The Lord Chancellor has backed the independence of the UK's judiciary but stopped short of condemning attacks on senior judges over the Brexit ruling.

The Bar Council had demanded Liz Truss respond to criticism from some MPs and newspapers over the decision that MPs should vote on triggering Article 50.
The Daily Mail branded judges "Enemies of the people"; the Daily Express said it was "the day democracy died".
Ms Truss said the "impartiality" of the courts was "respected the world over".
On Thursday, the High Court ruled Parliament should vote on when the government can trigger Article 50, beginning the formal process of the UK leaving the EU.
Three judges found that the government could not start the formal process by using the royal prerogative alone, and would need the backing of both the Commons and the Lords.
The government is seeking to overturn the decision at the Supreme Court - the UK's highest court of appeal - next month.
Following fierce criticism of the ruling, the Bar Council of England and Wales - the professional body representing barristers called for Ms Truss to defend the judges "as a matter of urgency".
But its chairwoman Chantal-Aimee Doerries QC said she would have expected the Lord Chancellor - who is responsible for courts, prisons, probation and constitutional affairs - to make a clearer statement on the "unprecedented" attack which  "undermines the rule of law in this country".
She said the court was entitled to rule on the case and she was "surprised by the backlash" because the judges were "doing their job".
The Criminal Bar Association later passed a resolution backing the Bar Council's demands.
In her statement, Ms Truss, who is also justice secretary, said: "The independence of the judiciary is the foundation upon which our rule of law is built and our judiciary is rightly respected the world over for its independence and impartiality.
"In relation to the case heard in the High Court, the government has made it clear it will appeal to the Supreme Court. Legal process must be followed."
By Ben Wright, BBC News political correspondent
It could not be called a comprehensive response.
Having declined all requests for an interview, the Lord Chancellor Liz Truss put out a three-line statement saying the judiciary was independent and impartial.
Considering the vitriol of some press reaction to the High Court judges decision - "enemies of the people" according to the Daily Mail - and the demands for a defence of the judiciary from Labour and prominent Tory MPs, the government's response was the bare minimum.
We know ministers are angry about the ruling and are appealing to the Supreme Court.
But given a chance to say newspapers and politicians should be very wary about attacking the judiciary the Lord Chancellor demurred.
Nor did she say the courts did have the jurisdiction to rule on this dispute.
However, it be a very brave (or foolish?) minister to criticise the press for writing what they like about Brexit. And many voters will share the anger of some newspapers about the decision of the court.
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon, who had earlier said Ms Truss's silence was "embarrassing", called her statement "too little, much too late" and said she had failed to "adequately stand up to attacks on [the] judiciary".
He said "pressure from the legal profession, professional bodies, politicians and the public has paid off" and Ms Truss had "finally made at least some progress on this issue".
But he added: "All Liz Truss has done is recite the well-known principle of the independence of the judiciary...
"The last few days mean that much of the legal community now has no confidence in the Lord Chancellor to fulfil her statutory duty to protect the independence of the British judiciary."
Writing on Twitter, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron described the response from Ms Truss as a "weak statement from a weak cabinet minister".
Earlier, Tory MP and former Attorney-General, Dominic Grieve, has compared coverage in one UK newspaper to the Nazi party's newspaper.
He told BBC Radio 5 live: "Newspapers in a free society can do what they like.
"But if you did decide to behave immoderately and whip up frenzied hatred you can do that in a free society if you set about it, and newspapers like the Daily Mail are no different from the Voelkischer Beobachter in Nazi Germany if they run headlines of that type."
Daily Mail columnist Stephen Glover defended his newspaper's stance, saying he did not believe the judges would "feel frightened or worried" by the criticism.
He said they had made a "decisive intervention" in the political process, and "must expect some comeback".
UKIP MP Douglas Carswell is among those who have attacked the judges, calling them "politicians without accountability".
Meanwhile, Gina Miller, the investment manager and philanthropist who led the legal campaign, has said she plans to report online trolls to police after receiving rape and death threats.
"I am really cross at the politicians and the media who are whipping this up because they are the ones inciting racism and violence and acrimony," she said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, also commented on the row, writing in a tweet: "Horrified by trolling of judges & those going to court; British values call for honest but good disagreeing, need reconciliation not abuse".
He added independent judges were "fundamental to our values" and it was "wrong to attack them for declaring the law",
Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is "confident" the government will win its Supreme Court appeal and is committed to triggering Article 50 by March 2017.


Former world number one Tiger Woods says he has completed an "intensive" programme to help him manage his medication for pain and sleep loss.

The 41-year-old, who has won 14 major titles, is recovering from a fourth back operation since April 2014.
He was breathalysed in Florida in May after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
"I am so very thankful for all of the support I've received," said Woods in a statement published on social media.
"I will continue to tackle this going forward with my doctors, family and friends."
Woods announced last month that he was getting "professional help" but has not provided any details of the programme, and has not said when he expects to return to golf.
The American has not won a tournament since 2013, while his title drought in major championships dates back to 2008.
Last December, he came back after 15 months out injured but has not played since his back problems recurred in February.
Woods was then arrested on 29 May near his Florida home. He denied alcohol was involved and said it was down to "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medication".


A bottlenose dolphin has been pictured flipping a porpoise into the air in a deadly attack.

The rarely seen event was witnessed by gig rowers in Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall.
Dolphin attacks on porpoises accounted for about one death a year on average, said Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT).
It is unclear why dolphins attack porpoises but it could be an aggressive response to feeding competition or even "misdirected sexual aggression".
More on the deadly attack, plus more Devon and Cornwall news
The pictures were captured by the Pendeen Pilot Gig Club in a training session.
CWT said: "We are unsure of why this happens and it is certainly not predation.
"Many theories have been put forward, including misdirected infanticide (bottlenoses will kill calves), misdirected sexual aggression or play behaviour and an aggressive response to feed competition are just some."
Marine Strandings Network said it found the carcass of the porpoise, which had "multiple severe injuries as a result of the attack".
"We do have a number of dead porpoise, and more unusually common dolphin, reported to us with injuries resulting from bottlenose dolphin aggression."


Gunmen have opened fire on a major road in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 13 people, local officials say.

Attahullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor of Wardak, said the attackers targeted three passing vehicles, including a bus.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack south-west of the capital Kabul, which happened after midnight.
Taliban militants are believed to be active in many parts of the province.
Foreign troops ended their combat role in Afghanistan in December but some have remained in the country to support the Afghan military who are battling a bloody Taliban insurgency.
There are also fears that the influence of Islamic State could be growing in Afghanistan.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is currently visiting the US, where he is expected to urge for more funding for Afghan forces.
Mr Ghani is due to meet US President Barack Obama later on Tuesday.


Thirteen craft breweries in Scotland have landed a major deal to supply a leading supermarket chain.

Asda will add 25 new products to its shelves as part of the contract, which is worth more than Â£850,000 in total.
The firm said it would make it the largest single retailer of craft beers and ales in the country.
The supermarket's regional buying manager for Scotland, Brian O'Shea, said more customers were choosing "premium beers".
"The craft beer culture continues to grow, and it's clear customers are trading up to more premium beers, particularly ones which come from local brands," he said.
"The new lines we have launched are all premium quality and will give customers a new more local choice, with a variety of flavours to suit every palate and occasion."
The deal means that Asda will sell more than 75 Scottish beers, ales and ciders at its stores.
The breweries that are involved in the deal are:
Asda said it had worked with Craft Beer Clan, which promotes Scottish beer, to secure the new range of drinks.
Heather McDonald, owner of WooHa Brewing Company, said: "Although we're currently one of the youngest microbreweries in Scotland having just celebrated our first anniversary, this new deal is a great example of the supermarket's commitment to supporting Scottish suppliers no matter how big or small the brand."
Meanwhile, a family-owned farm in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire has agreed a deal to supply Aldi stores in Scotland with cold-pressed rapeseed oil.
Mackintosh of Glendaveny is to be on shelves now across Aldi's 65 Scottish stores, with a value of Â£100,000 put on the contract.
The company has been producing cold-pressed rapeseed oil since 2009, and this is its first supply deal with the supermarket chain.
Another supply deal will see Ian Macleod, the whisky company, take on UK distribution of Atlantico Rum.
The spirit, made in the Dominican Republic, adds to a portfolio of whisky, gin and rum brands, led by Glengoyne and Tamdhu single malts.


UK law has evolved for over 40 years under the influence of and in combination with EU law.

EU law now courses through the veins of many areas of UK law on immigration, asylum, discrimination, employment, agriculture, public procurement, competition and regulation - to name but a few.
The idea that its influence could be easily or instantly expunged, and that there would be a return to a rosy hued common law past, where all British law is created by the British parliament and British judges, is fanciful.
It is not surprising that following the publication of a recent report on a Brexit, Lord Boswell, the chair of the House of Lords EU Committee, said extricating ourselves from the EU would "involve untangling a Gordian knot of EU laws".
He added: "You can't just cut through them - practically every one of the thousands of EU laws that apply in the UK would need to be reviewed, and then assessed on its merits, before the government would decide whether or not to leave it on the statute book."
Any review and removal of EU law within UK law would be on a scale quite unlike anything we have ever seen before. It would have to avoid some dangerous elephant traps.
It would need to ensure no legal vacuums opened up, that public bodies could continue to make effective decisions and that relationships between individuals and other commercial bodies remained on a sound legal footing.
In other words, that the rule of law continued to function effectively during the process of review, removal and replacement.
To remove EU provisions enacted by acts of Parliament, the acts themselves would have to be amended or repealed. Until that happened, the UK courts would have to decide to what extent they continued to take into account relevant EU case law when interpreting UK law that embodies or is influenced by EU law.
Similarly, EU provisions which are implemented in the UK by statutory instrument (these flesh out the detail of acts of Parliament) will need to be reviewed, to decide if they need to be amended or repealed.
It will also be necessary to ensure that they still have a proper legal basis within the UK and that their legal content can be adequately identified, for example where they make reference to provisions of EU law or even simply incorporate EU measures by cross-reference.
So if, for example, we decide that in order to sell our cars to Germany we need to continue to meet EU standards on emissions, we would need to retain the existing standard and put it into our domestic law.
Perhaps the most difficult category for review consists of EU provisions - especially EU regulations - which have direct effect in UK law.
In each such case, we would need to decide not only whether the EU standards are to be kept, amended or abolished, or whether they are to be retained.
So, if we decide that we want to keep some of the existing consumer protection rights laid down in EU regulations, we would need to implement those rights into domestic legislation, otherwise they would disappear from the legal system on our withdrawal from the EU.
Immense and complex though task of review and change would undoubtedly be, it is clearly very far from being a purely technical exercise. It would involve a mind-boggling number of crucial policy decisions about how we want to regulate basic aspects of the nation's economic and social life into the future.
Which EU standards would we want to keep, more or less as they exist already and which would we want to change or abolish altogether - and in such cases, exactly with what new rules would we replace them?
Such questions would affect almost every aspect of national life - not just the immigration regime or trading rules for manufactured goods or employment rights for workers, but also entire fields such as environmental law, consumer protection and financial services regulation.
'Extensive delegation'
In some sectors - such as agriculture and fisheries - the impact of withdrawal could be so dramatic that the UK would effectively be faced with the task of designing an entirely new regulatory framework from scratch.
And according to Michael Dougan, Professor of European Law at Liverpool University, there are likely to be profound constitutional changes as a result of a review that would be so enormous as to require a lifetime's worth of Parliamentary legislative sessions to complete.
"It is difficult to envisage how the job could possibly be done other than through an extensive delegation of regulatory power from Parliament to the government. That could mean a massive empowerment of the executive - in effect, allowing the government to rewrite the legislation governing many aspects of economic and social life with only minimal input from or supervision by Parliament itself," he says.
It is clear that the consequences of a "bonfire of EU laws" are many and varied.
For those who want a Brexit, the idea of a celebratory bonfire of EU laws is an attractive prospect, but just how easy would it be and what laws would be thrown on the pile?
Read more: The facts behind claims in the EU debate


The vast majority of Pakistanis may be united in grief for the school children murdered in Peshawar  - but many say they still don't know who carried out the attacks.

For the media - both in Pakistan and abroad - the issue is clear enough: the Pakistani Taliban did it.
Not only has the organisation claimed the attacks. but the intelligence service ISI also recorded real time messages from handlers to the gunmen in the school.
Those messages, the ISI has told journalists, came from the phones of Afghan-based, Pakistani Taliban organisers.
But in Peshawar even people who witnessed the attack hesitate to blame the Taliban by name.
They not only fear reprisals but are also following the hesitancy of a political elite that remains largely unwilling to name and condemn the Pakistani Taliban in unequivocal terms.
Even on the day of the Peshawar school massacre, the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, failed to condemn the Taliban by name. He referred only to "terrorists".
An alternative narrative relating the school attacks is already emerging: rumours are circulating on social media and on the streets that it was the work of Indian or Afghan intelligence agencies.
The fact that some of the attackers appear to have come from Central Asia lends weight to suggestions that there was a foreign hand in the attacks.
The emerging analysis of the school massacre echoes that which occurred after the shooting of Malala Yousafzai.
Initial shock eventually transformed to the almost mainstream view in Pakistan today that Malala is a western stooge.
That's not to say the school massacre has had no impact on public opinion.
When a radical cleric attempted to justify the attack this week, protestors gathered outside his mosque in Islamabad chanting anti Taliban slogans.
That's new. But there is still no big name politician prepared openly to lead people with that point of view.
That is in part because the Pakistan's civil and military elites are so divided and dysfunctional.
The politicians have a number of reasons for leaving the fight against the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) to the army.
Privately, government ministers argue that the army's total control of security policy means it is unreasonable for the generals to expect the civilians to take responsibility for what the army decides to do.
The politicians are anyway deeply suspicious of an army that has frequently mounted coups to overthrow elected governments.
The current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was kicked out of power, put in a dungeon and then exiled by the last military ruler Pervez Musharraf.
Sharif believes that despite his overwhelming popular mandate the army has never accepted his political comeback in 2013 and is once again plotting to remove him from power.
In addition many politicians fear the Taliban.
The one party to attempt a political challenge to the Taliban in recent years, the Pashtun nationalist ANP, has faced relentless attacks on senior party cadres.
The ANP's stand was also politically disastrous.
Far from perceiving the party as a valiant defender of liberal values, the electorate concluded the ANP was weak and unable to defend itself. The party now has just one member of the National Assembly.
But if the politicians loathe the generals, the feeling its entirely mutual.
Many officers view Pakistani ministers and parliamentarians as corrupt and depraved, unwilling to put aside their lust for money and to focus instead on the plight of the country.
There is deep resentment in the army that when soldiers die in the fight against the Taliban, ministers do not make public speeches appreciating their sacrifices.
Ministers rarely go to military hospitals to comfort soldiers injured in the fight against the Taliban.
It's estimated as many as 50,000 Pakistanis have been killed in political violence since 9/11.
Members of the security forces including both the army and the police account for around 10,000 of those deaths.
Successive army chiefs have said that if they are to win the war against the TTP they need the politicians to lead Pakistani public opinion to support their military's campaign.
But while the army complains about the politician's failure to take clear line against the Taliban, others wonder how clear cut army policy is.
There are now well over 30 significant militant groups with a presence in Pakistan, each with different leadership structures, funding arrangements, ideological foundations and political goals.
The three most powerful are the Afghan Taliban, the TTP and the Punjab-based Lashkar-e-Taiba which concentrates its efforts on Kashmir and India.
Given the scale of problems faced by the Pakistan army, it is perhaps not surprising that it has decided to fight only those groups that are directly confronting it.
That means many Pakistani based militants are free to organise attacks on targets outside of Pakistan. For example, the anti Indian Lashkar-e-Taiba operates in Pakistan with little difficulty.
Western and Indian critics of the Pakistan army believe the army policy in fact goes much further.
They allege that the army does not just give some groups a free pass but, in fact, effectively controls them and uses them to advance the military's foreign policy goals.
By backing the Afghan Taliban, for instance, it ensures that the power of what Pakistan considers hostile elements such as the Tajiks is kept to a minimum or by backing Lashkar-e-Taiba it can advance the Pakistan cause in the disputed region of Kashmir.
The military strongly denies those claims.
While the army clearly does distinguish between different militant groups there can be no doubt that for some years now it has been confronting the TTP.
And its sometimes brutal campaign has had considerable success.
In 2009 the TTP had a high degree of control of 18 administrative units in north west Pakistan including some entire tribal areas.
The army campaign of the last few months pushed the TTP out of its last major redoubt in Pakistan; North Waziristan.
The TTP are now hemmed into to small pockets of territory in remote areas near the Afghan border,   and its leadership has been forced to take refuge in Afghanistan.
Soon after the school massacre the Pakistan army chief Raheel Sharif went to Kabul to demand action against the Afghan-based TTP leader Mullah Fazlullah.
He took transcripts of the intercepted school massacre conversations with him.
But General Raheel Sharif's request is almost certain to run into a significant obstacle.
In return for moving against the TTP leadership on its soil, Afghanistan will expect Pakistan to move against any Afghan Taliban leaders sheltering in Pakistan.
It is believed that for many years now senior Afghan Taliban leaders have sought sanctuary in and around the Pakistani city of Quetta.
So once again Pakistani regional goals could undermine its fight for stability at home.
The army's desire to win more influence in Afghanistan through the Afghan Taliban could jeopardize its victories at home against the TTP.


Leicester City defender Robert Huth says the Premier League champions must "be man enough" to avoid relegation.

The Foxes won the title last season for the first time, but are only two points above the relegation places this term.
"We need to get on with now rather than saying: 'Last year was great,'" Huth told Football Focus. "It's reality. We are struggling with relegation."
Leicester have won only one of their eight league games since beating Manchester City 4-2 on 10 December.
They play Manchester United at home on Sunday (16:00 GMT).
"We're losing games and we can't put our fingers on how or why," added centre-back Huth.
"We fully deserved what we got last season, and it was always going to be a struggle after what happened, but we didn't think we would be in this position.
"For you to become better you need to be honest. You can't say you've been brilliant when you haven't."
Despite their domestic struggles, Leicester have impressed in their first Champions League campaign, winning their group to set up a last-16 tie with Spanish side Sevilla.
But 32-year-old Huth dismissed the idea that their league form has been affected by European action.
"People say it is a distraction, but for me it never has been and never will be - it's only an extra six games," he said.
"It's not like we're thinking about the Champions League every time we play in the Premier League."
Huth did concede they Leicester have missed midfielder N'Golo Kante, who moved to Chelsea in the summer, and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who missed eight games in November and December with a hand injury.
The German said: "N'Golo is an unbelievable player - you see what he is doing at Chelsea. He was awesome playing for us and we certainly miss him.
"Kasper is the best goalkeeper in the league and is very underrated. We missed him and didn't win many games without him."
Earlier this week, Leicester striker Leonardo Ulloa said he would not play for the club again, because he had been "betrayed" by manager Claudio Ranieri and "let down" by the club.
But Huth said the Foxes needed the Argentine forward after his proposed move to Sunderland fell through at the end of the transfer window.
"He has always been a part of our team," Huth added. "He's frustrated with things but we need him. He's a big player for us and we definitely need every player.
"As a group we've been here before. Two years ago we were bottom of the league and we still have a big group of players here from then. We've been in worse positions than we're in now.
"The supporters, me, the team, Claudio... we all need to do a bit more to turn things around."


A famous Irish pub has raised a glass and posted a picture tribute to Hollywood star actor Gene Wilder who shot a comic scene hiding in its toilet.

Wilder, remembered by many for his lead role in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, has died at the age of 83, his family confirmed on Tuesday.
Nearly 50 years ago, Wilder strolled into Dublin's old 'gravediggers' bar - The John Kavanagh.
The film director shouted: "Action".
It was 1969 and Wilder was acting in the film: Quackser Fortune has a Cousin in the Bronx.
"It was a big thing for Hollywood to come to our bar back then," said Ciarán Kavanagh.
He is the seventh generation to work in the Kavanagh family business that was started, he said, by his great, great, great, great, great grandfather.
"I remember my father and uncles talking about Gene Wilder."
The old pub sits at the gate of Glasnevin cemetery in the north of the city - the famous resting place of Ireland's political giants, Daniel O'Connell, Michael Collins and Charles Stewart Parnell.
The bar is just a year younger than the cemetery itself, dating back to 1833, said Ciarán.
The story goes that the cemetery workers had their own handy short cut through a hole in the wall to slake their thirst after a hard day's digging.
In 1970, the old fashioned working man's bar with its wooden snugs appeared in three scenes in Wilder's film, Quackser Fortune Has A Cousin In the Bronx.
Wilder played Quackser, a poor Irishman who made his living collecting horse dung to sell to keen gardeners.  In the film, he falls in love with an American exchange student, Margot Kidder. when she nearly runs him over.
Ciarán Kavanagh said there was a great fuss about the big American stars coming to Dublin.
"My father and my uncles ran the bar back then. It was a big deal for them to have Hollywood come to Glasnevin. They told me that Gene Wilder was very friendly to everyone.
"At that stage when my grandfather ran the bar, he would open up at about 6pm and close down at about 9pm, depending on how busy it was. It was very much a local bar for local men. So when Gene Wilder came over, it would have been a big thing."
For Ciarán, the scenes set in the old pub are a gentle stroll down memory lane.
"In one scene, Wilder is sitting on our old toilet reading a newspaper as the police search for him," he said.
The pub has had its own movie career.
It also featured in The Young Cassidy - a film about Irish playwright Seán O'Casey.
In more recent times, the pub was a period backdrop for scenes starring Irish actor and Hollywood star Gabriel Byrne in the detective series, Quirke.
David Davin-Power, political correspondent for Irish state broadcaster, RTÉ, has his own memories of the Quackser film.
He was about 17 and had signed up as an extra when the American cast came to town.
Following news of Wilder's death, he tweeted about his brief brush with the Hollywood great.
"The film was all shot around Dublin and it was dreadful," he said.
"I was an extra but there was one part where I had to direct Gene Wilder and say: 'She went that way,'" he said.
"None of the extras had any contact with the actors, you weren't allowed to talk to them but, because of my one line, Gene knew me and he always name checked me and said: 'Hello, David.' That was a big deal.
"He was a lovely fella and he had that whimsical way with him."


The official figures showing that 98% of voters backed Morocco's reform referendum are "unbelievable", a democracy campaigner has told the BBC.

Mountazar Drissi said there were numerous cases of multiple voting, while people were bussed in from the countryside to vote in cities.
He was speaking after thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday to demand further political changes.
Mr Drissi says that King Mohammed VI still wields too much power.
"He can control everything - we want the power to belong to the people," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
The demonstrators marched through cities such as Rabat, Casablanca and Tangier, chanting slogans such as "The interior minister is a liar", Reuters news agency reported.
They carried empty boxes to symbolise that they thought the turnout was far lower than the 73% announced by election officials.
There were also pro-government protests, which officials said outnumbered those organised by Mr Drissi's 20 February Movement.
The king announced that he would give up some of his powers following previous protests but his constitutional reforms have been dismissed by some as "window-dressing".
The concessions come after protests inspired by the so-called Arab spring.
Popular uprisings have toppled Presidents Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.
All the country's main political parties, unions, civic groups, religious leaders and media urged Moroccans to vote in favour of the new constitution.
If the results are confirmed, the king will remain the head of state, the military, and the Islamic faith in Morocco, but the prime minister - to be chosen from the largest party elected to parliament - will take over as head of the government.
The king has pledged that the reforms will reinforce the independence of the judiciary, boost efforts to tackle corruption, guarantee freedom of expression and gender rights and make Berber an official language, alongside Arabic.
Mr Drissi stressed that he did not want the monarchy to be overthrown but he wanted a democratic constitution.
The reform plan has been welcomed abroad, with the European Union saying it "signals a clear commitment to democracy".
Many activists have been sceptical about the king's promises of change, saying Morocco's 400-year-old monarchy has a long history of enacting superficial reforms.
Morocco has been facing severe economic challenges with high unemployment and rising levels of poverty.
King Mohammed, 47, acceded to the throne in 1999 following the death of his father, Hassan II, and now heads the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty.


McLaren are set to part company with their new Formula 1 boss Jost Capito less than four months after the German joined the company.

The 58-year-old started in his role as chief executive officer of McLaren Racing in September, having been recruited by chairman Ron Dennis.
But Dennis is on gardening leave pending the end of his deal next month.
And Capito, too is now on his way out, having been viewed as Dennis's man, BBC Sport has learned.
Capito is still an employee but is no longer working day-to-day for the company.
When asked about this situation, a spokesman said: "I'm not going to talk about that."
Capito was unavailable for comment.
Williams open to Bottas Mercedes move
The move follows the recruitment in November of leading F1 commercial expert Zak Brown as McLaren's new executive director.
Brown and chief operating officer Jonathan Neale have been tasked with running the McLaren Group on a day-to-day basis.
In a separate development, long-time McLaren marketing chief Ekrem Sami has had his position as a director of the McLaren Group terminated.
Sami, 62, has been a long-time close ally of Dennis, for whom he has worked for nearly 40 years.
Dennis technically remains chairman and chief executive pending the end of his contract next month but no longer has an active role running the company. He is also a 25% shareholder in McLaren Group.
In Dennis' place, the company is being run by an executive committee formed by the other main shareholders - the Bahrain sovereign investment fund Mumtalakat, which owns 50%, and TAG's Mansour Ojjeh, who owns 25%.
Once Capito's departure is formalised, the most senior person at McLaren's F1 team will be racing director Eric Boullier, who was brought in at the start of the 2014 season after Dennis ousted his former friend and protege Martin Whitmarsh from the positions of McLaren team principal and chief executive officer of McLaren Group.
The Frenchman, 43, will report to Brown and Neale.


A prisoner who was found electrocuted in his cell told a medic he wanted to die, a mental health worker said at an inquest.

Dean Saunders, 25, died at HMP Chelmsford, Essex, in January 2016.
He had been arrested after he stabbed his father during a paranoid episode.
Lynn Johnston told the hearing she was aware of Mr Saunders' intentions to take his own life. She said she could not remember if she had shared the information with her colleagues.
Dean Saunders had been charged with attempted murder after the incident involving his father Mark Saunders.
His father previously told the inquest he had walked on to a knife held by his son to prevent his son from harming himself.
Ms Johnston was one of three specialists who assessed Mr Saunders' mental health while in custody.
She told the hearing at the Essex County Coroner's Court, in Chelmsford, that Mr Saunders had told a medic he wanted to die.
The information was written in a report which she had been given when she assessed his mental health.
Ms Johnston told the inquest she "hoped" she had shared the information with her colleagues before his death.
"I would have thought that I would have done, but I can't be certain," she said.
Mr Saunders' family allege a decision not to detain him under the Mental Health Act and to withdraw continuous observation in prison contributed to his death.
The hearing continues.


A US congressional committee has agreed an investigation into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 US elections.

The House intelligence panel inquiry will scrutinise contacts between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Moscow, members confirmed.
The White House denies any improper behaviour during the election campaign.
The justice department has confirmed new Attorney General Jeff Sessions had conversations with Russia's ambassador during the presidential campaign.
The FBI and the Senate intelligence committee are also looking into claims of Russian meddling in the US election.
Russia has previously denied the allegations.
The Russia question is refusing to go away for President Trump.
This House intelligence committee, which has been investigating Russia for many years, says it will expand its inquiries to include Russian activities during the election and "leave no stone unturned".
The FBI and the Senate intelligence committee are already investigating Russian interference during the election.
It has already been established by the CIA and others that Mr Putin's government did make a concerted effort to help elect Donald Trump and to discredit his opponent Hillary Clinton.
But a key question remains - how much did the Trump campaign know about this?
President Trump and his team have repeatedly denied any knowledge of his campaign having contact with Russian officials in the run up to the election.
The panel said in a statement that its Republican chairman, Devin Nunes, and Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff had agreed to the investigation.
It will seek answers to the following questions:
Until now, Republican senators had been reluctant to agree to Democratic Party demands for the inquiry.
President Trump has been dogged by questions about his advisers' ties to Moscow since the campaign. The White House has strongly denied the claims.
The Associated Press news agency reports that White House lawyers instructed Mr Trump's staff on Tuesday to preserve materials that could be connected to Russian interference in November's election.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said last week: "There is real concern that some in the administration may try to cover up its ties to Russia by deleting emails, texts and other records that could shine a light on those connections."
The US intelligence community concluded that alleged Russian hacking of Democratic organisations was carried out to help Mr Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Mr Trump's National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, was fired last month after he misled the White House about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the US, allegedly regarding sanctions against Moscow.
In a separate development, the justice department said on Wednesday that Mr Sessions had had two conversations with the Russian ambassador during the presidential campaign:
Sergei Kislyak has been Russia's ambassador to Washington since 2008.
The White House has so far made no comment on the issue.


Alexis Sanchez said Arsenal lacked the self-belief to win the Premier League even before their back-to-back defeats by Manchester United and Swansea.

The Gunners lost 3-2 at Old Trafford and 2-1 at home to Swansea to slip six points behind leaders Leicester.
"Sometimes we lack the mentality that we are already winning 1-0 when we go out on to the pitch," Sanchez told Directv Sports before the United match.
"We lack this hunger to believe that we can be champions."
Sanchez added: "If we go out onto to the pitch with hunger to become champions, to win the Premier League or the Champions League we can achieve it.
"I remember a game against Manchester United last year. The lads looked hungry for silverware as we took to the pitch.
"We crushed them in the first 20 minutes and went 3-0 up. We were hungry and brimming with confidence that day."
Arsenal have only three wins from 11 games in all competitions and are third in the league.
Speaking after Wednesday's loss to Swansea, Gunners manager Arsene Wenger also said his side's loss of form "looks a bit" like a confidence issue.
"I am worrying about our results," he said. "We don't dream. We have to be realistic and come back to what we do well... the basics.
"The players are very down but we have to respond. We have to focus on our job and remind ourselves that we have some quality as well."


Unseen photographs of the aftermath of the IRA bomb which went off in Manchester city centre 18 years ago have been published online.

The negatives of the 69 photographs, which were taken by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, were recently found in their archives.
They show the effects of the explosion near the Arndale Centre on 15 June 1996.
No-one died, but many were injured and buildings were severely damaged.
The bomb was the second biggest to have exploded on mainland Britain, weighing 3,300lb.
It went off on the same day that England played Scotland at Wembley in the Euro 96 football tournament.
The events of the day were the inspiration for the recent BBC One drama From There To Here, which featured a recreation of the explosion and its aftermath.


Eleven people have been arrested after they and a baby were found on a lorry on the M4 in Monmouthshire, Gwent Police has said.

Officers were called to the motorway near the Second Severn Crossing at about 14:10 GMT on Monday.
All eleven have been held on suspicion of immigration offences and checks are being carried out to establish their immigration status.
The driver of the vehicle has been arrested by Avon and Somerset Police.


Motherwell lifted their first ever Scottish Youth Cup with a thrilling win over Hearts at Hampden.

Dylan Mackin put Well ahead and Chris Cadden's driven ball was diverted into the net by Daniel Baur before Jordan McGhee's free-kick gave Hearts hope.
David Ferguson got the Steelmen's third and Dario Zanatta again reduced the deficit, but Robbie Leitch restored the two-goal lead with a superb finish.
And Dylan Falconer raced through in added time to put the seal on the win.
Both sides named players with first-team experience and it was the capital side - tournament winners on three occasions - who started as favourites.
After an uneventful opening Motherwell broke the deadlock on 21 minutes, capitalising on a mistake by Hearts goalkeeper Kelby Mason.
A free-kick was played into the six-yard box that Mason failed to hold and Mackin fired the loose ball home.
Hearts passed up a golden opportunity to level when Liam Smith's low cross was misjudged by the Motherwell defence.
Zanatta could not connect, but it looked like Russell McLean would finish at the back post, only to smack the ball into the side netting.
And they were made to pay when Motherwell doubled their advantage seven minutes before the break, Baur deflecting Cadden's ball past his own goalkeeper.
Hearts had to score next and they did; McGhee's set piece from the edge of the box finding the bottom right corner.
Motherwell always looked the more dangerous, though, and after David Turnbull had a shot deflected over, the Steelmen restored their two-goal advantage from the corner.
Ross MacLean ducked low to direct a header on target and Mason parried into the path of Ferguson, who blasted into the roof of the net.
Hearts again responded. Long's short goal-kick put his defender under pressure and Canadian Zanatta stole possession, rounded the goalkeeper and knocked into the net.
He would fire over shortly after but, at the other end, a dramatic entrance from substitute Leitch would all but clinch the trophy.
After Mason had first denied him with a fine save, Leitch made no mistake with a cute curling ball into the right corner.
And Falconer put the icing on the cake when he raced clear of the Hearts defence to make it five.
Hearts: Mason, Smith, Henderson, Baur, McGhee, Beith (McKirdy 82), Morrison (MacDonald 67), Buchanan, McLean, Zantta, Moore (Roy 77). Subs: Easton, Jones.
Motherwell: Long, Watt, McMillan, Ferguson, Hall, Campbell, MacLean (Hastie 90), Turnbull (Leitch 71), Mackin (Falconer 77) Thomas, Cadden. Subs: Morrison, Livingston.
Referee: Stewart Luke
Attendance: 2,769


Police in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta are using the picture on the cover of the iconic Beatles album Abbey Road in a campaign to enforce road safety.

The picture shows the band members walking in single file on a zebra crossing in north London's Abbey Road.
The slogan for the campaign reads: "If they can, why can't you?"
The Beatles were photographed on Abbey Road in Ian Macmillan's famous cover shot for the 1969 album.
The crossing is outside the Abbey Road studios, where the band recorded much of their music.
Calcutta's traffic police has put up 40 hoardings carrying the Beatles image as part of a campaign to persuade people to use pedestrian crossings.
"We wanted a catchy and appealing campaign, and we hit upon the idea of using the Beatles and cash in on their universal popularity. We are trying to say that if John, Paul, George and Ringo could use the zebra crossing, you can also do it," joint commissioner of traffic police Supratim Sarkar told the BBC.
"We will be able to tell after a couple of months whether the campaign worked."
Calcutta resident and musician Neel Dutt told The Telegraph newspaper that he was happy with the campaign.
"Calcutta has had a long love affair with The Beatles and if that can make people abide by rules, then nothing like it," he said.
Others were more sceptical.
"Don't waste time and money putting up these hoardings that may be understood only by elite 2% of the people, and that too not those who tend to walk on the streets too much," resident Sanjiv Kapoor wrote on Calcutta traffic police's Facebook page.
"Instead spend the money on making zebra crossings at the right places, and educating drivers and ordinary pedestrians on what they are for! If people today actually use them as shown in the photo, they will be run over before you know it!"
The original Abbey Road zebra crossing, where the photograph was taken, was moved several metres for traffic management reasons more than 30 years ago, and no original features remain.


A child died after a "rare but recognised complication" of heart surgery, a coroner has ruled.

Four-year-old Mylee Weetman, from Doncaster, died in 2013 after surgery at the children's cardiac unit at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI).
Mylee had been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and was starved of oxygen during surgery, the inquest in Wakefield had heard.
Coroner David Hinchliff recorded a narrative verdict.
Her mother Siobhan Casey had told the inquest no-one had been able to explain to her how or why she had died.
Mylee was diagnosed with the congenital heart defect Tetralogy of Fallot after her birth in 2009. She required an operation in 2010.
A further operation to repair damage to her heart took place at the LGI on 15 March 2013 during which she suffered an embolism, a "rare but recognised complication of this necessary surgery" according to the coroner's verdict.
Mylee died in the early hours of 21 March.
In a statement after the verdict the girl's family thanked the coroner for a "painstaking" investigation and said it had been "so distressing to relive the events around Mylee's death".
"We still, however, have many questions about Mylee's treatment at Leeds," it said.
The family expressed the hope that lessons would be learned.
Dr Yvette Oade, for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, reiterated her "deepest sympathy" to Mylee's family.
"I hope this hearing, although painful for them, will have provided the answers they needed," she said.
"The coroner concluded that while the surgery was performed correctly, Mylee sadly suffered a micro-embolic air embolism which is a rare but recognised complication of this procedure."
Mylee's death came amid concerns about death rates at the unit in Leeds. Surgery was later suspended for two weeks, but a review found the centre was safe.


Singaporeans head to the polls on Friday, and with the same party in power for 50 years, it's all but certain that the People's Action Party (PAP) will once again form the government.

With the help of popular local memes, the BBC explains why the PAP keeps winning - and why results may not remain predictable for much longer.
Like a blockbuster film, Singapore's elections are often a colourful spectacle with an all too predictable ending - much like the Chinese war film Red Cliff, parodied in this movie poster by designer PixelGod.
The PAP has long enjoyed widespread support and political legitimacy, especially among older Singaporeans who have seen the country swiftly develop into a first-world economy.
Pragmatic voters have been willing to trade in some freedoms in exchange for prosperity and stability. The country's massive jubilee celebration last month reminded Singaporeans how far the country has come - and may have helped to shore up voter goodwill for the PAP.
But younger Singaporeans have also been calling for greater government accountability, particularly with recent stumbles over immigration and infrastructure.
The PAP has tried to address these problems, but that has not quelled the demand for more opposition representation.
The PAP is synonymous with its charismatic and deeply respected leader Lee Kuan Yew, whose presence looms large over this election, the first to be held since his death in March.
He led the country as prime minister from independence in 1965 to 1990 and his personal popularity helped to ensure the party's non-stop electoral success.
His death in March triggered an outpouring of grief and tributes, which may contribute to greater PAP support this election.
Lee was also known for his merciless attitude towards opponents with defamation suits, which critics say created a culture of fear and stifled dissent.
This election is the first to see all constituencies contested, as more opposition candidates step forward into the political spotlight.
These include Chee Soon Juan, who was bankrupted by Lee's suits and is staging a comeback this election.
Singapore has a democratic system largely seen as clean and fraud-free. But there are aspects of the political structure that critics say undeniably benefit the PAP.
One is grouping constituencies into blocs, known as group representation constituencies (GRCs).
(This is to ensure ethnic representation in parliament, as Singapore is a multi-racial country. Each party that sends a team to contest must have at least one ethnic minority candidate.)
But with Singapore's winner-takes-all, first-past-the-post system, whichever team gets the most votes wins the whole GRC, which makes it difficult for opposition parties to make gains.
Some say it also allows less popular PAP candidates to ride on the coat-tails of more popular ones into parliament.
The constant moving of constituency boundaries by a non-independent election committee - convened by the prime minister and usually led by his secretary - has attracted allegations of gerrymandering, particularly when neighbourhoods that are far apart are grouped together.
The PAP has denied these accusations, saying that some of the changes have disadvantaged them too.
But the practice has been mocked in election haikus by Facebook group Haiku Party.
Another point of contention is the close relationship between the ruling party and government machinery, and controlling taxpayer-funded resources to shore up political dominance.
Design collective A Good Citizen has parodied this dominance with this cartoon of opposition supporters under attack.
Opposition MPs say they face significant hurdles in getting government funds and community resources for their constituencies, and that these tend to be dispensed through PAP-friendly community groups.
Until recently the PAP also used to promise that opposition constituencies would be served last when it came to housing improvement works - a significant issue as most Singaporeans live in government housing.
Such practices have resulted in calls on the PAP to create a more level playing field in politics.


Two jurors have each been jailed for two months for contempt of court after one posted a comment on Facebook and the other researched a case online.

Kasim Davey, 21, of London, wrote a strongly-worded Facebook message during the trial of a man for sex offences.
The High Court ruled he and Joseph Beard, 29, who was a juror on a separate fraud trial, "interfered with the administration of justice".
There have been two previous similar prosecutions of jurors.
After the attorney general was given permission to bring the cases earlier this year, Davey and Beard were summoned to the High Court where two judges heard the evidence against them before deciding whether they were guilty.
Davey, from Palmers Green, north London, said he had sent the Facebook message last December as a result of "spontaneous surprise at the kind of case I was on".
His posting - containing strong language and an offensive word - suggested he was going to find the defendant guilty, said BBC News home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw.
Davey's Facebook post: read: "Woooow I wasn't expecting to be in a jury Deciding a paedophile's fate, I've always wanted to Fuck up a paedophile & now I'm within the law!"
The judge at Wood Green Crown Court was alerted and Davey was discharged. The defendant, Adam Kephalas, was eventually found guilty of sexual activity with a child.
Davey told the High Court he was unaware he had been in breach of a formal order made by the crown court judge. He accepted he was not meant to discuss the case but believed he was only prohibited from using the internet to carry out research.
In their ruling, High Court judges Sir John Thomas and Mr Justice Sweeney said they rejected as "untruthful" Davey's contention that his message was not meant seriously.
They said it made clear to his Facebook friends "he would use his prejudices in deciding the case" and his choice of words "underlined his disregard of the duties he had undertaken as a juror".
In Beard's case, the High Court heard claims that he had wanted to find out how long the proceedings at Kingston Crown Court would take as he was worried they would drag on.
He was said to have researched the case via the Google search engine and told fellow jurors extra information about the number of victims of the alleged fraud.
The case was abandoned in November last year after more than five weeks when his activity came to light. The two defendants in the fraud case were later found guilty at a retrial.
At the High Court, Sir John - who is shortly to take over as the Lord Chief Justice, the head of the judiciary in England and Wales - said "immediate custodial sentences are almost inevitable in cases of this kind".
In his ruling, he said that "every attempt is made to try and warn jurors not to use the internet or social sites for any purpose in relation to the case".
He added: "They have done this so that no juror can subsequently claim that he or she did not understand what they should not do and what the consequences might be."
But Sir John said he would invite courts to consider whether a practice adopted by some judges of also handing out a printed notice should be "universally followed".
Speaking after the case, Attorney General Dominic Grieve said jurors who use the internet to research a case "undermine justice".
Mr Grieve added: "It creates a risk that the defendant will be convicted or acquitted, not on the evidence, but on unchallenged and untested material discovered by the juror.
"Equally, the case of Kasim Davey shows that jurors must follow the directions given to them by the trial judge not to discuss the case outside the jury room, including discussions and posts on the internet."


States members have agreed Holocaust Memorial Day should be officially recognised in Guernsey.

The day is marked by many countries on 27 January, and members have agreed it will be commemorated each year on that date.
Deputies voted late on Friday and the Billet said it was "important" to "keep the memory of the Holocaust alive in our community".
Three Jewish residents living in the Bailiwick died in Auschwitz.
Deputy Elis Bebb said the day should be given a higher profile locally, but that it should be kept separate from Liberation Day.
He also said it was important that the island became fully involved in the international event of remembrance.
Of the six Jewish residents in the Bailiwick of Guernsey during the occupation, three of them - Marianne Grunfeld, Auguste Spitz and Therese Steiner - died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz.
The Billet said the Holocaust "scarred Guernsey in different ways", including the deaths of the Guernsey Eight and the numerous prisoners of war who were set to work and died while building the Atlantic Wall.
In January, more than 200 Holocaust survivors attended a unique commemoration in London to mark the day.


Angry South West Trains passengers have complained of "utter chaos" after travelling in cramped carriages with no air conditioning when some weekend services were cancelled.

The rail provider blamed "a number of incidents" on the network, including a track defect near Totton on Saturday.
South West Trains apologised and said it had provided updates to passengers.
However, Gerald Gibson, from Salisbury, dismissed this as "complete and utter rubbish".
Laura Head, who was travelling from Surbiton in south-west London to Waterloo, said: "We only got tannoy [announcements] at Surbiton station that said 'this train is being delayed' - no information of how long it would take."
Tweeting a picture to South West Trains of a packed carriage she added: "27 degrees and you have cancelled so many trains that there are hundreds of your paying customers shoved into a train with no air con.
"There is no room to breathe! How is this legal...."
@CPav87 tweeted: "Hottest day of the year & stuck on a delayed train, AGAIN, where no one knows what's going on."
Mr Gibson said it took him three hours to make the 50-minute journey from Southampton Airport Parkway to Salisbury.
"The situation at Southampton was utter chaos; platform staff tried to help but were constantly given wrong information themselves," he said.
Other issues included signalling problems at London Waterloo and Clapham Junction. There was also an "electricity supply problem" between St Denys and Southampton Central on Sunday.
South West Trains said: "Our staff provided regular updates on trains, in stations and online and provided refreshments to affected passengers while Network Rail worked to repair the issues to allow a full service to resume."
It added "compensation arrangements" were available on its website. It has not yet responded to complaints over a lack of communication or air conditioning.
Network Rail apologised for the disruption.


When troops entered the grounds of the presidential residence where Laurent Gbagbo had been holding out, defended by his die-hard loyalist forces, it was crucial for the future of Alassane Ouattara's presidency that those making this final breakthrough were from Ivory Coast - and not France, the former colonial power.

There is no doubt that bombardments by French and United Nations forces played an essential role in destroying the heavy weapons that had enabled Mr Gbagbo to resist for so long.
But while some internet rumours have claimed the French played a bigger role, Paris has been categoric in formally stating that at no time did its forces enter either Mr Gbagbo's residence or the surrounding gardens.
Such details are more than the small currency of minute-by-minute news surrounding this dramatic event.
Mr Ouattara needed to show that, ultimately, his own Republican Forces were capable of making that final entry and taking prisoner the rival who has refused to accept the legitimacy of his victory in the second round of the presidential election on 28 November 2010.
For ever since his entry into domestic politics in the 1990s, the man who is now Ivory Coast's new president has had to fight off accusations of being too Westernised.
Married to a French woman and at ease in international capitals after two stints at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - where he rose to become a deputy managing director - Mr Ouattara was painted by Mr Gbagbo as a protege of Paris and Washington.
This theme was also a none-too-subtle means of reviving the old challenges to Ivorian identity that opponents used to deploy to block his path until questions of citizenship and political rights for northerners were finally resolved in a painstaking electoral registration process.
In winning the polls in November, Mr Ouattara shook off the accusation that he could not win acceptance from ordinary Ivorians.
But over the past 10 days of military confrontation he has struggled to show that he could finally bring Mr Gbagbo's resistance to an end.
Monday's arrest by Republican Forces may start to change that perception.
For France, the handling of this closing chapter has also been sensitive.
Mr Gbagbo has presented himself as the man who has stood up to interference by Paris, the African who plays by African rules and not those of the Western outsider.
So Paris could not afford to be perceived as a former colonial power interfering unilaterally to remove this unco-operative figure.
It was essential for the French that they were acting at the request of the UN.
The relationship between France and Ivory Coast has deep roots that were actually reinforced after independence: the "father of the Ivorian nation", President Felix Houphouet-Boigny, transformed his country into an agricultural export power and the financial and services hub of West Africa through a close economic partnership with French interests.
Ivory Coast is the largest economy of the eight-country western franc zone, whose CFA franc currency was pegged to the French franc, and latterly, the euro.
At one stage more than 20,000 French people were settled in the country, many on a long-term basis.
French commodity houses played a major role in the cocoa and coffee trade; French banks used Abidjan as a key regional hub. French advisers were present in parts of government and key economic sectors.
After Mr Houphouet-Boigny's death in 1993, the partnership lost a degree of political momentum. But French involvement remained profound; the privatisation opened new doors to French investors in key sectors.
Indeed, even after the tension of 2004 - when Mr Gbagbo's Young Patriot youth militants specifically targeted French residents through a campaign of looting and intimidation - Abidjan remained home for many thousands of French citizens.
That is why Paris has had to provide protection for so many over recent weeks.
The French military presence has also been significant. Originally established under the aegis of a bilateral defence partnership, it has been more contentious over the past decade of conflict and national partition.
The French troops, operating as the Licorne force, provided the heavy muscle in support of the UN mission in Ivory Coast.
And Mr Gbagbo repeatedly sought to mobilise his own political support by stirring up popular anger at what he portrayed as a neo-colonial presence.
France has much at stake in the future of Ivory Coast, which remains a strategically important partner in West Africa.
But because of the difficult history of the past decade, both Paris and the new Ouattara government will want to put the relationship on a new footing.
This could well mean reducing the military presence as soon as security conditions permit. Mr Ouattara will draw on his international friendships, on both sides of the Atlantic, to mobilise aid for national recovery and reconstruction.
But he will want to ensure that he is seen to be a sovereign leader who establishes a relationship of mutual respect with Paris, escaping old cliches about post-colonial dependency.
That will suit the French too: they need to ensure that their continued relations with a country that is one of the most important economies in West Africa are seen in a positive light by both Ivorians and their neighbours.
Paul Melly is a specialist in French-speaking Africa, based at the London-based Chatham House think-tank.


Leicester City have signed Spanish defender Luis Hernandez on a four-year deal, starting on 1 July.

The 27-year-old will join the Premier League champions on a free transfer when his current deal at Sporting Gijon expires.
Hernandez has made 140 appearances for the La Liga club since making his debut in 2012.
The centre-back is a product of the Real Madrid youth system but failed to make a first-team appearance.
Meanwhile, Burnley have rejected a bid of more than £10m for defender Michael Keane from Leicester City, BBC Radio Lancashire understands.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


In a small, heavily guarded compound on the bullet-riddled outskirts of Baidoa, a secretive team is working to undermine Somalia's Islamist militant group, al-Shabab, from the inside.

"We can't just solve this militarily," said Aden Mohamed Hussein, ushering me past the soldiers at the gate.
"So far so good... We hope for a domino effect."
Mr Hussein runs a new "disengagement" programme for surrendering al-Shabab members at the camp here in Baidoa, an hour's helicopter ride northwest of the capital Mogadishu, towards the Ethiopian border.
Al-Shabab no longer controls the town or, we're assured, the surrounding countryside. But attacks are still frequent and our time inside the compound is strictly limited.
Such are the alleged sensitivities surrounding what goes on behind the high stone walls, that the international organisation in charge has asked not to be named.
Read Andrew's other reports from Somalia:
Profile of a suicide bomber
Sun, surf... and grenades in Mogadishu
'Why I left al-Shabab'
Getting round remittance bans
The same goes for all the former al-Shabab members, 80 in total, who are currently being housed here.
I can reveal that the German government is funding the programme.
Britain is supporting another, similar camp in Mogadishu, which remains entirely off-limits for journalists.
"These are the lower risk cases. Not the assassins or the explosive experts," said Mr Hussein.
Given the thousands of al-Shabab militants still thought to be active, I asked him if the programme wasn't just a drop in the ocean.
"Absolutely not. If we can accelerate and do more of this kind of work I believe we can overcome [al-Shabab].
"We hope the people here can spread the word, that they have been welcomed, that there's no need to die in the bush," he said.
The first thing you notice inside the compound is the noise.
A loud generator is powering a welding kit, as two men hammer at a steel girder.
Three men are shovelling gravel into a barrow as more prepare to make breezeblocks. And in the far corner, five women are working at a row of pedal-powered sewing machines while beside them four men are busy dismantling a car engine.
"No-one forced me to join al-Shabab. They were telling everyone to come and fight for Islam. So I joined up," said Mohammed, 30, a short, earnest man who used to be a shopkeeper in Buur Hakaba, in the Bay region of Somalia.
Five years ago, Mohammed became a tax collector for al-Shabab, who controlled the town.
"I was trusted, and I knew maths," he explained.
"We collected money from trucks bringing goods from Mogadishu. We took $6m (Â£3.8 million) a month," he said with a hint of pride.
"Even after the government retook the area, we were still collecting $2.4m a month for al-Shabab," he said.
This observation - even if it is unconfirmed, and quite possibly exaggerated - speaks volumes about the failures of Somalia's new authorities to fill the vacuum left behind as territory is captured from the militants.
"It was the atrocities that made me use my head, and get out.  I saw that these people were terrorists.
"Al-Shabab terrorised their own community - forcing people to give more money than they can afford. It was all about money - not religion. Then I heard the government was granting amnesties to people who leave, so I took advantage of that," Mohammed said.
"Al-Shabab can be destroyed. But I'm not seeing any signs of that yet. They're still collecting money in two areas I know of right now.
"Still, this [camp] is one of the solutions. We're being reintegrated here and given money to start businesses. No-one wants to stay in the bush and earn nothing. It's hot and bad there," he said.
Mr Hussein, the project coordinator, said some of the newer arrivals at the camp had openly admitted they had surrendered more out of curiosity than conviction.
"Some of them will even tell you 'we are ambassadors - we've been sent [by others in al-Shabab] and if you treat us good then everyone will come'.
"Right now, even the ones who are in the centre are calling their old colleagues to say 'hey - we have protection here,' because others fear that when they come they will be killed. And I believe many, many, of them will come. So we are going to demand a larger space here," he said.
Hanat, 25, says he joined al-Shabab in 2006. He was unemployed and bored, but quickly discovered that his new bosses would not let him leave.
"In 2010 they took us to Mogadishu. We didn't have enough ammunition, not enough training - we were fighting a hide-and-seek war," he said, describing the intense urban warfare that raged in the capital against African Union and Somali government forces.
But then Hanat made a phone call that changed everything.
"My brother had been abroad, training in Uganda with the Somali national army.
"When I joined al-Shabab I was told to switch off my phone, so I had no communication with my family, but later, in Mogadishu, I switched it back on and tried calling my brother.
"He told me he was on the front line. Right there. Opposite me. I decided that if I fired another shot it would be my brother who would die. And if he shoots - he'll kill me.
"We spoke just once on the phone. It was a very long conversation. He told me the government had more ammunition and better training, and I didn't want to die.
"So I changed my mind about what I was doing, escaped from Mogadishu, and when the government took control of Baidoa, I came here.
"I called a government official and told him I'd been with al-Shabab but had decided to leave. Then they welcomed me here," he said.
Across the courtyard, beside a tent packed with bunk beds, one of the handful of women in the camp came over to talk to me.
Unlike most of the men, 20-year-old Fatoumah had not joined al-Shabab willingly.
"I remember the day they kidnapped me. I was coming from school, and they forced me into their car.
"They tortured me, and starved me. Then they raped me. Eventually I had to submit - that was the only way I could save myself," she said.
"The torture lasted for eight months. They did bad things to me. Then they made me marry an Emir - a commander - of the group. One of my three children is his. The other two are from a different fighter.
"My first husband died. Then I was made to marry another. They were merciless. I was with al-Shabab for three years. There were other women with me - some foreign.
"I served the fighters food and water. When they went to war I had to provide first aid. We went into battle with them and even fought along side them.
"One day we were in a convoy going to fight and there was an ambush by Amisom (African Union forces). When I got wounded in my side they abandoned me.
"I went to hide in the bush. Later some people found me and gave me traditional medicine to heal my wound, then they took me by camel to a safer area," she said.
Eventually Fatoumah was brought to the camp in Baidoa - partly for her own protection.
"I was part of them - and they didn't want me to leave. Whoever tries to leave must be killed.
"So they sent several people to kill me, including someone with a suicide vest - he blew himself up when he met me. That's why I have this scar on my head," she said, pointing to a line on her forehead.
The Baidoa camp serves many roles.
It offers former combatants a chance to retrain, and also to confront what they've done - a new programme called "Tree of Peace (or more literally, Acacia of Peace) is developing a Somali-led process of truth and reconciliation for communities ripped apart by the conflict.
But for many of those living here, the camp is above all a sanctuary - a guarded compound where people like Fatumah are relatively safe from al-Shabab.
Useful, no doubt. But the question looms - how long will people have to stay here before they feel safe to return home?


Accrington Stanley have signed former Blackburn Rovers winger Luke Wall.

The 19-year-old, who was released by the Rovers at the end of last season, has signed a 12-month contract with an option for a second year.
The Liverpudlian agreed a one-year deal with Rovers last summer, but failed to break into the first team.
Wall, who has also spent time on loan at Skelmersdale United in the Northern Premier League, is the eighth new signing by Accrington this summer.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


QPR defender Alex Finney has signed a new deal with the Championship club.

The former Bolton Wanderers centre-back has signed a one-year extension until the summer of 2018.
Finney, 20, moved to Loftus Road as a free agent in November and has featured regularly for Rangers' development side this season.
He started his career with Leyton Orient, and made two Championship and one EFL Cup appearances for Bolton before being released last year.


Parking restrictions are being stepped up in a north Pembrokeshire village following emergency access concerns by RNLI volunteers.

The RNLI said it was aware of congestion problems in St Dogmaels which is the main access route to the nearby lifeboat station in Cardigan.
It said it had led to delays in crews launching the lifeboat.
Pembrokeshire council said the restrictions will be in place in the next few weeks.
An RNLI spokesman said: "We would ask motorists in the area to consider that lifeboat crews will be using the route to respond to emergencies and park and drive accordingly."
Double yellow lines will be painted in areas around Pilot Street.
A Pembrokeshire council spokesman said the measures will "ensure sufficient carriageway width is retained to allow opposing traffic flow and vehicles to exit without any potential confrontation which is what is presently occurring".
In addition, St Dogmaels council has asked the county council to suspend the parking charges introduced in the High Street car park during the summer season to assess the impact it has on the congestion.


An NHS England report on vaginal mesh implants has recommended better support and communication between patients and doctors over the devices.

The Mesh Oversight Group report also said complications caused by the implants should be recorded so that experts fully understood the risks.
Vaginal mesh implants are used to treat stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.
But some women said they left them in permanent pain and unable to walk.
The research - seen exclusively by the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme - aims to address concerns over the use of mesh devices.
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Prof Keith Willett, who wrote the foreword to the report, said it contained three key recommendations:
The report says: "Adverse events involving mesh as a medical device must be reported and clinicians must bear this responsibility."
It also says surgeons undertaking surgery for stress urinary incontinence "must be able to demonstrate they are performing these operations regularly".
It says that where a mesh is being used to treat pelvic organ prolapse "this should not be offered routinely for the first surgical intervention".
The plastic meshes are made of polypropylene - a material also used to make certain drinks bottles - and are manufactured by many different companies.
They are used to ease incontinence and to support organs such as the vagina, uterus, bowel, bladder or urethra which have prolapsed after childbirth.
The  MHRA says, for the majority of women, the use of vaginal mesh implants is safe and effective.
But some can cut into the vagina, causing severe discomfort.
Currently in the UK, there are around 100 types of vaginal mesh implants.


Bromley claimed their first National League win of the season courtesy of a 2-1 victory at Dover.

Goals from Josh Rees and Louis Dennis in either half ensured the visitors followed up Saturday's goalless draw at Eastleigh in impressive fashion.
Rees opened the scoring in the 35th minute, the midfielder slotting home from Dennis' cutback, before the latter added a second in the 70th minute on the counter-attack after Ryan Bird's header was cleared off the line at the other end.
Dover set up a tense final 15 minutes when David Gregory bundled the ball into his own net following substitute Kadell Daniel's shot from a free-kick.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Dover Athletic 1, Bromley 2.
Second Half ends, Dover Athletic 1, Bromley 2.
Substitution, Bromley. Alan Dunne replaces Louis Dennis.
Ryan Bird (Dover Athletic) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Dover Athletic. Mitchell Pinnock replaces Mitch Brundle.
Substitution, Dover Athletic. Tobi Sho-Silva replaces Manny Parry.
Own Goal by David Gregory, Bromley.  Dover Athletic 1, Bromley 2.
Brett Williams (Bromley) is shown the yellow card.
Goal!  Dover Athletic 0, Bromley 2. Louis Dennis (Bromley).
Iffy Allen (Bromley) is shown the yellow card.
Ben Chorley (Bromley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Substitution, Bromley. George Porter replaces Adam Mekki.
Substitution, Bromley. Iffy Allen replaces Luke Wanadio.
Second Half begins Dover Athletic 0, Bromley 1.
First Half ends, Dover Athletic 0, Bromley 1.
Connor Essam (Dover Athletic) is shown the yellow card.
Goal!  Dover Athletic 0, Bromley 1. Josh Rees (Bromley).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


Experts are warning that plans to allow farmers to clear water courses on their land could make floods worse in towns.

The proposals, which are subject to parliamentary approval, allow farmers to clear drainage ditches and streams without asking permission.
Farmers had complained that the Environment Agency was micro-managing flood control.
But academics told BBC News that diverting water off farmland could increase floods where people live.
The policy change was announced Environment Minister Liz Truss at the Oxford Farming Conference after what the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said were two successful pilot schemes.
She said: "We will allow farmers across the country to maintain their own ditches up to 1.5km in length from April, so they can clear debris and manage the land."
The decision was welcomed by the National Farmers' Union (NFU).
Its president, Meurig Raymond, said: "The NFU has pressed Defra and the Environment Agency to enable farmers to undertake minor works for many years."
But Professor Alan Jenkins from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology said he feared the policy could backfire.
"Waterlogged fields are no use to farmers," he said. "They can't maintain their productivity on waterlogged soil so it makes sense for them to manage their fields accordingly.
"There is a potential downside however, in that if we increase drainage in fields during heavy rainfall it's possible there will be increased and faster transmission of water in the river system with a possible increase in flood risk downstream."
Katherine Pygott from the consultancy firm Peter Brett agreed.
"If you are a landowner you may want to maximise productivity on a grouse moor by making it drier - but if you are trying to protect a town you want to keep water back on the uplands.
"It very much depends on local conditions - sometimes it would be unhelpful to speed drainage, sometimes it would not.
"There is a risk of making a free-for-all on drainage. It would be more sensible to make the existing system work."
A government spokesman said over a million acres of prime farmland would be better protected through government investment in flood defences in the 10 years to 2021.


Hibernian supporters sing 'unofficial club anthem' Sunshine on Leith at Hampden following their Scottish Cup final victory over Rangers.

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Available to UK viewers only.


A huge fire has destroyed more than 100 acres of moorland.

Firefighters tackled the blaze that broke out on moorland off Brushes Road in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, at about 18:15 BST on Thursday.
Witnesses reported seeing huge amounts of ash in the sky, as the fire spread across the grassland.
The fire service urged residents to keep their doors and windows closed and not to travel in the immediate area. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said the fire "measured at approximately 0.5km square [124 acres]".
"Before darkness fell crews kept the fire away from nearby properties.
"Residents are asked to keep their doors and windows closed to stop any smoke entering their houses and to not travel in the immediate area."
Fire crews managed to bring the blaze under control by about 09:00 on Friday.


Many Clouds collapsed and died after narrowly beating Thistlecrack to win the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham's Festival Trials Day.

King George winner Thistlecrack caught Many Clouds close to the finish but the 2015 Grand National winner, ridden by Leighton Aspell, fought back to win.
Many Clouds collapsed after the winning post and was treated by veterinary staff before he was pronounced dead.
Trainer Oliver Sherwood said the 10-year-old was the "horse of a lifetime".
Many Clouds, owned by Trevor Hemmings, also won the Gold Cup trial in 2015 and the Hennessy Gold Cup in 2014.
"I always said he'd die for you, and he has today, doing what he loved most," said Sherwood.
"He wanted to win that race, by God he wanted to win it - he was beat at the last and he fought the last 50 yards to get up and win.
"I've trained for 32 years now and horses like that don't come along very often."
Sherwood added he would "enjoy the memories" of Many Clouds' successes and said his last race was "maybe the best career performance".
Thistlecrack's trainer Colin Tizzard described Many Clouds as a "lovely horse".
"My initial thought when we got beat was that I was disappointed but it's as sad as can be," he said.
"They had a battle and it's just a tragic end to the race. This is what happens in our sport occasionally and you've got to face up to it."
Many Clouds had started the race at odds of 8-1, with Thistlecrack the 4-9 favourite.
BBC horse racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght:
I'm not sure I have ever known the mood on a racetrack change so fast.
One minute we were hailing a fantastic contest between two fabulous equine athletes, the next word was filtering back that the winner was "down".
Memories of the horse needing oxygen and treatment immediately after his Grand National success sparked hopes all would ultimately be well, but then came the announcement over the loudspeaker system.
It led to stunned silence and tears for a huge favourite who demonstrated himself amongst the most talented steeplechasers of his generation, able to hold his own at the highest level as well as defy a huge weight to win the Grand National.
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Four men have appeared in court charged with attempting to smuggle £800,000 of cannabis into Northern Ireland in pallets of orange juice.

The cannabis was discovered in a van in Camlough, south Armagh.
The accused, three of whom are from Birmingham and the fourth from County Wexford, were arrested on Thursday.
Newry Crown Court was told the investigation involved the PSNI, National Crime Agency (NCA) and Garda (Irish police).
The 167kg drugs shipment was tracked through Spain, England and Ireland, the court heard.
The accused are Chris Connaughton, 36, of St Patrick's Place, Enniscorthy, County Wexford, and Birmingham men Stephen Dainty, 53, of Pool Farm Road, Alcocks Green, Mark Fleetwood, 51, of Dingleside, Hall Green and Paul Green, 62, Weatherfield Road, Tysley.
A lawyer for Mr Connaughton, in whose van the drugs were found, said his client was the "least-part player" and had merely agreed to collect unknown items using his van for a "200 euros cash in hand job".
The court was told he parked the van at Damolly Retail Park in Newry, where it was picked up by "others". The drugs were then allegedly loaded on in Camlough.
Flight records were revealed of connections from Birmingham to Dublin and Alicante in Spain using the credit card of Mr Fleetwood.
A lawyer for Mr Fleetwood said that he was the "patsy" of unknown contraband, "the camouflage in all  this, used by others".
A district judge said he was satisfied there was a case against the co-accused in what he believed was a major drug operation crossing international boundaries.
"There has been a highly significant arrest involving drugs with evidence that the four defendants have played a part in a joint venture to conspire to bring drugs into this jurisdiction," the judge said.
"I am refusing bail on the fear that the accused may interfere with evidence gathering in what is a live investigation."
The four co-accused were remanded to appear via video link at Newry Magistrates' Court on 29 April.


Jersey will host the European qualifier for the 2018 Under-19 World Cup.

The tournament between the island's junior side and those of Scotland, Ireland and Denmark will take place between 23 July and 1 August 2017.
The winners will go through to the main tournament in New Zealand.
"I think we can do quite well. We've got to do some hard work to get ready for the tournament as Ireland and Scotland will be strong," said Chris Minty of the Jersey Cricket Board.
The Under-19 sides of the 10 full members of the ICC have already qualified for the event between January and February 2018, as have Namibia who were the best-placed associate member nation at the World Cup earlier this year.
The winners of the tournament in Jersey will join them, along with four other regional champions.
Jersey are no strangers to staging ICC tournaments, having hosted World Cricket League events in 2016, 2013 and 2008 as well as a number of Twenty20 tournaments.
"It's great that the ICC are entrusting us once again for a tournament," Minty told BBC Sport.
"It's testament to the quality of our facilities and our infrastructure."
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Iowa Republicans have confirmed they will hold their presidential nominating caucus on 3 January 2012.

The vote was originally scheduled for February, but then Nevada set its date for 14 January.
Florida Republicans were the first to upset the calendar, when they moved forward their primary to 31 January.
Caucuses are town-hall style contests where voters decide which candidates win a group vote. Primaries are more traditional ballot votes.
Iowa's caucus and New Hampshire's state primary election are usually the first set of nominating contests, but Nevada and Florida's actions have left New Hampshire with fewer available dates in early 2012.
Florida's decision to schedule its ballot before March was in breach of national Republican party rules.
But it is Nevada's mid-January date that has "exacerbated" the scheduling problem for the so-called "first in the nation" contests, said Iowa Republican party chairman Matt Strawn.
Nevada has "unnecessarily crowded the January calendar", Mr Strawn said, adding: "Time remains for Nevada to respect the process, honour tradition and rectify the problem in a way that will restore order to the nomination calendar."
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has backed the move by Nevada Republicans.
A Reid aide told the Associated Press news agency that Nevada Democrats would hold their caucus on 14 January too, in solidarity with Nevada Republicans.
New Hampshire is now threatening to hold its primary in December, unless Nevada delays its vote.
New Hampshire could still leapfrog Iowa's date, but that would now mean scheduling in December around the holiday season.
New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner has the sole authority in his state to set the primary.
Mr Gardner's office told the Des Moines Register that while 10 January has been suggested, the state would not set its primary on that date as long was Nevada was scheduled for later the same week.
Correspondents say holding nominating contests so close together prevents candidates from capitalising on their success from one primary to the other, and often favours existing frontrunners.
Republican candidate Jon Huntsman has gone as far as focusing his entire campaign on New Hampshire.
Mr Huntsman, whose campaign is in financial trouble, says he will boycott the Nevada primary because of the date the state has set.
Five Republican candidates have followed suit, leaving former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Texas Governor Rick Perry and Senator Ron Paul campaigning in the state. But Mr Romney and Mr Perry have the most cash on hand.
Mr Huntsman will also boycott a Republican debate hosted in Nevada on Tuesday.


Wales' four police forces are not in a position to give victims of honour-based violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation the best service, a report has found.

The study, by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, looked at forces across England and Wales.
Dyfed-Powys Police was not deemed prepared in any category.
Gwent, North Wales and South Wales Police were classed as prepared in some areas, but not yet prepared overall.
Only Derbyshire, Northumbria and West Midlands Police were considered to be fully prepared.
Four categories were looked at; leadership, awareness and understanding, protection and enforcement and prevention.
Gwent Police was categorised as prepared in the first two areas whereas North Wales Police and South Wales Police were prepared in awareness and understanding and protection.
Of the 43 forces, only Dyfed-Powys Police, Staffordshire and Thames Valley were said to be unprepared across the board.
A spokesman for Dyfed-Powys Police said: "We acknowledge that honour-based based violence can be hidden within communities... the force has taken a number of steps to improve its understanding and response."
Det Chf Insp David Hough from South Wales Police said the force is "committed to to play its role in eradicating all forms of honour-based abuse... we shall now consider the HMIC's report and what implications, if any, it may have."
Honour-based violence refers to practices used predominantly to control the behaviour of women and girls within families or social groups to protect supposed cultural and religious beliefs or values.
Overall, HMIC found there were pockets of good practice, but a lot of improvements were needed.
HM Inspector of Constabulary, Wendy Williams, said: "Although initial responses by the police are good, only a small number of forces are well-prepared for the complexity that honour-based violence cases can pose.
"It is clear that the police service has some way to go before the public can be confident that honour-based violence is properly understood by the police and that potential and actual victims are adequately and effectively protected."
Recommendations include the Home Office establishing a framework to monitor progress made following this report and developing an approach to how data is recorded on allegations of FGM, honour-based violence and forced marriage.
Chief constables have been advised to raise awareness of these issues with officers and staff, as well as putting systems in place to "red flag" these crimes at an early stage so risk to victims can be assessed and managed.


More than half of Welsh councils are handing responsibility for their parks and sports centres to the community, or are planning to do so.

With 17 of the 22 councils responding to inquiries by BBC Wales, only two - Blaenau Gwent and Denbighshire - said they had no plans to sell their assets.
The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) said there had to be a "sense of realism" over discretionary services.
But it said councils were looking at "innovative ways" of running leisure.
In Carmarthenshire, the future of 96 parks is uncertain, as the council tries to find savings of nearly Â£40m.
The BBC's Newyddion 9 programme found that many councils had already transferred the ownership or running of their leisure services.
Conwy county said its playing fields and community centres had been let to others since the early 1990s.
Newport and Torfaen have transferred their leisure facilities to not-for-profit organisations.
Anglesey said it had sold some sites and was considering others, while councils in the process of transferring facilities included Bridgend, Ceredigion, Powys and Wrexham.
Those considering selling sites or setting up partnerships included Flintshire, Gwynedd, Pembrokeshire, Swansea and the Vale of Glamorgan.
Cardiff said it had no plans to sell any sites, but was exploring different ways of providing services.
A WLGA spokesman said: "Council services are bearing the brunt of austerity and, as many of the statutory services such as education and social services are protected, the financial pressures and cuts are most affecting discretionary services such as leisure and sport facilities.
"Where possible, councils try to continue to deliver these services in-house but, rather than stopping services altogether, councils are exploring new and innovative ways of sustaining them in partnership with community groups or town and community councils."


A man has been injured in a suspected gas explosion at a flat in Somerset.

He was rescued from the first floor by fire crews, who were called to Gaunton Close, in Taunton, on Friday night.
Paul Godwin, from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said crews had been confronted with a "scene of devastation".
He added early indications showed there had been a build up of gas in the flat. The man was taken to hospital suffering from burns.
"There was a strong smell of gas when our fire crews arrived first of all. But the actual cause of the ignition is unknown at this time," said Mr Godwin.
"The flat downstairs is not habitable because of the damage to the flat above. The adjoining flats are habitable.
"At the time of the explosion we did evacuate four families until we could make sure there was no build-up of residual gas in the area."
A police cordon around the property remains in place while investigations are carried out.


China has decided to end its decades-long one-child policy, according to reports from the Xinhua news agency.

Chinese people both in the country and abroad have contacted the BBC with their reactions to the latest developments.
I am a senior high school student from China. I think it's a good news for most of us. At primary school most of my classmates - including me - were only children and many of us wanted to have a sibling.
My cousin was a second child, and my aunt and uncle were heavily fined. But I think the one-child policy was quite effective and benefited China in the past few decades. In my grandparents' generation, they usually had big families with around five to 10 kids, some might be more than that.
Nowadays most of the people in China would prefer to have between one and three kids - except for some rural areas. Because of the cost of living and raising a child is higher than before, people would not want to have too many kids. So I think it's the right time to change this policy.
I'm a supporter of the one-child policy but now our country has an ageing population problem. At the same time, our population is still quite large. It's a really difficult decision.
Great news! I am a Chinese national married to an English man. I am an only child myself. My parents loved kids but they could only have me because of the threat of losing their jobs if they had more.
I felt lonely growing up by myself. My parents tried their best by having my cousins over and sending me to my cousins for a day but I always wished I had sisters and brothers.
Now my parents are over 50 and my grandparents are living with them. I want to be able to help my parents too but it will be hard to make them move all the way to the UK and give up their life and friends in China.
My husband is very understanding of the Chinese culture and we are working hard now to save money to begin our own family. If we are blessed, I will definitely have more than one child.
This is a good news for us. My husband and I have not had a baby even though we are already over 30. We are considering having babies abroad rather than in China. Anyway, it is good news, especially for couples like us.
It's good news to me - a middle school teacher - who has always dreamed of having a second child.
I'm a college student from China. I'm an only child and my parents will not have another child. This is because they are in their fifties and the cost of raising a child is too high. This is a highly anticipated result. The one-child policy is unpopular in rural areas where preference to a male child is widespread. This should be abolished. I am glad to hear the news.
This is good news for me and many city dwellers. I have been considering a second child for years but haven't been able to because of the policy restriction. Now the obstacle is removed, it's time to carry on.
Both of my children were born in China to a Chinese mother. My son was given his citizenship documents - but it wasn't so straightforward for baby number two.
According to the one-child policy, she could not get the same documents. This meant she would not be able to attend a state school or move easily from city to city. Luckily, as the child of a British expat she got British citizenship and so could attend an international school.
I have seen how parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents all dote on a single child. Not only is there enormous pressure on these only children to do well in their school exams, but according to tradition they are also expected to look after their parents when they grow old.
So a two-child policy seems to me a perfect compromise. It still aims to keep the population at a stable size, but now the next generation will grow up with a playmate to share with (and fight with!).
"This policy can only satisfy the super rich and super poor," because "the rich do not worry [financially] about raising more than one child" and "the poor have more children to carry out labour".
"I am grateful to the party for liberalizing the two-child policy; I can finally have a little sister."
Produced by Dhruti Shah and BBC Monitoring's Kerry Allen