Sri Lankan police have exhumed the body of a prominent newspaper editor as part of a new investigation into his murder.

Lasantha Wickrematunge edited the Sunday Leader, which was critical of then President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
He said before his 2009 murder that the government would kill him. The Rajapaksa government denied the claim.
A new post-mortem will be held to establish cause of death. In July, a military intelligence official was arrested in connection with the murder.
Lasantha Wickrematunge's killing came at a time of intense restrictions on the media in Sri Lanka.
The Sunday Leader had accused the government and the military of rights abuses during their fight against the Tamil Tiger separatist movement.
In January 2009 the editor had written an editorial saying he believed he would be killed by the government and that an inquiry would come to nothing.
He was killed by unidentified attackers in Colombo three days later.
According to police reports at the time, unidentified gunmen on motorcycles shot him dead on his way to work in Colombo. But two post mortems were inconclusive - one found the editor had died from gunshot injuries, while another said there was no evidence of bullet wounds.
After his surprise win in elections in 2014, the new President, Maithripala Sirisena, vowed to reform Sri Lanka's treatment of the media and to reopen the investigation into  Wickrematunge's murder.
The military intelligence officer held in July was the first person to be arrested in the case.
Earlier this month, a judge gave permission for the editor's body to be exhumed, because of the conflicting post-mortem reports. His grave has been under guard since then.
Journalist Mandana Ismail Abeywickrama, who was a close friend of the editor, was nominated by his family to witness the exhumation.
"I had to identify the body - it was one of the most difficult things I have done in my life," she told BBC Sinhala's Azzam Ameen.
"To see his remains like this made me angry that we had to wait so long for justice for him. I don't know why still they have not questioned people who were in charge of  the defence establishment at that time."
It is well known that I was on two occasions brutally assaulted, while on another my house was sprayed with machine-gun fire. Despite the government's sanctimonious assurances, there was never a serious police inquiry into the perpetrators of these attacks, and the attackers were never apprehended.
In all these cases, I have reason to believe the attacks were inspired by the government. When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me...
In the wake of my death I know you will make all the usual sanctimonious noises and call upon the police to hold a swift and thorough inquiry. But like all the inquiries you have ordered in the past, nothing will come of this one, too.


A new £24.5bn nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset is to go ahead after it received final approval from European Union regulators.

The European Commission said Britain had agreed to "modify significantly" the financing for the project, reducing the burden on British taxpayers.
In total 16 commissioners voted in favour of the project, just ahead of the 15 votes needed for approval.
EDF Energy is due to build the plant, the first in the UK in almost 20 years.
The Commission had been examining whether the funding for the project broke state aid rules.
However, it said the changes agreed by the British authorities would cut the subsidy by more than £1bn, meaning that state aid would remain "proportionate to the objective pursued, avoiding any undue distortions of competition".
The Commission said these changes made meant gains generated by the project would be better shared with UK consumers.
It estimated the project would now cost £24.5bn to build. The updated figure, much higher than the government and EDF's original £16bn forecast, includes the impact of inflation as well as interest costs for the 10 year construction period.
This is the first time that the European Commission has approved significant state aid for a new nuclear power plant - and as such, it is a big step forward for the European nuclear industry.
The decision will serve as a precedent for other countries, such as Poland and the Czech Republic, that want to know how much public money they can offer to companies as they look to expand their nuclear industries.
But the legal fight over the funding for Hinkley Point C is almost certainly not over. The European Court of Justice will be asked for an opinion.
Austria says the Commission's decision is supported by neither economic nor ecological sense.
And other member states are concerned that it flies in the face of the EU's stated aim of promoting renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.
The government had already agreed that French firm EDF will be paid a so-called "strike price" of £92.50 for every megawatt hour of energy Hinkley C generates. This is almost twice the current wholesale cost of electricity, but this was a deliberate attempt by the government to compensate for the high cost of building the plant.
However, the Commission said that if EDF's overall profits exceeded the rate estimated at the time it was awarded the contract, any gains would be shared with the public.
It said it had also defined a second, higher threshold above which the public would be given more than half of the gains, through lowering the cost of the "strike price".
"An increase in the profit rate of only one percentage point, for example, will generate savings of more than £1.2bn," it said.
It said this agreement would now last for the entire lifetime of the project - an estimated 60 years.
"These modifications will also achieve significant savings for UK taxpayers. On this basis and after a thorough investigation, the Commission can now conclude that the support is compatible with EU state aid rules," said Commission Vice-President Joaquin Almunia.
The two reactors planned for Hinkley, which will provide power for about 60 years, are a key part of the coalition's drive to shift the UK away from fossil fuels towards low-carbon power.
The nuclear power station is expected to begin operating in 2023.
The government estimated last year that with new nuclear power - including Hinkley - the average energy bill in 2030 will be £77 lower than it would have been without the new plants.
The decision was controversial, with green critics believing that the government should have offered subsidies to renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar energy.
Austria, which strongly supports green energy, has threatened to take the European Commission to the European Court of Justice to protest against the decision.
"There is absolutely no legal, moral or environmental justification for turning taxes into guaranteed profits for a nuclear power company whose only legacy will be a pile of radioactive waste," said Greenpeace's EU legal adviser, Andrea Carta.
However, Lord Hutton of Furness, chairman of the Nuclear Industry Association, said the Commission's approval was "an important step".
"This will set in train an important time for the nuclear sector in the UK as new build projects get under way to replace the current ageing generation. It also gives certainty to other European countries looking at the UK system of contracts for difference as a mechanism to secure their own supply."


From Nike's "swoosh" symbol to Starbucks' twin-tailed mermaid or siren, the world's largest companies take great care of their logos.

For most people the logos of such firms immediately connect our minds to the business in question, without the need to see its name.
Think of the golden arches of a popular fast-food chain, or the apple with a bite taken out of it representing a certain computer company.
This type of instant recognition is the holy grail for a business.
Which is why the world's multinational companies can spend millions on their logos - like UK oil group BP, which back in 2000 spent Â£136m introducing its current sunflower design.
Other firms of a similar size, whose logo is simply their name written out in a stylised way, can spend hundreds of thousands on a new font, or a different colour.
But how easy is it for a business to pick a good logo, and how important is it at the end of the day?
If you are presented with a design for your company logo that is immediately likeable and resonates with your values, you might be wise to take a long hard look at it, bin it, and start again.
That's the opinion of Sagi Haviv, partner at New York graphic design firm Chermayeff & Geismer & Haviv (CGH).
"It's never love at first sight," he says. "A good logo, a good trademark, gains meaning and power over time."
CGH has been responsible for some of the most recognisable US business logos of the past 50 years, such as Chase Bank, National Geographic, Mobile, NBC and HarperCollins.
But Mr Haviv says some of the firms' clients had to be dragged kicking and screaming towards accepting what have since become some of the world's best-known logos.
"We remind our clients - and we open every presentation with a slide that says - it's never love at first sight," he says.
A recent presentation by CGH for a large corporation was a case in point. The chief executive, says Mr Haviv, could live with any of the six designs apart from number two.
"Two hours later at the end of the presentation, he wanted number two and he wouldn't hear of anything else," says Mr Haviv. "This is why the relationship between the client and the designer is extremely important."
For Mr Haviv there are three essentials to a good business logo: it must be appropriate to the business; it must be memorable; and it must be uncomplicated in form.
"And here I'd add a fourth," he says, "which is that the concept must be original."
Deciding whether to change a logo is also a difficult decision, as clothing giant Gap can affirm.
Back in the autumn of 2010, it unveiled a new logo, switching from writing its name in upper case to lower case letters, and introducing a small blue square behind the letter "p".
Such was the public outcry that a week later Gap did an about turn and scrapped the change.
Mr Haviv says: "Gap's original logo was loved by its audience, but it didn't know it."
One business which has successfully changed its logo is fast-growing London publishing company Ink.
"The [current] logo was designed approximately seven years ago - it wasn't the first logo for the company, it was the third incarnation," says Ink's creative solutions director Jonny Clark.
"The reason to create the logo at the time was that the company was expanding.
"It had gone from a relatively small business to a small-to-medium sized business, and we wanted to embrace the fact that we weren't just doing [physical] print anymore, but digital work as well."
So the word "publishing" was dropped from the old logo and the ring of colour that surrounds the word Ink was tweaked to add the tones of the RGB colour wheel that is the basis of digital printing.
Mr Clark adds: "We didn't have a branding department and the change was done internally by the design team we had working for us.
"There wasn't a lot of red tape to go through. In total, the process took between two-to-four months."
While Ink cannot quantify the impact of the logo change, over the past seven years the firm has expanded overseas, adding offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, Melbourne, New York, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. So the new logo certainly didn't hinder the business.
Martin Christie, of the London-based logo design firm Alchemist, says that simplicity is key. But he also cautions that firms shouldn't rush into a decision.
He says: "It's common sense to spend time on your logo - it's the first thing that people see; it's the look of your company; and it's going to reflect what you do."
For Robert Jones, professor of branding at the University of East Anglia, a good logo will successfully express a company's values.
He says: "Your logo is how people recognise you, and it helps express how you're different from your rivals - warmer, greener, stronger, and so on.
"And people need an image to look at. As Aristotle said, 'the soul cannot think without an image'.
"But [at the same time], people assess you not on the strength of your logo, but on the quality of your product or service. So all of that real stuff matters more."
Midlands-based independent brand consultant Rebecca Battman agrees that no matter how good a logo's design is, it will only be successful if the company itself is trusted.
"A logo is a simple and functional signpost to help people find and indentify your business," she says. "But for a logo to be successful, the company behind it must be a respected and trusted brand.
"A logo won't allow a company to build a respected brand on its own."
Additional reporting by Will Smale.


As a film actor, there might be a few signs that you have made it into the big time.

Your name in lights, perhaps. Your first award, maybe.
But when you have the director of the biggest film of the year - and maybe of all time - asking you to play a part in his movie, that is as good a sign as any.
Such was the case for three Indonesian actors who millions of people will see in Star Wars: The Force Awakens this weekend.
All three - Yayan Ruhian, Iko Uwais and Cecep Arif Rahman - starred in the widely-praised 2012 Indonesian action film The Raid, or its 2014 sequel.
And it was thanks to Star Wars director JJ Abrams' enthusiasm for the films that they got the call to take part. It was only in the past week that their appearances - as intergalactic smugglers - were confirmed.
(No major spoilers ahead!)
"I was just a fan. It was an opportunity," Abrams told the website Slashfilm. "I knew we needed people for this one sequence that would be particularly fun to see a group of people working together.
"I thought 'God, I wonder if the dudes from The Raid would be available?' And to my amazement, and they were willing, and they were incredible. They showed up and did a terrific job."
Their roles are not as substantial as Harrison Ford's, or the robot C3PO's for that matter, but they play important enough a part to justify having Lego figures made in their image.
Being on the Star Wars set presented challenges to the actors, said Rahman, who is also credited as a stunt choreographer.
"Our filming schedule fell during the month of Ramadan and the three of us were fasting," he told the Jakarta Globe newspaper.
"It was one of the toughest fasting months for me, because we couldn't eat and drink for almost 19 hours. But the crew always made sure to prepare food for us to break the fast and to make sure we got some time to rest."
Their casting has proven popular with fans in Indonesia. One wrote on Twitter: "Caucasian characters work for Star Wars, but we're proud to have you guys in there!"
Another Indonesian actor from The Raid 2, Joe Taslim, starred in the 2013 film Fast and Furious 6, and will appear in the next instalment of the Star Trek series next year.
The Raid films, directed by Welshman Gareth Evans, follow Uwais' character Rama, a Jakarta policeman, as he battles against the city's underworld.
The films were released to critical acclaim, with the first winning the audience award at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.
The Force Awakens opened across Indonesia on Friday, but Uwais, for one, might find it difficult to catch the reaction, as he is filming deep in the Indonesian jungle, and was unavailable for interview.
As for whether they will appear in the many Star Wars sequels and spin-offs to come, Ruhian told the Coconuts Jakarta website he had to stay quiet thanks to a non-disclosure agreement.
"One can only hope," he said. "For the last one, we had to be quiet about it for two years, let alone the next one."


Liverpool will attempt to secure their first major piece of European silverware for 11 years when they take on Sevilla in the Europa League final in Basel, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

Sevilla finished seventh in Spain's La Liga, 39 points behind champions Barcelona, yet cannot stop winning in the Europa League and are looking to win the trophy for a fifth time since Liverpool's Champions League win in 2005 - and the third time in a row.
But who is their main threat? Why are they so good in this competition? Who is the mastermind behind their Europa League success?
Here, we take a look at what awaits Jurgen Klopp's Reds at St Jakob-Park.
BBC Radio 5 live In Short: Sevilla are favourites - Phil Neville
Sevilla earned a place in this season's Champions League group stage with a successful defence of their 2014 Europa League triumph - one that ended with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Ukrainian side Dnipro in Warsaw, Poland 12 months ago.
A 3-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach suggested Los Sevillistas could make an impression and advance to the knockout stages of Europe's elite competition.
It wasn't to be, however, as four straight defeats saw them eliminated from Group D, which also contained Manchester City and Juventus, although the third-placed finish did send them back in their favourite tournament.
Sevilla have owned the Europa League in recent years, with their back-to-back triumphs in the past two seasons following in the footsteps of consecutive wins in 2006 and 2007.
"Everyone connected with Sevilla thoroughly enjoys taking part in this competition, and I've always encouraged everyone to approach it with the passion it deserves," said boss Unai Emery.
Since their first European triumph in 2006, Sevilla have also won the domestic Copa del Rey twice, and will have another chance to lift that trophy when they face Barcelona in the final at Atletico Madrid's Vicente Calderon on 22 May.
That's no accident because Sevilla have fielded some fabulous players in the past decade, including Barcelona pair Dani Alves and Ivan Rakitic, as well as prolific strikers in their prime such as Luis Fabiano, Frederic Kanoute, Alvaro Negredo and Carlos Bacca.
The club's sporting director Monchi has been showered with praise for his ability to repeatedly build high-quality squads packed with ambitious players who are on an upward curve - and the silverware has been fully deserved.
Last season it was Carlos Bacca who was Sevilla's main goal threat. The 29-year-old Colombia international's departure to AC Milan has seen Kevin Gameiro step up to become the forward the opposition fear most.
Half of Sevilla's 14 Europa League goals this season have come from the former Paris St-Germain player, who has proved influential since moving to Spain three years ago.
The 29-year-old France international marked his first season in La Liga with 15 goals and has followed it up with another 24 since.
Gameiro's goalscoring form is excellent, but his biggest asset to the team is his insatiable work rate - and it makes him the kind of player who is a real pain for defenders.
Though he is not particularly physically imposing, Gameiro is fast, strong, has great balance, shows intelligent movement and never stops running. He also has the happy goalscorer's instinct of finding space inside a congested penalty area.
Considering the form he has showed this season and the controversial omission of Karim Benzema, it is somewhat surprising that Gameiro has not been selected in the France squad for their home European Championship this summer.
But it could still be a busy summer for Gameiro because he has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, who are looking for an experienced striker to offer cover and competition for Luis Suarez.
"He has a fantastic turn of pace to get away from players and he's very good at getting shots away quickly - a really sharp finisher," said Emery.
"He puts the first line of pressure on the opposition, with his speed and ability in transitions. That's very positive for the team."
Emery does not always get the credit he deserves. He really should be regarded as an elite manager considering the success he has enjoyed throughout his career.
After starting out by leading lowly Lorca and Almeria to promotion, he guided cash-strapped Valencia to three consecutive third-place finishes in La Liga - and the scale of that achievement is underlined by how much they have struggled since he departed in 2012.
The 44-year-old Spaniard then had a brief and unsuccessful stint with Spartak Moscow before returning to Spain with Sevilla, where he has kept the team in the top half of the league as well as masterminding their cup successes.
He was strongly tipped to move to AC Milan last summer before eventually rejecting the Italian giants - but his work with the Andalusians will surely earn him more big-name suitors before long.
While he was at Valencia, Emery worked with Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata before the player moved to Chelsea in August 2011, as well as David Silva, now at Manchester City.
West Ham reportedly wanted Emery before Slaven Bilic was appointed, while Everton have also been linked with the former midfielder since Roberto Martinez was sacked.
Emery is an expert video editor as well as a football obsessive and does not employ a video analyst. Instead he edits footage of his side's opponents himself.
Sevilla have endured a fairly disappointing season in La Liga to finish seventh, but that's mainly because they have suffered a series of disappointing results against lower-ranked opposition.
In the big games they have been excellent, beating Barcelona,Real Madrid and fourth-placed Villarreal at home - and they also defeated Juventus in the Champions League group stage on their own turf.
Their route to the final has included impressive wins over La Liga rivals Athletic Bilbao and Shakhtar Donetsk.
However, Liverpool will be encouraged by Sevilla's poor form away from their Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan home.
They were the only team in La Liga not to win on their travels in 2015-16, while their away success in the Europa League was a 2-1 victory in Bilbao.
Emery and his highly regarded sporting director Monchi have built an extremely strong squad with plenty of depth, and that is particularly the case in midfield where a wide range of options are available to support Gameiro.
Perhaps the most important player is the talented Argentina international Ever Banega, who is enjoying a real renaissance after being rescued from a frustrating spell at Valencia when he joined Sevilla two years ago.
With Banega pulling the strings, attacking penetration is offered by former Arsenal man Jose Antonio Reyes, Spain international Vitolo, the versatile Vicente Iborra and gifted Ukraine winger Yevhen Konoplyanka.
Although he often only appears from the bench, the ace in the pack could prove to be Konoplyanka, who is Sevilla's most naturally talented player. His ability to cut in from the left wing to shoot, or deliver dangerous balls into the box from either flank, makes him a real potential match winner.
There is another familiar name in the shape of Steven Nzonzi, the former Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City midfielder.
The 27-year-old Frenchman has been a regular starter during Sevilla's Europa League campaign - despite being sent off three times this season.


Sub John Rooney heaped more National League relegation worries on Guiseley.

The visitors took  a shock lead when Wales Under-21 striker Jake Cassidy headed home from a corner against the run of play, but the hosts hit back.
Wrexham equalised 20 minutes later in some style, when striker Ntumba Massanka scored a superb bicycle kick.
Substutute Rooney then scored the winner with virtually his first touch on his 200th career appearance, and added a third in injury time.
Guiseley are 22nd and Wrexham rise to 11th.
Wrexham manager Dean Keates told BBC Radio Wales Sport:
"I think we deserved three points, but it was not a great performance.
"We were not as free flowing as we wanted to be, but the character we showed was pleasing.
"The first goal comes from a great bit of skill and I thought this was the right game for him.
"We are pleased with the result."
Match ends, Wrexham 3, Guiseley 1.
Second Half ends, Wrexham 3, Guiseley 1.
Goal!  Wrexham 3, Guiseley 1. John Rooney (Wrexham).
Substitution, Wrexham. Jordan White replaces Izale McLeod.
Substitution, Guiseley. Joel Logan replaces Derek Asamoah.
Substitution, Guiseley. Adam Boyes replaces Jake Cassidy.
Substitution, Wrexham. Rob Evans replaces Antony Barry.
Substitution, Guiseley. Jordan Preston replaces Kevan Hurst.
Goal!  Wrexham 2, Guiseley 1. John Rooney (Wrexham).
Substitution, Wrexham. John Rooney replaces Paul Rutherford.
Second Half begins Wrexham 1, Guiseley 1.
First Half ends, Wrexham 1, Guiseley 1.
Goal!  Wrexham 1, Guiseley 1. Ntumba Massanka (Wrexham).
Goal!  Wrexham 0, Guiseley 1. Jake Cassidy (Guiseley).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


The home of the Edinburgh International Book Festival is looking to spill out on to George Street in a bid to capture new audiences.

The festival, which has been running for more than 30 years, is currently based in the capital's Charlotte Square.
It comes after the owners asked the festival to reduce its impact on the space.
Officials are also looking at ways to minimise damaging the grass.
Nick Barley, director of Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: "We have been working closely with the proprietors of Charlotte Square Gardens who generously make this private space available for the Book Festival each year, but who have now asked us to reduce our impact on the gardens.
"This year, we are looking at ways of improving our infrastructure to ensure a quicker get-in and get-out to minimise damage to the turf and soil.
"We also intend to take advantage of the opportunities of new technology, digital innovation and development of temporary theatre structures and for the 2017 festival are in discussion with the City of Edinburgh Council and Essential Edinburgh to look to expand into new spaces on George Street which will open up the Book Festival to new audiences."


Church bells have rung out in Cirencester to celebrate the moment 250 years ago when the first peal of the 12 bells of the town's parish church took place.

7 January 2017 Last updated at 17:08 GMT
It is the oldest church with this number of bells in the UK. Twelve bell ringers recreated the historical chimes from 1767.


Egyptian giants Al Ahly were held to a 0-0 draw away to Recreativo Libolo in Angola on Saturday as Ahly's new coach Martin Jol launched his African Champions League career in the first leg of their last-32 clash.

It proved to be a frustrating afternoon for the Dutchman who saw his side fail to make the most of their opportunities.
Ahly are hunting a record-extending ninth Champions League title under the guidance of the 60-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham boss.
African Champions League fixtures and results
The return match is set for Alexandria next Saturday with record eight-time winners Ahly favourites to reach the final qualifying round for the group stage.
Elsewhere, goals just before and after half-time gave Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa a 2-0 home victory over AC Leopards of Congo Brazzaville.
It could have been a wider winning margin after Anthony Laffor had a late penalty saved by substitute keeper Tresor Elenga. He had replaced Herve Lomboto who was sent off for the foul which led to the penalty.
Keagan Dolly had put Sundowns ahead with Colombian Leonardo Castro doubling the lead.
The other South African challengers, Kaizer Chiefs, suffered a shock 1-0 home loss to ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast at Soccer City stadium in Soweto.
Adama Bakayoko nodded the winner on 51 minutes for ASEC as Chiefs suffered a third loss in all competitions within eight days.
Last Saturday they were bundled out of the South African FA Cup by arch rivals Orlando Pirates and a midweek league loss virtually ended any hopes of retaining the league title.
Zesco United of Zambia were impressive 4-1 home winners over Horoya of Guinea in Ndola thanks to goals from Idriss Mbombo, Jesse Were, Cletus Chota and Maybin Mwaba.
Young Africans of Tanzania look set to secure a last-16 slot after winning 2-1 away to APR of Rwanda in an East African derby.  Goals from Juma Abdul Jaffar and Thaban Kamusoko put the Dar es Salaam outfit in control before Patrick Sibomana halved the deficit in stoppage time.
Stade Malien of Mali overcome Coton Sport of Cameroon 2-0 in Bamako and there was a 1-0 home win for Club Africain of Tunisia over Mouloudia Bejaia.


There are seven teams in Glasgow from around the British Isles - we have listed them in decreasing population order.

Please click on the relevant nation or territory to find out about all of the medals their competitors have won.
England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
Jersey - no medals won
Isle of Man
Guernsey - no medals won


The owners of Warwick Castle are appealing after a council rejected plans to put a permanent "glamping" site in its grounds.

Merlin Entertainments Group (MEG), which runs the attraction, filed an application in 2014 to build lodges which was rejected by the council.
The Warwick Society said the plans for glamping - or luxury camping - were not in keeping with the landscape.
MEG has previously said the site would "benefit the wider economy".
The firm applied for permission to erect up to 20 permanent lodges, and create room for 41 glamping tents on land known as "Foxes Study".
It was previously granted permission to erect a temporary site for "medieval glamorous camping".
Neighbours at the site objected to the lodges, with one saying the move would be the "first step in turning this historic heritage site into a theme park".
James Mackay, chairman of the Warwick Society, said: "Merlin is a very successful company but the proposal to use part of a Grade I listed landscape for holiday lodges is not at all satisfactory."
Warwick District Council said any public inquiry would probably be held in March.
However, it added MEG had submitted a revised application - a "scaled-down" version of the original - which would go before the planning committee in September or October.
MEG said: "Warwick Castle submitted an appeal to the decision to refuse our planning application to build new accommodation, several month ago.
"However we have also been working closely with the experts at Historic England to develop a significantly revised and reduced accommodation proposal which we hope will be approved.  If the current application is approved we will not progress with the appeal."


Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to build a third water crossing in Lowestoft by 2020, the local Conservative candidate has said.

Mr Cameron visited the town, where Peter Aldous is defending a Conservative majority of 769.
Mr Aldous called it "the most significant commitment" so far to the debate about a third bridge.
Opposition candidates in the Waveney constituency called it "electioneering".
The Suffolk coastal town is divided by Lake Lothing, with one road crossing at the Oulton Broad end and the Bascule Bridge at the town centre/harbour end.
A recent study for Suffolk County Council estimated a new bridge crossing near the harbour would cost Â£95m.
Mr Cameron said the New Anglia New Enterprise Partnership would be asked to submit a final design for consideration in the 2016 Budget, when a funding decision would be made.
"The promises we've made in the East of England, we've delivered on - I said we'd sort out the A11, we did sort out the A11," he told the BBC.
"The job performance [in East Anglia] has been magnificent with 207,000 more people in work since I became prime minister.
"Back that with the infrastructure and that performance could be stellar."
Doug Farmer, Liberal Democrat candidate, said: "We will be delighted if he has promised a third crossing, providing it is a dual carriageway and in a central location.
"If all he's promised is to 'look at it', that's no change from what the Conservative and Labour administrations have been saying for 50 years, so I'm sceptical."
Graham Elliot, Green candidate, said: "It's basically electioneering - who knows what he's promising?
"We still favour reliable road crossings and investment in public transport, walking and cycling."
Mr Aldous said: "The PM pledged a Conservative government would build a third crossing by 2020 and this is the most significant commitment that any party leader has provided.
"There is still a lot of work to be done, but there is a very clear timetable."
Five candidates are standing in the Waveney constituency on 7 May.
Bob Blizzard, the Labour candidate who lost his seat in 2010, could not be contacted for comment, but previously said he favoured a central Â£65m barrage and lock road crossing and that Labour leader Ed Miliband had said he would "support a bid to make funding available".
Simon Tobin, UKIP, candidate was also not available but had previously said he would "fight to bring the project up the political agenda".


Police have made a fresh appeal for information a year after a woman's body was found on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

The remains of Saima Ahmed, 36, were recovered from the grounds of Gogar Mount House, on the edge of Gogarburn Golf Club.
Her family have criticised the police response after they reported Ms Ahmed missing from her home in the Wembley area of London in August 2015.
She had no known links to Edinburgh.
Ms Ahmed's family were also unaware of any friends or contacts she might have had in the area, or any plans to travel to Scotland.
Five Metropolitan Police officers are now facing a misconduct investigation over the case.
Police Scotland have said that, to date, no suspicious circumstances surrounding Saima's death have been discovered.
Det Ch Insp Martin MacLean said: "I am determined to provide Saima's family with the answers they crave and whilst, at this time, I have no evidence of any criminality, I still do not know why Saima travelled to Edinburgh, where she was intending to visit or whom she planned to meet with.
"I thank those who have helped us thus far, but I believe someone out there will have seen Saima during her time in the city or knows why she visited the capital and I would ask that person, or persons, to contact police immediately.
"In addition, anyone with any further information at all relevant to this ongoing investigation is also asked to get in touch."


The government has announced it will be selling off three RAF bases for housing once the United States Air Force vacates them.

The USAF announced last year that it would be pulling out of RAF Mildenhall, RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth by 2020-23.
The three bases are among 12 sites the MOD said it could sell for an estimated Â£500m.
The MOD said the 12 sites would provide land for 15,000 homes.
Source: MOD
Mark Lancaster, defence minister, told the House of Commons more detailed plans for each site would be released later this year.
He said: "Defence has the strongest incentive to become more efficient with every pound we make by disposing of excess land reinvested into a defence budget that keeps Britain safe.
"Every acre that we can free up will ensure more people have the opportunity to own their own home."
The USAF calculated the closure of RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, coupled with changes at neighbouring RAF Lakenheath, would see the loss of 2,900 local jobs.
After last year's announcement by the USAF, the Mildenhall, Alconbury and Molesworth (MAM) Working Group was formed by local councils and business groups to look at future uses for the bases.
Matthew Hancock, Conservative MP for West Suffolk and chairman of MAM, said: "This early decision by the government on the future of RAF Mildenhall is very good news and I am pleased there is a clear plan of action.
"Of course those affected and working on the base need to be supported through these changes and I will ensure this happens."
Alconbury and Molesworth provide about 1,500 civilian jobs.
Jason Abelwhite, Conservative leader of Huntingdonshire District Council, said: "In terms of civilian jobs, it is some years away, so we've got plenty of time to think about it.
"Alconbury is in a growth area near Huntingdon, so that element doesn't present us with a great problem, but Molesworth would be a stand-alone, middle-of-nowhere, development which could bring huge, huge challenges."


Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Peterborough United striker Britt Assombalonga for a club-record fee of about £5.5m.

The 21-year-old has signed a five-year contract after passing a medical.
He scored 33 goals in 58 games for Posh last season and had attracted interest from Premier League clubs.
The deal eclipses the £4.5m Forest paid for Pierre van Hooijdonk in 1997, two months after director of football Barry Fry said Assombalonga was not for sale.
The former Watford striker, who was born in what is now DR Congo, had spells on loan with Braintree and Southend, before Posh paid a club-record fee of £1.5m to bring him to London Road in July 2013.
He finished as League One's joint-top scorer, as the club reached the end-of-season play-offs and won the Football League Trophy.


Celtic's Champions League performances have "set the standard" for their season, says boss Brendan Rodgers.

Media playback is not supported on this device
The Scottish champions finished bottom of Group C after a 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Tuesday.
The Hoops were twice beaten heavily by Barcelona, but drew at Borussia Monchengladbach and held City twice.
"We're competing against superpowers in European football. In the main, our performance level has been very, very good," Rodgers said.
"We haven't been beaten by City and arguably we could have won both games.
"It sets the standard for us to continue developing, look to win the Scottish Premiership and be ready for the qualifiers next season."
City loanee Patrick Roberts put Celtic ahead in Manchester after weaving into the box, but Pep Guardiola's side soon levelled through Kelechi Iheanacho.
Celtic had several second-half chances, with substitutes Leigh Griffiths and Gary Mackay-Steven both spurning opportunities.
"I thought it was a brilliant team performance," Rodgers said. "We pressed, forced City to play a lot of long balls, won the ball back and then built our game up.
"We showed great composure. The energy and quality of our game was at a real high level and we're disappointed we didn't win because we had chances."
Rodgers believes Celtic will be stronger should they reach the tournament's group stage next season, but stressed there is still a long road ahead for his side.
"We need to win the league, then get through six qualifiers, but if we can be in the tournament next year, I think we'll be even better in six to eight months' time.
"The beauty of this team is there's been hardly any players brought in. The players have been growing in belief and developing.
"To come to this stadium and play that well, with that belief and concentration, was a huge credit to them. But there's still a couple of areas we need to improve in."
Tom English, BBC Scotland
Celtic were more than value for a point and showed more evidence that this is a team that is really maturing.
They looked extremely comfortable throughout, created a lot of chances, and came with a brilliant attitude of wanting to win the game rather than hold on for a point.
The mind shift since the 7-0 defeat in Barcelona has been huge - more confidence, more belief that they belong on this stage, and some really good performers.
It doesn't add up to a place in the last 16 this season but Celtic's players, manager and supporters will be counting the days to next season and believing the last 16 is achievable.


Tight-head prop Aaron Jarvis is flying to New Zealand to join Wales as cover for Paul James, who has a calf injury.

Jarvis, 29, has won 17 caps for Wales and last played in the Six Nations win over Italy in March 2016.
James, who will miss the first match of the three-Test series against the world champions in Auckland, has not recovered as quickly as hoped, but remains with the squad.
Wales have lost 26 matches against the All Blacks since beating them in 1953.
James is also likely to miss the game against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Tuesday, 14 June.
Jarvis, who is joining French Top 14 side Clermont Auvergne from Ospreys, will arrive on Wednesday morning in New Zealand.
The Exeter-born player graduated to professional rugby via the Bath academy, and played for England Under-16s and U19s.
But he successfully pursued Wales honours via Ospreys, having been eligible because of his Merthyr Tydfil-born grandmother.
He has started six Wales games, coming off the bench for the remainder of his caps.


Manu Tuilagi returns to England's matchday squad to face Wales in the Six Nations at Twickenham on Saturday.

The Leicester centre, 24, has not played for England since June 2014 because of a groin injury and disciplinary issues.
He replaces Alex Goode in the 23-man squad and is likely to start on the bench, while Northampton prop Kieran Brookes has also been included.
Head coach Eddie Jones will name his starting XV on Thursday.
Exeter hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie replaces Jamie George, who suffered an arm injury in training last Thursday.
Brookes has been named in place of club team-mate Paul Hill for the game between the two unbeaten countries in this season's competition.
Tuilagi has scored 11 tries in 25 England appearances, but his international career has been disrupted by injury and disciplinary problems.
He was left out of the World Cup squad last year after admitting assaulting police officers in April 2015, an offence which he denied in September.
Named in England's original 33-man training squad to face Wales, he was released to play for Leicester last weekend.
Tuilagi scored his first Premiership try for almost two years as Leicester beat Exeter 31-27.
England flanker James Haskell said: "He is a threat and a very special player. I don't often look at people and think 'I wish I had some of his genes'. He is pace, power and strength personified.
"He will have an impact, he always does. I've played with him against some of the best teams in the world and he causes everybody trouble.
"Even if he has a bad day, someone will still get taken down or he'll run through someone. Very few players have the ability to do that.
"He was obviously sorely missed at the World Cup. Whenever he is not involved in the game he is missed."
England are one point clear of Wales at the top of the Six Nations table after winning their first three games.
England 23-man squad to play Wales:
Forwards: Kieran Brookes (Northampton Saints), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), Jack Clifford (Harlequins), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), James Haskell (Wasps), Maro Itoje (Saracens), George Kruis (Saracens), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Mako Vunipola (Saracens).
Backs:
Mike Brown (Harlequins), Danny Care (Harlequins), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Bath Rugby), Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers), Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers).


Aberdeen-based mechanical engineering group EnerMech has announced it is shedding a further 90 North Sea jobs as part of a major overhaul of the business.

EnerMech, which provides services to the energy industry, said it was making the cutbacks in the UK and Norway because of low oil and gas prices.
Other cost-cutting measures are thought to include pay cuts of up to 10%.
The company said many of the jobs affected were at management level.
EnerMech has been reducing its headcount over the past 18 months, having cut a total of 260 jobs in the UK and Norway since oil prices peaked in mid-2014.
EnerMech currently employs 900 staff in the UK and about 50 in Norway.
The company said it was bringing together its UK and Norwegian divisions under a single management structure in an effort to reduce its cost base.
EnerMech chief executive Doug Duguid said his objective was to "right-size" the company in a market where oil, gas and LNG prices would remain lower "for the foreseeable future".
He said: "The oil and gas industry is facing up to the fact that it needs to recalibrate its approach on how it does business and we at EnerMech are reacting to a market in which I believe prices will remain lower for some time to come, and a new reality that low oil, gas and LNG prices, are here to stay.
"The industry is demanding greater collaboration and these changes form part of our long-term strategy to offer more integrated services and an alternative contracting model we believe is more suited to the changed market in which we operate.
"In reality, and regretfully, this means 90 posts in the UK and Norway will be lost, many of which will be at management level."
He added: "While our operations in the UK and Norway have faced tough challenges, we are continuing to grow our global business with particular bright spots including the Caspian, Australia and Africa."


Celebrities including TV presenter Davina McCall have been paid damages after settling phone-hacking claims with Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

Cases involving 21 people - among them actors Nigel Havers and Rhys Ifans, and actress Kym Marsh - were settled at London's High Court.
The settlements all involve undisclosed damages, costs and an apology.
Further phone-hacking claims against MGN are due to be heard in court next year if agreements are not reached.
MGN publishes the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and the People.
David Sherborne, representing Mr Havers, whose acting credits include Chariots of Fire and Coronation Street, said his client had been targeted by phone hacking between 2000 and 2004.
The actor had been subjected to intense intrusion when he was nursing his late wife through the final stages of cancer, Mr Sherborne said.
Mr Ifans, best known for his role in the film Notting Hill, lost a number of close friends as a result of the distrust created by newspaper stories published as a result of hacking, the hearing heard.
Ms McCall's case involved a March 2007 article named Davina's Stalker Terror, which MGN admitted had been published after her voicemails had been intercepted.
Other settlements involved businesswoman and socialite Caroline Stanbury, PR consultant Alison Griffin, publicist Clair Dobbs, and film-maker Jim Threapleton - the ex-husband of actress Kate Winslet.
The list also included actress and Loose Women panellist Lisa Maxwell, actress and singer Suzanne Shaw, actresses Caroline Chikezie, Tina Hobley, Holly Davidson, Kate Ford, Samia Ghadie and Lucy-Jo Hudson and actors Ben Freeman, Alan Halsall, Christopher Parker and George Calil.
Christopher Wenn, from Charles Russell Speechly, which represented a number of the claimants, said he was "delighted" MGN had also apologised for the hacking, as well as paying damages.
Last year, damages totalling nearly £1.25m were awarded to eight people whose phones had been hacked by Mirror Group journalists writing celebrity stories.
Actress Sadie Frost was awarded £260,000 and ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne £188,250, while Soap stars Shane Richie, Shobna Gulati and Lucy Benjamin also received payouts.
Following the verdict, MGN announced it had set aside an extra £16m to deal with further claims - in addition to the £12m provided in 2014.


Riyad Mahrez scored twice as Algeria left it late to earn a 2-2 draw with Zimbabwe at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Leicester winger put his side ahead with a curling shot in off the post.
But Kudakwashe Mahachi's low shot into the corner and a Nyasha Mushekwi penalty made it 2-1 to Zimbabwe - a lead they held until the 82nd minute.
Algeria hit the bar twice before Mahrez levelled with a speculative 25-yard shot that Zimbabwe goalkeeper Tatenda Mukuruva should have saved.
While Mukuruva may feel embarrassed at his error, Algeria just about managed to save their own blushes as they rescued a point from their Group B opener - a match they were very much expected to win.
Zimbabwe, making their first appearance at the finals since 2006, will perhaps count themselves a little unlucky after playing some excellent football.
Khama Billiat was superb for the Warriors and was only denied a spectacular 30-yard goal by an outstanding fingertip save from Algeria goalkeeper Rais Mbholi, who diverted the ball on to the post.
Mbholi thwarted Billiat on more than that one occasion and also produced a brilliant save with his leg to keep out Cuthbert Malajila's shot when the score was 2-1 to Zimbabwe.
But Algeria improved considerably after the interval and forced Zimbabwe back.
They hit the woodwork twice, through a Ramy Bensebaini header and when Zimbabwe defender Elisha Muroiwa narrowly avoided an own goal when he sliced a clearance.
Mahrez proved their saviour, even if it will not go down as the cleanest strike he has ever hit.
And the Desert Foxes had chances to win the match, particularly when Mukuruva came flying out and left his goal wide open but Yacine Brahimi could not take advantage.
The Warriors will take heart from their performance. They lost a key player in Knowledge Musona through injury after only 12 minutes and recovered from 1-0 down to cause Algeria a mighty scare.
Mamelodi Sundowns' star man Billiat was on top form and will cause any defence problems.
The BBC and Confederation of African Footballer of the Year has got off to a terrific start, but some of Algeria's other big names were not up to speed. Islam Slimani missed a great chance to score when he headed weakly and Brahimi can certainly produce more.
But the Desert Foxes showed resilience - a necessary quality in tournament football.
Match ends, Algeria 2, Zimbabwe 2.
Second Half ends, Algeria 2, Zimbabwe 2.
Foul by Rachid Ghezzal (Algeria).
Onismor Bhasera (Zimbabwe) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt saved. Yacine Brahimi (Algeria) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Islam Slimani.
Attempt missed. Nabil Bentaleb (Algeria) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner. Assisted by Mohamed Rabie Meftah.
Corner,  Algeria. Conceded by Onismor Bhasera.
Attempt missed. Costa Nhamoinesu (Zimbabwe) header from the left side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Onismor Bhasera with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Zimbabwe. Conceded by Ramy Bensebaini.
Adlène Guédioura (Algeria) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Khama Billiat (Zimbabwe).
Nabil Bentaleb (Algeria) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Cuthbert Malajila (Zimbabwe).
Attempt missed. Islam Slimani (Algeria) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Mohamed Rabie Meftah with a cross.
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Cuthbert Malajila (Zimbabwe).
Goal!  Algeria 2, Zimbabwe 2. Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner.
Attempt missed. Willard Katsande (Zimbabwe) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Onismor Bhasera.
Attempt saved. Cuthbert Malajila (Zimbabwe) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Islam Slimani (Algeria) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Yacine Brahimi.
Substitution, Zimbabwe. Cuthbert Malajila replaces Nyasha Mushekwi.
Yacine Brahimi (Algeria) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Willard Katsande (Zimbabwe).
Substitution, Algeria. Rachid Ghezzal replaces Soudani.
Attempt missed. Soudani (Algeria) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Riyad Mahrez with a cross.
Offside, Algeria. Adlène Guédioura tries a through ball, but Soudani is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Nabil Bentaleb (Algeria) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Yacine Brahimi.
Corner,  Algeria. Conceded by Elisha Muroiwa.
Corner,  Algeria. Conceded by Elisha Muroiwa.
Offside, Zimbabwe. Kudakwashe Mahachi tries a through ball, but Khama Billiat is caught offside.
Corner,  Algeria. Conceded by Hardlife Zvirekwi.
Attempt blocked. Yacine Brahimi (Algeria) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Hand ball by Hardlife Zvirekwi (Zimbabwe).
Attempt saved. Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Yacine Brahimi.
Yacine Brahimi (Algeria) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Danny Phiri (Zimbabwe).
Attempt saved. Yacine Brahimi (Algeria) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Adlène Guédioura.
Attempt blocked. Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Adlène Guédioura (Algeria) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Matthew Rusike (Zimbabwe).


The group representing many of Scotland's councils has urged them to reject the Scottish government's funding settlement offer.

Council leaders on the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities voted by 21 to 7 to reject the "unacceptable" deal.
The motion said the Scottish government's approach was "wholly misguided" and "threatens grievous injury" to communities and citizens.
Finance secretary John Swinney called the offer "a deal worth taking".
Councils have until 9 February to respond to the settlement offer.
All councils in the Cosla grouping which are not run by the SNP united against the deal, with some looking at the possibility of a legal challenge.
Scotland's four other councils which are not part of Cosla also met, and are exploring whether the terms of the deal being offered are legal.
The funding package on offer prioritises maintaining the council tax freeze, which has been in place since 2007, with any councils which break it facing a loss of Scottish government funding.
However, some councils are considering raising taxes anyway in the face of budget pressures.
Talks have been taking place between Mr Swinney and council leaders, with the deadline for the deal to be accepted repeatedly pushed back.
Following a meeting of Cosla in Edinburgh, president David O'Neill announced the grouping had rejected the funding package as "totally unacceptable and an attack on our democratic mandate".
He said: "The Scottish government is basically forcing individual councils into having to accept the deal.
"Sadly, I fully accept that individual councils, due to the horrendous sanctions they would face, will find that they have no other option but to give in to central direction on this occasion.
"In imposing the deal on individual councils, the most vulnerable in our communities will be left to pick up the pieces."
Today's vote at Cosla is largely symbolic but demonstrates just how angry some councils are over the budget offer.
21 of 28 councils backed a motion condemning the funding offer. Only SNP councils voted against.
The move makes it hard for local government to present a united front.
Some councils are genuinely angry - even allowing for the politically-charged atmosphere as the Holyrood election approaches.
First they feared they would have to make bigger cuts and savings than they anticipated.
Then their concern deepened when it emerged the deal on offer made it even harder than before to contemplate raising council tax to help compensate.
One council, Moray, had proposed an 18% rise in its council tax rates but the calculations which led to this figure are now redundant.
Meanwhile SNP councils, while not disputing that the funding offer is a challenge, believe the offer is, on balance, the best they can expect.
The government made a manifesto commitment to freeze the council tax for the whole of this parliamentary term - it believes this has been a popular policy which has been a help to family budgets.
It also argues it has protected councils from the worst of what it calls Westminster spending cuts.
The move by the four councils which are not in Cosla - which include Glasgow and Aberdeen - to explore whether the offer is legal rests on a very specific point.
But the fact they are looking at this option demonstrates the depth of their concern. And, indeed, shows how many trump cards the Scottish government holds.
Realistically councils have little choice but to accept the government's funding offer.
This begs longer term questions about the whole system of council funding.
A recent report - commissioned jointly by the government and Cosla - set out several possible alternatives to the council tax in detail.
There is also a debate over whether councils should be less dependent on the government and have more ways of raising cash locally.
The parties are all likely to set out their proposals ahead of May's Holyrood election.
The motion accepted by Cosla said the deal would see council budgets slashed by Â£350m, and would be "undeliverable without an unacceptable level of cuts to services and staffing".
Trade union GMB Scotland has claimed 8,785 local authority jobs are under threat due to budget cuts, and is planning a rally outside the Scottish Parliament next week.
Jenny Laing, leader of Aberdeen City Council,  which is not part of Cosla, said the relationship between the Scottish government and councils was "broken".
Speaking after the Scottish Local Government Partnership (SLGP) met in Glasgow, she said: "This is the most significant grant cut ever applied to local government.
"And when we've carried out our civic duty to question the settlement on behalf of our residents, we've been held to ransom by the Scottish government's attempt to control decisions which should be made by democratically-elected representatives."
She said the group was "seeking legal advice" on the matter.
Scottish Labour and the Lib Dems said it was now time for Mr Swinney to "re-think" the deal on the table.
Responding to the Cosla and SLGP votes, John Swinney said: "This is a deal worth taking.
"Our funding proposals deliver a strong but challenging financial settlement for local government, despite cuts to the central budget by the UK government.
"It is a deal that will see an additional Â£250m invested in social care, it will help councils deliver the Living Wage giving 40,000 people a pay rise, it will freeze council tax for a ninth consecutive year, and it protects the pupil-teacher ratio, helping improve attainment.
"Overall, as a percentage of total revenue expenditure, the reduction in local authority budgets is around just 2 per cent.
"So while I recognise this will not be easy for councils to accommodate, some of the language used to describe the deal has been unnecessary. I hope and expect cooler heads will comes to realise this is a deal councils can and should accept."


Thousands of Tata steelworkers have overwhelmingly backed a deal on the future of their pensions.

They were asked whether they would accept moving from a final salary pension to a less generous scheme.
Members of three unions at sites in Wales, Scotland, South Yorkshire and Teesside all supported the new proposals.
Tata's offer included a Â£1bn investment commitment at Port Talbot and no compulsory job losses.
The three unions at the Indian company's UK plants had recommended that their members, including 6,300 Tata workers in Wales, accepted the deal.
"This result provides a mandate from our members to move forward in our discussions with Tata and find a sustainable solution for the British Steel Pension Scheme," Roy Rickhuss, the general secretary of Community union, said.
Its members backed the new deal by 72% in favour compared to 28% against, with a turnout on the vote of more than 70%.
Tony Brady, Unite's national officer, said Tata must now honour its commitments on investment.
"Nothing less would be a betrayal and add to the deep mistrust that steelworkers now have for the company," he said.
His members supported the pension offer with 76% voting in favour, while GMB union steelworkers also voted in favour by 74%.
"Now that steelworkers have done their bit, it is time for the government to step up and do theirs," David Hulse from the GMB added.
Under the proposed changes, the British Steel Pension Scheme will close to future accrual, replaced with a defined contribution scheme with maximum contributions of 10% from Tata and 6% from workers.
It also emerged a one-off pension contribution of up to Â£10,000 could be made to Tata workers in their 50s who plan to retire early.
It is hoped the vote will now bring an end to almost a year of uncertainty for thousands of workers who faced losing their jobs when Tata's UK business was put up for sale in March 2016.
Allan Johnston, chairman of The British Steel Pension Scheme, said the result was welcome and would safeguard the future.
"We continue to have constructive discussions with Tata Steel, HM Government and the Pensions Regulator about how the scheme will be supported in future.
"These discussions are ongoing and no decision has been taken."
Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones said the vote was a "significant step forward in securing a sustainable future for Tata's UK business" after what had been "a difficult decision for the trade unions and their members".
He added: "We continue to work closely with Tata to implement our significant financial support package in order to maintain steel jobs and production at all the Tata sites in Wales.
"We also repeat our calls for the UK government to urgently tackle the UK's high energy costs and continue to push for greater recognition of the steel industry in their new Industrial Strategy."
Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock said: "Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for the British steel industry.
"This is not just about a job or an industry but about a way of life."
He also called on Tata to uphold its pledge to retain the two blast furnaces in Port Talbot.
Plaid Cymru South Wales West AM Bethan Jenkins said the workforce had "made its sacrifice for future workers", calling on Welsh and UK ministers to "demonstrate their commitment to workers and the industry".
"Such a demonstration should include action on energy costs, and investment in a local power plant and a Steel Research and Development Centre," she said.
A UK government spokesman said the "positive step" was "testament to the commitment of its workforce that they are willing to work so constructively with the owners to secure the future of the plant".


The 11-10 favourite Thistlecrack recorded an impressive victory over stable-mate Cue Card to win the King George VI Chase at Kempton.

In only his fourth race over fences, the nine-year-old, ridden by Tom Scudamore, pulled away from his more experienced rivals at the home turn.
He stretched his lead and looked dominant as he beat Cue Card by just over three lengths.
"I never imagined it would be as easy as that," said Scudamore.
The meeting between the two Colin Tizzard-trained horses had been eagerly anticipated.
Cue Card, who turns 11 on New Year's Day, was bidding for back-to-back wins in the race, while Thistlecrack, who won the World Hurdle at this year's Cheltenham Festival, was being tested properly for the first time over fences.
With only five horses entered in the Boxing Day showpiece, Thistlecrack took the lead early on and was prominent throughout.
Although the younger horse by two years went clear with a circuit to go, Cue Card and jockey Paddy Brennan moved up to challenge with six fences to go.
However, Thistlecrack turned on the style to power clear in spectacular fashion and the win sees him become the odds-on favourite for March's Cheltenham Gold Cup.
"He's at the peak of his powers. It's quite frightening to watch, isn't it?" said Tizzard.
"We've all seen Thistlecrack for the last few years, he's had his biggest test and he's a brilliant horse. He's got everything you'd want in a racehorse.
"Cue Card could have cried 'enough' at the last, but he stuck his head out and finished second, so it's brilliant."
The Dorset-based trainer added that Thistlecrack could run in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on 28 January for more experience over fences, but Cue Card might head straight for the Festival.
BBC horse racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght
This was breathtaking from Thistlecrack, whose jumping was barely believable for an inexperienced steeplechaser who made his chasing debut as recently as October.
The manner in which the horse, previously a champion over hurdles, disposed of stable-mate Cue Card and the rest from the fourth-last fence was as magnificent as it was contemptuous, and the winning distance - 3¼ lengths - doesn't begin to describe the ease with which this was achieved.
Judged by the buzz of the large crowd, Thistlecrack - plus Cue Card and the Tizzards, to be fair - are capturing a wider and wider public imagination. This felt like the start of something very, very special.


Scotland will boost their Six Nations hopes if they can secure back-to-back wins by beating Georgia on Saturday, captain Greig Laidlaw says.

Vern Cotter's side go into the match in Kilmarnock having beaten Argentina 19-16 after a 23-22 defeat by Australia.
"If we can get a performance and a result this weekend, we'll be in a great spot," said Laidlaw, 31.
"We enjoyed winning on Saturday, so it's very important we finish off this series with another win."
Gloucester scrum-half Laidlaw, who will join French Top 14 side Clermont Auvergne at the end of the season, described Scotland's series so far as "pretty brutal" but added: "That's part of the challenge.
"It won't drop off and we as players have got to drive that part of our performance forward.
"We understand what this game will be about and it's up to us to put in a performance at the weekend.
"To be honest, even though we fell short against Australia, we can still take confidence from the type of performance we put in."
Georgia overcame Samoa 20-16 on Saturday and Laidlaw expects another physical battle at Kilmarnock FC's Rugby Park on Saturday.
"Georgia are developing into a good side," added the former Edinburgh man. "They have had a lot of positive results this year and I'm sure they will be confident in their own right.
"They are big on their scrummaging and their forward play. Coming off the back of a big win they will be coming here to cause an upset.
"We will have to be right up for it. We need to play an aggressive game because they are an aggressive team themselves who like the contact side of the game.
"But so do we and we have shown that these last two weeks."
Laidlaw, meanwhile, says that his understudy Ali Price's "chance will come", after the Glasgow scrum-half remained on the bench for the whole of the matches against Australia and Argentina.


A memorial service is being held to mark the 30th anniversary of a fatal fire which ripped through Bradford City's home ground.

The blaze broke out during the club's 1985 match against Lincoln City, killing 54 Bradford City fans, two Lincoln fans and injuring many more.
Bells will ring for each victim as their name is read out, followed by a minute's silence.
Hundreds are attending the service in the city's Centenary Square.
Football League Chief Executive Shaun Harvey, Bradford City manager Phil Parkinson, and captain Stephen Darby were also there.
After the minute's silence, the City of Bradford Brass Band will play You'll Never Walk Alone while wreaths were laid.
Fire engines parked on Centenary Square for the service, and a garland of flowers was placed on the Memorial Bell at the top of City Hall's civic staircase.
The bell belonged to the first fire engine to arrive at the scene of the blaze and was donated to the city by the fire service.
Lord Mayor Mike Gibbons said: "The Bradford City fire lives long in the memories of the people of Bradford.
"I feel it is very important that we as a city take time each year to remember those who lost their lives or were injured by this tragic event, which continues to touch the lives of so many in our district."
The 1985 fire is thought to have been started accidentally when a lit cigarette was dropped under a wooden stand.
The day started in celebration, marking Bradford City's return to the second tier of English football for the first time in decades, with players parading the old Division Three trophy around the ground before kick-off.
In April, the judge who led an inquiry into the fire said claims it may have been started deliberately were "nonsense".


Queen's University Belfast is set to disinvest from fossil fuels after a two-year student campaign.

The university said it would remove investment from extraction and production companies by 2025.
In 2015, students from 'Fossil Free QUB' occupied part of an administration building in protest against the policy.
A number of politicians attended a protest in support of the student group's campaign.
The move is part of a wider commitment to environmental sustainability, said Queen's President, Prof Patrick Johnson.
"We are currently implementing a comprehensive carbon management strategy which will significantly reduce our CO2 emissions by 2020," he said.
"Our new objective to disinvest from indirect investments in fossil fuels, subject to this not materially impacting on expected investment returns, further highlights our commitment to the green and environmental agenda in line with the University's Social Charter."
Divestment campaigns have emerged in universities across the world, aiming to fight climate change by removing investment from companies that produce or burn fossil fuels.
Students' Union President Seán Fearon, who was involved in the original protests, welcomed the move.
"Queen's University has made a bold statement about its commitment to combating climate change," he said.
"The Students' Union has led a long campaign to raise awareness about the impact of climate change and bring the divestment agenda to the forefront of student politics.
"With this announcement, the university places itself on the right side of history, and adds to the hundreds of public bodies who have pledged to take a stand against the most significant challenge facing our world today and move towards a fossil free society."


UKIP has won control of its first district council, Thanet in Kent - the area where the party's former leader, Nigel Farage, failed to become an MP.

UKIP won 33 seats, Conservatives 18, Labour four, and independents one - 29 seats were needed for a majority.
The party tweeted: "Thanet District Council has #GonePurple. First Authority in the United Kingdom to have a #UKIP majority!"
Ex-party leader Nigel Farage said: "I am not in the least bit surprised."
Mr Farage resigned as UKIP leader after failing to gain the parliamentary seat of Thanet South, losing to Conservative candidate Craig Mackinlay.
UKIP won a 13% vote share in the General Election and one MP, Douglas Carswell, held his Clacton seat.
But speaking after the council result, Mr Farage claimed: "What you have seen here is people voting with their heart, people voting for what they wanted to vote in.
"What you didn't see in the General Election was the same thing. What you saw was fear of the SNP."
UKIP deputy leader Suzanne Evans has been nominated by Nigel Farage to take over running the party after his resignation.
After the council declaration, she tweeted: "Beyond delighted to hear #UKIP have taken control of Thanet Borough Council. Many congratulations to our new Council team."
Labour lost 22 seats on the council and now holds just four.
Labour councillor Iris Johnston said: "They came out to vote UKIP because they felt [Nigel Farage] was a leader for them. On a personal level I have never had a problem with him but he never came to see me once when I was the leader and he has never brought a penny to Thanet."
The Conservatives were hoping to increase their share of the seats from 22 to gain control of the council.  Instead they lost four.
Craig Mackinlay, Conservative MP for Thanet South said: "We have now got to hold their feet to the fire on a couple of their promises - that is: to support Manston and the local plan."
It was UKIP's commitment to reopen Manston Airport that helped to secure UKIP's victory at the council elections.
The airport closed in May 2014, seven months after being bought by Stagecoach Group co-founder Ann Gloag.
A majority stake was sold to Mr Cartner and Mr Musgrave for redevelopment several months later but the nature of the sale and the true ownership of the airport was called into question by a recent Commons Transport Select Committee.
Analysis: Louise Stewart, BBC South East Political Editor
Nigel Farage stood down as party leader, at least temporarily, as he had promised to do if he didn't win his seat - but in many ways it was not a bad night for UKIP.
They increased their share of the vote and were the second party in many seats to Labour, coming third overall.
Almost 4m people voted UKIP yet they got only one MP - in Clacton - while the 1.5m people who voted SNP welcomed 56 MPs.
UKIP also took control of their first council - Thanet District Council - where they now hold 33 seats, with the Tories on 18.
So why, when clearly many people in Thanet support UKIP, did Mr Farage fail to win the Westminster seat?
The Tories put a huge effort into winning that seat with big-hitters including George Osborne, Philip Hammond and Boris Johnson all visiting. In the last days of the campaign, the prime minister promised to take every measure to save Manston airport.
The Tories took no chances when it came to South Thanet, and their decapitation strategy worked.
Thanet District Council's recent past


Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 146 countries will enlist boys as part of a United Nations campaign against gender violence.

The UN's 16 days of activism start on Friday and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) wants its 10 million members to take part, campaigning in their own schools and colleges.
Many girls "face violence and harassment on a daily basis", according to Nicola Grinstead, chairwoman of the association.
"The severity of the issue is significant.
For girls at school, "the fear of violence will stop many of them from reaching their full potential", said Ms Grinstead.
The WAGGGS, #16Ways in #16Days campaign includes:
The UN campaign will last from November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women until December 10 UN Human Rights Day.
According to the UN, women across the world are subject to physical, sexual, psychological and economic violence, regardless of their income, age or education.
UN figures show:
Ahead of the campaign, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: "Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, public health pandemic and serious obstacle to sustainable development. It imposes large-scale costs on families, communities and economies. The world cannot afford to pay this price."
A poll of more than 2,000 young people in 60 countries for WAGGGS suggests that more than half of girls are deterred them from studying or taking part in hobbies by the threat of sexual harassment.
And too often the perpetrators are fellow students or teachers, the figures suggest.
In the UK, MPs have called for action to tackle sexual harassment and violence in England's schools.
It followed a 2015 Radio 5 live Freedom of Information investigation which showed more than 5,500 alleged sex crimes in UK schools had been reported to police in the past three years
And Girlguiding UK has launched a petition calling for "urgent action to end this widespread and often hidden scandal" in England, Scotland and Wales.
The petition, from Girlguiding's advocate panel of women aged 14-25, warned of daily sexual harassment of girls at school.


Violence involving street gangs in El Salvador left 907 people dead last month, a level of bloodshed unseen since the civil war of the 1980s, police say.

They say the high numbers are due to an increase in clashes between street gangs and the security forces and rival gangs fighting each other.
El Salvador is believed to have more then 70,000 gang members.
The government has been tackling them head on.
National Police chief Mauricio Ramirez said 47 police officers and 16 were soldiers had been killed - many of them attacked while off duty.
President Salvador Sanchez Ceren has brought in 7,000 army troops to help the police carry out patrols but he has been criticised for failing to reduce the violence.
In July, gang members paralysed public transport when they ordered drivers to go on strike. They torched buses and killed at least seven drivers who did not comply.
Gang leaders have been calling for a reinstatement of a truce between the two main gangs, the Mara Savatrucha and the Barrio 18 which was brokered in 2012 and which led initially to a 40% drop in the murder rate.
But as the truce crumbled, the number of murders rose again.
President Sanchez Ceren has refused to get involved in negotiating a fresh truce, saying this would lay the government open to excessive gang demands.
His policy has been to deploy more police to areas with a heavy gang presence and to combat all crimes.
According to a 2012 UN report, Central America was one of the most violent regions in the world with Honduras the most violent country (with 91.4 homicides per 100,000 people) along with high rates in El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize.


A hospital worker stole £1.3m of medical equipment then sold it for just £70,000, a court has heard.

Daniel Dreghorn, 39, took the haul over a two-year period while working in the decontamination unit at Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine.
He pleaded guilty to a theft charge and was remanded in custody until sentencing in September.
Judge Lord Turnbull told the court it was theft on a "massive scale" and said the crime was "shockingly cynical".
Dreghorn was employed as a supervisor at the Central Decontamination Unit, which sterilises all medical devices for theatres and clinics within the health board's area.
The court heard how each item has a unique identification number, which allows it to be tracked around the hospital system.
Prosecutor Bill McVicar told how between October 2012 and July 2014 Dreghorn managed to steal 136 pieces of medical equipment.
The crime only came to light when a patient complained to NHS Ayrshire and Arran about an operation being cancelled.
A stock-take was carried out and it revealed a large quantity of equipment totalling £1.28m was missing.
It was also discovered trays carrying the items had been scanned back in after use but not the equipment.
Records showed Dreghorn was the supervisor on duty at those times.
Mr McVicar told the court Dreghorn stole the equipment prior to sterilisation, which posed a serious health risk if they were not cleaned.
When arrested, Dreghorn admitted he had sold the goods to companies in Hong Kong and the USA.
Dreghorn said he had £1,000 remaining in a PayPal account but that the rest had been spent.
The prosecutor said: "From the existing tight budget, the health board is unable to fund the replacement of the stolen items."
Lord Turnbull deferred sentence on the first offender for reports.
He told Dreghorn: "You have pled guilty to an offence which displayed shockingly, cynical conduct.
"This was a theft on a massive scale of sophisticated medical equipment."


The Progressive Unionist Party has accused the DUP and Sinn Féin of engaging in a "cultural war" instead of dealing with "crucial social economic issues".

It also criticised those parties engaging in "fear tactics" at a time when it says the union is safe.
The party launched its assembly election manifesto on Tuesday.
Deputy leader Dr John Kyle said Stormont had become "dysfunctional".
He added: "They are not tackling the real issues, the crisis in the health service, problems in the education system, housing waiting lists are increasing.
"A lot of those crucial social and economic issues are not being dealt with because of playing party politics and we have now retreated into a cultural war between the two largest parties."
Dr Kyle, who is one of three PUP candidates standing in the election, also questioned the tactics being used by the DUP.
"To frighten people into feeling that if you don't vote in a certain way, then we will end up in a united Ireland is frankly dishonest," he said.
The manifesto - entitled Country Before Party - sets out the PUP's six commitments across health, education, the economy and housing.
They include reducing the suicide rate to zero through crisis intervention, ending the educational underachievement in working class areas, increase support for start up businesses and renewing town and city centres.
In his message, PUP leader Billy Hutchinson said the party was "born out of a determination of loyalist leaders in Long Kesh to move away from the futility of conflict".
He added Northern Ireland's "journey has to be about facing the future and not the past".
But the deputy leader said he was concerned smaller parties would suffer most in a shrinking Stormont.
"People think that to reduce the number of MLAs cuts the expense that's involved at Stormont, but the fewer MLAs the less the smaller groups are represented or heard, so that is detrimental to a healthy society, " Dr Kyle said.


When you get the chance to play in front of a home crowd on Centre Court, you've got to use the support and the atmosphere to your advantage as much as you can.

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I saw the end of Jo Konta's win over Donna Vekic in the gym while I was waiting to go on, and her calmness in such a tense finish really impressed me.
A number of times she was pretty close to getting broken at the end - she was 0-30 down - and she stayed focused and managed to get through it.
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You saw right at the end just how much emotion she had inside her. You don't see Jo react like that too much and certainly not during a match, but it's obviously in there.
She can go a long way here. She's certainly good enough, and hopefully Wednesday's match was the first of many on Centre Court.
It's difficult to give other players advice because playing on that court is obviously a great experience but everyone deals with those things differently; everyone has different personalities.
I found for myself that when I've been in tight matches like Jo's on Wednesday, maybe engaging the crowd a little more can help - but that might not be something she's comfortable doing.
She remains very calm on the court and that's a positive thing, but there can be times out there when it's good to let the emotions out as well.
Playing with the crowd on your side is not a regular experience for most tennis players and it can take some getting used to.
We play all over the world and I'd say 90% of the time in matches it's a fairly neutral crowd.
Obviously when you play against Roger or Rafa or Novak in different places they have huge, huge fanbases and people may want them to win, but most of the time people just want to see a great match. They want to be entertained.
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But when we're playing at Wimbledon, pretty much all of the crowd want the Brits to win, and using that to your advantage and enjoying it and embracing it can really make the difference.
It always feels a little bit different out on Centre Court, not just because of the crowd but also the history there.
You can tell how much they want you to win because they live every point from the very first game, often groaning or sighing when you make a mistake. You need to try and block that out for sure, but then it's part of the Centre Court experience.
Maybe the first few times it can be frustrating to hear that, or you can worry a little bit, but now I know exactly what to expect when I go out on that court.
Jo is top 10 in the world, she's British and looking to get into the second week for the first time here.
She will play more and more matches on that court and hopefully over time become more and more comfortable. Wednesday's match will have done her a lot of good, that's for sure.
Fabio Fognini is one player who does let his feelings show on court.
I expect a really serious test when we play on Friday because he's good off both forehand and backhand, and can hit a lot of winners. This will be our first meeting on grass, so we'll see how that changes things.
We're the same age and we grew up playing each other pretty much since we were 12, so I've known Fabio a long time as well as his family, because his dad, mum and sister have come to a lot of tournaments over the years.
On the court he can sometimes be a little bit different out there and show his emotions a lot - but then so can I.
Despite the extrovert competitor you see on court, he's nice and friendly off it and I've always got on well with him. I'm looking forward to seeing him out on Centre Court.
Andy Murray was talking to BBC Sport's Piers Newbery


Former England all-rounder Basil D'Oliveira has died at the age of 83.

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Born in South Africa, he moved to England in 1960 because of the lack of opportunities for non-white players.
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In 1968 he was named in England's squad to tour South Africa which was then cancelled as the ruling National Party refused to accept his presence.
D'Oliveira played county cricket for Worcestershire between 1964-80 and represented England in 44 Tests, scoring 2,484 runs at an average of 40.
The headlines made by D'Oliveira in 1968 marked the start of South Africa's sporting isolation.
After being added to the England squad as a replacement for the injured Tom Cartwright the South African government made it clear a 'Cape coloured' would not be welcome.
The tour was called off and the incident culminated in a ban on sporting ties with South Africa which would last until the early 1990s.
Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola paid tribute to the man fondly called 'Dolly', whose health had been deteriorating for some time leading up to his death in England as he battled Parkinson's disease.
"He was a man of true dignity and a wonderful role model as somebody who overcame the most extreme prejudices and circumstances to take his rightful place on the world stage," said Majola.
Basil D'Oliveira was a man who proved the doctrine of racial prejudice wrong. 'Dolly' as he was affectionately called, shook the very foundations of apartheid racist theory. When the white minority regime said black people were not fit to play alongside their white counterparts, Basil displayed an amazing talent for the sport. The Pretoria government's refusal in 1968 to allow him to play in a Test series cranked up the anti-apartheid call for a sports ban. Ironically, D'Oliveira was not being barred from playing for his country of birth - he was deprived from playing for England, who had taken him in after he was shown no appreciation at home. The tour was cancelled and consequently the sporting world was galvanized to boycott apartheid South Africa.
"The circumstances surrounding his being prevented from touring the country of his birth with England in 1968 led directly to the intensification of opposition to apartheid around the world and contributed materially to the sports boycott that turned out to be an Achilles heel of the apartheid government.
"Throughout this shameful period in South Africa's sporting history, Basil displayed a human dignity that earned him worldwide respect and admiration.
"His memory and inspiration will live on among all of us. On behalf of the CSA family I would like to convey our sympathies to his family and salute them on a life well lived."
D'Oliveira's age was the subject of some conjecture - as explained by BBC Radio 5 live's Pat Murphy, who co-authored his autobiography 'Time to Declare'.
Murphy said: "Basil had to lie about his age because he thought if they realised how old he was they would not pick him for England.
"So he came down from born in 1935 at that time, solidifying his place in the team as 1933 born and when I wrote his book in 1980 he finally conceded he was born in 1928. By my calculation, he was 38 when he first played for England in 1966 and 83 when he died."
Worcestershire honoured him in 2003 by naming a new stand after him at their New Road ground.
Already an OBE, in 2005 he was awarded the CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours. Another honour was afforded him when the D'Oliveira Trophy was inaugurated as the prize for when England meet South Africa in a Test series.
D'Oliveira's son Damian played county cricket for Worcestershire, between 1982 and 1995, and is still on the coaching staff at New Road.
In August his grandson Brett, a leg-spinner, also signed for Worcestershire on a one-year contract.


Planting trees that improve soil quality can help boost crop yields for African farmers, an assessment shows.

Fertiliser tree systems (FTS) also help boost food security and play a role in "climate proofing" the region's arable land, the paper adds.
Researchers from the World Agroforestry Centre say poor soil fertility is one of the main obstacles to improving food production in Africa.
The results appear in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability.
"In Africa, it is generally agreed that poor soil management - along with poor water management - is most greatly affecting yields," explained co-author Frank Place, head of the centre's Impact Assessment team.
He said that despite chemical fertilisers having been on the market for more than half a century, farmers appeared reluctant or unable to buy them.
"Therefore, there have been a lot of attempts to bring in other types of nutrients from other systems - such as livestock and plants" he told BBC News.
"We have been working quite a lot on what is broadly referred to as 'fertiliser tree systems'."
Although it has been known for centuries that certain plants, such as legumes, "fix" nitrogen in the soil and boost food crop yields, Dr Place said that the centre's researchers had been looking to develop a more active management approach such as FTS.
"Some farms, for example in Zambia, where the farms are larger, it is possible to rest arable land and allow it to lie fallow," he observed.
"But in places such as much of Malawi, where population densities are higher, they cannot afford to fallow their land; so we came up with alternative management systems where they could intercrop the trees with the (maize)."
While the technique is not new, Dr Place said that some of the nitrogen-fixing species used by farmers were probably not the most effective.
For example, farmers in East Africa had been using Cajanus cajan (also known as pigeon pea).
"A lot of the nitrogen was being stored in the trees' seeds; so there was an effort to use other trees that put a greater volume in the soil, such as Gliricidia sepium (one of its common name is mother of cocoa)," he said.
"A really nice thing about G. sepium is that we have been coppicing some of those trees for 20 years and they still continue to grow back vigorously."
(Source: World Agroforestry Centre)
However, he acknowledged that there were a number of challenges that had to be addressed in order to maximise yields.
For example, some systems suggested planting rows of trees between rows of crops with mixed results.
"We realised that there were a few management problems with that sort of system - what tended to happen was that there was too much competition between the crops and the trees," Dr Place explained.
"We developed a new management system where the trees were cut very low to the ground at the time you are planting the crop so then there was no light competition.
"The trees go into a dormant state when you cut them like this, so the root system is not competing straight away for the nutrients, so the maize is free to become established.
"The trees only really start to come out out of the dormant phase when the maize is already tall."
Another challenge was to provide enough seeds in order to have mass-scale planting. He said that balancing the provision of high-quality seeds with large local engagement was another hurdle that had to be overcome.
But the rewards in improved yields were noticeable, he added.
"Some of the studies have shown that in TFS across Africa as a whole, yields are doubling or more in two-thirds of cases."
Where the systems were not delivering such good results, Dr Place said that scientists were looking to refine current practices and modify them to suit the local conditions.
'Climate proofing'
As well as helping to boost yields, the use of trees in agriculture has other benefits - such as helping to "climate proof" agriculture land.
One example, Dr Place said, was the use of Faidherbia albida (common names include winter thorn and apple-ring acacia) in West African arable landscapes.
"It has a deep penetrating tap root, and it can secure a good water supply even in dry years," he explained.
"Generally speaking, tree roots do go much deeper than crop roots, so it is recycling nutrients and water from deeper reaches.
"There are also studies showing that these roots act as conduits and bring up water to surface root systems (such as those belonging to crops)."
The editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, Professor Jules Pretty from the University of Essex, UK, said the study illustrated that there was a growing movement of agricultural innovations across Africa that were increasing yields and at the same time improving the environment.
"Trees and shrubs in agricultural systems seem to break some of the rules of agriculture - in this case, farmers are using shrubs to create a diverse rotation pattern rather than year-on-year maize," he told BBC News.
"The trees fix nitrogen and improve the soil; the leaves can be fed to livestock; the crops then benefit greatly in subsequent years."


The last of Glasgow's Red Road flats have been demolished.

The remaining high-rise blocks were brought down together by controlled explosion. The BBC Scotland news website looks at the history of the controversial development.
The Red Road estate was a development of eight tower blocks in the north east of Glasgow between Balornock and Barmulloch.
The steel-framed high-rise flats were designed in 1962 by architect Sam Bunton for Glasgow Corporation (later Glasgow City Council) and built between 1964 and 1969.
Six of the eight blocks were traditional point-shaped and had 30 storeys. Two were broader slab-shaped and had 25 storeys.
The eight blocks were designed to accommodate about 4,700 people.
The flats were commissioned to help tackle a post-war housing crisis in Glasgow. Many of the city's homes at that time were rundown tenements.
In 1947 a delegation from Glasgow visited Marseilles to see new tower blocks designed by the French architect Le Corbusier.
Following that visit, a high-rise policy was introduced to Glasgow.
The Red Road site - a former cabbage patch - was among several sites chosen in Glasgow for the new high-rise homes.
Early residents welcomed the move from overcrowded and rundown tenement flats into the clean and modern tower blocks.
For some it was the first time they had an inside toilet.
In a BBC interview in 2012, one of the first residents, Jean McGeough, said the flats meant community and neighbours shared cleaning the hallways on a rota system.
"They were lovely the houses and it's breaking my heart to see them coming down," she said.
The original vision for the Red Road estate was more modest than the eight tower blocks that eventually went up and by the end of construction the development was something of a social experiment.
During the 1970s the estate gained a growing reputation for crime, antisocial behaviour, and alcohol and drug problems.
A fatal fire on the 23rd floor of one tower block in 1977 also saw some families refuse to return and brand the tower blocks a death trap.
By the 1980s, increased security measures, such as CCTV, were introduced to help tackle social problems. Two of the tower blocks were also transferred for use by students and the YMCA.
In 2003, the controversial decision was taken to transfer all of Glasgow's 81,000 council homes to the  independent landlord, Glasgow Housing Association (GHA).
The not-for-profit body announced in 2005 that it would demolish one of the tallest blocks as part of a regeneration plan for the area. It was later decided that all of the flats would be demolished.
The first tower block was brought down in June 2012. The second demolition took place in May 2013.
In 2014, organisers of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow announced plans to bring five of the towers down simultaneously during the  opening ceremony in the city later that year.
However, the plan proved controversial and was dropped after an online petition against the demolition gathered thousands of signatures.
In August this year, Glasgow Housing Association said the remaining six blocks would be brought down together in the one-off demolition.
The prevailing view is that the social experiment of housing almost 5,000 people in the flats was ultimately a failure.
However, for some residents the tower blocks raised their living standards and are fondly remembered.
The sheer scale of the development, and its brooding presence on Glasgow's skyline for decades, has inevitably meant the flats have become an integral part of the city's cultural history.
This has found expression in books and films, notably the 2006 Bafta-winning Andrea Arnold film Red Road and the 2011 Alison Irvine novel, This Road is Red.


US actress Demi Moore has expressed "absolute shock'' after a man drowned in a pool at her Los Angeles home.

Edenilson Steven Valle's body was found floating in the pool on Sunday. The star - who was away at the time - said this was an "unthinkable tragedy".
Mr Valle , 21, is believed to have been a member of the household staff. Relatives reportedly told investigators he could not swim.
It is thought he may have fallen into the pool during a party.
Moore, 52, said in a statement: "My heart goes out to this young man's family and friends."
Los Angeles County coroner's Fred Corral said Mr Valle, had been missing for 10 or 15 minutes before his friends found him floating in the deep end of the pool early on Sunday morning.
Emergency crews were called to the house in the city's Beverly Crest neighbourhood. Paramedics treated the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Demi Moore bought the house together with her former husband Ashton Kutcher. She was once the highest paid actress in Hollywood.