When Sam Gold came to us with the beginning sketches of this production, with these two sublime actors, it seemed the perfect next step for us to take together," NYTW artistic director James Nicola told Deadline.
"I'm eager to see what these original, creative artists come up with in response to Shakespeare's enduring tragedy."
Although the NYTW has hosted a number of productions which went on to Broadway success, including Once and Peter and the Starcatcher, Nicola said a Broadway transfer of Othello was unlikely given the limited availability of the actors.
Craig - who will be seen on the big screen in 007 film Spectre later this month - recently appeared on Broadway in 2013 in a revival of Harold Pinter's Betrayal opposite his wife, Rachel Weisz, and Rafe Spall.
In 2009, he also appeared opposite Hugh Jackman in a Broadway production of A Steady Rain.
Oyelowo has a long list of theatre credits to his name, beginning his stage career in 1999 with the Royal Shakespeare Company.  He was the first black actor to play an English king in a major Shakespeare production in the RSC's 2001 staging of Henry VI.
Among his other credits include Prometheus Bound, The White Devil and The Suppliants.


When the campaigning is over, the leaders' buses have been parked and the votes counted, one question is sure to be asked: "What on earth did they mean by that?!"

Politicians, pollsters and pundits like me spend our lives trying to delve into the psyche of those curious folk who, unlike us, are not overgrown election trainspotters who spend hours studying politicians' speeches, analysing their manifestos and nerdily swapping election trivia.
Getting into the heads of voters is more important than ever now.
Firstly, few saw recent election upsets - Cameron's majority in 2015, the Leave vote in the EU referendum or Trump's victory - coming.
Secondly, that vote for Brexit shows signs of the glue that used to attach voters to the parties they may have supported traditionally, further dissolving.
I have been talking to a group of voters in Halifax who backed Leave in the EU referendum, to hear what is on their minds and how they are going about deciding who, if anyone, to vote for.
The people I spoke to were picked by the pollsters Ipsos MORI for the first of my Election Takeaways, which will explore how different types of voters in different parts of the country are thinking.
What I wanted to explore in Halifax is whether passionate Leavers feel they need to vote UKIP in the general election to ensure that Brexit is delivered.
Or would they opt for Conservatives because they believe they will live up to their pledge deliver the "best possible deal".
Or will their choice be Labour because they believe the job has been done and the big priorities now are the old ones - jobs and fairness at work, the state of the NHS and schools.
Or indeed will be they be putting their X beside any one of the other parties for any one of a series of other reasons.
So it was that I gathered seven voters in a room above the Old Cock Inn in Halifax, where, incidentally, the Halifax Building Society was founded 164 years ago.
To help the conversation flow, we ordered in the nation's favourite - a curry takeaway.
Tracy [we've chosen not to use any surnames] told me that, having once voted for Margaret Thatcher and then for Tony Blair, she was now - for the first time - going to be voting for UKIP as she did not trust any of the mainstream parties to deliver on both Brexit and a halt in immigration.
"I think Theresa May is dragging her heels," she told me.
"I don't think her heart is in leading Brexit. I'll believe it when I see it. I think she's leading us a merry dance."
Anthony, on the other hand, was preparing, reluctantly, to vote Tory for the simple reason that he has lost faith in Labour.
"I think we need somebody who does not exist at the moment, somebody who's got a bit of backbone," he explained.
"We need somebody who is a realist, somebody who is going to listen to the people and take what the people have spoken to Europe."
Nicola and Ashley backed Labour values and policies but were very unsure about whether they could vote for Jeremy Corbyn.
Although Irfan was also a firm Labour backer, only Kerry was certain that Mr Corbyn was the man to be prime minister:
"He's definitely the most down-to-earth, the biggest realist out of them all," she says.
Most believed that no-one really spoke for the working class  - although Kerry again thought Mr Corbyn was closest - and there was the usual consensus that politicians could not be trusted.
The group argued that they wanted a strong and trustworthy leader but could not think of anyone who fitted the bill except for John who thought that Nigel Farage would do it best. He is, however, planning to vote Tory.
What was most striking is how little of the election noise had cut through to them.
The prime minister's relentlessly repeated slogan - "strong and stable" - had not been heard by any of this group.
As for the promise of an energy price cap they saw that as a Labour idea - which, of course it was - but had no idea that Theresa May had tried to take it for herself.
What, you might ask is the value of talking to so few people and what is the point of using pollsters to choose them.
Opinion polls can tell us quite a lot and are more often right than wrong.
They may not have got the result of a very close general election contest right in 2015 or the referendum in 2016, but they did get the results spot-on in France and the Netherlands as well as predicting the Trump/Clinton vote shares pretty precisely.
Even in the referendum they showed a close race, with Leave often ahead.
What pollsters call focus groups - chatting at length to a group of voters - can put flesh on the bones of those headline findings. They certainly cannot tell you the result in any constituency, let alone in the country as a whole. They can explain the "why" which underlies the "what" and so help explain what makes voters vote in the way they do.
Ben Page boss of Ipsos MORI says: "What focus groups tell us is why people think things and how they think about things.
"It doesn't tell us how many people think something. But without that, you've got really no idea what sort of questions to ask in large structured surveys that should, well conducted, give us reliable answers."
Next week I'll be in another town, this time talkingn to middle-class Remain voters. Will they look to back a party that gives them a chance of a second referendum or which pushes for a particular deal, or will they conclude that the referendum is over so it's time to move on?
I'm looking forward to discovering what I can take away from my next Election Takeaway.
You can watch more of Nick's Election Takeaway on the BBC News Channel this weekend at 14:30 BST on Saturday and 10:30 BST on Sunday.


The Labour Party is "in the hands of urban leftists given to ideological extremes with only fringe appeal".

That isn't an assertion about today's politics. It was the verdict of the US Central Intelligence Agency on Labour back in 1985, in a memo for the agency's director on the early phase of Neil Kinnock's leadership.
This memo is one of millions of the CIA's historical records which have just been made available online. Previously researchers had to actually visit the US National Archives in Maryland in order to access this database of declassified documents.
The records reveal the deep level of concern inside the CIA about the strength of the Left within Labour in the early 1980s, a political force which the agency regarded as anti-American.
A report written in the run-up to the 1983 general election states that "a Labor majority government would represent the greatest threat to US interests".
The agency was particularly worried by Labour's then policy of opposition to nuclear weapons, which included cancelling plans for the Trident submarine programme.
This report was especially scathing about leading figures on the traditionally pro-nuclear Labour right who had compromised with this stance.
It said that "most disheartening from the viewpoint of US interests" was the position of the party's deputy leader, Denis Healey.
It reported that he still had ambitions to lead the party and as a result "he apparently has decided to appease the left by attacking US arms control policy, denouncing Trident, and denying he ever supported the NATO INF [Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces] program".
The report added that the growing power of the Left meant that "even moderates like Healey have been forced to ape anti-American rhetoric".
Entitled "The British Labor Party: Caught between Ideology and Reality", the document is a detailed account of the balance of power between left and right in the party and trade unions, as seen by the CIA.
It also records that leading Labour politicians had told US officials they did not take all of the party's policy programme seriously.
The CIA was also concerned by what it saw as Europe's large centre-left and socialist parties (including Labour) being too sympathetic to the Soviet Union.
One 1982 report concluded "We have long contended that Moscow's most effective allies in Western Europe are not the Communist Parties, but self-styled Social Democrats who have betrayed the original tenets of social democracy."
Another newly accessible document is a record of a 1981 meeting between delegations led by the US Defence Secretary Caspar Weinberger and Margaret Thatcher, who was on a prime ministerial visit to Washington.
The meeting discussed the controversial American plans for an Enhanced Radiation Weapon (ERW), more commonly known as the "neutron bomb", a weapon which was said to be able to kill very large numbers of people while leaving buildings standing.
Also present at the meeting was Mrs Thatcher's Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington, who told the Americans that "it is considered unsporting in Europe for a weapon to kill people only".
The database contains just two references to the current Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. One noted his support in 1986 for an El Salvadoran trade union federation, Fenastras, which was linked to Marxist guerrillas during the country's civil war, while the Americans backed the military government.
This is just a small immediate selection from millions of pages covering a wide range of American and international issues which reveal the CIA's analyses and preoccupations in the past. Records relating to more recent events have not yet been declassified.
The CIA's decision to make all these documents searchable and accessible followed a legal case brought by MuckRock, a US organisation that promotes access to public records.


A 17-year-old has suffered serious injuries in an early-morning incident in the centre of Glasgow.

The teenager was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary but was released after treatment.
Gordon Street, at the main entrance to Glasgow Central Station, was closed after the incident at about 03:45.
Police said a 32-year-old man would be the subject of a report to the procurator fiscal in relation to an alleged assault.
The road re-opened to vehicles at about 08:40.


Police have arrested a man for human trafficking offences and taken three people to a "place of safety" during a joint operation in Flintshire.

It took place in three areas in Deeside on Thursday following complaints that men had been held "virtual captives" for up to three years.
North Wales Police said the conditions they were living in were "utterly appalling".
The arrested man is local to the area and will be questioned by detectives.
Another man will be "voluntarily interviewed" at a later date.
Thursday's operation is part of a wider operation which aims to tackle serious and organised crime in north Wales, with a specific focus on human exploitation.
Det Ch Insp Neil Harrison said: "As a result of this morning's operation we have safeguarded, or simply put, freed, at least three people who are now being assessed."
A firearm, stolen property and a "significant amount of unaccountable cash" were also recovered and will form part of the investigation.
Ch Supt Sasha Hatchett, who oversaw the operation, said: "It is sometimes a common misconception that modern slavery is an issue for other parts of the world.
"The reality is that human trafficking exists right here on our doorsteps in communities across north Wales."


A professional big-game hunter was crushed to death by an elephant that had been shot, according to reports in South Africa.

The Netwerk24 website said an elephant cow stormed a group headed by Theunis Botha in Zimbabwe on Friday.
The elephant was reportedly shot as she picked him up with her trunk, before she fell and died, crushing Mr Botha.
He had been leading a group of hunters near the Hwange national park in Zimbabwe when he died.
It is the same park where Cecil the Lion was shot dead by an American hunter in July 2015, sparking an international outcry.
Mr Botha, 51, was a father of five from the northern Limpopo province in South Africa.
His eldest daughter Marike confirmed her father's death to the BBC, but would not comment further on the circumstances of his death.
Mr Botha's website says he began leading hunting safaris on private ranches in 1989, having previously served as a sergeant in the South African infantry.
It said he specialised in hunting lions and leopards with dogs.
His website lists various packages available to hunters in Zimbabwe, noting that animals including leopards, giraffes, buffalo and elephants could be hunted.
A Facebook tribute by Zimbabwe-based Kuronda Safaris, which worked with Mr Botha, called him "a great man with a fantastic sense of humour".
South African media reported that Mr Botha was friends with fellow hunter Scott Van Zyl, whose remains were found in a crocodile last month.
Mr Van Zyl was killed on the banks of the Limpopo river in Zimbabwe in what was the latest in a series of fatal crocodile attacks in the country.


Malaysia has begun exhuming bodies suspected to be migrants buried in 139 grave sites close to the Thai border.

Authorities believe the migrants were held for ransom in jungle camps by gangs of human traffickers.
Thousands of migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar have left for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in recent weeks.
Thailand has offered a "floating naval base" to help migrants stranded at sea but said only those needing serious medical treatment will be taken ashore.
Meanwhile, authorities in Myanmar have charged 20 people with offences related to human trafficking. They were arrested from a vessel carrying 200 migrants from Bangladesh that was rescued last week.
On Tuesday, Malaysian police teams began sifting through a series of camps found in the jungle near the country's border with Thailand.
Some migrants were apparently held in "human cages" made of wood and barbed wire at the camps, which officials believe were only abandoned recently.
Malaysian national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said there were signs that torture had been used, but he did not elaborate. "We were shocked by the cruelty," he told reporters.
The discovery of the camps in Malaysia followed the uncovering of similar graves on the Thai side of the border at the beginning of May.
After those graves were found, Thailand began cracking down on the routes used by traffickers to move Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar through its territory.
The migrants, who want to reach Malaysia, were instead being sent by sea, but thousands were left drifting as no country wanted to take them in.
The UN's refugee agency says about 3,000 people have now reached land, but estimates another 2,600 may still be out at sea.
Last week, Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to stop rejecting boats and to provide temporary shelter to the migrants.
But while Thailand said it would stop towing boats away from its territory, it said it would not take in migrants.
Facing international pressure to do more, Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said this week that the country would establish a "floating naval base" to help migrants.
But this seems like an attempt to keep the boats at arms' length rather than a display of genuine desire to help the migrants, according to the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.
A total of seven ships, two surveillance aircraft and two helicopters are involved in the Thai operation in the Andaman Sea - but only migrants with serious medical needs will be taken to land, where they will be considered illegal arrivals.
"If anyone is injured or sick, they can be treated at hospitals in Thailand but will face illegal entry charges - it is up to them to decide," he said.
Thailand has also agreed to allow US navy aircraft searching for migrants to operate from its bases after refusing a US request last week - but only if they do so under Thai military command.
Thailand is due to host a regional meeting on Friday to discuss the crisis.
Why are so many Rohingya stranded at sea?
The Indonesian villagers saving migrants


Customers who have reached the end of their mobile phone contract should have their phones unlocked from the network for free, says consumer group Which?

It believes that keeping phones locked prevents customer finding a better deal by switching providers.
Pay-as-you-go mobiles should not be locked at all, it said.
One mobile operator said its phones were locked to prevent fraudulent activity.
When a mobile phone is purchased from an operator it is locked to that particular network until the contract expires or until the customer requests it is unlocked. This means the phone will not work if the Sim card from another network is used in the device.
Which? said that companies should also be forced to tell customers which is the best deal for them once their current contract has expired.
"Mobile phones are an essential part of daily life for many people and consumers shouldn't be locked into contracts that do not suit their usage," said Which? executive director Richard Lloyd.
'We want to send a message to mobile phone companies that they should help customers get a better deal by alerting people that their contracts are about to end and by unlocking handsets for free."
Some 70% of the 2,100 people surveyed told Which? that if companies did unlock phones at the end of contracts it would encourage them to find a deal that was better value for money.
Currently mobile phone operators charge to have phones unlocked and generally will do so only if a customer requests it.
O2 does not charge customers who are on a contract but levy a Â£15 fee for pay-as-you-go users.
"Pay and Go handsets may be subsidised at point of sale and can be exploited for fraudulent purposes through box breaking. Our charge to unlock the phone covers the handset subsidy, the administrative costs of unlocking, but also acts as a deterrent for fraud activity," an O2 spokesperson told the BBC.
Box breaking is the name given to the purchase of locked handsets that are then unlocked and sold at a profit to dealers overseas where there are little or no subsidies on phones.
EE charges both contract and pay-as-you-go customers Â£20.42 to unlock a handset and will only unlock a phone after six months.
Vodafone charges its customers Â£19.99 to unlock their devices.
Three said that since January all its devices were now sold unlocked and anyone who purchased a handset before this time could get it unlocked free of charge.
Advice on the personal finance website Moneysavingexpert.com says that even with an upfront charge for unlocking a mobile, the savings should quickly outweigh the outlay.  It could also give you better access to promotional deals and potentially make it cheaper to use a phone overseas as foreign Sim cards could be used in the device.


Jakarta's police chief has said Indonesia developed its understanding of domestic terror networks after the deadly 2002 Bali bombings.

15 January 2016 Last updated at 03:13 GMT
Insp Gen Tito Karnavian was speaking a day after a gun and bomb assault on the capital, Jakarta, which left two civilians and five attackers dead. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State militant group.
He told the BBC's Ali Moore than some 350 people were known to have travelled to fight with IS in Syria and about 40 had returned to Indonesia.


Money has been made available to develop a historic Anglo-Saxon ship burial site so visitors can retrace a royal funeral procession.

It is believed Sutton Hoo in Suffolk was the final resting place for King Raedwald of East Anglia in the 7th Century.
It is thought the ship was hauled to the site from the nearby River Deben.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is providing a grant of Â£150,000 for the first stages of the project.
The burial site near Woodbridge was rediscovered in 1939 and among the many finds were the buried boat which contained the remains of a warrior's helmet, which is kept in the British Museum.
The National Trust is proposing a Â£2.4m project to "release the full potential of the dramatic landscape", which would also include a new raised viewing platform so that visitors can get a better view of the mounds and the surrounding area.
The river is about half a mile away down the valley from the burial site.
Luke Potter, east Suffolk general manager for the National Trust, said: "This special place is about so much more than the treasure; it tells the hugely significant story of how the first English people lived their lives.
"Their significance continues to resonate down the centuries in our language, our craft traditions and our connections to land and landscape.
"The project aims to release the power and magical inspiration of Sutton Hoo's history by untapping the human stories that reside within its landscape."


Jose Mourinho famously did it with Chelsea, Nigel Pearson crucially did it with Leicester City and Luiz Felipe Scolari even did it with Brazil.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Managers returning to a team for a second spell - some enhance their reputations greatly, but for others the phrase "never go back" could barely be more pertinent.
Ian Holloway will become the latest boss to get reacquainted with familiar surroundings when he takes charge of Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road against Norwich City on Saturday, 10 years after he left the west London club.
BBC Sport looks at 10 managers who have enjoyed - or endured - more than one spell with clubs in the English Football League...
November 2002 - September 2005, June 2006 - May 2013
As far as quick and lasting returns go, Tony Pulis at Stoke City is top of the list. His first spell with the Potters lasted just under three years and, almost 12 months after he was initially sacked, he was re-appointed as manager and remained at the club for a further seven years.
Within two years of his return, he guided Stoke to the top flight after a 23-year absence, took them to the 2011 FA Cup final and led them into Europe, before then suffering some criticism from supporters towards the end of his tenure.
March 2003 - March 2004, March 2011 - April 2011, April 2012 - June 2012, March 2014 - present
Barnet can not get enough of Martin Allen, or Martin Allen can not get enough of Barnet? Either way, the man nicknamed "Mad Dog" has had an on-again-off-again relationship with the Bees for more than 16 years.
He started his managerial career with the London side in the Conference in 2003, but did not see out an entire season before leaving for Brentford.
Like a boomerang, however, he went back. Three times since, to be exact.
The second stint was on an eight-match contract, of which he stayed around for three. Third time around, he helped save them from League Two relegation in another short-term stay, before making his latest comeback, helping them win promotion back to the EFL in 2015.
February 1992 - January 1997, January 2008 - September 2008
Kevin Keegan's management career both started and ended at Newcastle United, with stints as England, Fulham and Manchester City boss wedged in between.
He was first given the Newcastle job in 1992, going on to save them from relegation, guide them to promotion to the Premier League, very nearly win the title and then take the club into the Champions League.
Thousands of fans went to St James' Park to welcome him back as boss in January 2008, but he lasted only eight months and some 200 angry fans soon gathered outside the club's ground after hearing of his departure, with some even seen scaling the walls attempting to get in.
March 1982 - June 1985, March 2006 - November 2007
If this was a contest for the most regrettable return to a football club, then Jim Smith is the winner.
In his first spell he took Oxford United to the top flight as Division Two champions in 1985. He then left for QPR after winning promotion, but returned two decades later to oversee their relegation from the Football League.
Bristol Rovers: July 1987 - May 1991, June 2001 - December 2001; QPR: June 1991- November 1994, October 1998 - February 2001
Former England midfielder Gerry Francis endeared himself to the Bristol Rovers faithful by leading them to the second tier as Division Three champions in 1990, pipping local rivals Bristol City to the title in the process.
But, following a hugely popular return to manage the Pirates for a second time in 2001, he struggled to repeat anything like that success and quit before Christmas.
Sandwiched in between were two spells in charge at QPR, the club for whom he made his name as a player, first in the Premier League and then in Division One.
January 2009 - January 2011, October 2012 - present
Eddie Howe, who had two permanent spells as a player at Bournemouth, has overseen the club's remarkable transformation from administration-hit League Two strugglers into Premier League survivors.
After a spell as caretaker boss, Howe was appointed permanently in January 2009, going on to steer the Cherries to Football League safety and promotion from League Two.
And, after a brief stint with Burnley, he returned in October 2012 to complete the job he started, guiding Bournemouth up to the Championship in April 2013 and then to the top flight for the first time in their history two years later.
November 1969 - October 1975, October 1978 - July 1982, May 1985 - May 1987
Serve the club three times as boss, guide them up every step of the Football League to the top flight and even work as general manager for a while. Your reward? Legendary status, a stand named in your honour and a statue in front of the ground.
Former Notts County manager Jimmy Sirrel is immortalised in bronze alongside Jack Wheeler at Meadow Lane, with both men having had a profound influence on the club.
During his first spell, Sirrel took the Magpies from Division Four to Division Two, and in his second stint - coming after two years at Sheffield United - he went on to take them all the way to the top flight.
December 2006 - June 2011, January 2013 - present
England were World Cup holders the last time a manager other than Keith Hill led Rochdale to promotion - and he's not just done it once, but twice.
The 47-year-old started out as a youth coach at Dale, and then got his chance as boss on a caretaker basis in December 2006, guiding them to League Two safety.
Twice Rochdale missed out in the play-offs under Hill, before he finally got them up automatically in 2009-10 - the club's first promotion since 1969, just before he was born.
He left for Barnsley in 2011 and Rochdale were relegated two seasons after his departure, but he was re-appointed at Spotland in January 2013 and led them back up again in 2014.
June 2001 - September 2005, January 2012 - February 2015
Latvia to Yeovil Town is probably not your average career move, but that is how Gary Johnson's association with the Glovers began in 2001.
He won the 2002 FA Trophy and saw Yeovil secure promotion to the Football League for the first time in the club's history, before going on to guide them to League One as League Two champions in 2004-05.
Johnson left for Bristol City in 2005, but later returned to Yeovil after a seven-year absence to take them up to the Championship - another first for the club.
There was no happy ending for the 61-year-old, however, as they would then go on to suffer back-to-back relegations, with Johnson replaced by Paul Sturrock before their return to League Two was confirmed.
1989 - 1994, April 2004 - February 2013, December 2015 - present
Dagenham & Redbridge without John Still just does not seem quite right, does it?
The 66-year-old's association with the club goes back to when he managed Redbridge Forest, who merged with Dagenham in 1992 to create the club that exists today.
After leaving the Daggers for Peterborough in 1994, he returned 10 years later to spectacular effect, guiding them from non-league all the way up to League One.
Unfortunately for Still, he has since taken them all the way back down again - suffering relegation to League Two in 2011 and then, following a stint with Luton, relegation to the National League in May.
The list of returning managers is a long one, from Steve McClaren at Derby County and Danny Wilson at Barnsley to Ronnie Moore at Tranmere Rovers and Graham Taylor with Watford.
But we want to hear what you think - send us your suggestions on the best or worst manager returns by using #bbcefl on Twitter, with a selection to be used in BBC Sport's EFL live text commentary on Saturday.


Wales captain Sam Warburton says his side must not be afraid to take risks against New Zealand on Saturday.

Wales have not beaten the All Blacks in 26 matches since 1953 and the world champions are undefeated at Eden Park since 1994.
Flanker Warburton, who starts after a shoulder injury, returns to the ground for the first time since being sent off for a tip-tackle in the 2011 World Cup semi-final defeat by France.
"He who dares wins," Warburton said.
Wales are yet to beat New Zealand on their own turf and the All Blacks have won their last 34 games at the Auckland ground.
The match will be New Zealand's first since beating Australia 34-17 in the 2015 World Cup final.
Steve Hansen's side are favourites to win the three-Test series, but Warburton, 27, says Wales must take the game to the home team.
"There are going to be opportunities in the game where it might be on to go out the back or it might be on for somebody to blitz. If it comes off it pays dividends," he said.
"You're going to have to take a few risks on Saturday, you can't be conservative and expect to win."
Wales coach Warren Gatland added: "When the opportunity arises, we've got to be expansive, we've got to take risks and we've got to play rugby. Often the difference between one side and the other is just a bit of magic."
Warburton's controversial red card against France in 2011 came as Wales' World Cup dream ended with a 9-8 defeat.
But the British and Irish Lion says returning to the scene of heartbreak will not play on his psyche.
"There's so much water under the bridge since then. That never even crosses my mind," said Warburton.
"This is a brand new challenge, to play the All Blacks out here."
Warburton has not played since 30 April and is one of five changes to the team beaten by England last month.
The Cardiff Blues forward says he has benefited from his time on the sidelines.
"It's actually been a little bit of a blessing to freshen me up a bit, to top up the fitness levels," he said.
"I've been doing running for a long time now so fitness won't be an issue.
"Compared to the other injuries I've had it'll be a much easier transition back into Test rugby."


Mayors in Mexico have demanded they be given extra protection after two of their number were killed in separate incidents on Saturday.

The National Association of Mayors asked the federal government to offer added security to mayors "at risk".
On Saturday, the mayor of the town of Pungabarato in southern Guerrero state was shot dead only hours after a mayor in southern Chiapas had been killed.
Local officials are often targeted by criminal gangs in Mexico.
The association asked the government "to prepare and put in place security protocols for mayors" and to investigate the killings.
An armed gang ambushed the mayor of Pungabarato, Ambrosio Soto, on Saturday evening as he was travelling along the main motorway.
The men blocked the motorway with lorries and opened fire on Mr Soto's car, killing him and his driver.
Two weeks previously, Mr Soto had said on Twitter that he had been threatened "by organised crime" and that his cousin had been killed.
"It's time to act, Mr President @EPN," he said addressing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
"#TierraCaliente needs you." Tierra Caliente is the name given to the an area of Mexico State, Guerrero and Michoacan characterised by its hot temperatures.
The area has seen a sharp increase in violence over the past years with drug gangs and vigilantes battling for control of the region.
Mr Pena Nieto has said the area is "one of the greatest challenges" in terms of security.
Local press reported that Mr Soto had received threats after he had refused to hand over part of his budget to a local drugs gang.
Extortion is common in the region and many businesses are forced to hand money to gangs or self-styled vigilantes for "protection".
Mr Soto had a police escort of two officers in a patrol car at the time of his killing. They were both wounded in the attack.
The state governor of Guerrero said Mr Soto was also given protection by Guerrero state police, but that he had asked them to watch over his family while he travelled to a neighbouring town to attend to some personal business.
His killing came just hours after that of the mayor of the town of San Juan Chamula, Domingo Lopez, and his deputy, Narciso Lunes, in southern Chiapas state.
The two officials were holding a meeting with protesting residents in the main square of San Juan Chamula when unidentified gunmen opened fire.
A total of four people were killed and a dozen injured.
The motive behind the killing is not clear.


Public services in Wales need an extra £1bn to respond to an ageing population and rising NHS costs over the next three years, the finance minister has warned council leaders.

Jane Hutt said this would be on top of any cuts resulting from Chancellor George Osborne's spending review.
Welsh councils have faced average cuts of 3.4% in funding from the Welsh government over the past two years.
Ms Hutt also called on the chancellor to agree to "fair funding" for Wales.
The UK government has said it will provide a "funding floor", designed to protect the Welsh government from being squeezed by the Barnett formula that sets budgets for the four UK nations.
Ms Hutt was speaking at a conference of council leaders, who had gathered at City Hall in Cardiff on Thursday to discuss the financial challenges with senior members of the Welsh government.
Local authorities have been making major cuts to departments other than social services, which are protected by law, and schools, which have been protected by the current Labour Welsh government.
Two years of reduced funding from the Welsh government followed a four-year freeze.
First Minister Carwyn Jones has said he will do all he can to prioritise spending on health and education.
However, he has warned he could not protect public services in Wales against what he called "enormous cuts" from Westminster.
The chancellor has asked non-protected UK government departments to find £20bn of savings ahead of his spending review announcement next Wednesday.
Ms Hutt also said she hoped to hear Mr Osborne announce funding for a "city deal" backing major transport and infrastructure projects for Cardiff and south east Wales.
Ten local councils and the Welsh government have set aside a combined £600m for the deal, and are waiting to hear whether the Treasury will match the pledge.


A 51-year-old woman has been charged with murder after a man's body was found at a property in Gloucestershire.

Joanne Williams of Meek Road, Newent, is charged with killing Marc Hastings, 43, of Hillcrest Road, Berry Hill, near Coleford.
Ms Williams was arrested on 12 August when police were called to her home and Mr Hastings' body was found.
She is due to appear at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court on Monday.


European newspapers are sceptical about prospects of an alliance with Poland to soften the terms of Britain's departure from the European Union.

Other correspondents investigate reports of companies relocating from London to Europe.
The high-profile visit to Britain of Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo for bilateral talks on security and the European Union is a matter of pride to some commentators back home.
Popular tabloid Fakt is "surprised" at talk of an Anglo-Polish alliance, but has "great expectations for the relationship, not least because Britain sees in us a worthy partner".
The press welcomes cooperation in facing down any threats from Russia, but fears Britain may try to use Poland to split the EU.
Gazeta Wyborcza's Brussels correspondent Tomasz Bielecki acknowledges the "strategic interest" of working closely in Nato and post-Brexit Europe, but warns Poland is "walking a tightrope" given Britain's aim of "upsetting European unity on Brexit and playing member states off against each other".
In Dzennik Polski, Zbigniew Parafianowicz and Michal Potocki say an alliance "sounds like a good idea, except  it will only last the three years that Britain remains in the EU and London hasn't supplied many actual bricks to support this rhetorical partnership framework".
"The fact is that nobody will agree to easy Brexit terms that might tomorrow run the risk of encouraging Austria, the Netherlands and France to leave the EU," they conclude.
Rzeczpospolita's London correspondent Jedrzej Bielecki thinks Mrs May "wants to trade Nato military support for Polish help in achieving good Brexit conditions".
He says Poland has little influence over other member states, and France wants a "punitive Brexit to counter nationalist populism, not least its own National Front" in an election year.
Rzeczpospolita commentator Jerzy Haszczynski notes that the London talks fell on the "grim anniversary" of the 1943 Tehran Conference, at which Winston Churchill "sold Poland to the Soviets".
"I hope we don't sell the European Union just so the British can live well after Brexit," he concludes.
Comment elsewhere echoed similar concerns that Poland might find itself being used.
But Andras Kosa in Hungary's Magyar Nemzet wonders whether a "London-Warsaw-Budapest troika is being formed", as Mrs Szydlo's visit came shortly after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had talks with Theresa May, and all three "prefer a European Union based on free trade with decisions taken by the member states".
French political scientist Dominique Moisi fears that "Europe, democracy and capitalism are no longer the stuff of dreams for Central Europeans".
A "chilly introspection" in Eastern Europe has followed the migrant crisis, he writes in Les Echos, even though the region is economically dependent on the EU and too weak to face Russia alone.
Mr Moisi warns that Western Europe could also go down the road of "democratic regression". "Sometimes those who look behind the times are actually ahead of the pack," he concludes.
A broader theme in European papers is the possible exodus of businesses from Britain, and the chances other countries have of hosting them.
The French business paper Les Echos highlights the efforts of healthcare companies in the Ile-de-France region around Paris to persuade foreign investors in South Korea, New York and Boston to "move from London because of Brexit".
But the same paper's Catherine Ducruet sees little sign of pharmaceutical giants leaving Britain, especially as the government's corporation tax sweeteners, £2bn investment pledge and the fall in sterling "make the medicine go down" for the time being.
Marcus Theurer of Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung looks at the "explosive row" over Bank of England Governor Mark Carney's suggestion of a longer transitional period before Brexit.
Dubbing it "farewell on the instalment plan", Mr Theurer says the City of London wants a longer transition to help businesses postpone and perhaps even drop plans to move from London.
Munich's Sueddeutsche Zeitung reports a campaign by Berlin to replace London as Europe's start-up capital.
Stefan Franzke of the Berlin Partner investment agency is making a "hard sell" to businesses alarmed at the EU referendum, saying one company has already moved from London and another 40 have made "specific inquiries" since June.
Apart from the uncertainty, Mr Franzke says start-ups worry that their "dependence on foreign specialists" will fall foul of British plans for tighter migrant controls.
He dismissed the rival claims of Paris, and Le Monde's Isabelle Rey-Lefebvre is inclined to agree. She sees "no mass business exodus from London to Paris", despite competitive property prices.
Paola De Carolis of Italy's Corriere della Sera also thinks that London retains its "irresistible global appeal".
She does not play down concerns over the "international tribe that powers the City", but says "there are positive signs as the rest of the city continues to grow and investment continues".
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring  on Twitter and Facebook.


The emissions scandal continuing to engulf Volkswagen shows that no company, however large or well-established, is immune to a crisis.

But how a business responds when things go wrong can mean the difference between a swift resolution and making the problem a whole lot worse.
After rigging its vehicles to cheat pollution tests, VW has seen billions wiped off its market value and its reputation left in tatters.
To its credit, say public relations professionals, the former chief executive Martin Winterkorn said sorry quickly and stepped down.
But a lack of consistent messaging on social media and a failure to reassure customers quickly has done the firm few favours.
"A few weeks into the crisis and a lot of customers are still confused," says Dave Mason of Mentor Training, a consultancy that specialises in crisis communications.
"We are still only getting some reassurance it won't cost us to fix the issue."
Of course, history is littered with corporate crises, and yet firms all too often fail to learn from each other's mistakes. So how should they best prepare for the worst?
According to Rod Clayton, vice president of crisis at Weber Shandwick, they should start with some proper contingency planning.
"Companies are often quite well prepared operationally for emergencies - if something blows up they know what to do - but they don't know what do when the blow-up is more metaphorical or legal because they don't have robust communications plans in place.
"And even when they do, sometimes they haven't actually tested those plans or run simulation exercises," he says.
Rebecca Gudgeon, a managing director at Grayling, says it is "blatantly obvious" this is where VW went wrong.
"If you're a car company or train operator you are responsible for public safety, and so you are expected to have a plan in place if something goes wrong.
"But VW just looks like it's in disarray, which makes it even harder for consumers and regulators to trust them."
Malaysia Airlines was similarly caught on the hop following the tragic disappearance of Flight MH370 last year.
Chinese state media criticised it for waiting "almost 13 hours" after losing contact with the plane to hold a press conference.
And relatives were outraged by the lack of transparency and communications they received from the airline about the missing passengers in subsequent days.
When the firm finally told them to assume "beyond doubt" no one had survived, it did so in a text message.
According to Mr Mason, it is vital that a chief executive - not their communications team or more junior members of staff - takes ownership of a crisis and speaks to the press.
He adds they should always start by expressing care for those affected, and then explain how they plan to solve the problem.
"Many chief executives start by trying to reassure people their company can be trusted, and that's a huge mistake," he says.
Take Eileen Downey, a manager at Britannia Hotels, who appeared on the BBC's consumer affairs programme Watchdog in 2011, following criticism of Pontins holiday parks.
The show had received more than 100 complaints over issues such as stains on bedding and mould in apartments.
But Ms Downey went on the defensive arguing that "99.9%" of Pontins apartments were of a high quality, and refused to say sorry.
"It was a master class in how not to deliver the message that you care about your customers," Mr Mason says.
Even when companies do say sorry they can make a mess of it, as Thomas Cook showed this year.
In May, the tour operator finally apologised to the parents of two children who died of carbon monoxide poisoning at one of its holiday apartments in 2006. But this was only after an inquest found it liable.
Chief executive Peter Fankhauser later said delaying the apology was his "biggest mistake".
But Weber Shandwick's Mr Clayton has some sympathy with companies expected to show public remorse.
"People often underestimate what a challenge it is to communicate very quickly about something very complicated when you don't know enough about what happened, and when there could be a lot of implications in what you say.
"The lawyers may tell you to say nothing about something - but if you end up being excessively conservative you can end up winning in the courtroom and losing all of your customers."
Ms Gudgeon believes VW can restore its reputation, just as carmakers Toyota and Lexus have survived their own scandals.
But she says it will take a huge amount of "investment and engagement" as well as a rethink of where it stands in the car market.
"Are they going to be a company that absolutely plays whiter than white and takes climate change very seriously, or are they going to be one that trades on performance and price? I don't know if there is any middle ground for VW to own."
That said, popular brands can be surprisingly resilient to crises.
Apple faced a backlash last year when it added the U2 album, Songs of Innocence, to 500 million iTunes users' libraries without their consent. But the company's sales have continued to rise, and the album has become one of the most successful of all time.
Mr Mason adds the public are often willing to forgive if a company "says sorry and moves on". That is as long as they demonstrate they have genuinely learned their lesson.
After the Bangladeshi clothes factory Rana Plaza collapsed in 2013, killing 1,134 people, a number of fashion companies that used the facility came under attack.
But since then, companies including H&M and Primark have ploughed millions of pounds into improving safety across their supply chains, and duly received praise for it. Late-to-donate brands faced vocal protests conversely.
"Ultimately, if there is a problem that needs fixing, people will judge you more on what you did about the situation than what the situation originally was," says Mr Clayton.
"And if you deal with an issue well then ultimately you get credit for that."


An "unstable derelict" building in south Belfast has been demolished, causing the closure of a road.

Belfast City Council said the building, at the junction of University Street and Ormeau Road, was bulldozed as a safety measure.
They said work had already been going on at the site and that a front wall was knocked down to make the area safe.
The Ormeau Road has now reopened.


Bolton Wanderers midfielder Liam Trotter has apologised for making an offensive gesture with David Wheater in a pre-match live club broadcast.

The club has fined the pair for the incident, which happened prior to Tuesday evening's defeat by Brentford.
"I'd like to apologise to the Bolton fans for what we did before the game," Trotter, 27, told BBC Radio Manchester.
"We didn't realise it was live, it wasn't aimed at the fans or club, it was a silly gesture as we walked in."
A club statement said: "Bolton Wanderers takes the conduct of its players and staff extremely seriously and will not tolerate such behaviour."
The defeat, Bolton's 22nd in the Championship this season, means they could be relegated to League One on Saturday when they face Derby County.
The club have spent much of the season fighting a relegation battle, as well as off-the-field financial problems, and are 17 points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table with six games left to play.
"It's too hard to pinpoint one thing, there's a lot of things gone wrong. If we knew what the problem was then we would be doing better," said Trotter.
"There's a lot of factors, a lot of outside influence with what's been going on at the club, but it's not just that, the players haven't been good enough this season.
"We haven't done enough on the pitch. We're in the position we're in because we deserve to be."


Descendants of some 20 families who fought at the Battle of Bosworth, that ended the reign of Richard III, have met for the first time.

Researchers who identified the king using DNA from his distant family used the same techniques to find descendants of those who fought in the battle.
They met family members directly related to the last Plantagenet king at a reception in Leicester.
Some have flown from Australia, South Africa and Canada for the occasion.
Richard, the last English king to die in battle, was killed at Bosworth Field in 1485, at the end of the Wars of the Roses.
The pro-vice chancellor at the University of Leicester, Prof Kevin Sch??rer, who conducted the research, said it was "challenging" but had "thrown up some interesting stories".
Among those identified by Prof Sch??rer are relatives whose ancestors include:
Prof Sch??rer said: "The stories are a mixture of continuity and change, with a fair measure of fame and glory thrown in.
"The inter-relation between some of the families from Bosworth is another interesting feature - in some regards it truly was a battle of cousins.
"Bringing together these families for the first time in over 500 years will be a remarkable event."
King Richard's reburial ceremony will be held at Leicester Cathedral on Thursday, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.


A female osprey has returned to a Lake District nest for the fifth year running.

The ringed bird, known as KL, produced three chicks in the nest at Bassenthwaite near Keswick last year. Two were killed by magpies.
She has been joined this year by an unringed male.
The Lake District Osprey Project team said they were "delighted", as the birds do not always return to the same nest sites.
Project manager Nathan Fox said they were "hopeful for another successful nesting season".
The birds have been seen mating since they arrived, having spent the winter in west Africa.
Ospreys returned to the Lake District in 2001, after an absence of more than 150 years.
They have nested successfully every year, raising nearly 30 chicks.
The birds can been seen from specially-created viewpoints and visitors can watch live nest-cam images on screens at Whinlatter visitor centre.


Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said new sanctions imposed by the US are tantamount to declaring a "full-scale trade war" against Moscow.

He said the measures, signed by Donald Trump, demonstrated the complete impotence of the US president, who he said had been humiliated by Congress.
The law aims to punish Russia for its alleged meddling in the 2016 US elections and its actions in Ukraine.
Mr Trump accused Congress of overreach on the legislation.
In signing the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act on Wednesday, he attached a statement calling the measure "deeply flawed".
The legislation limits the amount of money Americans can invest in Russian energy projects, and makes it more difficult for US companies to do business with Russia.
It also imposes sanctions on Iran and North Korea.
Iran said the new sanctions violated the nuclear deal and it would respond in an "appropriate and proportional" manner, reports the semi-official Isna news agency.
North Korea has so far made no public comments on the US move.
Writing on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Mr Medvedev said the sanctions package "ends hopes for improving our relations with the new US administration.
"The sanctions regime has been codified and will remain in effect for decades unless a miracle happens."
Mr Medvedev also warned that new steps would follow aimed at removing President Trump - whom he described as a "non-systemic player" - from power.
Moscow - which denies interfering in the US presidential election - had already retaliated last week when Congress passed the bill by ordering the US to cut to 455 the number of staff at the US embassy and consulates in Russia - a reduction of 755 people altogether - and also by denying access to a US country house and a warehouse in Moscow.
Several European nations, including Germany, had been fearful of the economic consequences but European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker expressed satisfaction over what he described as the softening of the bill after the EU had expressed its concerns.
"Moreover, the US Congress has now also committed to only apply sanctions after the country's allies are consulted. And I do believe we are still allies of the US," he said.
President Trump has repeatedly rejected any allegations that his campaign staff colluded with Russia to help him win.
And he accused Congress, which last week overwhelmingly passed the bill and sent it to the White House, of overstepping its constitutional authority.
"As president, I can make far better deals with foreign countries than Congress," he said.
Allegations by the US intelligence community that Russia interfered in the US election to aid Mr Trump are currently being investigated by Congress and a special investigator.
Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
Donald Trump has signed the bill but he's clearly not happy about it. Hardly surprising, as any president would probably object to congressional efforts to curtail executive power included in this legislation.
As is becoming routine, however, this administration didn't draw its battle lines in the expected way.
There were several "signing statements". The first reads like a standard legalistic description of a presidential action with a bevy of "yes, but..." reservations.
Another statement is decidedly more Trumpian, complete with a shot at Congress for not passing healthcare reform and a closing boast about his business empire and negotiating prowess.
Releasing multiple signing statements with somewhat divergent tones is unusual, to say the least, and could be an indication that, despite the efforts of new chief of staff John Kelly, the administration is still not speaking with a unified voice.
The sanctions, which are also in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea, come months after former US President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats.
Republican Lindsey Graham praised the bill after it passed, pointing out that Mr Trump's options were limited since there were enough votes to overcome a presidential veto.
"President Putin did something that nobody in America could do. He united the Congress," the South Carolina senator told CNN.
Senior Russian parliamentarian Konstantin Kosachev said that Mr Trump was "capitulating" by not standing up to Congress.


Convicted drug smuggler Michaella McCollum has arrived back in Ireland after being released from prison in Peru earlier this year.

The 23-year-old from Dungannon in County Tyrone, arrived into Dublin airport on Saturday night on a flight from London.
She had left South America on Friday night.
McCollum was released on parole in March after serving less than half her six-year, eight-month sentence.
McCollum and Scottish woman Melissa Reid were arrested in August 2013 at Lima Airport with 11kg of cocaine hidden in food packets.
She had been staying in Peru awaiting a judicial hearing to decide when she could return home.
Melissa Reid arrived back to Scotland in June.


Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says Divock Origi could play again this season despite suffering a "serious injury" against Everton.

The 21-year-old Belgium striker was substituted in the second half of Wednesday's 4-0 win at Anfield after a challenge by Ramiro Funes Mori, who was then sent off.
Liverpool, in seventh, trail fifth-place Manchester United by five points with five games remaining.
"We'll try everything," said Klopp.
Origi had to be taken off on a stretcher but it was confirmed shortly after the game that he had not broken his ankle.
"The season is not over," added Klopp. "We are all different. We don't have to make any general comments. We only have to work with him and see what happens.
"Why should we say the season is over now when it is still a few games away?"


The FBI has said it will expand a reward programme offering $10,000 (Â£6,000) for information leading to arrests over "lasing" incidents.

Laser pointers directed at helicopter and aeroplane pilots can temporarily blind those piloting the aircraft.
The FBI says it has seen a sharp increase in such incidents since they began tracking them in 2005.
Initially US officials offered the reward as an experiment in 12 cities in February.
Now it will expand the effort across all 56 field offices in the US, Puerto Rico and Guam for 90 days.
The latest known incident happened on 23 May, when a pilot approaching New York's LaGuardia Airport said someone shone a laser into his aircraft at 5,000 ft (1,524m).
The beam was tracked to a residential area eight miles away.
And in March, a California man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for shining a laser pointer at police and hospital helicopters.
The law enforcement agency and the Federal Aviation Administration recorded fewer than 300 laser attacks in 2005. In 2013, they recorded nearly 4,000.
The FBI began the reward programme in February in a dozen field offices, including Chicago, Houston, New York, Phoenix and Washington.
The agency said it had seen a 19% reduction in those areas during the time period of the trial programme.
As part of the FBI's push there will be public service announcements about the programme during film previews in a theatre chain in the Mid-West.


Two sisters disabled by strokes caused by sickle cell disease have been awarded more than £3m damages at the High Court in London.

Olayinka Obafemi, 22, was awarded an agreed damages award worth £1.9m after Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust admitted limited liability.
Counsel alleged Wuraola, 17, who was also treated at the hospital should have been referred to a special centre.
She was awarded £1.4m, despite the hospital denying liability.
Counsel Chris Johnston told the High Court that in 1991 the hospital had found that Olayinka, who was diagnosed with sickle cell disease early in life, had suffered a stroke, leaving her with left-sided weakness.
Following her discharge, blood transfusions were initiated but these were only intermittent and Olayinka was re-admitted having suffered a second stroke, her lawyer said.
She then had a third stroke which affected her walking and caused her to fall frequently.
Regular transfusions started but, after they stopped, she had a fourth stroke in December 1993.
Mr Johnston said Olayinka now had continuing left-sided weakness, co-ordination problems and substantial loss of cognitive function, which meant she had a moderate learning disability and could no longer look after herself.
The agreed damages award in Olayinka's case reflected her need for care and support throughout her life.
When Wuraola was taken to casualty in August 1996 after becoming floppy and unresponsive, she was discharged, despite her mother telling doctors she was concerned about a stroke.
She was seen again with problems with her speech and arm and it emerged she had suffered a mild right-sided stroke.
In September 1996, she suffered a far more serious stroke which led to permanent weakness, cognitive deficit and seizures.
Mr Johnston said their mother Bolajoko Oredein, of east London, had demonstrated "incredible resilience and stoicism" while providing constant care for her daughters.
"They are very impressive siblings - both in terms of handling their disabilities and the care they show each other - they are devoted," he said.
Margaret Bowron QC, for the trust, said the cases would have been difficult to try and she was pleased they had been resolved.
She said life had thrown some appalling problems at the sisters, who were very brave.
"They are determined young ladies and their mother has been a complete rock. We wish them all well for the future," she said.


Hundreds of Shia Muslim activists have stormed Iraq's parliament in Baghdad, in protest against continuing deadlock in approving a new cabinet.

Supporters of cleric Moqtada Sadr broke through barricades of the fortified Green Zone for the first time, after MPs failed to convene for a vote.
A state of emergency was declared and security forces near the US embassy fired tear gas.
Protesters set up camp outside the parliament after occupying the chamber.
Nearby foreign embassies are watching anxiously but there has been no serious violence so far.
"We still view this as a demonstration," Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the counterterrorism forces, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. "We aren't taking any part in this as it's not something regarding terrorism."
Mr Sadr wants Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to commit to a plan to replace ministers with non-partisan technocrats.
Powerful parties in parliament have refused to approve the change for several weeks.
Earlier this week, hundreds of thousands of people marched towards the Green Zone, the most secure part of Baghdad that houses embassies and government buildings, to protest against the political deadlock.
Iraqi President Fuad Masum has called on the protesters to vacate parliament and politicians to enact the cabinet reshuffle.
A new protest outside the zone escalated after parliament again failed to reach a quorum on Saturday.
Groups marched on the district soon after the end of a televised appearance by Mr Sadr, although he did not call for the storming of parliament.
The protesters tried to stop lawmakers attempting to flee the building.
Inside the chamber, jubilant demonstrators took up the seats of the deputies and posed for photos.
One protester, Ali Mohammed, said they were angry at the politicians' failure to act.
"The people have come to the right place, to rule themselves," he told Reuters news agency.
"The people are now staging a sit-in inside parliament. Our legitimate and only demand is to dismiss the government and replace it with an independent cabinet of technocrats."
The state of emergency declared does not feature a curfew.
This is a major escalation of a political crisis that's been brewing for months. The Iraqi prime minister set out an ambitious programme for reform last year - intended to foster a sense of political unity and accountability to help Iraq tackle the challenge of a failing economy and even more urgently, the battle against IS.
But he's met fierce opposition at every turn in his attempt to cut off the political and financial corruption that's enriched and empowered the elite for so long.
Moqtada Sadr has ostensibly supported him in this aim - having reinvented himself as the voice of the angry Iraqi people, fed up with the status quo.
But with the storming of parliament by his followers, there must now be a big question over whether he offers support to the beleaguered prime minister, or a challenge.
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini criticised the protesters' actions, saying it was in the interests of the Iraqi people to restore order rapidly.
"It appears a deliberate disruption of the democratic process," she said in a statement.
The protesters are reported to have begun ransacking parliament buildings. United Nations and embassy staff were on lockdown inside their compounds, Reuters reports.
Iraq's system of sharing government jobs has long been criticised for promoting unqualified candidates and encouraging corruption.
Mr Abadi, who came to power in 2014, has promised to stamp out corruption and ease sectarian tensions, but he has failed to far to introduce a new technocratic cabinet.
A survey by the Pew Research Centre in 2011 suggested that 51% of Iraqi Muslims identified themselves as Shia, compared with 42% Sunni.
Elsewhere in Baghdad, a car bomb targeted a group of Shia Muslim pilgrims on Saturday, killing at least 21 people.
The Shia cleric and his militia group, the Mehdi Army, gained prominence after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. galvanising anti-US sentiment.
Mr Sadr's followers clashed repeatedly with US forces, whose withdrawal the cleric consistently demanded.
An arrest warrant was issued for Mr Sadr in 2004 in connection with the murder of a rival cleric.
His militia was also blamed for the torture and killing of thousands of Sunnis in the sectarian carnage of 2006 and 2007. Mr Sadr fled to Iran during that period.
In 2011, Mr Sadr returned from his self-imposed exile to Iraq, taking a more conciliatory tone and calling for Iraqi unity and peace.


A man has been able to control a robotic limb with a mind-reading chip implanted in his brain.

It allowed Erik Sorto, from California, to sip a drink unaided for the first time in 10 years.
The details, published in Science, reveal how complex bursts of electrical signals in his brain could be interpreted into commands for the arm.
Experts said the results made brain-controlled robotics closer to being a reality.
Mr Sorto was shot at the age of 21. The damage to his spinal cord left him paralysed from the neck down.
Two tiny sensors were implanted into his brain to monitor the activity of around 100 neurons.
Previous attempts at thought-controlled robotics have focused on the motor cortex - the region responsible for the action of individual muscles.
However, the US team tried implanting the chips in the posterior parietal cortex - the part of the brain that comes up with the initial intention.
It is the difference between deciding to pick up a mug or telling your hand to move towards it.
The team hopes this approach will be more intuitive.
One of the researchers, Prof Richard Andersen from Caltech, told the BBC News website: "The first time he tried the robotic limb he could form his hand to mirror one of the student's hands as if shaking hands - for him it was a huge thrill."
He has improved with training so that he can lift a drink to his mouth and also control a cursor on a computer screen.
Mr Sorto said: "I joke around with the guys that I want to be able to drink my own beer, to be able to take a drink at my own pace, when I want to take a sip out of my beer and to not have to ask somebody to give it to me.
"I really miss that independence. I think that if it were safe enough, I would really enjoy grooming myself - shaving, brushing my own teeth. That would be fantastic."
The field of harnessing a healthy brain to overcome a damaged body is advancing rapidly, particularly in the US.
Cathy Hutchinson used a robotic arm to serve herself a drink for the first time since her stroke 15 years previously.
Jan Scheuermann was able to deftly grasp and move a variety of objects just like a normal arm.
However, the developments are still largely restricted to the laboratory.
The procedure still requires an implant with wires coming out of the brain, which could be an infection risk.
Scientists also want to monitor even more brain cells to improve control.
A commentary, from researchers Dr Andrew Pruszynski and Dr Jorn Diedrichsen, argued: "The results represent one more step toward making brain control of a robotic limb or computing device a reality.
"Despite the impressive series of steps taken over the past 15 years, however, these neural prosthetic devices still have a substantial way to go before becoming practical therapeutic interventions."


Two men were taken to hospital after a substance was sprayed in their faces next to a cash machine in East Lothian.

The assault took place at North High Street, Musselburgh, between 19:15 and 19:40 on Saturday.
The victims were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where they were treated for minor injuries.
Police Scotland described the attack as "vicious" and appealed to anyone who may have information about the incident to come forward.
The injured men are described as being white and about 35 years old.
One man was of medium build, 5ft 9in tall with short brown hair. He was wearing a dark blue and white top with grey trousers.
The second man was 5ft 8in tall and was wearing a black top.
There is no description of their attacker.