SNP members at the party conference have rejected calls for the party to back an outright ban on fracking.

The party's Leith branch had tabled a motion to the SNP conference backing the Scottish government's current moratorium on fracking.
Several speakers called for the motion to be revised and strengthened.
However, an effort to remit the motion back for revision was defeated by 427 votes to 554 and it was carried by the conference.
The issue has continued to prove divisive for the party, despite SNP ministers extending the moratorium last week to cover underground coal gasification (UCG).
Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive of chemical company Ineos, has urged the Scottish government not to delay a decision on the technology for too long, saying it offers Scotland a "last chance" to gain economic independence.
But the conference debate on the motion showed the strength of opposition to fracking among many grassroots SNP members.
Analysis by Brian Taylor, BBC Scotland political editor
Ministers have announced a moratorium, deferring a decision until 2017. Separately, they have announced a delay, presently without a timetable, on Underground Coal Gasification.
Several delegates were unhappy and said so volubly. They wanted an outright ban, citing environmental and safety concerns. There was discontent with the Scottish government position.
In the event, though, any outright rebellion was headed off on this one. Delegates ended up backing the moratorium. Demands to shelve that to permit eventual support for a total ban were defeated - although it was suggested by one critic of the Scottish government stance that harder line motions had not made it on to the agenda.
Like the moratorium itself, however, this may be simply a problem deferred for SNP ministers. The mood expressed at conference was decidedly hostile to fracking - although perhaps supporters or those who are unsure sat on their hands. For example, it was decided to leave the debate to the delegates, with no minister intervening.
Read more from Brian
Ineos was attacked during the debate by members including Iain Black from the SNP's Forth branch, one of the founding members of SMAUG (SNP Members Against Unconventional Gas).
Mr Black told delegates: "We believe that the evidence and the science absolutely and overwhelmingly supports a ban.
"There's science and then there's science that's paid for by big business with research grants.
"The SNP is about healthy communities, you can't have healthy communities if you destroy the land, if you destroy the air, if you destroy the water that we drink.
"It's Scotland's land, it's Scotland's air, it's Scotland's water."
Delegate John Page said the motion backing the moratorium was "not good enough".
He added: "I'm unhappy with this motion, I suggest this motion is remitted and that the SNP comes back and more widely reflects its membership and the wider community."
SNP ministers have said the moratorium will allow for more research and consultation on the technique, a process which is not expected to be completed until spring 2017.
Calum McCaig, SNP MP for Aberdeen South, speaking in favour of the motion, said: "What I would like to see is the whole analysis of the whole remit of this contentious issue from a source that I can trust.
"I trust our government to do this and to do it correctly."
Ineos, which runs the Grangemouth plant, has acquired fracking exploration licences across 700sq miles of central Scotland.
The company proposes using shale gas as a raw material for its chemical plants, and has revealed plans to put millions into exploration.


The rush for an Irish passport following the Brexit referendum has not been confined to people in Northern Ireland.

There has been a 60% increase in applications in Britain since last June's poll on the UK's membership of the European Union.
So what has prompted people living in the rest of the UK to apply for Irish citizenship?
London is home to the largest Irish-born population outside of the island.
The London Irish Centre in Camden normally deals with welfare and social issues, but over the past year the number of people seeking help in tracing their Irish ancestry has increased significantly.
Sean Kennedy is in charge of the centre.
"In the month after the referendum we saw an immediate increase and that has been sustained across the 12 months," he said.
"I was contacted by a grandfather who was born in Ireland, but wanted to leave his three granddaughters Irish citizenship as his legacy," he said.
Siobhan Bygate lives in Buckinghamshire, but was born in Belfast in the late sixties.
Her father was from Scotland and joined the SDLP when they lived in north Belfast.
"We lived in Newington Avenue and although my parents were non-practising Protestants, they had Catholic friends so when the sectarianism of the early Troubles started, there were a few incidents," she said.
"Friends said to him (her father) 'This isn't your battle, just leave,' so they did, I think they would have stayed otherwise, they loved it."
Ms Bygate went to school with people whose parents were Irish and who were working in the factories in Dagenham.
"A lot of my classmates were Irish and it was my central cultural reference point growing up, but I wouldn't have claimed to be Irish and it didn't occur to me to apply for an Irish passport," she said.
But that changed in June last year.
"I think I'm very concerned about Brexit," she said.
"As a family, we're European but with Brexit, I'm worried that some of the freedoms we enjoy will be restricted.
"So I want my children to feel part of Europe, so that means embracing the Irish identity."
Ms Bygate's son, Amin, is currently sitting his AS levels.
He hopes his Irish passport will help keep his options open.
"It gives me a little more freedom and makes Brexit a little less scary. I think it allows me to feel more secure about the future," he said.


A UKIP AM has produced a report accusing an assembly committee of encouraging asylum seekers and refugees to come to Wales.

Gareth Bennett claimed the findings of a yet-to-be published inquiry into refugee services risked "encouraging more spontaneous arrivals" in the UK.
Labour AM Jenny Rathbone said she was disappointed he did not engage with evidence gathered by the committee.
Mr Bennett declined to comment on the criticism.
He is a member of the assembly equality, local government and communities committee, which has been investigating provision for refugees and asylum seekers in Wales, especially those from Syria.
It is understood that, during March, the South Wales Central AM told the committee he did not agree with the report's findings.
Mr Bennett has since produced a UKIP-branded report entitled "Wales' Refugee Problem" where he compiled material about refugees, mostly from the Times newspaper.
He wrote: "The committee's report, by seeking to extend provision in Wales not only to Syrian refugees but to refugees arriving spontaneously, is not recognising the difficulties of establishing who are the genuine political migrants.
"The danger is that Wales will be complicit in encouraging more spontaneous arrivals in the UK, which the UK taxpayer will then have to pay for. This cannot be right."
Colleagues of Mr Bennett on the committee claimed the AM did not raise any objections during the progress of the inquiry.
Cardiff Central AM Ms Rathbone said she "completely disagreed" with the suggestion that the committee could be encouraging spontaneous arrivals.
"I really don't think asylum seekers would be reading our report and thinking Wales is the place we should head for," she said.
"In any case they have no control over where they go."
Ms Rathbone said that although the views Mr Bennett held were not surprising, she said it was disappointing "that he didn't engage with the evidence that we gathered and instead came out with a diatribe based on [Times columnist] Matthew Parris".
The findings of the inquiry are not yet known publicly.
Committee chairman, Labour AM John Griffiths, said: "The committee conducted its inquiry over several months taking a wide range of evidence, much of it emphasising the positive role that refugees and asylum seekers can have in Wales.
"Our focus was not the question of whether we should accept more refugees and asylum seekers, or on the level of refugees and asylum seekers entering Wales, but on the support available to them in Wales when they arrive, taking into account what lies within the assembly's devolved competence.
"Our conclusions and recommendations are set out in the report to be published later this week."


A French court has acquitted former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of procuring prostitutes for sex parties in France, Belgium and the US.

Mr Strauss-Kahn stood alongside 13 co-defendants, most of whom were also acquitted of "aggravated pimping".
He has always denied knowing that some of the women who took part in orgies he attended were prostitutes.
Lurid details of the former French presidential hopeful's sex life emerged at hearings in Lille in February.
DSK profile: "He seduced with words"
Has trial changed French attitudes to sex?
Although using prostitutes is not illegal in France, assisting in supplying them is illegal and regarded as procuring. Mr Strauss-Kahn had been accused of playing a pivotal role in facilitating the orgies.
The verdict brings to a close four years of legal proceedings against Mr Strauss-Kahn, including charges of attempted rape which were later dropped in 2012.
Mr Strauss-Kahn gave little reaction while the verdict was being read out, but he was overheard saying to his daughter afterwards: "All that for this? What a waste".
His lawyer, Henri Leclerc, told journalists: "Everyone can see there was no legal basis in the case and all the noise that has surrounded this story has given us all something to think about."
The chief judge said Mr Strauss-Kahn behaved as a client and had not paid the sex workers he met. He only benefitted from others paying them to be present for group parties, the judge added.
Among the others acquitted was Belgian brothel owner Dominique Alderweireld, also known as Dodo la Saumure, who was accused of supplying prostitutes for the parties.
Passing through the brutalist architecture of Lille's courthouse this morning came the colourful parade of characters whose private behaviour has been pored over by the world's media. Having been subject to moral judgements for months now, they came to hear the legal ones.
In the courtroom, DSK sat, largely immobile, in a dark suit and tie, hands folded in his lap as the defendants walked one by one to the stand to hear their verdict.
When his time came, he stood stiffly at the stand, looking straight ahead as the charges were read aloud.
The man who had one day hoped to be president of France showed almost no response when his acquittal came.
Entering the courthouse before the verdict, Dodo said the trial "was meant to topple DSK".  If it was, it didn't work.  And today Dominique Strauss-Khan walked free.
The former public relations chief of Hotel Carlton in Lille, where some of the sex parties took place, was the only defendant found guilty.
Rene Kojfer was given a year's suspended sentence for his involvement in recruiting prostitutes and was fined â‚¬2,500 (Â£1,800).
Dominique Strauss-Khan would have faced a 10-year jail term if found guilty.
During the three weeks of hearings in February, sex workers described Mr Strauss-Kahn's rough behaviour at some of the parties. But he argued that he was not on trial for "deviant practices".
He told the court he participated in the parties because he needed "recreational sessions" amid one of the world's worst financial crises.
Friday's verdict was not a surprise as the state prosecutor Frederic Fevre had recommended Mr Strauss Kahn's acquittal, saying there was not enough evidence to back up the pimping charge.  However, Mr Fevre had asked for his co-defendants to be convicted.
Five of the six plaintiffs - including four prostitutes - had also dropped their accusations against the 66-year-old because of a lack of evidence.
While Mr Strauss-Kahn has admitted to being present at the orgies, he has always maintained that he did not know that some of the women involved were being paid.
French media reaction
Several French commentators are unsurprised by the verdict and question whether the case should have come to trial at all.
"This shipwreck of an investigation had already been heralded by the prosecutor Frederic Fevre who... recommended several acquittals... noting that judges work 'with the penal code and not with the moral code'" - Pascale Robert-Diard's "Chroniques judiciaires" blog in Le Monde
"The unbridled libido of the key player may be a physiological peculiarity, but it falls more within the sphere of a medical publication than in works issued by Dalloz [French publisher specialising in legal reference books]" - Le Figaro


World champions Mercedes are expecting a serious challenge from Ferrari this season and also say McLaren-Honda are a "big threat".

Mercedes team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have dominated the last two years, winning 32 of the 38 races.
But Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell said: "Nobody here is assuming we are going to win.
"Everybody here is assuming we're going to get beaten by Ferrari, and Honda are a big threat."
Cowell described Ferrari's progress with their engine in 2015 as "remarkable" - Sebastian Vettel won three races after a winless 2014 for the team.
Hamilton won 10 grands prix on his way to his second world title, with Rosberg taking six.
Honda struggled badly on their return to F1 last season, McLaren lagging about 2.5 seconds off the pace for much of the season largely as a result of deficiencies in the engine.
But Cowell said this was partly a result of the Japanese company having had less development time than the companies who competed in 2014.
"They have come in quickly and they are learning in front of the public but they're hugely determined, and partnered with McLaren, who are hugely determined.
"We know exactly how McLaren work in terms of a data-driven approach, so they are going to make some big, big gains."
Mercedes supplied engines to McLaren from 1995 to 2014, and were their works engine partner until the car company established its own team in 2010.
The Mercedes engine has set the standard in F1 since the introduction of turbo hybrid engines in 2014, although Ferrari progressed last season to the point at which their engine was almost a match.
But Cowell said there was no sign of the world champions running out of ideas to improve their engine.
"We've made some good gains over the past two years," he said. "I don't see that stopping. I don't think anybody here sees that we have reached the limit."
Cowell said the pursuit of performance in F1 was leading the engine companies to make huge strides in efficiency that would transfer directly to road cars.
The F1 engine regulations revolve around two different kinds of fuel limit - a maximum allowance and a maximum fuel-flow rate.
These, Cowell said, had led to "mind-blowing" gains in thermal efficiency - the measure of how much of the energy in the fuel is converted into power from the engine.
He said the previous F1 engines used until 2013, which were 2.4-litre naturally aspirated V8s, had a thermal efficiency of 29% - about the same as a road-going petrol. A road-car diesel engine is in the region of 38% efficiency.
The thermal efficiency of the F1 turbo hybrids was more than 45%, Cowell said, and greater than 50% when the application of the energy regenerated by the hybrid system from the turbo and rear axle was taken into account.
"Thermal efficiency went up for '15 and perhaps it's going to go up in 2016 and it's definitely going to go up in the future," he said.
"Where we're at with our thermal efficiency is mind-blowing when you step back and look at it," he said. "And if we can apply that to the road-car world without losing that high efficiency, it will be tremendous."
The big caveat, he pointed out, is that the road-car drive cycle is different to what drivers do in F1 cars.
"We drive to the shops. None of us stays full throttle all the way up to the corner and then brakes at 5G," he said.
"But the step gains are considerable and they are greater than we are seeing in the road-car world even today."


Ronnie O'Sullivan says he is "not really bothered" about the World Championship at the Crucible and will "treat it like a vacation".

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O'Sullivan won seven straight frames to beat Neil Robertson 9-5 and win a fourth Welsh Open title on Sunday.
Victory took him to joint second in the list for most ranking titles with 28 alongside John Higgins and Steve Davis - eight behind leader Stephen Hendry.
"The most important thing for me is to get my sleep sorted," said O'Sullivan.
Welsh Open final highlights and report
Five-time world champion O'Sullivan has previously spoken about the lack of sleep he gets during a night and feels it will be the contributing factor in whether he wins a sixth world crown in Sheffield or not.
"My body is just gone and I feel like I am overtired," he said. "I need a nice easy month now without any competitions and relax by filling the tank up.
"If I get my sleep right then I have got half a chance. If I don't get it right then playing two sessions in one day will be too much for me.
"The most important thing is to get that right then everything else will fall into place.
"You just have to accept it will be a long haul and you could get beaten in the first or second round and then you don't have a problem.
"I'm not really bothered about Sheffield, I am not bothered about any tournament. I just treat it like a vacation and enjoy the time that I am away."
In Cardiff, 40-year-old O'Sullivan spoke of his boredom during tournaments and preferring to play in exhibition matches.
'The Rocket' caused controversy at the Welsh Open when he turned down the chance to make a 147 break because the £10,000 prize money was "too cheap".
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He potted 14 reds and 13 blacks before opting for an easier pink as he made a 146 in the first round.
Victory in the final extended his unbeaten run in 2016 to 19 matches, having won the Masters and Championship League in January, followed by his triumph at the Welsh Open.
In April, after losing in the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Championship, O'Sullivan decided to take an eight month sabbatical from the game, returning to action in December.
"I have been playing 25 years and I have only 28 ranking titles. You think, 'what the hell is going on'? I should have had about 56. I should be getting two a year."


A dominant Exeter sent Worcester to a fourth successive Premiership defeat as they ran in eight tries at Sandy Park.

Exeter surged into a 24-3 lead at half-time courtesy of tries from Jack Yeandle and Will Chudley before a penalty try as a maul was brought down.
Olly Woodburn, Carl Rimmer, Thomas Waldrom, James Short and Ian Whitten then all crossed after the break.
Worcester did find time for three consolation tries from Josh Adams, Wynand Olivier and Dewald Potgieter.
Exeter have won all nine of their Premiership encounters against the Warriors and move to within a point of the top four after back-to-back bonus point wins.
Their latest victory almost mirrored the previous league meeting between the two sides at Sandy Park in April, when the Chiefs also scored eight tries in a 50-12 victory.
Once again they were on top from the off against an injury-ravaged Warriors side, who were also without a number of players on international duty.
Chiefs fly-half Gareth Steenson was perfect off the tee, kicking 15 points from seven attempts before making way for Joe Simmonds.
Worcester have just one victory in their past eight matches in all competitions with only winless Bristol keeping them off the bottom of the table.
Exeter assistant coach Ali Hepher:
"It was a tough pre-season but the defeat against Clermont (last month) was the turning point. Since then, the guys have improved and they are now mentally in a great place.
"We are pleased with the performances in the last two or weeks, but we are disappointed to have conceded three tries as it doesn't improve our stats.
"It was great to introduce some of our youngsters but we did lose a little bit of direction, which they will learn from.
Worcester director of rugby Carl Hogg:
"We struggled to defend against their power and pace as we couldn't make tackles behind their gain line so they had plenty of quick ball.
"This put their big ball carriers on the front foot and they caused us a lot of damage.
"Exeter made a slow start to the season but they are now very much in form and we gave them an easy and an early opportunity for them to gain momentum."
Exeter: Dollman; Woodburn, Devoto, Whitten, Short; Steenson (capt), Chudley; Moon, Yeandle, Williams, Lees, Hill, Dennis, Horstmann, Waldrom.
Replacements: Malton, Rimmer, Holmes, Parling, Ewers, Maunder, Simmonds, Hill.
Warriors: Pennell; Heem, Hammond, Olivier, Adams; Shillcock, Arr; Rapava Ruskin, Singleton, Schonert, Kitchener, Barry, Potgieter, Kirwan, Dowson (capt).
Replacements: Williams, Leleimalefaga, Daniels, O'Callaghan, Lewis, Dowsett, Biggs, Willison.
Referee: Matthew O'Grady.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.


David Cameron has said he is confident he can get a better deal for the UK in Europe but admitted it "won't be easy".

Speaking at an EU summit in Latvia, he said he had not been greeted "by a wall of love" when he met EU leaders for the first time since his election win.
But he said he had a mandate and the "British people at his back" for the changes he wanted to achieve.
The prime minister will hold talks with Angela Merkel and EU Commission boss Jean-Claude Juncker next week.
Mr Cameron will also meet French President Francois Hollande as he tries to win support for his position.
Other EU countries have said they will listen to what the UK has to say, the Finnish prime minister Alexander Stubb saying he backed the UK's proposals to cut red tape and was sure "some kind of compromise" could be reached.
But some member states have questioned the need for any change to EU treaties, something Mr Cameron has said he wants to see, and ruled out any watering down of the key principle of freedom of movement.
Speaking at a meeting of EU leaders, Mr Cameron said he believed it was in the interests of both the UK and its European partners for the UK to remain part of the European Union but under different terms.
The British people, he said, were not happy with the status quo and wanted change on issues such as welfare, immigration and an opt-out from further integration.
Mr Cameron said he had only begun to "scratch the surface" of the discussions but would travel to Berlin and Paris next week as well as hosting European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at his country residence, Chequers, on Monday.
He said the British people needed "the best possible choice" about the UK's future in Europe and did not rule out bringing forward his promised referendum, currently scheduled to take place by the end of 2017.
Mr Cameron said he expected "lots of ups and downs" in the process and reminding journalists that many of their pre-election forecasts were wrong, he urged them to "wait for the result".
"I do not expect to find agreed solutions straight away," he told them.
"These talks will require patience and tenacity. But by working together in the right spirit and sticking at it, I believe we can reform the EU and our relationship with it. And then the British people will have the final say. They will decide."
The changes he was seeking were "deliverable and doable", he insisted.
"I've set out a series of changes which I think address the main concerns that British people have, that I have, about Europe and the way it works. And I'm confident of getting those changes."
British officials said the process was at a very early stage, but the meetings with Mrs Merkel, regarded as Germany's most powerful leader and Mr Juncker, the most senior official in Brussels, will be seen as key to setting the tone for future discussions.
Mr Cameron is committed to holding an in/out referendum on Britain's membership of the EU by the end of 2017, but there is speculation it could be held next year to avoid a clash with elections in France and Germany.
Legislation paving the way for the UK referendum is expected to be published next Thursday, the day after the Queen opens Parliament.
Asked whether he would be prepared to recommend a UK exit if he did not get the outcome he wanted, Mr Cameron said he would "not rule anything out".
David Cameron is ready to start renegotiating the terms of Britain's EU membership ahead of a referendum. Here is some further reading on what it all means:
The UK and the EU: Better off in or out?
What Britain wants from Europe
Q&A: The UK's planned EU referendum
Timeline: EU referendum debate
Why Germany is David Cameron's new best friend
BBC deputy political editor James Landale said Mr Cameron had used the summit, arranged to discuss the EU's relationship with Russia and its neighbours, to sound out other European leaders about what they might be willing to accept before the start of "intricate" negotiations in the coming months.
Other EU leaders, he added, were "scared witless" by the possibility of the UK leaving the EU and were willing to listen and consider a deal, but there were some things - such as changes to freedom of movement rules - which were "sacrosanct".
Mr Cameron has not revealed the full details of what he is seeking from any changes, but he is expected to demand an opt-out from one its core principles of forging an "ever-closer union" between member states.
He will also try to get more powers to block or opt out of new EU laws, and for restrictions on welfare benefits for migrants until they have lived in the UK for four years.
This week, a number of UK business leaders started to highlight the potential implications of the referendum, with the president of the CBI saying businesses should "speak out early" in favour of remaining in a reformed EU,
The Labour Party, SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems are in favour of staying in the EU. UKIP, which got almost four million votes but only one MP in the election, want to leave.


A man has admitted killing another man after attacking him in a lane in Livingston last March.

George McDonald, 45, kicked, punched and stamped on Kevin Holmes' head, starting a chain of events which led to irreparable brain damage.
At the High Court in Livingston, McDonald - who had been accused of murder - pled guilty to a reduced charge of culpable homicide.
The judge called for social work reports ahead of sentencing next month.
McDonald's not guilty plea to assaulting Brian Watson - the man he had tried to blame for the murder - was accepted by the Crown.
The court heard that McDonald had a list of previous convictions, including assaults to severe injury and permanent disfigurement, for which he had served prison sentences.
During the trial, McDonald was heard telling detectives that he had got Mr Holmes' blood on his shoes and clothing when he stepped over him as he passed through the lane.
But CCTV evidence showed that he had not walked into the lane from Main Street as he claimed, and he was stopped by police leaving the back of the lane minutes after the attack.
A forensic expert Had told the jury that the pattern on the soles of McDonald's Adidas trainers matched a bruise mark on the victim's face.
Dr Marjorie Turner said Mr Holmes' heart stopped for 45 minutes on the way to hospital after he choked on his own vomit.
She said he suffered swelling and bleeding to his brain, and it was also damaged due to a lack of oxygen after his heart stopped.
Mr Holmes was kept alive on a ventilator for three days but died after he developed pneumonia.


An American citizen has been detained in North Korea as he tried to leave the country, South Korean media say.

The man was identified only by his surname, Kim.
He becomes the third American to be detained by the North; one has been sentenced for spying, the other for trying to steal a sign from a hotel.
The latest detention comes amid high tension on the peninsula, with the US warning its "strategic patience" on the North's nuclear programme is over.
A US naval battle group headed by an aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, and described by President Donald Trump as an "armada", is expected to reach the Korean peninsula later in the week.
The South Korean news agency Yonhap said the detained American citizen, in his 50s, was a former professor from Yanbian University in China and had been in North Korea for a month in connection with relief programmes.
He was arrested at Pyongyang International Airport, Yonhap said.
In January last year, US student Otto Warmbier, 21, was arrested for trying to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel while visiting North Korea.
He was given 15 years' hard labour for crimes against the state in March 2016.
In April last year, Kim Dong-chul, a 62-year-old naturalised US citizen born in South Korea, was sentenced to 10 years' hard labour for spying. He had been arrested the previous October.
The US has in the past accused North Korea of detaining its citizens to use them as pawns.
After the brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was murdered recently in Malaysia, Malaysian citizens in Pyongyang were not allowed to leave the country until North Koreans suspected of the murder were released in Kuala Lumpur.
Tension remains high on the peninsula following the North's recent failed missile test and massive military parade showing off its latest hardware.
North Korea has said it is ready to sink the Carl Vinson, and on Sunday said it would strike Australia with nuclear weapons if it remained an ally of the United States.
North Korea's aim is to develop nuclear weapons small enough to put on ballistic missiles, but there is no evidence yet it has done so, or that it has missiles with the range to reach long-distance targets.
This week US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, on a tour of Asian nations, said the US was "reviewing all the status of North Korea, both in terms of state sponsorship of terrorism as well as the other ways in which we can bring pressure on the regime in Pyongyang".
North Korean media responded by warning of an unspecified "super-mighty pre-emptive strike".


Former Prime Minister Faustin Touadera has been elected president of the Central African Republic in a run-off contest seen as an important step towards restoring peace.

Provisional results showed Mr Touadera received almost 63% of the votes, defeating his opponent Anicet Dologuele who won just over 37%.
Mr Touadera's campaign focused on restoring security.
The country has been through a period of violent sectarian unrest.
Prolonged bloodshed began after the seizure of power by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels in 2013.
It is estimated that about a fifth of the population became either internally displaced or forced to flee abroad, leaving the country poverty stricken and divided along ethnic and religious lines.
Mr Touadera, throughout the campaign, was portrayed by supporters as a peacemaker who can bridge the Christian-Muslim divide and boost the economy.
At a press conference on Saturday night Mr Dologuele said he would honour the results and recognise Mr Touadera as president despite reservations about voting irregularities.
Mr Touadera has vowed to encourage reconciliation and disarmament.
"These elections are important but they are not the only step out of this crisis," he said.
"We have to create the conditions for dialogue between the two communities. We will do everything we can so that Central Africans can live together in Central African Republic."
Mr Touadera is a former maths professor who served as prime minister for Francois Bozize, the president of 10 years who was deposed in 2013.
The election results have to be certified by the Constitutional Court to become final.


A 33-year-old man has been charged with encouraging terrorism and supporting a proscribed organisation.

The charges are in connection with a police investigation into comments made at a republican commemoration event in Lurgan on Easter Sunday.
Detectives searched properties in north Belfast and Lurgan as part of the investigation.
The man is expected to appear at Craigavon Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.


A Bristol DJ made a series of unexplained bus journeys in the run-up to his disappearance eight weeks ago, the BBC has learned.

Travelcard data revealed Derek Serpell-Morris, 73, known as DJ Derek, made several return trips to Thornbury some 14 miles away, before vanishing.
He went missing on 11 July and his family fears he will never be found.
There are fears he might have collapsed in a remote area or even taken his own life because of health worries.
Police have been concentrating their search in and around the market town as the last recorded use of his pass was when he caught the 78 Bristol to Thornbury service on the day he disappeared.
Despite extensive publicity no-one has come forward to say they saw him then or on previous dates when records show he stayed for up to four hours before catching a bus back to Bristol.
Det Ch Insp Matthew Iddon told BBC West's Inside Out family and friends know of no particular link with Thornbury and said officers really need to understand why he went there.
DJ Derek had told a friend the night before he disappeared he had suffered bad head pains but they had gone away and he felt fine.
Twin sister Shirley Griffiths fears her brother may have taken his life - if he had thought he had a health problem.
She said she was chatting with him at a wedding weeks before and he was joking about getting old.
"He told me 'If I became ill, gaga, not with it I don't want family or authorities to have to care for me'," she explained.
"My biggest scare... is we might never find him."
Mr Iddon said a search of his flat found no evidence of foul play.
He added the investigation was complex because he had no internet or mobile but said there is absolutely no suggestion that Derek had something to hide.
"We have got to hope for the best but have also got to prepare for the worst," he said.
The film about DJ Derek will be on Inside Out West on BBC One later at 19:30 BST and afterwards on the iPlayer.


He is one of Russia's leading opposition activists and a best-selling crime writer, but Boris Akunin says he has gone off protest rallies and detective fiction.

Akunin - real name Grigory Chkhartishvili - has sold more than 18 million books, and played an influential role in anti-Putin demonstrations which have filled the streets of Moscow.
"Speaking in front of a demonstration is a nightmare to me," he told the BBC in London. "I did it twice last year and each time it was an ordeal."
Akunin abandoned a novel he was writing in France and flew back to Moscow in December 2011, amid mass protests against alleged fraud in Russia's parliamentary elections.
Last year there were more mass rallies, as Vladimir Putin was re-elected president in controversial elections. Monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the votes were "skewed" in his favour.
But Akunin says he had felt uncomfortable, as if he were being drawn into the role of a dissident writer.
"The pressure was quite high. Everybody wants you to behave like Vaclav Havel, the [late] Czech president and writer. They say: 'Are you the Russian Havel?' I'm not. I'm not going to run for the presidency, to be a deputy or a minister or whatever. I want to stay a writer."
That does not mean Akunin is losing interest in Russian politics, merely that his approach is changing.
"I've now discovered that I don't have to speak before tens of thousands of people. I'm a writer. I have a blog which people can read."
Last week Human Rights Watch released a report saying the Russian authorities were launching their worst political crackdown since Soviet times. Akunin believes Russia is at a dangerous turning point.
"Putin's support is 62% in Russia. But trust in Putin is only 32%. It means people support him because they don't see a choice, but they don't trust him."
Is he disappointed that the mass protests that struck Moscow in 2011 and 2012 have petered out?
"Putin could survive for years, or he could go down in a couple of days. It could easily happen - just by accident they'll kill someone, and the next day there will be hundreds of thousands of Muscovites in the streets.
"But I'm afraid of abrupt changes in a country like Russia, which has nuclear weapons. I do not want revolution, even a peaceful revolution. We are not Czechoslovakia, we are Russia. I hope for something like a new perestroika."
Mikhail Gorbachev's "perestroika" reforms in the 1980s sought to pull Soviet society out of stagnation without dismantling the communist system.
Akunin is careful how he describes his stance. He says it puts him at odds with other opposition leaders, who do want more rapid change - but he does not want to criticise them, because they are being targeted by the authorities.
For example, the blogger Alexei Navalny is currently fighting a tax investigation, which is often seen as a deliberate means the authorities use to apply pressure on political opponents.
But Akunin says he does not fear repression himself.
"I do not really think they are going to do this to a writer, because the history of political persecution of writers in Russia is so big. But, it could happen. I have my readers and they write to me about everything that happens. I know I have secret checks on my income every now and then."
But Akunin, speaking over a gin-and-tonic in a London hotel bar, was perhaps about to disappoint some of his readers. He was in London to discuss an English-language TV mini-series based on his detective hero, Erast Fandorin.
The Fandorin novels, a glamorous romp through tsarist Russia, have been best-sellers since the 1990s. Other detective heroes, including the crime-solving nun Sister Pelagia, have also been hugely popular - and helped make Akunin such an asset to the opposition movement.
Nevertheless, when asked about the future, Akunin says there will be two more Fandorin books and then he will quit crime writing.
"I am changing. I am quite fed up with crime fiction. I'll finish the Fandorin series and then I won't do it any longer. I think I have drunk this bottle to the last drop. You cannot do the same thing over and over again."
He is deliberately vague on what is coming next.
"I've started working on a big new project for the years to come. It will consist of two parts - one fictional and one non-fictional. I don't want to be more specific. I've finished the first book and put it aside for a few months - to see with fresh eyes whether it's worth something or I need to throw it in the waste basket."


Pope Francis has condemned the mafia's "adoration of evil" at a mass in Calabria, the southern Italian base of the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate.

The Pope said the gangsters were effectively "excommunicated" - or banished - in the eyes of the Church.
Earlier, the Pope visited the jailed father of a three-year-old boy who had been killed in an apparent mob hit over an unpaid drug debt.
The Pope has repeatedly spoken out against organised crime and corruption.
His latest condemnation, delivered before a crowd of tens of thousands, described the 'Ndrangheta as the "adoration of evil and contempt of the common good".
"Those who in their lives follow this path of evil, as mafiosi do, are not in communion with God," the Reuters news agency quoted him as saying. "They are excommunicated."
The 'Ndrangheta is a network of clans in the "toe" of Italy that dominates the country's cocaine trade.
It is one of the most powerful mafia organisations in Italy, along with the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the Neapolitan Camorra.
Earlier on Saturday, the Pope visited a prison to meet the jailed relatives of "Coco" Campolongo, a three-year-old boy who was killed along with his grandfather in an execution-style shooting in Calabria.
"It must never again happen that a child suffers in this way," the Pope said.
The Pope also met hundreds of other inmates at Castrovillari prison, many of whom are serving time for mafia-related crimes.
The AFP news agency reports that many of the prisoners wept as the Pope greeted them.


Twenty-time champion jump jockey AP McCoy received a lifetime achievement award at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year show on Sunday.

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The 41-year-old Northern Irishman, who retired in April after a record-breaking career, was honoured at a star-studded ceremony in Belfast.
He joins a list of winners that includes Pele and Seve Ballesteros.
"It's a huge honour and I'm thrilled to be accepting it so close to home in Belfast," McCoy told BBC Sport.
The former jockey, from Moneyglass in County Antrim, joked: "Like the main award, it's very prestigious, only with the lifetime award, you aren't going to win any more after that. That is the only disappointing thing about it."
McCoy, who rode more than 4,300 winners, revealed he had put on nearly two stone in weight after retiring but had come to terms with a decision he took reluctantly.
"I got pretty heavy but I've lost a bit of weight in the last six weeks or so. I'm about just over a stone above my riding weight now," said McCoy, who is 5ft 10in tall, but wasted down to as low as 10 stone during his career.
"I'm quite a stubborn, forward-thinking person so I don't really ever look back.
"It happens to everyone, it's time to move on. Sure, I'd like to be riding and some days I go to the races and I'd like to be having a go, but my time has been. I'm fine. I'm over it."
McCoy was the first jockey to be crowned Sports Personality of the Year, after winning the Grand National at the 15th attempt on Don't Push It in 2010.
He was champion jockey every year of a professional career that saw him overcome a succession of injuries, including puncturing his lungs twice.
"A previous Sports Personality of the Year winner and widely regarded as one of the greatest jockeys of all time, AP was the biggest superstar of racing until his retirement this year," said Barbara Slater, BBC director of sport.
"It's an honour to celebrate his illustrious career in Belfast, Northern Ireland, his home nation, with the lifetime achievement award."
As well as his Grand National success, McCoy won the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice, three Champion Hurdles and the Champion Chase.
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"It's great to receive the lifetime achievement award. There's some fantastic names on the trophy, like Sir Alex Ferguson and George Best," he said.
The Sports Personality awards, hosted by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan in front of a crowd of 7,500 at the SSE Arena, was held in Northern Ireland for the first time.
"It will be nice to receive the award there," said McCoy, who finished third in the main category in both 2002 and 2013. "Sport has done a lot for Northern Ireland.
"I'll be very proud. I'm going to have four Sports Personality of the Year trophies in my house so that's kind of a nice thing to have.
"The main award is voted for by the public and it's nice to have that respect for what you've achieved.
"I felt very lucky that the racing public got behind me, and it was pretty much down to them that I was able to win it. It's a great occasion and a great trophy and the best sportspeople have won it."
Time away from racing has given McCoy, a father of two and occasional TV pundit, more time with his family, to follow his beloved Arsenal and play golf.
"I run and still ride out, and I'm still involved with [racehorse owner] JP McManus and school his horses some mornings. My golf handicap is probably down to 12 now," he said.
However, suggestions McCoy might take up competitive amateur cycling appear to be wide of the mark.
"I've been cycling a few times, but I had a friend who was cycling and was knocked off his bike by a lorry. I like the idea of cycling, but it's the dangers of it that I'm not too sure about," he added.


A union has warned that ongoing hospital transport delays in Sussex are putting patients' lives at risk.

The GMB union has warned that "someone could die" as kidney patients were missing vital dialysis appointments.
It said a new phone-app despatch system left some ambulance staff "sat around" and sent others to areas without phone coverage.
New contractor Coperforma said it was using "all resources at its disposal" to overcome "shortfalls".
Complaints of missed appointments emerged four days after it took over patient transport services in Sussex on 1 April.
Coperforma admitted it was "still not operating optimally" and said pressure would ease as more staff were registered on its system.
Paul Webb from Bexhill told the BBC he had to call 999 for his father Eric, who needs kidney dialysis, when hospital transport failed to arrive.
Mr Webb said: "It's horrendous, people are missing appointments and waiting for hours. Not everyone has got someone chasing bookings for them."
Gary Palmer of the GMB union said it was "dangerous" for patients to miss renal appointments, as "deadly toxics build up in the body".
He said his members were "struggling" with the new dispatch system knowing "regular patients will be sat at home or in hospital waiting for them to arrive".
Coperforma said more than 700 "call booking journeys" were completed in its system on Thursday, and by mid-afternoon it "logged 50 crews using the mobile app".
The GMB union has called a strike ballot because a sub-contractor Thames Ambulance is using single base at Sheffield Park and many staff travel further for work.


The demolition company working at the site of a collapse at Didcot Power Station has lost its contract.

A boiler house was set for demolition by Coleman & Company when it collapsed in February, killing Ken Cresswell, 57, John Shaw, 61, Michael Collings, 53, and 34-year-old Christopher Huxtable.
Operator RWE NPower said it was ending the demolition contract due to an ongoing investigation.
Coleman & Company agreed it was in the "best interests of all parties".
It had been working at the site for two years before the collapse.
RWE NPower closed the coal-fired facility in March 2013 after 43 years of service, and a programme of demolition work followed.
A major incident was declared at the site on 23 February after the boiler house collapsed.
The remaining section was brought down using explosives in July, but the last of the bodies was not discovered until September.
In a statement, Coleman & Company said: "We will not be continuing with the remaining demolition and site clearance work at Didcot A Power Station.
"We agreed with site owners RWE, that this is in the best interests of all parties.
"We would like to thank RWE for their support over the last two years.
"All staff working at Didcot will be redeployed across the company, on to other major projects."
The cause of the collapse is being investigated jointly by police and the Health and Safety Executive.
An inquest into the deaths is to take place in November at Oxford Coroner's Court.


A decision on a £12m hydro electric scheme at a beauty spot in Conwy Valley has been delayed.

RWE Innogy wants to use water from the River Conwy to supply its proposed hydro power project at Betws y Coed.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) was due to announce a decision on a water extraction permit but it has said it wants more time to consider the plans.
Developers have said the project would generate enough "green" energy to meet the needs of 3,200 houses.
Campaigners are worried half an acre of the centuries-old Fairy Glen Wood would be destroyed by the build.
In a statement, NRW said it wanted more time to look through the details before reaching a conclusion.
Snowdonia National Park Authority rejected the project's planning proposals in March.
NRW head of planning Richard Ninnes said an extraction permit would only be issued it it was satisfied the plans "make it clear that it can operate safely, without harming the environment or local communities".
He added: "The Conwy Valley is a rich environment, home to a diverse variety of wildlife and popular with locals and residents alike.
"This is one of the largest hydro power applications we have had to deal with and is particularly complex.
"Among the issues we have had to consider are the impact of the scheme on the river's ecology, its fish and wildlife and on other water users."


A man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder following stabbings in a Devon town.

Two men were taken to Torbay Hospital on Friday with knife wounds following an attack in the Cork and Bottle pub in Paignton, said police.
They have since been released from hospital.
Devon and Cornwall Police arrested a man who has since been charged and will attend Torbay Magistrates Court on Monday.


The Football League play-offs begin on Thursday and thousands of fans around England will be cheering their team on, hoping they can achieve promotion at Wembley by the end of May.

The 12 clubs involved are three games away from winning promotion, but what does it take to go up through the fiercely-contested end-of-season tournament?
BBC Sport looked at 26 years of statistics to bring you some answers.
Since the 1989-90 season - when the current Football League play-off format of four teams from the same league competing to play a one-leg final at a neutral venue was introduced - nine sides finishing as the top qualifier for the play-offs have won promotion to the top flight.
That may bode well for Brighton, who finished third in the Championship in 2015-16.
A quarter of second-tier teams who score first in the play-off semi-final first leg have gone on to reach the final and win promotion to the top flight.
Teams start with a one-in-four chance of being promoted before a ball is kicked, which would suggest that scoring the first goal of a semi-final is not that important at all.
In League One, it is even less important. From 52 semi-final first-leg fixtures, teams who scored first went through to the final on only 18 occasions (35%), while just 11 of those (21%) went on to win in the final.
Meanwhile in League Two, 58% of teams who score first in the fourth-tier play-off semi-final first leg go on to reach the final.
Brighton missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League by failing to beat Middlesbrough in their final game of the season.
The Seagulls face Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Friday, but could they benefit from playing Monday's second leg at home?
In the current format from 1989-90 onwards, teams from the Championship who play their semi-final second leg at their home ground have won on 31 of 52 occasions.
Of those second-leg winners, 24 teams have got through to the final while 13 teams have gone on to win the second-tier play-off final at Wembley.
But what if you have lost the first leg away from home? How often have teams used their second-leg home advantage to turn their semi-final around and then win the play-off final? The answer is "not very".
In the Championship, it has only happened once. Bolton Wanderers lost their 1994-95 Division One play-off semi-final first leg 2-1 at Wolves but won 2-0 after extra-time in the return leg at Burnden Park, before beating Reading 4-3 in the play-off final at Wembley.
In League One, West Bromwich Albion (1992-93), Gillingham (1999-00), Peterborough (2010-11) and Yeovil (2012-13) have won the play-offs after losing their first leg away from home.
Only Blackpool (1991-92), Plymouth (1995-96), Colchester (1997-98) and Scunthorpe (1998-99) have been able to repeat the feat in League Two.
Your team battles their way to the play-off final and thousands of your fans, draped in the colours of their team, descend on Wembley - does scoring first put your side in the driving seat?
In a word, yes. Teams who score first in Championship play-off finals have won on 20 of 26 occasions, while it is 21 from 26 in League One finals and 20 out of 26 in League Two.
Interestingly, there is very little in the way of a fightback in these instances. Usually, when one team takes the lead in a play-off final, the other team will not score.
In the current format, 15 of 26 second tier play-off finals have seen just one team score, while it is 14 of 26 in the third tier and also 14 of 26 in the fourth.
As promotion gives second-tier clubs a huge financial advantage, play-off finals have been nervy affairs of late. Seven of the last 10 Championship play-off finals have resulted in just one team getting on the scoresheet.
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A £10,000 reward has been offered for information in the case of a man murdered in Northampton.

David Brickwood, 74, died in hospital after being assaulted in Lindsay Avenue, Abington in the early hours of 26 September.
His son, Dale, said he had "cried a million tears" over the "violent and dreadful attack".
Crimestoppers has offered the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Sue Witts, East Midlands regional manager for the charity, said: "Mr Brickwood was well-known and well-liked within his community, which is what makes this violent crime all the more shocking.
"We all deserve to feel safe in our own homes and it is extremely important the people responsible are brought to justice to ensure they cannot strike again."
In a tribute after his death, Dale Brickwood described his father as "the most honest, hardworking, caring man I've ever known".
Northampton Police said five arrests have been made in connection with the murder, but no charges have been brought.


Chelsea have confirmed that midfielder Oscar will move to Shanghai SIPG in China in a £60 million transfer in January.

The 25-year-old Brazil international joined Chelsea in 2012, for £25 million.
Since then, he's appeared 203 times for the club, and scored 38 times.
In four and a half years at Stamford Bridge, he's won the Premier League, Europa League, and League Cup.
It's reported he will earn £400,000 a week playing for the Chinese Super League Club.


Families of victims and survivors of the Birmingham pub bombings are to receive a human rights award.

Rights organisation Liberty is recognising the Justice4the21 campaign for its successful lobby to reopen inquests partially heard in 1974.
Twenty-one people died and 222 were injured after bombs exploded in two pubs on 21 November that year.
The group has used its own money to fund legal aid and to lobby for a new police investigation and inquest.
In June, Birmingham Coroner Louise Hunt ruled the hearings would be reopened, saying a "wealth of evidence that still has not been heard".
More stories from Birmingham and the Black Country
Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine was killed in the attacks, said the award was a poignant marker of a long and hard fought campaign.
She will be in attendance to collect the 'Long Walk Award' alongside other members of the campaign.
"We have faced many challenges, we have fought of our own volition, of our own time, money and we have invested all of our emotional energy into bringing about a resumed inquest for our loved ones," she said.
"It is very moving for us. It is hard to put into words how we feel, but we do what we do for those who aren't here to fight for justice themselves. If we don't do it then no one is going to do it for them."
The awards are at the Royal Court Theatre in London on Wednesday.
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On 22 January, recordings of particulate air pollution were higher in London than in Beijing.

The claim: Air pollution in London last week was worse than it was in Beijing.
Reality Check verdict: Some one-off readings were higher in London last week, but this was an unrepresentative snapshot and Beijing is generally far worse.
Ruth Cadbury is the Labour MP for Brentford and Isleworth, a part of London that has seen unusually high levels of air pollution recently.
Last week saw the highest level recorded in the capital since April 2011.
The spike was attributed to cold, calm and settled weather, meaning winds were not dispersing local pollutants.
Different countries measure air pollution in different ways.
The UK government uses a one (lowest) to 10 (highest) scale.
Last week's levels in London were a 10.
Another measure is the Air Quality Index (AQI).
Last Monday, according to this measure, some parts of London showed particulate levels a bit higher than in Beijing.
But this was just a snapshot and not the case for most of the week.
On Wednesday afternoon, the overall AQI level in Beijing was about three times higher than in London, and recordings were even higher on the Chinese city's industrial outskirts.
The World Health Organization gathers average particulate levels from cities around the world.
They suggest that Beijing's levels are about five times worse than London's.
The cities with the dirtiest air are Zabol in Iran and Onitsha in Nigeria.
In the UK, overall emissions of all types of air pollution have fallen dramatically since 1970.
Pollution in Beijing is much worse than in London - or in Stockholm, where the same claim was made this week.
Read more from Reality Check


Strong earnings from Caterpillar and McDonald's tipped US markets into positive territory on Tuesday.

Caterpillar saw a quarterly sales rise of 9.6%, while McDonald's posted its highest comparable sales growth in five years. Both companies rose more than 4.7%.
The Dow Jones rose 0.47% to 21,613.43, while the wider S&P 500 index added 0.29% to 2,477.08.
The tech-focused Nasdaq index was up 0.02% at 6,412.17.
The Nasdaq was weighed down by Alphabet, Google's parent company, which saw share prices fall after it reported its earnings.
But the Dow and S&P 500 reached another set of records.
The gains occurred across a variety of sectors, led by energy and financial stocks. The healthcare sector was among those posting losses, after the US Senate voted to begin the debate on another health care reform bill, extending uncertainty for the industry.
Caterpillar, which makes heavy farming and construction machinery, is viewed as a bellwether stock for the economy because of its links to other industries.
The firm's stock price climbed nearly 6% after the company told investors it expects sales to come in higher than previously forecast, largely due to demand in China and North America.


NHS Forth Valley has been fined £8,000 for failing to ensure the safety of a pensioner who was found dead a week after going missing from a hospital.

Alexander "Sandy" Gerrard, 69, went missing from the former Bonnybridge Hospital, near Falkirk, in May 2011.
He was seen a few hours later more than seven miles away on the outskirts of Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire.
His body was found by members of the public in the Forth and Clyde Canal, near Kilsyth.
Police had launched a major search including specialist dogs, thermal imaging equipment and a helicopter for Mr Gerrard, who was originally from Aberdeenshire and  was described by officers as "very vulnerable".
Falkirk Sheriff Court heard that Mr Gerrard had made an earlier, unsuccessful attempt to leave the hospital six days earlier, but NHS officials had failed to carry out "a suitable and sufficient assessment" of the risk of him doing it again.
NHS Forth Valley Health Board admitted failing to assess the risks to Mr Gerrard's health and safety, contrary to 1999 Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.
The health board closed Bonnybridge Hospital seven month later and transferred its staff and patients to the Falkirk Community Hospital.
An NHS Forth Valley spokeswoman said: "We are very sorry for the circumstances surrounding this patient's death in May 2011 and would like to again apologise to the family for the distress this has caused.
"A number of actions have been carried out to address the shortcomings identified as a result of both our own internal investigation and the subsequent investigation carried out by the HSE."


The major energy suppliers in the UK are facing pressure from the new government over their prices.

Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has spoken and written to the "big six" suppliers to question them about whether prices are reflecting companies' costs.
One consumer group said the firms had "run out of excuses" for failing to cut prices further.
But the energy companies have said they are operating in a highly competitive market.
"In light of the greater regulatory stability we are providing and continued stability in wholesale gas prices, I believe that energy suppliers should be seeking to regain the trust of consumers by reflecting this in their pricing decisions," Ms Rudd said in a letter seen by the BBC.
The latest analysis by regulator Ofgem estimated that firms could increase their profit margins to up to £118 per customer on an estimated annual dual-fuel deal this year.
It added that wholesale gas and electricity costs were £80 lower than their estimated level a year ago.
The possibility of a price freeze, proposed by the Labour Party, has also been extinguished by the General Election result.
Last month, energy company SSE - one of the big six - reported a 40% rise in profits from its retail arm, despite losing more than 500,000 customers over a year.
A spokesperson for SSE said: "Two price cuts in 13 months and an unrivalled price freeze until July 2016 proves the importance SSE places on giving customers lower prices for longer. Providing this peace of mind for customers requires a long-term approach to pricing; however, as ever, if we can cut them again, we will."
All the big six firms - SSE, British Gas, Scottish Power, Npower, EDF, and E.On - cut gas prices earlier in the year, but campaigners say this failed to reflect continuing falls in wholesale costs.
Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which?, said: "Energy firms have totally run out of excuses for not cutting our bills.
"It is good that ministers are acting but we now need to see suppliers do the right thing, and fast. If they don't play ball it will add weight to the case for the competition authority to step in and force the energy firms to make bills fair."
The government has pledged to be on the side of hard-working families, so it is little surprise that the new energy secretary has entered the debate about energy prices. But is her letter to the big six suppliers - seen by the BBC - really a "declaration of war" as one newspaper put it?
That's not how the firms see it.
It does raise a legitimate question - with the prospect of a Labour price freeze gone, is there now the opportunity to look again at energy tariffs?
A sudden round of price cuts looks unlikely: the industry is about to be hit with initial findings from the biggest probe into the energy sector since its privatisation.
While wholesale prices have continued to soften, the firms point out that these costs now make up less than half of our domestic bill. But Amber Rudd's move seems designed to put down a marker that energy prices will be at the top of her agenda.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating the energy market since last summer.
It has already reported that gas and electricity customers could have cut their bills by moving their custom to new products or different suppliers.
From 2012 to 2014, more than 95% of dual-fuel customers of the big firms would have have saved money by switching tariffs or suppliers, it said.
The savings they missed ranged from £158 to £234 a year per customer, the CMA said.
Its full findings are expected soon.
A spokesman for Energy UK, which represents the major energy firms, said: "More companies are entering the market and by shopping around customers can find deals that are both cheaper than this time last year and which match individual circumstances.
"Our members will be replying to the Secretary of State in due course and the industry as a whole is keen to work constructively with the new government to ensure energy security at a price everyone can afford."


Goalkeeper Paul Gallacher has joined Hearts as a player-coach, but the Tynecastle club are continuing their search for another shot-stopper.

The 36-year-old, who rejected a new contract with Partick Thistle, has signed a two-year deal.
He takes over coaching duties from Neil Alexander, who has joined Aberdeen.
Head coach Robbie Neilson said: "He'll primarily be a coach, but he'll be registered as a player too and I know he'll be ready if called upon."
Alexander, two years older than Gallacher, had been Hearts' first choice last season but was released this summer.
Jack Hamilton was given his chance at the end of the season, but Neilson is likely to look for another goalkeeper to challenge the 22-year-old.
Gallacher, who joined Thistle from Ross County in 2013 but only made one appearance for Hearts' Scottish Premiership rivals last season, will also challenge for a place.
"He's a vastly experienced goalkeeper and is a good goalkeeper coach too, having spent time in that role at Partick Thistle," said Neilson of the former Norwich City, Dunfermline Athletic and St Mirren man on Hearts' website.
"I'm sure Jack and the other goalkeepers at the club will benefit greatly from Paul's knowledge."
Meanwhile, defender Faycal Rherras has admitted that he has joined Hearts in the hope it is a stepping stone to English football.
The Belgian-born Moroccan 23-year-old signed a three-year contract this week after leaving Sint-Truiden.
"My dream is to play in England and I know that in Scotland the league is similar in physicality and the style of football that is played in England," he said.
"This move is a chance for me to do well and adapt to those characteristics."


The London School of Economics has been heavily criticised for a "chapter of failures" in its links with the Gaddafi regime in Libya.

A report by former Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf says mistakes and errors of judgement damaged the LSE's reputation.
The school's director, Sir Howard Davies, resigned in March over a Â£1.5m gift from a foundation led by Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif, a former student.
The LSE says it accepts all Lord Woolf's recommendations.
The LSE's centre for global governance had received Â£300,000 of the donation from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, when Lord Woolf was appointed to head the independent external inquiry in March 2011.
The LSE's commercial arm had also secured a contract worth Â£2.2m to train Libyan civil servants.
Lord Woolf's remit was to look at how the LSE came to ignore warnings and risk its reputation by forging close links with the former Gaddafi regime.
The institution's involvement with Libya caused embarrassment at the time of the Libyan uprising in February and led students there to stage a protest.
Lord Woolf says LSE's links with Libya exposed it to a "significant degree of risk" which would have been missed, had the Gaddafi regime not collapsed.
He says links between the LSE and Libya were allowed to grow unchecked, without due diligence assessments taking place.
He describes what he calls a "chapter of failures" in the way the proposed donation was scrutinised by the LSE's council, saying that due diligence "remained at best embryonic".
"The actual source of money gifted... was never established", the report says, and "Saif Gaddafi's word alone was relied upon."
He also concludes that the timing of the donation, six weeks after Saif Gaddafi was awarded a  PhD, was "unfortunate", "risky", "indicative of naivety at the LSE" and gave the impression that Saif had "purchased his degree".
Lord Woolf says academics and staff acted in, what they perceived to be the best interests of the School, but the donation would not have been accepted if its source had been properly checked.
He singles out Sir Howard Davies for criticism, concluding that "despite his great experience and ability, responsibility for what went wrong must rest with the  [former] director."
He also blames LSE administrators Fiona Kirk and Adrian Hall for their roles in the affair and the former head of the centre for global governance, Professor David Held, who was closely involved in supervising Saif Gaddafi's PhD work and in securing the donation.
Professor Held announced he was leaving the LSE last month.
The report also says that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi "duped" his academic supervisors by receiving extensive outside help in preparing his PhD thesis.
It says he was admitted to study at the LSE's philosophy department in 2003 because of an "idealism factor" that he might improve Libya - even though he had already been rejected by other LSE departments on the basis that his academic standards were not sufficiently high.
A separate University of London panel has been investigating allegations that Saif Gaddafi's PhD thesis might contain plagiarism or have been ghostwritten.
That report is not being made public but BBC News understands that it will not recommend that Gaddafi be stripped of his LSE doctorate.
Lord Woolf makes 15 recommendations in his report.
These include setting up an ethics code to govern potential risks to the LSE's reputation and the installation of a new body to oversee the admission of postgraduate students and their studies.
He also calls for new guidance on the amount of outside assistance a postgraduate student can receive and new policies on donations to the School.
LSE director Professor Judith Rees said: "The publication of this report will help LSE move on from this unhappy chapter in its otherwise celebrated history.
"It is consoling that Lord Woolf finds that no academic or other staff member at LSE acted other than in what they perceived to be the best interests of the School.
"He also describes the work of LSE Enterprise in training Libyan professionals and civil servants as of merit. We will now work to take LSE forward, learning the lessons of the report and implementing Lord Woolf's recommendations."


Six soldiers from an elite Libyan army unit have been killed overnight by masked gunmen in the restive eastern city of Benghazi.

A source at the army's command centre in the city told the BBC that the gunmen had attacked the headquarters of a special forces unit elite.
This then led to heavy fighting in the area, he added.
Benghazi was the centre of the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi's regime in  2011.
It has become increasingly unstable amid clashes between militias made up of  former rebels and the regular forces of the new authorities.
Militias with different tribal and ideological links control parts of the city, which has seen a wave of attacks on government security forces.
The official Facebook page of the special forces shows gruesome images of some of the soldiers who died in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The BBC's Rana Jawad says that two of the men who died appeared to have been summarily executed after being taken hostage by what the unit described as the Takfir group - a clear reference to Islamist militants.
The latest clashes mark an escalation in the attacks against the special forces unit since they were deployed in the city about a month ago.
Previous incidents included their checkpoints being targeted  in drive-by attacks.
Radical Islamists were blamed for an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi last September that killed four Americans, including ambassador Chris Stevens.
Benghazi has also recently been the scene of anti-militia protests, which saw residents demanding they be dissolved attacked and killed by militia members.


Hearts have completed the signing of former Dundee United midfielder Morgaro Gomis on a three-year contract.

The 28-year-old, who made 16 appearances for United last season, is new head coach Robbie Neilson's first signing of the summer.
Hearts had their SPFL transfer embargo lifted on Wednesday after officially exiting administration.
"He's got a lot of experience and is a good player," Neilson told the club's website.
"He's got a great attitude and a great work-rate. His mentality for coming in and doing things properly is what we need from the older players.
"They need to set an example and he certainly does that.
"I took the under-20s against Dundee United in January and Morgaro was playing. He was fantastic.
"It was a cold Tuesday night, it was bucketing down and blowing a gale but he worked really hard and helped the United youngsters.
"For me, that sold me on him. If he can do that for them then he can do it for us."
Gomis spent five years at Tannadice over two spells, and has been capped twice by Senegal.
He goes into a Hearts squad looking to bounce back to Scotland's top-flight, after they were relegated to the Championship in season 2013-14.


Storms in California have toppled one of America's most famous trees - the Pioneer Cabin Tree.

The giant sequoia was known for having a hole cut through its trunk - big enough for a car to drive through.
The tree, estimated to be more than 1,000-years-old, was felled by the strongest storm to have hit the area in more than a decade.
California and Nevada have been hit by unusually high rainfall levels, leading to flooding and falling trees.
The Calaveras Big Trees Association first reported that the drive-through Pioneer Cabin Tree - carved 137 years ago - was no more.
The storm was "just too much for it", the group wrote in a Facebook post that has drawn nearly 2,000 comments.
"Many memories were created under this tree," one read. "They will remain good memories."
Others pointed out that the tree might have survived for longer if a tunnel had not been carved into it.
"You can't cut a hole in a tree like this and expect it to live," said one comment.
"This hole always bothered me so much. Why not just drive around it?"
Park volunteer Jim Allday said the sequoia, also known as the Tunnel Tree, shattered as it hit the ground.
"We lost an old friend today," he wrote in a social media post.
Giant sequoia are closely related to the redwood tree, which is considered the tallest tree species on earth, reaching 250ft (76 metres).
They only grow in the groves of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range.
The tree fell as parts of California and Nevada were drenched by a seasonal weather system known as the Pineapple Express.
Not to be confused with the Seth Rogen movie of the same name, the Pineapple Express is an "atmospheric river" that extends across the Pacific from Hawaii to the US West Coast, meteorologists say.
"This is a serious flood situation," the National Weather Service said in a special flood statement late Sunday night after the Russian River in California and the Truckee River in Nevada burst their banks.
Hundreds of people have been forced to flee their homes in Northern California and Nevada as water levels rise, and avalanches and mudslides close roads.


A leading doctors' representative and champion of minimum pricing for alcohol has died suddenly at the age of 67.

Dr Brian Keighley died at his home in Balfron, Stirlingshire, where he had served as a GP for the local community throughout his 38-year career.
Dr Keighley was chairman of the British Medical Association in Scotland from 2009 until last year.
He was described by colleagues as "a caring and deeply committed doctor".
Dr Keighley combined his GP and BMA work with a number of other roles with the Forth Valley Health Board, and as a justice of the peace in Stirling.
He also played a key role in the BMA's prominent support for the Scottish government's drive for the minimum pricing of alcohol.
Dr Keighley was made an MBE in a ceremony earlier this year for services to healthcare.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to Dr Keighley, saying on Twitter: "So sorry to hear this. I worked with Brian when I was Health Secretary & he was a strong champion of GPs and the NHS."
The current chairman of BMA Scotland, Dr Peter Bennie, said: "Dr Keighley made an immense contribution to the health service and healthcare in his lifetime, both in a prominent national leadership role for the BMA providing thoughtful, articulate and constructive advice and also at the heart of his local community.
"He was a passionate advocate for health professionals, improving the health of the population and the quality of healthcare services across Scotland and the UK.
"His sage advice, counsel and extensive knowledge of health service issues will be sorely missed."


Not many teams have tested Chelsea's three-man defence this season, but Burnley showed there is a way to get at Antonio Conte's side.

The Clarets were extremely clever in Sunday's 1-1 draw, especially in the way they targeted Chelsea's left flank, which is far less disciplined defensively than their right side.
Eden Hazard always wanders inside from the left - far more than Pedro does when he starts on the right - which is what happened at Turf Moor.
That leaves Chelsea's left wing-back Marcus Alonso to advance up the pitch and give them an option wide on that flank.
But, with Hazard often on the opposite side of the pitch, Alonso is sometimes left isolated when the Blues lose possession.
Alonso is also not as strong as their right wing-back Victor Moses when it comes to getting back to help his centre-halves. I look at him and think he is more of a left winger.
It is a weak spot because it leaves space to exploit if teams can get the ball into that channel behind Alonso, but you usually have to do it quickly.
Burnley managed it early on by playing long balls up to Andre Gray that forced Gary Cahill and David Luiz to come out wide, out of their comfort zone.
The Clarets had more success in the second half when Ashley Barnes intercepted a Chelsea header down that flank, with Alonso further up the pitch, and Hazard over on the right.
Cahill should have done better with his challenge on Barnes inside the Burnley half, and Luiz should have cut out the cross after Barnes had burst forward - but the ball still found Gray, who missed an excellent chance to put his side ahead.
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Burnley got their tactics exactly right on Sunday. Their attitude was spot-on too.
Their game plan, and the way they executed it, was an example of how the right system and attitude gives you a chance when you are facing a side with more technical quality.
Chelsea are always well organised under Conte as well, of course, but they struggled to control the game because of Burnley's approach.
The Blues' goal at Turf Moor was typical of the clinical counter-attacking play that has helped take Conte's side to the top of the table.
But the speed of Burnley's own transition from defence to attack meant they created chances that way too, especially in the first half.
Sean Dyche's side played a lot of long balls right from the start of the game, but they did not just lump the ball forward for the sake of it. Those passes had a purpose.
It meant they bypassed midfield - an area where Dyche knew his side would be over-powered - and got the ball to Burnley's two strikers as quickly as possible.
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Burnley were attacking very well for a lot of the game but those long balls were also a defensive tactic. They stretched the play.
Instead of Chelsea winning back possession in midfield and launching attacks from there, which is what they wanted to do, they had to come at them from much further back.
That made it harder, especially against a team that does as much running as Burnley. The Clarets had more time to recover and get numbers back to hassle them outside their own area.
From Burnley's point of view, most of the second half was more about digging in and working hard defensively, rather than asking more questions of Chelsea.
But Dyche's side did well at that too. They were extremely well organised and were very difficult to break down. Their 4-4-2 formation sometimes became a six-man defence.
Chelsea had lots of the ball in the second half, but they did not find much space or create lots of chances and, after the break, it was significant that Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton did not have to make a save.
The Clarets have an incredible home record this season and, although they were beaten by Arsenal and Manchester City, they caused them plenty of problems too.
Dyche's side have to work very hard for every point they pick up but they got their reward for it this time - and they fully deserved their draw.
I think it was a good result for Chelsea too, because they could have lost. They did not play particularly well, but they still picked up a point, and they still have a very healthy lead at the top of the table.
Ruud Gullit was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.


England endured a difficult day as centuries by Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay put India in control on day three of the fourth Test in Mumbai.

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Kohli's classy 147 not out and 136 from Vijay dented England's hopes as India reached 451-7, a lead of 51.
The bowlers toiled, despite Cheteshwar Pujara falling for 47 to the second ball of the day.
Joe Root took two wickets in four balls but England, who trail in the series 2-0, face a difficult second innings.
Kohli, dropped on 68 by Adil Rashid, maintained his composure to blunt England after they took three wickets for 28 runs, and gave India the advantage on a turning pitch.
Rashid and Moeen Ali, who both struggled on the first day, bowled a much more consistent line but the sharp spin that they found will surely play on the mind of England's batsmen.
"Every time England sneaked the door open, India were too good - that's been the story of the day," former England captain Geoffrey Boycott said on BBC Test Match Special.
Vijay's century, brought up in the morning session, was in danger of being overshadowed by Kohli, who was supported by 19,444 vocal fans inside the Wankhede Stadium.
Kohli started his innings aggressively but played more cautiously on the third day as England's spinners found regular turn, before Rashid dropped a tough caught-and-bowled chance in the afternoon.
He jumped on short deliveries from the spinners, but it was the way he used his wrists to find the singles that propelled him to three figures.
England's decision to take the new ball in the 139th over only encouraged him to accelerate as he drove Chris Woakes ferociously to the boundary.
He guided the lower order through to stumps, putting on 87 runs with Jayant Yadav, to ensure England faced the prospect of another morning in the field.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan on Test Match Special: "My little lad is here and I had to say, 'get here quick - it's the Virat Kohli show'. He hasn't been disappointed.
"This is an 'I was there' moment. This Kohli innings has been a masterstroke."
Ex-England batsman Geoffrey Boycott: "He's so smooth, like milk chocolate - his footwork gets him into position so early. It's a pleasure to watch him."
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar: "Kohli has played one of the best innings I have seen. It has been magnificent."
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: "The India fans have moved on from Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai, and Kohli is their hero."
Ex-England batsman Ed Smith: "It's been extraordinary to watch Virat Kohli in this form."
England batsman Joe Root: "His balance between aggression and defence was perfect, pretty much. He only gave one half chance."
After Pujara fell to Jake Ball's second delivery, leaving a ball that moved back to clip the stumps, England faltered.
It took a misjudgement from Vijay, who hit a Rashid full toss back to the bowler, to make the breakthrough.
Alastair Cook was off the field when vice-captain Root made the decision to bring himself on to bowl. It reaped an instant reward as Parthiv Patel edged a delivery that bounced to Jonny Bairstow.
Root struck again four balls later as Ravichandran Ashwin, who made a half-century in the previous Test, thudded the ball into Keaton Jennings at short leg to depart for a three-ball duck.
England bowled with control and Rashid was rewarded when he became the first England leg-spinner since 1946-7 to take 20 wickets in a series as Ravindra Jadeja skied a delivery and was caught by Jos Buttler.
England failed to make the new ball count, with Yadav dropped on eight by Root at second slip off James Anderson.
They must take quick wickets on the fourth morning before attempting to erase their first-innings deficit on a pitch offering increasing turn.
England batsman Joe Root on TMS: "Tomorrow morning we have to look to take those three quick wickets early. Once that's happened, we look at how we approach batting in this game.
"It was about being positive and taking the game to the opposition. That's all we can do now."
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: "The lead is mounting. It's a really good game of cricket but England have got a lot of batting to do tomorrow - it will be very difficult."


Lock Jake Ball is determined to regain his place in the Wales side after losing his spot to Luke Charteris in the Six Nations.

Ball, 23, started against England and Scotland but Racing Metro's Charteris was preferred after that.
Scarlets' Ball has an opportunity to impress Wales coach Warren Gatland against the Dragons on Saturday.
"You've always got to fight for it and obviously at the moments it's Charts' shirt," he said.
"It just shows you that the position is never yours. It's my job to chase him down and grab it back off him.
"He's obviously a different style of player to me and I've got to prove my point of difference to regain my starting position.
"The big thing is how you react to that. You can either go into your shell or you try and crack on and I'm trying to crack on and work my way back in."
Gatland has confirmed he is returning to Wales for the Judgement Day matches at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, which also sees Cardiff Blues face Ospreys.
New Zealander Gatland and attack coach Rob Howley have said regional form will play a part when the World Cup is selected.
Ball says the priority is to secure victory for a Scarlets side targeting a place in next season's European Champions Cup.
But Ascot-born Ball is well aware a good performance on Saturday could go a long way towards securing a place in the World Cup squad.
"The focus is making that top six with the Scarlets," Ball added.
"You play well and hopefully win the game and obviously impress selectors as well."


Moors Murderer Ian Brady, who tortured and killed five children with Myra Hindley in crimes that shocked the nation, has died.

The 79-year-old died at Ashworth Hospital, a secure psychiatric unit in Merseyside where he had been detained since 1985.
Brady, who was jailed in 1966, buried four of his victims in graves on Saddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester.
One victim's brother said Brady's death would not end their "nightmare".
A Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said Brady had died at 18:03 BST on Monday.
Brady, who was born in Glasgow but later moved to Manchester, was jailed at Chester Assizes 51 years ago for the murders of John Kilbride, aged 12, Lesley Ann Downey, 10, and Edward Evans, 17.
In 1985 he also admitted to the murders of Pauline Reade, 16, and Keith Bennett, who was 12.
The children had been abducted by Brady and his lover Hindley, who died in prison in 2002, between 1963 and 1965.
Brady never revealed where Keith's remains were buried. The boy's mother Winnie Johnson, who died in 2012, had repeatedly pleaded for Brady to do so.
Brady and Hindley were caught when her brother-in-law David Smith, who was a petty criminal, phoned the police after seeing Brady abuse and strangle Edward Evans.
The officers caught Brady and Hindley at home, retrieving Edward's body from the bedroom, along with Brady's library of volumes on perversion and sadism.
Martin Bottomley, the head of Greater Manchester Police's cold case unit, said the force would never give up the search for Keith and Brady's death did "not change that".
He said: "Our aim, as it always has been, is to find where Keith is buried and give closure to his surviving family members so they can give Keith the proper burial they so desperately want.
"Whilst we are not actively searching Saddleworth Moor, we will act on credible and actionable information that will help lead us to him."
Brady's lawyer Robin Makin told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was with his client in hospital less than two hours before his death.
"I got a call that he wanted to see me - he was obviously well aware that his death was imminent," he said.
He described the encounter as "quite a moving sort of situation", where the pair discussed Brady's legal affairs and funeral arrangements.
He said the whereabouts of the remains of Keith Bennett did not come up in conversation.
"I would be very surprised if he really had information that was useful.
"He did go to the Moors a long time ago and I suspect that if there had been information for him that he could have provided, he would have provided it then."
Describing coverage of the search for Keith's body as a "frenzy", he said: "I would very much hope that the remains can be found, but unfortunately I haven't got any information that's going to assist."
Keith's brother Alan runs a website, Searching for Keith, in an ongoing attempt to locate his body.
John Kilbride's brother, Terry, told the Sun newspaper: "It's been years and years of anguish and pain for us and the families of the victims.
"He's dead but we will have to still live with the nightmare that he left behind."
Speaking about the case of victim Lesley Ann Downey, former police officer Norman Brennan told of the "grief and torment" he had seen on the faces of her mother and father.
Police found photographs of the naked 10-year-old, along with tape recordings of her final moments pleading for her life as she was brutally abused.
Mr Brennan told BBC Two's Newsnight: "To know that your daughter was lost, alone and murdered and then actually her death was recorded, the grief can never ever be etched from your mind.
"Those two individuals, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, they didn't just destroy five young children's lives.
"The... false hopes that they gave the families for over 50 years destroyed all of the families as well, even to this day."
Brady had been on successive hunger strikes since 1999, arguing he should be allowed to die, but had been force-fed because he was considered mentally ill.
He campaigned for several years to be moved from Ashworth to a Scottish prison where he would not be force-fed and would be allowed to die if he wished.
The Mersey Care Trust was unable to confirm the cause of Brady's death, but said he had been given oxygen for a while.
Brady was not found dead in his room, its spokesman said, but he was unable to confirm if anyone was with him when he died, adding: "Quite possibly. I don't know."


US President Donald Trump's one-time campaign chairman secretly worked for a Russian billionaire to assist President Vladimir Putin, the Associated Press (AP) news agency reports.

Paul Manafort is said to have proposed a strategy to nullify anti-Russian opposition across former Soviet republics a decade ago.
AP says documents and interviews support its claims about Mr Manafort.
Mr Manafort has insisted that he never worked for Russian interests.
He worked as Mr Trump's unpaid campaign chairman from March until August last year, including the period during which the flamboyant New York billionaire clinched the Republican nomination.
He resigned after AP revealed that he had co-ordinated a secret Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraine's ruling pro-Russian political party until 2014.
Newly obtained business records link Mr Manafort more directly to Mr Putin's interests in the region, AP says.
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It comes as Trump campaign advisers are the subject of an FBI investigation and two congressional inquiries.
Investigators are reviewing whether the Trump campaign and its associates co-ordinated with Moscow to interfere in the 2016 presidential election campaign to damage Mr Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, a stern critic of Mr Putin.
Mr Manafort is said to have pitched the plans to aluminium magnate Oleg Deripaska, a close ally of President Putin.
In a confidential strategy plan in 2005, AP reports, Mr Manafort proposed to influence politics, business dealings and news coverage in the US, Europe and the ex-Soviet republics to advance the interests of the Putin government.
At this time, US-Russia relations were deteriorating.
"We are now of the belief that this model can greatly benefit the Putin government if employed at the correct levels with the appropriate commitment to success,'' Mr Manafort is said to have written, adding that it would be offering "a great service that can refocus, both internally and externally, the policies of the Putin government".
Mr Manafort signed a $10m-a-year contract beginning in 2006, AP reports. How much work he did under this contract was unclear.
Mr Manafort and Mr Deripaska reportedly maintained a business relationship until at least 2009.
When Donald Trump picked Paul Manafort to be his campaign chair last March, the political operative was a relatively minor player in Washington, consigned to working for deep-pocketed foreign benefactors. That those benefactors have turned out to include Russian oligarchs and Ukrainian politicians with ties to Vladimir Putin is sure to cause growing concern in the Trump White House.
Now it appears increasingly likely that Mr Manafort is one of the "individuals associated with the Trump campaign", in Director James Comey's words, at the heart of an ongoing FBI investigation.
This would explain why White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer recently downplayed Mr Manafort's connections to the Trump team, saying he "played a very limited role" in the campaign for "a very limited amount of time".
Mr Manafort could face legal consequences if the FBI concludes that he did not properly disclose his work for foreign leaders. That would at the very least prove embarrassing for Mr Trump, given the power he delegated to Mr Manafort last summer.
If it turns out that Mr Manafort's contacts with foreign interests continued during his time at the top of the Trump campaign, the situation for the White House could go from embarrassing to full-blown scandal.
In a statement to AP, Mr Manafort confirmed that he had worked for Mr Deripaska in several countries but insisted the work was being unfairly cast as "inappropriate or nefarious" as part of a "smear campaign".
"I worked with Oleg Deripaska almost a decade ago representing him on business and personal matters in countries where he had investments," Mr Manafort said in the statement.
"My work for Mr Deripaska did not involve representing Russian political interests.''
A spokesman for Mr Deripaska in Moscow declined to answer questions from AP.
Further allegations have been made in Ukraine about secret funds said to have been paid to Mr Manafort.
Lawmaker Serhiy Leshchenko said he had evidence that Mr Manafort had tried to hide a payment of $750,000 (Â£600,800) by a pro-Russian party in 2009.
Mr Manafort's spokesman said the claim was "baseless".
Mr Manafort was an adviser to Ukraine's ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, but denies receiving any cash payments.


The prospect of a tie-up between the world's two largest brewers is looming after Anheuser-Busch InBev said it had made a takeover move for SABMiller.

The combined value of the two firms is likely to be at least $230bn (Â£150bn) based on Tuesday's share price.
AB InBev's brands include Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona, while SABMiller owns Peroni and Grolsch.
If the deal is successful, the merged company would produce one third of the world's beer.
AB InBev said it had approached SABMiller's board about a "combination of the two companies".
However, it added that there was no certainty the approach would lead to an offer or an agreement.
Earlier, SABMiller said it had been informed that AB InBev was planning to make a bid, but that it had no details as yet.
"No proposal has yet been received and the board of SABMiller has no further details about the terms of any such proposal," the firm said.
Shares in SABMiller jumped more than 20% on the news, while AB InBev's shares were 11% higher.
"Let's get this straight, this is a takeover by AB InBev of SABMiller. It's not a merger," said Larry Nelson, editor of the industry trade magazine, Brewer's Guardian.
Given the size of the deal both parties would be likely to have to sell off parts of their operations to get it past the regulators, and that may mean sacrificing some of their US and Chinese businesses .
"In the US SABMiller has a joint venture with Molson Coors which gives it a 25% share of the market and makes it a clear number two," Mr Nelson added.
"But combining with the number one, AB INBev, would give them 75% of the market, which is clearly untenable. But AB InBev would not have gone into this without having some plan of what they want to divest."
The merged company would be likely to move aggressively into faster growing markets.
AB InBev has an eye on the South African markets where SAB Miller dominates in 15 countries, and has a presence in a further 21.
A merger would also strengthen its grip on South America and Mexico which are by far its most profitable markets.
This deal has long been anticipated but analysts believe AB InBev was held back from making an offer because of high levels of debt built up through a string of other purchases.
SABMiller has also been trying to do deals. Last year it made an unsuccessful offer for its smaller rival Heineken in a move that was widely seen as an attempt to ward off a bid from AB InBev.