A man from Liverpool has been remanded in custody charged in connection with the seizure of £300,000 worth of herbal cannabis.

It was found in sealed bags in a lorry on the Moorfields Road, Ballymena, County Antrim, in May last year.
James Kennedy, 25, from Adelaide Road, Kensington, Liverpool, was arrested in Manchester airport on Friday.
A detective constable told the court she believed the defendant was part of an organised crime gang in England.
She understood the gang was bringing drugs into Northern Ireland for supply in the Republic of Ireland.  She said she had serious concerns about the lifestyle of the defendant.  He was arrested as he returned from a six-week stay in Barcelona where his aunt lives.
The detective constable told the court that mobile phone records suggested he had been in Dubai, New York and the Bahamas.
"It doesn't add up to what he earns - £250-£300 a week," the court was told.
A defence lawyer said the only evidence that the prosecution case had was a fingerprint on a box found in the lorry in Ballymena.  There was no DNA from the accused on any of the bags of cannabis.
Police confirmed there was nothing to link him to the driver of the lorry who is currently on bail.
The court heard there was an innocent explanation in that Mr Kennedy was a car mechanic and handles a lot of boxes. The  court heard he had a personal sum of money amounting to £32,000 for a car which he later sold for £17,000.
Bail was refused.  Mr Kennedy is due to appear in court again on 2 February.


I would not presume to say I knew Gary Speed as well as those sporting greats who have readily paid tribute to him.

But I am proud to say I had dealings with him as a player and a manager - a privilege not enjoyed by hundreds of thousands who share in the grief of his passing.
Years ago, I remember travelling to a Wales game in Wrexham and hearing that manager Terry Yorath had called up an unknown to the squad from Leeds United. That "unknown" was Gary Speed.
He was on the bench that night, but two years later, he underlined what would be his unstinting commitment to Wales.
On the Saturday he played for Wales Under-21s against Poland at Merthyr - then the following day made his senior debut for Wales at Ninian Park in a win over Costa Rica.
That was in May 1990 and began an enduring relationship with his country which went beyond being just a player, but as a captain on 44 occasions and later as Wales team manager.
85 times Speed played for his country. You might be forgiven for not remembering a game where he stood out. More appositely, it is almost impossible to remember him having a bad game.
He was a footballer's footballer and off the field - in the words of his Leeds manager Howard Wilkinson - ''a consumate bloke".
Blessed with enviable good looks, he appeared to take the trials of a footballer in his stride and as a media man I never found him anything but courteous.
As a young man he was the face of a leading fashion shop. But fame and wealth appeared not to alter him.
I remember being on a plane heading away with the Wales squad and there were no seats left in the area restricted for the team. Speed had no compunction - he came up to the back to sit with the media.
More recently as Wales manager, he had a difficult press conference before the game with Norway as the GB Olympic team issue dominated the agenda.
Speed took it in his stride - then afterwards gladly gave a birthday tribute to Kevin Ratcliffe.
My last interview with Speed was after the Norway game. His father and son had been in the same room as the Wales manager beamed at another fine win for the team he revitalised.
It was, as he had predicted in Dublin airport the day after his first game at the helm - a 3-0 reverse at the hands of the Republic of Ireland.
The morning after that defeat, he'd strolled across the departure lounge to give me a pep talk about not being so disappointed after another Wales setback.
It would, he said, take him a while to turn things around, but his team would be ready for the World Cup qualifiers to start next autumn.
He has been as good as his word. Who takes on Speed's work now in such tragic circumstances is, appropriately, for another time.
But no-one should forget his contribution to Welsh football as a loyal player, a true leader and a manager who has brought renewed hope and expectation to the national team.


A teenager has been found guilty of killing two men at a travellers' site.

The Old Bailey jury convicted Nelson Smith, 18, of murdering Barry Street, 32, at West Meadows, Ipswich.
He was found guilty of the manslaughter of Nathan Oakley, 18. He had been charged with murder but the jury returned a verdict of guilty of manslaughter due to a lack of intent.
Smith denied the crimes and claimed he acted in self defence. He will be sentenced on Friday.
LIVE: Updates on this story and other Suffolk news
Smith, of  West Meadows, Ipswich, was found not guilty of possessing a "bladed article".
During the trial, it was heard a row had broken out at the travellers' site.
Mr Street had smashed a caravan window with a can of Red Bull which prompted a violent confrontation between the partner of Smith's father and Mr Street's partner, it was heard.
A post-mortem examination revealed Mr Street had wounds to his back and neck.


A date has been set for the trial of a former Southampton Football Club youth coach who faces child abuse charges.

Bob Higgins, 64, of Litchfield Road, Southampton, appeared at Winchester Crown Court earlier charged with 65 counts of indecent assault against 23 boys, all aged under 17.
The alleged offences took place between 1970 and 1996.
Mr Higgins, whose first name is Robert, did not enter a plea but a provisional trial date has been set for 9 April.


If reports are true and Barcelona have compiled a "detailed dossier" on Derby's 17-year-old midfielder Will Hughes then they must have filled a few pages on the back of his recent performance against Leeds.

Hughes was the deserved man of the match after tearing the Yorkshire side to shreds during Derby's 3-1 win in a match played in front of the television cameras earlier this month.
There was his wonderfully disguised threaded pass that led to Conor Sammon putting the Rams in front and a stand-out mazy run with the sort of tight control that hinted at a youth spent playing futsal. Countless times he knitted his team's play together; always finding space, always willing to take possession and shoulder responsibility.
In among the trickery and the attacking flair, what really caught the eye was a surging run back towards his own goal that eventually led to a sliding tackle - and with it the end of a promising Leeds attack.
It is the sort of form that has seen Hughes linked with a host of top-flight clubs and named as the Football League young player of the month for November.
Hughes was presented with his award at Derby's Moor Farm training ground on Thursday morning, his bleach blond hair standing out against the grey December sky.
It was his first award as a professional footballer and comes during a period of astounding progress for the modest and intelligent youngster.
Last season he made two substitute appearances and one start for the first team. So far this season he has started every Derby fixture apart from the away game at Bolton in late August when he came on as a substitute.
There has been no sign of the inconsistency that tends to affect many young players in their breakthrough season and his ability to last the duration of a match has improved throughout the campaign.
"'Just give him the ball', that is what we tell the lads," Derby boss Nigel Clough told BBC Sport. "They have the confidence to give him it all over the pitch.
"People say 'is he really only 17?'. It is like having a senior pro in the team. His composure belies his age and there are not many 17-year-olds in the country playing to the standard that he is; it sets him apart."
Hughes's instantly recognisably hairstyle might hint at a man keen to thrust himself into centre stage, but in conversation with him what stands out is his modesty and willingness to learn.
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He loves to watch Spanish football, trying to pick out little bits from the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta, in particular their decision-making on the ball.
Ask him to describe his best qualities as a footballer and the answer comes slowly, Hughes eventually opting for his technical and passing ability. Ask him what he can improve and the answer flows - his weaker foot (right), which he is working on after training, the physical aspects of his game, his strength and his speed.
Hughes made his debut for the England Under-21 team in November as a substitute in their fixture against Northern Ireland. In doing so he became the second-youngest player to represent the U-21s after Arsenal's Theo Walcott.
Given that Hughes went into pre-season focused on claiming a regular place on the bench, it is unsurprising that he is still trying to come to terms with the speed of his progression.
"This season has been a whirlwind," said Hughes. "It is weird how fast everything has happened for me, I just could not see that. Over the last 12 months everything has rocketed. I still try to find time to keep in touch with my friends but it is difficult."
Hughes, a former pupil at Repton School, has just passed his driving test and has private tutoring at the club, studying A-levels in business studies and politics. He is trying to retain a sense of normality off the pitch.
Yet such has been his progress that he is already on his second professional contract - the initial deal he signed when he turned 17 quickly superseded by a new one in October that runs until 2015.
England Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce
"Will's technically a very sound player. He rarely gave the ball away in training or in the game he played [against Northern Ireland], which is vitally important at international level. He's progressing really well."
Derby academy director Darren Wassall
"For a 17-year-old to be playing in the first team of a Championship side is very unusual. I bet there are not many 17-year-olds playing at the level Will is week in, week out."
Derby manager Nigel Clough
"To do what he has done at 17-and-a-half just goes to show the potential that he has got. "
The danger is obvious. Increasingly he is being linked with top Premier League clubs - Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal among others - and Clough is clearly aware of the need to protect his player, to monitor his development and keep him grounded.
"One of the biggest dangers is money," added Clough. "Once you put money into the hands of a 17-year-old, no matter how intelligent and mature they are, there is a chance of it going the wrong way."
Clough has told Hughes that if he can get this season and the next right, if he can keep focused and continue to improve, then money and all the other trappings commensurate with the modern footballer will look after themselves.
But Clough admits that Hughes seems so mature that he sometimes has to remind himself just how young the attacking midfielder is; still technically a minor who is not old enough to legally buy alcohol.
Hughes has a Twitter account, the mini-bio section of which simply reads 'Happiness is the key'. Why nothing about being a footballer?
"I do not want to put anything about football or seem arrogant. I'm still a 17-year-old lad and I have not done anything yet," he said.
That is not strictly true. In matter of months he has gone from relative obscurity to one of the hottest young properties in the Football League.
On Friday the Derby Academy, where most of his peers still play, breaks up for two weeks. There will be no such chance for Hughes to relax as he excitedly looks forward to his first Christmas as a professional.
He will spend the evening of 25 December in a hotel close to Burnley ahead of their game on Boxing Day against the Clarets. Will he spend the evening reading Barcelona's detailed dossier?
"That is all a bunch of lies, rumours, as are all the stories about me. I get told about them but they just go straight over my head," Hughes added.
BBC Sport will be taking a closer look at stories from outside the Premier League before every weekend league programme in our Football League Friday features.


The main suspect of ploughing a truck into a department store in central Stockholm, killing four people, had been denied residency in Sweden and had expressed sympathy for so-called Islamic State (IS), police and reports said.

Rakhmat Akilov reportedly ran from the scene still covered in blood and glass, and was arrested hours later in a northern suburb of Stockholm.
He has yet to be identified by police, who have only said that the man in custody is a 39-year-old Uzbek national.
Even so, a picture of the man allegedly behind the attack has started to emerge: someone who had failed in his bid to get residency, lost his job and was hiding from police who wanted to deport him.
Bumping into a former colleague earlier this year, he revealed he was spending his days "sleeping and smoking".
According to reports, he had left a wife and four children behind in Uzbekistan in order to earn money to send home.
He had applied for residency in 2014, but had been informed in December 2016 that "he had four weeks to leave the country", police official Jonas Hysing said. He did not leave and, in February, was officially put on a wanted list.
A few months earlier, it is claimed he had lost his job after falling asleep at work.
He had been working in construction, and was employed by Pierre Svensson for several weeks late last year, helping on an asbestos removal project.
Mr Akilov was, he said, "a reserved person".
"He didn't stick out. He did his job. You can't say he was very sociable, we just told him what to do and he did it. He didn't speak much Swedish," he told news agency AFP.
Mr Akilov was also described as not being particularly religious. One has suggested he "partied and drank", which goes against strict Islamic doctrine.
"He never talked about politics or religion," one friend told Swedish daily Aftonbladet. "He didn't pray five times a day from what I know."
A co-worker agreed, telling news agency Reuters: "He was like any normal guy."
Online, it seems, it was a different story.
His Facebook page - which has since been taken down - is linked to a number of extremists through friends and featured at least two propaganda videos linked to IS, one reportedly showing the aftermath of the Boston bombing.
He also liked a page called "Friends of Libya and Syria", which says it aims to expose "terrorism of the imperialistic financial capitals" of the US, British and Arab "dictatorships".
However, he was also a fan of pages dedicated to Playboy magazine and Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova.
Despite all this, Mr Akilov was not considered a threat by Swedish security services, who dismissed him as a "marginal character", apparently on the fringes of larger extremist movements.


A man has been found guilty of the murder and robbery of a college student "when a drug deal went wrong" in Essex.

Francis Nsiangangu, 31, who was known as Casper, died after being stabbed at least twice in Tower Hill, Brentwood, in September last year.
Bernard Ampaw, 19, of Wombridge Road, Telford, Shropshire, was convicted of murder and robbery following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Two other men were cleared of murder. Ampaw will be sentenced next month.
During the seven-week trial, the court heard Mr Nsiangangu was actively involved in the supply of cannabis.
His attackers ran off with his backpack, which contained cannabis, before he collapsed and died on the pavement.
Clive Mundoma, 19, formerly of High Street, Brentwood, was found guilty of robbery but not guilty of murder.  Along with Ampaw, he was warned by Judge Charles Gratwicke to expect a long sentence.
Wilson Lourenco, 19, of Cheviot Gardens, Chelmsford, was acquitted of murder and robbery.


Appeal judges have been urged to overturn the conviction of a former boarding school worker found guilty of child sex abuse after his suicide.

Darren Turk, 54, hanged himself while on trial accused of 16 offences against boys at Frewen College in Northiam, East Sussex, between 1996 and 2002.
He was found guilty of 10 out of the 16 offences.
Judges reserved their decision after hearing an application for permission to appeal against the conviction.
Unmarried Turk is understood to have been the first person in England to be convicted of offences following their death.
Live: More news from Sussex
He was a member of care staff and later head of care at the boarding school, but was not a teacher.
The appeal case - at the Court of Appeal's criminal division in London, was brought by his mother Jasmine Botting, 76, from Etchingham, who has maintained his innocence.
Sally-Ann Hales QC, representing Mrs Botting, told Sir Brian Leveson, Mr Justice Jay and Mr Justice Garnham, that the application concerned the effect of her son's death on criminal proceedings in the crown court "and in particular the validity of guilty verdicts returned by the jury after his death".
She submitted that criminal proceedings should abate on the death of an accused at whatever stage the trial has reached.
Sir Brian said the case raised a "really important issue of criminal law".
He said: "We can recognise that for the victims, the pronouncement of the verdicts, at least in certain cases, was a vindication of their evidence."
But he emphasised: "Nothing we decide in any sense should be taken as removing their appropriate feelings of vindication."
The question the court had to decide was whether "as a matter of criminal law and practice, it is either justifiable or right that once a defendant has died the case should continue in any form".
The judges reserved their decision, which will be given on a date to be announced.


Firefighters will be sent to treat people at the scene of accidents before paramedics arrive, in a pilot scheme.

At present, fire crews administer basic medical care as and when it is needed.
Under the new plan, launched on Tuesday, crews will get additional training and will be deployed to treat casualties in instances where they are closer than paramedics.
Ambulances will still be sent, but firefighters will help people until they arrive.
All three fire services in Wales are taking part in the project, which runs until June, in conjunction with the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service has begun, with the mid and west Wales and north Wales services to follow suit in the new year.
Greg Lloyd, head of clinical operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: "If our fire service colleagues can get to a scene before one of our ambulances they can begin to deliver life-saving treatment - that's only going to improve that patient's chance of surviving."
Firefighters will be trained in basic life support, CPS and how to treat a casualty who is bleeding heavily.
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service's assistant chief fire officer, Richard Fairhead, said: "We would like to reassure residents across Wales that there will be absolutely no reduction in emergency response and service delivery, either from the fire and rescue services across Wales or from the Welsh Ambulance Services Trust, during the pilot period."
Fire engines will not be sent to these calls in north Wales. Instead, a car, staffed with two firefighters and containing medical equipment, will be deployed.
It will not have blue lights and will drive to the scene within the speed limit.
Incidents where they could be used include cardiac arrests, people who are unconscious or choking and casualties suffering from "catastrophic bleeding".
Across the UK, 43 fire services have taken part in similar pilot schemes and a review will be held at the end to determine its success.


Loyalist killer Michael Stone must serve at least another five years in jail.

A court has ruled that Stone serve the rest of his sentence for the 1988 Milltown Cemetery attack.
Stone had served 12 years of a 30-year term for the three murders at Milltown and three other sectarian killings.
He had been released on licence as part of the Good Friday Agreement but was jailed again for trying to kill Sinn Fein leaders at Stormont in 2006.
Stone was jailed for 16 years for the attempted murders of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness and other offences including possessing explosives.
The convicted killer had claimed to have been engaged in an act of performance art when he went to Stormont on the day Ian Paisley and Mr McGuinness were due to be nominated as Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers.
He was armed with knives, an axe, garrotte and a flight bag containing explosive fireworks, flammable liquids, a butane gas canister and fuses.
Stone, who suffers from hereditary motor neuropathy, was overpowered after trying to ignite the bag and throw it into the main foyer.
In 1988, Stone launched a gun and grenade attack on the Belfast funeral of three IRA members shot dead by British special forces in Gibraltar.
Three mourners - Thomas McErlean, John Murray and Kevin Brady - were killed and more than 50 injured.
Stone was also convicted of the murders of three other Catholic men - Patrick Brady, Kevin McPolin and Dermot Hackett - between 1984 and 1987.
Monday's court decision means the 58-year-old may not even be considered for release until March 2018.
Speaking in the court, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan said of the murders: "There are serious aggravating factors. The effects on victims will live with them forever.
"The learned trial judge recommended a minimum term of 30 years before he should be considered for release and I agree. The appropriate minimum term in this case should be 30 years."


Researchers say they have found a way to hack an internet-enabled carwash and make it "attack" users.

They warned criminals could easily exploit the Laserwash car washes, making their doors close too early or their roller arms crush the tops of cars.
They also claimed the manufacturer PDQ ignored warnings about the risks for two years.
PDQ said it was urgently investigating the issues.
Laserwash installations can be remotely monitored and controlled by their owners via a web-based user interface.
However, in a presentation at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, Billy Rios of security firm Whitescope and Jonathan Butts from the International Federation for Information Processing showed how easily the system could be hijacked.
Firstly, they warned that Microsoft no longer supported the washers' Windows control systems, so hackers might be able to exploit hidden loopholes.
More worryingly, they managed to hack into an actual carwash by using the default password "12345".
Once logged in they found they could control it in a dangerous way.
"We've written an exploit to cause a car wash system to physically attack; it will strike anyone in the car wash," Mr Rios said.
In their talk the pair showed how they would be able to close carwash doors on a car entering the washer.
They also showed how they could make the roller arms "come down much lower" and crush the roof of a car, provided there were no mechanical barriers in place.
The pair shared their findings with PDQ in February 2015, but the firm only replied to their emails this year.
In an email to The Register website, PDQ spokesman Todd Klitzke said the firm had alerted its customers.
"As we have advised, all systems - especially internet-connected ones - must be configured with security in mind.
"This includes ensuring that the systems are behind a network firewall, and ensuring that all default passwords have been changed."


Fifteen members of a tribal security force have been found shot dead in a volatile area of Pakistan's north-west, officials say.

The men were abducted last month near North Waziristan, a Taliban stronghold.
A Taliban spokesman told the BBC the killings were to avenge an army offensive in a neighbouring area.
The killings come amid reports that Taliban factions have agreed to halt attacks on Pakistani forces in order to focus on US-led troops in Afghanistan.
The men's bodies were found in the Spin Tall area of North Waziristan on Thursday morning,  local residents told the BBC. They were members of the Frontier Constabulary, a provincial police force that operates in Pakistan's tribal areas.
Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told the BBC that the killing of 12 Taliban fighters during an army operation on 31 December in the Khyber tribal district prompted the militants to kill the men they were holding.
They had been kidnapped in a Taliban raid on a check post in the town of Tank near North Waziristan a week earlier.
The Taliban spokesman added that the government had taken a "very dangerous, un-Islamic and unethical step" by capturing the female family members of the militants killed in the 31 December offensive in Khyber.
"We warned them to release them as soon as possible otherwise consequences will be very harsh but unfortunately they turned a deaf ear to our warning," he wrote in an email to the BBC.
He also warned of further attacks to retaliate against a military operation launched in northern parts of Balochistan province recently.
The violence also comes amid media speculation that there have been peace talks between elements of the Taliban and the Pakistani government.
The Pakistani Taliban is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians and security personnel over the past few years, but there has not been a major militant attack in the country for several months.
The army has several anti-militant operations ongoing in the tribal areas close to the Afghan border.
The US has put pressure Pakistan to step up the fight against those militants in north-west Pakistan who launch attacks in Afghanistan, and in recent months has accused parts of Pakistan's security establishment of backing such insurgents.
Pakistan has vehemently denied the charges, adding that the country faces significant internal threats from militancy.


Northern Ireland Water has provided information on when water supplies will be temporarily cut off and when they are expected to be restored.

Up-to-date spreadsheet lists of affected areas in the east of NI are available for the east of they city here: Water resupply times - East - updated 10-15  and, in the west of Northern Ireland at Water resupply times - West - updated 11-15am
Up-to-date information is at Northern Ireland Water.
Water is available at the locations listed below. People are asked to bring their own containers. Showering and washing facilities are also listed.
Antrim: Shower facilities will be available at Antrim Forum from 0715 on Thursday, and at Randalstown and Crumlin Community Centres from 1000 GMT on Thursday.
Ards: St Columba's Leisure Centre, Portaferry, open between 1600 and 2200 GMT for showers but is not supplying water for collection.
NI Water is providing static tanks at Donaghadee and Kircubbin Community Centres.
Armagh: On Thursday, supplies will be available from Orchard Leisure Centre between 0900 and 2000 GMT, from Keady Community Centre, Richhill Recreation Centre and Tandragee Recreation Centre between 1000 and 1800 GMT, from Ardmore Recreation Centre and Cathedral Road Recreation Centre from 1100 to 1800 GMT, and Markethill Amenity Centre between 1000 and 1615 GMT.
Coleraine: Leisure Centre will open until 2200 GMT on Thursday 30 December and 1700 GMT on Friday 31 December. Bottled water available - a 10 Ltr limit applies. The public can also avail of showering facilities and fill up on 'mains' drinking water. Please bring along your own clean containers. Borough Council's offices, Portstewart Road open until 1900 GMT on Thursday 30 December and 1700 GMT on Friday 31 December.
Moyle: Ballycastle Leisure Centre is open for showers from 0800 to 2100 GMT on Thursday.
Ballymena: Fresh water and showers are available at Seven Towers Leisure Centre from 0700 to 1800 GMT on Thursday. Drinking water supplies will also be available from Woodside Road, Broughshane and Pennybridge Industrial Estate between 0900 and 1700 GMT and from Ballykeel Depot, Larne Rd, between 1000 and 1800 GMT. Additional showers or washing facilities are available free of charge at Wellington Court Public Toilets, from 0900 to 1730 GMT, and The People's Park, from 0900 to 1700 GMT, daily.
NI Water is providing static tanks at Cushendall and Dunloy.
Ballymoney: Ballymoney Leisure Centre open for showering facilities.
Ballynahinch: Water, showers and toilet facilities available from Ballynahinch Leisure Centres between 1000 and 1800 GMT to people who bring their own containers.
Banbridge: Drinking water available from NI Water depot on Huntly Road, car park at Dromore Community Centre, car park at Rathfriland Community Centre, Turley's Hardware Shop, Dechomet, Biggerstaff's Garage, Kinallen.
Shower facilities at Banbridge Leisure Centre and Dromore Community Centre between 0900 and 2000 GMT on  Thursday and Friday.
This will continue on Saturday and Sunday (12 noon to 1700 GMT).
NI Water providing static tanks at Dromore and Rathfriland Community Centre.
Belfast: Information on water is available at the Belfast City Council website.
Information from the council's website is replicated on a digital TV channel, available for Sky and Virgin Media users.
To use the digital television service, Sky users should go to channel 539 and press the red button. Virgin Media users should press the Interactive button, select News & Info and then select Looking Local, Northern Ireland and then Belfast.
Drinking water available at Avoniel, Whiterock and Olympia leisure centres and at Inverary Community Centre, east Belfast from 1000 GMT on Thursday. It is limited to 20 litres per household and people must bring their own containers. People requiring urgent information should call 0800 707 6965 between the same hours. Emergency standpipes will opened at Shore Road, opposite Grove Wellbeing Centre, and Boucher Road, outside Olympia Leisure Centre, from about 0900 to 2130 GMT on Thursday. All Belfast City Council leisure centres except Avoniel will be open during normal hours for showers.
NI Water providing supplies from Westland House, Old Westland Rd; Bretland House, Duncrue St; Ballymac Friendship Centre, Fraser Pass; and Lisburn Omniplex, Warren Park. Static tanks are in place at Upper Galwally, Purdysburn water depot.
There is a water tap opposite Shaftsbury Community and Recreation Centre on Lower Ormeau Road. There are also showers in the community centre.
Castlereagh: Water available at Civic Centre from 0800 to 2200 GMT. There is also water available at Belvoir Activity Centre and the Enler Complex, Ballybeen.
Showers at Belvoir Activity Centre, Belvoir Drive; Cregagh Youth and Community Centre, Mount Merrion Avenue and Hanwood Centre, Kinross Avenue, Tullycarnet, Lough Moss Leisure Centre, Carryduff, between 0930 and 2130 GMT. Castlereagh Council incident lines - 90 494662 and 90 494663. Static tank in place at Castlewellan Square.
Castlewellan:Toilets and showers are available from Bann Road Recycling Centre, Castlewellan, as long as supplies remain unaffected. Residents are asked to call ahead.
Coleraine: Showers and fresh water available from Coleraine Leisure Centre and Kilrea Sports Hall, while Portrush Town Hall has drinking water.
NI Water is providing a static tank at Bushmills.
Cookstown: Water available from Cookstown Lesiure Centre between 0900 and 2200 GMT, and from Rowan Tree Enterprise Centre, Pomeroy, between 0900 and 1700 GMT. Mid Ulster Sports Arena, Cookstown, providing water and hot showers - when available - between 0900 and 1800 GMT.
Craigavon: Northern Ireland Water Depot, Unit 41, Seagoe Industrial Estate, Craigavon is providing fresh water between 1000 and 1800 GMT. Showers available at Wave Leisure Complex between 0730 and 2000 GMT, Craigavon Leisure Centre, from 1100 to 2100 GMT, and Cascades Leisure Complex, between 0700 and 2000 GMT. All centres shut at 1700 GMT on Friday.
Down: Water, showers and toilet facilities available from Newcastle, Ballynahinch and Down Leisure Centres between 1000 and 1800 GMT to people who bring their own containers. Toilets and showers are also available from Bann Road Recycling Centre, Castlewellan, as long as supplies remain unaffected. Residents are asked to call ahead.
NI Water providing static tank at Comber Leisure Centre.
Dungannon and South Tyrone: Water available at Coalisland Civic Centre, Stewartstown Rd, between 1000 and 1800 GMT, while NI Water is providing static tanks at South Tyrone Hospital, the Oak Centre, Dungannon, and Gortgonis Sports Complex.
Fermanagh: NI Water providing supplies from its Erne House depot, Killyhevlin Industrial Estate, between 1000 and 1800 GMT.
Kilrea: Sports Hall is open until 2200GMT on Thursday 30 December and 1700 GMT on Friday 31 December. Shower facilities and drinking water available. Please bring your own clean containers.
Larne: Leisure Centre available for showers.
Limavady: Roe Valley Leisure Centre is available for showering facilities and is open from 0730 GMT on Thursday.
Lisburn: Water collection points are open between 0900 and 2230 GMT at Lagan Valley LeisurePlex, Hillsborough Village Centre, Downshire Primary School, Hillsborough, Lagan Sports Zone and  Dromara Primary School, Dromara, and the village crossroads, Anahilt, and from 0900 to 2100 GMT at Brook Activity Centre and Kilmakee Activity Centre, Dunmurry. Showers are also available at Lagan Valley LeisurePlex. For more information, call: 92 50 9250
Londonderry: Derry City Council is providing services for shower/washing and refreshment facilities between 1000 and 2200 GMT at Brooke Park and St Columb's Park Leisure Centres until Monday. Templemore and Lisnagelvin Leisure Centre will also provide these services during "normal opening hours for this period", except for Saturday when they will be closed.
Further information is available at the Derry City Council website.
NI Water depot, Belt Road, also providing supplies.
Newcastle:Water, showers and toilet facilities available from Newcastle Leisure Centres between 1000 and 1800 GMT to people who bring their own containers. Toilets and showers are also available from Bann Road Recycling Centre, Castlewellan, as long as supplies remain unaffected. Residents are asked to call ahead.
Newry and Mourne: Water and showers available from Newry and Kilkeel Leisure Centres between 0930 and 2200 GMT and drinking water is available from Crossmaglen and Meigh Community Centres between the same hours. Static tanks will provide water from 1000 to 2030 GMT at Carrickmacstay school, Hilltown Square, Mayobridge Community Centre, Warrenpoint Square, Jonesborough Spar Shop, Forkhill Main Street, Meigh Village, Mulkerns Shop and Patrician Park, Cloghogue, Belleeks Main Street, Newtownhamilton Square, Marine Park and old Town Lane, Annalong, Main Street, Dromintee, Mayobridge Football Club.
Water is also available from the NI Water premises at Carnbane industrial estate.
Newtownabbey: Drinking water and shower facilities at Valley Leisure Centre and at Sixmile Leisure Centre, with fresh water only at Ballyearl Leisure Centre.
North Down: The NI Water static tank has now been installed at Queens Leisure Centre, Holywood.  Water can be obtained until 2000 GMT on Thursday and from 0800 GMT - 2000 GMT on Friday 31 December.  If water supplies remain disrupted water may be obtained over the weekend between 0900 GMT hours and 1800 GMT.  Showers will be available at Queens Leisure Centre during these times.
Omagh: Supplies available between 1000 and 1800 GMT from NI Water Depot, 69 Gortin Road, Omagh.
The Council is also providing free showers at Omagh Leisure Centre for those without water supply.
Portrush: Town Hall until 2200 GMT on Thursday 30 December and 1700 GMT on Friday 31 December. Members of the Portrush public are invited to take empty containers to the town hall to fill up on drinking water from water boswers outside. Bottled water will also be available - 10 Ltr limit applies
Rostrevor: NI Water providing supplies from The Square, Rostrevor, between 1000 and 1800 GMT.
Strabane: NI Water providing supplies from its Park Road water treatment works and from Castlederg Enterprise Centre, Junction of Drumquin Road and Castlegore Road, between 1000 and 1800 GMT.
NI Water has also set up a special web page for customers affected by the water shortage. Click here.
Phoenix Natural Gas are advising customers who experience an interruption to their mains water supply to contact a gas safe registered installer to confirm that their heating system should continue to operate normally.
For customers seeking clarification and who do not know who installed the heating system in their property, details of installers can be found on the Gas Safe Register or by calling them on 0800 408 5500.
Tenants of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive seeking assistance and advice are asked to call 03448 920 900.


New curbs on foreign workers and students may be needed to "change the tide" of public opinion on immigration, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said.

She told the Conservative conference companies were "getting away" with not training British workers and tougher recruitment tests were needed.
Students on "low-quality courses" could also face tougher entry rules.
She promised councils Â£140m to address migration pressures and moves to deport EU criminals for "minor crimes".
In a wide-ranging speech, her first significant policy address since becoming home secretary in July, Ms Rudd also announced a further crackdown on illegal immigration through new powers to go after landlords, employers and banks that facilitate it.
But the proposals were met with concern by business groups while Labour said they would be taken with a "pinch of salt" given the government's failure to meet immigration targets.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is still committed to reducing net migration to "sustainable" levels - taken to mean below 100,000 a year - even though David Cameron failed to meet the target between 2010 and 2015, with net migration recently exceeding 300,000.
Ms Rudd, who campaigned to remain in the EU during the referendum, said immigration had brought benefits to the UK but the difference between those settling in the UK and those leaving was "too substantial" and that the Brexit vote had shown British people demanded action.
Although this would not happen "overnight", she said only a substantial reduction could help "change the tide of public opinionâ€¦ so once again immigration is something we can all welcome".
"I come here today with a warning to those that simply oppose any steps to reduce net migration," she said. "This government will not waver in its commitment to put the interests of the British people first
"Reducing net migration back down to sustainable levels will not be easy. But I am committed to delivering it on behalf of the British people."
Launching a consultation on entry rules for foreign workers and students, Ms Rudd said the tests that employers had to undergo before recruiting from abroad had become "tick-boxing exercises" and too often resulted in British citizens being discriminated against.
"The test should ensure people coming here are filling gaps in the labour market, not taking jobs British people could do," she said. "So I want us to look again at whether our immigration system provides the right incentives for businesses to invest in British workers."
While she was committed to attracting the best students from around the world, she said the current system too often "treated every student and university as equal" with insufficient consideration given to the contribution they could make to the UK against the obligations they placed on the state.
"Foreign students, even those studying English Language degrees, don't even have to be proficient in speaking English. We need to look at whether this one-size-fits-all approach really is right for the hundreds of different universities, providing thousands of different courses across the country.
"And we need to look at whether this generous offer for all universities is really adding value to our economy. This isn't about pulling up the drawbridge.  It's about making sure students that come here, come to study."
A new Controlling Migration Fund will help councils in England deal with the pressure on public services, such as the NHS and housing, from high volumes of immigration.
The Conservatives promised to introduce the fund in their 2015 election manifesto, having abolished a similar mechanism - set up by the last Labour government - in 2011.
Ms Rudd said the new migration fund would be more targeted and effective than its predecessor. It would, she said, support stretched councils and build on existing efforts to stop illegal immigrants receiving housing benefit, and tackle rogue landlords.
For Labour, shadow home secretary Andy Burnham welcomed the new money but said "we've heard these conference promises on net migration and child migrants before and they haven't come to anything".
Lib Dem universities' spokeswoman Lorely Burt said: "Cutting down on international student numbers would rob our economy of millions of pounds and do untold damage to Britain's world-leading universities."
The proposals also received a mixed response from business and the higher education sector.
The Institute of Directors said it was clear immigration would remain a "bone of contention" between employers and the government while ministers have been warned their plans could damage universities.
James Pitman, of Study Group, said: "The home secretary needs to be honest that a significant reduction in the number of international students will lead to upward pressure on the fees paid by British students, reduced investment in facilities, and damage to local economies."
Among a number of other pledges, Ms Rudd said EU nationals that repeatedly commit "minor crimes" would be liable to be deported while courts would get clearer guidelines on what they needed to take into account in cases involving EU offenders.


Talk of an Irish language act has been high on Northern Ireland's political agenda in 2017, but it's not the only language that's been up for discussion.

About 300,000 people in Northern Ireland are deaf or have hearing difficulties.
And an organisation that supports them is pressing for sign language legislation, making it a top priority in the general election campaign.
It is something that the British Deaf Association has demanded since 2001.
On Wednesday night, the organisation held a hustings in Belfast, with dozens of people attending the Question Time style event with the five main Northern Ireland parties.
Sign language interpreters were on stage to translate for deaf audience members, and a translator spoke on behalf of deaf people who wanted to ask a question.
Some of the deaf people at the event said that when parties come to their door to canvass, there's no way for them to engage.
That's because parties don't have sign language interpreters with them, nor British sign language interpretations of their manifestos.
British Deaf Association member Brian Symington told the hustings that sign language was a "language of need".
It deserved legislation to be prioritised over an Irish or Ulster-Scots act, he said, as many people who use it learn it through necessity rather than choice.
After the event, Colette Blair and Eamonn McCaffrey, who are both deaf, spoke to the BBC with the help of a sign language translator.
Colette said a sign language act, similar to what has already been introduced in Scotland, would "transform" her life and the lives of other deaf people.
"In education settings, in terms of access to the curriculum and if we want to have interpreters for meetings, we need to know what's going on," she said.
"Speaking as a mum who's tried to work for my child going through the system, we need to have it in law."
Eamonn, who teaches sign language, said he wants to see it taught in schools.
"Everyone learns German and French but they never use it again in their life," he said.
"People who would learn sign language here would have the opportunity to use it and speak to deaf people here in Northern Ireland."
Both Colette and Eamonn said the hustings was their only real chance to engage in debate around the general election.
"My neighbours talk to each other about politics - I don't get the chance to just chat to people, that's why tonight's so important," said Colette.
Wendy Newbrauner is a mum of three children who are all deaf, and she said it's been a real struggle for her family.
"The parties need to look at how to make lives easier for parents of deaf children," she said.
"It is a continuous fight to access services and support that are vital for their everyday lives and to make their lives easier."
Eamonn added that he and others like him are prepared to keep fighting to make sure sign language gets the recognition it deserves.
"We are a determined people - we will keep going.
"We have to think of the future generations coming through - they need a better future."
Facing a third election in 13 months, the TUV is feeling "the pinch in terms of finances", according to leader Jim Allister.
His decision to field a single candidate in this election was a strategic one, with one eye firmly on the future.
"There's the prospect of another assembly election in the autumn, so strategically we decided we'd preserve some of our resources for that," said Mr Allister.
"We're fighting in our heartland of North Antrim - I regret that we're not fighting wider than that."
Mr Allister was on the campaign trail with Ulster Unionist Tom Elliott in Fermanagh and South Tyrone this week, and in spite of his rasping criticism of the party in the past he saw no contradiction in joining its canvass.
That's because the battle for the constituency is on a "knife-edge".
"Not just unionists but democrats would want to see the election of somebody who's prepared to do the job and do it well as Tom Elliott has already done," he said.
"My presence there was a conscious demonstration of unionist unity in support of an agreed unionist candidate, far in preference to the return of somebody who wouldn't even go to represent the people.
"That's what abstentionism is - it's claiming to be an MP but doing it under false pretences."
Elsewhere on the campaign trail on Thursday...
BBC News NI's Campaign Catch-up will keep you across the general election trail with a daily dose of the main stories, the minor ones and the lighter moments in the run up to polling day on Thursday 8 June.
Hear more on BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra at 17:40 each weekday.


It's hard to imagine nowadays, but when Apple introduced the Macintosh personal computer in 1984 it was widely dismissed as a "toy".

Others called the Mac "just a demo - not a real computer yet," Randy Wigginton, creator of the Mac's first word processor, tells the BBC.
"We didn't have all the software that the IBM PC had or even that the Apple II had," he says.
"It was slow. There were things that it didn't do well."
Back then, programmers also thought it absurd the Mac designers had abandoned the typical alpha-numeric interface in favour of a friendlier graphical one and a point-and-click mouse, making it too easy for users, recalls Leander Kahney, editor of The Cult of Mac news website.
"They thought it trivialised their profession," he adds.
The original model's 128 kilobytes of RAM (random access memory) also limited its use.
But three decades later, Macs are still here and selling briskly.
Over the weekend, more than 100 members of the original Mac team were reunited at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, where Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs had first introduced the computer on 24 January 1984, to commemorate its 30th anniversary.
Below, in their own words, are excerpts from the pioneering software and hardware developers' recollections of creating the all-in-one computer.
The developers were asked if they had felt defensive about other PC-makers laughing at them for selling a "closed box".
Jerry Manock (industrial design lead):
Steve had an incredibly good answer to that. [When] the Apple II came out, third-party vendors could put boards in, you could use other monitors, etc.
Whenever there was a failure, or the customer had a problem, Apple Computer got the call.
It could have been [the fault of] any number of third party vendors. It could have been the monitor, the disk drive, whatever.
So, Steve made the decision: if we supply the display and the boards [and] everything is sealed up inside the box and it works when it leaves the factory, then we're willing to take the responsibility of answering the service calls.
Bill Atkinson (developer of MacPaint & MacDraw):
We were trying to make something that was user-friendly and that meant someone could walk up to it and figure out how to use it without using a manual.
Jerry Manock:
Jef Raskin's [original Mac project leader] idea was portability.
When Steve took the Mac project over, he had a vision that this computer was going to be sitting on a worker's desk.
He wanted it to [take] minimal space on the desk, so that was a pretty radical change.
George Crow (analogue circuit board engineer):
We knew if [Steve] just ground you down a few days you'd come up with an even better idea a few days later.
Bill Atkinson:
Steve wasn't really an engineer but he knew how to get the best out of people.
One time Larry Kenyon was working on the operating system, and Steve said: 'We need to make this thing faster, it's taking too long to start up. Now Larry, if it would save someone's life, could you make it 10 seconds faster?'
Larry said: "Yeah, probably I could."
Two days later, it was 30 seconds faster.
The team were asked what it was like having Microsoft write some of the application software, knowing that co-founder Bill Gates later remarked he had more people working on the original Mac's software than Apple did.
Randy Wittington (MacWrite developer):
If they had more people than us it doesn't speak very highly of the quality of the piece that they had.
Andy Hertzfeld (Mac operating system developer):
Microsoft wasn't what they became at that time. They were a small private company. Apple probably had 20 times the revenues of Microsoft when they started, but they were our close collaborators.
They were the first company we gave a Mac to. They really helped us.
We didn't have enough applications. We really only had MacPaint and MacWrite, [and] they were working on three applications.
The Mac's early development team envisioned selling the personal computer for $1,000 (Â£605), but later, after the cost of essential parts like Motorola's 68000 microprocessor were factored in, the price bumped upwards.
Andy Hertzfeld:
$1,495 that was our price for years and years and years.
Then... John Sculley [Apple's chief executive at the time] convinced us we have to charge $2,495 to pay for a big marketing campaign. That kind of broke my heart because that really is the difference of a kid being able to get their hands on one or not.
Caroline Rose (Documentation developer):
I remember the meeting where that price was announced. It was such sad day... We were all just really depressed.
Andy Hertzfeld:
Because we all thought we were making something for ourselves and the people we cared about. And that price, once it got up above $2,000, it could no longer be that.
Bill Atkinson:
It wasn't work. We were making art. Steve insisted that we sign our names on a piece of paper with a Sharpie [pen] and he engraved it on to the mould [inside of the case of the first production run] so all of our signatures would be on it. And the reason is: real artists sign their work and they're proud of it.
Rod Holt (co-developer Mac Finder):
This process of invention is very unusual... we were more than willing workers.
The peculiar thing was that [Jobs] didn't understand somebody would work day and night on a computer or any other project and not do it out of love.
But, see, we weren't doing it for money. I don't think anybody would have quit if Steve had come and said: "You guys don't get paid."
I think we would have still had a group and we still would have been working.


New affordability checks have only put a "gentle dampener" on the UK mortgage market during their first months of operation, lenders say.

The new rules - known as the Mortgage Market Review (MMR) - came into effect at the end of April.
It meant home loan applicants had to give more details about their income and outgoings during longer mortgage application interviews.
Lenders are reporting a steady rise in first-time buyers despite the changes.
There were 28,600 loans given to first-time buyers in June, a rise of 7.1% on the previous month and 18.7% higher than in June 2013, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).
In the second quarter of the year, first-time buyers borrowed an average of Â£122,000, up from Â£118,750 in the first three months of the year. They typically borrowed 3.46 times their income, up from 3.43 times their income in the previous quarter.
"For the second month running since new FCA rules took effect, lending characteristics remain similar to the market beforehand," said Paul Smee, director general of the CML.
"We now feel confident that, as we would hope, the MMR effect is more gentle dampener than hard brake."
Under the new rules, potential borrowers have to give evidence to the lender about the funds in their personal budget.
This could include regular payments for haircuts, gambling and club subscriptions and deliveries, to holidays, travel season tickets and childcare.
Borrowers might also be expected to say if their financial position is expected to change. That could include any predicted changes in income or working hours, but might also include any plans to have children in the near future.
Some brokers and estate agents have said the process of a mortgage application can take longer now.
"Those who are lucky enough to be buying with cash have the best choice in the marketplace. The new mortgage rules will hamper those who need to borrow, as they are constrained by what they can afford and the length of time it will take," said Hugo Thistlethwayte, managing director of buying agency Prime Purchase.
Overall, the CML said that there were 60,500 mortgages advanced for house purchases in June. This was a rise of 5.4% on the previous month and 14.6% up on June 2013.
Low interest rates and a recovering economy have both assisted the pick-up in the housing market in many parts of the country, commentators have said.
A survey by Aviva, published on Monday, suggested that people buying a home in the last year typically spent 33 minutes looking around the property before making an offer.
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A UK family of 12 who went missing have joined so-called Islamic State and feel "safer than ever", according to a statement said to be on their behalf.

The statement, purportedly sent by a British member of IS, said it was "outrageous" to suggest the Mannan family from Luton had been kidnapped and forced to join the group.
The BBC has not been able to verify if the statement is genuine.
A friend of a teenager among the 12 said he thought he had been "tricked".
The family, who have not been seen since 17 May, includes three children aged between one and 11. Police have previously said they may have travelled to Syria.
The statement is accompanied by two photos purportedly of family member Muhammed Abdul Mannan, which have not been independently verified.
It comes as a video apparently released by the IS group showed 25 men being shot dead in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.
The missing family is:
The statement, passed to the BBC by a Briton fighting with IS, said the family had arrived in a land that was "free from corruption and oppression" and had not been "commanded" to join by a single person but by the "Khalifah of the Muslims".
It said: "We say to those that are concerned for our safety to put your hearts at rest for we feel safer than we have ever felt before."
It went on to urge Muslims to "race to your state".
Nazrull Ali, a school friend of 19-year-old Mohammed Toufique Hussain, who is said to be among the 12, said he did not believe the statement.
"That doesn't seem right to be honest. I don't think they would say stuff like that," he said.
"I don't know but I heard they [IS] could make you say whatever they want, obviously if someone puts a gun to your head what would you say?" he said.
"He would have said bye to all of us properly and I'm telling you, he did not know that he was going to Syria. I know it wasn't him, I think he's got tricked into it. It wasn't his idea, definitely."
The Islamic State group has seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria since last June, becoming notorious for its brutality, including mass killings, abductions and beheadings.
On 29 June 2014 it announced the formation of a caliphate - a state governed in accordance with Islamic law or Sharia, by God's deputy on Earth, or caliph.
Shiraz Maher, senior fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College London, which tracks the movements of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq, said there was an element of propaganda to the statement.
Mr Maher said he was told by a British fighter that the family had chosen to release the statement to show it was their decision to move.
He said the broader project of IS was to persuade women and families to join them.
"They never wanted just fighters, I think that's a misnomer," he said.
The family was reported missing to police by two sons, understood to be Mr Mannan's from a previous marriage, who live in Luton.
They flew to Bangladesh on 10 April, police said, and then to Istanbul on 11 May.
They were due back at Heathrow three days later but failed to return.
It is believed Ms Khanom had links to banned Islamist group al-Muhajiroun, which had members in Luton.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that two sisters from another Luton family were prevented from flying to Bangladesh by counter-terror police shortly before the family of 12 went missing.
Officers seized the passport of one of the sisters, who is in her 20s and is said to be linked to the banned radical group Al-Muhajiroun.
They allowed the second sister to fly out to Bangladesh to join her family two or three days after the stop, between late March and early April.
Separately, two of three east London teenagers who fled to Syria to join IS have married militants, a lawyer for their relatives said on Saturday.
Bethnal Green Academy pupils, Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, fled Britain in February to join the militant group.
Hundreds of Britons have travelled to support or fight for jihadist organisations in Syria or Iraq. Last month three sisters reportedly took their nine children to Syria.


The price of copper dropped almost 2% on Tuesday and is close to its lowest level in six and a half years.

The metal fell to $4,955 a tonne, just $100 above the level it reached in 2009 in the wake of the financial crisis.
Demand for copper, which is used across industry from construction to car manufacturing, has suffered from the slowing Chinese economy.
Investment bank Goldman Sachs warned investors this week that prices would continue to fall.
In a note entitled, "Copper's bear cycle still has years to run", its analysts predicted copper prices would probably drop to $4,800 a tonne by the end of December and to $4,500 by the end of next year.
The decline in copper is only a part of a global meltdown in commodity prices caused by China's economic downturn.
The depth of the slump was emphasised on Monday when shares in commodities trader and miner Glencore dived 30%.
Four years after the group went public in the UK's biggest stockmarket flotation, analysts at Investec warned that weak commodity prices could lead to the firm's equity value being "eliminated".
Crude oil has fallen some 60% from June last year, thermal coal has been on a long 60% slide since 2011, and iron ore is down even more, close to 70% since 2010.
The effects are rippling out into other sectors. On Tuesday, Japanese shipping business  Daiichi Chuo Kisen Kaisha filed for protection from creditors, caused by the collapse in Chinese demand for iron ore and coal.
Unsurprisingly the collapse sent a shiver through the rest of the Japanese shipping sector. Nippon Yusen, Mitsui OSK Lines, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha saw their shares fall between 4% and 8%.
And the effects spread far wider than the mining companies and their support services.
Any economy dependent on commodity exports is seeing its currency punished.
Australia, whose iron ore, coal, oil and natural gas fuelled the Chinese boom, has seen its dollar lose more than a quarter of its value against the US dollar over the past year.
Chile, where copper makes up 30% of the value of its exports, is expected to announce on Tuesday that public spending, having grown almost 10% last year, will rise by half that amount this year.
Economic growth there has slowed along with the fall in the copper price and a decline in investment in the mining sector.
For smaller countries the effect can be catastrophic.
On Monday, Zambia's currency, the kwacha, fell more than 17% - its biggest one-day fall on record - as prices for its copper exports dived again. Copper accounts for 85% of the country's exports.
The currency recovered on Tuesday but it is down 45% on the year.
It has also been hit by the news that Glencore, the country's second largest employer after the government, might make further cuts at its Mopani Copper Mines there. Last week, it announced it would lay off more than 3,800 workers.
Ratings agency Moody's cut Zambia's sovereign rating on Friday, making it more expensive to borrow in the international markets.


Speak to those who are in charge of the West's defence or have recently stepped down, as I did for Radio 4's programme The Edge, and you will find a very worried group of people.

They wax lyrical about the decline of their own forces, explain the growth of those of their challengers, and worry about the long term consequences for stability in many parts of the world.
"What we have seen in the last two decades is a form of physical and moral disarmamentâ€¦ we're in a very dangerous place," said General Sir Richard Shirreff, number two in Nato's military structure until last summer.
And the former deputy chief of the US Air Force Lt Gen David Deptula, explaining how America has bought far too few combat aircraft during the past decade, opined, "we have a geriatric air force".
But how can this be true when Nato and the US spend such vast sums of money on the military?
As Michele Flournoy, formerly number three in the Pentagon, told us, more than half the money goes on wages - whereas emerging powers like Russia, China, and India, spend far less on those in uniform.
The military have also contributed to their own misfortunes by conspiring with defence contractors to build ever more expensive weapons that can only be afforded in much smaller numbers than those they are supposed to replace.
Pierre Sprey, chief designer on the F-16 fighter noted the ruinous consequences of buying stealth aircraft at hundreds of millions of dollars a copy.
"It's a triumph of the black arts of selling an airplane that doesn't work," he said.
"Basically we've ruined American air power."
As a result of its procurement practices, the Pentagon now has fighters that average 24 years and bombers that are 38 years old.
Last year it acquired fewer new planes than in any year since 1915 and was outstripped for the first time in fighter deliveries by Russia.
The US retains very large forces, of course, and it will only be during the next decade that the consequences of the growing obsolescence of much of its equipment makes themselves felt - most probably by a significant decline in the numbers of many of its major weapon systems.
Republican senators have pledged to try to reverse President Obama's plans for significant cuts (as a proportion of GDP) in US defence spending, but so far have not changed the overall direction of travel.
With the US increasingly focused on China and pressure for further cuts, the idea that America should keep shouldering 70 or 75% of Nato's spending burden is "unsustainable", according to Douglas Lute, US ambassador to the Western alliance.
So while the Pentagon has sent over small numbers of soldiers and jets following the Ukraine crisis, it is leaving the question of how best to respond to the Kremlin's growing assertiveness, largely to the Europeans themselves.
Perhaps the starkest warning of all that I heard while making The Edge came from Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Nato's secretary general until last September.
"It is my clear view that we have now entered a new era of cold war," he said, "and I think it will last for decades".
Mr Rasmussen believes it is quite likely that President Vladimir Putin could test the alliance's resolve by direct pressure upon its members in the Baltic republics.
As for the consequences of declining Western military capability at a time of growing assertiveness from its rivals, these are hotly debated.
Russia and China now expect greater freedom to deal with security challenges on their periphery without American interference. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister has said that the US will just have to get used to the deepening of the "multi-polar trend", or drift, away from a single dominant superpower.
Critics of President Obama argue that lack of leadership, as well as capability, has already emboldened extremists or adventurists, contributing to growing chaos in the Middle East.
The president's people tend to blame their Republican predecessor for the dissolving of the glue that held that region together by his 2003 invasion of Iraq.
What these partisan arguments obscure is the wider truth that the economic and military power of Western nations is declining, while that of emerging powers and even some non-state groups, grows.
That is a long-term trend, cutting across the decades, just as it does the narrow issue of who happens to be in the White House or No 10 at a particular moment.
One only has to consider the current reluctance of either of the UK's main political party to keeping to the Nato target of spending 2% of GDP on defence - a step that would add around Â£30bn to the defence budget over the next five years - to realise that Western politicians do not feel confident enough to make the case for rearmament.
But that just adds to the worry of many in the defence and security business that an edge the West once enjoyed is gone for good.
The Edge will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 20:00 BST, 14 April 2015 - or catch up on iPlayer.


Rabat will become the first African city to host a Diamond League meeting later this year, but New York has been dropped from the calendar.

The Moroccan capital will host this season's third meeting on 22 May.
IAAF president Lord Coe said in a statement: "We are pleased to be able to take our premier athletics series into a new continental area."
The New York organisers said they would look to produce a new event, with a "street meet" under consideration.
The United States retains one Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon.
Morocco has previously hosted other IAAF events, including the 2014 Intercontinental Cup in Marrakech.


Labour leadership hopeful Liz Kendall says she can win the contest, despite coming last in a recent YouGov poll.

Only she and left-winger Jeremy Corbyn offered "an alternative" to Labour of the last five or eight years, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
She refused to make any recommendation to Labour members for a second preference vote, saying she would "fight to the end" to lead the party.
She has dismissed calls to pull out and back Andy Burnham or Yvette Cooper.
She said: "I do believe I can win. This is not a choice between principle and power, we can have both."
"I think I'm the only candidate apart from Jeremy Corbyn setting out an alternative to what Labour was offering five or eight years ago."
She said ordinary Labour members were "desperate to win, get the Tories out, and make changes" on issues such as low pay and economic inequality.
With 50 days left in the leadership race, she said: "I'm making that case, and I'm going to do that until the end."
At-a-glance profiles of the four contenders
There had been some pressure on Ms Kendall to withdraw and back another candidate in order to defeat Jeremy Corbyn after the publication of the YouGov poll for the Times.
It suggested Mr Corbyn could receive 43% of first preference votes, ahead of Mr Burnham on 26%, Ms Cooper on 20% and Ms Kendall on 11%,.
But the Leicester West MP rejected the idea that she should pull out - with her aides accusing Andy Burnham's and Yvette Cooper's camps of "fuelling" the idea to distract from "their own issues".
The four leadership candidates, and five deputy leadership candidates, will take part in a Labour Party hustings in Warrington later.
Labour is due to announce its new leader at a special conference on 12 September.


Mae Ombwdsmon Gwasanaethau Cyhoeddus Cymru yn dweud ei fod yn bryderus ac yn siomedig bod cyngor wedi gwrthod talu arian i unigolyn oedd yn eu gofal, ar ôl iddyn nhw fod yn esgeulus gyda'i gynilion.

Mewn adroddiad gafodd ei gyhoeddi ym mis Rhagfyr, daeth Nick Bennett i'r casgliad y dylai Cyngor Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr dalu £3,310 i Rob Johnson erbyn Ionawr 21 ar ôl i ymchwiliad ddatgelu bod yr awdurdod heb fonitro ei gyfrif cynilo yn ddigonol.
Mae Mr Bennett wedi rhybuddio'r awdurdod ei fod yn bwriadu cymryd camau pellach yn eu herbyn os nad ydyn nhw'n gwneud y taliad.
Yn ôl y cyngor, maen nhw'n cymryd y cyfrifoldeb o fod yn riant corfforaethol ar gyfer plant mewn gofal yn ddifrifol iawn.
Roedd Mr Johnson, sydd bellach yn 18 oed, yn ddwy oed pan gafodd ei faethu.
Honnodd bod rhywfaint o'i gynilion wedi cael ei defnyddio, heb ymgynghori ag ef, i dalu am dripiau y dylai fod wedi derbyn lwfans arbennig ar eu cyfer.
Wrth siarad gyda BBC Cymru, dywedodd bod y cyngor wedi ei "adael i lawr" a'i fwriad oedd defnyddio'r arian fel cronfa argyfwng personol.
Dywedodd: "Byddai'r arian yn tawelu meddwl, byddai gen i rywbeth wrth gefn pe bai rhywbeth yn mynd o'i le. Fe fyddai'n gwella fy mywyd."
Daeth ymchwiliad yr Ombwdsmon i'r casgliad bod prosesau'r cyngor ddim yn gyson, ac yn cyfateb i gamweinyddu.
Mae'r adroddiad yn dweud bod yr awdurdod wedi methu â chadw cofnodion digonol na chadw llyfr cynilion Mr Johnson ar ddiwedd ei leoliad maethu, ac roedd hyn yn golygu ei fod yn aneglur pam fod ei gynilion mor isel.
Dywedodd Mr Bennett "Dwi'n gobeithio rŵan y gallan nhw 'neud y peth iawn, y peth cyfiawn, y peth teg a thalu'r arian i'r dyn ifanc yma oherwydd ddaru ni ymchwilio yn hollol annibynnol, a 'da ni yn teimlo yr unig peth gallan nhw 'neud i sicrhau tegwch a chyfiawnder ydy sicrhau bod y taliad yma'n digwydd."
Mae'n cydnabod bod ei adroddiad yn amlygu materion ehangach, systemig o ran cynilion plant mewn gofal, ond ychwanegodd ei fod "ishe gweld cyfiawnder i'r dyn ifanc yma".
Bydd yr Ombwdsmon yn cyfarfod cynrychiolwyr y cyngor ddydd Mercher i drafod yr achos, ond dywedodd os nad yw'r cyngor yn newid ei safbwynt y byddai'n defnyddio ei bwerau i gyhoeddi adroddiad pellach, gan dynnu mwy o sylw i'r achos a chynyddu costau.
Mewn datganiad, dywedodd Cyngor Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr y byddan nhw'n cydymffurfio â holl argymhellion yr Ombwdsmon heblaw am wneud taliad o £3,310 i Mr Johnson i "ad-dalu arbedion nad oeddent wedi'u gwneud ar ei gyfer yn ystod ei amser mewn gofal maeth".
Yn ôl yr awdurdod, does dim cyfraith na pholisi cenedlaethol yn rhoi hawl i gynghorau orfodi gofalwyr i arbed arian ar ran plant mewn gofal.
Maen nhw'n pwysleisio bod yr achos yn codi materion ar lefel genedlaethol, ac y byddai'n "amhriodol" felly i geisio delio â'r materion ar lefel leol.
Mae'r cyngor hefyd yn codi pryderon y byddai gweithredu argymhellion yr adroddiad yn arwain at gyfrifoldebau ychwanegol i ofalwyr maeth ac fe allai hyn atal gofalwyr maeth presennol a newydd rhag gwirfoddoli.
Er hynny, maen nhw'n croesawu'r ffaith y bydd y mater yn cael ei drafod yn y cyfarfod Rhwydwaith Maethu Cenedlaethol nesaf.


The controversial Republican senator Jeff Sessions is leading Donald Trump's team of foreign policy advisers.

29 March 2016 Last updated at 07:28 BST
Similarly to the presidential hopeful, the Alabamian is known for having a tough stance on immigration.
The 69-year-old politician's remarks about race in the past have drawn major attention and also served as an obstacle in his political career.
Video produced by Alexi Peristianis; illustrations by Jilla Dastmalchi; images courtesy of Thinkstock, Getty Images,


A dog lover whose pet went missing has received a bizarre ransom demand.

"Pay us £200 and you can have your dog back," Stephen Flynn, 22, from west Belfast was told.
Tiny, a three-year-old Staffordshire terrier, disappeared from her Lagmore home early on New Year's Day.
Stephen was distraught. But he has now heard that the dog has been spotted on the Falls Road - no ransom was paid. "I just hope she is all right," he said.
He initially feared she had been grabbed by a gang who were into dog fighting. But on Monday, as the Belfast Telegraph reports, he received a ransom demand.
Mr Flynn had been out with friends on New Year's Eve and had returned home with them. They were drinking and listening to music in the garden shed in Lagmore early on 1 January.
They were going into the house and back, getting food, but did not notice anything.
"I know she was still here at 2am and I know that she was gone by 5am, so obviously somebody came and took her during those hours," he told the BBC.
"We were listening to music. It wasn't too loud, but obviously loud enough that we didn't hear anyone sneaking into the garden and going into the house."
He has had the same family of dogs for three generations.
He described Tiny as the "friendliest" dog who would "run to anyone to have her back scratched".
He is now waiting to be re-united with her.
A police spokesman confirmed that the theft of the dog had been reported. He said inquiries were ongoing.


Arlene Foster's indication that she would like to see the Stormont petition of concern scrapped has focused attention on issues like same-sex marriage.

Its introduction has so far been blocked by the veto power despite attracting the support of a narrow majority of MLAs.
However, no-one should leap to the assumption that the Stormont parties will drop the controversial petition system in isolation, without revisiting all of the rest of the Good Friday Agreement's "ugly scaffolding".
Back in 2014, a Stormont committee reviewed the petition of concern system and concluded that there was no consensus for reform.
The committee considered whether the use of such petitions should be restricted to certain key areas.
It also discussed whether petitions should be triggered by weighted majorities of 65%. Again it could not achieve consensus.
Then last year the Alliance party tried to stipulate reforms to the petition of concern system as a precondition for taking the justice department again in a DUP and Sinn FÃ©in led coalition.
The former Alliance leader David Ford claimed Arlene Foster thumped the table in exasperation at this suggestion.
The cross-community voting system, which is triggered by petitions of concern, was introduced as a guarantee against majority rule in Northern Ireland.
Nationalists had long argued that the border was an effective gerrymander in order to guarantee a unionist majority. So they were never going to be prepared to participate in an assembly which might look like a recreation of the old pre-Troubles Stormont parliament.
If the petitions of concern were dropped in isolation, then same-sex marriage might progress. But equally there would be nothing to stop, for example, a unionist majority changing, say, the definition of a victim.
Some argue that the system should be changed so cross-community voting can only apply to constitutional or Troubles related matters.
But some politicians will baulk at any attempt to tightly define what they might regard as a "key area".
As the DUP leader put it, she thinks her critics want to keep the veto power for what they think is important but prevent her party deploying it in relation to its priorities.
If the current cross-community system of "parallel consent" (a majority of both unionists and nationalists) is dropped that would logically mean there is no need to get MLAs to sign in as Unionists, Nationalists, or Others when they take their seats.
One argument in favour of this is that it might enable Stormont politics to evolve, with a vote for smaller parties or others appearing less of a "wasted vote".
But there is still the problem of "majority rule" - which means most commentators have talked about requiring weighted majorities in order to ensure some level of cross-community backing for controversial policies.
However, this in turn could lead to dilemmas. The TUV, for example, has suggested a weighted majority of 60%. This threshold would have blocked the November 2015 vote in favour of same-sex marriage just as assuredly as the old petition of concern. Moreover a coalition of unionists and others could, theoretically, have outvoted the nationalists who made up just 37% of the seats in the old assembly.
The Stormont committee's 65% suggestion would - using the old assembly break down - require some nationalist buy-in, but not the assent of Sinn FÃ©in. However, at this threshold the old DUP team would have still been able to block initiatives they opposed.
The arch critic of the Stormont system, Bob McCartney, once told me that the working of the assembly was like a Heath Robinson contraption and that any attempt to alter it only added an extra layer of bizarre complexity.
So it's not just about abolishing the petition of concern, but working out what might replace it.
Certainly the post-election talks are unlikely to achieve any breakthrough on these basic building blocks of the Good Friday Agreement in a matter of weeks.


A comedy series which was cancelled by Channel 4 has been named best sitcom at the prestigious Rose d'Or Awards.

Raised By Wolves, which was written by Caitlin Moran and her sister Caroline and based on their upbringing, was shelved by Channel 4 after two series.
It was one of a number of UK winners at the Berlin ceremony, which drew its nominees from across Europe.
BBC Two's Inside No 9, written by and starring Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, was named best comedy.
In other categories:
John Cleese was honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry.
In his acceptance speech, Cleese said television executives and channel controllers should place more faith in writers and performers to deliver success.
He said: "When Monty Python was commissioned, we didn't really know what we were going to do but we were trusted. The talent has a better record than the suits, so why don't they bear that in mind?
"The trouble with executives isn't that they have no idea what they are doing, but that they have no idea that they have no idea."
Non-British winners included Swedish public service broadcaster SVT, which won the entertainment prize for the Eurovision Song Contest 2016.
The ceremony was hosted by BBC radio presenter Paddy O'Connell.
The Rose d'Or Awards were established in 1961, honour the best online content and radio and TV shows from the previous year. The awards are open to submissions from around the world.
The UK has triumphed in the best sitcom category every year since the awards began, with winners including Friday Night Dinner, Peep Show, Extras, The IT Crowd and The Inbetweeners.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


David Beckham has joined French Ligue 1 side Paris St-Germain and announced he will be playing for free.

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The ex-England midfielder, 37, signed a five-month deal and will donate his salary - of at least £1m - to charity.
"I'm excited, it's something we've been working on and talking about for quite a while," he said on Thursday.
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"I won't receive any salary. My salary will go to a local children's charity. That's one of the things we are excited and proud to do."
He added: "It's something the guys [PSG management] do, but obviously it's a very good figure. That's one thing we're very excited about. To be able to give a huge sum to a children's charity in Paris is very special."
Beckham has been without a club since leaving MLS side LA Galaxy in December and has been training with Arsenal.
The former England captain had firm offers from 12 different clubs but has opted for Ligue 1's big spenders.
Despite recently announcing he was to permanently base his family in London, Beckham always said he would make a decision on his next move based on "footballing reasons".
PSG have spent more than £200m in the last 18 months and are managed by Carlo Ancelotti, who was in charge of AC Milan during Beckham's loan spell there. They are also still in this season's Champions League and will face Spanish side Valencia in the last 16.
The Paris club are currently top of Ligue 1 and already have a squad that includes Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Lucas Moura and Ezequiel Lavezzi.
"I was lucky to work with Carlo and Leonardo [director of football] for a few months," Beckham said. "Carlo was one of the best managers I've played for so it's exciting on a number of levels.
"[Ibrahimovic] is one of the players I'm excited to play alongside. Ibra was someone I've watched for many years, in my early days playing for England against Sweden, and I always felt he could be one of the best players in the world.
"I watched a lot of games last year and a lot of games this season. There's a lot of talent in this team."
Beckham, who made a record 115 outfield appearances for England, was part of the Manchester United side that famously beat Bayern Munich to win the 1999 Champions League.
He left Old Trafford for Real Madrid in 2003, before agreeing his move to LA Galaxy in January 2007 and making his debut for the club in August in that year.
He attracted criticism from some Galaxy fans after agreeing loan moves to AC Milan in 2009 and 2010 which meant missing some of the MLS season.
And he brought an end to his five-and-a-half-year spell in the United States on 2 December after winning the MLS Cup for the second time.
At PSG, Beckham will be hoping to win a league title in a fourth country, having already enjoyed success at Manchester United and Real Madrid in Europe before moving to Major League Soccer.
Beckham had been close to joining PSG last January but opted to stay in California for one more season.
"I don't know if this will be my last contract," Beckham said.
"People have been speculating about that for a number of years, but I continue to play and sign contracts. I will see how I feel but I want to play as long as possible. My passion is football. It always has been. When I play football it is not about the biggest contract."
He also revealed that his wife Victoria, 38, will stay in London along with his sons Brooklyn, 13, Romeo, 10, Cruz, seven, and their one-year-old daughter Harper.


Jewel the French Bulldog may be on the small side, but that didn't stop her scaring off three bears that entered her owner's garden in California, US.

5 October 2015 Last updated at 08:37 BST
She weighs just over a stone, but she scared the big animals so much that one of them scrambled over a fence to get away.
It's thought the bears had been driven out of nearby forests by wildfires, but it looks like they wont be coming back to Jewel's house any time soon.


One of two murderers who escaped from a New York State prison has been killed by police after weeks on the run, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says.

He said Richard Matt, 49, was shot dead in woodlands near Malone, a town near the Canadian border about 30 miles (50 km) from the prison.
David Sweat, 35, remains at large as police continue to search the area.
The pair escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora on 6 June, setting off a massive manhunt.
On Friday officers were called to an area south of Malone where a caravan had been attacked, police said. They found evidence left behind by the pair in a nearby cabin.
Matt was later found in woodland and shot around 15:45 local time (19:45 GMT).
A search for Sweat is continuing in the area. Police say he is dangerous and warned the public not to approach him.
Manhunt timeline
Prisoner worker Joyce Mitchell has been charged with aiding the inmates in their escape.
Prosecutors allege that she gave the men power tools that allowed them to saw through a steel cell wall before bashing a hole through a brick wall and crawling through.
Ms Mitchell denies the charges.
Before their escape, Matt was serving a prison sentence of 25 years to life for the killing and dismembering of his former boss.
Sweat was serving a life sentence for murdering a sheriff's deputy.


The Scottish government is to bring forward legislation to provide an opt-out system for organ donation.

Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said there would be legislation for a "soft opt-out" system, aimed at increasing donation rates.
A government consultation found 82% of respondents in favour of the move.
MSPs considered such a system during the previous parliamentary term, but ultimately rejected it due to concerns over some specific details of the plan.
At that point ministers said there were "merits" to an opt-out system, and launched a consultation with a view to pursuing their own legislation.
More than 800 responses were gathered, including a petition with 18,500 signatures backing the move. The British Medical Association (BMA) has also endorsed a soft opt-out system.
At present, anyone who wants to donate their organs after death currently has to "opt in" to the system through the donor card scheme. Currently, 45% of the Scottish population have joined the register.
A soft opt-out system - like that introduced in Wales in 2015 - would allow parts of an adult's body to be used in transplants in the absence of express permission. However the wishes of families and next of kin would continue to be respected, so removal of organs would not go ahead without their support.
Ms Campbell said the move was intended as part of a "long-term culture change in attitudes", with a "package of measures" expected from the government.
She said: "I can confirm that we intend to bring forward legislation to introduce a soft opt-out system.
"This will build on the significant improvements already made as a result of the donation and transplantation plan for Scotland. That progress is testament to the great many people who work tirelessly to facilitate organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
"We should not forget that organ donation is a gift, which can only occur as a result of tragic circumstances and every donor and their family has made a selfless decision which has enabled others to live.
"We need to continue doing what we can in order to help reduce the numbers of people in Scotland waiting for transplants. Moving to an opt out system of organ and tissue donation will be part of the long term culture change in attitudes to encourage people to support donation."
BMA Scotland welcomed the move, with chairman Dr Peter Bennie saying the field of organ transplantation had "not yet reached its full life-saving and life-transforming potential".
He said: "The whole transplant community has worked tremendously hard to increase donation rates but we believe that more can be done.
"As doctors it's difficult to see our patients suffering and dying when their lives could be saved or dramatically improved by a transplant. We look forward to contributing to this important legislation."
Former Labour MSP Anne McTaggart, who brought forward the member's bill in the previous parliament, said she was "so pleased" that the government had "finally seen sense".
She said: "This legislation could have been passed more than a year ago but sadly petty party politics blocked a change in the law at the time. That failure has cost lives.
"This turnaround is to be welcomed and I am ecstatic for all those awaiting transplants, organ donation recipients and their families today."


Families of two men who died in prison have brought a High Court case over the "exceptionally" high rate of self-inflicted deaths there.

Ian Brown, 44, and Daniel Dunkley, 35, died following incidents in their cells at HMP Woodhill last July.
Their relatives claim Woodhill's governor has not complied fully with Prison Service Instructions (PSIs).
But the governor and the Secretary of State say the judicial review claim is "neither appropriate or necessary".
PSIs cover management of prisoners at risk of harm to self, others and from others, early days in custody and medical emergency response codes.
Heather Williams QC, for the families, said the claim addressed the "exceptionally high" rate of self-inflicted deaths at the Milton Keynes prison.
There were seven self-inflicted deaths last year, five in 2015 and 18 at the prison since May 2013.
"The rate of self-inflicted death at HMP Woodhill is far higher than at any other prison, at a time when the suicide rate in the prison estate as a whole is at a record high," said Ms Williams.
She said the case raised serious ongoing breaches of Article 2 of the Human Rights Act, which protects the right to life, and involved long-term failures to comply with the responsibility placed on the authorities to protect prisoners.
James Strachan QC said the governor was well aware of his obligations to comply with the requirements of the PSIs.
"The defendants do not dispute that the number of deaths at the prison is a legitimate matter of concern.
"However, not only have the governor and the Secretary of State taken significant action in 2016 to improve the situation, but as the taskforce approach shows, this is a continuing high priority."
Lord Justice Irwin and Mr Justice Garnham will give their decision at a later date.


World champion Marc Marquez won MotoGP's Czech round to extend his lead at the top of the standings to 14 points.

The Spaniard was one of the first to change to slick tyres in a race that started in the rain before drying out.
Dani Pedrosa was second ahead of Maverick Vinales as Spain completed a podium clean sweep.
Cal Crutchlow, who won the race last year to became Britain's first MotoGP winner in 35 years, was fifth.
Crutchlow, 31, crashed at Turn 10 during Saturday's practice session because of oil on the track in Brno and later said he was advised by MotoGP medical director Angel Charte to pull out of the qualifying session.
Marquez, the fourth leader of the championship this season, has 154 points - 14 more than Vinales.
The 24-year-old had started the day with a five-point lead over his compatriot.
Marquez has now won two races in a row after his success in Germany last month and three this season.
1. Marc Marquez (Spa/Honda) 44 mins 15.974 secs
2. Dani Pedrosa (Spa/Honda)  44:28.412
3. Maverick Vinales (Spa/Yamaha) 44:34.109
4. Valentino Rossi (Ita/Yamaha) 44:36.440
5. Cal Crutchlow (GB/Honda) 44:36.866
6. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita/Ducati) 44:39.233
7. Danilo Petrucci (Ita/Ducati) 44:40.053
8. Aleix Espargaro (Spa/Aprilia) 44:46.533
9. Pol Espargaro (Spa/KTM) 44:46.728
10. Jonas Folger (Ger/Yamaha)   44:49.210
1. Marc Marquez (Spa/Honda) 154 points
2. Maverick Vinales (Spain/Yamaha) 140
3. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita/Ducati) 133
4. Valentino Rossi (Ita/Yamaha) 132
5. Dani Pedrosa (Spa/Honda) 123
6. Johann Zarco (Fra/Yamaha) 88
7. Jonas Folger (Ger/Yamaha) 77
8. Danilo Petrucci (Ita/Ducati) 75
9. Cal Crutchlow (GB/Honda) 75
10. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa/Ducati) 66


County Antrim mixed martial artist Norman Parke will take on Russian Rustam Khabilov at a UFC Fight Night in London's O2 in February.

The Bushmills lightweight has won 22 of his 27 fights while Khabilov, who is based in the United States, has been defeated three times in 20 contests.
Parke enjoyed a unanimous decision victory over Reza Madadi in his last fight in Dublin in October.
The 28-year-old impressed in overcoming the Swedish wrestling champion.


West Ham's extra-time victory over Liverpool was "a classic FA Cup tie" and one of the club's best, according to manager Slaven Bilic.

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The fourth-round replay was seconds away from a penalty shootout when Angelo Ogbonna's header made it 2-1.
"It will go into the history of West Ham's greatest games," said Bilic. "Against Liverpool, the last season at Upton Park, night kick-off, a goal in the last minute.
"They left their heart on the pitch."
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The Hammers had never beaten the Reds in the FA Cup and have not won the trophy for 36 years. They will face Championship side Blackburn in the fifth round on Sunday, 21 February.
Bilic, 47, said earlier this year he would rather win the cup than finish in the top four of the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League, saying "the proof is silverware".
After Italy defender Ogbonna's added-time winner, the Croatian boss said: "I'm a down-to-earth guy, but tonight was a big, big match and I was a bit emotional at the end of the game, I'll admit it.
"The players made the fans proud of them and we want to progress even further. If we produce a performance like this then we are capable of beating any team in England."
Bilic also said midfielder Dimitri Payet is committed to the club after reports linked the France international with a big-money move to China.
Payet, 28, is in talks over a new contract and Bilic said: "We are a club moving forward and the most important moves are on the pitch.
"We must do everything we can to keep our best players - and he is our best player. He's happy here and very soon we will sort out his situation."
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp felt his much-changed side should have won the game after Philippe Coutinho's low free-kick had cancelled out Michail Antonio's opener.
The Reds' £32.5m striker Christian Benteke again missed several good chances as the visitors had 20 attempts on goal - one more than West Ham.
"It's hard. We were the better team, created chances and played good football, but we didn't use them," said Klopp.
"There were lots of decisions that on a better day I'd say were funny decisions.
"It's not easy because we were only here to win. You don't have to show your best, you just have to go to the next round.
"The door was wide open for us because we did well, but it was not enough. We have to carry on and fight to the next game."