It is a warm, sunny afternoon in Hammersmith, west London, and under the arches as the District Line train rumbles overhead, George Groves is going through the motions for the watching media.

On one side of his tightly-packed gym in the area he grew up in is a wood craftsmen's workshop; on the other an advertising agency. Inside there are white-washed brick walls and brand new equipment as Groves gloves up with trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick.
Groves's mum, Yvonne, explains how it was built with the money earned from the first world-title fight with Carl Froch and how the family turned a grotty space into a gleaming temple where George can prepare for his WBC world super-middleweight title eliminator against Christopher Rebrasse at Wembley Arena this Saturday.
The fact she is serving tea and sandwiches reflects the tight-knit family unit that surrounds Groves. He has spoken previously of how he helps his wife Sophie while she is teaching at a primary school. However tough he is in the boxing world, it's his partner who rules at home.
When I ask Yvonne how she deals with watching her 26-year-old son fight, her winced response is telling.
'Earn the money and get out' is how she sees the ideal career path for her son. And in a revealing interview before he hits the pads, Groves hints at a similar philosophy.
Groves calls his approach to boxing as "maverick" and in many senses it is true.  Following the controversial stoppage in his first fight against Froch, Groves said he trusted no-one and decided to manage himself.
So when he played the goat in the build-up to his record-breaking re-match against Froch in May, he wasn't just trying to wind up his opponent, which appeared to work. The businessman in him also had a greater appreciation of the need to sell 80,000 tickets at Wembley Stadium.
Similarly, he understands what is at stake this time around, adding to a more humble tone.
Lose this fight and his chances of facing Froch again would fade away. More importantly, it would also ensure that the shortcut to retirement would take a serious detour.
"Boxing is a sport but it's a business," the former British and Commonwealth champion says. "It's a business with a shelf-life and, like a woman waiting to have kids, my clock is ticking. A career only lasts so long and a successful one is even shorter.
"I've had a successful career but I'm not the sort of fella who is content with anything and certainly not in boxing. I look forward to that day, because I will retire but until that point I will strive to be better and try and understand the sport as best I can."
Groves talks intelligently, a man who now understands the boxing ring and the boardroom.
"I don't just follow the trend," he adds. "I signed with a German promoter and they don't usually promote here in the UK, but the fact they have identified me as a talented enough fighter means I am able to put my stamp on the show and we are breaking moulds."
The Londoner is the only fighter not backed by promoters Eddie or Barry Hearn to have his fight screened on Sky. Yet he is wily enough to know that if he doesn't beat Rebrasse to the European title, that could soon change.
The Frenchman has only lost two of 27 bouts but has only won six inside the distance so it could be a war of attrition in front of the expected 7,500 fans in north-west London. Groves acknowledges it won't be easy.
"We knew this would be a bit of a comedown after the Carl Froch fight, that made history," Groves says. "But this is a huge fight for a European belt and then we are in line for the WBC title.
"This is more important than any other fight that I've had. Every fight feels like a must-win but with this, the pressure is really on. You can always recover a career but I lost my last fight and if I lose this one there will be some serious things that need addressing."
Despite losing his last two world-title fights to Froch, Groves insists he has not suffered a dent in confidence.
Many fans disagreed with how the first bout ended, while he was floored by Froch's "finest right hand" in the re-match.
Groves believes he belongs at world-class level and takes further solace that despite being "the little guy" in the Froch encounters, there was a still a demand to screen his comeback.
Should he beat the Frenchman, American Antony Dirrell lies in wait although the savvy businessman in Groves knows where the real pay days are.
Right now, a re-match with Froch or James DeGale, who Groves beat in 2011, seems a long way off yet he knows that those contests will once again capture the imagination.
Throughout our chat, Groves is softly-spoken and thoughtful. He becomes more animated, though, when I bring up the prospect of those bouts. He knows the game, so he starts to play it.
"The fans have already seen both fights and if they knew there was a third one, they would cry out to see it," he explains. "The same with DeGale, he is always there or thereabouts. If he is winning and I am winning, then our paths will collide. It's a fight I would take any day of the week.
"If Carl wants to fight in Vegas, I'll fight him in Vegas. If he wants to fight in Nottingham, I will. Certainly, there will be a temptation to fight me because he doesn't like me. For whatever reason, he's struggling with the win and I feel that will lead to the possibility of a third fight.
"He probably knows that he couldn't win third time lucky but we shall see. The headlines of the last two fights say that he won, but that wasn't the whole story."
Groves, 26, does not see himself boxing at Froch's age, 37. He wants to be in control, choosing his destiny and engaging in the circus that surrounds boxing in order to secure his future. But he knows that only success can allow him to pick his own exit point.
As our interview finishes, I ask him what training he will be doing this week. "Exercising my tongue," he says with a grin.
Should he lose on Saturday, talk of Froch re-matches will begin to fall on deaf ears.


London Mayor Sadiq Khan has become embroiled in a political row over his proposals for an additional congestion charge for the capital's dirtiest cars.

The so-called T-charge will see the owners of older, more polluting cars face an extra £10 fee for entering the congestion charge zone.
However, critics called it "pointless" and said it would have little effect.
Mr Khan said his critics had consistently opposed efforts to improve air quality.
Conservative London Assembly environment spokesman, Shaun Bailey, said Transport for London's (TfL) consultation on the T-charge showed the charge would have a negligible effect on air pollution in the city.
TfL's assessment said: "As this scheme effects just 7% of vehicles entering the Congestion Charge zone, the anticipated reduction in air pollution is low and it was felt that air quality concentration modelling would not produce any significant results."
It added the scheme was still considered to be an important part of a transition towards the introduction of an expanded ultra low emission zone in the capital, which it is believed would have much greater impact on air quality.
London's ultra low emission zone, which currently surrounds central London, would be extended to the north and south circular roads by 2020, under the mayor's proposals.
Mr Bailey claimed up to 9,000 drivers a day could be hit with the additional charge netting City Hall an estimated £23m a year.
"Under assessment by his own people, the mayor's flagship air pollution policy is predicted to have only a 'negligible' impact on air quality, reducing poisonous NOx gasses by just 1-3%," he added.
Mr Bailey added the charge would inflict "crippling additional costs on small businesses" as well as causing "expense, disruption and bureaucracy for London residents."
However, Mr Khan hit back saying the Conservatives should be "thoroughly ashamed of themselves" for opposing his plans to tackle air pollution, which he said had the support of a range of experts.
City Hall also suggested the £23m figure was highly misleading as it assumed no change in the behaviour of drivers after the T-charge was introduced.
Simon Birkett, founder and director of Clean Air in London, said:  "It's disappointing that anyone is campaigning against action on diesel less than a week after London breached the legal limit for hourly exposure to nitrogen dioxide for a whole year in five days. "


A social experiment that has seen toddlers eating, socialising and doing activities with elderly people has been hailed as "remarkable".

Children from a nursery school spent a week in Caernarfon's Maesincla day care centre as part of the Bangor University project.
Experts said the experiment shows the benefits of bringing children and older people together.
The results will be broadcast as part of an S4C documentary, Hen Plant Bach.
Maesincla day centre manager Idwen Roberts said: "I was a bit scared of the unknown when this started, but the results have been brilliant.
"One lady had no children and hadn't got the confidence to do anything with kids. She didn't know how to handle it, or what to say to the children.
"But by the end of the week, she was making hats with them and they were sitting on her knee. She opened up and came into her own.
"It was great - I don't want this to stop."
Glyn Hughes, 84, suffered a stroke 15 years ago and has trouble with his speech.
Day centre staff said he sometimes gets frustrated and angry with himself, and were worried about how the children would respond to him.
But they were surprised by the results.
Bangor University psychologist Nia Williams explained that, like Mr Hughes, the children cannot rely on their speech, so they were able to understand his gestures and hand movements.
Ms Williams added: "As a result, by the end of the week, Glyn managed to use more language â€‹â€‹than usual and started phrasing clearly.
"The result was extraordinary, but shows the psychological benefit of bringing children and older people together."


The brutal mob killing of a university student who was accused of committing blasphemy has caused outrage in Pakistan.

The country has strict and controversial blasphemy laws - which human rights groups say are often used to unfairly target religious minorities or settle personal scores. Could this case prove a turning point?
Mashal Khan was a 26-year-old student of journalism at the Abdul Wali Khan University in the northern city of Mardan.
He described himself on Facebook as a humanist and his social media postings reveal a young man interested in promoting women's rights and opposing racism.
His room on the university campus was decorated with posters of Che Guevara and Karl Marx, as well as slogans such as "Freedom is the right of every individual".
On 13 April 2017 a mob of hundreds of students marched through the university campus chanting religious slogans as they searched for Mashal Khan.
It is not clear what exactly triggered their accusations of blasphemy. A Reuters report quoted a caretaker at the hostel as saying the previous day Mr Khan had been involved in a heated debate on religion with other students.
A friend of Mashal Khan's told the BBC that Mr Khan had previously been threatened and didn't feel able to express himself openly at university because of the hostile attitude towards him and his views from other students.
In a confession to police that was leaked to media outlets, one of the students accused of being part of the mob said he had long accused Mr Khan and two of his friends of "anti-Islamic views".
The suspect describes being called to a meeting on the morning of the attack to discuss Mr Khan's alleged blasphemy with other students and lecturers.
One of Mashal Khan's friends was also present at the meeting and was also accused of blasphemy.
In a statement to police he described reciting an Islamic statement of faith in front of his accusers, who then tried to force him to state that Mr Khan had committed blasphemy, but he refused.
Lecturer Ziaullah Hamdard told private Pakistani TV channel Geo News he tried to warn Mashal Khan the mob was looking for him. But they broke into his hostel and found him in his room.
Mobile phone videos show Mr Khan being beaten and stamped on. According to the post mortem he was also shot. One purported eyewitness wrote on Facebook that Mr Khan protested his innocence until his death and begged to be taken to hospital.
The hostel warden told the BBC how he tried to rescue Mr Khan by picking him up after he was shot to carry him to safety. But the mob grabbed hold and continued beating him, long after he was clearly dead.
A witness told the BBC the mob tried to burn his body, but police managed to retrieve it.
Over 20 people have been arrested, including a number of university employees. Leading figures of local branches of student political parties have also been linked to the mob attack.
Police say they are also searching for a man identified as a local councillor for Imran Khan's PTI political party. He is seen in a video, as the mob celebrates the killing, saying anyone who reveals who shot Mashal Khan is a "traitor".
Mashal Khan's friend has told police the university administration were "deadly against Mashal Khan" for openly criticising the running of the university in a recent TV interview. One suspect has suggested certain members of staff incited students against Marshal Khan.
University officials say they did everything in their power to save him and they are co-operating fully with the police inquiry.
Blasphemy is legally punishable by death in Pakistan. People have received the death penalty but so far the state has not executed anyone. A number of people accused of blasphemy have been murdered, however.
There is often strong support for harsh punishment of blasphemers. After Mashal Khan's murder it was reported that a cleric in his village refused to lead his funeral prayers and urged others not to attend them.
However, there has been widespread support for Mashal Khan amongst the wider Pakistani public. Many have posted pictures and quotes from Mashal Khan's social media pages in solidarity with him. A number of demonstrations calling for his killers to be punished have been held across the country.
Ever since Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was murdered by one of his bodyguards for trying to reform blasphemy laws in 2011, politicians have been reluctant to take a firm stance on the issue.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif waited two days before issuing a strongly worded statement saying he was "shocked and saddened by the senseless display of mob justice".
Opposition politician Imran Khan was one of the first to condemn the murder and subsequently visited Mashal Khan's family to pay his condolences.  On allegations that some of the attackers were affiliated to his party, he said those involved should be treated "with iron hands" regardless of political affiliation. "The entire nation is united on one point that it was a murder and everyone wants the convicts to be punished severely," he said.
Commentators, though, have pointed out that recently the government has been taking a hard-line position on blasphemy. Last month the prime minister called blasphemy "an unpardonable sin", while the Federal Investigation Agency took out newspaper adverts asking the public to inform them of anyone involved in blasphemous activities online.
Leading columnist Cyril Almeida says the authorities have inflamed passions in recent weeks, writing "the state itself has said there are blasphemers hiding among you, the people; find them!".
There has been a greater level of sympathy for Mashal Khan than for other victims accused of blasphemy partly because the police have made it clear there is no substance to the allegations against him.
Politicians and clerics have both talked of the need to prevent false blasphemy allegations. Cleric Mufti Naeem from the influential Jamia Binoria madrassa told reporters "blasphemy law is being misused in the country".
But there is less agreement on whether blasphemy laws should actually be changed. Much of the condemnation has revolved around the mob "taking the law into their own hands". Activist Jibran Nasir told the BBC "so far rage has been directed towards calling for tough punishment of the offenders - not reform".
Since Mashal Khan's death, there has been another killing. On Thursday, police arrested three women in north-east Pakistan for killing a Shia man accused of blasphemy in 2004 by a hard-line conservative group. He had recently returned to Pakistan from overseas to fight the case.
Mashal Khan's father told the BBC that he hoped for a strong government response, to ensure no other family experiences a similar tragedy.


Ten US Navy sailors are missing and five have been injured after a US destroyer and an oil tanker collided near Singapore, the Navy says.

The guided missile destroyer USS John S McCain was sailing east of Singapore and preparing to stop in the port when the collision with the Liberian-flagged vessel occurred.
A wide-ranging search and rescue operation is under way.
It is the second collision involving a US Navy ship in recent months.
It was reported before dawn at 05:24 local time on Monday (21:24 GMT on Sunday) and took place east of the Strait of Singapore, as the USS John S McCain prepared to perform a routine port stop in Singapore.
Singapore and US authorities said the destroyer sustained damage to her port side, which is the left-hand side of the vessel facing forward.
The tanker it collided with, Alnic MC, sustained damage to a tank near the front of the ship 7m (23ft) above the waterline, but none of its crew were injured and there were no oil spills.
At 182m (600ft), the tanker is slightly longer than the 154m-long US destroyer.
US military helicopters as well as the Singaporean and Malaysian navies and coast guards are currently conducting search and rescue operations.
Malaysian Navy chief Admiral Kamarulzaman said a message had been sent to fishing vessels along the Johor and Pahang coasts to keep a look out for missing sailors.
A Malaysian Navy spokesman later told a news conference: "The waves are between 0.5m and 1.5m, so the sea is quite rough and can be very challenging if you don't have a life jacket."
The US Navy said four of the injured sailors had non-life threatening injuries and were medically evacuated to a Singapore hospital. The fifth person did not require further medical attention.
The US Navy 7th Fleet later issued a statement saying the USS John S McCain had now arrived at Singapore's Changi naval base.
It said: "Significant damage to the hull resulted in flooding to nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms. Damage control efforts by the crew halted further flooding."
The Alnic MC is making its way to the Raffles Reserved Anchorage in Singapore.
One crew member of the oil tanker told Reuters over the phone that the vessel sustained some damage to a valve. The ship was carrying nearly 12,000 tonnes of oil from Taiwan to Singapore, the news agency reported.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said: "There is no report of oil pollution and traffic in the Singapore Strait is unaffected."
Karishma Vaswani, BBC News, Singapore
The timing of this is awkward for the United States. It's the first day of annual drills between the US and South Korean armies, a show of might in the face of North Korean belligerence.
The USS John McCain is part of the US Navy's 7th Fleet, its largest fleet, but this accident will add to questions about the operations of the navy in the region more widely.
This is the same naval group that saw a similar accident only in June, when seven US sailors lost their lives. Just last week several officers were disciplined in relation to that incident.
This is also thought to be the fourth such collision involving US warships in the past year alone.
Add to this the confusion earlier this year over the whereabouts of another US warship in the Pacific - the USS Carl Vinson - which President Trump said was sailing for North Korea, but was actually headed in the opposite direction for training exercises with the Australian navy.
Shortly after news of the collision came out, the US chief of naval operations, John Richardson, tweeted that the first priority was to determine the safety of the ship and the crew.
US senator John McCain tweeted that he and his wife were praying for the sailors.
The vessel was named after his father and grandfather, both admirals in the Navy.
End of Twitter post  by @SenJohnMcCain
US president Donald Trump has also put out a tweet about the accident.
End of Twitter post  by @realDonaldTrump
This is thought to be the fourth time in a year that a US navy vessel has been involved in an accident.
Just two months ago, seven US sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship in Japanese waters near the port city of Yokosuka.
Those who died were found in flooded berths on board the ship after the collision caused a gash under the warship's waterline.
The US Navy said last week that about a dozen sailors would be disciplined, and the commanding officer and other senior crew would be taken off the ship.
In May, a guided missile cruiser collided with a South Korean fishing vessel, while in August last year a submarine collided with an offshore support vessel.
Source: US Navy


The Israeli prime minister has vowed to "use all necessary means" to stop stone throwers after an Israeli man died in a car crash linked to such an attack.

Benjamin Netanyahu's statement came after an emergency meeting of his cabinet and security chiefs.
Alexander Levlovitz died in a car accident apparently caused by a rock-throwing attack in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters continued for a third day in the city.
"On the eve of the Jewish new year, we once again saw how throwing stones can kill," Mr Netanyahu said in his statement.
"These kinds of activities will be met with a very fierce punitive and deterring response."
The government agreed to establish mandatory minimum penalties for those who "endanger human lives by throwing stones, fire-bombs and explosives".
It also said it would introduce heavy fines on parents who allow their children to engage in violent rioting.
Mr Levlovitz died and two passengers were reportedly injured after their car was pelted with stones on Monday. Police are investigating the incident.
Separately, violence has again rocked the al-Aqsa mosque compound.
The compound - known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif - is the holiest site in Judaism, and contains the al-Aqsa Mosque - the third holiest site in Islam.
The compound is a source of religious and political tension between Israel and the Palestinians. It is a frequent flashpoint for violence.
On Tuesday, police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AP that police entered the Al-Aqsa mosque compound early in the morning to disperse protesters who had stayed inside the mosque overnight.
The protesters threw projectiles at officers, Ms Samri said, adding that two Palestinians were arrested and five police officers were slightly injured.
Twenty-six Palestinians were injured on Tuesday, none of them seriously, the director of the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency unit, Amin Abu Ghazaleh, told Reuters.
UN Special Envoy Nickolay Mladenov later warned that unrest in Jerusalem "may ignite violence beyond its walls".
He also urged all leaders "to ensure visitors and worshippers demonstrate restraint and respect" at holy sites.


Stenhousemuir moved six points clear of opponents Forfar Athletic and eased their relegation concerns as Colin McMenamin's header secured victory.

Stenny took the lead when Mark Gilhaney curled a shot into the bottom corner.
Forfar threatened a leveller through Gareth Rodger and Steven Craig before the latter found the net as the match entered its closing stages.
But McMenamin nodded home, leaving Cowden just two points clear of the League One relegation zone.


A man who drove more than 10 miles the wrong way down the M40 when drunk has been jailed for 19 months.

Tony Chapman, 62, from Warwickshire, was stopped by police in his white Toyota Rav4 on 7 May at 1:46 BST.
Police said it was a "miracle" nobody was seriously injured as drivers took evasive action to avoid a crash.
Chapman, of Aspley Heath Lane, Tanworth-in-Arden admitted several charges including driving while drunk and dangerous driving.
Warwickshire Police said the car had travelled from junction 15, for Warwick, and was seen weaving across the road.
Vehicles travelling the correct way on the northbound carriageway had to swerve to avoid colliding with him and the road was eventually closed off.
Officers forced the car into the central reservation before arresting him.
During interview, he said he had no recollection of driving the car.
At court, he also admitted possession of cannabis, driving without insurance and a licence, failing to provide a breath test and taking a vehicle without consent.
He was banned from driving for five years and nine months and ordered to pay a Â£140 victim surcharge.
Con John Martin said: "It was a miracle that nobody was seriously injured.
"Chapman... put the lives of other road users at risk and the prison sentence reflects the severity of what he did."


Discount supermarket chain Aldi is planning to open six new stores in Scotland this year.

The new stores scheduled to open over the next 12 months are Auldhouse Retail Park, Glasgow (April), Dumfries (June), Montrose (July), Drumchapel, Glasgow (August), Oxgangs, Edinburgh (October).
Planning permission is being sought for a sixth store.
This will bring the number of Aldi stores in Scotland to 78 by the end of the year, employing 2,600 people.
The company's Scottish headquarters in Bathgate is also undergoing a multi-million pound extension and it plans to extend its regional distribution centre in Bathgate over the next two years.
This will result in the total number of jobs being created in Scotland this year to about 300.
Aldi said it will continue to grow its range of 360 Scottish-sourced products.
In the past year, the company has announced significant supplier deals with local companies.
Aldi Scotland managing director Richard Holloway said: "We want to build on the success of 2016 by opening additional stores in new locations in Scotland and work with even more of the best Scottish producers.
"We continue to deliver the highest quality and value, and I am confident that we will strike deals with more Scottish suppliers in the coming year.
"Our growth plans for 2017 underpin Aldi's ongoing commitment to Scotland which saw eight new stores open in 2016 and the launch of Aldi's first Scottish Sport Fund, support which shall be renewed in the course of the year."


Saturday was a day of shocks in the FA Cup fifth round - and there are still two live games to come on the BBC.

After Lincoln City and Millwall knocked out Premier League opposition, Fulham will be the next team to attempt the feat when they host Tottenham on BBC One on Sunday.
Arsenal's Monday trip to Sutton, also live on BBC One, then caps a busy weekend of FA Cup action.
Sutton are the lowest-ranked team left in the competition.
The quarter-final draw will take place on Sunday at 18:30 GMT from Ewood Park. You can follow it live on the BBC News Channel, BBC Radio 5 live and the BBC Sport website.
MOTD: The FA Cup will also show highlights at 22:30 GMT on both Saturday and Sunday on BBC One.
Sunday, 19 February
Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur, BBC One and BBC Radio 5 live (14:00)
Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United, BBC Radio 5 live (16:15)
Monday 20, February
Sutton United v Arsenal, BBC One and BBC Radio 5 live (19:55)
Media playback is not supported on this device
It's not too late to enter this year's FA People's Cup - as long as you do it by the deadline anyway - and that is at midnight on Sunday.
Entry is completely FREE, there are categories for everyone AND you can enter either as a team or an individual player.
Find out all the details here.


Adelina Sotnikova became the first Russian to win gold in the Olympic women's figure skating with a superb performance in the free programme.

The 17-year-old former world junior champion scored highly on the technical elements to finish with a score of 224.59.
Vancouver champion Yuna Kim of South Korea led after the short programme but had to settle for silver.
Italy's Carolina Kostner claimed the bronze medal.
Russian 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya, who helped her country win team gold, finished in fifth position.
Lipnitskaya was considered the more likely of the Russians to end the host nation's drought in the event, but she fell both in the short and free programme, scoring a total of 200.57.
Kim, 23, produced a superb artistic display but a technical score of only 69.69 - compared to Sotnikova's 75.54 - denied her chance to become the first person since German Katarina Witt (1984 and 1988) to retain the women's title.


Juventus went 10 points clear at the top of Serie A with a 30th consecutive home win as stubborn 17th-placed Empoli were eventually brushed aside.

Massimiliano Allegri's side, going for a sixth consecutive title, went ahead when Lukasz Skorupski bundled into his own net after Mario Mandzukic's header struck the bar shortly after half-time.
Juve had spurned several first-half chances, but Alex Sandro's tight finish into the corner settled the points.
Roma can narrow Juve's lead on Sunday.
Second-placed Roma play at fifth-placed Inter Milan in a 19:45 GMT kick-off.
Leonardo Bonucci was restored to the Juve line-up after being left out of Wednesday's Champions League victory at Porto because of a touchline spat with Allegri in the previous Friday's league game.
Bonucci watched the last-16 first leg in Portugal from an executive box, but the Italy centre-back started in Turin in one of six changes, perhaps made with Tuesday's Coppa Italia semi-final first leg with Napoli in mind.
Juve, who are on track to win a third consecutive league and cup double, last dropped points at home in the league in a 1-1 draw with Frosinone in September 2015.
They were last beaten at home in the league on the opening day of the 2015-16 season, by Udinese, and this 30th straight home win adds to the Serie A record they already hold.
Earlier on Saturday, Atalanta beat Napoli 2-0 to move up to fourth, despite having midfielder Frank Kessie sent off for picking up two yellow cards in three minutes with over half an hour still to play.
Atalanta's Bergamo-born 22-year-old defender Mattia Caldara scored both goals, the first bundled in at the far post from a corner, the second on the counter attack after Kessie's red card.
The defeat leaves Napoli in third, 12 points behind Juve, and now three points above Atalanta, who finished 13th last season.
Match ends, Juventus 2, Empoli 0.
Second Half ends, Juventus 2, Empoli 0.
Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Frederic Veseli (Empoli).
Attempt saved. Dani Alves (Juventus) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Paulo Dybala.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Omar El Kaddouri (Empoli) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Dani Alves.
Attempt missed. Marcel Büchel (Empoli) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Rade Krunic.
Foul by Tomás Rincón (Juventus).
Rade Krunic (Empoli) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Juventus. Marko Pjaca replaces Juan Cuadrado.
Foul by Paulo Dybala (Juventus).
Assane Diousse (Empoli) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Alex Sandro with a cross.
Giuseppe Bellusci (Empoli) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Giuseppe Bellusci (Empoli).
Attempt missed. Dani Alves (Juventus) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Paulo Dybala with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Juventus. Conceded by Andrea Costa.
Miralem Pjanic (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Assane Diousse (Empoli).
Substitution, Juventus. Tomás Rincón replaces Claudio Marchisio.
Attempt missed. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Dani Alves with a cross.
Substitution, Empoli. Marcel Büchel replaces José Mauri.
Hand ball by Mame Thiam (Empoli).
Offside, Juventus. Miralem Pjanic tries a through ball, but Gonzalo Higuaín is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Miralem Pjanic (Juventus) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Attempt blocked. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Juventus. Paulo Dybala replaces Stefano Sturaro.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Dani Alves (Juventus) because of an injury.
Substitution, Empoli. Mame Thiam replaces Guido Marilungo.
Substitution, Empoli. Frederic Veseli replaces Vincent Laurini.
Attempt missed. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) left footed shot from the left side of the box is too high. Assisted by Alex Sandro.
Foul by Mario Mandzukic (Juventus).
Rade Krunic (Empoli) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Goal!  Juventus 2, Empoli 0. Alex Sandro (Juventus) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Dani Alves with a cross.
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus).
Guido Marilungo (Empoli) wins a free kick on the right wing.


Poland is under pressure from the European Union after the government approved laws allowing it to hire and fire the heads of public TV and radio.

20 January 2016 Last updated at 14:28 GMT
It also now has significant new powers over the civil service and the judiciary.
The European Parliament President Martin Schulz, a German centre-left politician, has referred to the changes as a "dangerous Putinisation of European politics".
The conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government, was elected in October. For BBC Newsnight, Katie Razzall reports from Warsaw.
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George Osborne says he will have to slash public spending and increase taxes in an emergency Budget to tackle a £30bn "black hole" if the UK votes to leave the European Union.

The chancellor said this could include raising income and inheritance taxes and cutting the NHS budget.
But 65 Tory MPs have said his position would be "untenable" if he tries to cut NHS, police and school spending.
And Vote Leave criticised Remain's "hysterical prophecies of doom".
The UK votes on whether to remain in the EU or to leave on 23 June.
In other referendum news:
In the latest of a series of government warnings about the consequences of a vote to leave, Mr Osborne shared a stage with his Labour predecessor, Lord Darling, setting out £30bn of "illustrative" tax rises and spending cuts, including a 2p rise in the basic rate of income tax and a 3p rise in the higher rate.
How trade and the UK's economy are affected by membership of the EU.
They also said spending on the police, transport and local government could take a 5% cut and ring-fenced NHS budget could be "slashed", along with education, defence and policing.
Mr Osborne and Lord Darling said the measures - £15bn of tax rises and £15bn of cuts - are based on the Institute for Fiscal Studies' predictions about the economic impact of a vote to leave from lower trade, investment, and tax receipts.
The IFS has said such an outcome could trigger between an extra one to two years of austerity measures.
Mr Osborne told Radio 4's Today that leaving the EU would be an "irreversible" step that would cause "financial instability" and leave the UK "with no economic plan", demanding an immediate response from government.
"There would have to be increases in tax and cuts in public spending to fill the black hole," he said.
The UK, he suggested, would not be able to "afford the size of the public services that we have at the moment" outside the European Union and would have to "cut its cloth accordingly".
He also played down the threat of Conservative MPs blocking an emergency Budget, suggesting that Labour and Conservative MPs would join forces to "take the necessary measures".
Lord Darling, chancellor between 2007 and 2010, said there would be "severe consequences" for the NHS, schools and other publicly-funded services in the event of a leave vote, saying it was "far better not to make a mess in the first place" than have to clear it up afterwards.
But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose party is on the same side as Mr Osborne in the referendum debate, said he would not support an emergency budget.
"We would oppose any post-Brexit austerity Budget, just as we have opposed any austerity Budget put forward by this government," he told David Cameron at Prime Minister's Questions.
Analysis by Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC's political editor
The most drastic warning yet in a campaign laced with fear, has met its most drastic response.
George Osborne, together with the former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling, vows today that the hit to the economy would be so great if we vote to leave the EU that he'd hold a Budget with cuts and tax rises almost immediately.
But in retaliation, in a direct challenge to George Osborne's authority, 57 Tory MPs, including former cabinet ministers, have issued a statement, incredulous at the chancellor's behaviour - saying it is absurd to make a political promise to punish voters in this way - to break Conservative manifesto promises.
Most seriously for a government with a tiny majority, they say they would vote to block such a Budget, making Mr Osborne's position untenable.
As the chancellor threatens drastic action - so too, by suggesting an open coup against him, his internal opponents threaten him.
Whatever you decide a week tomorrow, the governing party may be changed for good.
He urged the prime minister to "condemn the opportunism of 57 ( of your colleagues who are pro-Leave", who he said had "suddenly" undergone "a Damascene conversion to the anti-austerity movement".
Mr Cameron said "nobody wants to have an emergency Budget, nobody wants to have cuts in public services, nobody wants to have tax increases," but he said the economic "crisis" that would follow a vote to leave could not be ignored.
"We can avoid all of this by voting Remain next week," he told MPs.
In his Today interview, Mr Osborne ruled out seeking any further concessions from the EU on immigration rules, saying his focus was on implementing restrictions on benefits negotiated by David Cameron earlier this year.
The Conservative government last year introduced legislation not to raise income tax rates, VAT or National Insurance for the duration of the Parliament.
Leave campaigners dismissed the warning from Mr Osborne.
Iain Duncan Smith, Liam Fox and Owen Paterson are among the Conservative MPs who signed a statement saying they "cannot possibly allow" cuts to services their party promised to protect in their 2015 manifesto.
'We find it incredible that the chancellor could seriously be threatening to renege on so many manifesto pledges," they said.
"It is absurd to say that if people vote to take back control from the EU that he would want to punish them in this way."
They added: "If he were to proceed with these proposals, the chancellor's position would become untenable."
Conservative MP and Vote Leave campaigner Steve Baker said: "I am shocked that the chancellor is threatening to break so many key manifesto pledges on which all Conservative MPs were elected."
And a senior Conservative told the BBC it was "laughable" to think Mr Osborne would still be chancellor if the UK voted to leave, adding: "He'll be carried away by the men in white coats before he gets the chance to make these ludicrous proposals."


Spain is due to set out its austerity budget for 2013 later, against a backdrop of a deteriorating economy and 25% unemployment rate.

Madrid is expected to outline 39bn euros ($50bn; £31bn) worth of savings, tax rises, and structural reforms.
BBC News website readers in Spain share their views on the current economic situation.
I'm a 34-year-old single mum. I have been unemployed for over a year now, I've looked for work over and over again, from cleaning to a telephone operator but have found nothing.
I have been unable to meet all the payments on my house and I'm being threatened with eviction. I get unemployment assistance from the government but that will end next month because the government has annihilated aid to the unemployed.
What will become of me and my daughter? We will end up on the streets, how will we eat? Where will we live? What hope is there? All my life I have worked hard, struggling, paying my taxes, being a worthy citizen, and suddenly I'm not entitled to anything.
There are so many people like me in Spain, with problems that are typical of an underdeveloped country. People do not have jobs and small businesses are plummeting which generates more unemployment and more poverty in general.
Every month there are increases in taxes and the prices of basic supplies such as water and electricity, not to mention gasoline. Food is almost a luxury item.
Politicians are corrupt and all protect each other. The government has vetoed our freedom of expression and detains people for demonstrating. Spain needs economic aid, not to rescue banks but for welfare, to create and promote employment, culture and training, as all aid seems to have been stopped.
The Spanish people did nothing to deserve this. I am currently selling my personal belongings. I want to leave Spain, I'm tired of surviving, I want to regain a decent life for my daughter.
I am employed but most of my friends between the ages of 20 and 30 are unemployed and stay at home all day.
Spanish people still keep to the traditional nuclear family, where children live with their parents until they are economically independent.
However, the income of young people has been alarmingly reduced so that they might never leave. Some members of the family have to offer them part-time jobs such as housework to make up the costs of them living there.
In order to get a proper job you are forced to go abroad.
Some years ago those who got their degree in higher education were just some lucky people whose parents could afford it. Nowadays, almost every young Spanish person has some university qualification but it is not enough to get a job in Spain now, you have to get either a PhD or a masters, which is too expensive as fees have been raised by almost 100%.
The public demonstrations prove that the Spanish population cannot cope with the unfair and desperate situation anymore. The reforms have had a big impact on our lives and have deeply affected our basic needs: education, medical assistance and even food.
I am aged 30 and have been out of work for a month because I have just come back home from being abroad. I'm toying with the idea of migrating. The general feeling is one of apathy and widespread anger.
There exists a persistent minority who protest vehemently against each set of cuts implemented both by the central government and regional cabinets (cuts that are in turn rejected by the majority of the population if we trust opinion polls).
However, up and down the country also emerges a sensation of weariness. I am chasing every vacancy going, like jobs as a waiter, carpenter or plumber on the "black economy", which is what enables many people to gain their bread day in, day out.
Three members of my family are currently unemployed: myself, my father and my younger brother. Many people in my neighbourhood rummage through garbage bins looking for something to eat or sell in the black market.
Budget adjustments seem not to work. Curtailing the public deficit has stalled growth, not to mention added unbearable hardship to the vulnerable in society and those dependent on public sector hand outs.
Some regions, such as Catalonia, are now pursuing a break-up from Spain because at the moment it appears inconceivable to sustain state structures which fulfil their duties and look after their citizens.
I oppose a bailout. It may appease financial markets for a while, but further down the line would have strict conditions attached. It would be the last straw and lead to widespread social strife and probably new general elections, where the extreme right may score significant political points.
I am a civil servant and work in a ministry. In Spain, if you want to work in the administration you have to pass very hard exams to get the job.
The system is supposed to be used to select people due to their competence but I see very closely how politicians use the administration to give very good jobs to their sons, brothers and sisters.
I have also seen how some colleagues with no experience at all get posts of high responsibility (and a high salary) in the ministry because of their connections. I've heard them in the canteen saying they are bored!
So we have to keep listening to politicians saying the public service is huge and it has to be cut but it is the normal workers who get a reduction, yet the big earners keep carrying on with their business unaffected.
I heard on the radio this week that a kid who brings his own food to school for lunch has to pay about five euros just for it to be looked after yet a member of parliament pays 3.55 euros for a full meal.
Citizens in Spain are angry, fed up of politicians and feel hugely disappointed with the two main parties.
I would say that traditionally we are not anti-EU, and we don't blame the euro for what is happening here, but of course we feel afraid of the rescue, looking at what is going on in Greece.
If we are rescued will Merkel come to Spain to put order in to our corrupted system? I don't think so. She just cares about getting her money back.
I am originally from Manchester, England but live in Spain, in La Linea de la Conception. I am an IT consultant and semi-pro poker player. I have some Spanish friends, and Gibraltarian friends, and the current feeling is that Spain is in deep trouble.
The corrupt culture does not help. To get anything done means paying someone off. There is a long and virtually impossible process for anything concerning courts. So, recovery of unpaid taxes, fines and general bills, is very difficult.
This culture is expressed very close to home, where our rent is paid in cash directly to the owner, and so avoiding bank deposits that can be "seen" by the tax authorities.
I am affected very little, as my income is determined by work in Gibraltar. However, shopping in Spain is very cheap, and with the exchange rate generally rising in my favour, the cost of living for me is slowly falling. The only thing that might affect me would be inflation.
The current Spanish government would have to tackle a deep-rooted culture issue around corruption, bribery and a rampant black market. Spain will almost certainly require a bailout. However, they are a very independent people, and would see that as a major embarrassment.
The only other option would be to return to the peseta. This would be great for Gibraltarians, as the value of this devalued Spanish currency would be very favourable indeed.
The euro has been a disaster for everyone other than a small number of eurozone members since the outset. Smaller economies basically deceived their way into the euro, and are now paying the price.
It pains our local Spanish population dearly to see a successful, vibrant economy just across the border in Gibraltar.
Low taxes, extremely low unemployment, high business incentives and a very proud and close "British ex-pat" community, all serves to have avoided most of the economic woes suffered elsewhere in Europe.


Campbell College beat Dalriada of Ballymoney in Tuesday's Schools' Cup semi-final and will meet Belfast rivals RBAI in the decider on 17 March.

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Flanker Jamie Macartney, winger Jack Howard and centre Nicolai Koplewsky scored tries for Campbell in the first half at Kingspan Stadium.
Number eight Jack Barry-Glendinning added a fine try in the second half.
Scrum-half Malcolm Corry landed two conversions while Dalriada's points came from a Stewart Moore penalty.
"Coming here means a lot to both teams," said Campbell coach Brian Robinson.
"It was a physical and well-contested match and Dalriada should be proud of what they have achieved."


Fans of Dad's Army have plenty to look forward to over the next few weeks.

The long-awaited Dad's Army movie - staring Toby Jones as Captain Mainwaring and Bill Nighy as Sergeant Wilson - is set to hit cinema screens in February 2016.
But before that comes a one-off BBC Two drama We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story which shows how writers Jimmy Perry (Paul Ritter) and David Croft (Richard Dormer) overcame BBC management scepticism to bring the hit sitcom to the screen.
"I won't lie," admits Charlotte Surtees, the TV drama's executive producer.  "We were keeping an eye on what they were doing. We felt that our project was complementary and not at odds with what the feature film was attempting to create.
"I think they have a tough job. They have a fabulous cast but we have an equally fabulous cast."
Among the other famous names in We're Doomed! are Julian Sands as John Le Mesurier (Sgt Wilson), Mark Heap as Clive Dunn (Corporal Jones), Shane Richie as Bill Pertwee (ARP Warden Hodges), and Kevin Bishop as James Beck (Private Walker, the cockney spiv).
Surtees says there were no casting clashes between the TV drama and the movie. "It didn't pose a problem because we were casting in a very different manner to the film. We needed our Arthur to be Arthur Lowe first and foremost and Mainwaring second."
Sessions, who has an uncanny likeness to Lowe in the TV drama, reveals that Toby Jones had sent him a note saying: "Best of luck with your Arthur."
He admits he felt "great pressure" playing such a national treasure.
"He's been been a huge hero of mine ever since I was 14 or 15," Sessions says. "He had an incredible capacity to make you laugh or smile when he was saying something pretty anodyne and non-committal.
"Arthur's got a very beautiful voice. It's quite sonorous. Even though he would fluff lines constantly it didn't somehow matter. He was just so wonderfully Captain Mainwaring."
On TV between 1968 and 1977, Dad's Army attracted 18 million viewers at its height. We're Doomed! has the blessing of 92-year old Jimmy Perry. Co-writer David Croft died in September 2011.
The drama shows how Perry's inspiration came after seeing a group of soldiers jogging in a park in May 1967. Within months he had written the first script of The Fighting Tigers - the original title of Dad's Army.
Other fascinating details emerge, such as Ian Lavender bringing his own scarf on set to wear as Private Pike and Clive Dunn finding the line "they don't like it up em!" too rude.
"There's very little in the film that's made up," notes Surtees. "It's essentially the story of two men going through a midlife crisis."
Both Paul Ritter and Richard Dormer watched old interviews with Perry and Croft to help them get into character.
"We were both slightly taken aback at how terribly posh and BBC-ish they both were," says Ritter.
"They were two personalities waiting to meet," adds Dormer. "And when they did they clicked, and had the same goal - which was to save their careers."
Why do they think Dad's Army has been such an enduring hit?
"Croft and Perry had brilliant ideas," Ritter says. "They created characters that leapt out at you, but they also knew what to do with them. The inversion of Wilson and Mainwaring's social status and professional status was brilliant."
"The characters endure because they are loveable," adds Dormer. "I think there's a soft fuzzy warmness about Dad's Army that people remember.
"I met David Croft. He was a man of few words. But he had great charisma."
We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story will be on BBC Two on Tuesday 22 December at 21:00 and repeated on Christmas Day at 22:20.


Plymouth Argyle owner James Brent has revealed he spends just half a day per week on club business and is not "competent" to run it on a daily basis.

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But he says the right people are in place to ensure it becomes successful.
"I'm not competent to run that football club. I'm not a football person, with that experience.
"I think I'm a competent chairman of it, to provide strategic direction and challenge governance of it, and that is what I do," he told BBC South West.
Brent completed a takeover of Argyle three years ago after the club went into administration and guided them away from the prospect of relegation out of the Football League.
But the businessman has a number of other interests in the south west of England, as chairman of Plymouth University and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and owner of clothing brand Saltrock, and he is also leading huge redevelopment projects at  and the Plymouth Pavilions.
"We came into Argyle as a football club which, before we took over, had lost £8m on £10m of turnover.
"The turnover fell to £4m because it collapsed down the leagues with consecutive relegations.
"We've turned that into a break-even position on £4m of turnover while improving the football squad," he said.
"When I first had an interest in Argyle, we had one point from the first nine games.
"Everyone told me the club would be relegated out of the Football League, we have got the club back to financial stability and competing for promotion, that is success."
However, Brent admitted he did not know when a new grandstand at Home Park will be built.
Work to replace the Mayflower Stand was due to start this summer as part of
"The Higher Home Park development, which went significantly beyond the new grandstand, that is not feasible for the moment," he added.
"So what we are looking at is a Plan B, which is to do the grandstand first, which is the bit which is directly relevant to the football club and do the rest of the leisure development second.
"We are in the latter stages of negotiations with a partner institution to build it, we're moving that as quickly as we can, but I'm not going to make the mistake of committing to another date and being held to account, as soon as we have finalised those negotiations, hopefully positively, we will announce that."


Former Lib Dem leader Lord Ashdown has been criticised for comparing Conservative Brexit supporters with Nazi paramilitaries.

Lord Ashdown tweeted that "the Tory Brexit brownshirts are stirring" ahead of next month's party conference.
Brownshirts was the name given to the Sturmabteilung, which acted as the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party during Hitler's rise to power.
Tory MP James Cleverly demanded an apology for the "disgusting" comment.
But Lord Ashdown, who campaigned for Remain in June's EU referendum, defended himself on Twitter over what he called "Brownshirt-gate".
He said: "Even allowing for these over-heated times, do we really have to lose contact with the concept of the metaphor?"
Criticised for another use of the term over the weekend, he suggested it had been a reference to "extremists" in Theresa May's cabinet.


India, the world's third largest carbon emitter, has pledged to the UN to reduce the rate by which its greenhouse gas emissions increase by up to 35% by 2030, compared with 2005.

It says it aims to generate 40% of electricity from non-fossil fuel sources, mainly solar and wind.
But analysts say if it succeeds in growing its economy as quickly as it wants, emissions will continue to rise.
Delhi submitted the plan ahead of the Paris climate conference in November.
The UN has sought carbon reduction plans from its 196 members which, put together, will give an idea whether the world is on track to limit the global temperature rise to two degrees from the pre-industrial period - a threshold scientists say is necessary to avoid dangerous climate change.
"We are confident we will achieve the 35% [target] by 2030," Indian Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told a news conference in Delhi on Friday.
"It is a huge jump for India, therefore it is a very  ambitious target," he said.
What India has pledged is that it will slash its rate of greenhouse gas emissions relative to gross domestic product. But it will not stop its total emissions from growing.
This is where its pledge differs from those made by the top two emitters, China and the US.
Beijing has announced that its carbon emissions will peak before starting to drop by 2030. The US has said it will make a reduction by up to 28% from 2005 levels by 2025.
In simple terms, China and the US have committed themselves to cutting down their total emissions within specified dates while India has not.
Delhi has argued that its emissions will grow because it needs to pursue development works as nearly 30% of its population still has no access to electricity.
It recently announced that it was doubling its annual coal production in the next five years to more than one billion tonnes.
It is not clear whether other major players at the Paris conference would agree to Delhi's position.
Developed countries have argued that fast emerging economies like China and India will have to step up to the plate for a meaningful climate agreement.
They say that shares of these rapidly developing countries in global emissions have become quite significant and that they need to make substantial cuts as well.
But the Indian environment minister accused some rich countries of trying to blur the line between developed countries and developing ones.
"The developed world has polluted the Earth and we are suffering," he said. "Still, we  want to become part of the solution and give results," he added.
In the past, India had China with it to counter the developed world. Now that Beijing appears to have made a departure from that position, Delhi will have to hold that fort on its own in Paris.


More than 100,000 tickets for the Virgin Money Street of Light event in Edinburgh this Christmas have been snapped up.

It will feature an installation of more than 60,000 lights stretching from the City Chambers to the Tron Kirk.
Up to 250,000 people are expected to attend the event, which runs from 30 November to 24 December.
Audiences will be able to enter the canopy of light and listen to recordings from choirs.
Commissioned works by Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Edinburgh Gay Men's Chorus and the Edinburgh Choral Union and Edinburgh Police Choir will feature.
The 100,000 tickets is the combined capacity of the city's three main sporting arenas - Murrayfield, Easter Road and Tynecastle stadiums.
Charlie Wood, director of Underbelly, said: "The response from not just Edinburgh but the rest of the world has been amazing with no sign of demand slowing down. We are so happy to have already issued 100,000 free tickets in such a short period of time.
"I advise everyone to book now to avoid disappointment. There will be no finer place to celebrate the spirit of Christmas this year than here in Edinburgh."
Fiona Hyslop, Secretary for Culture, Europe and External affairs, said: "These figures speak volumes and demonstrate that people across Scotland, and the world, are hugely excited about The Virgin Money Street of Light event.
"The event is an outstanding addition to Edinburgh's Christmas programme and will showcase our beautiful capital city from the City Chambers to the Tron Kirk in the lead up to Scotland's Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design in 2016."


Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has lost his UK Supreme Court fight against extradition to Sweden to face accusations of sex offences.

Lord Phillips, the court's president, said a majority of five justices to two had ruled against Mr Assange.
The court ruled the extradition request had been "lawfully made".
However, Mr Assange has 14 days to challenge the ruling and his solicitor, Gareth Peirce, said his lawyers would be asking the court to reconsider.
Mr Assange, who has been on conditional bail in the UK, did not attend the hearing in central London. His lawyer later told reporters he had been "stuck in traffic".
Following the hearing, he tweeted: "We got the news not hoped for."
The Wikileaks website published material from leaked diplomatic cables, embarrassing several governments.
By Dominic CascianiHome affairs correspondent
The role of judges in cases like Julian Assange's appeal is to listen to the points being put forward by both sides and decide who has the best argument.
But Mr Assange's legal team are suggesting that didn't happen in this case.
They appear to think he has lost his appeal because the judgement from the UK's highest court is based on a point which was neither heard nor argued in the case.
If this is so, the Supreme Court will find itself in the extraordinary position of having ruled against Mr Assange on a point that his lawyers did not have a chance to consider or respond to.
If true, that would mean the judgement is arguably unfair - and that is why in two weeks' time the court could be in the unprecedented position of having to reopen the case.
The 40-year-old Australian is accused of raping one woman and "sexually molesting and coercing" another in Stockholm in August 2010, but he claims the allegations against him are politically motivated.
His lawyers had asked the court to block his extradition, arguing that a European arrest warrant issued against him was "invalid and unenforceable".
The key legal question was whether the Swedish prosecutor who issued it had the "judicial authority" to do so under the 2003 Extradition Act - or whether the words gave that power only to a court or a judge.
Lord Phillips said five of the seven Supreme Court justices had agreed the warrant was lawful because the prosecutor could be considered a proper "judicial authority" even if this was not specifically mentioned in legislation or international agreements.
However, this point of law had not been simple to resolve, said Lord Phillips, and two of the justices, Lady Hale and Lord Mance, had disagreed with the decision.
Lord Phillips said the meaning of the words had been debated in Parliament when the Extradition Act was being drawn up and at least one minister had - in his view, wrongly - said they could only apply to a court or judge.
But Dinah Rose QC, for Mr Assange, said she could challenge the Supreme Court's decision because it relied on a 1969 convention relating to how treaties - such as those concerning extradition - should be implemented, and this had not been discussed during the hearing.
In a statement, the Supreme Court said: "Ms Rose suggested that the majority of the court appear to have based their decision on the interpretation of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, on which no argument was heard and no opportunity of making submission was given.
"The Supreme Court has granted Ms Rose 14 days to make such an application.
"If she decides to do so, the justices will then decide whether to re-open the appeal and accept further submissions either verbally through a further hearing, or on paper, on the matter."
The decision to stay the extradition order means that it cannot become active until at least 13 June.


Macclesfield Town have signed York City goalkeeper Scott Flinders on a one-month loan deal.

The 30-year-old recently served a five-match ban after being found guilty of racial abuse during a match in March - a charge he strenuously denied.
Before that, he had started York's first four National League games of the season and played against the Silkmen in York's 1-0 win in August.
He is available to feature in the match at Guiseley on Saturday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


The Canadian government is seeking to block the release of an ex-Guantanamo Bay inmate as he appeals against his war crimes conviction in a US court.

Omar Khadr, once the US prison's youngest inmate at age 15, was granted bail by a Canadian judge in April.
The Canadian government sought the emergency stay on Monday. Khadr could be released as soon as Tuesday.
Khadr, now 28, spent 10 years in the Guantanamo prison after being captured in Afghanistan in 2002.
The Toronto-born Khadr was released from Guantanamo Bay after a plea deal and sent back to Canada in 2012.
He is currently serving an eight-year sentence in Canada for war crimes including throwing a grenade that killed a US Army sergeant in Afghanistan.
Khadr, whose family had ties to Osama Bin Laden, has said he only pleaded guilty so he would be released from the Guantanamo Bay prison.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been critical of the judge's decision, saying the release would jeopardise relations with the US.
"We feel that Mr Khadr, until a final decision is rendered by the court, should stay behind bars," Canadian Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney told CBC News.


Wigan Athletic are to complete the signing of on-loan Derby County defender Stephen Warnock on a one-year contract, to commence on 1 July.

The twice-capped ex-England left-back, 34, first joined the Latics on loan until the end of the season in March.
But, having played the final 11 matches to help Gary Caldwell's side return to the Championship, they were keen to make the deal more permanent.
"Bringing Stephen permanently was one of our immediate priorities," he said.
"His experience will be invaluable to the squad in the Championship, a league he knows very well. Everyone saw for themselves his contribution last season."
Ormskirk-born Warnock, who played 40 first-team games for Liverpool after coming through the academy, moved on to Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Leeds United before joining Derby on an 18-month deal in January 2015.
Subject to him passing a medical, Warnock will officially become a Wigan Athletic player when his Derby contract expires on the final day of June, having not been offered a new deal.
He becomes the first deal to be done for next season by the Latics since returning to the Championship as League One champions.
Warnock added: "I really enjoyed my time on loan. We achieved something great, so I can't wait to work with the gaffer and this group of players again."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Scotland have reached the final play-offs at the World Wheelchair Curling Championship in South Korea.

The team of Aileen Neilson, Rob McPherson, Gregor Ewan and Hugh Nibloe beat Germany 6-3 in their last round-robin match on Thursday.
It secured second place in the overall standings behind Russia, to whom they lost 8-7 earlier in the competition.
They will face Russia in Friday's play-offs with the winner going straight through to the gold-medal match.
The losers will have a second chance to reach the final against the winners of the play-off between third and fourth. The line-up for that match will be decided after Thursday's second series of round-robin matches.
The Scots, who accrue qualification points for Great Britain during the Paralympic cycle, have already qualified a team to represent Great Britain at the Winter Paralympics, which start in exactly a year's time.
They finished the round-robin phase with six wins from their nine games, losing to Canada and the USA, as well as Russia.


The government has ordered a taskforce to take over parts of Kensington and Chelsea Council in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire.

The council has been heavily criticised for its handling of the disaster on 14 June that killed at least 80 people.
Both the council leader and chief executive have resigned as a result.
Only 14 out of the 158 affected families have accepted offers of temporary accommodation but ministers say no-one will be forced to move.
Housing minister Alok Sharma fought back tears as he told the Commons of hearing "harrowing accounts" from survivors, saying it had been the most "humbling and moving experience of my life".
He said 19 families "have not yet been ready to engage" in the process of being rehoused, while others were waiting for offers of permanent tenancy and many were still in hotels.
A statement from the Met Police said 250 specialist investigators were working on the operation and the last visible human remains were removed from Grenfell Tower on Monday.
Met Police Commander Stuart Cundy said there had been a total of 87 recoveries but, due to the "catastrophic damage" inside, that did not mean 87 people.
So far, 21 people have been formally identified and their families informed.
The taskforce is to take over the housing department, as well as other council operations.
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said: "The challenge of providing that support is, and will continue to be, significant. I want to help the council meet that challenge. "
Councillor Elizabeth Campbell, who was chosen as Kensington and Chelsea Council's new leader on Monday said: "The unprecedented scale of this incident makes it impossible for one organisation to cope on its own. That's why my first action as leader was to ask the Department for Communities and Local Government for help.
"I look forward to working with their staff as we all concentrate our efforts on healing the wounds in the north of our borough and to regain the trust of a community traumatised by disaster."
BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said it was not yet clear who would be on the taskforce - but a statement from DCLG said the detail would be confirmed in the "following few weeks".
Eleanor Kelly, chief executive of Southwark Council and spokeswoman for the Grenfell Response Team, said the team would be "very welcome".
She told BBC Radio London: "We can't stay in a crisis mode for an extended period of time because everybody needs to actually feel that things have gone back to a level of stability [and] a level of control."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said putting the taskforce in place was the "absolute minimum" the government should do, but called for external commissioners to take charge of the council until elections next year.
Meanwhile, the government has said 190 buildings in England that underwent fire tests on their cladding have failed, the government.  It also announced that cladding from one building had passed the test - the only sample to do so to date.
The news about the taskforce comes after a tense three-hour meeting on Tuesday between survivors, Cdr Cundy and Westminster coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox.
Survivors were reportedly angry as they asked for information about people who were still missing.
However, they were told the "recovery phase" could last until the end of the year, as Dr Wilcox described the inside of the tower as "apocalyptic".
Police also faced questions at the meeting as to why there had not been any arrests.
Cdr Cundy warned it may never be possible to identify all the victims.
"Such is the devastation caused by the fire it may be that tragically we cannot find or identify all those who lost their lives," he said.
Police again appealed for the public to come forward to ensure there are no "hidden victims" from the fire.
The taskforce announcement came on the same day as the government-set deadline to find temporary accommodation for all those made homeless by the fire.
The Grenfell Response Team says 139 formal offers of housing have been made to survivors, after the prime minister promised housing would be offered to those in need by Wednesday.
Housing Minister Alok Sharma told the Commons the temporary homes were in Kensington & Chelsea or neighbouring boroughs and being offered on a rent-free basis - but no-one will be "forced into a home they do not want to move to".
A spokesman for North Kensington Law Centre - which represents more than 100 Grenfell victims - said many of the offers had been unsuitable.
Father-of-two Mahad Egal escaped the fire with his family from their fourth floor flat and is now staying with friends, as the hotel room he was given was "too small" for four people.
He has been offered a property but it is in a different borough and is bigger than his flat in Grenfell, which he worries will lead to higher rent costs.
Robert Atkinson, leader of the Labour Party at Kensington and Chelsea Council, said decisions about accommodation should be taken by survivors when they are ready - and not just to meet government deadlines.
"I want these arrangements to be made in the timescale and at the pace at which the victims and survivors wish to make these decisions."
Shadow housing secretary John Healey said the government has been "off the pace at each stage following this terrible tragedy" and the latest statement on the numbers rehoused show "that in some ways it still is".
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Robbie Savage and Alan Shearer have kicked-off a 57-hour five-a-side game for Sport Relief.

The match, between BBC 5 live and Match of the Day, outside BBC MediaCityUK in Salford started at 09:15 GMT and ends on Saturday at 18:15.
About 1,000 people will play 30 minutes alongside pundits Savage and Shearer.
All-time Premier League top goalscorer Shearer is captaining the Match of the Day team while ex-Wales player Savage leads the radio outfit.
Follow live coverage of Sport Relief's Battle of the Five-A-Sides
The 57-hour duration of the epic encounter has been chosen since it is the equivalent of a Premier League club's entire season.
Two years ago, Shearer and Savage raced against each other at Wembley Stadium to see who could be the first to sit on 45,000 seats.
Former Blackburn and Newcastle striker Shearer won that race, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds in the process.
He said he was "feeling confident" of securing bragging rights again, albeit with the help from hundreds of others.
"We're not as young as we were when we faced each other on the pitch in the Premiership," he said, adding: "So it'll be great to have the help of the playing fans."
Savage said he "can't wait to take on Shearer" alongside players gathering in Salford from across the UK.
"Most importantly we are raising money for a great cause," he added. "Even if we can't stand at the end of the three days, it will be worth it."
The professionals will each take part for at least 12 hours with Shearer putting in a 09:15-21:15 stint on Thursday and Savage the same times on Friday.
Since 2002, Sport Relief has raised more than Â£262m for disadvantaged people in the UK and overseas.
Teams: Southampton (1988-92), Blackburn (1992-96), Newcastle (1996-2006)
Premier League appearances: 441
Premier League goals: 260 (all time-record scorer - Wayne Rooney is second, on 192)
Honours: Premier League winner (1995-96)
England caps: 63
England goals: 30
Played in the 1996 and 2000 European Championships and the 1998 World Cup
Teams: Manchester United (1993-94), Crewe Alexandra (1994-97), Leicester City (1997-2002), Birmingham City (2002-05), Blackburn Rovers (2005-08), Derby County (2008-2011), Brighton & Hove Albion (loan in 2008)
League appearances: 537
League goals: 37
Honours: League Cup winner (1999-2000)
Wales caps: 39
Wales goals: 2


All films from Politics Europe which airs 12 times a year on BBC News, BBC World News and BBC Parliament channels can be found on this page.

Our team of Adam Fleming, Giles Dilnot and Jo Coburn report from Brussels and Strasbourg on the developments and background of the European Union.
These are first aired as part of the BBC's Daily Politics, and then recut as standalone programme for UK and European viewers, and hosted by Andrew Neil.
Follow the Daily Politics on twitter or 'like' us on  Facebook where we look forward to your comments and you can hear more news about upcoming guests and films.
UK viewers can see all programmes from the last 12 months
Who will be the next European Parliament president?
City is relocated as iron ore mine expands
What's happened in EU politics this week?
Past and present threats to Latvia's defence
Do MEPs want Turkey to join the EU?
Where does the EU stand on Turkey joining as a member?
What's happened in European politics this week?
UKIP MEP asked about party spending claims
How will the EU balance its financial books?
A one-minute guide to the European political week
How half a nation nearly ended major trade deal
Some of the biggest stories in EU politics
Film:  Is the EU ready for Brexit talks?
Jonathan Arnott on Strasbourg meeting ahead of Steven Woolfe being taken ill
Does Brexit speed up plans for an EU army?
News from the EU in just 60 seconds
UK MEPs set to bid au revoir to Strasbourg
The European political week in 60 seconds
What will the EU look like post-Brexit?
The week's biggest European political stories
EU migrant deals with Africa and Middle East?
Malta: Where Game of Thrones meets the Boat Race
So what would EU be like in post-Brexit talks?
What's going on with claims about Turkey and EU?
One-minute video guide to European political week
Migrant deal brings Turkey a step closer to EU?
Is Portugal on the road to financial recovery?
Where do horses travel in 'business class'?
European political week in 60 seconds
What Brits in Malta think of EU referendum
Is TTIP trade deal good or bad for the UK?
Ben Chacko and Miranda Green talk TTIP
A new car service for MEPs in Brussels and Strasbourg?
European politics in 60 seconds
Could MEPs change Cameron's UK-EU deal?
Could Nicosia be united after 40 years?
Reform deal could be 'win-win' for EU and UK - MEP
Is the dream of a borderless Europe over?
Meet The Neighbours: Belgium
European political week in 60 seconds
European political week in 60 seconds
PM's EU renegotiation 'an expectation management game'
Why have Poland-EU relations soured?
Meet the neighbours: Romania
Conservative and UKIP MEPs clash over EU reform talks
Discussion on David Cameron's renegotiation at EU Summit
EU border force discussion
Meet the neighbours: Czech Republic
Meet The Neighbours: How Rome is financing building renovation
How is Britain's EU renegotiation progressing?
Where now for the Schengen zone?
European political week in 60 seconds
How migrant numbers are stretching EU services
Meet The Neighbours: Poland
What is going on after the Portuguese election?
Phone roaming charges to be abolished: Honeyball and Nuttall
Meet The Neighbours: Spain
EU politics: Volkswagen, Facebook data ruling and Paris aviation protests
Migrant crisis: Have Merkel and Hollande shown effective leadership?
EU reaction to Juncker calls to help 160,000 migrants
EU politics: Putin, Juncker, Farage, seals and sheep
European political week in 60 seconds
Marina Prentulis: Greece has to deal with the debt immediately
Can Denmark tackle immigration?
Meet The Neighbours: Austria
European political week in 60 seconds
200 years since the Battle of Waterloo
Meet The Neighbours: Ireland
EU postpones vote on TTIP
Why do some oppose the TTIP trade deal?
EU week: migration, TTIP, Russia, eurozone and Greece
European Union views on UK bid for EU renegotiation
Irish Republic referendum over legalising gay marriages
Migrant boat crisis summit and Russia threat to Europe
EU Neighbours: How Finland will restart its economy
European Union army proposal from Jean-Claude Juncker
Estonia: Government services are paperless and online
European week: Waterloo, 2 euro coin and French budget
European week: traffic offences, Ukraine and Greece
Hungary's future links to Russia and the European Union
Passenger Name Record: Sharing airline passenger details
Greek election: Syriza win would scare European leaders
European week: Paris shootings and TTIP protests
EU neighbours: Trade and logistics in the Netherlands
EU week:  New EU budget set and German road tolls
EU neighbours: Lithuania changes from litas to euros
Europe immigration: Germans views on migration
MEP censure motion: Vote over Juncker on Luxembourg tax
EU week:  TTIP, Google, euro economy and Pope visit
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Farage defends deal with Polish MEP in EU grouping
European Union priorities for Juncker administration
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Farage and Kamall on UK to pay more into EU budget?
Candidates aiming for new European commissioner posts
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MEPs' views on Eurosceptic UK leaving European Union
European Union - and the jobs for British in Brussels
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European week: Boat, taxis and stop Juncker campaign
European Union symbols: How to hang the EU flag
European Parliament: MEPs try to form new groupings
MEPs and political groupings in the European Parliament
European week: Greek economy and Catalonia independence
EU elections: Anti-EU parties on the rise across Europe
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European Union jobs - sitting the test to be a civil servant
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European week: Floods, EU corruption and Ukraine
European Space Agency: billions spent on high tech jobs
MEPs on eurozone integration and euro currency future
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European week: Maltese passports and Greek presidency
Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin on Bulgarians in UK
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European week: Malta, Ukraine, fish and mobile phones
New German government attitude towards Cameron and UK
External Action Service: Cathy Ashton's EU ambassadors
European week: Gibraltar, Strasbourg and bank accounts
European Union: How nations become EU members
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College of Europe in Bruges: Home of Thatcher speech
European Parliament: Anti-EU political parties on rise
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Europol crime agency: drugs and counterfeit bank notes
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European Court of Justice where judges rule on EU laws
European week: Gibraltar, defence and German elections
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Police in Mozambique say they have seized 47 weapons from the headquarters of the main opposition party, and the home of its leader, Afonso Dhlakama.

The weapons, which included AK-47 rifles, were used in violent crimes in the capital, Maputo, police alleged.
Mr Dhlakama's Renamo party condemned the raids as an "invasion".
Renamo fighters and government forces have been involved in clashes since disputed elections in 2014, raising fears that a civil war could resume.
The 17-year conflict ended in 1992 with a peace deal which led to the former rebel group turning into an opposition party.
Mr Dhlakama was not at his Maputo home during the police raid, reports the BBC's Jose Tembe from the city.
He is based in the remote Gorongosa mountains in central Mozambique, which was his headquarters when he was a rebel leader.
Police commander Julio Jane said military uniforms and communication equipment had also been seized during the raids.
"At Mr Dhlakama's house, we found 38 AK-47 rifles and seven pistols," he said.
For its part, Renamo accused police of "stealing" about $4,000 (Â£2,800) from its properties during the operation.
Mr  Dhlakama would respond "politically" to the raids, it added.
Renamo has carried out a spate of attacks on civilians and government targets since the disputed election, as it insists on the right to govern six of Mozambique's 10 provinces.


Boxer Carl Froch has been appointed an MBE for services to his sport as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours.

The 37-year-old from Nottingham, who has been crowned world champion four times, said it was a "massive honour and a big surprise".
He added: "It's fantastic for me, my sport, my city and my family."
Froch, who has not been in the ring since May 2014, said he has still not made a decision over whether he will fight again.
He told BBC Radio Nottingham: "If I do fight again it will be once only. [It will be] my swansong, my retirement fight but I need to be really up for it."
The boxer, who has won 33 of his 35 fights at super middleweight level, grew up just outside Nottingham in the village of Gedling.
It was in Nottingham that Froch won his first world title against Canadian fighter Jean Pascal, in 2008.
He unified the IBF and WBA titles against Danish fighter Mikkel Kessler, in 2013.
He later retained both of those titles in fights against George Groves, the second bout was fought at Wembley in front of a record breaking crowd of about 80,000.
His exploits and affinity to Nottingham won him the accolade of becoming an honorary freeman of of the city, in September.


Planned strikes at BMW car plants have been suspended while members consider a deal.

Unite members were set to stage three walkouts later this month in a dispute over the closure of a final-salary pension scheme.
The union said it was not recommending the deal to workers at the Oxford, Goodwood near Chichester, Hams Hall and Swindon plants.
BMW said it believed the offer was "fair".
Staff at the sites have already held four strikes - the first ever by BMW employees in Britain.
The union's national officer for BMW, Fred Hanna, said it was not recommending the new offer "as it will have different outcomes for different people and their pensions".
He added: "Members should be proud that by standing together they have forced BMW into making this offer.
"Without the action that Unite members have taken and the resolve they have shown in recent weeks, BMW would not have made this latest offer."
According to BMW, 67% of those affected by the changes who were eligible to vote backed the action.
A company spokesman said: "The company is keeping all staff fully informed and we await further feedback from Unite following its ballot.
"We believe the offer to be fair and in the long-term interests of both the company and all our employees."
The ballot is expected to run from 24 May to 9 June.


During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Ulster Volunteer Force murdered more than 500 people.

The loyalist paramilitary group's campaign also claimed the lives of 33 people in bomb attacks in Dublin and Monaghan in 1974.
The UVF was formed in 1966 to combat what it saw as a rise in Irish nationalism centred on the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.
It adopted the name and symbols of the original UVF, the movement founded in 1912 by Sir Edward Carson to fight against Home Rule.
Many UVF men joined the 36th Ulster Division of the British Army and died in large numbers during the Battle of the Somme in July 1916.
Fifty years later, the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Captain Terence O'Neill, would rush back from a commemorative service at the Somme to ban the UVF.
It had been formed a few months earlier with the express intention of executing "mercilessly and without hesitation" known IRA men.
Their first three victims, a Protestant woman and two Catholic men, had no connections with the IRA.
It was the murder of barman Peter Ward, the third victim, which brought the UVF and its leader Gusty Spence to public attention. Spence was convicted of Ward's murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The new UVF opposed the liberal reforms being introduced by PM O'Neill. In March and April 1969 they bombed water and electricity installations as part of a broader political campaign to force O'Neill to resign.
The bombings were blamed on the IRA. O'Neill resigned at the end of April.
According to the book Lost Lives, between 1966 and 1999 the UVF and an affiliate group, the Red Hand Commando, killed 547 people.
Many were killed in high-profile attacks. In December 1971 they planted a bomb at McGurk's bar in Belfast killing 15.
By the mid-1970s a vicious UVF unit known as the Shankill Butchers was engaged in horrific sectarian killings.
In May 1974, the UVF was suspected of planting bombs in Dublin and Monaghan killing 33 people and in 1975 they shot dead three members of the Miami Show Band.
In October 1975, the UVF was undermined when soldiers and police swooped on houses in Belfast and East Antrim and arrested 26 men.
The following March they were sentenced to a total of 700 years in prison. The police got more evidence in 1983 when a UVF commander turned informer.
In October 1994, the Combined Loyalist Military Command, which included the UVF, called a ceasefire. Gusty Spence made the announcement, expressing "abject and true remorse" to all innocent victims of loyalist violence.
The UVF's political wing, the Progressive Unionist Party, played a prominent role in the peace process and supported the 1998 Belfast Agreement.
Since 1996, the UVF has been embroiled in a feud with the Loyalist Volunteer Force.
In August 2000 a murderous feud broke out between the UVF and the UDA's C Company, led by Johnny Adair, on Belfast's lower Shankill Road.
By the time a truce was negotiated in December 2000, seven men had died as a result of the feud and hundreds of families were displaced.
In 2007 the organisation declared that it was renouncing violence.
In June 2009, it decommissioned weapons as witnessed by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) led by General John de Chastelain.
On 28 May 2010 Loyalist Bobby Moffett, 43, was shot dead on the Shankill Road, in Belfast.
The Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) said it had been a "public execution" sanctioned by UVF leaders.  In its report IMC said the UVF could have prevented the murder but did not.
Mr Moffett was perceived to have flouted UVF authority, the report said.
The IMC concluded: "The murder represents a serious backward step after a period when all paramilitary groups other than dissident republicans had moved decisively away from violence."
However, the IMC said it hoped the incident was a one-off, and the report did not recommend any sanctions against the UVF or its political wing, the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP).
In June 2010 the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, Dawn Purvis, resigned from the party.
She said she was leaving because the PUP was "severely restricted because of its relationship with the Ulster Volunteer Force".
It followed controversy over the shooting of loyalist Moffett which has been blamed on members of the UVF.
Rioting
On June 2011 one of the worst nights of rioting East Belfast had seen in years took place.
Trouble erupted after a group of masked loyalists wearing surgical gloves attacked catholic homes on the Mountpottinger Road end of Short Strand.
A press photographer was shot and several other men were injured.
It is believed trouble was sparked by a number of factors.
Some loyalists had felt that they had been unfairly targeted by the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) in a series of investigations into murders during the troubles.
Some loyalists have also been angered by restrictions placed on a number of parades, including a parade in east Belfast in recent weeks.
But the main catalyst is believed to be a power struggle between the UVF leadership in east Belfast and the rest of the organisations leadership.


South African Oscar Pistorius provided a fitting finale to the Paralympics track and field competition with gold in the last event, the T44 400m.

The 25-year-old, promoted as the face of the Games, went into the final without an individual gold but won in a new Paralympic record of 46.68 seconds.
He finished almost four seconds ahead of Blake Leeper, with fellow American David Prince taking bronze.
Pistorius also won gold in the 4x400m relay and silver in the 200m.
"I think it's how the athletics had to end. It was perfect having Oscar Pistorius as the last event. I am pleased for him as an athlete. You could tell he felt despondent about his performances in his other events, so after all the pressure on him, it's a huge amount of relief. It was never going to be easy to do the two events (200m and 400m) back to back. I was a bit disappointed with Alan Oliveira but it proves he can't run a 400m."
Defending champion Pistorius was expected to win the race easily, although at the 200m mark it appeared that Brazil's Alan Oliveira, who stunned the South African in the 200m, might just cause another Paralympics shock.
But Pistorius pulled away from his main rival coming into the final, with 20-year-old Oliveira tying up badly in the home straight and passed by the American pair.
"It is very, very special to me," Pistorius said. "It was the last event of my season, the last event of the London 2012 Paralympic Games (at the stadium). It was just so special.
"It was the 11th time I was able to come out on the track and I just wanted to give the crowd something they could appreciate and take home with them.
"I was very nervous before today's race. I was quite tired but the crowd really kept me going.
"For the first time I was actually thinking about something beside my race coming into the home straight.
"I could hear the crowd, which was very weird and so loud. I thought 'let's just finish off on a good note'."
There was no final flourish for Great Britain's athletes in front of a capacity 80,000 crowd.
Welsh world champion javelin thrower Nathan Stephens finished 12th after two throws and a poor third effort meant a premature end to the 24-year-old's participation in the F57/58 competition.
Jarrow sprinter Hazel Robson finished seventh in the T36 100m - the 33-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, won gold in the event in Sydney.
Britain have dropped from second to third in the overall medals table behind Russia, which now has 35 golds to GB's 33, with Ukraine just behind on 32 and Australia on 31 ahead of the final day of competition. China are way out in front with 95 golds.
Elsewhere in the Olympic Stadium, world records fell, including in the crowd-pleasing F46 high jump final. Poland's Maciej Lepiato shattered the previous best of 2.05m with a 2.12 clearance.
Meanwhile, South Africa's Fanie van der Merwe fell over the line to take the T37 100m title. He recorded the same time as China's Liang Yongbin - a world record of 11.51 - but was given gold following a photo finish.
The athletics competition finishes on Sunday with the marathons, with GB's David Weir attempting to win a fourth gold of the Games in the men's T54 event starting at 1130 BST.


Incoming Ireland defence coach and former England assistant Andy Farrell has joined Munster in a temporary advisory role.

The 40-year-old, who will take up his Ireland position after the Six Nations, will provide part-time support to Munster for four months.
Munster have struggled this season and have suffered a European Champions Cup exit at the group stage.
Farrell will assist Munster head coach Anthony Foley and his coaching group.
Former rugby league international Farrell lost his England job following head coach Stuart Lancaster's resignation after their World Cup exit.
"We have been looking for additional support for our coaching staff," said Munster CEO Garrett Fitzgerald.
"With the timely availability of an experienced coach such as Andy Farrell, we felt his inclusion would be hugely beneficial in assisting our coaching team."
Munster lie fifth in the Pro12 standings and Saturday's 27-7 defeat by Stade Francais in the European Champions Cup left the two-time winners with only five points from four pool games.
"Andy's gardening leave prevents him from coaching in the international game at this time but he has agreed to an advisory role working with Anthony and his backroom team," said IRFU performance director David Nucifora.
Munster coach Anthony Foley insisted that he didn't feel undermined by Farrell's appointment.
"Last week I was very positive about him (as Ireland defence coach), today I'm even more positive about him," said Foley.
"He's a professional and he's a gentleman. I think within an environment like what we have it's about creating the best environment for our players to achieve stuff."


As voters head to the polling stations for the EU referendum so have some dogs - although cats and even a political polecat have been keen to get in on the act.

Thanks for sharing your pictures of #DogsAtPollStations.
Welsh Springer Spaniel Dyddgu went with owner Rhiannon Williams to Grangetown Pavillion, a former bowls club, in Cardiff.
Macey the dog lives on a farm in Wincanton in Somerset where a temporary polling station has been sited.
Don't worry Brody it happens to us all! Brody the golden retriever caught blinking in Heaton Norris in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
"What do you mean I can't vote?" asks Fausto in Richmond, London.
Orinoco looks happy to be at St Christopher's Church in Hinchley Wood, Surrey.
Albus joined owner Tony outside Aldermaston polling station in Berkshire.
Not wanting to be left out in the cold, or the rain, this cat decided to create an alternative trend by using #CatsAtPollingStations at Wilnecote Junior School in Tamworth, Staffordshire. And he wasn't the only one...
...with Atticus the polecat becoming a poll-cat for the day. Owner Alison Catterall from Low Wood in the Lake District said: "He's also capable of giving a sound bite. A very sound bite."