In front of an enthusiastic crowd at ExCeL that included friends, family and East End royalty, the Great Britain women's sitting volleyball team marked their arrival on the Paralympic stage.

It was always going to be tough against Ukraine, the current European champions, and a gutsy performance ended in defeat, but the fact they were on court was an achievement in itself.
This is the first ever British women's sitting volleyball team to compete at a Paralympic Games after the squad was formed just two and a half years ago.
They received the green light to compete at London 2012 in March, and have been eager to showcase the sport and ensure London is not the only time they get to compete at the highest level.
London Mayor Boris Johnson and former EastEnders actress Barbara Windsor were among the supporters cheering on the GB team as they lost 25-9 25-20 25-14 to their more experienced opponents, and the pair even got to try out the sport for themselves afterwards.
For one GB player Martine Wright, the debut Paralympic appearance was the culmination of a sometimes traumatic seven-year journey.
On 7 July 2005, the day after London won its bid to stage the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Wright was on her daily commute into London when the Tube train she was travelling on through Aldgate was bombed. She spent 10 days in a coma and lost both her legs.
Despite her injuries, Wright embarked on a new journey culminating in her Paralympic debut on Friday, cheered on by her family, including proud three-year-old son Oscar.
The 39-year-old describes herself as "lucky" to have made it to the Games, and despite the defeat she had a broad grin on her face when she faced the large media contingent afterwards.
"It was absolutely amazing. I have goosebumps now just thinking about it," she told BBC Sport.
"To represent my country in a sport I love is amazing. It is a dream, and a dream I would never have had before 7 July.
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"I was really keen to get out there on court. There would be something wrong with me if I was sitting there happy to just get on the bench.
"The other night at the opening ceremony I got quite emotional, but today I had a job to do and I just hope I made my coach and family and the country proud when I did get on and touch the ball.
"The biggest crowd we have played in front of before today was 250, so to come here is really amazing and as team we are very proud of ourselves."
For coach Stephen Jones, the match was the latest step in what he hopes will be a project to increase the popularity of the sport and give it a long-term future in Britain.
"This tournament is hugely important for the future funding of this sport and we want to showcase it as much as we can and try to have more people competing," he said.
"We need to work to try to get to the next level. We were semi-professional going into these Games and most of the teams we are playing are full-time.
"If we can do that, who knows what we could achieve given that we have only been together for such a short time?"


Left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan has signed a new two-year deal with Lancashire.

The 27-year-old has spent his whole career with the Red Rose county and has taken over 100 first-class wickets in the past three seasons.
He made his only England appearance in the last Test of the 2013 Ashes series.
"He is a senior figure in the dressing room and has significant importance both on the field and off it," said director of cricket Ashley Giles.
Kerrigan told the club website: "I really want to find the form that got me an England call-up in 2013 and put in match-winning performances for the Red Rose, not only in our next two games this season, but in the future."


The UN has strongly criticised the government of Myanmar over its treatment of the minority Rohingya Muslim population.

The UN's Human Rights Office said it was receiving daily reports of rapes, killings and other abuses.
Human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein said the government approach was "counterproductive, even callous".
At least 86 Rohingya have been killed and more than 27,000 forced to flee military operations in Rakhine state.
The government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, says it is conducting counter-terrorism operations in the region but has denied reports of atrocities.
Most of the displaced Rohingya have fled across the border into Bangladesh.
Who will help Myanmar's Rohingya?
"The repeated dismissal of the claims of serious human rights violations as fabrications, coupled with the failure to allow our independent monitors access to the worst affected areas in northern Rakhine, is highly insulting to the victims and an abdication of the government's obligations under international human rights law," Mr Hussein said in a statement.
"If the authorities have nothing to hide, then why is there such reluctance to grant us access? Given the continued failure to grant us access, we can only fear the worst."
A spokesman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), Adrian Edwards, said his colleagues in Bangladesh had heard accounts of abuses from Rohingya refugees. They included traumatised women and children who had witnessed the killing of family members.
He said the UNHCR could not verify the accounts but it was extremely concerned.
Independent journalists have not been allowed into northern Rakhine since armed militants attacked border posts in Maungdaw on 9 October, killing nine policemen.
The Myanmar government, which is led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has faced international criticism over the situation there.
Earlier this week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said new satellite images established a link between the military and the burning of Rohingya villages.
It said the images showed military trucks were active nearby when the village of Wa Peik was being burned in November.
The government would not comment on the HRW report but said a team had been sent to the affected villages and its findings were expected to be released at the end of January.
The estimated one million Muslim Rohingya are seen by many in mainly Buddhist Myanmar as illegal migrants from Bangladesh. They are denied citizenship by the government despite many having lived there for generations.
Communal violence in Rakhine state in 2012 left scores dead and displaced more than 100,000 people, with many Rohingya still remaining in decrepit camps.
They face widespread discrimination and mistreatment.
Hundreds of thousands of undocumented Rohingya are estimated to live in Bangladesh, having left Myanmar over decades.


State papers from the 1970s and 1980s have revealed how much the British authorities discussed the public image of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).

This was just one issue among many aspects of social, political and sporting life in Northern Ireland, covered by the documents released by the Public Record Office.
The papers cover several different years up to and including 1990.
At present, state papers are released for public consumption twice a year.
The period of time for which they are usually kept secret is gradually being reduced.
They have been examined and analysed for BBC Northern Ireland by the historian, Dr Ã‰amon Phoenix.
Dr Phoenix said many papers discussed the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and the public's view of it.
Most citizens saw its soldiers either as protectors from terrorists, or as a sectarian force which aided, or acted, for loyalist paramilitaries.
The regiment existed for just over 20 years and some of its member were convicted or murder, kidnappings and bombings as well as other offences.
Arguments followed the repeated calls for a tougher vetting procedure.
Another document contained an account of a stormy day at the Stormont power-sharing assembly in January 1974.
The assembly was led by Brian Faulkner and Gerry Fitt, and collapsed later that year after the Ulster Workers Council strike.
There were details of what happened inside the chamber when the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was called to remove Dr Ian Paisley and his supporters, and even details how one protester climbed onto a table and did what the account terms "a war dance".
In a quite different series of notes and memos, it emerged that the Northern Ireland Secretary in 1989, Peter Brooke, was keen to attend a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) match of some kind.
His officials debated the practicalities of this by reading the colourful and entertaining report of the British Ambassador to Dublin, who had attended the All-Ireland hurling final that September.
Sir Nicholas Fenn's day out, his admiration for the Tipperary and Antrim teams and his respect for the man of the match, Nicholas English, make entertaining reading, and were thought to be a small step forward in Anglo-Irish relations.
The papers gave no indication if Mr Brooke ever managed to attend a match.
The papers gave an insight into political matters such as the Hume/Adams talks in 1988, and tensions within the SDLP in 1990.
There were also interesting notes on security and judicial matters through the 1980s.
These include concern about cross-border fuel smuggling, segregation in prisons, and alleged bias in the Northern Irish judiciary.


Middlesbrough winger Mustapha Carayol says it is the "right time" in his career to commit his international future to the Gambia.

Carayol, 26, is back to full fitness after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury which had kept him out for 13 months.
Last month he signed a two-year extension to his contract at Middlesbrough, having been on loan at Brighton, and he says he is now focused on establishing himself as an international with the Gambia.
I've got quite a lot of support there already and I've not even played so hopefully I can live up to the hype when I do play and make a lot of people happy
"I think it's been a long time coming,  I've had a few times when they've invited me but it wasn't the right time for myself and my family," Carayol told BBC Africa Sport.
"A few of the times I've had a little injury. So I didn't really want to come and perform half heartedly. I feel like it's the right time in my career now,"  Carayol explained.
Carayol, who was born in Banjul, is targeting an appearance for The Scorpions in the forthcoming qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
"Obviously I've spoken to them. I'm looking forward to the official invite and look forward to representing the Gambia in the Africa Nations Cup qualifiers.
"All my family's Gambian, so everyone's excited and I'm going to have a lot of pressure when I do get the chance to play.
"But for me, it's the experience of a professional footballer to go and represent your country. I've got quite a lot of support there already and I've not even played so hopefully I can live up to the hype when I do play and make a lot of people happy."
The Gambia have been drawn in Group M of the 2017 Nations Cup qualifiers, along with South Africa, Cameroon and Mauritania.
Despite facing formidable opposition, Carayol believes his country can cause an upset by qualifying for the 2017 finals to be held in Gabon in two years' time.
"I always see challenges as something you can overcome and that's why they put challenges in front of you.
"At least even if we don't qualify, everyone can be proud of us and say that we gave it a right go.
"But for me personally, I'm looking more forward to the challenge of playing international football."
The Gambia's first 2017 Nations Cup qualifier is against South Africa next month.
Before that, Carayol is concentrating on helping Middlesbrough's bid for promotion to the Premier League. The club have a 2-1 advantage over Brentford going into the home leg of their Championship play-off semi-final.
"The boys are really confident. Keep my fingers crossed and hopefully we can get over the line and I can be a Premier League player next year."
If Carayol does reach the Premier League with Middlesbrough, he may well come up against other African icons such as Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba - players who have made their name in England's top flight.
"They're massive role-models because as a young African player, you always look towards the people that you can actually relate to.
"Oviously I've not had the chance to play internationals yet, but I've spoken to a few close friends of mine.
"Albert Adomah who's at Middlesbrough - who represented Ghana at the World Cup - and Yannick Bolasie who's a really close friend of mine who represented DR Congo in the Africa Nations Cup just gone.
"And they've all told me good things about playing African football, so I'm excited. I can't wait to get the chance to go and kick a ball out there and show everyone what I can do."


Authorities in Kenya have begun a four-day nationwide crackdown to get rid of illicitly brewed alcohol following a recent spate of deaths.

Homemade alcohol is popular in central Kenya, where many people cannot afford to buy commercial alcohol.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said many men in the area are "addicted" to what is sometimes called ''killer brew''.
The government has revoked all licences for bars and other outlets selling home brew, which can be laced with methanol.
The operation started in Kiambu county, where home brew has destroyed families, made men impotent and led to many deaths, reports BBC East Africa editor Caroline Karobia.
Last year, some 70 people were killed in the area.
There have been demonstrations by women from the affected areas asking the government to take action.
After the four-day operation, the team will report to President Kenyatta to assess the progress being made.
Latest African news updates


Kent suffered a blow to their promotion hopes as they were bowled out for 230 on the opening day of their penultimate Championship game against Northants.

It meant they only managed a single batting point, having begun the game at Beckenham 24 behind leaders Essex.
Opener Sean Dickson made 63 as they reached 146-7 before Will Gidman (51) and Matt Coles (52) led a recovery.
South African paceman Rory Kleinveldt took 3-70 for the visitors, who had made 31-0 in reply by the close.
Kent need to win and hope that leaders Essex slip up against Glamorgan next week before the two meet in the final round of matches.
But their first-innings total means they can take no more than 20 points from the game, so Essex will only need 21 from their two remaining fixtures to clinch the Division Two title.
The day's statistical high point came when Gidman was caught by Kleinveldt off spinner Graeme White, his first dismissal for Kent after three unbeaten half centuries, giving him an average of 283.
Northants were left to face 11 overs in the final session and Ben Duckett (19 not out) and Rob Newton came through them unscathed.


Scott Sinclair believes his performances for Celtic in the Champions League can lead to an England call-up.

The attacking midfielder, 27, has played for his country at every level up to under-21s.
"When my time's right it will come," said Sinclair. "My ambition is still to play for my country.
"If you're playing Champions League and doing it at that level, I don't see why not."
Sinclair moved to Glasgow from Aston Villa in August, signing a four-year deal.
He has scored 10 goals in 20 games for Celtic this season but has drawn a blank in the club's European ties, including the Champions League group games against Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Sinclair says he is not concerned that playing in Scotland will hamper his chances of England recognition.
"I wouldn't say there's any barrier, it's just how well you do," said Sinclair, who has also played for Chelsea, Swansea and Manchester City.
"When you're playing every week, you're building confidence and form. My form's back, I'm scoring goals, we're winning games and I can't ask for much more."
Sinclair watched England's 3-0 World Cup qualifying defeat of Scotland on Friday and does not believe there is a significant difference in the quality of the two international squads.
"It was one of those games - it seemed like Scotland played well for the first 30 minutes, and once they conceded, backed off," he said.
"In international football, you've got to take your chances.
"There is quality [in Scottish football]. People underestimate the league and think they can just write it off."
LA Galaxy midfielder and former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been linked with a move to Celtic as he nears the end of his contract, with Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers having worked with the player at Anfield.
"It would be massive if he did come here," said Sinclair. "The fans would take to him.
"He's a world-class player, so I'm sure a lot of players here would learn off him. Once we're in the Champions League and playing the likes of Barcelona and Man City, it attracts more players."


A house worth more than £800,000 has collapsed during work to build an underground basement extension.

Rear walls crumbled and the roof gave way on the large home in Clinton Road, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, at about 10:43 BST on Friday.
Owner Sid Gautum, 36, a cosmetic doctor, said he was creating more room for storage and a play room.
He said: "Luckily it's a house of two halves. The front is strong, but the insides have fallen in."
He added: "It's frustrating, unforeseen and irritating to lose this time on the project.
"We bought the house a couple of years ago. Work started more recently and due to issues with our contractor we have faced delay after delay."
Firefighters and sniffer dogs were sent to the house to check if anyone was trapped in the rubble inside and gas and electric supplies were shut down.
Fire station manager Jason Jones said the collapse "shouldn't have been allowed to happen".
"The site is still very dangerous and will be boarded up.
"We were alerted by the collapse by a work man who had come to collect some tools.
"He is believed to have been the only person on site but we have sniffer dogs at the scene to confirm this.
"The existing contractor has been sent off site."
Former owner, winemaker Ian Symonds, said the property was sold to Mr Gautam in October 2014 for more than £800,000.
He said: "I lived there for 33 years and have many happy memories of our time in that house. It's very sad what's happened to it."


A senior Sinn Féin member has warned that the NI Executive may be unable to afford a cut in corporation tax.

Declan Kearney, the party's national chairperson, made the comments in a newspaper article.
It would cost an estimated £300m a year to cut the tax rate from its current 20% to 12.5%.
Mr Kearney said that under current austerity plans that would not be affordable.
The DUP's Peter Weir said Mr Kearney's comments and others recently by other Sinn Féin members "expose their naivety on economics".
"The only reason there is dust being thrown in the air regarding corporation tax is because Sinn Féin decisions, through southern influences, have landed us with a black hole in the budget," he said.
"Sinn Féin can spin and try to distract from the facts, but their best way forward would be just to implement what they agreed in the Stormont House Agreement."
Mr Kearney's article states that the executive's block grant from Westminster fell by £1.5bn in real terms in the last parliament.
It adds that it will fall by a further £800m by 2018 under the current Conservative spending plans.
Mr Kearney states: "The local private and public sectors are already too weak to withstand such a virtual economic tsunami.
"One direct consequence of the ongoing austerity crisis is that, in these circumstances, the regional economy will not be able to afford the introduction of corporation tax even if a date and rate were to be agreed."
The block grant would fall if the tax is cut because it would mean less revenue is collected for the Treasury, and under European rules Stormont would have to make up the shortfall.
The legislation to allow Corporation Tax powers to be devolved to Stormont was published in January.
However, it includes a 'commencement clause' which means the power will not be devolved until the Treasury assesses that the executive's finances are on a sound footing.
The Northern Ireland parties had agreed a deal on Westminster's welfare reform measures in the Stormont House Agreement last December.
However, Sinn Féin withdrew its support in March.
The current UK rate is 20% whereas in the Republic of Ireland firms pay 12.5%.


Two "lost" pigs have been given a new home after being found wandering around a housing estate.

Lee Barnes saw the animals outside the back door of his flat in Creamery Court, Letchworth, in Hertfordshire, on Tuesday evening.
The pair, who he has called Bangers and Mash, stayed in his shed while the RSPCA found them a home.
"They are very friendly and are clearly pets.... maybe unwanted Christmas presents," said Mr Barnes.
The two female Kune Kune pigs were discovered eating the hedge behind the block of flats.
"They can't have come very far but can't be from a farm as they have no tag, I think they have been abandoned," said Mr Barnes.
"If I had a garden I would keep them."
RSPCA collection officer Amy Reiter found them a home with a friend in Peterborough.
An RSPCA spokeswoman said it was "delighted" to have found a home for the two pigs in such a short space of time.
"Farm animals like pigs can be in our care for a long time as they are very difficult to rehome," she said.
"Some people buy pigs on a whim and think they can just be kept in the back garden - which is why pigs can then be dumped when people realise how complex these animals actually are."


A US judge has struck down part of a Texas abortion law that would have closed more than a dozen clinics.

Judge Lee Yeakel said key provisions were unconstitutional because they in effect blocked access to abortion.
The legislation includes the requirement for clinics to meet the same surgical standards as hospitals.
The issue has become a battleground in November's election for state governor, with supporters and opponents of the law vying for the post.
The election pits Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott against one of the law's fiercest critics, State Senator Wendy Davis.
A previous legal battle ended with an appeals court upholding another provision of the law.
A spokeswoman for Mr Abbott said his office would immediately appeal against the latest decision to the US 5th Circuit Court for Appeals in New Orleans, the same court that upheld a provision requiring doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.
The law also limits the use of abortion-inducing drugs, bans abortions at the 20th week of pregnancy and requires clinics to meet surgical facility standards
Judge Yeakel's decision struck down provisions that required surgical facilities for any type of abortion, including medication-induced, as well as admitting privileges for two specific clinics.
They were due to take effect on Monday.
State lawyers argued the provisions were for safety reasons and women would not suffer from fewer abortion clinics, saying nearly nine in 10 women would still live within 150 miles (241km) of a provider.
Lt Governor David Dewhurst told the Texas Tribune the court's decision "undermines a concerted effort to improve health care for women in Texas".
Judge Yeakel rejected both arguments, finding that surgical facilities made little difference to the already low risk to women, and that the law would in effect leave open at most eight clinics to serve the entire state.
He added that women seeking abortions in the most western and southern parts of the state, where poverty and distances to major metropolitan areas were greater, would see the most obstacles.
"A woman with means, the freedom and ability to travel and the desire to obtain an abortion will always be able to obtain one, in Texas or elsewhere," he wrote.
"However, Roe's [The Supreme Court's 1973 ruling on abortion] essential holding guarantees to all women, not just those of mean, the right to a pre-viability abortion."
Senator Davis, who launched her campaign for governor after a nearly 13-hour long filibuster against the bill, called the ruling a "victory for women's health care" in a tweet.


If you were starting to feel withdrawal symptoms from not seeing Ross Poldark and the sweeping Cornish coastline, you were rewarded on Sunday with the return of the BBC One drama.

The series kicked off with a birth, two deaths and a marriage - and the introduction of three new characters including Demelza's two brothers, Drake and Sam.
But what most viewers were disappointed to see, was the lack of bare torso from Poldark himself which helped make Aidan Turner famous.
Even critics were quick to point it out in their reviews.
Others hoped Demelza's genetically blessed brothers might fill the hole Poldark's covered chest has left behind.
Despite torso-watch, everyone agreed it was a welcome return to screens as the summer TV schedule gets under way.
Viewers were also keen to share their views on Twitter - here are some of our favourites.
You can read all the reviews in full in The Guardian, The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Digital Spy and Independent.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


British Cycling's former performance director Sir Dave Brailsford discusses how far the team have come and the past three decades and the concept of 'marginal gains'.

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"It's night and day - not in the material side, but in the thinking," he told BBC Breakfast.
"We have a structure in this country which is second to none in terms of taking an investment and maximising the performance of sport in the country."
If you would like to find out more about getting into cycling, have a look at our special guide.


The halting of a £500m project to electrify the Midland Mainline is potentially "very damaging" to the economy, experts said.

In 2013 a five-year plan was announced to electrify the route from London to Sheffield through the East Midlands.
The government has now said it can be improved in other ways while the electrification project "is paused".
Experts said the decision will widen the north-south divide and damage the regional economy.
The Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin announced other changes - including "speed improvement works" - which he said would provide better services in the short term.
"Work on electrification will be paused. I want it to be done and done well. It will be part of our future plans for the route," he said.
Malcolm Prentice, chief executive of engineering firm Garrandale Group, said the delay will widen the north-south divide and is at odds with a recent visit to Derby by the chancellor, George Osborne.
He described the region as Britain's "engine for growth".
Mr Prentice said: "Why are we taking away electrification when we want a greener environment [by] removing the diesel engines?"
Nottingham City Council leader Jon Collins said promised investment could be lost.
"The investment in electrification was a centrepiece of investment in infrastructure and it will be very damaging to the East Midlands economy," he said.
Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East, said successive secretaries of state had made personal promises about the line.
"Prior to the general election, David Cameron and Patrick McLoughlin were promising people and businesses all the way along the Midland Mainline that electrification would result in significant improvements... in the lifetime of this parliament.
"It is clear today they already knew that was a promise they were going to break."


The Conjuring 2 has topped the North American box office chart in its first week of release, breaking a recent slump in success for movie sequels.

The horror starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as paranormal investigators made $40.4m (£28.5m).
Video game adaptation Warcraft came in second with $24.4m (£17.2m) and crime caper Now You See Me 2 was at three, taking $23m (£16.2m).
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dropped to four with $14.8m (£10.4m).
Following a spate of poor performing sequels such as The Huntsman: Winter's War, Alice Through the Looking Glass and Ride Along 2, The Conjuring 2 opened nearly on par with its 2013 original.
"There's seemingly been a spell cast over the second instalments and The Conjuring, I think, broke that spell," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.
"Just the overall quality won over the audience in a genre that's generally looked down upon from a critical perspective.''
Big budget CGI extravaganza Warcraft, taken from the hit video game franchise, reportedly cost $160m (£112.8m) to make, so effectively bombed in the US financially as well as critically.
However, it was a phenomenal success overseas, particularly in China where it made $156m (£110m) in its first five days, surpassing 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron to set a new record for the biggest debut for a foreign release.
The game is particularly popular there, even spawning a theme park.
The magician crime caper Now You See Me 2, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo and Woody Harrelson, followed the disappointing trajectory of most recent sequels, dropping from its 2013 original opening debut of $29.4m (£20.8) to $23m (£16.2m).
The fifth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, Out of the Shadows, fell to number four in only its second weekend.
The last movie in the franchise grossed nearly double in its opening weekend box office.
Rounding off the top five was X-Men: Apocalypse, taking $10m (£7m) in a troubling third weekend.
Next week sees the release of Pixar's Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dory.


Former sprint cyclist Erik Zabel has admitted to "many years" of doping, according to a German newspaper.

German Zabel, now 43, won 12 stages of the Tour de France and eight stages of the Vuelta a Espana during his career.
But he has now said he used banned drugs and illegal methods between 1996 and 2003 before he retired in 2008.
"It was doping for many years. I never had a structured doping plan, never had any experts around me," he is quoted as saying in Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
"I never saw myself as a super doper."
But Zabel, who was recently named in a French Senate inquiry as a drugs offender, says he has had the blood booster EPO as well as taking cortisone, a steroid hormone.
"When you take everything together - EPO, cortisone and even blood doping, then it's quite a lot," added Zabel.
"As a young rider I did not really think about how big a step this was. But it is clear that I knew very well, this is not allowed and no one forced me to take EPO. It was my decision.
"I wanted to keep my life, my dream life as a professional. I loved that, this sport, the trips. This selfishness was just stronger."
The International Cycling Union said Zabel had resigned from the Professional Cycling Council.
He contacted the UCI President on Monday to offer his resignation and to further express his "deep regret for having lied for so long about taking performance enhancing substances".
Zabel's apparent admission comes only a week after the end of the 2013 Tour de France and less than a year after Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour De France titles.
Armstrong, who came first in the Tour every year from 1999 to 2005, received a life ban from the United States Anti-Doping Agency for what they called "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".
After years of denials, Armstrong admitted his guilt in a television interview with chat-show host Oprah Winfrey in January.


Jay Hunt is to leave her role as controller of BBC One to become chief creative officer at Channel 4.

Hunt said she was "proud of what has been achieved on BBC One" but "could not resist the chance to join Channel 4 at such an exciting time."
Jana Bennett, the BBC's director of vision, said Hunt had "led BBC One with great commitment and creative flair."
Her appointment follows that of David Abraham, who was made Channel 4's new chief executive in January.
"Channel 4 requires a fearless creative leader to help steer us through our next phase," he said.
"Jay has demonstrated... her appetite to challenge the status quo, create and lead change, and promote new talent."
Julian Bellamy is currently Channel 4's acting chief creative officer and will leave the station after "a short period of transition".
The newly created chief creative officer role combines the channel's former two most senior creative posts, Head of Channel 4 and Director of Television and Content.
Hunt's successes at BBC One include the modern update of Sherlock Holmes, crime thriller Luther and hard-hitting drama Five Daughters.
She was previously controller of BBC Daytime and worked as editor of the One O'Clock and Six O'Clock News.
Hunt was director of programmes at Five when she was appointed BBC One's controller in 2007.


New guidelines on covering the cost of oil spills in the North Sea have come into effect.

The move means firms will have to demonstrate "financial responsibility" for drilling operations before a licence is granted.
It follows a review held in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
But environmental group WWF Scotland said the guidelines would do little to prevent oil spills.
It also claimed the guidelines would make no difference to wildlife caught up in any future incident.
The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change ordered a review of regulations in light of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
The resulting Maitland Review was published in December 2011.
In announcing the government response to the review last month, UK Energy Minister John Hayes said it was "vital" that oil and gas activities met "the highest possible standards of safety and environmental protection".
Under the new guidance, UK offshore oil and gas firms will need to show they are able to pay for an incident which occurs during a specific operation.
The guidelines suggest existing insurance cover remains broadly appropriate for many operators, but call for increased levels of cover from explorers in more difficult waters, where the cost of a spill could be greater.
Lang Banks, of WWF Scotland, said: "While it's only right that oil and gas explorers should be forced to be insured to levels high enough to cover the costs of capping and clean-up, these new rules will do little to prevent future spills.
"Total's Elgin and Shell's Gannet Alpha platforms were all insured but it still didn't prevent accidents at those facilities.
"Any level of insurance cover is meaningless to the thousands of marine birds, mammals and other wildlife that would be wiped out by a single deepwater oil spill."
He added: "The only way to prevent future spills and accidents is to end our addiction to oil, stop giving tax breaks to the oil industry and stop exploration for new oil and gas in dangerous deepwater locations."


Guinea's President Alpha Conde has won a second term, the country's election commission has announced, six days after polling ended.

Mr Conde, 77, won in the first round with about 58% of votes cast.
Main opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, who has denounced the vote as fraudulent, won 31%. He has called for peaceful protests against the outcome.
European Union observers said the vote was valid despite some logistical problems.
Candidates now have eight days to file complaints before the constitutional court validates the results.
However, Mr Diallo said in a statement he would not appeal to the court.
"I will invite the other candidates and all the citizens who are the real victims of this electoral hold-up to organise, conforming to the law, peaceful demonstrations to express our disapproval of this situation,'' he said.
Mr Diallo pulled out of the elections on Wednesday alleging fraud.
The allegations included ballot boxes being stuffed and some 400 polling stations staying closed.
Figures released on Friday showed a turnout of about 66% of Guinea's six million registered voters.
It was Guinea's second democratic presidential election since independence from France in 1958.
Clashes during the election campaign claimed several lives.
Mr Conde became president in 2010 in the country's first democratic election after decades of fighting authoritarian regimes, during which he was sent into exile and prison.
In that election, he defeated Mr Diallo in a run-off.


A police officer working for the Washington transport system has been charged with aiding militants of so-called Islamic State (IS).

Federal officials said Nicholas Young, 36, sent an FBI informant about $250 worth of credits for mobile messaging accounts used by IS fighters.
Mr Young's arrest marks the first time a US police officer has been charged with helping IS militants.
Authorities said there was no threat to the Washington transport system.
Mr Young had been under investigation since 2010, the FBI said.
The FBI said that Mr Young had travelled in 2011 to Libya to fight with rebels trying to overthrow President Muammar Gaddafi. He packed body armour and other military gear, authorities said.
Authorities said Mr Young was an acquaintance of Amine El Khalifi, who later pleaded guilty to plotting a suicide bombing at the US Capitol Building in 2012.
Mr Young, who has worked for the Washington transport system since 2003, was fired after he was arrested.
"Obviously, the allegations in this case are profoundly disturbing. They're disturbing to me, and they're disturbing to everyone who wears the uniform," said Paul Wiedefeld, the general manager of the transport system.


Skier Dave Ryding matched Britain's best ever alpine World Cup result when he finished second in the Kitzbuhel slalom in Austria.

He was leading after the first run but was beaten by home favourite Marcel Hirscher to record the first podium of his career.
It was the best result for just over 35 years, since Konrad Bartelski came second in a downhill in Italy in 1981.
The 30-year-old had finished sixth and seventh already this season.
He told BBC Sport: "The first run was just insane. I knew I had skied it clean, but couldn't believe it when I crossed the finish line.
"In between runs I tried not to get the heart rate up or get stressed. I was trying to tell myself I wasn't the last one to go but it was tough. It was a mental battle with myself but I won the mental battle.
"Hirscher skied so well, so coming second almost felt like a victory. It's crazy. I'm just really proud of what I've achieved."
The Lancastrian races without UK Sport funding after it was withdrawn from the alpine programme in 2010 but does receive other sponsorship.
Ryding, who learnt to ski on a dry slope at Pendle Ski Club, has been a member of the British ski team since 2006 and competed in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, finishing 17th.
He had a 0.29 seconds lead over Italy's Stefano Gross going into the second run with Hirscher 1.02 seconds behind. But the Austrian, who won the race in 2013 and has won the overall slalom title three times, had a storming second run to move from seventh to first, with Ryding ending up 0.76 seconds adrift.
More than 60,000 spectators were watching and Ryding said the noise was deafening.
"Kitzbuhel is like the FA Cup final in England. The downhill race is the number one but the slalom is also massive. The fans are incredible."
The alpine ski World Cup was formed in 1967 and, in 50 years of racing, Ryding and Bartelski are the only British men to finish on the podium while Gina Hathorn (1967) and Divina Galica (1968) scored top three finishes on the women's circuit.
When Bartelski did it in Val Gardena, Italy, it led a French commentator to say: "This is not possible, he is English!"
In the pre-World Cup era, Britain's Gordon Cleaver won the combined race on the Kitzbuhel's Hahnenkamm course in 1931.
While the alpine team are no longer funded by UK Sport, the Great British freestyle ski and snowboard team are.
Following Jenny Jones' historic slopestyle bronze in Sochi, they will receive £4.9m for the four-year cycle leading to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
They have had numerous World Cup successes with Katie Ormerod becoming the first snowboarder to win a World Cup big air, while cousin Jamie Nicholls has won in slopestyle, Lesley McKenna and Rowan Cheshire in halfpipe and Zoe Gillings-Brier in snowboardcross.
Skier James Woods has won three World Cup slopestyle events.
Meanwhile in cross-country skiing, Briton Andrew Musgrave recorded his best World Cup result, when he came sixth in a 15km race in Sweden on Saturday.


Regulations being imposed in Lebanon effectively bar many Syrian refugees from renewing their residency permits, Human Rights Watch says.

A report found most Syrians had lost their legal status since the measures were adopted a year ago, putting them at risk of exploitation and abuse.
Only two out of the 40 refugees HRW researchers interviewed said they had been able to renew their residencies.
Last week, the Lebanese authorities forcefully repatriated 400 Syrians.
They had arrived at Beirut's international airport with the intention of travelling on to Turkey but were unable to board connecting Turkish Airlines flights before new visa regulations for Syrians imposed by the Turkish authorities came into force.
Amnesty International called Lebanon's decision to deport the Syrians "an outrageous breach" of its international obligations to protect refugees.
Lebanon is home to more than 1.07 million Syrians who have fled their country since the start of the civil war almost five years ago.
Under the residency regulations introduced last January, refugees applying to renew their residency permits are sorted into two categories: those registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and those who are not and must find a Lebanese sponsor.
HRW found that prohibitive paperwork requirements and fees, combined with arbitrary application of the regulations, effectively barred Syrians in both categories from renewal.
There are no official statistics, but local and international aid workers told HRW that most Syrians they were assisting had lost their legal status.
Almost all the refugees interviewed by HRW's researchers said they could not pay the $200 (Â£139) annual residency renewal fee. The UNHCR says 70% of Syrian refugees in Lebanon fall below the poverty line and rely on aid to survive.
HRW said the need to find a sponsor increased Syrians' exposure to harassment and facilitated corruption.
One refugee was quoted as saying that sponsors were making a business out of the Syria crisis, selling sponsorships for up to $1,000 a person. "Potential sponsors wait on the Syrian border or at the airport to sell sponsorships to new arrivals," the refugee said.
Another told HRW that the fact that his sponsor was his employer had locked him into an endless cycle of abuse and exploitation.
"My boss makes me work more than 12 hours a day at his shop," he said. "Sometimes I complain but then he threatens to cancel my sponsorship. What can I do? I have to do whatever he says. I feel like his slave."
Five women refugees told HRW that sponsors and employers had attempted to sexually exploit them, and that they did not dare approach the authorities to complain.
"These residency regulations are making life impossible for refugees in Lebanon and are pushing them underground," said Nadim Houry, HRW's deputy Middle East director. "The last thing Lebanon needs is a large, undocumented community living at the margins of society, at heightened risk of abuse."


A prominent Kuwaiti opposition politician arrested for allegedly insulting the emir at a protest rally has been released on bail.

Mussallam al-Barrak, a former MP, was freed after an appeal although he remains under investigation.
He was detained on Monday on suspicion of "undermining the status of the emir" in a speech on 15 October.
Mr Barrak had warned Sheikh Sabah Al Sabah he would not be allowed to "take Kuwait into the abyss of autocracy".
The opposition feared the emir might try to change he electoral law before forthcoming parliamentary elections, which he later did.
A decree issued by Sheikh Sabah on 19 October reduced the number of votes cast by each Kuwaiti from four to one, and reportedly made it harder for opposition groups to build coalitions.
The opposition reacted by announcing it would boycott the elections for the National Assembly scheduled for 1 December, and organising a protest on 21 October that saw tens of thousands take to the streets.
At least 29 protesters and 11 policemen were wounded as security forces broke up the demonstration with tear gas and stun grenades. The government subsequently banned gatherings of more than 20 people.
At an opposition demonstration outside parliament in Kuwait City's Erada Square two weeks ago, Mr Barrak shocked many observers by publicly challenging the emir in a speech.
"We will not allow you, your highness, to take Kuwait into the abyss of autocracy," he said. "We no longer fear your prisons and your riot batons."
His remarks drew chants of "We will not allow you, we will not allow you" from the crowd.
On Monday evening, state security personnel went to Mr Barrak's home and presented to an arrest warrant issued by the public prosecutor.
He was told he was suspected of undermining the status of the emir and on Tuesday was taken to the palace of justice for interrogation. The move prompted opposition supporters to gather in Erada Square to demand his release.
On Wednesday morning, Mr Barrak's lawyer, Mohammed Abdul Qader al-Jassem, told the AFP news agency that the public prosecutor had ordered his client to be remanded in custody pending investigation and transferred him to the central prison.
Later, one unconfirmed report said Mr Barrak had been charged and citied an official as saying he had violated laws and committed libel.
His lawyer appealed against Mr Barrak's detention, and he was freed on bail of 10,000 dinars ($36,000).
Although Kuwait allows more freedom of speech than some other Gulf states, the emir is considered "immune and inviolable" in the constitution.
Three other former MPs have been detained on similar charges and freed on bail pending trial. This is scheduled to start on 13 November.
Mr Jassem, who is also an opposition activist, was himself accused by the Kuwaiti foreign ministry of "unacceptable interference" after he wrote a blog on Tuesday telling Saudi Arabia and the UAE to stay out of his country's affairs. Both sent troops to Bahrain last year.
"If Kuwait's 'democracy' failed to move to your countries over the past five decades, the movement for change, marches and demonstrations and protests may be easier, and it will not take a long time," he wrote.


Olympic and world champion Ruta Meilutyte had surgery on a broken elbow after falling off her bicycle.

The Plymouth-based Lithuanian, 18, suffered the injury on Friday and had the operation on Monday.
"It's going to be a four-week process before she's back in the water doing regular-type swimming," her coach Jon Rudd told BBC Sport.
"It's not too desperate at all with us being well over 40 weeks away from the Olympic Games."
Meilutyte burst onto the scene at London 2012, winning 100m breaststroke gold at the age of 15 then claiming World Championship gold the following year.
She took silver at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan and is the world record holder at 50m and 100m breaststroke.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"It's not ideal, but the good news is it's happened at the beginning of the season," Rudd added.
"We'd already started work for the Olympics much earlier than we would for any regular season.
"We'd been on a training camp for 10 days in Lanzarote before we came back to Plymouth and she was back in training for two or three days here as well before the accident happened.
"So we had two weeks in the bank that we wouldn't normally have.
"The most important thing is to get things right for the summer, and I'm confident by the time we get to July, September will be a very distant memory and we'll be where we think we should be."


Two men are facing life sentences for stabbing a man they blamed for the drugs death of a friend.

Dean Melnyk, 20, of Lockerbie, was found guilty by a jury of murdering Kevin MacKay in Ecclefechan.
Co-accused Andrew Brown, 23, of Ecclefechan, had previously admitted the attack in August last year.
Judge Lord Armstrong deferred sentence until June when he will determine how long they have to serve before being eligible to apply for parole.
The pair believed their 39-year-old victim had supplied the drugs which had killed their teenage friend Jamie Abba - nicknamed Jabba.
The High Court in Glasgow heard the attack on Mr MacKay took place just hours after the 19-year-old's funeral.
Melnyk told jurors that he was "drunk and angry" when he and Brown went to Peacock Place in Ecclefechan on 22 August last year and attacked Mr MacKay - known as Kesty.
During his trial he denied murdering Mr MacKay, but admitted culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
However, the jury rejected the suggestion that he was suffering from diminished responsibility at the time of the killing.
Melnyk said he was devastated when Mr Abba died and suffered nightmares and flashbacks in which his friend appeared to him and said: "Help me."
The court heard that at the teenager's wake Melnyk had become increasingly angry  and at one point Brown - known as Buster - came over and spoke to him.
"Buster said 'We'll go and give Kesty a kicking' to try and cheer me up," Melnyk said.
He told the court that the two got a lift to Ecclefechan and, after going into another house in the village, Brown led him to where Mr MacKay was staying.
He added: "We both had a knife each - I saw Buster stabbing Kesty.
"Kesty was on his feet and Buster was stabbing him.
"I was in shock - Buster was turning the furniture over and shouting: 'You killed Jabba, Kesty.'"
Melnyk said Mr MacKay had spotted he had a knife and had grabbed his leg.
"I couldn't get him off me, he was much bigger," he told the court.
"Buster kicked him off and I began stabbing Kesty - I don't know how many times.
"The handle broke off the knife."
The court heard that after the killing, Melnyk made his way to a friend's house in Lockerbie and told him: "I think I've killed Kesty."
Brown, a fisherman, told police that Mr MacKay had been attacked by two men wearing balaclavas and he had tried to help fight them off.
A charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice against Jennifer Melnyk, 60, was dropped during the trial.
Police in Dumfries and Galloway said they hoped the village could "start to move forward" after the convictions.
Ch Insp Steven Lowther said: "The village and community of Ecclefechan have gone through a traumatic time recently.
"The death of Jamie Abba and the murder of Kevin MacKay have left two families devastated.
"These events have clearly affected the wider community as well."
He said police would work hard with residents to "help bring some sort of normality back to the village".
"Of course we understand that there are still tensions in and around the village," he added.
"However, we want to make it quite clear that, as in the past, tensions which boil over into acts which break the law will be dealt with firmly and robustly."


Fe ddaeth mymryn o ryddhad i gefnogwyr pêl-droed Cymru ddydd Sadwrn wrth i seren y tîm cenedlaethol, Gareth Bale ddychwelyd i Real Madrid yn dilyn anaf i'w ffêr.

Fe ddechreuodd Bale ar y fainc, wrth i Real Madrid wynebu Espanyol, gan ddod ymlaen ar ôl 71 munud.
Gwnaeth argraff yn syth gan sgorio gyda saith munud o'r gêm yn weddill, a chipio'r fuddugoliaeth i Madrid o 2-0.
Mae disgwyl y bydd Bale yn holliach ac ar gael i chwarae dros Gymru yn eu gêm ragbrofol nesaf yn erbyn Gweriniaeth Iwerddon ar nos Wener Mawrth 24.


The co-creators of the TV series Game of Thrones are to receive honorary degrees from Ulster University in Northern Ireland.

David Benioff and Daniel B.Weiss will receive Doctorate of Fine Art (DFA) degrees for distinguished services to the arts in a ceremony in the autumn.
The HBO fantasy adventure series is partly filmed in Northern Ireland.
Series six of the multi-award winning drama is due to begin on 24 April.
Ulster University will award 11 other honorary degrees as part of their summer graduation ceremonies.
Among those who will receive the honours are civil rights leader Ivan Cooper, the commissioner for older people Claire Keatinge and Sandra Peake from WAVE trauma centre.
Other recipients include supreme court judge Lady Brenda Hale and the auxiliary bishop of Down and Connor, Dr Anthony Farquar.
UU Vice-Chancellor Prof Paddy Nixon said that the honorary graduates could inspire students.
"It is vital that they have real life, relevant examples of people who have excelled, who inspire, and who truly make a difference to the world around them," he said.
"Our honorary degree recipients not only represent the diversity of the sectors in which our graduates are employed, they represent the determination, confidence, talent and creativity which we know our students can and will emulate as they progress in their chosen careers."
UU's summer graduation ceremonies take place from 27 June - 5 July 2016.


Britain's Andy Murray gave himself the perfect birthday present as he won his first Italian Open title with a 6-3 6-3 victory over Novak Djokovic.

It was a first win on clay against Djokovic in five attempts for the Scot, who turned 29 on Sunday.
He broke serve once in the first set and twice in the second in Rome to win in one hour and 35 minutes.
Murray will return to second in the world rankings before the French Open, which begins on 22 May.
He broke the world number one early in the first set, leaving Djokovic - who beat the Scot in last week's Madrid Open final - visibly frustrated and exchanging words with umpire Damian Steiner.
A deft drop shot at set point saw Murray take the opener 6-3 amid light rain in Rome.
Murray then fought back from break point down to hold serve in the second set, before staving off another two in his next service game.
A frustrated Djokovic, 28, complained rain was making the Foro Italico surface "too dangerous", but he was told to continue by umpire Steiner, and Murray immediately broke the world number one.
Murray then moved within a game of victory and the pressure started to tell on Djokovic.
Serving to stay in the contest, the Serb double faulted to hand Murray match point and the Scot duly closed out the win with a fantastic backhand winner from well out of court.
The win was only Murray's 10th in 33 matches against Djokovic and, having beaten world number five Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Open last week, he says he will head to Paris for the French Open feeling confident.
"Each time I go up against him [Djokovic], I know I have to play a great match to win," said Murray.
"I've had great preparation now going into the French Open. I have played against Rafa a couple of times, Novak a couple of times. You know, not won all of the matches, but competed extremely well even in the ones I have lost.
"[I'm] going to Roland Garros with a lot of confidence. Over best of five, as well, takes a little bit more physical and mental strength.
"But I feel like I'm on the right track. So hopefully I can have a good run there."
Murray's long wait for a clay court title ended in Munich last year, which he followed up a week later by winning the Madrid Masters, and he now feels at home on the surface.
"The finals of a Masters Series on clay again is something that's a new experience for me," he added.
"It's not really something I have done throughout my career, so it's nice to still be achieving new things and reaching new goals at this stage of my career.
"The last couple of years, clay has probably been my most successful surface. I never expected that to be the case, but I'm not complaining about it."
Sunday's Italian Open victory was also Murray's first title since the birth of his daughter, Sophia, in January.
"The last thing I looked at before I went on court today was a picture of my daughter," Murray said.
"I feel like that's what I'm playing for now, so that in a few years hopefully she can be proud of what I have achieved."
Djokovic was visibly frustrated with umpire Steiner's decision not to pause the match while rain fell in Rome, asking if "somebody must get injured" before it would be stopped.
"I didn't see any reason why we couldn't stop the game for a little bit until we get the court in a proper condition to play," said the world number one.
"We played on a very heavy court because it was raining for an hour and it was very muddy behind the baseline. In three games I literally could have twisted my ankle two or three times.
"To me it's also ridiculous that the chair umpire, who doesn't wear tennis shoes and wears the casual shoes, comes out and just slides on the line and says "okay, the court is good" or not.
"If you keep on going for the reasons that are only familiar to himself, then the risk for an injury is much higher than it can be."
But Djokovic admitted emotions got the better of him in a game where "there is a lot at stake".
He added: "These kind of matches are important for for both players.  Obviously when you get to play a rival, and of course you want to win, sometimes you get too emotional."
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller:
"Murray imposed himself on the match from the start - in stark contrast to recent meetings with the world number one. He was the aggressor, backed up by a fine first serve, which is becoming a very potent weapon.
"To have won Rome, finished as runner-up in Madrid, and reached the semi-finals in Monte Carlo is fabulous preparation for Roland Garros - and to beat Djokovic for only the second time in 14 meetings a big psychological boost.
"This was a defeat, though, that Djokovic can put into perspective. While Murray was in a much easier half of the draw, the world number one had to beat Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals, and did not finish his three-hour semi-final with Kei Nishikori until 23:30 CEST on Saturday night."


England's Georgia Hall and Sophie Walker finished joint third as Azahara Munoz won the Andalucia Costa del Sol Open de Espana Femenino by a stroke.

The event was decided on the final hole when United States' Beth Allen only managed a bogey as her Spanish rival scored par for a 10-under total.
Walker, 32, produced a brilliant eagle on the 18th from 138 yards to finish on five under with 20-year-old Hall.
England's Florentyna Parker finished fifth on four under.
Munoz, who won her fourth Ladies European Tour title, lives 10 minutes from the Aloha Golf Club in Marbella.
Find out how to get into golf with our special guide.
She said: "To be able to play here and just sleep at home, it's amazing.
"At the beginning of the week, I was so stressed out and so anxious and finally, when I got to the first tee on Thursday, I felt so much better.
"It is amazing to win in front of everybody and so many people came out, so I'm really grateful to them."
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Tanzania has expelled the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the country, the foreign ministry has said in a statement.

It blamed Awa Dabo, a Gambian national, for the "deteriorating performance" of her office, driven by what it called her "strained relations" with staff.
Neither she nor the UNDP has commented.
But local media have linked the shock move with Ms Dabo's alleged criticism of controversial elections on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar last year.
In a statement, the foreign ministry did not comment on the reports, but urged the UNDP to remind its staff that their first priority was to work closely with the Tanzanian government to help it meet its development targets.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a UNDP official said that Ms Dabo had been deported on the same day the government issued the order, under a security escort.
Zanzibar's controversial election re-run in March 2016 prompted a US government aid agency to withdraw nearly half a billion dollars of funding from Tanzania, describing the vote as "neither inclusive nor representative".
The opposition in the semi-autonomous archipelago boycotted the presidential poll, which was won by a landslide by the candidate from Tanzania's ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.
Opposition MP Paskal Haonga condemned the move to expel Ms Dabo, saying it soiled the reputation of Tanzania in international diplomatic circles.


Scientists working on the UK's first atom bomb narrowly avoided a fiasco when they nearly dropped a five tonne replica on Dorking, it has emerged.

The dummy device was being flown to Orford Ness, a top secret military test site in Suffolk, in the early 1950s.
It came loose in the bomb bay while over the Surrey town, about 20 miles from London, but the bomb doors held.
An engineer who worked on the device said it was then dropped in the Thames estuary, where it remains to this day.
Fortunately, the device contained no explosives or nuclear material.
The revelation is made in a BBC Four documentary, Britain's Nuclear Bomb: The Inside Story.
Reg Milne, of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, told the programme: "One flight to Orford Ness, a bomb came loose over Dorking. It fell off its hook.
"Luckily the bomb doors were strong enough to hold it."
He revealed: "The pilot took the aircraft over the Thames estuary, opened the bomb doors, and the bomb fell out."
He said the huge splash that resulted nearly drowned a couple of sailors nearby.
"They never found it - it's still in the Thames somewhere," he added.
The programme features interviews with military veterans and scientists who took part in the atomic bomb programme, some speaking for the first time, plus newly released footage of the British atomic bomb tests.
At the time, with the UK excluded from the US nuclear programme, scientists were scrambling to make a British bomb and seemingly cutting a few corners in the process.
According to the programme, highly radioactive plutonium was also frequently transported in a lead-lined box by car from the research reactor in Cumbria to a testing site in south London.
On one occasion, the vehicle broke down and the driver had to knock doors to get help.
As a result, the dangerous material allegedly spent several hours in the boot of a Vauxhall stranded in a pub car park.
Britain's Nuclear Bomb: The Inside Story will be broadcast on BBC Four on 3 May.


How do you go about removing a massive piece of infrastructure from a hostile environment like the North Sea?

Oil giant Shell has come up with one answer which could be put to the test next year - using a mega-ship to remove the topside of an oil platform in a single lift.
Measuring 300m from the seabed to its highest point, the Brent Delta platform stands as tall as the Eiffel Tower.
The structure, one of four located in the Brent field, is located 115 miles out to sea off Shetland. It has reached the end of its production life after 35 years.
At its peak in 1982, the Brent field produced more than half a million barrels of oil per day. Production that year would have met the annual energy needs of around half of all UK homes.
Plans have been drawn up by operator Shell to decommission Delta, and a new giant Korean-built ship has been lined up to take on the first major challenge.
At 382m long - the length of five jumbo jets - Pioneering Spirit has been tasked with removing the Delta's 24,000-tonne topside. That's the part of the platform which houses the accommodation block, helipad and other operational areas.
According to a Shell inventory, the 44m-tall topside includes 10 tonnes of asbestos (used for insulation and gaskets), 899 tonnes of paint, 31 tonnes of batteries, six tonnes of cotton for bedding and 3,446 fluorescent lighting tubes.
The oil firm hopes Pioneering Spirit - originally called Pieter Schelte - will prove a game-changer by successfully removing the main structure in one go.
In preparation for the monumental task, Pioneering Spirit is currently in Rotterdam being fitted out with sixteen 65-metre long beams which will be used for the lift.
If Shell's decommissioning plan is cleared by UK authorities, the ship will head out next year to Brent, where she will position herself around the Delta platform.
She will then position hydraulic clamps at strong points under the structure before pumping water out of her ballast tank to lift the topside.
The lifting process is expected to take only a few seconds.
How to remove a 24,000 tonne topside
Swiss owner Allseas says Pioneering Spirit has been designed to lift as much as 48,000 tonnes in one go.
But the ship faces another huge challenge - how to remain steady in hostile North Sea waters during the crucial lifting process.
To tackle that, its lift systems have been fitted out with an active motion compensation system.
Allseas maintains that the ship can carry out a lift in waves of up to 3.5m high.
On its website, the company says: "Analysis has shown that in hostile environments such as the North Sea, a motion compensation system is essential on a single-lift vessel to eliminate impact forces on large topsides.
"In the absence of such a system, local damage can occur even when the wave height is small and vessel motions are very limited."
Shell considered two other options for the Delta topside before choosing the single lift.
One was a process known as "piece small," which involves cutting the topside into small pieces - each weighing between 10kg and 100kg - and shipping them back to shore.
The second option, "reverse install," involves cutting and removing large sections or modules in the reverse order from which they were installed.
Shell argues that its single-lift proposals will reduce time, costs and environmental risks associated with the decommissioning process.
Brent decommissioning project director Alistair Hope said: "The award of the contract to Allseas to use the Pioneering Spirit vessel demonstrates Shell's commitment to finding safe, innovative solutions.
"It is the first vessel ever built with the ability to remove topsides of this size and scale in one lift."
If all goes according to plan, Pioneering Spirit will then ship the topside structure to a special yard in Hartlepool for dismantling.
19,781
tonnes of carbon steel
3,446  fluorescent lighting tubes
899 tonnes of paint on structure
20 cubic metres of firefighting foam
10 tonnes of asbestos
Shell is aiming to have 97% of the material recycled.
Should it successfully carry out the giant lift, Pioneering Spirit could be kept busy in the Brent field for the best part of a decade.
Allseas also has a contract from Shell to remove the topsides of two of the other three platforms in the field - Bravo and Alpha (along with Alpha's steel jacket) - subject to consultation and UK government approval.
It has an option to do the same with the fourth platform, Charlie.
Together the four topsides have a combined weight of more than 100,000 tonnes.
Shell has yet to put forward its decommissioning proposals for the rest of Brent - one of the largest fields in the North Sea, with more than 140 wells and 28 pipelines.
Three of the platforms (Bravo, Charlie and Delta) have giant concrete "legs" which support the topsides above the surface of the sea.
Known as gravity base structures, they feature clusters of huge concrete oil storage tanks or "cells" at their base.
The cells contain large quantities of gravel ballast, used to anchor the structure to the seabed.
How Shell intends to handle that tricky part of the decommissioning process has yet to be unveiled.
However, the company says its plans will be submitted when it is confident they are "safe, technically achievable, environmentally sound and financially responsible".
Environmental group WWF Scotland is giving qualified support for the planned Delta lift.
Director Lang Banks told BBC Scotland: "It certainly is not without risk, but on balance lifting the topside in one go is probably the safest method for staff and will be the least damaging for the environment.
"However, the biggest challenge is yet to come with how to deal with what lies beneath the waves. The thousands of tonnes of steel, concrete and drilling muds all require to be dealt with.
"The industry pushed the boundaries of science and engineering to access North Sea oil and gas.
"Having made massive profits over the last few decades, it's only right that it should push those limits once again to clean up their potentially hazardous legacy and protect the marine environment.
"Given the enormous size of the rigs and the iconic nature of the Brent field, this decommissioning will be watched closely and should therefore be aiming to set the highest possible benchmarks for the rest of the industry to follow."
In the meantime, Pioneering Spirit's first big project later this year will be the removal of the smaller Yme platform 100km off the shores of Norway on behalf of Talisman Energy.
Many observers will be keeping a close eye on how the ship fares with that major technical challenge.


The focus on Jackie McNamara remains unremitting.

Dundee United supporters have turned on the manager at times this season and there is a sense of disenchantment while results continue to disappoint.
At his weekly press conference, McNamara was asked if he was approaching this weekend's visit of Inverness Caledonian Thistle concerned that a defeat might cost him his job. He replied that he did not and remains convinced that his team can change its fortunes, that a small number of fallibilities can be overturned.
United look like a team in decline, albeit recent seasons have delivered consistent top-six Scottish Premiership finishes, cup final appearances and the development of some exciting young talents. Assistant manager Simon Donnelly admits that this spell could be described as a "transition period".
There are other issues at Tannadice, though, that would suggest that it is the club itself, as much as the team, that is working its way through a time of flux.
There is no doubt that the relationship between manager and support is strained. There are several underlying reasons, at least in the eyes of the fans, but results are the major bugbear, naturally.
United have won only one of their fixtures this season and currently sit second bottom of the top flight. Disgruntled fans are quick to point out that this disappointing run follows on from last season, when United won only three of their final 18 games, losing 12 of them.
Grumbles of discontent also centre on tactics with McNamara preferring to line up in a 4-2-3-1 shape that has served him well in the past but requires consistent creativity from the attacking midfielders and an all-round striker up front.
Occasional listless spells, which are often then overcome, have led to some fans questioning his motivational abilities. A perceived lack of first-team players being played in the development team to gain match sharpness has even been raised.
Ultimately, specific complaints tend to fall away when the team wins games and United are capable of an upturn in fortune.
McNamara, too, has proved to be a talented manager in the past and ought to be allowed an opportunity to work through the problems he currently faces.
Fans rail against the notion that he is popular with elements of the media but that often mistakes an appreciation of his back-to-back Scottish Cup and League Cup final appearances and some of the circumstances that he is working under.
It is clear that the United starting line-up and squad are not as strong as last season. The dip in form can be traced back to the closure of the January transfer window, when United sold Gary Mackay-Steven and Stuart Armstrong to Celtic.
The team won its next game, away to Stranraer in the Scottish Cup, but then failed to win again until 11 April. A run of four games against Celtic, that started with a draw and was followed by three defeats, was also demoralising.
The transfer business was necessary - Mackay-Steven had already agreed a pre-contract with Celtic and so at least some money was recouped, while United need to sell every season to overcome annual losses - but the timing and the consequences irked supporters.
So, too, did the subsequent revelation that McNamara receives a bonus from transfer fees received for players developed by the club. The contract is not unusual in other countries and will reflect a lower basic salary than his predecessors. The timing of the revelation provoked a response, even though it is the board that determines transfer activity.
The more pressing issue for McNamara has been the recruitment policy, since potential has been sought over experience. There are young players at the club who have ability to develop but the team lacks assertive and time-served players in key areas.
The board has worked hard to reduce debt - clearing the amount it owed to the bank and reducing other outstanding amounts - but there has also been investment in the team since 13 players have arrived in 2015, with fees being paid for four of them.
United are a work in progress and although McNamara will expect Billy McKay to score regularly and Mark Durnan and Coll Donaldson to form a more solid partnership at the back, the team still lacks a sense of reassurance in moments of crisis on the field.
Chairman Stephen Thompson remains in discussions with a consortium of other businessmen to take control of Newcastle Jets, the A-League club. He has spent time previously in Australia but continues to live in Scotland and has always insisted that he remains committed to United.
His sister, Justine, now sits on the board and day-to-day control is currently in the hands of former Hearts managing director David Southern.
United are two years into a five-year plan that was devised to address the club's finances, football and place in the community. The assertion is always that events are on track, although the suspension of head of youth, Stevie Campbell, is an issue that has still to be closed.
With Thompson's recent lack of public profile in the media, doubt has been able to gather around the club. The focus will always be on the manager when results are disappointing and McNamara will expect the scrutiny but questions remain about what the immediate and long-term future holds for United.


US hoteliers Marriott International and Starwood Hotels have agreed a $12.2bn (Â£8bn) deal to create the world's biggest hotel company.

Combined, the two firms have more than 5,500 hotels with 1.1 million rooms and $2.7bn in revenue.
The two boards have "unanimously agreed" to the deal, under which Marriott will buy Starwood.
The tie-up will see them overtake the UK's Intercontinental Hotels, which has just under 5,000 hotels.
J.W. Marriott, Jr, chairman of the Maryland-based company, said: "We have competed with Starwood for decades and we have also admired them."
Marriott chief executive Arne Sorenson, who will head the new group, said the two firms hoped to become "the world's favourite travel company".
Starwood shares closed 3.6% lower at $72.27 after the deal was announced, while Marriott shares rose 1.4% to $73.72.
The deal will combine Marriott's 19 brands, including Ritz-Carlton and Fairfield Inn, with Starwood's Westin, W and St. Regis chains.
Marriott will pay $11.9bn in stock and the rest in cash, and hopes to have the acquisition completed by mid-2016.
Starwood, which opened a review into its strategy in April, had also been linked to deals with Intercontinental and Hyatt Hotels.


Defending champion Serena Williams and sister Venus both survived scares to progress at Wimbledon.

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Serena beat the world number 65 Christina McHale, 6-7 (7) 6-2 6-4 on Centre Court while Venus won 7-5 4-6 10-8 against teenager Daria Kasatkina.
Serena trailed 2-0 at the start of the deciding set but won in two hours 29 minutes on Centre Court against her fellow American.
The top seed took out her anger on her racket after losing the first set.
She hammered her racket repeatedly into the ground before tossing it backward. It slid on the grass and landed in the lap of a cameraman.
"I was just really, really, really angry. I had a lot of chances," said Serena, who hit 40 unforced errors in the rain-affected second round match.
"She got really lucky on some shots.  She just was playing great.  I was a little disappointed in myself at that point."
Shortly after an interruption while the Centre Court roof was closed because of rain, the world number one had a set point but failed to convert.
She thought she had won the opener but was denied by a narrow Hawk-Eye overrule before the impressive McHale went on to claim it on a tie-break.
"It was a really good match. She played great and always does against me," added Serena.
"I know that mentally no one can break me and I knew being a break down in third set I had to put my mind to it and that's what I did."
Williams will now face Germany's Annika Beck in the third round.
Rain three times interrupted 36-year-old Venus Williams, a five-time champion at Wimbledon, as she faced an opponent 17 years her junior in the third round.
The final interruption came as Williams had match point on the Kasatkina serve at 7-6 in the deciding set.
After a break of 72 minutes the Russian 29th seed impressively won three straight points to take the match further.
Both players struggled for rhythm at times during the match but it was Williams, seeded eighth at this year's Championships, who progressed to round four for the 14th time after two hours 41 minutes on court.
"I can't say that I've ever had a rain delay at match point," she said. "Probably not ideal. She handled it well.  She played smart.
"It was just, I guess, non‑stop action.  It was like a Hollywood script."
In the fourth round, Williams will face Spanish 12th seed Carla Suarez Navarro who beat Marina Erakovic 6-2 6-2.
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Maria Sharapova has been "very courageous" to admit her failed drugs test, but must "suffer consequences," says world number one Novak Djokovic.

The five-time Grand Slam winner, 28, revealed on Monday she tested positive for meldonium in January.
"I do feel sorry [for] her, but it's normal to accept that under these circumstances the player has to suffer certain consequences," Djokovic said.
Russian Sharapova will be provisionally suspended from 12 March.
Earlier this week, world number two Andy Murray said Sharapova "must accept responsibility" for failing the test, while women's world number one Serena Williams said her rival had shown "a lot of courage".
Former world number one Sharapova says she has been taking the drug, which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list on 1 January, for health reasons for the past 10 years.
"As a friend, I really hope that she will find the best possible way," world number one Djokovic added.
"I thought she was very courageous and it was very human and brave of her to go out and take the responsibility and say what has happened. She did admit that she made a mistake with her team."
Eleven-time Grand Slam-winner Djokovic also said too many tennis players rely on medication to feel healthy.
"I feel like in the sport in general that there is maybe a conviction with many athletes that maybe medication and certain substances can make you feel healthy or make you feel better," he said.
"I don't believe in that kind of short term process. I believe in long term balance and harmonious health and well-being that is achieved from different aspects.
"I wouldn't say there is a magic potion or elixir that can make you feel better."


Rory Best has hinted that he may step down as Ulster captain ahead of next season following his side's Pro12 semi-final defeat by Leinster at the RDS.

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Ulster lost 30-18 to their Irish interprovincial rivals to end hopes of a first trophy success since 2006.
"I'm not sure if I'll be back as captain. We'll have to reassess. I'll speak to Les (Kiss) at the end of the season and make a decision," said Best.
Director of Rugby Kiss said he "didn't envisage any change" in the captaincy.
"I will have a good discussion with Rory about the captaincy during the off-season but he'll always be a leader among the boys anyhow," commented Kiss.
"He is always happy for the younger boys to step into leadership roles and is good at bringing the likes of Rob Herring and Paddy Jackson along.
"It may be something we look at, but we'll make those decisions later," added the Australian after the play-off loss in Dublin.
An emotional Best could not his disappointment after seeing his side fall short of securing silverware for a 10th consecutive season.
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"Every year we think we have improved enough to answer the questions asked of us at this stage but yet again we have fallen short.
"It doesn't get any easier to take as this year we really thought we were in a good place to go on and do it. We felt the belief of recent weeks would drive us through but it wasn't to be.
"It's very disappointing as we felt we had a big game in us, but we'll be back again.
"It's just not the way we wanted to sign off the season and not the way I wanted to sign off personally."
The Ulster skipper added that he felt the forwards fell short of the standards they hoped to set in a hard-fought derby contest.
"We have a lot of talent in our back-line but if you can't front up and man up around the edge of the ruck and around the set-piece and you lose those little mini-battles there, it doesn't matter what you've got out wide.
"To be fair to that young back-line, they fought and scrapped with everything they had, but as forwards we probably have to take a bit of responsibility."


A selection of your pictures of Scotland sent in between 10 and 17 March. Send your photos to scotlandpictures@bbc.co.uk or our Instagram at #bbcscotlandpics


Tech company Sony has just revealed a brand new console - the PS4 Pro.

The console was unveiled at a big event in New York, in America, three years after the PS4 came out.
It will be released in November and will cost around Â£300.
Makers at Sony have said that the new console will be able to stream videos in 4K, which means that games will look better and will be higher quality.
It will also support Playstation VR, which means players will be able to play games on it using a virtual reality headset.
They also said it would have a faster processer, meaning that it can cope with the higher quality graphics, without glitching.
Players would still be able to play PS4 games on the console.
Enter the NX, Nintendo's top secret new console.
There are currently no pictures of the console, but there have been lots of hints and rumours about what it will be like.
Earlier this year Nintendo applied for a patent, which means that they have legal protection from people copying their idea.
In this patent there are suggestions that they could be making a 'hybrid' console, that could be plugged into a TV and played at home, and also unplugged and used out and about.
There are also rumours that it will use game cartridges, like older Nintendo consoles and Game Boys.
As well as that Nintendo have supposedly been looking into Virtual Reality, so could the new NX also be VR headset compatible?
Gamers will have to wait until March 2017 to see what the console looks like when it is launched.
Microsoft also have a huge new console under their belts which won't appear until late next year.
It's another top secret project, code named: Project Scorpio.
The head of Xbox games marketing Aaron Greenburg has said it will: "change the way we think about the future of console gaming."
From what we know, the Xbox Scorpio will have similar features to the PS4 Pro.
It will be able to play games in super high quality 4K, and old Xbox games will still be compatible.
Makers have also strongly hinted that the console will be playable with a Virtual Reality headset.
Nothing has been announced about how much the console will cost, but experts have been suggesting it might cost around Â£500.
So it seems that the next generation of consoles will all be sporting super-high quality graphics, and perhaps leaning to towards more Virtual Reality gaming experiences.


Relatives of a Scots missionary who died in the Auschwitz concentration camp have attended a special reunion to view her handwritten will.

The recently discovered document offers fresh insight into the life of Jane Haining from Dunscore.
In total some 14 of her relatives attended the event in Edinburgh.
One of them, Catriona Topping, said she felt that her connection with Ms Haining had "deepened" by holding the will in her hand.
Ms Haining died in Auschwitz in 1944 at the age of 47.
She is the only Scot to be officially honoured at the Yad Vashem memorial in Israel for giving her life to help protect Jews during the Holocaust.
Joyce Greenlees, 59, of Cumbernauld - whose grandfather was Ms Haining's cousin - only learned about family links to Northern Ireland, Belgium and England after reading about the discovery of the will.
It was among a number of documents found in attic space at the Church of Scotland's headquarters in Edinburgh.
"I am so proud and pleased to meet members of a family I did not realise existed," said Ms Greenlees.
"Jane Haining was a very brave lady who was totally selfless and I think it is very important that everyone knows her story because we can learn lessons from the fact she deeply cared about all people, regardless of religious belief."
Ms Topping, whose late grandmother was Ms Haining's half-sister, said she that the will had helped to transform a "mystical figure" from her childhood into a real person.
The Bristol University biochemistry PhD student added: "The lesson we should take from Jane Haining is to be humble and not consider ourselves to be superior to others.
"She did not see herself to be a hero, she was just doing what she thought to be right and respected everybody."
The reception in Edinburgh was hosted by the Moderator of the General Assembly Right Rev Dr Russell Barr who said it was a "privilege" to welcome the family of a remarkable woman for afternoon tea.
"Jane's story is one of the most remarkable stories of courage and loyalty," he said.
"There was something quite special about seeing her family holding the various photographs and letters and to feel their immense sense of pride in what Jane did and in the ways in which her life and death have now been recognised."
Rob O'Brien, from Ballygally, County Antrim, said he was very proud of his aunt, Ms Haining, and described the reunion as very moving.
"Jane was a person of very deep religious faith and a woman of great resolve and determination," he said.
"She had no desire to be a heroine, all she wanted to do was live out her faith and care for children.
"She had love for everybody and I think that is a great example to us all."
The reunion event was held on Armistice Day.


A programme in which illusionist Derren Brown suffocated himself as part of a trick has broken broadcasting rules.

Something Wicked this Way Comes, shown on a Sunday morning, featured the illusionist putting a plastic bag over his head and walking on broken glass.
Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom said children could have imitated Brown's "clearly dangerous behaviour".
It received five complaints about the show, which aired on UKTV's Watch channel on 6 December.
UKTV said the programme was broadcast in error and was unsuitable for a pre-watershed transmission.
In the 14-minute segment, Brown had sought to demonstrate a technique to limit pain and bleeding.   He placed a transparent bag over his head and sealed it while a member of the audience tapped out his pulse rate on a drum.
Once his pulse rate had slowed to a stop, Brown - who appeared to be in a state of semi-consciousness - removed the bag from his head and walked barefoot on a path of broken glass.
At the end of the sequence, the camera zoomed on his feet to show that they had not bled as a result of contact with the glass.
Ofcom said: "Plastic bags are a common household item that children frequently have access to without parental supervision. They also present a widely acknowledged risk of harm to young children.
"Therefore, Ofcom took the view that Derren Brown's use of a plastic bag to asphyxiate himself was likely to be easily imitable by children in a manner that was harmful.
"This was particularly because self-asphyxiation was presented as a way to carry out acts which would not normally be possible because of the bleeding and pain that resulted.
"Further in this programme no negative consequences of self-asphyxiation were identified."
Ofcom also found that Brown's use of swear words during the segment breached the code on offensive language before the watershed.
UKTV said an internal investigation had revealed that "due to human error" the programme was "erroneously labelled" as being suitable for broadcast before the watershed.
It said it had implemented additional safeguards to prevent the same mistake happening again.


Dave King, Paul Murray and John Gilligan have succeeded in being voted on to the Rangers board at Friday's extraordinary general meeting at Ibrox.

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Shareholders at the meeting called by King, who owns 14.5% of shares in Rangers International Football Club plc, voted Derek Llambias and finance director Barry Leach off the board.
King's consortium received about 85% of the votes cast.
And the new board has already appointed shareholder Douglas Park as a director.
David Somers, who was chairman, and James Easdale had already resigned from the board before the EGM.
King addressed fans after being voted on to the board and said the EGM was a "turning point in the future of the club".
And later, he said: "We want Rangers to get back to being in its rightful place in Scottish football.
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"The club is pretty much broken. It's broken in many areas. Pretty much everything has to be looked at.
"There will be other appointments. The fans' groups have been absolutely superb. We think that should be recognised. We want to work with fans in terms of getting representation on the board."
And Murray added: "We'll take time to build the board out. We're not involved in short-term fixing."
Murray also addressed the issue of appointing a new manager.
Ally McCoist is on gardening leave after leaving the post late last year and caretaker Kenny McDowall is working his year-long notice period.
"We're laying the foundation for a long-term project here and appointing a first-team manager is a crucial decision," said Murray.
"We're going to take some time and get it right."
Outgoing chief executive Llambias and Leach are associates of Sports Direct and Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, who was this week fined £7,500 by the Scottish Football Association for breaching rules on dual ownership.
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He has loaned £10m to the club and holds lucrative commercial contracts relating to its business.
Llambias and Leach still have executive employment contracts at Rangers.
King was confident ahead of the vote that he had enough votes for a simple majority to have the five resolutions passed - two for the removal of Llambias and Leach, who were not present at the meeting, and one each for the appointment of King himself, Murray and Gilligan.
And his chances were boosted when it emerged that the bloc of shareholders represented by Sandy Easdale, chairman of the club's football board, abstained from the vote.
It was initially thought they would use their combined share of a little more than 20% to vote against the King consortium.
Many shareholders had voted by post or by proxy since the EGM was originally due to be held in London.
That decision prompted a backlash and the two hotels chosen to host pulled out.
King, an ex-pat Glaswegian who lives in South Africa, had appealed for shareholders attending the meeting to act "with calmness and dignity". He was applauded as he took his seat in the stand.
Rangers will also have to appoint a new nominated advisor - the company that manages Rangers International Football Club's listing on the Alternative Investment Market.
The company's previous 'nomad', WH Ireland, resigned ahead of the EGM, which resulted in the shares being suspended.
A new nomad must be appointed within 30 days or the company will be de-listed from the Stock Exchange.
King has stated Rangers need more than £20m invested in the near future to get the club into a competitive position.
The team currently sit third in the Scottish Championship and the play-offs appear to be their best hope for promotion, with leaders Hearts on course for the title.


The eurozone's economic recovery is continuing, a survey has suggested, with business output growing at its fastest rate in four years in June.

The CIPS/Markit composite purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 54.1, compared with 53.6 a month earlier - its highest reading in 49 months.
A reading above 50 indicates growth, while a reading below 50 suggests a fall in activity.
Markit said the services sector had seen its best quarter for four years.
In addition, factories enjoyed their best quarter of production growth for a year, "highlighting the broad-based nature of the upturn".
Employment and new orders also rose at their strongest rates for four years in the second quarter.
"Despite the cloud of the Greek debt crisis hanging over the region, the eurozone saw economic growth accelerate to a four-year high in June," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit.
"The PMI is signalling GDP growth of 0.4% for the region as a whole in the second quarter."
The eurozone's gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.4% in the first quarter, according to official figures.
Mr Williamson added that the eurozone's economy was on course to grow by 2% this year, "though much of course depends on the outcome of the Greek debt negotiations and any resulting impact on growth in the second half of the year".
Business activity picked up in both Germany and France in June, but Germany saw a weaker growth rate in the second quarter compared with the first.
Excluding France and Germany, the rest of the eurozone recorded its best performance for eight years, Markit said.


According to research by Epilepsy Society, over half a million people in the UK have epilepsy.

There are many types of epilepsy and epileptic seizure, including both convulsive (involving shaking/body spasms of some kind) and non-convulsive (where people might show no signs of having had a seizure).  We spoke to Sophie Harries, who had her first convulsive seizure at the age of 15.
So, what is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a neurological condition which leads to the person to have seizures. These occur in the brain and can be focal or generalised.
What kind of epilepsy do you have?
I have generalised idiopathic epilepsy with photosensitivity, which means that the cause is thought to be genetic and I have generalised seizures. I have tonic clonic or grand mal seizures, which is the stereotypical shaking and grunting.
Also, my epilepsy is triggered by flashing lights which is the photosensitivity part. Only 5% of people have photosensitive epilepsy and it is typically triggered by flashing lights such as strobes, camera flashes or bicycle lights - but sunlight flickering through trees is another trigger.
Can you describe what it's like to have a seizure - do you remember it?
I can never remember my seizures, I've lost up to four days before.  Afterwards I sleep for a very long time - I also ache, and have a really bad headache that lasts the whole day.
Do you get any warning signs that you're about to have a seizure?
Find out more from Epilepsy Society
Most of my seizures have occurred when I'm either asleep or going to sleep - however I have had one whilst awake and I didn't get any warning signs like some people get.
How does someone get epilepsy - were you born with it?
Epilepsy can be inherited (idiopathic) or caused through injury such as stroke or a tumour (symptomatic). Although my epilepsy is thought to be genetic I developed my epilepsy at 15; this may be due to my seizure threshold (the level of stimulation at which your brain will have a seizure) becoming less but no one can say for certain.
Do you remember your first experience of epilepsy?
My first experience of epilepsy was really scary. I was abroad, the doctor spoke broken English and I was being given a drug to help my muscles relax. I had no idea what had happened and when I found out I was even more scared.
Why now?  What caused it?  What's wrong with me?  So many questions which didn't have answers, and not all of them will ever will be answered. Even now when I have a seizure it knocks all my confidence and all the questions get asked again.
What do you have to do to control your epilepsy?
I take medication daily to control my epilepsy and will have to for the rest of my life.  I also have to avoid triggers, make sure I get enough sleep and don't get too stressed.
How does it affect your day to day life?
Day to day my epilepsy doesn't have a massive impact but I do have to be mindful of situations - especially if there is anything to do with lights. Bicycle lights that flash when I'm walking home are a particular issue in the winter, and then in the summer I have to cover one eye if the sun is flickering through trees.
Do you feel like people treat you differently because you have epilepsy?
Most people don't treat me too differently if at all, although they are mindful of my triggers and try to avoid them.
However, some people do treat me differently. I've been called "Epi" instead of my actual name (which the person didn't bother to learn!), and I've been told that I am possessed and have the devil in me, when I was on a bus.  I have also been told that epilepsy isn't a disability and that I'm making a fuss out of nothing.
Is there anything you can/can't do as a result of your epilepsy?
I can't go to the cinema or nightclubs with my friends where there are strobing lights, and I have to ensure I get enough sleep and don't get too stressed.
Do you feel it's had a positive or negative effect on your life, overall?
Overall I feel that epilepsy has negatively impacted my life, but I have been able to work with Epilepsy Society to raise awareness which I see as really valuable.
What advice would you give a young person who's just been diagnosed with epilepsy?
I would say to get stuck in raising awareness - it will be incredibly valuable and help you come to terms with your diagnosis.
Also be open and talk about it with people. Initially I didn't want to tell people I had epilepsy and it made it difficult to say and explain it - it became my big secret.
Finally, focus on the positives and the milestones.  This month I'm a year seizure free :)