Nigeria says the number of people who lost their lives in an assault by Boko Haram militants on the town of Baga last week was no more than 150.

The defence ministry said this figure included "many of the terrorists" who had attacked the town in Borno state and faced resistance by troops.
Local officials earlier estimated the number of deaths at as many as 2,000.
Nigeria has often been accused of underestimating casualty figures to downplay the threat of Boko Haram.
The ministry dismissed higher estimates for deaths at Baga, in north-east Nigeria, as "speculation and conjecture" and "exaggerated".
It said the army was taking "necessary actions" to restore law and order there, but gave few details about the operation to recapture the town from the Islamist insurgents.
Earlier, the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, in central Nigeria, accused the West of ignoring the threat posed by Boko Haram.
Ignatius Kaigama said the world had to show more determination to halt the group's advance in Nigeria.
His warning came after at least 23 people were killed at the weekend by three female suicide bombers, one reported to be 10 years old.
In neighbouring Cameroon, the military said it had repelled an attack by Boko Haram insurgents on one of its northern bases.
A military source told the BBC that the insurgents had come in over the Nigerian border. In the exchange of gunfire, the army said one soldier and several insurgents were killed.
Archbishop Kaigama told the BBC's Newsday programme that the slaughter in Baga had shown that the Nigerian military was unable to tackle Boko Haram.
"It is a monumental tragedy. It has saddened all of Nigeria. But... we seem to be helpless. Because if we could stop Boko Haram, we would have done it right away. But they continue to attack, and kill and capture territories... with such impunity," he said.
Analysis
By Will Ross, BBC News, Lagos
The violence is relentless and increasingly shocking.  If it is true that a 10-year-old girl carried the explosives which killed at least 19 people in Maiduguri on Saturday, it throws up a list of unanswerable questions. For example, was the girl aware of what she was doing?  Was she drugged or brainwashed and did she trigger the bomb or was it done remotely?
Sometimes Nigeria's military has recorded successes. It managed to prevent the jihadists from taking over the Yobe state capital Damaturu on Friday night - the gun battle lasted for hours.
But the military faces a mountainous task trying to protect civilians from the bombers and gunmen who are spread over a large area of the north-east and although officials don't like to hear it, they have often been overpowered and failed to protect civilians.
The world is slowly waking up to express shock at the latest violence but beyond condemnation and limited help with training, it seems there is little or no appetite to become more deeply involved in this conflict.
Archbishop Kaigama said facing down Boko Haram required international support and unity of the type that had been shown after last week's militant attacks in France.
"We need that spirit to be spread around," he said. "Not just when it [an attack] happens in Europe, but when it happens in Nigeria, in Niger, in Cameroon.
"We [must] mobilise our international resources and face or confront the people who bring such sadness to many families."
A French-led initiative has called for Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad to contribute 700 troops each to a multinational force against Boko Haram, but no country has implemented the plan.
Who are Boko Haram?
Why Nigeria has not defeated Boko Haram
Boko Haram in numbers


Brighton's high-profile i360 attraction was closed for a second day so engineers can carry out safety checks.

It comes after the observation pod broke down three times in five days. About 200 people were stuck for more than an hour at ground level.
British Airways, which runs the attraction, apologised and said those who had made bookings would be offered a refund or a chance to rebook.
It said the incidents happened after automatic brakes were triggered.
A spokeswoman said a load imbalance led to a breakdown on Thursday.
She said: "When the pod was near full capacity this triggered the default safety mode and the brakes were automatically applied."
Further problems occurred on Sunday when one of the sensors around the pod docking stations at ground level became loose, she said.
She said a false reading sent to the control system put the pod once more into safety mode by activating the brakes.
"We have a highly qualified engineering team on site during all operating hours and we are confident that these same issues will not happen again," she said.
And she said final checks would be run on Tuesday night and an announcement would be made on Wednesday morning about plans for reopening.
She said: "We would like to assure our customers that their safety and comfort is our number one priority and apologise again for any inconvenience caused."
In one incident, visitors were trapped in the viewing pod for two hours - with no proper toilet facilities.
And 180 passengers were left stuck in mid-air for two hours on Thursday evening.
The i360 pod was carrying a private party, including a heavily pregnant woman, who boarded the pod at about 17:00 BST.
The tower - branded the world's thinnest tall building - offers views of up to 26 miles of Sussex coastline and opened on 4 August.
The 531ft (161m) viewing tower stands on the site once occupied by the entrance to Brighton's ruined West Pier.
Visitors ascend 450ft (137m) in a 360-degree curved-glass pod.


There is much huff and puff in political campaigns, and the breathing gets just a little harder as polling day draws near.

Harder still when you're just about to face Andrew Neil in full flow and defend your policies.
No surprise then that the candidates wanting to replace Boris Johnson as Mayor of London were going through their breathing exercises before facing their inquisition in front of an audience of Londoners.
With just over two weeks until the people of the capital vote, five of the main candidates lined up for their biggest TV debate - their arguments have been well rehearsed over a campaign that's already been in full swing for weeks, and the questions are ones that have dogged the campaign too.
But there's something a bit different about the big lights - the big cameras - and the potentially big audience sitting at home.
The ringmaster general, Andrew Neil, has seen a few of these debates come and go over the years. So do they matter?
"I think debates do matter, yes," he said.
"People are tested, the audience get them under pressure, to see the cut of their jib it really helps to create an impression either positive or negative."
And so to battle, with questions from Londoners on issues from security, to fares on public transport, and to the capital's place in or out of Europe.
All important but all overshadowed by what all the candidates agree is the biggest issue of this campaign - housing.
"What" asked one audience member, was an affordable home? "How" wondered another, would her son ever be able to own a home in the city he's grown up in?
The answer from Zac Goldsmith (Conservative), Sadiq Khan, (Labour) Sian Berry (Green) and Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dems) was to build more -  all say London needs to be building around 50,000 new homes every year, which is twice what it's doing at the moment.
UKIP's Peter Whittle says it is more of an issue of stopping people coming to the capital.
They are answers from all we've heard before but not ones that convinced the audience of Londoners.
Barely half a dozen hands were raised when they were asked if they believed that 50,000 homes a year would be built.
Barely a hand stayed down when they were asked if they thought their children wouldn't be able to afford to buy a home in London.
Promises come thick and fast during all election campaigns but Londoners are generally a fairly cynical bunch - the candidates have just over a fortnight to convince them that promises are just more than words.


Seven countries, as well as Kosovo, are waiting in the wings to join the European Union.

Kosovo's independence is not recognised by all EU countries, but the EU nevertheless views it as a potential candidate for membership.
Croatia and Turkey started accession talks on 3 October 2005. Croatia joined on 1 July 2013. Turkey could complete negotiations in 10-15 years, but progress has been very slow, as the EU is divided over whether Turkey should join at all.
The other Balkan countries have been told they can join the EU one day, if they meet the criteria. These include democracy, the rule of law, a market economy and adherence to the EU's goals of political and economic union.
EU expansion 1952-2007
Applied for full membership: April 2009
Confirmed as candidate: June 2014
Albania is not expected to join the EU until 2020 at the earliest. It got candidate status in June 2014 - recognition of its progress in reforming institutions to meet EU standards.
But the EU urged Albania to do more to tackle corruption and organised crime, especially crime relating to immigration and human trafficking, and drugs.
Since 15 December 2010 Albanians with biometric passports have been able to travel visa-free to the Schengen zone, which includes most EU countries.
Border controls are minimal under the Schengen accord, but the EU will keep a close watch on the flow of visitors from the Western Balkans.
The EU and Albania concluded a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), seen as the first step towards membership, in June 2006.
The negotiations took three-and-a-half years - three times longer than they took in Croatia's and Macedonia's case.
Albania country profile
Bosnia-Hercegovina has not yet formally applied for EU membership.
More than a decade after the 1992-5 war, it signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU in June 2008. The EU was satisfied with progress in four key areas - police reform, co-operation with the international war crimes tribunal, public broadcasting and public administration reform.
Visa-free travel to the Schengen zone began in mid-December 2010 for Bosnians with biometric passports.
But in February 2014 public grievances with local politicians and the country's economic stagnation exploded, with attacks on government buildings.
The EU maintains a peacekeeping force and a police mission in Bosnia-Hercegovina, where most Serbs live in the autonomous Republika Srpska. The Bosniak-Croat federation and Republika Srpska together form Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Bosnia's ethnic quarrels remain a worry for the EU, along with corruption and organised crime.
The Commission says Bosnia is still plagued by an "unstable political climate" and ethnic divisions.
In December 2011 Bosnia's Muslim, Croat and Serb leaders agreed on the formation of a central government, ending 14 months of political deadlock.
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Bosnia's electoral laws discriminate against Jews and Roma (Gypsies), because only Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs are allowed to run for high office.
Bosnia-Hercegovina country profile
Applied for full membership: February 2003
Negotiations started: October 2005
Joined EU: July 2013
Croatia is the second ex-Yugoslav country after Slovenia to join. It is also the first new EU member state since Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007.
Croatia's accession was widely seen as a strong signal of EU commitment to a region that was ravaged by war in the 1990s. Some see it as a triumph for EU "soft power", salvaging the EU's reputation after Europe's failure to prevent atrocities in the Balkan wars.
Even after they had joined in 2007 Bulgaria and Romania fell short of EU standards, notably in their efforts to root out corruption and political interference. So the requirements for Croatia were particularly strict.
The welcome for Croatia was somewhat muted, as surveys suggested that "enlargement fatigue" and anxiety about migrant workers were widespread in Europe.
Judicial reform was among the toughest of the 33 negotiating areas, or "chapters". EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said that "in one year they have completely reformed their judiciary system and have made it irreversible".
The highest-profile target in Croatia's crackdown on corruption was former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader. A Croatian court sentenced him to 10 years in prison for taking bribes, in November 2012. He had been arrested in Austria and extradited to Croatia. He denied wrongdoing.
He was convicted of taking millions of dollars in bribes from a Hungarian energy company and an Austrian bank.
Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor replaced four ministers in the government she inherited from Mr Sanader.
A European Commission report in March 2011 said Croatia must make appointments of judges and state prosecutors more transparent, clear court backlogs, pursue high-level corruption investigations more thoroughly and do more to help disadvantaged minorities.
A border dispute with neighbouring Slovenia - an EU member - held up Croatia's accession talks until early September 2009, when Slovenia agreed to lift its veto over the talks.
Back in 2005 accession talks were delayed by seven months as Croatia struggled to convince the EU it was doing its best to find war crimes suspect Gen Ante Gotovina. He was arrested in the Canary Islands in December 2005.
On 15 April 2011 the war crimes tribunal in The Hague sentenced Gen Gotovina and another wartime Croat general, Mladen Markac, to 24 and 18 years in jail, respectively. They were found guilty of atrocities against Serbs in 1995. There was widespread anger in Croatia over the sentences.
But on 16 November 2012 both generals were released after appeals judges overturned their sentences. They were greeted as heroes on their return to Zagreb.
Croatia country profile
Croatia: From isolation to EU membership
Applied for full membership: July 2009
Negotiations started: July 2010
The EU has opened accession talks with Iceland. In October 2012 the EU Commission reported that 14 of the 33 areas of negotiation - called "chapters" - had been opened. Of those, eight have been provisionally closed - in other words, Iceland has met the criteria.
But there is now a big question mark over Iceland's bid to join.
A new centre-right coalition government took office in May 2013 and immediately announced that a referendum would be held on EU membership before any further accession negotiations.
Iceland's independence from continental Europe has provided fertile ground for Eurosceptics, and recent opinion polls suggest a strong "no" camp. The North Atlantic island, home to just 320,000 people, will not join unless Icelanders support it in a referendum.
Iceland is in dispute with the EU over mackerel fishing. Reykjavik objects to the EU and Norway taking more than 90% of the total allowable catch recommended by scientists. Iceland increased its 2011 quota unilaterally by nearly 17,000 tonnes.
Another sensitive area is financial reform, with Iceland still reeling from the collapse of its major banks in 2008.
In two referendums Icelanders have rejected compensation deals struck by their government with the UK and the Netherlands over savings lost by investors in the collapsed Icesave online bank.
The UK and Dutch governments want Iceland to reimburse the estimated 4bn euros (Â£3.4bn; $5.3bn) that they paid as compensation to Icesave investors.
According to Iceland's President, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, assets from the collapsed bank Landsbanki will cover what is owed.
The European Commission says Iceland is already deeply integrated with the EU - it applies about two-thirds of EU laws - so it has less distance to cover than other applicants. But the EU is not offering any "shortcut".
Iceland is in the Schengen zone, meaning its people enjoy passport-free travel to many European countries. Iceland also applies many of the EU's single market rules.
The Icelandic krona has plummeted in value since the financial crash, but many Icelanders may still prefer to keep it. The fallout from Europe's debt crisis means the euro has lost some of its lustre.
Some Icelanders fear the impact of EU regulations on their traditional fisheries and whaling.
Icelandic membership would give the EU a more significant role in the Arctic - a region rich in untapped energy and mineral resources.
Iceland country profile
In the Balkans the breakaway territory of Kosovo is last in the queue to join the EU because the international community remains split over its 2008 declaration of independence.
The ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo has been striving for international recognition since the 1999 conflict, in which Serb forces, accused of atrocities against civilians, pulled out after heavy Nato bombing.
Many countries have recognised Kosovo. But Serbia is among those that do not - a group that includes Russia, China and five of the 27 EU member states - Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus.
For more than a decade the hostility between Belgrade and the Kosovan authorities in Pristina has held up consideration of a Kosovan EU bid. Belgrade supports ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo - about 50,000 people - who refuse to be governed by Pristina.
But a landmark Serbia-Kosovo deal, brokered by the EU on 19 April 2013 after months of arduous negotiations, paves the way for both Serbia and Kosovo to make progress towards EU accession.
Both sides pledged that they would not try to block each other's EU bid.
The deal grants a high degree of autonomy to the Serb-majority areas in Kosovo, and allows them their own ethnic Serb police chief and ethnic Serb appeal court.
EU governments will now open talks with Kosovo aimed at reaching a Stabilisation and Association Agreement - a first step towards EU membership.
The Commission also proposed allowing Kosovo to participate in 22 EU programmes.
In a report the Commission praised Pristina's co-operation with the EU law-and-order mission in Kosovo, called Eulex. It highlighted the smashing of a smuggling ring and other joint investigations into organised crime and corruption.
The report calls for further efforts to tackle human trafficking in Kosovo, and the gangs that smuggle drugs and illegal weapons.
Protection of minority rights and freedom of speech are also significant challenges that Kosovo must meet on the path to EU membership, the Commission says.
Kosovo profile
Applied for full membership: March 2004
Confirmed as candidate: December 2005
The European Commission has recommended that the EU open membership talks with Macedonia.
It says the former Yugoslav republic has made "convincing progress" in police reform, tackling corruption and bolstering human rights.
Since 19 December 2009 Macedonians have not needed visas to visit most EU member states - those in the Schengen zone.
Hopes that accession talks would open in 2008 suffered a blow from election violence in June and a subsequent boycott of parliament by ethnic Albanian opposition parties.
But the June 2011 parliamentary elections were "transparent and well-administered", EU governments said.
A bitter dispute with Greece over Macedonia's name continues to hamper the country's bids to join the EU and Nato.
Macedonia was admitted to the United Nations in 1993 using the temporary name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Fyrom).
Greece argues that the name "Macedonia" cannot be monopolised by one country, and that doing so implies a territorial claim over the northern Greek region of the same name.
In a November 2008 interview, Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki said "it is important that 125 countries worldwide have recognised Macedonia's constitutional name," and added: "we remain firm on our stance that only the Republic of Greece has a problem with Macedonia's constitutional name".
Macedonia country profile
Applied for full membership: December 2008
Confirmed as candidate: December 2010
Negotiations started: June 2012
Candidate status has boosted Montenegro's bid and the EU opened the country's accession talks on 29 June 2012.
The EU says Montenegro must intensify its efforts to consolidate the rule of law, fight organised crime and corruption and protect freedom of expression.
Talks with the EU on a Stability and Association Agreement (SAA) began shortly after the country voted, in May 2006, to end its union with Serbia. The SAA was signed in October 2007.
Montenegro's Prime Minister, Milo Djukanovic, has said he hopes his country will succeed in joining the EU before neighbouring Serbia or Macedonia.
Since 19 December 2009, citizens of Montenegro have not needed visas to visit most EU countries - those in the Schengen zone.
Montenegro country profile
Applied for full membership: December 2009
Confirmed as candidate: March 2012
Serbia's progress towards the EU has been sluggish - it is trailing far behind its neighbour Croatia, a bitter enemy in the 1990s Balkan wars.
But EU leaders granted Serbia candidate status at a Brussels summit in March 2012.
Then in June 2013 they decided that EU accession negotiations with Serbia would go ahead, after Belgrade had clinched a landmark deal with Kosovo, allowing for a normalisation of ties. The accession talks will begin by January 2014 at the latest, the EU says.
A Commission report said the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo had shown "political courage and maturity" in tackling difficult issues jointly, as well as a commitment to better relations.
Earlier Belgrade had agreed to allow Kosovo to take part in west Balkan regional meetings, despite refusing to recognise its independence. And the two sides agreed to control their volatile border jointly.
A UN resolution in September 2010, in which Serbia dropped its demand to reopen negotiations on Kosovo's status, signalled Belgrade's willingness to compromise.
Serbia's EU prospects improved after the arrest on 26 May 2011 of Europe's most wanted war crimes suspect, Gen Ratko Mladic. The former Bosnian Serb commander had been on the run for 16 years.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said "a great obstacle on the Serbian road to the European Union has been removed".
Serbia's co-operation with the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague remains a key condition in its accession bid.
In July 2011 the last major indictee wanted in The Hague, former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic, was arrested in northern Serbia and sent to The Hague for trial.
The two figures blamed the most for Bosnian Serb wartime atrocities are now on trial in The Hague - Gen Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, who was arrested in Serbia in 2008.
Serbia is unlikely to join the EU until at least 2020.
Citizens of Serbia and two other former Yugoslav republics - Macedonia and Montenegro - enjoy visa-free travel to the Schengen area, which includes most of the EU. The visa waiver applies to those who hold biometric passports.
Serbia signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU in April 2008, but only in June 2010 did EU foreign ministers agree to put it into effect.
Serbia country profile
Applied for full membership: 1987
Confirmed as candidate: December 1999
Negotiations started: October 2005
Turkey met the last condition for accession talks in July 2005, when it extended a customs union with the EU to all new member states, including Cyprus.
However, it failed to ratify the customs union and its ports and airports remain closed to Cypriot traffic. The EU responded, in December 2006, by freezing accession talks in eight policy areas.
In May 2012 the EU and Turkey launched a "positive agenda", highlighting areas where they could expand co-operation.
But Cyprus took up the EU's six-month rotating presidency in July 2012 and progress stalled, as Turkey refused to talk to the Cyprus authorities. Tensions remain over the breakaway ethnic Turkish administration in northern Cyprus, which is only recognised by Ankara.
So far only 13 of Turkey's 35 negotiating chapters have been opened, and only one has been closed.
The negotiations have been overshadowed by concerns about freedom of speech and democracy in Turkey, treatment of religious minorities, women's and children's rights, civilian control of the military and the Cyprus tensions.
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel was among many European politicians who condemned the conservative ruling AK Party's crackdown on mass street protests in June 2013. Tensions escalated into a diplomatic row between Germany and Turkey.
Police used tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators, who had initially staged a peaceful sit-in to stop a building project at Gezi Park, in the heart of Istanbul.
Some senior politicians in the EU - including Chancellor Merkel - want Turkey to have a partnership deal with the EU, rather than full membership.
Some politicians worry that such a large, mainly Muslim country would change the whole character of the EU, while others point to the young labour force that Turkey could provide for an ageing Europe.
The European Commission has urged Turkey to strengthen democracy and human rights, underlining the need for deeper judicial reform. The Commission's October 2012 report on Turkey criticised various human rights abuses, including the use of anti-terror laws to detain Kurdish rights activists and curb freedom of speech.
Turkey reacted angrily to that criticism, saying the EU had undervalued Ankara's reforms, instead displaying "biased" attitudes.
EU governments praised the "full respect of democratic standards and the rule of law" in Turkey's June 2011 parliamentary elections.
The EU also welcomed the Yes vote in a Turkish referendum in September 2010, which gave the AK Party the go-ahead to change the military-era constitution and bring it more into line with EU norms.
The UK Foreign Office says it expects Turkey to be ready for membership "in a decade or so".
Turkey country profile


The UK economy grew by just 0.3% at the start of the year, the slowest growth rate since the first three months of 2016, according to official figures.

The Office for National Statistics said that the slower pace in the January-to-March period was due mainly to the service sector, which sank to 0.3% growth against 0.8% at the end of 2016.
In the last quarter of 2016, gross domestic product increased by 0.7%.
Friday's figure is a first estimate and could be revised in the coming months.
Economists had been expecting GDP growth to slow as consumers reined back spending in the face of rising inflation, but they had pencilled in a higher figure of 0.4%.
Chris Williamson, chief economist, IHS Markit, said: "The message is clear: the start of the year saw the weakest pace of growth for a year as rising prices have started to hit household spending."
The main drag on the service industry, which accounts for about 78% of the UK economy, came from the hotels, restaurants and the distributions sector, which fell by 0.5%, as increasing prices from rising inflation applied the brakes to retail trade,
The ONS said that output in the construction sector was also dragging on GDP after expanding by 0.2% in the first three months of the year following 1% growth in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Industrial production expanded by 0.3% over the period, with manufacturing increasing by 0.5% thanks to a jump in motor vehicle output, while agriculture growth eased to 0.3% in the first quarter from 1% in the final quarter of 2016.
Consumers have been feeling the pinch since the beginning of 2017, with inflation sitting at its joint highest level for more than three years at 2.3% in March.
The squeeze on household spending power has led to weaker retail sales, which recorded their biggest fall for seven years in the three months to March.
Nancy Curtin, chief investment officer at Close Brothers Asset Management, said the data would add to uncertainties.
"With the General Election just around the corner and Brexit negotiations afoot, any dip in the economy risks bringing further caution and uncertainty to businesses, which has a knock-on effect when it comes to investment and employment.
"However the chancellor, with better than expected Budget tax receipts in his pocket, has room for manoeuvre and should be able to pre-empt any further slowdown which should help with business confidence," she said.
Suren Thiru, head of economics at the British Chambers of Commerce, said the data confirmed his group's own survey that businesses were starting to feel the pressure.
"It is increasingly likely that the slowdown in the first quarter is the start of a sustained period of more sluggish growth. Inflation is expected to continue to rise, increasing the squeeze on consumer spending power and firm's profit margins, pushing growth lower," he said.
Despite the service sector slowdown, other economists pointed to more positive signs.
Lee Hopley, chief economist at EEF the manufacturers' group, that "even with the pace of expansion dropping, we shouldn't be too hasty in dialling up the despair about the outlook for the UK economy.
"There are clearer signs that the consumer is wavering as inflationary pressures have picked up, but the production related sectors of the economy are forging ahead thanks to an improving global picture and the more competitive pound.
"Manufacturing also saw another solid quarter with output increasing by 0.5% and official data indicating that this positive trend was fairly broad based across sub-sectors."
The caution among consumers was underlined on Friday in separate figures from the British Bankers' Association. These showed British banks approved the fewest mortgages in four months in March and consumer credit growth slowed.
Banks approved 41,061 mortgages for house purchase last month, down from 42,247 in February, the BBA said. Annual consumer lending growth slowed to 6.1% from 6.5% in February, easing further from October's 10-year high of 7.2%.
On the face of it today's preliminary growth estimate is unadulterated bad news. The slowdown was especially sharp in services - the sector that represents four fifths of the economy.
Within that sector, it was retail slamming on the brakes. Normally, fuelled by cheap consumer debt, retail spending is the accelerator.
If you're a pessimist, this is proof that the gloomy Brexit predictions are coming true. The drop in the pound drove up the cost of imports and that's feeding through to rising inflation (latest figure is 2.3%). Compare that with pay rises (latest figure is 2.2%). The squeeze on living standards is back and so is the tight-fisted consumer.
If you're an optimist though, it's only the worst growth since "early 2016". As a shocking statistic, that's pretty underwhelming. And we've been told for years that the sickness that caused the economic crash was an imbalance - an over-reliance on consumer spending and an under-reliance on productive industry. Now, manufacturing is growing, with the automobile sector - stimulated by a weak pound - driving it. To a pessimist, the weak pound is a sickness. To an optimist it's the cure.


A rare type of gibbon has been born at Paignton Zoo - after 15 years of trying.

The pileated gibbon was born several weeks prematurely, and there were fears that it would not survive.
The zoo began the breeding programme in 2001 and staff are "cautiously optimistic" they have achieved their first success with the rare primate.
Pileated gibbons are classed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
More on the pileated gibbon, and other Devon and Cornwall news
The baby gibbon's parents are both nine years old, with its mother Shukdi born at Zoo d'Anson in France.
Curator of Mammals Neil Bemment said: "This is Paignton Zoo's first surviving pileated gibbon baby - I'm really pleased.
"As we have been trying to breed this species for 15 years, but alas our previous female was not a good mother."


A reward offered for evidence that Peter Falconio, who disappeared in Australia in 2001, is alive has been described as "offensive".

Author Keith Allan Noble is offering a Â£25,000 reward for information on Mr Falconio's whereabouts.
In 2005 Bradley Murdoch was found guilty of murdering Mr Falconio whose body has not been found.
Mayor of Alice Springs Damien Ryan said: "To put out a reward like this... it doesn't seem to be very sincere."
Mr Ryan called posters advertising Mr Noble's reward, which had been put up in Alice Springs, "a cheap stunt".
He added: "[For] the family and the people involved in the whole case it's pretty offensive.
"A trial has been held, a person has been found guilty. Sadly the problem hasn't be solved for the family involved."
Mr Falconio, who worked in Kent and was from Huddersfield, was ambushed with his girlfriend Joanne Lees while they were driving along a desert highway between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek in northern Australia.
Ms Lees told police she was bound, gagged and bundled into a pick-up before she escaped.
Mr Falconio's body was never found.
Mr Noble, who believes Mr Falconio is alive, created a poster advertising the reward.
He said: "It's not publicity. I'm not interested in the book per se, I'm interested in us finding Falconio."
Mr Noble, who lives in Austria, said he had written five letters to the Falconio family asking them for a response to his claim, but he has not yet had a reply.


Ian Henderson's brace kept alive Rochdale's slim League One play-off hopes as already-relegated Coventry were beaten at Spotland.

Dale's win - combined with Millwall and Southend losing - saw Keith Hill's side close the gap to three points between themselves and the top six.
The home side took the lead after 18 minutes with a terrific breakaway goal.
Jamie Allen and Joe Rafferty combined on the edge of the Dale area to free Nathaniel Mendez-Laing up the right flank. He outpaced Chris Stokes before dinking an inviting cross to the back post for Henderson to head past Lee Burge.
A similar break down the right channel saw Henderson return the favour, his delivery sitting up just as Mendez-Laing was poised to fire at goal and the chance slipped by.
The second goal arrived in the 52nd minute, Mendez-Laing slipping a neat pass down the middle for Henderson and he wrong-footed Burge with a clever first-time finish.
Coventry's misery was compounded when Ben Stevenson was stretchered off wearing a neck brace late on following an innocuous clash.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Delay in match Chris Stokes (Coventry City) because of an injury.
Foul by Ian Henderson (Rochdale).
Ben Stevenson (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Rochdale. Matthew Lund replaces Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
Attempt missed. Andrew Cannon (Rochdale) header from the left side of the six yard box is just a bit too high.
Corner,  Rochdale. Conceded by Chris Stokes.
Corner,  Coventry City. Conceded by Andrew Cannon.
Attempt blocked. Jamie Allen (Rochdale) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner,  Rochdale. Conceded by Chris Stokes.
Substitution, Rochdale. Andrew Cannon replaces Joe Bunney.
Substitution, Coventry City. Dion Kelly-Evans replaces Jordan Willis.
Attempt saved. Callum Camps (Rochdale) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Keith Keane (Rochdale) because of an injury.
Foul by Callum Camps (Rochdale).
Gael Bigirimana (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Ruben Lameiras (Coventry City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
Foul by Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Rochdale).
Jordan Willis (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Rochdale) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Chris Stokes (Coventry City).
Foul by Jimmy McNulty (Rochdale).
Marcus Tudgay (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Rochdale) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Rochdale) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner,  Coventry City. Conceded by Joe Bunney.
Substitution, Coventry City. Marcus Tudgay replaces Kwame Thomas.
Substitution, Coventry City. Ruben Lameiras replaces Kyel Reid.
Goal!  Rochdale 2, Coventry City 0. Ian Henderson (Rochdale) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
Foul by Calvin Andrew (Rochdale).
Chris Stokes (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Second Half begins Rochdale 1, Coventry City 0.
First Half ends, Rochdale 1, Coventry City 0.
Jamie Allen (Rochdale) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Gael Bigirimana (Coventry City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Gael Bigirimana (Coventry City).
Attempt saved. Jamie Allen (Rochdale) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Corner,  Rochdale. Conceded by Chris Stokes.
Joseph Rafferty (Rochdale) wins a free kick on the left wing.


Eight people have been arrested as part of an international investigation into the supply of 'skunk' cannabis into Northern Ireland.

Officers recovered £800,000 worth of the drug during 10 searches in Belfast, Greenisland, Bangor, Newtownards and Ballywalter. Six people were arrested.
Two people were also arrested in the Prato and Bologna areas of Italy.
Police said those arrested were believed to be "significant members" of a crime gang.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the gang had been involved in money laundering and drugs trafficking activities.
The six people arrested in Northern Ireland were four men and two women, with ages ranging from 26 years to 33 years old.
They are being questioned on suspicion of the importation of cannabis and conspiracy to supply cannabis and money laundering.
Three searches were carried out in the Prato and Bologna areas of Italy.
The PSNI is the lead investigator in the operation, which involved officers from the Italian Carabiniere and the National Crime Agency.
The officer leading the investigation, Det Insp Andy Dunlop from the PSNI's organised crime branch, said: "We believe we have established the source of a major supply of herbal cannabis trafficked into Northern Ireland.
"This is a substantial multi-agency international investigation which has involved various investigative tactics and methods - resulting in these searches, seizures and arrests.
"We have seized £800,000 of herbal cannabis but our enquiries lead us to believe that much more has already been sent from Italy to Northern Ireland.
"In recent months, officers in organised crime branch and local districts have seized £1.2m worth of herbal cannabis as part of this operation."
The senior officer said it was a "developing investigation".
"We are maintaining close contact with our colleagues in the Italian Carabiniere and the National Crime Agency as well as a number of other law enforcement agencies in the UK and Ireland," he added.
Police said the 'skunk' variety of cannabis could be "particularly dangerous" because it could significantly increase a user's likelihood of experiencing a psychotic episode.


A 53-year-old man has been arrested after police discovered drugs worth an estimated £60,000 in County Antrim.

Police stopped a vehicle on the Dundrod Road at Nutts Corner at about 21:30 GMT on Friday and seized a large quantity of suspected cocaine.
Det Insp Alan Pyper said: "We put the value of the drugs in the region of about £60,000, however the substance will be subject to forensic testing."
The arrested man remains in custody and is being questioned by police.


The gates at Banksy's Dismaland have shut for the final time, leaving 150,000 visitors to feast joyfully on memories of something so intentionally gloomy.

It was billed as a "bemusement park" with the anonymous artist himself describing the pop-up "family" attraction in Weston-super-Mare as "unsuitable for children".
Some 4,500 paying customers entered every day after it opened five weeks ago, egged on by hundreds of thousands of social media postings across the world.
Tourism chiefs in North Somerset predict it brought Â£20m of business to the seaside town; statistics that could make any national arts venue drool.
Based in a derelict seafront lido and also featuring work from Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer and Jimmy Cauty, it was his first show in the UK since 2009's Banksy v Bristol Museum, which brought 308,719 people to the gallery and Â£15m to the city.
"With figures like that he could do whatever he likes wherever he chooses," said David Lee, art critic and editor of The Jackdaw magazine.
"Local councillors will prostrate themselves when he comes calling."
But fine arts professor Paul Gough, who has written extensively about Banksy, is doubtful Dismaland will inspire other civic authorities in the same way.
"Perhaps they work best and with a rather touching poignancy when the place has a particular personal relationship to Banksy," he said.
"It gives the event that peculiar Banksy mixture of begrudging affection and droll humour."
Dismaland was the art phenomenon of the year.
It had room for 4,500 people per day, and many more probably would have gone if they could have.
In comparison, around 3,500 people per day went to the V&A's record-breaking exhibition of fashion designer Alexander McQueen in London earlier this year.
And the most popular exhibition in the history of The Tate - last year's Henri Matisse show - had 3,907 per day.
But when David Hockney exhibited at the Royal Academy in 2012, he attracted 7,512 a day.
Which begs the question - who is Britain's most popular living artist - Banksy or Hockney?
Visit Somerset described it as "a global phenomenon of major importance" for the area, and in the town itself almost every hotel and B&B bed was full throughout September.
Art producer Kath Cockshaw, who visited the dystopian display last weekend, said: "I think Dismaland will definitely help to put Weston-super-Mare on the map at a crucial stage in the town's development.
"Whether the legacy will be an artistic one I am not sure, but from a tourism perspective I know people who had never been will return to the town because of their visit to Dismaland."
Could anyone other than the elusive Bristolian have pulled it off? Mr Lee thinks not.
"No-one else will attempt anything as complex, tricky to organise or as expensive as Dismaland," he said.
"Only Banksy can muster the resources, financial and material, and mobilise the necessary droves of other contributors for that."
Ms Cockshaw added Banksy had a "unique approach to 'art with a message'" and his work stands "head and shoulders above the rest in terms of impact".
"Artist friends went to the opening and reported feeling incredibly moved by some of what they'd seen. They came back feeling that it was time for their own art to get political," she added.
But while lesser-known artists design their own methods to get noticed, David Lee believes they will never produce anything on as grand a scale as Banksy, who offers an "antidote to all that clever stuff".
"His art, being facile and superficial, is popular with those who don't generally like the sort of conceptualism foisted on them by the art establishment," he said.
And his art has set Weston-super-Mare alongside other British seaside resorts long associated with great painters and artist's colonies, according to Mr Gough.
"Who would have thought crowds would ever be queuing around the block in the rather faded, but in places still elegant, seaside resort?," he said.
"Not so much queuing the block but lining the beaches. It looked like the evacuation from Dunkirk.
"Banksy must have loved that sight."


Labour leader Ed Miliband wants to change his party's relationship with the trade unions in the wake of a row with its biggest backer, Unite, over candidate selection.

What does Mr Miliband want?
Ed Miliband wants to change Labour's relationship with the trade unions so that union members can actively choose whether to join Labour and donate money to the party or not. He wants an end to affiliation fees - where members of supportive unions pay an automatic levy to Labour unless they opt out. The fees are worth about £8m a year to Labour. Insiders estimate making them non-automatic would cost the party about £5m.
Why would he want to do something that could cost his party millions?
It appears he wants to end the dominance of a handful of powerful trade union leaders over Labour Party funding.  As long as union bosses are writing the cheques - especially since the row over the Falkirk selection battle - Labour is open to accusations from the Conservatives that the party is dancing to the unions' tune.
How would technical changes to union membership rules achieve that?
They might sound technical but this is potentially big stuff for the Labour Party. Mr Miliband hopes to transform hundreds of thousands of affiliate Labour members, recruited through their unions, into full Labour members, halting the long-term decline in the party's membership and activism. It could also put pressure on the Tories to change their own funding by capping donations from wealthy individuals.
What are the risks for Miliband?
There is no guarantee union members will opt to pay dues to Labour in sufficient numbers, leaving the party unable to mount effective election campaigns. There is also no guarantee that the unions will sign up to it. Mr Miliband believes the changes can be brought in without altering Labour's rule book, avoiding a public showdown with union bosses at the party's annual conference, but it could take years to push the changes through.
So how does the system currently work?
At the moment, when you join a union you automatically pay a percentage of your subs to its "political fund" - unless you tick a box out on the form to opt-out of it.  Most unions divert some of that fund to the Labour Party. It works out at about £3 a year from each member. Union leaders can affiliate their entire membership to Labour in this way. Few union members know their rights, says BBC political editor Nick Robinson, so "the result is that many Tory, Lib Dem, Green or nationalist-supporting trade unionists unwittingly fund Labour and give their general secretary significant power in the party in the process".
So what will be different under Mr Miliband's proposals?
He wants an "opt-in" system, so enrolment to the Labour Party is not automatic on joining a union.  People will have to actively choose to join by ticking a box on the form.
Are there any precedents for this?
Of the 15 unions affiliated to Labour, Unison is the only one to allow new members to choose whether or not they contribute to the party. Mr Miliband says the Unison system could be a model for all unions.
Does this mean he is ending Labour's links with the unions?
No. Mr Miliband has been at pains to stress that he believes in the "historic" link with the unions. But he wants it to change it into a "modern relationship with individual working people" rather than union bosses.
What do the unions think of Mr Miliband's plans?
Some were initially hostile to the idea, arguing that it will make it even harder for "working-class" candidates to enter Parliament, strengthening the grip of a privileged and unrepresentative political elite. But to the surprise of many, Unite's Len McCluskey, leader of Britain's biggest union, who has spoken out against an opt-in system in the past, welcomed Mr Miliband's proposal. He would need to look at the details but the idea of widening Labour membership was an idea he supported "100%" and he would "actively engage" in the change process.
Why is Labour so reliant on union funding?
The Labour Party was founded by trade unions in 1900 to give working-class people a voice in Parliament. The unions have always been its main source of funding, but successive Labour leaders have attempted to assert the party's independence and broaden its appeal by seeking alternatives.  Tony Blair was particularly successful in soliciting donations from wealthy backers, although that was blamed for the "cash for honours" controversy. Big donations from business people have largely dried up since Ed Miliband became leader, increasing the party's dependence on the unions.
What do the unions get out of it?
Influence over policy and a say in who leads the party. The votes of union members were instrumental in securing Ed Miliband the party leadership in 2010. His leadership campaign was funded by Unite, which has donated more than £8m to the party since he took over. Not all unions are affiliated to the Labour Party. The RMT rail union and the Fire Brigades Union both ended their affiliation during the Blair years, although they continued to fund Labour election candidates.
How do the unions exercise their power?
Labour currently has three million "members" whose names and contact details the party has no access to. The details of members of affiliated trade unions are held by those unions alone. This gives union general secretaries the power to write large cheques and defend having significant representation on the party's governing National Executive Committee, the votes at party conference, the choice of party leader as well as local selections.
Is this row just about funding?
No.  Mr Miliband also wants to change the way candidates are selected. He has proposed a limit on the funding of candidates by "outside" organisations. He also wants to introduce US-style open primaries to select election candidates, starting with the contest to be Labour's next London mayoral candidate.
What is an open primary?
Instead of election candidates being chosen by local party members behind closed doors, anyone in the constituency who is a registered supporter of the party has a vote. In the London contest that could, in theory open the contest to more than five million people, if all the city's voters chose to take part.
Why does Mr Miliband think that is better than the current selection system?
All the major parties have toyed with open primaries, which are the established way of selecting candidates in the US. Supporters say they stop MPs in safe seats taking their constituents for granted and bring an end to the backroom deals and "stitch-ups" that can take place under the current selection process, making it more open and democratic.
What about opponents of open primaries?
They say it will weaken local parties, giving members even less reason to join up, and lead to bland, centrist candidates.
What happens if the unions reject the plan?
It is effectively dead in the water. An earlier, more modest, package of Labour reforms drawn up by Peter Hain was dropped after opposition from the unions.
Why is Mr Miliband doing this now?
He has been spurred into action by a row over an alleged attempt by Unite to rig the contest to replace Eric Joyce as the party's election candidate in Falkirk.
What happened in Falkirk?
Unite has been accused of packing the Falkirk Labour Party with its own members in an attempt to get its favoured candidate selected. Unite has said that it recruited "well over 100 Unite members to the party in a constituency with less than 200 members" - but denies claims people were signed up without their knowledge. Labour Party HQ stepped in to take over the selection process.
What is Unite trying to do?
The union has said it wants to "shift the balance in the party away from middle-class academics and professionals towards people who've actually represented workers and fought the boss". One way of doing that is to get more union-backed candidates elected as MPs. A Unite strategy document suggests Falkirk was an "exemplary" case of how this should be done. The union is also supporting candidates in 41 other seats.
What's the problem with that?
There is nothing in Labour's rules preventing unions from backing Labour candidates. It is positively encouraged. Labour has said it wants to see more "working-class" candidates.
So why the big row?
Ed Miliband believes some Unite members have overstepped the mark in their efforts to get their candidate selected. He has accused those involved of "malpractice". The party has handed over a file to the police.
What have the Conservatives said?
David Cameron chose to make a big issue of it at Prime Minister's Questions last week, repeatedly goading Mr Miliband with claims that he was weak and in hock to Len McCluskey. Since then, Labour's general elections campaign chief Tom Watson has quit, two Falkirk party members have been suspended and rules allowing unions to sign up members to the Labour Party and pay the fees on their behalf have been suspended.
Why did Tom Watson quit?
Unite's candidate in Falkirk was Mr Watson's office manager and Len McCluskey is a close friend of his. He says he has stood down to prevent further embarrassment to Ed Miliband. But he has also suggested he was being undermined by colleagues who remain loyal to Tony Blair and who have never forgiven him for his role in toppling the former Labour leader.
What is happening now?
Labour HQ has taken over the candidate selection process in Falkirk and has been investigating allegations of vote-rigging. Mr McCluskey has said the investigation is a "stitch-up" and complained that his union is being smeared. He says people were not signed up without their knowledge and there should be an independent inquiry into the claims. Labour says it is up to the party to enforce its own membership rules and that there was "sufficient evidence of misbehaviour and abuse of membership" for it to hold the inquiry.


A salesman who carried out an armed robbery at a shop in Perth has been jailed for five years.

Bruce Roseweir was caught when he was filmed on CCTV filling up his company car at the city's Broxden service station shortly before the raid.
The 36-year-old admitted taking £410 from the Co-Op on Oakbank Road after presenting a knife to an employee.
Lord Bannatyne told the heroin addict he had committed a "serious and nasty offence".
Roseweir was pictured on CCTV buying petrol and a pair of gloves which he wore during the robbery on 26 October. In the footage he was also seen wearing the same blue hooded top he wore during the raid.
Entering the Co-Op at about 21:25, he walked up to the checkout and pulled out a knife, telling the female employee working there to "empty the till".
The manager came through from the back of the shop minutes later to find the employee hysterical and Roseweir gone, along with £410 in notes from the till.
The High Court in Glasgow heard that Roseweir had previous convictions for crimes of violence, and was "desperate to fund" his heroin habit.
Jailing him for five years, Lord Bannatyne said: "This was a serious and nasty offence involving the presentation of a knife.
"In her victim impact statement your victim talks of her life having been turned upside down by what you did."


The much publicised drive to open family courts in England and Wales to public scrutiny has had only limited success, according to the first national evaluation, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

In 2014, the president of the Family Division, Sir James Munby, said judges should publish judgements in their most significant cases and certain care cases.
But in 2014 and 2015, only 837 of these were published, via the legal website the British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII).
There were more than 25,000 care applications in English and Welsh courts during this time, though not all would result in a judgement that could be published.
For many years campaigners have described the powerful family courts as secretive and unaccountable.
The courts have been responsible for some highly controversial decisions, such as that to return Ellie Butler to her father's care, or the decision to take away Karissa Cox and Richard Carter's baby.
Sir James Munby's "transparency initiative" has been widely welcomed, especially by the press. He wrote that it should "bring about an immediate and significant change".
However, the first detailed evaluation carried out by Dr Julie Doughty of Cardiff University and others, including Alice Twaite and Paul Magrath, shows a piecemeal impact.
While some judges and certain courts regularly publish judgements, others do so rarely, if at all.  In Newcastle during 2014 and 2015 judges frequently sent cases for publication, as did Leeds, Manchester and East London.
But no judge in Devon, South East Wales or Wolverhampton published cases during that time.
The researchers warn that fewer judgements are being published now than in 2014 and 2015.
"Rather than publication becoming accepted as routine, it appears to be increasingly exceptional," they say.
Judges have to make sure no family involved in a case can be identified when they publish a judgement. This anonymisation can be a complex process.
The researchers found there had been mistakes. One judgement was published with a name left in. Others had details that could identify a family.
Judges told the researchers they lacked resources and time to prepare judgements for publication.
"Even judges who are very enthusiastic about the guidance and who are keen on publishing judgements because they feel that they should be open to accountability and scrutiny, even those judges are struggling to find the time and resources to publish those judgements," says Dr Doughty.
She said it was "unrealistic" to expect all care cases to be available for public scrutiny.
Although many families are often wary of publication, because they're worried they or their children could be identified, some have found it very useful.
Two years ago, we reported a case of a grandmother who wanted to look after her grandson, while the local authority said he should be adopted.
The judge decided the boy should stay with his family.  We could report it because the judgement had been posted online.
The grandmother was pleased the judgement had been made public.
"In our case social services did wrong. Publishing the judgement meant they couldn't do it again," she said. "They've had to be more careful since."
The Family Rights Group (FRG) is a charity that helps families caught up in the family justice system.
It is currently trying to help another grandmother who wants to keep her grandson, rather than have him adopted.
However in this case, the court decided against her. The grandmother believes she has grounds to appeal, but it's hard to know as this judge did not publish his judgement.
"This grandmother feels that a major injustice has taken place. It looks like that is the case but of course without the published judgement we can't properly evaluate that and of course she's left in this really invidious position," says Cathy Ashley, chief executive of FRG.
The report suggests that instead of publishing as much as possible, each area should publish a few representative cases instead.
Cathy Ashley disagrees. Although she feels the evaluation was "disappointing", especially the "patchiness" of publication, she believes it is still important to publish, as it could build public trust.
Sanchia Berg reports for BBC Radio 4's Today programme.


Aston Villa have signed Chesterfield striker Jordan Bowery for a fee of about £500,000.

The 21-year-old, who agreed a three-year deal, scored 10 goals in 83 league appearances for the Spireites after making his debut at the age of 17.
He is the second player to sign for Villa this week following the arrival of Middlesbrough full-back Joe Bennett.
"He's a good player. The hunger will be there for him, he could surprise a few people," Villa boss Paul Lambert said
Villa, who have lost both their Premier League games this season to sit bottom of the table, claimed their first win of the season with a 3-0 victory over Tranmere in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.


Allegations of Russian state-sponsored doping at the Sochi Winter Olympics are "very worrying" and must be investigated immediately, the International Olympic Committee says.

A New York Times report claims performance-enhancing drug use was rife and covered up at the 2014 competition.
The Russian Ministry of Sport described the new allegations as "a major shock".
On Tuesday, the World Anti-doping Agency (Wada) said it would investigate allegations made in a CBS programme.
That programme claimed Russian spies posed as anti-doping staff at Sochi, where the hosts won 13 gold medals.
In the New York Times report, Dr Grigory Rodchenkov, who was director of the country's anti-doping laboratory at the time, alleges:
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has now called for further inquiries in response to the allegations.
An IOC spokesman said: "These allegations are very detailed and very worrying and we ask the World Anti-Doping Agency to investigate immediately.
"The laboratory in Sochi was fully accredited by Wada. The IOC also relied on the work of its own international experts in the laboratory - the Games group.
"Based on the findings of a Wada inquiry the IOC will not hesitate to act with its usual policy of zero tolerance for doping and defending the clean athletes."
The Russian Ministry of Sport said it has "nothing to hide" and would continue working to Wada guidelines.
A statement added: "We have never claimed that we do not have doping problems and we acknowledge that changes are needed and we understand that we have to regain international community's trust for what we believe is a global issue."
Claims in the CBS programme said Russian spies posed as anti-doping staff at Sochi. The BBC and Wada have been unable to independently verify the allegations made.
Russian athletes have already been banned from international competition by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the sport's world governing body, after a Wada commission report alleged "state-sponsored" doping in the country.
The IAAF is meeting next month to assess whether Russia has done enough to tackle its doping culture before being allowed to take part in August's Olympic Games in Rio.


South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has begun serving community service, a month after he was released from jail.

The Paralympian was granted parole after serving one year of his five-year sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.
He must perform community service under the terms of his release.
In his first public appearance since then, he reported to a police station in Pretoria on Saturday wearing sunglasses and carrying a backpack.
He is serving the rest of his sentence under house arrest at his uncle's home in the city.
Pistorius, 28, was found guilty of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, over the death of his 29-year-old girlfriend.
He told his trial last year that he had shot her through a bathroom door because he had mistaken her for an intruder.
The prosecution is appealing against the verdict, saying Pistorius should have been convicted of murder.
Pistorius house arrest: The dos and don'ts
What will life be like for Pistorius under house arrest?
The making and unmaking of Oscar Pistorius
Evidence at Pistorius trial
My friend Reeva Steenkamp


A Staffordshire terrier found roaming the streets has been recognised as one of Gloucestershire's top police dogs.

Stella was abandoned in 2013 and taken in by the RSPCA where the dog's "talent for finding a ball" was spotted.
Recruited by the police, the former stray was trained to find guns, cash and drugs and a day after graduating sniffed out money hidden in a drawer.
Stella was awarded the public service animal of the year at the Animal Hero Awards in London, on Wednesday.
The bull terrier was picked up as a stray in Taunton in Somerset two years ago and taken to RSPCA West Hatch Animal Centre.
Staff quickly realised the dog had a talent and contacted police officers to asses her.
"I was a bit sceptical because she isn't a usual breed for a police dog, so I tested her and she just blew me away," said PC Claire Todd, Stella's handler.
"She isn't fazed or scared of anything and she never gives up - that is what makes her a great police dog."
Trained to search out heroin, cocaine and ecstasy, as well as currency, guns and ammunition - Stella graduated in April after completing the six week course in just four weeks.
"It just goes to show that in the right hands Staffordshire bull terriers are amazing dogs with so much potential," said her handler.
"A few months ago she found Â£25,000 in cash in a house that had been missed by the search team - without her amazing nose we wouldn't have found that.
"I am just so proud of her."


After 74 days alone at sea and sleeping for 20 minutes every four hours, you would think Alex Thomson would want to stay on dry land.

Media playback is not supported on this device
The Gosport-based Welsh sailor came second in the solo round-the-world race, the Vendee Globe, in January.
But weeks later, he will take to the seas again.
"While I was on the race, my wife booked a yacht in the Caribbean," Thomson told BBC Radio Wales Sport.
"So in a few weeks I'll be flying out and I will be back on a boat."
Thomson does have some concessions, however: "I have insisted that it has air conditioning, double beds, a toilet and a fridge."
Frenchman Armel Le Cleac'h won the race in record time and Thomson crossed the finish line 15 hours, 59 minutes and 29 seconds later.
The 42-year-old is happy to be back with his family, but experienced an unexpected side effect of being back home.
"The last two weeks have gone very quickly and mostly trying to be in recovery mode and get some sleep and energy back," he continued.
"Unfortunately I picked up a bug when I came back because I've been in a sterile environment so I quickly got a virus and had to have a few days in bed.
"Having slept for 20-40 minutes every two to four hours, actually spending a couple of days in bed was quite attractive."
Despite his recent return from a gruelling race over the course of several months, Thomson has more racing planned for the season ahead.
"This year we have the Fastnet race, which is a race that starts in Cowes on the Isle of Wight to Fastnet Rock and back to Plymouth and I'll compete in that," he said.
"It's a sprint of 600 miles and takes two to three days and then towards the end of the year there's a race called the Jacques Vabre which goes from Le Havre in France to down to Salvador Baiha in Brazil.
"It happens every two years and two years ago when we did that race with our brand new boat, we were hit by a rogue wave and turned upside down so I'm keen to set the record straight with that one."


Shortages of fuel, food, medicines and vaccines are putting more than three million infants at risk of death or disease as winter begins in Nepal, the UN children's fund (Unicef) has warned.

It said the situation had been worsened by more than two months of political unrest in the south of the country.
A blockade has severely hit the import of key goods by land from India.
The blockade is led by ethnic communities angered by Nepal's recently promulgated new constitution.
The Madhesi communities say the new constitution does not represent them properly.
Why is Nepal's new constitution controversial?
Fuel crisis threatens Nepal's forests
The government accuses India of deliberately worsening the embargo, but India denies this.
The blockade is being enforced while Nepal is still recovering from powerful earthquakes earlier this year which left up to 9,000 people dead.
In a stark warning, Unicef says supplies of vaccines and antibiotics in the country are now critically low - and the fear is that children could be the worst hit.
More than 200,000 families affected by the earthquakes are still living in temporary shelters at an altitude above 1,500m (4,920 ft) where weather conditions will be harshest this winter.
"The risks of hypothermia and malnutrition, and the shortfall in life-saving medicines and vaccines, could be a potentially deadly combination for children this winter," Unicef Executive Director Anthony Lake said in a media statement.
"During my recent visit to Nepal, I witnessed first-hand the precarious living conditions of many of the earthquake survivors. They could now be facing a new disaster - without adequate food, protection from the cold, or healthcare."
There are also fears that the rising dependence on firewood - triggered by the fuel crisis - is increasing indoor pollution, which in turn could lead to a rise in pneumonia cases.
Last year more than 800,000 children under five suffered from the condition in Nepal, Unicef says, and about 5,000 died.
Already stocks of the inoculation against tuberculosis have run out completely in regional medical centres.
The blockade along the border with India began in September.
Around 60% of Nepal's medicine is imported from India, along with large amounts of fuel, food and other supplies.


A drug dealer has been jailed after a "forgotten" wrap of heroin found in his bag at Birmingham Airport led police to uncover a stash of drugs, money and weapons at his home.

Police believe Majid Hussain "simply forgot" about the class A drug in his carry-on bag as he tried to board a flight to Pakistan in February.
Officers later recovered a handgun, Â£300,000, ammunition, and kilo of heroin from his Birmingham home.
He was jailed for 12 years on Monday.
The heroin, with estimated street value of Â£18,000, was found in a suitcase under his bed, along with a stun-gun disguised as a mobile phone and an air pistol, West Midlands Police said.
More updates on this story and others in Birmingham
The 41-year-old, of Nansen Road, admitted five charges -  including possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and possession of criminal property - on the first day of his trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Det Con Andrew Mitcham, said: "Thanks to the diligence of the staff at Birmingham Airport we have been able to expose and convict one of Birmingham's high-level drug dealers.
"The evidence we uncovered during the search at Majid Hussain's home in Saltley clearly demonstrates that he was involved in supplying heroin across the city.
"We have taken an illegal firearm, ammunition and other dangerous items off the streets as well as securing a lengthy prison sentence against a very dangerous man."


A man who killed a pregnant woman and her unborn baby by starting a fire in a tower block has been detained under the Mental Health Act.

Lillo Troisi, 48, admitted manslaughter and arson after Khabi Abrey, 30, and her baby were found at a flat in Westcliff-on-Sea, in Essex, on 7 May 2016. They died two days later.
Troisi, who has paranoid schizophrenia, had not taken medication for 18 months.
He was acutely psychotic at the time, Blackfriars Crown Court heard.
The court was also told he had a history of drug taking and drug abuse.
More on this and other news at BBC Local Live: Essex
Troisi, who lived on the eighth floor of the Balmoral Road tower block, had deliberately started the fire with a can of petrol in the hallway outside Mrs Abrey's ninth-floor flat.
She was unconscious when emergency services found her.
Mrs Abrey, who was eight months pregnant, died in hospital from complications after breathing in fumes, post-mortem tests showed.
Her baby died after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Troisi had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and arson, but denied charges of murder and child destruction at an earlier hearing in November.
Speaking after Troisi was detained, Mrs Abrey's husband, Stuart, said: "The whole case has been really sad in that what happened was so preventable.
"I have been left wondering how someone with such dangerous tendencies could end up being anyone's neighbour without being cared for."
The judge's decision to detain Troisi under the Mental Health Act rather than jailing him, was "the right one", Mr Abrey added.
"I am pleased to hear that he will receive the correct treatment."


Edinburgh University scientists have claimed malaria is particularly deadly because the parasites which carry it battle other infections for survival.

They found, when malaria parasites enter the bloodstream, they alter their plan of attack if they face competition from other strains of the infection.
However, it means they have less resources left to spread the disease.
Malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes, kills about one million people every year.
The scientists found the malaria parasites focus on producing cells that replicate quickly to cause infection, rather than cells capable of being taken up by a feeding mosquito and spreading the disease.
Since malaria infections usually consist of multiple, competing strains of the parasite, this attack strategy is the best way to beat the competition, the scientists said.
However, it means the parasites pay a high price, as they therefore have fewer resources left to spread the disease.
Laura Pollitt of Edinburgh University's school of biological sciences said: "Our results explain a long-standing puzzle of parasite behaviour.
"We found that when parasites compete with each other, they respond with a sophisticated strategy to safeguard their long-term survival.
"They opt to fight it out in the bloodstream rather than risk everything on the chance of infecting mosquitoes in the short term."
The research, published in the American Naturalist, was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council.


Patients are being treated in cramped, unsuitable and badly laid out hospitals as ageing NHS buildings struggle to cope with the demands of the modern health service.

Nearly a fifth of facilities in use in England are deemed not up to scratch, according to data obtained by the BBC.
A host of major hospitals are among the worst affected along with mental health units and community hospitals.
Experts predict the situation will get worse due to cuts in building budgets.
The 2009-10 figures supplied by the Department of Health show 17% of the NHS estate which is occupied is deemed as "not functionally suitable for use".
This covers national standards for issues such as space, layout and design as well as the availability of toilets and storage space, and the suitability of office space.
To fall below the required standard, areas are deemed to need a major overhaul or complete rebuild.
Part of the problem relates to the age of buildings. Nearly a fifth of the NHS estate was built before the health service was formed in 1948 - there are even wards in buildings which date back to the 1700s.
Estate managers have also told the BBC money earmarked for building improvements has too often been diverted elsewhere.
Among the more serious problems identified are wards that are too small, poorly designed A&E units and services being spread across too wide an area.
Analysis: An out-of-date estate?
There are 33 hospitals which have 50% or more of their estate classed as not good enough, while another 109 NHS sites - mainly mental health units and community hospitals - have problems on that scale as well.
The situation has shown signs of improving in recent years - mostly thanks to the investment in new hospitals through the private finance initiative - but the scale of the problem and prospects for the future are still causing concern.
Leading children's hospitals Alder Hey in Liverpool and London's Great Ormond Street have particular problems with space on wards.
Alder Hey has some wards less than half the size of what is needed for modern health care. The trust said staff and families were forced to deal with the "cramped and inconveniently laid out wards and a lack of privacy".
Meanwhile, a wing of Great Ormond Street has single rooms that are so small staff struggle to get all the equipment they need into them, while parents are forced to sleep in armchairs at times because they are not big to accommodate beds. The trust is looking to build new facilities, but is still ??95m short in its fund-raising.
Nearly two thirds of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Middlesex is not up to scratch, the figures show. The areas include a sloping corridor which is so steep that electric vehicles are used to tow patients back on to wards after surgery.
Problems identified by other trusts include:
While the problems are making services more difficult to deliver, all the trusts the BBC talked to said patients were not put at risk. Areas which are dangerous are closed down altogether.
Plans are being drawn up to improve some of the worst buildings, but there are fears the building projects could be scuppered because of the funding situation.
Keith Sammonds, managing director of the Healthcare Facilities Consortium, which represents estates staff, said unsuitable buildings made services "more difficult to deliver and require staff to work harder".
"My concern is that the situation is only going to get worse. Capital budgets are being squeezed and there is a lack of private finance available. It is distressing. Facilities and estates staff work really hard to do the best they can with the restricted resources available to them."
Katherine Murphy, of the Patients Association, added: "This chimes with what patients tell us about them being treated in cupboards because there is not enough space and seeing heart monitors lying next to dirty linen because there is nowhere to put them. It is chaotic and disorganised and does not help the healing process."
Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said some of the old-fashioned facilities were simply "not suited for care in the 21st century".
But a Department of Health spokeswoman said it expected the NHS to address the problems.
"The situation in the NHS regarding functional suitability has improved, but making further improvements through better use of existing assets will be a fundamental part of the NHS drive to improve efficiency."


A Dumfries home has been "extensively damaged" after it was hit by a bus involved in a road accident.

Police said the Stagecoach bus came to rest against the property at 47 Lockerbie Road at around 16:10 on Wednesday.
The incident also involved a BMW Series 5 car, driven by a 63-year-old man, and a parked BMW Series 3.
There were eight passengers on the bus at the time but just two people suffered minor injuries.
The bus driver and a 67-year-old female passenger received bruising and soft tissue injuries, according to police.
Lockerbie Road was closed for around two hours following the accident, near the junction with Balmoral Road.
Police appealed for information from anyone who witnessed the incident.
A spokeswoman for Stagecoach West Scotland said the firm would carry out a full investigation and help police with their inquiries.
She added: "Our first thoughts are for the welfare of those affected by the incident. Safety is our absolute priority."


Briton Johanna Konta's remarkable US Open run ended with defeat by fifth seed Petra Kvitova in the fourth round.

Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, won 7-5 6-3 in the 23,000-seater Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Konta, 24, had only won one Grand Slam main draw match before arriving in New York this year.
She is projected to rise from a ranking of 97 to inside the world's top 60, just behind British number one Heather Watson.
"I don't even know what Heather is ranked right now - that's not something I actively look at," said Konta. "It's not my most important goal."
The defeat brought an end to Konta's winning run of 16 matches that stretched back to the first round of Wimbledon.
She might have been playing by far the biggest match of her career, but Konta retained the composure that had got her there as she tested the fifth seed.
A match of fine margins came down to Kvitova taking both of her break points, albeit thanks to double faults, while Konta converted none of five.
"From the beginning of the match I was the worst player on the court, but somehow I managed to keep my serve on and wait for my chance," said the Czech.
It was Konta who made the running in the first set but she could not take advantage of break points in the first, fifth and ninth games.
Kvitova, on a seven-match winning streak, earned her first chance at 6-5 and Konta wobbled for the first time with a double fault.
The Briton did not crumble, calmly working her into the second set behind some good serving only to leak a forehand long in game eight.
Another doubt fault followed, and Kvitova wrapped up the win on serve after one hour and 28 minutes.
"I wouldn't call it stage fright," Konta said of the double faults that made the difference.
"I think if it were stage fright we would have seen it at the beginning of the match. I actually settled quite quickly and enjoyed being out there."
And despite the defeat, she was able to enjoy the experience of opening a New York night session.
"My mum actually reminded me when I was speaking to her yesterday that when we were here back in 2007 for juniors, I said: 'This is like the most amazing stadium.' I completely forgot about that.
"I guess I had a little childhood dream come true, so that's pretty special."
Since losing to Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon, Konta has won two titles on the lower challenger level, three matches in US Open qualifying and three in the main draw.
Having broken into the top 100 over the summer, she is likely to rise to around 58th when the new rankings are released at the end of the tournament.
She collects a cheque for £141,000 - four times her previous best - and should gain direct entry into the Australian Open in January for the first time.
The 24-year-old now plans to return home to Eastbourne before resuming training and then heading to Wuhan and Beijing in China, as the tennis circuit moves on to the 'Asian swing'.
"I'm not blown away by my performance here," said Konta. "I'm just satisfied that I get a little bit of candy for doing well.
"I'm just really looking forward to heading already to my next tournament.
"Obviously I need to take a little bit of a break now, just a couple days' rest, but I'm looking forward to the next plane I'm on to head to Asia."


Devolution is failing to deliver economically vital projects such as an M4 relief road and rail upgrades, the Welsh secretary has claimed.

Stephen Crabb told Cardiff Business School he was unhappy at the lack of progress, and that opponents would rather argue about assembly powers.
He said he was "totally open to ideas" about improving the draft Wales Bill.
The Welsh government insisted it was focused on increasing prosperity rather than constitutional change.
In a speech on Thursday he said the UK government was committed to devolving more power.
In a change of approach, the draft Wales bill recommends a reserved powers model, which lists the policy areas still controlled by the UK government with everything else assumed to be devolved.
Opposition figures including First Minister Carwyn Jones have called for more discussion, claiming the plan could leave the assembly with less power than it currently has.
Mr Crabb has denied the charge, and urged politicians to focus more on jobs and prosperity than a "never ending constitutional debate".
He said he had a "dream" of Wales becoming a "beacon of economic success" within the next 20 years.
But he said he sometimes had "a nightmare" of "an ongoing, inward-looking debate about Welsh powers and the constitution, where we still prop up the bottom of the economic league tables within the United Kingdom and where we are still discussing the need for that damn M4 upgrade."
Opposition parties blamed the UK government for holding Wales back.
The Welsh government claimed: "The only constitutional obsessive is Stephen Crabb, who seems to talk about little else at the moment.
"Meanwhile we are concentrating on the things that matter to the people of Wales, such as the economy and increasing prosperity."
Plaid Cymru Treasury spokesman Jonathan Edwards MP said the Welsh economy faced a disadvantage due to "meagre powers" being offered.
"In their lack of ambition for Wales, the Westminster parties are handcuffing the ability of our government to intervene in the Welsh economy," he said.
Liberal Democrat AM Aled Roberts responded on Twitter, saying the next Welsh government "will have years of UK failure to invest in infrastructure to address".


Feyenoord boosted their chances of a first Dutch title since 1999 by beating champions PSV Eindhoven.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side are five points clear of Ajax at the top after a 10th consecutive Eredivisie win.
Jan-Arie van der Heijden headed a late winner, which goalline technology showed to be fully over the line by millimetres.
Jens Toornstra had given them the lead before Gaston Pereiro's equaliser.
Match ends, Feyenoord 2, PSV Eindhoven 1.
Second Half ends, Feyenoord 2, PSV Eindhoven 1.
Attempt saved. Tonny Vilhena (Feyenoord) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Nicolai Jørgensen.
Foul by Jürgen Locadia (PSV Eindhoven).
Jens Toornstra (Feyenoord) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  PSV Eindhoven. Conceded by Bart Nieuwkoop.
Attempt missed. Nicolai Jørgensen (Feyenoord) right footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Bilal Basacikoglu following a fast break.
Héctor Moreno (PSV Eindhoven) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jens Toornstra (Feyenoord).
Attempt missed. Davy Pröpper (PSV Eindhoven) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Héctor Moreno.
Attempt blocked. Tonny Vilhena (Feyenoord) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nicolai Jørgensen.
Substitution, Feyenoord. Miquel Nelom replaces Steven Berghuis.
Nicolas Isimat-Mirin (PSV Eindhoven) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nicolai Jørgensen (Feyenoord).
Substitution, PSV Eindhoven. Jürgen Locadia replaces Andrés Guardado.
Luuk de Jong (PSV Eindhoven) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Eric Botteghin (Feyenoord).
Héctor Moreno (PSV Eindhoven) is shown the yellow card.
Own Goal by Jeroen Zoet, PSV Eindhoven.  Feyenoord 2, PSV Eindhoven 1.
Corner,  Feyenoord. Conceded by Jeroen Zoet.
Attempt missed. Jetro Willems (PSV Eindhoven) left footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Santiago Arias with a headed pass following a corner.
Substitution, Feyenoord. Bart Nieuwkoop replaces Rick Karsdorp because of an injury.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Rick Karsdorp (Feyenoord) because of an injury.
Corner,  PSV Eindhoven. Conceded by Rick Karsdorp.
Attempt blocked. Steven Bergwijn (PSV Eindhoven) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Foul by Nicolas Isimat-Mirin (PSV Eindhoven).
Nicolai Jørgensen (Feyenoord) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. Bilal Basacikoglu (Feyenoord) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Steven Berghuis with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Feyenoord. Conceded by Héctor Moreno.
Foul by Nicolas Isimat-Mirin (PSV Eindhoven).
Nicolai Jørgensen (Feyenoord) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. Jens Toornstra (Feyenoord) right footed shot from the right side of the box is too high. Assisted by Steven Berghuis.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven) because of an injury.
Substitution, PSV Eindhoven. Siem de Jong replaces Bart Ramselaar.
Offside, Feyenoord. Jens Toornstra tries a through ball, but Nicolai Jørgensen is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Bilal Basacikoglu (Feyenoord) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Terence Kongolo with a cross.
Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Steven Berghuis (Feyenoord).


To Alex Wotke, horsepower matters, but as a father of three he needs a big car.

So in an effort to have his cake and eat it, he drives an Audi RS6, an estate car that looks little different from any other estate out there.
"It is understated and discreet, and I like that," Mr Wotke says as he steers the car slowly down the exclusive private road where he lives, in a village near Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire.
"Customers don't think I'm being unreasonable when I turn up in this, rather than in a Porsche or a Ferrari," says Mr Wotke, director of ASAP CRM, a customer relationship management consultancy.
But out on the open road the Â£90,000 car's true nature is revealed, as Mr Wotke lets rip to overtake a slow-moving queue of cars.
Under the bonnet, a 580hp V10 Lamborghini engine grunts gently, accelerating at a rate of 0-60mph (0-100km/h) in just over four seconds.
"It accelerates like a motorbike so it's really good for overtaking in a safe way," Mr Wotke says - though he also acknowledges that "you could just go mad in this thing - but you'd lose your licence".
Mr Wotke's RS6 and his previous car, an RS4, are both derived from the RS2, which was launched by Audi around the turn of the century.
The RS2 is "arguably the model that spurred the 'fast load-lugger' segment so popular with German premium brands", according to Paul Newton, automotive analyst with IHS Global Insight.
Others see BMW as the true pioneer in this field, pointing to how Audi's main rival launched a Touring version of its M5 super-saloon in 1992. At the time, it was the world's fastest estate car.
But there is little dispute about how it all started with the first M5, hand built by BMW Motorsport and launched way back in 1984, putting into practice the idea that ordinary saloon cars could be made to behave like supercars.
BMW has been making M5 models ever since, its latest version competing with Audi's RS6 as well as with the E63 AMG from Mercedes and the XFR from Jaguar.
The cars have all been built to be practical road cars, though it is only on a racetrack that you get a feel for their full potential.
Pushing the latest 560hp M5 model at top speed through a series of long and at times rather tight bends on the track, it soon becomes clear that in spite of their discreet facades, these family saloons can rival many of the more macho-looking supercars from the likes of Ferrari, Porsche or McLaren.
"The customers want something understated, yet they want power and performance when required," according to Brian Cox, product operations manager at BMW UK.
Powerful high-end models from luxury car companies are often described as "halo cars", and all the rivals in the luxury car market have their own versions.
"It is very, very important for us," says BMW's Mr Cox. "It's seen as a brand shaper. People want to be part of that club."
In other words, in spite of their hefty price tags, the luxury carmakers' most powerful cars are not primarily sold to bolster company profits.
After all, they only sell in their hundreds - a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of cars sold by the companies that make them.
Instead, the muscle cars are essentially poster boys, their job to communicate brand values and image, and thus attract buyers for rather more civilised models.
The idea is that customers may feel inspired by the potential of the performance models, then go away and buy similar cars kitted out with relatively small, considerably more frugal and much less powerful engines.
"Carmakers have invested millions in loss-making Formula 1 or rally teams, or in high-performance models that help build that 'halo' around the brand," says John Lewis, chief executive of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA).
But in the end, he reasons, "common-sense qualities such as running costs and safety will win over many customers".
Hence, the segment where luxury car companies sell large volumes is governed by a set of performance figures that have little to do with maximum power.
Instead, fleet and business customers want them to deliver good fuel economy and low carbon dioxide emissions - since these affect how much tax they pay, whether road tax or company car tax.
"Most fleet managers will operate a car for three to four years, and they care about two things - the cost of running the car and the tax implications," says Mr Lewis.
"The key factor in both these equations is fuel efficiency. Fuel is the largest element of running costs, and company car tax is based on CO2 emissions, which are directly related to the amount of fuel a car engine burns."
Thus, the way the luxury car companies achieve volume is with the help of frugal, sensible versions of cars that look similar to their high-performance RS, M and AMG cousins.
"Fleet and business buyers are already responsible for nearly 60% of new car registrations," observes BVRLA's Mr Lewis.
"Though for popular 'executive' models, including the Audi A4 and A6, the BMW 3 and 5 series and Mercedes C and E Class, corporate sales could account for an even higher percentage."
Selling more cars than their rivals seems important to many of the carmakers' top executives.
Dieter Zetsche, chief executive of Mercedes' parent company Daimler, for instance, tells BBC News that he thinks it is important for Mercedes to try to reclaim the sales crown which it lost to BMW a few years ago.
Audi's head of marketing and sales, Peter Schwartzenbauer, is a bit less aggressive when it comes to sales volumes.
"We never really aim to be the biggest, but the most successful," he tells BBC News.
"And this is not necessarily the biggest. It's always a combination of volume, profitability and brand perception. Are you perceived as the leading brand in the premium sector?"
Rivalry about who delivers the most powerful or the most economic models, or indeed about who sells the most cars, might make for good entertainment.
But what really matters to executives of luxury is profits, and as a rule the luxury car companies have become very good at delivering to shareholders.
"Luxury carmakers are very good at producing a myriad of slightly tweaked special editions that can help prolong the life of a car model and recoup the huge sums spent developing a replacement," says Mr Lewis.
"As a basic rule of thumb, larger, more executive models tend to provide carmakers with a higher profit margin, which will also grow with economies of scale."


Opposition leaders have urged the Scottish government to drop plans to scrap the board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Scottish Labour and the Lib Dems both highlighted the issue at regional conferences in Inverness.
The government wants to create a new Scotland-wide enterprise board which would oversee management of HIE.
MSPs voted to "reverse" this plan for HIE, and the government has pledged to "reflect carefully" on that.
The proposals, based on a recent education and skills review, would see a new statutory board to co-ordinate the activities of groups including Scottish Enterprise, HIE, Scottish Development International, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council.
Opposition members have claimed this would be the "death knell" for the organisation as it stands, and evidence of an SNP "obsession with centralisation".
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs that "even the proposals as they are at this stage would see HIE retaining its chief executive, based in Inverness; retaining its headquarters, based in Inverness; retaining control of all staffing levels; and continuing to operate from its headquarters in Inverness."
HIE supports businesses and promotes economic growth in the Northern Isles, Western Isles, Highlands, Moray and Argyll.
It began as the Highlands and Islands Development Board 50 years ago, becoming HIE in 1990. The CairnGorm Mountain ski resort and its funicular railway is among the assets it manages.
Opposition MSPs united behind a Holyrood motion saying the government should "reverse" its plans and allow the group to retain its own board.
Speaking at Labour's Highlands and Islands conference, leader Kezia Dugdale said  "I give this warning to the first minister today.
"The establishment of a development agency in the Highlands, run by people who live and work here, with decisions taken here, is a day marked in Scotland's history.
"Any attempt to roll back this progress will be remembered here as the day the SNP gave up its claim to speak for all of our nation. And as the day the SNP's representatives here betrayed the people they claim to represent.
"That is why it was so important that the Scottish Parliament voted against the government to make absolutely clear that we would not stand for this."
She added: "Nicola Sturgeon is quick to use the will of parliament when it suits her own argument. On this issue, she must now set her pride aside and listen to the people's representatives in parliament who have said this decision should not stand."
Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie, also convening a regional conference in Inverness, said the move would hit the SNP's chances in local government elections in the area.
He said: "The proposals would have diluted the ability of HIE to effectively support local businesses and communities.
"The Scottish parliament rightly voted against such a move but we are yet to see a proper response from the Scottish government.
"Despite the outcry from local constituents, SNP MSPs decided to put their party first and it will be local SNP councillors that will pay the price in the upcoming council elections in May. Local residents are becoming fed up of having an SNP cheerleader for a councillor who will stand by their party come what may."
The changes have been defended by current HIE chairman Lorne Crerar, who insisted the group would not be "in any way diminished" by them.
Following the vote, Economy Secretary Keith Brown said he was "committed to the services and support that HIE provides", adding that he would "meet with MSPs from across the chamber in order to discuss the way forward".
He said: "I believe that everyone shares a commitment to HIE and to retaining its key role in the future. We are actively engaging with all four enterprise and skills agencies, their existing boards and other experts in developing the detailed scope, potential structures and functions for the new board.
"That is why I will listen carefully to and work closely with them and MSPs from across the chamber to explore constructive ideas about how we can deliver better economic and social outcomes  for the highlands and islands and for all of Scotland."