UKIP has chosen its candidate to stand for London Mayor at next year's election.

Peter Whittle, the party's culture spokesman, was selected over deputy chair of UKIP Suzanne Evans.
In a BBC interview he said his priority would be to encourage people to stay in London rather than being forced to leave the city for financial reasons.
He also said he was opposed to the expansion of Heathrow airport.
And Mr Whittle believes people in the City of London would not be concerned if UKIP won, claiming many in the financial sector want to leave the EU.
When Mr Whittle was asked if Ms Evans would have made a stronger candidate than him, he insisted it had been a robust and fair selection process, and he was good friends with Ms Evans.
He denied she was not chosen because of disagreements she had had with party leader Nigel Farage.
Mr Farage said: "Peter has been an asset to UKIP for many years, and I am delighted to learn that the party has elected him as our candidate in the battle to become London Mayor."
Mr Whittle was born in Peckham, grew up in Shooters Hill and has lived and worked in the capital his whole life. He also set up the New Culture Forum think tank.
UKIP also announced Ms Evans would stand as a candidate in the London Assembly elections.
The radio DJ Mike Read will also stand as a candidate for the party in the London Assembly elections.
Tooting MP Sadiq Khan has been selected as Labour's mayoral candidate, the Lib Dems have chosen Caroline Pidgeon, the Green Party has Sian Berry and George Galloway will represent The Respect Party.
The Conservative Party has not yet selected a candidate. The party's Boris Johnson, who was elected as an MP in May's general election, has been mayor since 2008.


An early goal by Switzerland youth international Nishan Burkart was enough to give Manchester United's Under-18s victory over Northern Ireland's U-18.

Media playback is not supported on this device
The 17-year-old striker netted a sweet first-time right-foot shot from six yards in Saturday's match at Coleraine.
Glenavon's Bobby Burns went closest for the hosts with a long-range shot which struck the crossbar.
The friendly match was a curtain-raiser for the annual Super Cup NI youth tournament which starts on Monday.
After missing the last two years, Manchester United will have a team in the junior section of the tournament.
United will play Colina of Chile in their opening match at Portstewart on Monday.
Eleven games from the tournament will be shown live on the BBC Sport website, including Friday's Premier and Junior finals.
The United Under-18 team are coached by Fermanagh man Kieran McKenna.
He spent seven years at Tottenham before injury forced him to end his playing career at the age of 23.


China is cracking down on online moneylenders who target university students, following concerns about the largely unregulated industry.

A recent government directive has ordered such lenders to suspend all activities wooing student borrowers.
The move follows reports of exorbitant interest rates and unsavoury practices in the industry, including demanding "nude selfies" as collateral.
Online peer-to-peer moneylending has grown popular in China in recent years.
Known as "wang dai" in Chinese, it sees strangers providing small loans to others via websites and phone apps.
The directive (in Chinese) was made by China's banking, education and social security authorities, according to a copy released by the Jiangxi provincial government on its website on Friday.
It said the measures were needed to address moneylenders "making extortionate loans" and other behaviour that has "severely harmed the safety of university students".
The exact number of online moneylenders in China is not known, but one microfinancing portal called Wangdaizhijia lists at least 500 such platforms.
In recent years some moneylenders and loan sharks have begun targeting university students in need of quick and easy credit, according to Chinese reports.
Some students have since fallen prey to spiralling debt as a result of high interest rates.
In some cases, borrowers were instructed to send naked pictures of themselves, with their identification cards, to the lender as collateral. They would threaten to release the pictures if the student defaulted on their debts.
In December the naked pictures and contact details of more than 100 young female borrowers were leaked online, causing an outcry and shining a spotlight on the underground business.


A woman survived a gas blast which destroyed a house because a fridge fell on her, her sister has said.

Susan Shepherd was pulled from the rubble of her home in Rosslyn Avenue, Sunderland, following the explosion on Friday morning.
The semi-detached was flattened by the blast and a neighbouring property was heavily damaged.
Tracy Tia Judson said her sister, who is in her 50s, suffered minor burns and was able to talk to ambulance staff.
Writing on Facebook, Ms Judson said: "The fridge fell on top of her and saved her life, she's absolutely fine under the circumstances, she's got minor burns to her back, face and arms and her hip might need stitching."
Police, gas engineers, fire crews, paramedics and the air ambulance were all called to the scene just after 08:50 BST.
Search specialists with dogs were also there to make sure there were no trapped casualties.
Residents who had been evacuated have now been allowed home, Northumbria Police said.
Neighbour Tracey Pounder, 51, said: "I heard an almighty bang. I went upstairs and you could see dust rising.
"Half of the semi has gone and next door is wrecked. I came down to see what was happening and it is a complete shock."
Sean Hughes, 40, heard the explosion more than a mile away.  He said: "I saw the window move and the house shook."
Fire crews arriving at the scene took risks to enter the flattened property and did a "cracking job" assisted by ambulance crews, a senior officer said.
Bill Forster, of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The walls of the building have collapsed and the upper sections of the building have come down and the lady was trapped beneath that rubble."
Police said the blast was caused by a gas explosion.
A spokesman added: "It is now understood that the incident occurred as a result of a gas explosion and there was no third party involvement."


A conservationist plans to take flight this autumn alongside thousands of swans as they make a 4,500-mile journey from the Russian arctic to the UK.

Sacha Dench will fly by paramotor - paragliding with a propeller strapped to her back - to get as close as possible to flying as the swans do.
Each night she will land close by to observe their habits and hazards.
She hopes to shed light on the steady decline of Bewick's swans whose numbers have halved in the last 20 years.
The first part of the journey will take her across the Russian tundra, a desolate land of extreme weather and home to polar bears, bears and wolves.
There were no roads for the first 1,000km which meant a ground support crew was not an option, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Ms Dench, a former free-diving champion, must rely instead on good weather forecasting and nomadic reindeer breeders for help, and will sleep in small huts built by hunters for shelter.
She will meet communities along the swans' flight path across 11 countries, including reindeer herders, farmers and hunters.
A main aim of the expedition was to show the world the "amazing flight" that birds did, linking wetlands between the Arctic tundra and the UK, she said.
She said swans which arrived at her workplace at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Gloucestershire needed safe passage all the way from northern Russia and fewer were making it in the last two decades.
"It's crucial that we act now before it's too late," she said.
Naturalist and TV presenter Sir David Attenborough said the Flight of the Swans expedition was "marvellously imaginative and adventurous".
"That swans should fly from Russia to come here is surely a kind of parable - we can live in harmony with nature and it's up to us to do so."
Actress Dame Judi Dench, who was contacted by Ms Dench after a family member found out they were related, said: "Flight of the Swans is absolutely fascinating, full of adventure and passion. I'm proud to support it.
"We need to work together if we're to help these beautiful birds, and I am looking forward to following the expedition."


England head coach Eddie Jones says his staff will learn from their Team GB counterparts as they try to usurp New Zealand as the game's dominant force.

Jones' side have won a Grand Slam and completed a 3-0 series whitewash of Australia since he took charge in 2015.
The Australian's staff are to meet with GB's Olympic hockey, judo and cycling coaches as they look for improvements.
"We need to coach better so our staff have been working very hard investigating other sports," he said.
"With Great Britain doing so well at the Olympics, there are a number of sports to look at and learn from."
Team GB won 67 medals at Rio 2016 to finish second in the table ahead of China.
The women's hockey team, coached by Danny Kerry, won gold for the first time by beating defending champions the Netherlands in a dramatic penalty shootout.
Jones said: "If you look on face value at the talent in that team compared to the Holland team, it's probably not as great so his ability to create such a dynamic and hard-working team is fascinating."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Jones says he would be happy for his staff to join next summer's British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, should they be chosen by Warren Gatland.
Wales boss Gatland will name his backroom staff on 7 December, with England forwards coach Steve Borthwick and defence coach Paul Gustard both contenders.
"It's a great opportunity for them to learn from Warren, who is one of the most experienced coaches in the world," said Jones.
Media playback is not supported on this device


Olympic champions Helen Glover and Heather Stanning powered to victory in the women's pair at the British rowing trials at Caversham.

The duo, racing competitively together for the first time since their London 2012 success, built up a sizeable lead before easing off in the final 500m.
Polly Swann, who won world gold with Glover last year, and Jess Eddie were second in cold but sunny conditions.
Olympic champion Alex Gregory and Mo Sbihi won the men's pair.
The trials saw rowers compete against each other individually or in pairs over 2,000m at the team's Caversham base in a bid to impress selectors before the squad for the European Championships in Belgrade is named on 14 May.
Before the trials, GB chief coach Paul Thompson decided to break up the Glover-Swann partnership and reunite the former with Stanning, who returned to rowing in December after a year with the army, which included a six-month stint in Afghanistan.
That decision was vindicated as the Olympic champions moved five seconds clear of Swann and Eddie after 1500m before dropping the pace and edging across the line in a time of seven minutes 56.08 seconds, 1.14 secs clear.
"They were tough conditions out there," Glover, 29, told BBC Sport.
"We gave a bit away in the second half of the race but when you have the lead, all have to do is not make mistakes. We didn't push too hard to the line - it was more about securing the win today."
Stanning, who finished 22nd in the winter trials in December, delivered a particularly impressive performance considering the short amount of time the 27-year-old has spent in a boat since winning gold in London.
"It was brilliant to be back racing with Helen," said Stanning. "It feels like old times, but at the same time it's so refreshing because we've both learnt new things while we've been apart."
Thompson and GB performance director Sir David Tanner will analyse the data from the trials and then decide whether to do more seat racing in training before naming the squad for the European Championships, which start on 28 May.
The men's pair was a tensely fought contest, with Gregory and Sbihi edging a race-long battle with Andy Triggs Hodge and George Nash by 0.82 seconds.
"Going to the line, it was a real push," said Gregory, who scored his second win at trials following success in 2009.
"I could feel Mo had loads left in him, so it was just about calling him to go at the right time. It's the perfect way to start the season and it signals the end of the winter, which honestly was pretty miserable - it always is."
Charles Cousins defended his title in the men's single, with Graeme Thomas taking second and Peter Lambert third. Alan Campbell finished third but was disqualified for arriving at the start late and then false starting, which resulted in two yellow cards.
Vicky Thornley won the women's single, with Fran Houghton, who won the winter trials, second and Beth Rodford third.
In the lightweight events, Olympic champion Kat Copeland, who won gold with the now-retired Sophie Hosking in the double sculls, marked her return competitive racing with a dominant victory in the single, beating Imogen Walsh by six seconds.
Copeland said: "It was really good to be back racing again and in some ways a bit of a relief. I found this quite tough mentally last year after London 2012 and I was nervous ahead of the race, but I actually really enjoyed it.
"There was some really good racing and a lot of good girls in the team, so there's a great opportunity to put a new double together."
In the men's equivalent, James Kirwood won ahead of Will Fletcher and Peter Chambers.


A senior woman politician in India has reacted angrily after a rival described her as "worse than a prostitute".

Ms Mayawati, an icon to millions of low-caste Dalits, has demanded the arrest of Dayashankar Singh for his outrageous comments.
Within hours of making the remark, Mr Singh was expelled from PM Narendra Modi's BJP party in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, reports say.
He has now apologised for his remark, but Ms Mayawati says it is not enough.
Ms Mayawati has been the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, four times and is an MP now.
The state is getting ready for key regional elections early next year and Ms Mayawati is leading her Bahujan Samaj Party's campaign there.
Mr Singh was one of the vice-presidents of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) in the state.
"Mayawati is selling tickets [to candidates seeking to contest polls]... She gives tickets to anyone who gives her 1 crore rupees [10m rupees which is $148,786 or Â£112,992]," Mr Singh told reporters on Wednesday.
"If someone comes with 2 crores in the afternoon, she gives him a ticket. If somebody comes with 3 crores in the evening, she dumps the previous candidate and picks him. Her character is worse than that of a prostitute," he added.
An angry Mayawati hit back in the parliament.
"Everyone calls me behenji or sister even in the parliament," she said. "What that BJP leader has said, he has said to his sister and his daughter. The country will not forgive the BJP for this."
In an attempt to do damage control, senior BJP leader and India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley apologised to Ms Mayawati in the parliament.
"It is not right and I condemn the use of this word and if a person has said this, we will investigate. I express personal regret. I associate with your dignity and stand with you," he said.
The party also quickly sacked Mr Singh and ordered him to apologise.
Ms Mayawati, however, appears far from pacified and has demanded the arrest of the BJP politician.
The Dalit politician, who is famous for building statues of herself and other icons from her community, has a huge following.
In two parks in the state capital, Lucknow, and Noida, a suburb of Delhi, there are nearly a dozen statues of Ms Mayawati and more than 75 stone elephants - the symbol of her party.


A cyclist has been killed after a crash with a car on a Derbyshire road.

Police said a 46-year-old man died after the collision which happened at 17:30 GMT on Sunday on the B6039 Chesterfield Road, Hardstoft.
A representative from the force said the driver of the car, a blue Suzuki, had been interviewed by officers.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or saw the vehicles prior to it are asked to contact Derbyshire Police.


Police Scotland is facing a £25m budget overspend by the end of the financial year, official figures have revealed.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) heard on Tuesday the deficit was £14m more than predicted.
The force, with an annual budget of £1.1bn, said it was working with the government on "potential options for managing the financial position".
Revised figures included £11.3m of identified savings which had "not been deliverable in the current year".
SPA director of financial services, Janet Murray, told a meeting of the board they were "considering all options" to save money.
A spokesman for the authority added: "The financial update scrutinised by the SPA today highlights a projected overspend of £25m for the current financial year. It was explained that this is directly linked to a number of anticipated savings not being realised as planned and therefore are unlikely to be achieved in 2015/16.
"Members sought assurances from Police Scotland that everything possible was being done to mitigate against any overspend. The board also requested an update on current budget planning in the coming weeks as well as sight of the longer-term financial plan by the end of the year."
Deputy Chief Constable Neil Richardson, of Police Scotland, said the current financial year had been "the most challenging for us".
He added: "We continue to work with the SPA to identify savings on top of those already achieved across the entire cost base of policing and continue to liaise with Scottish government on this issue.
"Our commitment to delivering effective and responsive policing to our communities is our priority, against a backdrop of having already achieved savings which are the equivalent of three legacy forces.
"Savings achieved in 2015-2016 will bring that amount to the equivalent of the budgets of four legacy forces. We remain on track to deliver savings to the public purse of £1.1bn by 2026."
The Scottish government said "strong progress" had been made towards the police reform savings target.
A spokesman added: "In previous years, Police Scotland and the SPA have successfully worked together to identify further savings and close any notional gaps, and savings targets were met in the first two years of reform.
"We will continue to work closely with both organisations to ensure policing in Scotland continues to perform effectively and efficiently."
Scottish Conservative justice spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell said the "damning" report "confirms the crisis within Police Scotland".
She added: "It dispels any notion that a single police force was going to result in significant savings. This was one of the SNP majority government's main reasons for arguing in favour of a single force.
"The Scottish Conservatives consistently called for a full business case to be published. The folly of the SNP's refusal to do so is now evident.
"Once again, rank and file officers who have such a difficult job to do are being undermined by the incompetence of the SNP government."
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Alison McInnes said "serious concerns" were raised at the time of the creation of the single force regarding Police Scotland's ability to make projected savings.
She added: "SNP ministers have always insisted that Police Scotland's finances were on track despite evidence to the contrary."


McDonald's is recalling millions of fitness wristbands that it bundled with Happy Meals after customers complained of skin irritation and burns.

The fast-food chain sold more than 32 million meal boxes containing the plastic "Step-It" bands across North America.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has urged customers to "immediately take the recalled wristbands from children".
McDonald's has issued an apology.
The devices were promoted as devices that would encourage and measure active lifestyles. One counts how many steps the wearer has made, while the other blinks lights when detecting that its user is walking.
The CPSC said McDonald's had distributed the wristbands across the US and Canada between 9 and 17 August. It received more than 70 complaints of skin irritation from customers, including seven reports of skin blistering.
Both devices came with translucent plastic wristband straps, each in a range of three colours.
Those who return the item to McDonald's will be offered a replacement toy and either a yogurt tube or bag of apple slices.
Terri Hickey, a spokeswoman for McDonald's, said: "Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our customers, which is why upon learning about concerns with these bands we acted swiftly to stop distribution of these toys."
She added: "We apologise to our customers who were impacted and for the inconvenience this recall has caused."
McDonald's restaurants in the UK did not distribute the bands.


Drivers on the Night Tube are to be balloted over strike action as part of a long-running dispute over pay and jobs.

The RMT union said it was balloting members over a block on career progression, which it said had been imposed by London Underground.
It said Night Tube drivers had been prevented from moving into vacant full-time jobs.


Three men have pleaded guilty to the theft of the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign from the Auschwitz death camp, Polish prosecutors have said.

Under a plea bargain, the men - two Poles and a Swede - accepted prison terms of between 28 and 32 months.
The sign was recovered cut into three pieces three days after its theft in December last year.
Of the six million people, mostly Jews, murdered in the Nazi Holocaust, one million were killed at Auschwitz.
It is now up to the Polish court to decide whether to accept the deal and sentence the men without trial, an outcome considered likely.
The Swedish man, Anders Hoegstroem, is known to have neo-Nazi ties.
A spokesman for the prosecutors' office in Krakow said Mr Hoegstroem had admitted his role in the theft.
"After having pleaded not guilty during the investigation, Hoegstroem admitted his guilt," prosecutor Robert Parys told AFP news agency.
"Under a plea bargain with prosecutors, he accepted a penalty of two years and eight months in prison. He will serve his sentence in Sweden."
He was initially thought to be the mastermind of the theft, but Mr Parys said a second Swede, so far unidentified, was behind the offence.
"In our investigation we have uncovered evidence indicating the possibility that a Swedish citizen on Sweden's territory might have instigated another Swedish citizen to commit a crime connected with the theft of the Arbeit Macht Frei sign," Mr Parys was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
The two Poles, identified as Marcin A and Andrzej S, accepted prison terms of 30 months and 28 months respectively.
Three other Poles were convicted earlier this year for stealing the sign and are serving sentences ranging from 18-30 months.
The theft of the 5m (16ft) wrought-iron sign, which stood above the entrance to the death camp, caused outrage in Poland, Israel and elsewhere.
The slogan, which translates as "Work sets you free", symbolises for many the atrocities of Nazi Germany.


A lack of adequate breath-testing equipment has delayed the introduction of stricter drink-driving laws.

Police are waiting for new equipment from the Home Office before the lower limits can be enforced, a Stormont department has confirmed.
A government committee heard that it could be 12 months before the new breathalysers are approved after "rigorous" testing.
The new laws, passed in April 2016, lower the limits by almost 40%.
Currently, the law allows for up to 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath or 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.
The new laws reduce those limits to 22 microgrammes and 50 milligrammes respectively.
These limits are lower than those enforced in England and Wales, but in line with those in Scotland.
The new laws would also introduce a breath-alcohol limit of nine microgrammes for drivers with less than two years experience on the road and some professional drivers.
However, an official from the Department of Infrastructure told MLAs on Stormont's infrastructure committee last Wednesday that obtaining equipment that can test reliably for the lower limits is a "key remaining issue" in implementing the new laws.
"At the moment, the PSNI uses testing equipment that has gone through a rigorous Home Office-type approval process, but it needs new equipment to test reliably at the new lower limits," said Donald Starritt.
"While we know that the Home Office is working to approve the new devices, we cannot, unfortunately, be specific about a timeline for when they will be available for the police to use."
Mr Starritt added that testing the new devices can take six or seven months.
"Realistically, it could be 12 months, but we are looking at ways of accelerating that.
"At the same time, we need to be 100% sure that the equipment and processes we use are defensible and reliable."
A Department of Infrastructure spokesperson confirmed that current breath-testing equipment used by the PSNI was "not suitable for testing at the new lower limits".
"New equipment is therefore needed and this requires 'type approval' from the Home Office," said the spokesperson.
"The home secretary has been contacted in efforts to move this forward and relevant officials continue to liaise with their Home Office counterparts.
"At this stage, however, a date for the introduction of the new arrangements cannot be confirmed."


Cadbury has upset some fans of its Fruit and Nut bar by adding sultanas to the recipe as well as raisins.

After 90 years in production, the firm said sultanas had been included "to add more variation" and "ensure it's still an affordable treat".
But some chocoholics accused Cadbury of putting cost - sultanas are cheaper than raisins - ahead of taste.
Cadbury came under fire earlier this year when it altered the recipe for its Creme Eggs.
The packaging for Fruit and Nut will not change, and Cadbury said that in tests, only 10% of people could tell the difference between the old and new versions.
In a statement, it said: "While raisins have actually traditionally been the 'fruit' of Cadbury Fruit and Nut, sultanas have been brought into the fold to add more variation.
"It's important we have a flexible supply of the dried fruit we use in our famous Fruit and Nut bars to both retain quality and ensure it's still an affordable treat."
But some customers took to Twitter to vent their anger at the change, which will appear on the shelves at the end of November.
One user Simon Barry wrote: "I hate Cadburys for changing the fruit and nut. Damn the American ownership ruining perfectly good sweets!"
Another, Ria Gregory, wrote: "Actually disgusted Cadbury's would think it's OK to put sultanas in Fruit and Nut."


A coroner has ordered an inquest into the death of a 47-year-old man at a care home near Ashford, Kent.

Paul Chin, from Margate, died after spending 10 months at Woodchurch House care home in November 2015.
His family has been campaigning ever since for an investigation into the circumstances of his death.
The care home's management said it "welcomed the interest" and several professional bodies had "found no evidence of wrongdoing".
In January Mr Chin was admitted to the care home, from the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, to recover from a bedsore.
He died 10 months later, with acute chronic kidney infection being given as the cause of death.
Craig Mackinlay MP, who represents South Thanet, said: "I'm very concerned about what happened with Paul Chin. He went in as an ill man but came out dead."
A pre-inquest review is to be held on 7 December at Canterbury Crown Court.


A former Ontario fertility doctor is facing allegations he used his own sperm to impregnate at least two patients.

Daniel and Davina Dixon and their daughter Rebecca filed a civil lawsuit this week in an Ontario court against Dr Norman Barwin.
They decided to take legal action after learning this year Rebecca was not Mr Dixon's biological daughter.
They are seeking punitive and other damages against the doctor.
The Dixons contacted Dr Barwin in 1989 to help them get pregnant.
According to the statement of claim filed on Tuesday in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Dr Barwin collected a sample of Mr Dixon's sperm, which the couple believed was used in the successful treatments.
Rebecca, now 26, was born in 1990.
"From the time of Rebecca's birth and into her childhood, teenage, and young adult years, Rebecca, Daniel, and Davina believed that Rebecca was Daniel's biological daughter," the document says.
They began to suspect a possible mix up when Ms Dixon saw a Facebook post in February about how it was unusual for two individuals with blue eyes to give birth to a child with brown eyes.
"She was concerned because she and Daniel have blue eyes and Rebecca has brown eyes," says the statement of claim.
The family had both a blood test and a DNA test performed. They confirmed there was no chance Mr Dixon was Rebecca's father.
They began to dig into Dr Barwin's history. He was sanctioned in 2013 for artificially inseminating three patients with the wrong sperm at his Ottawa clinic.
They also noticed "Rebecca bore an uncanny physical resemblance to Dr. Barwin".
A few months later, Rebecca Dixon connected online with Kathryn Palmer, 25, who had discovered in 2015 that Dr Barwin was her biological father. Ms Palmer's parents were also Dr Barwin's patients.
Both women underwent a second DNA test. The results indicated they were half-sisters.
The Dixon family lawyer alleges it is possible Dr Barwin used his own sperm to impregnate other patients and that she will seek to certify the claim as a class action lawsuit if more people come forward.
None of the allegations against Dr Barwin have been proven in court and his lawyer said a statement of defence will be filed in the coming weeks.


Adrian Purtell left the office of a top London cardiologist on Wednesday feeling like the luckiest man alive.

The 28-year-old Australian had been given the all-clear to resume his professional rugby league career, just 10 months after suffering a heart attack.
He admits he may still not play on for much longer, but counts every game he is able to play now as a blessing, after hearing the words from the specialist that he had been hoping for.
"I just thought get in," he said. "I expected the news as he told me in December that I was going well, but I knew his opinion, and my health could have changed since then."
I got a call from the Bradford Bulls centre as he walked through the doors of his home late on Wednesday evening after his train journey back from London. It is a home still covered in get well soon cards after a day last May that changed, and almost ended his life.
Those moments in Huddersfield were the worst. That was the worst time. I felt so lost and alone
Bradford had been beaten by rivals Leeds on a baking hot afternoon at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium - part of the sport's "Magic Weekend" that sees an entire round of fixtures played in one stadium over 48 hours.
Purtell had played and showered before starting to feel unwell as he left the changing rooms and boarded the team coach. "It is a blur," he recalls. "All I remember is a tough game, a disappointing game and then some pain in my chest. The next thing I know I'm in a hospital in Huddersfield and then in an ambulance back to the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI)."
He thought he was either severely dehydrated, feeling heartburn or suffering a random illness after a brutal 80 minutes of rugby league.
"The team doctor sat me down at the front of the bus and put me on a drip and oxygen," he stated. "I could see on the boys faces they were all shocked and worried but nobody could have expected what happened."
The coach got as far as Huddersfield before staff realised the extent to which his health had deteriorated. It pulled off the M62 at Huddersfield.
"All I remember is being in a hospital room and the doctor coming in, putting his hand on my shoulder and telling me I was having a heart attack," added Purtell. "They called an ambulance and took me back to Leeds."
The doctor's words came as an incredible shock. "Those moments in Huddersfield were the worst," Purtell added. "That was the worst time. I felt so lost and alone. I couldn't believe it. It was so hard to comprehend."
Purtell woke up the next day in the LGI to find his family were already flying over from Australia. His best mate, and room-mate Josh was the first to visit, followed soon after by his team-mates.
"I woke up feeling so healthy," he continued. "I couldn't understand it. I couldn't understand that I could be so ill when I felt fine.
"Then I started to think about my rugby and that my career might be over too. I couldn't understand that either but in hindsight I was just lucky to be alive. It has changed the way I view sport but more importantly life."
His recovery was slow and steady. Purtell was not allowed to train again until December. "It was a really tough period," he said. "My emotions were very up and down. I had some good days and some days when I thought I'd never play again. I thought I'd probably move home."
The Australian revealed the health scare has been a wake-up call for him and his team-mates. "I am young, fit and healthy; I train five times a week and play at weekends," he said. "If it can happen to me it can happen to anyone and the lads realise that."
Purtell is ready for an immediate return but admits he may have to be patient to break back into an in-form Bradford side who are third in Super League. The key, he says, is to try and forget that it ever happened.
"I have made some changes to my lifestyle, improving my diet and staying better hydrated," he added. "But when I play the specialist says I just have to put it to the back of my mind."
His only career goal now is to complete the Bulls contract that he signed. That runs until the end of next season when Purtell will be 29.
"Realistically that might be it for me," he reasoned. "I just want to focus on this season and next with the Bulls and then will reassess and see if I want to carry on.
"At the moment I would love to keep playing but my body may say otherwise. This has been very stressful and my body may not react to sport like it did before."


People around the world have observed a rare celestial event, as a lunar eclipse coincided with a so-called "supermoon".

A supermoon occurs when the Moon is in the closest part of its orbit to Earth, meaning it appears larger in the sky.
The eclipse - which made the Moon appear red - has been visible in North America, South America, West Africa and Western Europe.
This phenomenon was last observed in 1982 and will not be back before 2033.
But the definition of a supermoon is debated among astronomers.
Skywatchers in the western half of North America, the rest of Europe and Africa, the Middle East and South Asia saw a partial eclipse.
From the UK, observers watched the Moon pass through the Earth's shadow in the early hours of Monday morning. In North and South America the eclipse was seen on Sunday evening.
In a total lunar eclipse, the Earth, Sun and Moon are almost exactly in line and the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun.
As the full Moon moves into our planet's shadow, it dims dramatically but usually remains visible, lit by sunlight that passes through the Earth's atmosphere.
As this light travels through our planet's gaseous envelope, the green to violet portions get filtered out more than the red portion, with the result that light reaching the lunar surface is predominantly red in colour.
Observers on Earth may see a Moon that is brick-coloured, rusty, blood red or sometimes dark grey, depending on terrestrial conditions.
Dr Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the UK's Royal Astronomical Society, told BBC News that the eclipse is an "incredibly beautiful event".
A supermoon occurs when a full or new moon coincides with a Moon that is nearing its minimum distance (perigee) to Earth.
The Moon takes an elliptical orbit around Earth, which means that its average distance changes from as far as 405,000km (its apogee) to as close as 363,000km at the perigee.
The coincidence between a supermoon and an eclipse means that Earth's lone companion is expected to look 7-8% bigger. But Dr Massey added: "The definition of 'supermoon' is slightly problematic.
"Is a supermoon taking place at the perigee, the day before, the day after? Does a supermoon have to be a particularly close perigee, or can it be a bit further out? It's not very well defined."
He said a supermoon was to some extent a moveable feast compared with an eclipse, where the timing can be measured precisely.
As a result, Dr Massey explained, claims of the extreme rarity of a supermoon coinciding with an eclipse were overstated.
The supermoon should also not be confused with the Moon Illusion, which causes the Moon to appear larger near the horizon than it does higher up in the sky.
The eclipse began at 00:11 GMT, when the Moon entered the lightest part of the Earth's shadow, known as the penumbra, and adopted a yellowish colour. At 02:11 GMT the Moon completely entered the umbra - the inner dark corpus of our planet's shadow.
The point of greatest eclipse occurred at 02:47 GMT, when the Moon was closest to the centre of the umbra, with the eclipse ending at 05:22 GMT.
The Royal Astronomical Society says that unlike the solar equivalent, a total lunar eclipse event is safe to watch and needs no special equipment.


Public finances over the next five years are looking £27bn better than they were in July, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

The improvement is due to a combination of better tax receipts and lower interest payments on debt, Chancellor George Osborne said in his Autumn Statement.
It means the government can borrow £8bn less over the next five years.
It also means there can be £12bn more investment in capital projects.
The OBR now predicts a small fall in the amount the government will borrow in the current financial year from £74.1bn to £73.5bn. Many analysts had expected the forecast of borrowing this year to increase.
The comparable figure has increased since July because of statistical changes to the treatment of housing associations.
The OBR expects borrowing of £49.5bn next year, £24.8bn in 2017-18 and £4.6bn in 2018-19 before the government moves to a surplus of £10.1bn and £14.7bn in the following two years.
A large proportion of the £27bn improvement in the public finances comes from a correction in the model that the OBR uses to predict the government's VAT take.
It decided that it was being too pessimistic about how much would be raised through VAT.
The effect of correcting this error was considerable: it means an extra £11.5bn by 2020-21, which more than pays for the £9.4bn it is costing the exchequer to scrap its policy of reducing tax credits.
The forecasts for economic growth were barely changed, with the figures for 2016 and 2017 being raised from 2.3% to 2.4% and from 2.4% to 2.5% respectively.
The predictions for 2019 and 2020 have both been cut from 2.4% to 2.3%.
The chancellor said the forecasts remained relatively high despite the expectations for growth in other countries and world trade being revised downwards.
"The weakness of the eurozone remains a persistent problem [and] there are rising concerns about debt in emerging economies," he said.
The full OBR report shows that without the policies announced in the Autumn Statement, the public finances would have very nearly broken even in 2018-19, a year earlier than the chancellor plans, with a deficit of only £200m.
After taking into account the policies just announced, there is now a deficit of £4.6bn expected.
Presented by Chancellor George Osborne, the Spending Review sets out what government spending will be over the next four years, while the Autumn Statement is an annual update of government plans for the economy.
Special report: Full in-depth coverage of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement
Documents: Link to full Autumn Statement and Spending Review documents via HM Treasury
What it means for you: How the Autumn Statement and Spending Review will affect your finances
Watch: The BBC's TV coverage begins on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel at 11:30 GMT, with BBC Radio 5 Live coverage from 11:55 GMT


Lebanon's army has detained more than 100 Syrians for entering the country illegally following a series of suicide bombings in a border village.

The raids took place at informal refugee camps in the Baalbek region.
On Monday, at least eight bombers blew themselves up in the predominantly Christian village of Qaa, killing five people and injuring almost 30 others.
No group has said it was behind the attacks, but suspicion has fallen on jihadist militants from Islamic State.
IS has carried out previous suicide bombings that have killed scores of people in Lebanon.
Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) cited an army statement as saying that troops had raided Syrian refugee encampments on Tuesday and arrested 103 Syrians "for not having legal papers". Nine motorbikes were also confiscated.
Troops also searched the Qaa Projects (Masharia Qaa) camp for "wanted individuals", according to an NNA reporter in the area.
Masharia Qaa is located outside the village of Qaa, where the mayor advised residents to stay indoors after Monday's unprecedented attacks.
In the first wave of attacks, four suicide bombers blew themselves up one after the other at dawn outside a house in Qaa.
Five people were killed and another 15 wounded, including four soldiers who went to investigate the first blast.
It was not immediately clear who or what the attackers planned to target, but the house was about 150m (490ft) from a Lebanese customs border point on the road linking the Bekaa valley to the Syrian town of Qusair.
In the main square of Qaa, a statue of Saint Elias, holding his sword menacingly, stands tall and imposing.
Emotions are running high in the predominantly Christian border town, where anger is mounting towards tens of thousands of Syrian refugees living in makeshift settlements nearby.
The mayor described the residents of these encampments as "ticking bombs".
As such, the suicide attacks might have been a turning point in the relationship between the Lebanese and the Syrian refugees there; from annoyance to suspicion and accusation.
The consequences for both groups could be dire.
Many residents believe that ultimately the saint will protect the town. But they are not only counting on God's intervention. People openly carry weapons, from guns to rifles, dangling from their waists or in their grasp.
They are vowing to take security in their own hands.
Soon after nightfall on Monday, 13 other people were wounded when another four assailants opened fire and detonated their explosive vests near the Church of Saint Elias, shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest"), NNA said.
People had reportedly gathered at the church for the funerals of those killed that morning.
The army later issued statements calling on residents not to gather anywhere in the area and requesting that the funerals be postponed until further notice.
Baalbek-Hermel governor Bashir Khodr also imposed a curfew on Syrian refugees living in the village and surrounding areas.
"The security situation today is above all considerations," Mr Khodr told the television channel LBC.
The militant Shia Islamist movement, Hezbollah, blamed the attacks on IS and said it was postponing a religious event in Beirut on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, who visited Qaa after Monday morning's attacks, said the border villages formed part of a "fence" for Lebanon. "When a terrorist enters, he can go anywhere," he added.
Mr Bassil, whose Free Patriotic Movement party leads the largest Christian bloc in parliament, called on Sunday for municipalities to ban gatherings or camps of Syrian refugees.
Lebanon has seen repeated attacks linked to the five-year conflict in Syria, where Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to support President Bashar al-Assad.


Nottinghamshire made a solid start in their reply to Surrey's 323 on a weather-affected second day of their County Championship game at The Oval.

Openers Jake Libby fell for 10 and Steven Mullaney 34 as the visitors reached 82-2 at stumps, trailing by 241.
Persistent rain meant play on day two did not begin until 16:15 BST.
Gareth Batty's 28 from 32 balls at number nine secured a third batting point for Surrey, who resumed on 299-8.
Notts required only 6.1 overs to take the bottom club's final two wickets.
Jake Ball (4-85) ended skipper Batty's entertaining cameo by having him caught behind, before Stuart Meaker lobbed a return catch to Samit Patel.
Notts opener Libby was lbw shouldering arms to seamer Ravi Rampaul and captain Mullaney was bowled by a Zafar Ansari delivery which turned sharply to clip the top of off stump.
Michael Lumb, who has hit three One-Day Cup centuries since Nottinghamshire's last Championship outing at the end of May, will resume on 23 not out on day three, alongside Brendan Taylor, who is unbeaten on 13.


All photographs courtesy Abbie Trayler-Smith / Oxfam

Photographer Abbie Trayler-Smith travelled to Iraq with Oxfam to meet two women who have returned to their homes in the village of Bashir which was liberated from so-called Islamic State (IS) earlier this year. Here they describe what happened from the moment IS arrived.
Before this crisis, we were living very well. We had a two-storey house, livestock and a shop. We weren't worried about IS because we were surrounded by military and police. We were careless about it; I never thought they would come to Bashir.
When IS came, my husband was away working repairing electricity pylons. The traditional culture here is that the husband is the head of the family and women don't do anything without their permission. He told me to stay but I saw people escaping from the village on the road so I called him.
The imam was on the speaker telling people not to leave, he was saying that those that leave are cowards; that's why so many people stayed in my village.
My eldest daughter understood what was going on and she was afraid. She was telling me not to listen to her father; they are shooting, we should go. I tried to comfort her and tell her it would be OK and that her father would come and rescue us.
I was afraid because they were shooting and bombing, so I took my children and went to Taza, the next town.
I kept thinking it was the end of our lives and they would kill us. I kept thinking about my husband who was close to the frontlines.
After leaving Taza and going to the mosque, we stayed there for seven months. After that we went to a school building for two months. Then the school year started and we were asked to leave so we went to live in a cattle stable in Leylan where we stayed for a year. The neighbours helped us and gave us food. Nobody knew us, we were strangers there; but they helped us anyway.
I didn't send my son to school because I thought we would come home soon. He lost a year of his education. Even now it's hard for me to send the children to school. They need clothes and books and I have no money.
Every day that I was displaced I was living to come home. When Bashir was retaken I told my husband that I wanted to come back. He said we couldn't because we were fasting and I told him we should go home and fast once we're back.
The first time I saw my house I cried for a long time. My blood pressure went up so my husband took me away. For a month I couldn't come here. I kept thinking to myself that at least I have my husband and children. I kept comparing myself to those that had been captured or killed.
When we eventually came back there were red warning strips all over the house saying there were mines inside but I cut the tape and came inside anyway. I wasn't worried; I can watch where I put my feet. One mine exploded outside my house.
My husband is a barber, but IS destroyed his shop so now he has no job. We spend all of our time building our house. Our nephews help us, and even though it isn't complete yet I decided to bring my children home.
I am happy to be home because it's my home; even if I only eat bread I am happy to be back. I never thought I would get to come back.
The day it all started, my husband had gone to visit the shrines and I was alone baking bread for my family. It was about 8am. There was a lot of shooting in the streets and our house was getting shot. All of the young people were coming out of their houses and making a frontline.
I called my son, who is a policeman working with the emergency forces in Kirkuk, and I asked him to come and save us. When he arrived, I gave him the bread I had been baking and he took it to the frontline for the soldiers and his brother.
I couldn't think straight; I was out of my mind in panic. We took the car and within two hours IS had taken our village.
We went to Taza, the closest town, but we could see that IS was coming very fast, so later we left for Kirkuk. When we arrived in Taza, people there didn't know what was happening. They asked us what was going on and we told them that IS was coming.
IS killed 75 people that day and they did terrible things to the bodies. My youngest son and two nephews died.
We faced so many difficulties when we were displaced. I lost two children from malnutrition. After six months in Kirkuk they got sick and my grandson died of starvation. The doctor told me he was suffering from malnutrition but we had no food.
We were on the streets; what could I do? We were always hurting. We thought maybe we had done something bad in our lives and we were being punished.
The first thing that happened when I came home was someone showed me where my son had died. When I saw where he was killed, I became very sick. I slept for seven days.
Now I am more happy because I am settled and not moving from house to house. I used to own a small shop and I would like Oxfam to help me reopen it. I used to have small window at the back of the house and sell groceries from there."


A man is believed to have drowned while swimming in a reservoir in Suffolk.

The man, in his 20s, got into difficulty at Alton Water reservoir in Tattingstone at about 20:00 BST. His body was later recovered from the water, police said.
The fire service has issued a warning to take care swimming in open water.
"We are asking people to stay safe following a tragic incident at Alton Water near Ipswich last night," they said.
"The best way to stay safe in or near the water is to take some sensible precautions and prevent accidents from happening," the force said on its Facebook page.
"Water is often a lot colder than you expect and it can impact on your physical capabilities. Just because you can swim well in a warm water pool doesn't mean you'll be able to swim well in cold water."
Suffolk Police said the man's death was currently being treated as unexplained "as is standard procedure".
"At this stage there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances," a spokesman added.
Alton Water is a man-made reservoir and water sports centre offering sailing and windsurfing courses.


Five people have been arrested after police raided a squat in a former Brighton pub following reports of someone being badly hurt in a fight.

Officers forced entry to The Lectern in Pelham Terrace, Lewes Road, which had 30 people inside.
Two people received hospital treatment for injuries thought to have been caused at the squat. Several had injuries but refused medical treatment.
Five of the occupants were arrested on suspicion of abstracting electricity.
They included one man who was found hiding in the building after a police search.
Four men aged 25, 21, 27 and 42 and one women aged 21 are in custody.
A Sussex Police spokesman said at the height of the raid, at 10:28 GMT, 20 officers were at the scene.
Officers had been called to reports of three separate incidents of violence overnight on Saturday but no-one from the squat would give any information.
Chief Insp Katy Woolford said the building was in a state of squalor.
"The internal fabric had been smashed, graffiti was sprayed on most walls and fixtures inside were destroyed," she said.
"We have made arrangements for the building to be secured to stop re-entry and to prevent any further disruption to the local community."
Power tools believed to have been stolen from vans in the Brighton are were found during the police search.
Anyone who believes the tools may be theirs is asked to contact Sussex Police.


Four cases of avian flu have been confirmed at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Slimbridge reserve in Gloucestershire.

A total of 18 cases, including these four cases of the H5N8 strain, have been detected across the UK so far.
Measures including disinfectant mats are in place, but the centre remains open as the public risk is deemed "very low", Pete Morris from Slimbridge said.
"This strain of bird flu has never transferred to humans," Mr Morris added.
He said the outbreak was "not unexpected", with the current European outbreak "now being found in all parts of Great Britain".
"We have disinfectant mats at all entrances and exits to the wetland centre, hand washing facilities and vehicle movements on and off the reserve are being restricted," he said.
Mr Morris said staff were looking out for symptoms on the 670-acre (271-hectare) reserve and sending dead birds to the government for testing.
He added they were not seeing unusual numbers of wild bird deaths. Instead, only a few ducks and geese among the tens of thousands of birds migrating and passing through Slimbridge were being affected.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said restrictions implemented by the nature reserve will stay in place until 28 February.


Former Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman will host Channel 4's coverage of the 2015 general election.

Paxman, who quit the BBC programme in June, said: "There are new and interesting questions to ask about the way we choose our governments. This should be fun."
Channel 4 executive Jay Hunt called Paxman "a compelling presenter" adding his "sense of mischief and danger make him a fantastic fit with 4".
The election will be held on 7 May.
Paxman hosted his final edition of Newsnight earlier this year after 25 years  fronting the programme. He is being replaced by Radio 4's Today frontman Evan Davis - who starts on 29 September.
The BBC announced in February that Question Time's David Dimbleby will present his final general election coverage in 2015.
It will be the 75-year-old's ninth general election, since first covering the 1979 results which saw Margaret Thatcher become prime minister.
BBC News presenter Huw Edwards will take over from Dimbleby for future election coverage.


Merseyside Police are investigating allegations that a newspaper article about Everton midfielder Ross Barkley constitutes a "racial hate crime".

Barkley, 23, was punched in a Liverpool bar last weekend in what his lawyer described as an "unprovoked attack".
In an article on Friday, Sun columnist Kelvin MacKenzie compared Barkley - who has a grandfather born in Nigeria - to a "gorilla at the zoo".
Police confirmed they were investigating the "full circumstances".
MacKenzie targeted both England international Barkley and the city of Liverpool in the article - which has since been taken off The Sun website - saying:
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson told BBC Sport he reported the article to the police for a "racial slur".
Speaking to BBC Sport, Anderson said: "Not only is it racist in a sense that he is of mixed-race descent, equally it's a racial stereotype of Liverpool. It is racist and prehistoric."
Anderson later tweeted to say he had reported the article to Merseyside Police and the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
Alongside the article, The Sun published adjoining pictures of Barkley and a gorilla on their website with the caption "Could Everton's Ross Barkley represent the missing link between man and beast?" The picture was later removed.
MacKenzie was editor of The Sun when it published a front-page article headlined 'Hillsborough: The Truth' in the aftermath of the 1989 disaster at Sheffield Wednesday's football stadium.
The article claimed Liverpool fans were to blame for the tragedy, in which 96 people died. MacKenzie apologised in 2012.
Last year's landmark Hillsborough inquests recorded that the 96 fans were unlawfully killed and that Liverpool supporters at the FA Cup semi-final had played no role in causing the tragedy.
This Saturday, 15 April, marks the 28th anniversary of the disaster.
Burnley midfielder Joey Barton, who was an Everton youth player, tweeted: "Those comments about Ross Barkley, a young working-class lad, are disgusting. Then add in the fact he is mixed race! It becomes outrageous."
Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore tweeted: "Implied racism at its finest."
A Sun spokesperson said: "Columnists are supposed to have strong opinions that provoke debate among the readers. However their views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper."
Football's equality and inclusion organisation Kick It Out said they had received complaints about the "insulting and offensive" comments.
"We will be contacting Everton and the PFA about their responses in providing support to Ross and his family," they said.
BBC Sport has contacted Everton and Barkley's representatives for comment.


A mechanic who ran a 'chop shop' which had parts from stolen cars has been jailed for three years and seven months.

Police were alerted to Eamonn O'Malley's car yard by a tracking device from a stolen BMW.
At least 22 stolen vehicles with a combined value of £448,000 had passed through the yard, police said.
O'Malley, 59, of Ivy Road, Tipton, admitted receiving stolen goods and was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
See more stories from across Birmingham and the Black Country here
The court heard officers swooped on the car yard, in Oxford Street, Bilston, on 6 October 2015 after a tracking device inside a BMW, which had been stolen in Stockport the day before, was pinging at the industrial unit.
Officers discovered the 1 Series hatchback surrounded by a mass of stripped down vehicle parts.
An expert vehicle examiner linked the parts to cars stolen from across the West Midlands, Manchester, London, Stoke and Nottingham.
On the day police arrived, CCTV showed O'Malley fleeing the car yard using a ladder to scale the 12ft perimeter wall. He was arrested three days later.
Det Con Lee Plant, said: "We found parts, keys and owners' manuals relating to an Audi Q5, two Porsches, BMWs and a Mercedes.
"O'Malley was providing a market for car thieves across the UK, people who were causing misery and huge inconvenience to motorists."
He was sentenced on 20 January.


An earthquake has been recorded under the Bristol Channel, the British Geological Survey (BGS) has confirmed.

The 4.1 magnitude quake happened at about 13:21 GMT and was felt in Devon, south Wales and Somerset.
The focus was north of Ilfracombe, Devon, and south of the Gower, in Wales, and was at a depth of 3.1 miles (5km).
Devon and Cornwall Police said one caller in North Devon described it as "quite a violent tremor".
The BGS said it had received reports of people feeling the quake in Dartmoor, Bristol, Taunton, Swansea, Llanelli, Exmouth, Barnstaple, Gloucester and South Molton.
Susanne Sargeant, from the BGS, said it was "not unusual" to get quakes in the channel.
"It is an area in the Bristol Channel we know to have seismological action," she said.
"One guy called and said he was in his house when he felt the earthquake - he said it was a bit of a surprise. Things were shaking on the shelves and he ran outside.
"We do see earthquakes here from time to time and the last one was at Hartland Point in 2001 - that's 50km south west of today's earthquake."
By David ShukmanScience editor, BBC News
We rarely think of Britain as vulnerable to earthquakes but its geology is surprisingly volatile.
Today's quake of 4.1 is not all that unusual. According to the British Geological Survey, quakes of magnitude 4 are felt roughly every two years. Stronger tremors of magnitude 5 strike every 10-20 years.
The worst on record was one of 6.1 in the Dogger Bank area of the North Sea in 1931.
Explanations are often hard to come by. Britain's geological history has not left it with neat divisions between tectonic plates.
Instead, the underground patterns of the rocks are highly complex with numerous minor faults, many under strain as parts of the country rise slowly in the aftermath of the last Ice Age.
To put today's quake in context, it is one of nine around the world in the last 24 hours to reach a magnitude greater than 4, a reminder that for many regions earthquakes are a dangerous threat not a curious surprise.
Colin Taylor, who is a professor of earthquake engineering at the University of Bristol, said an event with a magnitude of 4.1 should not cause any significant damage.
"Humans are very sensitive to movement and although it might feel quite noticeable the worse you're likely to get is perhaps cracks in plaster or old masonry," he said.
"These so-called shallow events happen every now and again in the UK and is typically caused by a local fault - under stress - which moves from time to time.
"It is an intra-plate event rather than the inter-plate movement you'd see on something like the San Andreas fault in California."
Rachel Howells, 36, from West Cross in Swansea, said she was sat at her desk working when the building "shook like jelly" and it felt like something had "slammed into the side of the house".
"We are having an extension built on the side of the house and I just thought something had gone wrong with the building work.
"It didn't shake for long, it was more like a hiccup, just this big wobble.
"It didn't make any noise, it was like a shock, just the whole house reverberating, like a van going into the side of the house or something.
"It lasted about two seconds, so it was hardly anything really."
Reports on Twitter talked of one building in Bridgwater "swaying" during the quake while others said it was felt as far away as Taunton.
Ruth O'Malley, in Swansea, tweeted that there was a "definite rumble" from the quake and Ilfracombe Museum tweeted "the ground definitely shook just now".
Mid Wales Fire Service said it had received several calls while Avon and Somerset Police said it had not had any calls about the earthquake.


ITV show Britain's Got Talent will not be investigated by the broadcasting watchdog over a sword-swallowing act that drew 33 complaints.

Regulator Ofcom ruled the performance, by Alexandr Magala of Moldova, was "in line with audience expectations".
It also rejected suggestions the act might lead to copycat behaviour.
"The repeated warnings and clear references to the inherent danger of the act meant it was very unlikely that audiences would attempt to copy it."
Magala is no stranger to the ...Got Talent format, having previously appeared on the US, French, Italian, Russian and Ukrainian versions of the show.
The 26-year-old also performed at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014 prior to his ITV debut on 9 April.
Audience members screamed and covered their eyes as the Magala slid down a pole with a sword lodged in his mouth, coming to a stop an inch above the ground.
"I actually thought you were going to die," judge Simon Cowell admitted after the act was put through to the next round of the competition.
The impresario later described Magala's oesophageal exertions as "the most dangerous act... ever seen on Britain's Got Talent".
The same programme drew three complaints over its language, another three relating to animal welfare and another related to "generally accepted standards".
These complaints will also not be investigated, according to the media regulator's latest broadcast and on demand bulletin.


The world's biggest music label Universal has struck a deal to release much of the late musician Prince's private archive.

Universal said the deal gave it exclusive licensing rights to Prince's "highly anticipated trove of unreleased works".
It  has also acquired the rights to 25 albums that Prince released through NPG Records, the label that he founded.
The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
However, last October, reports emerged that the unreleased music was up for sale for $35m (Â£29m).
In a statement Universal Music Group said it had reached a multi-year agreement with the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson and NPG Records.
Under the terms of the deal it will be collaborating with the estate "with regard to Prince's vault of prized unreleased works from throughout his career, including outtakes, demos and live recordings".
Prince, who died in April 2016, was renowned for the many songs he recorded and  then kept in the basement at his Paisley Park home in Minneapolis.
He was the only person with the code to open the safe.
From next year the new deal also gives Universal US rights to certain Prince albums released between 1979 and 1995.
Universal's executive vice president, Michele Anthony, said it was an honour "professionally and personally to be entrusted with these cherished recordings, including his storied 'vault' of unreleased music, and to partner with his estate and heirs to preserve and expand Prince's legacy".
Over the course of his career Prince sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. His number one hits included Purple Rain, Let's go Crazy and Kiss.


Four indoor arenas are to host seven sports if Birmingham's bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games is successful.

The Genting Arena would host badminton and the Barclaycard Arena artistic and rhythmic gymnastics. Both have a 9,000 capacity.
Symphony Hall would have weightlifting and para powerlifting. Three halls at the NEC would also be used.
Birmingham faces competition from Liverpool to be England's official bid for the games.
A final decision will be made before the end of the year.
NEC Hall 1 with a capacity of 3,900 would have boxing and the 2,800 Hall 4 judo and freestyle wrestling.
Table tennis would be in Hall 5 with a capacity of 3,950.
The Commonwealth Games Federation has been searching for a new host for the 2022 games since it decided in March that Durban, in South Africa, had not met the criteria for hosting.
Birmingham City Council deputy leader and Birmingham Commonwealth Games Steering Group chair Ian Ward said: "We have undertaken a rigorous process to identify the venues which meet the Games' technical requirements and ensure we meet the athletes' and spectators' needs.
"These world class indoor arenas are central to our bid and contribute to the 95% of Birmingham's venues which are already available."


Hundreds of jobs are set to be axed at Rolls-Royce factories in the UK under plans for a worldwide cutback, it has been announced.

Derby, where it employs about 12,000 workers, will bear the brunt of the cuts, with about 300 jobs set to go.
Another 140 jobs are set to be lost at its plant in Ansty, Warwickshire.
The proposed job losses are among 2,600 worldwide scheduled for the next 18 months, mostly from the firm's aerospace division.
Roll-Royce said restructuring of its turbine business would lead to the possible closure of a site in Derby and one at Ansty.
More than 150 jobs are also set to go at factories at Inchinnan, Renfrewshire; Barnoldswick, Lancashire and Hucknall, Nottinghamshire.
A spokesman for Rolls-Royce said: "As part of this restructuring process we're looking to make the best use of all our facilities.
"This would result in the closure of our turbine blade machining facility at Ansty and the precision machining facility in Derby during 2017.
"It is never an easy decision to make changes and propose reductions in our workforce, but it is a sign of the increasingly competitive market in which we operate.
"The measures we have outlined to our employees will contribute towards Rolls-Royce becoming a stronger company in the long term."
Unite union officer Tony Tinley said: "These cuts are a huge loss of skills to the UK economy and will result in Rolls-Royce outsourcing high-tech manufacturing jobs overseas to plug the skills gap
"There is a real danger that Rolls-Royce is making decisions in the short-term which it will later regret, and it needs to give a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies."
The union said the engineering firm needed to give assurances over its long-term future in the UK.
The company's UK staff are employed at four locations in the East Midlands, as well as 1,500 at five sites in the North West and 2,400 employees at six locations across Scotland.
Rolls-Royce said the job losses would cost it Â£120m over the next two years, but would bring "annual cost benefits" of Â£80m once implemented.
The company said voluntary redundancy would be offered wherever possible.


A man in his early 20s is in a critical condition in hospital following a car crash in County Donegal.

It happened on the road between Moville and Londonderry at about 00:30 local time on Saturday.
The man has been transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast from Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry.
Six people were in the car at the time. A woman in her 30s was treated in hospital for injuries not thought to be life-threatening.


The head of MI5 has said he is hoping for a mature debate on intercepting communications data, rather than accusations of mass surveillance.

Andrew Parker said the service was not seeking "sweeping new intrusive powers" but rather a framework that "reflects the way that technology has moved on".
He also said the scale of the terrorist threat in the UK was at a level he had not seen in his 32-year career.
A draft bill updating state surveillance powers is due next week.
BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said Mr Parker's comments, made at the Lord Mayor of London's annual defence and security lecture, was "part of a broader campaign by spies and police to make their case ahead of the new bill".
Mr Parker used his speech to highlight the need for surveillance powers to be brought in line with modern technology.
"Today the conversations of our adversaries are happening on a bewildering array of devices and digital platforms, often provided by companies based overseas," he said.
"And an increasing proportion of such communications are now beyond our reach - in particular with the growing prevalence of sophisticated encryption."
He said MI5 needed the tools to access terrorists' communications online "just as much as we intercepted written communications and telephone calls in years gone by".
Sifting through large amounts of data - such as phone records - and even hacking into computers was increasingly vital, he argued.
But he said he recognised the need for greater transparency.
Mr Parker stressed that "we do not, and could not, go browsing at will through the lives of innocent people".
He said: "We use these tools within a framework of strict safeguards and rigorous oversight, but without them we would not be able to keep the country safe."
He also said the threat posed by Islamic State militants - also known as Isil - "shows no sign of abating" after more than 750 British extremists travelled to Syria.
Mr Parker said six attempts at terrorist atrocities in the UK had been thwarted in the last year.
"We are seeing plots against the UK directed by terrorists in Syria; enabled through contacts with terrorists in Syria; and inspired online by Isil's sophisticated exploitation of technology," he said.
"It uses the full range of modern communications tools to spread its message of hate, and to inspire extremists, sometimes as young as their teens, to conduct attacks in whatever way they can."


Passengers are facing disruption after Yorkgate station in Belfast was "extensively vandalised" overnight.

Translink said platform one was closed until further notice and Belfast-bound passengers on the Larne line should travel on to Central Station and change back to Yorkgate.
The ticket office at the north Belfast station has also been closed.
Translink offered a Â£1,000 reward for information which leads to a successful prosecution.
"We have a zero tolerance approach to antisocial behaviour ," the train operator added.
Police received reports of vandalism at 05:45 BST and officers are at the scene.


Drive out along Seoul's riverside highway and you pass mile after mile of concrete apartment blocks - blank beige towers built to house the capital's burgeoning population, the block numbers painted in giant letters on their outside walls.

Owning a piece of this concrete landscape has become increasingly important to Koreans, and the banks that fund them.
After the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, banks turned their attention away from company loans towards private credit. Families were their new target customers.
Since then, household debt in South Korea has grown by an average of 13% a year, almost twice as fast as the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
It has now reached more than 800 trillion won ($750bn; Â£469bn), equivalent to 150% of disposable income.
The surge in household debt has the government worried, not least due to a stagnation in the real-estate market.
"The property market was seen as good bet," says Lee J Ernst, of Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC).
He says mortgages would typically have a two-or-three-year repayment holiday built in at the start, during which the property could be expected to rise in value, and so be sold at a profit before any payment was due.
"That was fine as long as property prices kept rising," he says,
"But currently that doesn't work, the market is stagnating," he adds.
Mr Lee adds that as the markets begin to stagnate, people are finding themselves caught out.
He says that they are unable to sell their property for the price they paid.
To make matters worse for the consumers, they are facing steep interest payments as well.
More than 90% of Korea's loans have a variable interest rate, which means when interest rates here rise, so do family bills.
The Bank of Korea recently raised interest rates to try to curb inflation, which is currently running above the government's target range.
But that means families here have even less to spend.
And at a time of falling demand in the West, Korea's economy, half of which relies on exports, could use a boost at home.
The government is trying to slowly tighten banks' lending to prevent a downward spiral.
The FSC says it sees the current levels of household debt as "broadly manageable".
But, it says: "We cannot rule out a possibility that [it] would turn into threats to Korea's economy and financial markets unless we take pre-emptive measures."
In April, it re-tightened debt-to-income limits for mortgages, and plans to issue incentives to encourage more borrowers to switch to fixed-rate loans.
The risk is families with low-credit ratings will have to look elsewhere for loans.
A report by Samsung's Economic Research Institute (SERI) found credit-card spending went up by almost 10% last year, with more cards being issued, and more loans and cash advances being taken out.
More families, it said, had multiple credit cards and multiple credit-card loans, increasing the risk attached.
In June, the government announced measures to curb credit-card companies' excessive expansion, and is bringing in new tax incentives to encourage families to use debit, rather than credit, cards.
But SERI says the poorest households have more than twice the average credit-card debt. They are likely to be the ones caught in the middle of the credit crunch.
The government says it is aware of the need to protect low-income households and has announced plans to bring in extended repayment windows and micro-credit programmes to help off-set the tightening of liquidity.
Credit spending on merchandise fell slightly in the first quarter of 2011, compared with a 4.4% increase during the previous three months.
Household loans are also growing more slowly than before.
But as financial watchers here point out, with demand falling abroad, this is a transition that needs to happen slowly to avoid precipitating the very crisis Korea's trying to avoid.


A four-year-old boy is in a serious condition in hospital after falling from the window of a flat.

The child fell from a property in Lewiston Drive in the Summerston area of Glasgow at about 17:00 on Thursday.
He was taken to the city's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where his condition was described as serious.
Police said inquiries were under way to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. Officers could not confirm which floor the boy fell from.


A woman has admitted screaming racial abuse at a pregnant Muslim woman after footage was posted online.

Simone Joseph, 36, of Willesden Green, branded Hanane Yakoubi and her two friends "Isis bitches" on the 206 London bus in Brent on 13 October.
She also threatened to kick pregnant Ms Yakoubi in the stomach so she would "never have children again".
Joseph pleaded guilty to causing racially aggravated distress at Hendon Magistrates' Court.
She will be sentenced on 13 November.
The court heard the mother-of-three accused the women of having "bombs up their skirts" and shouted at them to go "back to your own country".
In a statement read to the court, Ms Yakoubi said: "As a consequence I find it difficult to sleep and cannot take medication because I'm pregnant.
"Every time I go out I'm afraid I might find myself in this situation as something similar has happened on a bus on another occasion because I am Muslim."
Prosecutor Darren Watts said the verbal abuse, described as constant swearing, continued for about five minutes with other passengers "shocked and distressed by the footage".
The driver stopped the bus to try to stop Joseph but she carried on, the court heard.
Mr Watts said the incident was reported to the police after the footage was posted on social media.
Tony Meisels, representing Joseph, said: "She is appalled, shocked and disgusted by what happened on that day. She wants to convey her regret to the victims."


Cambodia has restarted passenger train services on one route after a gap of some 14 years.

The first service set out on Saturday from the the capital Phnom Penh for the tourist areas of the south-west coast.
The service, which will run only on weekends, had a VIP on board - the veteran Prime Minister, Hun Sen.
"The train and railway were almost totally destroyed by war more than 40 years ago," he wrote on Facebook.
"Because our country is now at peace, we have the opportunity to rebuild our transport infrastructure."
The journey from Phnom Penh costs around $7 (Â£4.80) and takes eight hours. It will run to and from the coast once a day from Fridays to Sundays.
The country has hundreds of kilometres of track, but very little is open, after decades of neglect.
Cargo services restarted three years ago, along small stretches of track.


Officials in Colombia say the alleged leader of a powerful criminal gang has been killed in a police operation.

Prosecutors accuse Juan de Dios Usuga and his brother Dairo Antonio of jointly leading the Urabenos gang, which controls much of the drug-trafficking in the north of Colombia.
Police say Juan de Dios Usuga, 44, was shot dead as officers tried to arrest him at his ranch in Choco province.
A police officer was killed in the 30-minute firefight.
The security forces continue to search for Dairo Antonio Usuga.
'Inside information'
Police said an informant told them Juan de Dios Usuga would be celebrating New Year's Eve at his ranch in Casa Verde, in north-western Choco province.
They deployed a special operations team to the area, which moved in on the ranch in the early hours of Sunday morning, local time.
The security forces said Mr Usuga and his bodyguards opened fire and shot a policeman as he was jumping off the helicopter.
They said Mr Usuga was killed in the exchange of fire which followed. Three suspected gang members were injured and arrested.
Ten warrants had been issued for Mr Usuga's arrest for alleged crimes including murder, forced disappearance and forced displacement.
Prosecutors say the two Usuga brothers control a 500-strong criminal gang named Los Urabenos after the area in northern Colombia where they have their roots.
Dairo Antonio is believed to have been at the ranch as well, but managed to escape from the police.
Los Urabenos is one of the groups the Colombian government calls Bacrim, short for bandas criminales (criminal gangs).
President Juan Manuel Santos says the gangs pose a grave danger to the security of Colombia and has made the fight against the Bacrim one of his government's priorities.


Dame Judi Dench has been announced as Surrey Wildlife Trust's new patron.

The Oscar-winning actress is specifically backing a project aimed at securing the future of Nower Wood, as an "outdoor classroom" for generations.
The ancient woodland, in Leatherhead, serves as a wildlife and environmental education site for pupils from primary to A-Level age.
A fundraising drive aims to raise Â£470,000 to rebuild dilapidated classrooms.
Dame Judi said: "As a local Surrey resident with a love of wildlife, I'm delighted to be supporting Surrey Wildlife Trust and its Nower Wood New Build Project.
"I also recognise the importance of outdoor education and the need to inspire the next generation about wildlife and conservation."


National League strugglers Kidderminster Harriers have signed Bristol City goalkeeper Max O'Leary on loan until the end of the season.

O'Leary, 19, made his senior Robins debut against Premier League side West Brom in the third round of FA Cup.
He goes straight into Harriers' squad for Saturday's trip to Lincoln City.
He joins a Kidderminster side battling to avoid relegation, bottom of the table and 12 points from safety with nine games left to play.
Meanwhile, Zaine Francis-Angol and Gurjit Singh have been called up for international duty.
Midfielder Francis-Angol is in the Antigua & Barbuda squad for their upcoming CFU Caribbean Cup qualifiers against Aruba and St Kitts & Nevis.
Striker Singh has been included in an initial Punjab FA squad for their upcoming 2016 ConIFA World Championships in May and June.


Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe has tweeted support for his namesake - a disabled rook from Gloucestershire.

Russell Crow was rescued from the road by Helen Motteram and now lives in her home as one of the family.
When the Gladiator star saw their story online, he took to Twitter to say how "cool" it was and offer "some new songs" for the bird.
He tweeted: "Haha cool, what a nice lady Helen is to look after the poor blighter."
With crooked feet and unable to fly, the bird was at first mistaken for a crow and named in honour of the actor.
Since then, the cheeky rook has taken over Helen's home - sleeping in her bedroom, stealing her phone chargers and hiding her jewellery.
But his antics, and jealousy of Helen's husband, have also made him a minor celebrity - with his fame now reaching the Hollywood star himself.
Helen said she was "amazed" when she found out Russell Crowe was a fan.
"I tweeted Russell about a month ago saying Russell [the rook] would love to hear from him - but I didn't hear back," she said.
"I love his films and we named Russell after him so I've going to tweet him back to say he would love to meet him in person or get an autograph."
The bird, she said, can "print with his feet" and "hold a pen" so if the actor would like an autograph in exchange, it could be arranged.


The European football scene was dominated by an ingenious Barcelona penalty and a Paris St-Germain defender's ill-advised video this weekend.

Lionel Messi's decision to pass his spot-kick sideways for Luis Suarez to complete a hat-trick provided an extraordinary talking point as the La Liga leaders beat Celta Vigo 6-1.
Meanwhile, PSG right-back Serge Aurier was suspended indefinitely after appearing to use homophobic language to insult coach Laurent Blanc during a chat with fans on a social media site.
Juventus went top of Serie A for the first time this season as their remarkable push for the title continued, while Bayern Munich reasserted their dominance in the Bundesliga.
But what about the more off-beat tales from around Europe this weekend? BBC Sport rounds up the stories you may have missed.
When Iker Casillas made his tearful exit from Real Madrid last summer, one could have been forgiven for wondering whether the Spain international would recover from his obvious heartbreak.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper left the Bernabeu after 25 years, 725 appearances and 17 major trophies to join Porto.
But, apart from the odd blip, Casillas is enjoying his new life in Portugal.
On Friday he inspired a memorable 'O Classico' victory as Porto claimed their first victory at arch-rivals Benfica for four years.
Casillas made a string of superb saves as the visitors won 2-1, leaving them three points behind second-placed Benfica.
Meetings between Benfica and Porto hold such significance because they are the two most successful clubs in Portuguese history.
The pair have won the past 13 league titles between them - but their duopoly looks to be under threat.
Sporting Lisbon - the other member of Portugal's 'Big Three' - are currently three points clear of Benfica following a 4-0 win at Nacional on Saturday.
The last time that Sporting were crowned champions? All the way back in 2002 - when Cristiano Ronaldo was still among their youth ranks and yet to make his senior debut.
Julian Nagelsmann made history last Thursday when, at the age of 28, he became the youngest manager in Bundesliga history.
He was scheduled to take charge of relegation-threatened Hoffenheim at the end of the season, moving up from his role as the club's under-19s coach, but his appointment was brought forward as Huub Stevens stepped down because of health problems.
A centre-back in his youth, Nagelsmann's hopes of a playing career were ended in his late teens by knee problems. He went to university to study business administration, before beginning a career in youth coaching.
Nicknamed 'Mini Mourinho' by former Hoffenheim keeper Tim Wiese, his reign started with an unspectacular 1-1 draw against relegation rivals Werder Bremen on Saturday.
On-loan Leicester forward Andrej Kramaric put Hoffenheim ahead but was later sent off. Nagelsmann's side remain deep in trouble.
Remember Unlucky Alf from The Fast Show? Paul Whitehouse's mishap-prone northern English pensioner was never able to negotiate an episode of the 1990s BBC sketch show without coming to grief in some way or other. One week a passing truck would splash him with mud, the next he would fall into a hole.
Well, if there is one person who suffers even more misfortune than Unlucky Alf, it is Holger Badstuber.
The Bayern Munich and Germany defender, who has lost two years of his career to a knee injury, was ruled out for a further three months when he fractured his ankle in training on Saturday, with nobody anywhere near him.
Badstuber, 26, tore his cruciate knee ligament in 2012, then suffered a repeat injury six months later, missing the 2014 World Cup - which Germany won without him.
He returned to competitive action early last year, only to suffer a thigh muscle injury in April which kept him out for another six months. It was hard to argue with the Bayern Munich statement that referred to his latest injury as "unbelievable bad luck".
As a show of support, Bayern's players wore T-shirts bearing the phrase: "Wir sind bei dir. Du schafft es wieder." That translates into English as: "We are with you. You can do it again."
The Athens derby between AEK and Olympiakos is usually good for a bit of incident, and Saturday's top-of-the-table Greek Super League meeting was no exception.
Olympiakos are certainties for the title, having dropped just two points in their first 21 league games this season. But match 22 saw their unbeaten run ended with a 1-0 defeat by their city rivals - with three red cards thrown in for good measure.
The runaway league leaders finished with nine men after Alberto Botia was dismissed early in the second half for a professional foul, and Luka Milivojevic was shown a second yellow card for a handball that gave AEK a 78th-minute penalty.
Diego Buonanotte hit the post with the spot-kick, but Ronald Vargas converted the rebound to give victory to AEK, who were reduced to 10 players late on when Rodrigo Gallo was dismissed.
Not that it is likely to make much difference in terms of the title destination: Olympiakos are still 16 points clear with 24 left to play for.
Legend - or, more accurately, myth - has it that the 16th century explorer Sir Walter Raleigh once laid his cloak over a puddle to prevent Queen Elizabeth I from getting her feet wet. For such an act to have worked, Sir Walter would have required either a shallow puddle or a very absorbent coat.
Fast forward roughly 430 years, though, and there is a tale of genuine selflessness to be found in modern-day Italy.
Striker Stephan El Shaarawy was lining up on the pitch before Roma's Serie A match at Carpi on Friday night, when he noticed that the mascot in front of him was shivering in the cold.
Without hesitation, the striker took off his tracksuit top and gave it to the young girl to keep warm. She was left with a souvenir to show off to her mates, while Roma went on to enjoy a 3-1 victory.
Everyone was happy - well, apart from Carpi, who could probably do with El Shaarawy's tracksuit top to cover their eyes so that they don't see a league table. Fabrizio Castori's team are next to bottom, five points from a position of safety.
And with Valentine's Day falling on Sunday, what better way to finish than with a tale of Love? Vagner Love, that is.
The Brazilian striker had not scored for Monaco since has move from Corinthians last month. He picked the perfect day to put that right.
It was certainly good timing. His side were a goal down to St-Etienne with six minutes left when he struck to save a point in a 1-1 draw.
The result leaves Monaco second in Ligue 1, a mere 24 points behind Paris St-Germain with 12 games to play. So, in summary: Love may conquer all, but probably can't win you the French league.


Robotics and AI have "huge potential" to reshape the way people work and live, but the government needs to do more to address the issues raised by such technology, says a report.

MPs on the Science and Technology Committee have called for careful scrutiny of the probable ethical, legal and societal impact.
They want the government to establish a commission to look at the issues.
That will include new skills for humans as artificial intelligence takes jobs.
Others, such as Tesla boss Elon Musk, have gone further - declaring AI to be the biggest threat to the survival of the human race.
Acting Science and Technology Committee chairwoman Dr Tania Mathias said: "Artificial intelligence has some way to go before we see systems and robots as portrayed in films like Star Wars.
"At present, 'AI machines' have narrow and specific roles, such as in voice-recognition or playing the board game Go.
"But science fiction is slowly becoming science fact, and robotics and AI look destined to play an increasing role in our lives over the coming decades.
"It is too soon to set down sector-wide regulations for this nascent field, but it is vital that careful scrutiny of the ethical, legal and societal ramifications of artificially intelligent systems begins now."
British company DeepMind, which is owned by Google, has more than 250 research scientists working on AI at its London headquarters.
It has created a machine capable of beating one of the world's greatest Go players and is currently working on developing an artificial hippocampus - the part of the brain believed to be responsible for memory and creativity.
In its submission to the committee it said: "The impact of AI will reflect the values of those who build it. AI is a tool that we humans will design, control and direct and it is up to us all to direct that tool towards the common good."
DeepMind recently, along with Facebook, Amazon, IBM and Microsoft, set up the Partnership on AI, a group aiming to address concerns about where the technology is heading.
But Dr Mathias said: "This does not absolve the government of its responsibilities."
So far, the government had failed to show "leadership" on the issues, she said.
Dr Mathias wants the commission, which MPs said should be set up at the Alan Turing Institute, "to identify principles for governing the development and application of AI, and to foster public debate".
"It is conceivable that we will see AI technology creating new jobs over the coming decades while at the same time displacing others," she said.
"Since we cannot yet foresee exactly how these changes will play out, we must respond with a readiness to re-skill and up-skill.
"This requires a commitment by the government to ensure that our education and training systems are flexible, so that they can adapt as opportunities and demands on the workforce change."
TechUK, the body that represents UK technology companies, welcomed the report.
"Like all new powerful technologies, robotics and AI will bring great changes, and it is essential that they are used in a way that enhances the lives of ordinary people and strengthens the society that we live in," said Sue Daley, head of big data and analytics at TechUK.
"Business, academia, citizens and government all have a role to play in ensuring we have an informed and balanced debate about the potential impact of these new technologies and how we can ensure we all benefit from their development and use."


A police officer who admitted making 1,400 indecent images of children has been jailed for 12 months.

South Yorkshire PC Lee Lucas, 39, of Prince of Wales Road, Sheffield, also sent "suggestive and flirtatious" messages to vulnerable women.
He admitted eight counts of making indecent images and one of misconduct in a public office at a previous hearing at Sheffield Crown Court.
Lucas shared thousands of messages with eight women during 2013.
The women, some of which were also visited by Lucas, had contacted the force in relation to various incidents including harassment and domestic abuse, the court heard previously.
Lucas, who has been a PC with the force since 2010 and was based at Rotherham Police Station, was found to have had "excessive and unexplained contact" with the women after an internal investigation.
The inquiry also led police to discover he had 1,400 indecent images of children on his computer, the force said.
He was suspended by the force in October following his conviction.
Terry Mann, head of professional standards at South Yorkshire Police, said: "I would like to reassure the public that Lucas was the most serious case out of a very small number of officers who made improper contact with such victims.
"They have all now been dealt with."


A pensioner who drove without a licence for 45 years has been fined after police caught her using a fake.

Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard that 71-year-old Mary Burke's fake licence was so convincing, she had received penalty points for speeding in 2002.
She pleaded guilty to driving her Mercedes without a licence along with a breach of the Identity Documents Act.
She was fined Â£750 by Sheriff William Gallacher, who called her actions "utterly wilful".
During a hearing in April, prosecutor David McDonald described how the pensioner, who lives in Dumbarton, had handed over a document she claimed was her licence after being stopped by police during a routine traffic stop in November.
However, when officers later checked it against their database, they discovered she only had an expired provisional licence.
Defence agent Virgil Crawford told Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday that his client had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and had been given between six months and two years to live.
Sheriff Gallacher banned her from driving for a year and told her that he would have fined her Â£1,000 had it not been for her guilty plea.
He added: "You were utterly wilful in relation to your decision to be driving.
"You knew you were not entitled to drive and, in order to protect and preserve a pretence of normality, you had this document in your possession, for some period of time, so you could simply flout the Road Traffic Act."
He said driving tests showed that people had "the experience, quality and ability to drive" but that she ignored it, adding: "You said, 'that doesn't apply to me, I'll just drive anyway'.
"This is a very serious matter."
After leaving court, Mary Burke said she never planned to drive again.


The Istanbul derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce has been postponed amid security concerns following Saturday's suicide bomb in the Turkish capital.

Four people died in Saturday's attack on Istiklal Street, a popular shopping area, while another 36 were injured.
Hours before kick-off the Istanbul governor's office said Sunday's match "has been postponed after the evaluation of credible intelligence".
"It comes at the request and agreement of the teams," the authorities added.