Years of economic hardship and inadequate health services in Zimbabwe have contributed to a mental health crisis.

But one unique project is using talking therapy to help thousands of people who would otherwise have been left untreated.
"Some of the myths include witchcraft... people think they are possessed with evil spirits," says Dr Dixon Chibanda, a psychiatrist in the capital, Harare, explaining the traditional beliefs which persist among many over the causes of mental illness.
"But we know there is overwhelming evidence to show that when someone is mentally ill, whether they have common mental disorders or schizophrenia... it is a medical condition which can be controlled."
The World Health Organization's estimates that one in four people will suffer mental health problems at some point in their lives, the figures for Africa would run into the hundreds of millions.
Dr Chibanda co-founded the Friendship Bench, a network of community health workers, volunteers and specialists, about a decade ago when Zimbabwe's economic turmoil was at its worst.
The programme works by training non-professional carers in talking therapy techniques, so that they can provide treatment.
"We have managed to show that we can train lay health workers to deliver... structured psychotherapy in Africa and produce amazing results," he says.
The initiative has reached 10,000 people so far, but Dr Chibanda hopes the number will increase to as much as 50,000 people each month once the scheme rolls out nationwide.
"There is lack of awareness of what can be done for people who are mentally ill... not only in Zimbabwe, but in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa," he says, referring to the absence of both diagnosis and treatment for such illnesses in many parts of the continent.
"Some people in our society who are living with HIV and Aids, unemployed, without access to health care, with a child who is unable to go to school," he says.
"They are overwhelmed and they do not know which problem to start working on."
The simple act of talking can make a huge difference to a person's life, Dr Chibanda insists.
Friendship Bench carers use a programme of talking therapy called "Vazukuru", meaning "nephew" in the local Shona language.
The three stages of Vazukuru talking therapy
The treatment is broken down into different stages so that patients can understand the root cause of the mental health issues before trying to find solutions.
"'Kuvhura pfungwa' is the first thing that we do; we open up a person's mind," Dr Chibanda explains.
"From opening a person's mind, we uplift the person, and once they are in a situation where they can deal with the problem, we can then strengthen them. That's 'Kusimbisa'."
"After that, we provide further strengthening which is called 'Kusimbisisa'," he told the BBC.
One of those who received help from the scheme is Chipo, a mother of four living in a Harare township.
Chipo, which is not her real name, was a victim of domestic violence, and went into a depression that presented mental challenges, which she says reduced her to a "laughing stock" in her community.
"I was hospitalisedâ€¦ it really affected me. I had stress. When my husband went out, he would leave me without anything to eat with the kids, so that I fell ill and almost died," Chipo says.
"I left [town] for my rural home. I had to go to my parent's home. When I arrived there, I really suffered.
"There was my sister who was staying there. She locked me out of the house. I had to sleep outside for the whole night with the kids."
Chipo had divorced and so her sister felt she could not help or accommodate her.
"I spent most of the time crying, crying," she said.
"At one time I also thought of committing suicide because I thought it was the end of life."
But then she was thrown a lifeline by Rutendo, also not her real name, a non-professional carer who had received the training from Friendship Bench.
Rutendo was able to provide Chipo with talking therapy to help her understand her problems, suggesting self-help projects that would help her get back control over her life.
Rutendo says it is an approach that is bearing fruit, despite the scale of the challenge.
"Many young children fall into early marriages, money becomes a problem and domestic violence ensues.
"We teach some of them self-help projects, and how to manage their depression and come out of mental illness, and it's working. Through talking therapy, people come out of their problems."
Chipo responded well to the treatment, engaging with the self-help projects and eventually recovering to the point that she was able to send all her children to school.
"My son did exceptionally well in his results and got a place to study psychology at university," Chipo says proudly, adding her only complaint was that he had not chosen law.
Dr Chibanda, standing alongside, lets out a chuckle, replying: "He should study psychology, we need more like him to help us with our work."
Patients suffering from more severe forms of mental illness are often violent and tend to be shunned by society.
Dr Chibanda offers an alternative to the traditional way such patients are dealt with.
"You can do a lot in the community without locking up people. Half the time, if you talk to them properly, in a structured evidence-based approach, you actually get good results. You don't need to give them medication," he says.
The economic difficulties faced by millions of Zimbabweans, with its knock-on effects for people's mental health, is not likely to improve in the near future, with southern Africa currently facing the worst drought in decades.
But Dr Chibanda hopes that however bad things get, at least the Friendship Bench can give Zimbabweans somewhere to turn to for help.


Uefa president Michel Platini insists he will not return a £16,000 watch given to him by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).

Fifa has asked officials to return the watches handed out at the World Cup as football's governing body claims the gifts break its code of ethics.
But Platini, 59, said: "I'm a well-educated person. I don't return gifts."
Platini also said Fifa knew the items were being handed out in June and questioned why it only acted now.
The watches were given by one of the CBF's sponsors to 32 association chiefs, 28 Fifa executive committee members and five other members of South American associations.
"If the [Fifa] ethics committee was not pleased, they should've told us that four months ago in Brazil, when we received the watches," Platini said.
"They were aware that we were receiving these watches because everybody received them.
"Let me tell you, I was surprised. I was surprised, first of all, by knowing the value of the watch. I didn't realise it was that expensive.
"We receive many watches, just like journalists - you receive many watches. Just like the associations receive watches. Yes, yes, you receive watches occasionally. Every now and again, you do receive watches.
"But these are advertising watches and so forth. We all receive watches. I've received several.
"But I was surprised on the one hand to see the value of the watch.
"Secondly, I was very surprised by the press release of Fifa. I think that the best thing would have been to call us, to say that the ethics committee has done 'so and so' and they're not pleased.
"Because there's an article in the British press, all of a sudden Fifa says that they need to return the watches. There's something that's very surprising to me in the way that this process has played out and I do not like that."
Several officials did report the watches to the ethics committee and Football Association chairman Greg Dyke and Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce have since said they will return the gifts.
Dyke, who had put the watch in a bag earmarked for charity, said he was unaware of the value of the gift and would have liked Fifa to have stepped in and taken action in Brazil.
The 67-year-old said: "Fifa should have looked and said: 'These are £16,000 watches - you can't give them out.'
"I mean, how would I know it's worth £16,000? I have never had a £16,000 watch in my life. I've never paid more than £200 for a watch - to me, it is just a watch.
"I think the whole culture of gift giving needs to be looked at again. Personally, I would get rid of it."
Frenchman Platini added: "This watch is a gift. It's not actually the watch I'm wearing today. It's a gift I received.
"I'm going to ask for the value of this watch and I'm going to give to a charitable organisation, a foundation, this value. But I can't return a gift. In my upbringing, I cannot return gifts like that."
The CBF said it had paid $8,750 (£5,336) for each watch but Fifa's ethics committee obtained an independent valuation of 25,000 Swiss francs (£16,400).
The ethics committee said in a statement: "The CBF should not have offered the watches, and those who received gift bags should have promptly checked whether the items inside were appropriate and, upon discovering the watch, either returned it or reported the matter.
"The Fifa code of ethics plainly prohibits such gifts. Officials may not offer or accept gifts that have more than 'symbolic or trivial value'."
Fifa refused to clarify whether president Sepp Blatter received a watch and if so, if he had returned it.
A statement said: "The deadline to return the watches by any person who received one is no later than 24 October 2014 as stipulated by the investigatory chamber. Please understand that we cannot communicate about individuals."
The ethics committee said it would not instigate proceedings against officials who return the watches by 24 October.
Meanwhile, Fifa has revealed it spent around £87,000 purchasing 750 watches which were given to delegates of the national associations who travelled to Sao Paulo for its annual congress in June.
Fifa say the value of these watches - around £117 - is within the provisions of its code of ethics.


A road closure ahead of Saturday's Champions League final in Cardiff has casued major disruption in the city.

Part of Castle Street was closed on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the start of the four-day festival on Thursday.
Traffic sensors reported "heavier than normal" traffic on Clare Road during the rush hour which was "not helped by the closure on Castle Street for the UEFA Champions League Festival".
Cardiff Bus said experienced "severe delays across the network".
It had previously been announced that Castle Street would be closed to vehicles between Westgate Street and Cathedral Road from 14:30 BST on Wednesday until 06:00 on 5 June.
People will not be able to walk along the stretch of road until midnight on Wednesday while a temporary footbridge is installed.
Real Madrid face Juventus at the National Stadium of Wales on Saturday at 19:45 and there are several road closures in place before and after the match.


Gabon international striker Malick Evouna is set to join Chinese Super League side Tianjin Teda from Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

The fee is believed to be in the region of US$8m (£6m) and would be the highest paid to an African club.
BBC Sport understands the deal for the 23-year-old will go through this week.
Evouna joined Ahly last summer from Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca. He scored 12 goals in 24 matches to help them win their 38th league title.
He became the most expensive player in Egyptian football history when he signed for the Red Devils for US$2.5m (£1.9m) but is set to ;leave after only one season.
Evouna has scored 10 goals in 19 appearances for his country and played for the Panthers at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.


A former provider of the Anglesey to Cardiff air route is set to go into liquidation, BBC Wales has learned.

The Civil Aviation Authority revoked the airline's safety licence in October 2015. The firm contracted other companies until it pulled out in January.
Passengers are trying to get their money back on journeys booked before LinksAir stopped providing the service.
The Welsh Government called the situation "wholly unacceptable".
Letters have been sent to creditors by Yorkshire-based insolvency practitioners Redman Nichols Butler - informing them that a meeting is to be held on 1 April in Driffield, East Yorkshire.
Stella Flemmings, Redman Nichols Butler practice manager, said: "The directors of the company have asked us to assist them in putting the company into liquidation and there will be a creditors meeting on 1 April."
Passenger Alan Hughes from Caernarfon told BBC Wales he lodged a claim with LinksAir to be reimbursed with the Â£180 cost of two return tickets scheduled for the end of February.
He said: "As private individuals, we go to the end of the queue, don't we. The taxman will take priority. From previous experience, {people have} ended up with nothing.
"I'm disappointed - I don't want to give somebody Â£180 and not get anything back.
"I'm disappointed also that the Welsh Assembly Government have been very quiet on this issue. I don't know whether or not we have any redress there or not, but I just feel that over 200 people have been badly let down."
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "Although this is a matter for Links Air and the administrator to resolve, we are aware that some passengers who had bookings with the company before it stopped operating the Intra Wales Air Service in January, have not received refunds from Links Air. This is wholly unacceptable and we hope the administrator considers these matters as part of the liquidation process."
A new airline has since been appointed to run the service.
The BBC has asked LinksAir for a comment.


Facebook is to roll out an app that lets users watch the platform's video content on television.

The move could allow it to eventually better compete with the likes of YouTube and traditional television channels for advertising revenue.
Users with Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV and Samsung's Smart TVs will be able to watch Facebook's user-generated videos directly on their televisions.
The announcement is in line with Facebook's increasing focus on video.
The company has recently been paying creators for exclusive premium video content, and is heavily promoting the Facebook Live feature that allows users to live stream events.
Facebook says the standalone app will be released "soon".
The only screen Facebook doesn't dominate right now is the biggest one in your home.
The company's decision to launch these TV apps - which we've been expecting for some time now - is the first significant step the company has made to build its challenge to the likes of Netflix and Hulu.
To do that, though, it will need to offer programmes that are of a far higher quality than what is on Facebook right now. That will require big investment in getting top talent to make Facebook-only video.
One interesting move will be how it plans to make money from TV. If Facebook feels it can make its content free (with income coming from advertising), then it could give subscriber services like Netflix and Amazon Prime serious pause for thought.
The announcement by the social media giant was made together with several other news about the company's video features.
Videos will now autoplay sound in the news feed and will be displayed in full, even if they are vertical.


Police in Haiti have clashed with supporters of presidential candidate Maryse Narcisse, as the country awaits results of Sunday's elections.

Both Ms Narcisse's party and that of another presidential candidate, Jovenel Moise, are claiming victory.
But official results are not expected before the end of the week.
Vote counting in elections is often slow but has been further delayed this time due to widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew.
Haiti voted in presidential, parliamentary and local elections on Sunday.
Supporters of Ms Narcisse and her Fanmi Lavalas party threw rocks and set tyres alight in the capital, Port-au-Prince, on Monday and Tuesday.
Election officials called for calm and for people to be patient while the counting continued.
They said more than half of the tally sheets had now reached the capital from outlying areas.
They also warned the public not to believe what they called "pseudo-results".
Twenty-seven candidates ran in the much-delayed presidential election.
It was held more than a year after the previous poll was annulled following allegations of widespread fraud.
Observers said that Sunday's elections went off relatively smoothly.
Supporters of Mr Moise, of the Parti Haitien Tet Kale (Haitian Bald Head Party), even sent out text messages saying that a second round would not be necessary given the size of his lead.
In Haiti, a presidential election goes into a run-off if none of the candidates wins more than 50% of the vote.
Whoever is eventually declared the winner will face the challenge of reconstructing a country that has been ravaged by natural disasters.
The most recent, Hurricane Matthew, destroyed 90% of some of Haiti's southern areas.


Paraguay is ending the diplomatic immunity of the headquarters for South America's Conmebol football association, the latest fallout from the corruption scandal engulfing Fifa.

The senate voted to strip the offices in the capital Asuncion of the status, which prevents it being raided.
It is expected to be signed into law by President Horacio Cartes.
Top Conmebol officials are among those indicted in a US investigation into football's world governing body Fifa.
Two former Conmebol presidents, Eugenio Figueredo and Nicolas Leoz, have both been charged with corruption.
In other developments:
The Conmebol headquarters in Asuncion have enjoyed the legal status similar to that of foreign embassies since 1997.
"My greatest fear is that all the important documents may have disappeared by now," Hugo Rubin, the Congressman who drafted the new legislation told the BBC.
Mr Leoz had lobbied for diplomatic immunity, AP reports, boasting that only the Vatican enjoyed the same "immunity and total privileges''.
The Paraguayan national is now under house arrest, awaiting a decision on his extradition to the US.


The brother of a Strabane man whose body is believed to have been found in the River Mourne has thanked the public for helping to search for him.

Sean Diver, 39, was last seen in the Townsend Street area on 27 January.
His body was found in the Newbuildings area on Saturday after a six week search.
The police are not treating Mr Diver's death as suspicious. Sean's brother Mark said he hoped no other family will go through what he has.
"The people of Strabane have been amazing, out everyday searching along with other rescue organisations and the police," said Mark.
"It was the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life. We're just glad to get him home.
"We want to thank everybody in Strabane, Derry, Omagh and even England and further afield," he said.
Earlier this month, the Strabane and River Mourne area received its first permanent rescue boat.
The Diver family said they hoped the boat would never have to be used again.


A £9.8m deficit recorded for 2014/15 at an Essex hospital is to be investigated by a health service watchdog.

Monitor is looking into the financial sustainability of Southend University Hospital Foundation Trust "on behalf of patients", the NHS regulator said.
Finances became a concern when a planned £7.8m deficit grew, for which Monitor could see no recovery plan.
The hospital blamed the larger-than-anticipated deficit on growth in demand and increased staff recruitment.
Hospital chairman Alan Tobias OBE, said:  "The overspend is a result of vital investment in services and more staff to ensure high standards of patient care as well as the rise in attendances.
"We welcome this review to clearly demonstrate to Monitor - as well as patients and stakeholders - our future financial plans are both robust and sustainable."
The hospital has pledged to cut the deficit while maintaining "high quality care for local people" and said it was committed to returning to a surplus within three years.
Monitor said its investigation will look into the state of the hospital trust's finances, assess the strength of its financial management and explore ways of improving its sustainability, on behalf of patients across the region.
The investigation will also examine how the trust works with other local health and care organisations to respond to the financial challenges it faces.
Katherine Cawley, regional director at Monitor, said: "People are relying on Southend to provide them with quality healthcare now and in the future, and we are concerned that this may be at risk because of the trust's poor financial performance.
"We have launched this investigation to find out more about the financial situation at the trust and to establish what can be done to improve things."


Campaigners are opposing moves by NHS Highland to close a centre providing cardiac rehabilitation at Inverness' Raigmore Hospital.

The health board wants to use the space at the Highland Heartbeat Centre for other clinical services.
It said this would mean closing the centre, but the change would not happen until alternative arrangements for those who use it are in place.
The Big Hi-5 Stop campaign said there had not been adequate consultation.
The group representing the cardiac patients and their families also said the centre and its staff provided important, and different, services to those offered by other support groups.
NHS Highland said it was unable to say when the site would close as a cardiac rehabilitation centre.
It said the space at the centre was needed for clinical services that needed to be on the Raigmore Hospital site.
A spokesperson for the health board said: "We have been looking at different elements of cardiac rehabilitation including a move to more community-based activities.
"Discussions on this will continue and will also include some joint visits with local group Inverness Bravehearts to look at the alternative arrangements.
"We have the best interests of our service users in mind and want to make sure we deliver as good a service in the short term and going into the future we are looking to provide a better, more flexible and responsive service for cardiac rehabilitation across Highland."
The spokesperson said further work was required to make sure "any outstanding concerns" were addressed.


Weaker beers, ciders, wines and spirits are what is needed to tackle drink-related health problems, local councils have said.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has also called on ministers to extend tax breaks on lower-strength 2.8% beers to include ciders and wines.
The call has been welcomed by industry bodies.
The LGA represents 370 councils in England and Wales with responsibility for public health.
The cost to the NHS of dealing with excessive alcohol consumption is estimated to be Â£3.5bn a year, according to the LGA.
Tony Page, the licensing spokesman for the LGA, said: "Increasing the availability of zero alcohol and weaker strength drinks will help people live healthier lives by helping to control drinking levels and tackle the harm caused by excessive drinking.
"With a new generation of non-drinkers on the rise, there is a growing demand for greater choice in alcohol-free and weaker drinks, with several 'dry bars' opening up across the country.
"Tax breaks for beer have helped fuel a rise in low-strength products. This should now be extended to cider, wine and spirits."
He also said that drinking habits were changing and "brewers needed to capitalise on this by producing a range of different options" for people.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that excessive consumption of alcohol is also associated with violent crime.
In just over a half of all instances of violent crime in England and Wales in 2013-14, the victim believed that the perpetrator was drunk.
The LGA says widening the availability of low-strength and alcohol-free drinks would "revitalise pubs, which are closing at a rate of nearly 30 a week, and re-establish them as vibrant centres of communities".
There is also a growing number of non-drinkers, with one in five adults (21%) saying they do not drink alcohol at all - up from 19% in 2005.
A spokesman for the Portman Group - which campaigns for the drinks industry on social responsibility - said: "We welcome this support for lower strength drinks.
"Official statistics show a decade-long decline in harmful drinking in the UK, and alcohol companies are committed to continuing this positive trend."
A spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association said: "Lower taxes for lower strength drinks is a great idea, and we would support this principle for other drinks categories."
Earlier this year, tough new guidelines were issued on alcohol consumption, which said there was no such thing as a safe level of drinking.
The UK's chief medical officers said new research showed any amount of alcohol could increase the risk of cancer.
Their new advice says men and women who drink regularly should consume no more than 14 units a week - equivalent to six pints of beer or seven glasses of wine. And pregnant women should not drink at all.


Samsung has declared that by 2017 every television it sells will be internet-connectable, prompting one of its executives to suggest we'll soon stop referring to "smart" TVs as such because net-enabled services will be the norm.

Well, maybe.
But even if that's true it doesn't mean it's getting any easier for shoppers to make sense of all the different options being pitched at them.
Press day at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) saw a number of new buzz words tossed about.
The only things each of the various manufacturers seemed to agree on at the Las Vegas show, beyond the fact that consumers should upgrade to 4K ultra-high definition sets - offering four times the detail of 1080p HD - was that each of their own technologies was the best.
The most fierce clash is between the two bestselling brands - LG and Samsung.
Bosses at LG's morning event repeatedly stated that they had the edge thanks to their expertise in making OLED (organic light-emitting diode) TVs, which are famed for displaying deeper blacks, producing more vibrant colours and being more energy efficient than traditional LCDs (liquid crystal displays).
LG has seven new OLED sets for sale in its refreshed line-up, including a giant 77in (196cm) flexible model that can switch between being flat and curved at the press of a button.
By contrast, Samsung has had trouble manufacturing OLED sets and hasn't released new ones at CES as a consequence.
So it is kind of convenient that instead Samsung has a different new technology to show off that it claims delivers even better images thanks to superior contrast levels.
It calls the innovation SUHD - the S presumably standing for Samsung.
It involves the South Korean firm's first application of quantum-dot tech - screens that feature crystals more than 50,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair that can generate vivid colours and are capable of being more than twice as bright as conventional TV screens.
To complicate matters, LG also has new quantum-dot-based LCD TVs of its own, but insists its OLED ones are better.
Until independent experts carry out their own side-by-side tests, it's impossible to say which of the two firms is right.
But one expert suggested that even if OLED wins out, the format might still be doomed, at least for TVs.
"Price will rule," says Tom Parsons, reviews editor at Stuff magazine.
"If there's only really one manufacturer working on OLED, you've got to wonder if it will be able to champion it enough that it can bring prices down.
"If the picture quality of quantum-dot-based sets is roughly as good and they are cheaper, then cost will be the deciding factor for most people."
Japan's Sharp is taking a different approach, with a new technology it has dubbed "beyond 4K".
It works by squeezing more "subpixels" into its set than others do.
The firm says that with this level of detail our eyes find it hard to distinguish a TV image from the real world, even when stood centimetres from the display. It's like looking through a window.
Of course, that's not how most people typically watch the goggle box. But one expert noted that habits are changing.
"The reality is that the bigger TVs get, the closer people are willing to sit so long as the definition continues to improve," says David Mercer, a TV expert at the consultancy Strategy Analytics.
"And what we're already finding with ultra-HD is that people are sitting proportionally closer to the screen than they would for lower resolutions."
If you've managed to get your head round all that, be warned the work is not done.
The other move at this year's CES is that the TV makers are making huge changes to the smart TV software they use to offer streamed programmes and apps:
In fact, of the big players, only LG is staying relatively still, upgrading its sets to the second generation of WebOS - the card-based user interface it bought from HP. The new version loads apps a bit quicker and adds supports for 4K video streams.
Elsewhere, some of the smaller brands, including Haier, have adopted Roku's platform, originally designed for add-on set-top boxes.
"Increasingly a lot of these companies are realising you need to have the benefit of a big third-party ecosystem that embraces developers," says Geoff Blaber from the CCS Insight tech advisory firm.
"App usage on smart TVs is nowhere near what we've seen on smartphones and if the TV players want to encourage people to engage in regular upgrades, then they need the hook of more apps."
Finally, there's one more consideration. Where are you going to get your ultra-high definition content?
Netflix and Amazon have started to stream some shows in the higher definition format, and new TVs are gaining the ability to stream 4K YouTube clips.
But if you want the very best quality your latest-generation set can provide, you might want to wait for a bit of tech briefly shown off by Panasonic - a prototype 4K Blu-Ray player.
"There's an enthusiast market for the very best in video and audio material, and disks will be a very good way to deliver that content," says Mr Mercer.
"If the industry can get its act together and bring the standard to market soon, then it has potential. But the window is beginning to close as the momentum is very much towards video on-demand over the net."
So, you need to pick the screen tech you want, compare the different prices after they are confirmed, choose a preferred operating system and finally decide how you want to obtain your 4K movies and TV shows.
Just don't take too long about it.
"The lesson we've learned from smart TV over the past five years is that at one CES you'll hear one set of stories, and when you come back a year later the firms have a completely different pitch for you," concludes Mr Mercer.
"It's a very fluid sector."
Click here for more coverage from the BBC at CES 2015


Leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), meeting in Cambodia, have called for economic sanctions against Burma to be lifted.

The 10-country group said the move would help Burma achieve "peace, national reconciliation, democracy and national development".
Separately, Burmese President Thein Sein endorsed by-elections on Sunday comprehensively won by the opposition.
The two-day Asean summit is taking place in the capital, Phnom Penh.
Asean has called on the rest of the world to show its faith in the reform process in Burma.
As the current chair of the association, Cambodia said the international community should "consider lifting economic sanctions" in response to the Burmese opposition's strong showing in the weekend's by-elections.
The BBC's Guy De Launey in Phnom Penh says the Asean appeal is likely to be received positively in Europe.
EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht told the BBC that he expected sanctions to go if the elections were judged to be fair.
Our correspondent says the process will probably take months, rather than weeks, but it would open up the possibility of foreign investment as well as a resumption of trade.
Burma has long been the black sheep of the Asean family, our correspondent says, but it was never cast out.
The other members favoured a light-touch in dealing with the country's military government.
Gentle cajoling was preferred to condemnation or sanctions - much to the chagrin of human rights organisations - he adds.
Meanwhile, Burmese President Thein Sein said on the sidelines of the summit that the elections were conducted in a very successful manner.
The National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won at least 40 of the 45 seats that were being contested.
It is now preparing to form a small opposition bloc in parliament.


Captain Sam Warburton says there were no excuses for Wales' 46-6 third-Test defeat by New Zealand.

The All Blacks routed the tourists for a 3-0 series whitewash in Wales' 18th Test match since August 2015.
"Everything is raw, I am finding it hard to find the words and pick the positive aspects," said Warburton.
"If you look at the scoreboard it tells the story. We can have no excuses about it being a long season. They were far better than us, it is simple as that."
Wales could only muster two first-half Dan Biggar penalties as the All Blacks ran in six tries without reply.
"New Zealand have been outstanding and deserve the win over the last three Tests," added Warburton.
"It was poor today. In the first half our kick chase was bad, our defence was not good enough. We are making basic mistakes that you can not get away with over here.
"The first two games we thought we played pretty well, just a couple of errors, but we were poor today.
"Basic mistakes like that you just can't do over here and we were definitely second best."
All Blacks captain Kieran Read was delighted with his side's improvement on the first two Tests, which they won 39-21 and 36-22 respectively.
"I am extremely happy with the way we have stuck at it. Against a pretty good Welsh side, to get a 3-0 result is pretty pleasing," said Read.
"We came out today and showed a lot better intent, we looked after the ball and it was nice to put pressure on them.
"It takes time against quality sides to wear them down, we managed to do that and started better than last week.
"It is the start of the year and we have a new group.
"We will celebrate the series win and get back to our franchises and go again."


A blind man who completed a worldwide challenge to run seven marathons in seven days is to run and cycle from John O'Groats to Land's End.

Dave Heeley, known as Blind Dave, of West Bromwich, ran with guide Malcolm Carr on seven continents to raise money for Guide Dogs UK in 2008.
His next challenge in August 2011 will be over almost 1,000 miles in 10 days.
It will mark the 100th anniversary of the Macmillan Cancer Support charity, which the initiative is supporting.
Each day will start with a marathon run of 26.2 miles (42.16km), before going by bike to the next destination - an average of 75 miles (120.7km). Mr Heeley will be on the back of a tandem.
A friend of Mr Heeley of more than 35 years, who had cancer, died recently.
Mr Heeley said: "Cancer's effects touch all of us.
"I lost both my father and father-in-law, and then lost my last guide dog to cancer."
The event, starting on 10 August, coincides with the birthday in 1884 of the charity's founder, Douglas Macmillan.
Mr Heeley is aiming to complete the journey in 10 days to celebrate the charity's 10 decades in existence.


A 21-year-old drink driver who caused the death of a woman who was on her way home from her son's wedding has been jailed for seven and a half years.

Marie Laurie, 57, from Easterhouse, had just got into a taxi when it was struck by a car, driven by Steven Bennie, who was being chased by police at the time.
She died at the scene of the crash, on Edinburgh Road in Glasgow, on 29 November 2015.
A trial heard that Bennie drove "well in excess" of the speed limit.
A passenger estimated he was travelling at 80mph.
At the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Boyd said: "Mrs Laurie was travelling home from her son's wedding, one of the happiest days of her life. In an instant her life was gone."
Bennie, of the city's Shettleston area, had earlier admitted causing death by dangerous driving.
Lord Boyd told Bennie that if he had not pleaded guilty he would have jailed him for 11 years.
The judge told the 21-year-old he accepted he was genuinely remorseful, but added that he had driven at speeds of up to 80mph in a 30mph limit while uninsured, with no licence and having consumed alcohol.
Bennie was banned from driving for 10 years.
Speaking outside the court, Mrs Laurie's son, Martin Colquhoun, said the family was happy with the sentence.
He told reporters: "We got what we expected, it's never enough compared to what we've lost but we got enough for us to be happy today.
"It's not long enough to take away the pain we're going through but we are a very strong family and that will get us through this."
He added: "It was one of the happiest days of my life, obviously getting married seeing all my family happy, the fact it turned so quickly, it was probably one of the most poignant moments of my life."
The crash happened at a junction between Edinburgh Road and Springboig Road in the city's east end.
Mrs Laurie and her husband James had been celebrating her son Martin Colquhoun's wedding at a hotel in Cumnock.
The couple had been dropped off in a minibus and had got into a taxi to take them home.
They were not wearing seatbelts with Mr Laurie initially standing up trying to place his wife's flowers on a seat.
The court heard that just as the taxi turned into Edinburgh Road, Bennie's vehicle came across the junction through the red light and collided with the taxi.
Mrs Laurie suffered fatal head and chest injuries.
Her husband and the taxi driver had to be rescued by fire officers after being trapped in the cab.
Bennie's defence counsel John McElroy said: "He takes full responsibility for what happened. He realises that, but for his actions, the tragedy would not have happened.
"He has inflicted a catastrophic loss on the Laurie family. Nothing he can do or say can bring comfort to this family."
Mrs Laurie's son will mark his first wedding anniversary with his wife next month. Mr Colquhoun said: "It's going to be a tough couple of days, married one day and lost my mum the next day.
"We're planning on going away for a couple of days to get away from life in general. I will never forget those two days of my life, you always remember your wedding day.
"It's the highlight of your life, to lose your mum the next day in tragic circumstances is going to be tough, it's going to be tough for the whole family.
"We're going to take it as it comes, the next month is going to be a hard month."
Bennie sat through the court appearance with his head bowed and showed no emotion as he was led away to begin his sentence.


They are the rising British stars who could be household names when the Olympics heads to Tokyo in 2020.

Karate's world champion, the world's best climber, one of the most daring skateboarders on the planet and a surfing prodigy are all in line to be part of Team GB when their sports either debut or return to the Games' schedule in Japan.
They may still be waiting to find out about funding, but all of these talented Brits are ready to cash in on their opportunity.
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Jordan Thomas has come to the fore this year thanks in the main to his World Championships success in October 2016.
The 24-year-old became the first Briton in 12 years to win kumite world gold when he beat Hungary's world number 2 Yves Martial Tadissi in the -67kg division.
The Luton man was also the European Champion in 2014, and also took bronze in 2016.
His father, Willie, is the English national team coach and himself also claimed the world title in 1992.
Jordan is currently fourth in the world, having risen seven places following his world gold success in Austria.
In Tokyo, karate will have two disciplines: kumite - where two opponents are in direct combat - and kata, where opponents demonstrate various moves and a winner is picked based on form, speed and precision.
Runcorn's Shauna Coxsey has literally climbed her way to the top of her sport as the world number one in bouldering.
The 23-year-old won four out of seven events on the World Cup circuit in 2016 to be crowned overall World Cup winner.
Bouldering is likened to physical chess where athletes must navigate as many tricky set routes within a certain timeframe.
In Tokyo, athletes will also compete in lead climbing (an endurance event up a 12-metre wall within a time limit) and speed climbing, with all three cumulative scores determining the final rankings.
That means Coxsey would need to reacquaint herself with lead climbing - which she was introduced to as a junior - and also speed climbing, where the top women athletes can scale a 15-metre wall in fewer than eight seconds.
Currently the national associations of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are working together to create a single British governing body.
Receiving UK Sport funding would allow that new body to work on establishing performance and talent identification programmes.
Sam Beckett is perhaps Great Britain's highest-profile skateboarder, having become the first British rider to win gold at the Summer X Games in 2016.
That landmark medal followed double X Games bronze success in the vert ramp category in 2015.
Originally from Norwich, the 24 year-old moved to California in 2008 to further his career. In that year he also became the first UK rider to land a 720 on vert.
In Tokyo, there will be both park and street disciplines, reflecting differences in layout of each course.
Surfing is dominated by the Australians, Americans and Brazilians but there is a new kid on the block from Great Britain who is starting to make (or ride) waves.
Luke Dillon from Newquay is in his rookie year on the international pro circuit and has risen sharply to 170 in the world.
The 21-year-old is now on the verge of promotion to the World Surfing League's top division after earning three top-10 results in his first year on the tour, including fifth on his debut in Australia last January.
That field of 144 competitors included Championship Tour level riders - the equivalent of football's Champions League.
As a prodigious junior, Dillon he won every national title available and, in 2015, he claimed both the UK Surf Tour and UK Open Championship titles.
Only just into his 20s, he has already been recognised by the UK Surfing Association with an award for services to the sport.
Not a new sport exactly, but baseball and softball return to the Olympic roster in 2020 after being cut from the 2012 and 2016 Games.
Great Britain has little past history of Olympic baseball, but came second in the European Olympic qualifier for Beijing 2008, and now British Baseball believes the country can take the next step.
With Major League baseball players such as Michael Roth of the San Francisco Giants and the Miami Marlins' Jake Esch and Chris Reed available, the pool of British talent appears to be growing.
At the World Baseball Classic qualifying event this year, Britain finished second to Israel - who featured several former MLB performers - having beaten a strong Brazil.
Should the event at Tokyo 2020 clash with the MLB season, the medals prospects could open up for all, and GB believe they can field as good a Minor League team as anyone.
In softball, the women have consistently been one of the top European teams and in 2015 finished 13th out of 30 teams at the World Championship.
They are currently ranked 14th in the world.
The future looks bright for GB as the under-19 team won European gold in 2016 and the top pitcher for the senior side is Georgina Corrick, who at just 16 has secured a college scholarship at the University of South Florida under the guidance of the USA team coach Ken Eriksen.
He expects big things from the teenager, who at the 2016 Women's World Championship struck out every batter she faced against the defending champions Japan.
Para-badminton was admitted into the Paralympic Games in October 2014 among the first phase of sports announced for 2020.
The sport is growing fast around the world with 143 players taking part in the recent European Championships - a 37% increase on 2014 - with England topping the medal table with 17, including six golds.
The sport has athletes competing in five events (men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles) and six classes which cover three main impairment groups - wheelchair sport, standing sport and short stature.
A decision will be made next year by the International Paralympic Committee on the number of athletes who will be able to compete in the sport in Tokyo and after that the Badminton World Federation will decide which events will be included in the programme.
There were two titles apiece at the Europeans for Martin Rooke, who competes in the wheelchair division and short stature athletes Krysten Coombs and Rachel Choong and all three are included in a nine-strong GB squad representing four classifications who are most likely to be in contention to be in action in Tokyo.
The inclusion of Para-taekwondo, which was announced in January 2015, and the dropping of sailing and seven-a-side football means there will be 22 sports on the schedule for the Tokyo Paralympics.
Initially the sport focused on athletes with a limb impairments and arm amputees and the first World Championships were held in 2009. Numbers have been growing and the sport has also been expanded to include athletes with neurological impairments, intellectual disabilities and visual impairments.
However, at the Paralympics, it will be the athletes with limb and arm impairments who will compete in kyorugi (sparring) events.
The European Para-taekwondo Championships took place in Poland in September and involved a record-breaking 132 athletes from 30 countries and four continents.
Britain's medal hopes are set to be led by 27-year-old Chester-based fighter Amy Truesdale, who regained her position as world number one after winning European gold in the women's K44 over 58kg division.
However, like Para-badminton, a final decision will be made on which specific events make the programme next year.


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Samples of the illegal drug Spice that caused a spike in hospitalisations in Manchester were "10 times more potent than normal", an academic has said.

In spring, there was a surge in calls about people taking the substance that is said to "zombify" users.
Dr Oliver Sutcliffe, a chemist at Manchester Metropolitan University, said the increased potency was probably due to a "manufacturing error".
He said the compound had caused "similar catatonic states" in New York.
"The potency of the products that were seen in Brooklyn matched the same levels of potency that we were seeing in Manchester samples," said Dr Sutcliffe, who is a lecturer in psychopharmaceutical chemistry.
"We think this has arisen through a manufacturing error on the part of the drug manufacturers rather than being put into the sample specifically to increase the potency."
A blanket ban on previously-called legal highs - also known as new psychoactive substances - came into force in the UK in May 2016.
They include spice, which is usually a brand name for synthetic cannabinoids that mimic the effects of cannabis.
"Synthetic cannabinoids have been chemically designed in a laboratory to be more effective [than natural cannabis]... therefore you are producing a much more profound effect at significantly lower doses," Dr Sutcliffe said.
In April, Greater Manchester Police said Spice-related incidents were putting pressure on public services, adding it was "a problem that we cannot afford to get any worse".
Anyone found in possession of the substance can be jailed for up to five years.


A £700m contract to provide community health and care in Bath and North East Somerset over the next seven years has been approved for Virgin Care.

The council said it was "an exciting new chapter in the integration of health and care services".
Trade union Unison said members were "anxious" about Virgin Care taking over and it would hold the firm "to the high standard the workforce deserve".
Virgin Care said it was "pleased to be chosen to deliver more joined-up care".
The deal will see Virgin Care take over more than 200 health and care services in people's homes and communities, in such areas as district nursing, dementia care and supporting vulnerable children.
Councillor Vic Pritchard, from Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: "Local people can look forward to a more joined-up and personalised service in the future, with the focus firmly on prevention and supporting people to maintain their independence."
John Drake, from Unison, said: "Many community health staff are paid a pittance, despite the long hours they put in and their dedicated work.
"Employees need clear recognition from Virgin that a well-run health service means investment in staff."
A Virgin Care spokesman said: "We're looking forward to working with the many outstanding professionals, and a range of great partners, to provide and oversee high quality, easy-to-navigate services which are shaped by the people who use them."
Services are to be transferred to Virgin Care on 1 April 2017.


A man who posed as Justin Bieber online has been charged with more than 900 child sex-related crimes in Australia.

The man, 42, masqueraded as the Canadian singer to gain explicit images from children, Queensland Police said.
He was charged with 931 crimes, including three of rape, involving 157 alleged victims across the globe.
Detective Inspector Jon Rouse called the allegations "frankly horrendous" and warned young fans of the singer and parents to be vigilant.
"The fact that so many children could believe that they were communicating with this particular celebrity highlights the need for a serious rethink about the way that we as a society educate our children about online safety," said Mr Rouse.
Queensland Police confirmed the investigation also involved international authorities. According to local media they are German police and US Homeland Security.
Of the alleged victims, 50 were in the US, up to 20 were in the UK and six were in Australia, police said. More precise information was still being gathered.
The man was already facing charges in Queensland of possessing exploitative material and grooming children, but the 931 charges were added this week after police searched his computer.
He had been using "multiple online platforms" including Facebook and Skype to communicate with children, police said.
The fresh claims, dating back to 2007, include three charges of rape and five of indecently treating a child under 12.
Mr Rouse said the allegations showed "the global reach and skill that child sex offenders have to groom and seduce victims".
He urged parents to help keep children safe online.
The accused man will face a Brisbane court on 6 April.


Voting has begun in elections in two Indian states, where PM Narendra Modi's BJP is facing a tough fight against a powerful regional party and the main opposition Congress.

More than 13 million voters are eligible to cast ballots in West Bengal and Assam states on Monday.
The elections are the first phase of staggered polls in both states.
Assembly elections are being held in five Indian states in April and May. Votes will be counted on 19 May.
In the eastern state of West Bengal, where polling is being held in 18 of its 294 seats, the BJP is seen as having little chance against the regional Trinamool Congress party, led by the state's chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
However, in Assam where votes are being cast in 65 of the 126 seats, Mr Modi's party stands a chance of winning, correspondents say.
Ethnically diverse and prone to conflicts, Assam has been ruled by the Congress since 2001.
The BJP has tied up with local parties that support rights of local tribes-people and are opposed to illegal migration, to take on the ruling party.
Voting will be held in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Bengal and Pondicherry between 4 April to 16 May.
In eastern West Bengal and southern Tamil Nadu states, regional parties are expected to dominate. In the southern state of Kerala, it will be a fight between left parties and the Congress.
"The BJP is clearly not doing well in the state elections, and if they do not win one in 2016, they would have gone without having won a single state election for nearly two years, which is not good for any party," Neelanjan Sircar, a senior fellow at the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research told the AFP news agency.
Voting will be held next in West Bengal on 17, 21, 25 and 30 April, as well as 5 May.
Assam will go to polls next on 11 April.
The southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry will all vote in a single phase on 16 May.


An Egyptian woman who was believed to have been the world's heaviest has left an Indian hospital where doctors claim she lost more than 250kg.

Eman Abd El Aty, said to have weighed around 500kg, was flown to India for treatment on a special chartered plane.
She has left for Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, to receive further treatment. She was flying business class on a passenger flight.
Her bariatric surgeon had said it was a "mistake" to move her.
The final days of Ms Abd El Aty's stay in India were marred after her sister, Shaimaa Selim, released a short video on social media alleging that her sister was still unable to speak or move, and had not lost as much weight as the hospital was claiming.
The hospital strongly denied the allegations.
The surgeon, Dr Muffi Lakdawala, told an Indian news channel that Ms Selim had wanted her sister to stay in hospital until she was able to walk again, but orthopaedic specialists had told her Ms Abd El Aty would never walk again.
He said this had prompted Ms Selim to make her allegations and also take the decision to move her to Abu Dhabi.
"I am heartbroken to have Eman leave my care and to be told that I cannot continue my treatment of her in phases, as I had planned to. However, I have confidence in her own ability to heal and we will always wish her the best in our hearts," he said.
Bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, is used as a last resort to treat people who are dangerously obese and carrying an excessive amount of body fat.
The two most common types of weight loss surgery are:
Gastric band, where a band is used to reduce the size of the stomach so a smaller amount of food is required to make someone feel full
Gastric bypass, where the digestive system is re-routed past most of the stomach so less food is digested to make someone feel full


Maria Sharapova showed "a lot of courage" for accepting responsibility for her failed drugs test, says world number one Serena Williams.

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Five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova, 28, revealed on Monday that she tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open in January.
"Most people were surprised and shocked but happy that she was upfront and very honest," said Williams, 34.
"It's just taking responsibility, which she admitted she was ready to do."
Sharapova's ex-coach Nick Bollettieri said the Russian's test was a "game-changer for life, not just for tennis".
The 84-year-old American told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was shocked former world number one Sharapova tested positive because "she has always been above board in everything".
Meldonium, which Sharapova said she has taken since 2006 for health reasons, became a banned substance on 1 January 2016.
The 2004 Wimbledon champion tested positive after losing to Williams in the Australian Open quarter-finals on 26 January.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Sharapova will be provisionally suspended from 12 March. She faces up to a four-year ban.
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Bollettieri said he believed former world number one Sharapova had made a "very honest mistake".
"She said she took these for many, many years and then didn't read the memorandum that came out," he said.
"I don't think that Maria Sharapova would continue doing something, especially being in the limelight, if there was something she knew about."
Bollettieri said he hoped the tennis authorities would allow Sharapova, who won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 2004, to play again.
"It's kind of tough to find a black mark against her," he said. "She certainly does not want to go out of tennis in this way."
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Sharapova has been the highest-earning female athlete in the world in each of the past 11 years, according to the Forbes list. Her career earnings from tennis alone amount to almost £26m.
Sportswear company Nike said it was ending its association with her until investigations are complete, while Watch manufacturer Tag Heuer said it does not plan to extend her contract.
Porsche has postponed planned activities with the player, and mineral water company Evian says it will closely follow the investigation.
"I did fail the test and take full responsibility for it," said Sharapova, who has also won the French Open twice and the Australian and US Open.
She said she has taken meldonium after being given it by her "family doctor", but had known it as mildronate.
Meanwhile, Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpishchev says he expects Sharapova to play at the 2016 Olympics in Rio starting on 5 August.
"This is just a load of nonsense," he told the TASS news agency.
"The sportsmen take what they are given by the physiotherapists and by the doctors. However, we will need to see how this will develop."
Women's Tennis Association (WTA) chief executive Steve Simon said of Sharapova's ban: "The range that has been discussed so far is between six months and four years."
He told BBC Radio 5 live: "It'll be up to the independent tribunal to go through and review it to make that determination."
Former head of UK Sport anti-doping Michele Verroken said a ban could be shorter if Sharapova can prove she needed to take meldonium for medical reasons.
Verroken told BBC Radio 5 live: "The challenge facing Maria Sharapova and her team is to bring forward the diagnostic evidence that she has a condition that required the prescription of this treatment."
Former Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade, won triumphed at the All England Club in 1977, expressed surprise at Sharapova's error.
"She covers every track, she does every single thing that she can to make herself a better players so it seems so bizarre that she would allow herself to fall into a trap like this," she told Radio 5 live.
"Maria is so thorough in every single thing she does, that's one of the incredible attributes that she has.
"I would say that she will get maybe less than a one-year ban but it would eliminate her from the Olympics."


Northampton came back from 22-6 down and overcame the sending off of Tom Wood to seal a place in next season's European Champions Cup with a thrilling play-off final win over Stade Francais.

Saints conceded three tries in the first half but battled back to 22-16.
It looked all over when Rory Hutchinson was sent to the sin bin, before Wood saw red with seven minutes left.
But Ahsee Tuala shook off three men to score and Harry Mallinder converted to seal a stunning victory.
Northampton will now join the top six sides from this season's Premiership, the seven highest-ranked Pro12 teams, and the French Top 14's top six in Europe's top club rugby competition.
It was a nightmare first half for the Saints, who fell 10-0 behind early on to Waisea Vuidravuwalu's try and Jules Plisson's conversion and penalty.
Quick thinking from Will Genia from a penalty and a driving run from Meyer Bosman set up Jeremy Sinzelle to score the French side's second try.
That soon became three when Saints' player of the year Louis Picamoles dropped a pass five metres from his own line and from the scrum Genia darted towards the line before passing to Djibril Camara to cross.
Mallinder scored three penalties for the home side, but it still left them with a second-half mountain to climb.
Their cause was aided when Remi Bonfils' attempt to trip Mallinder earned him 10 minutes in the sin-bin, during which Ben Foden broke through to score a converted try.
When Hutchinson was sin-binned on 62 minutes for taking Genia out in the air before captain Wood's dismissal for a stamp on Camara's head in the ruck, Saints seemed to have lost their chance.
But with 13 men Saints still piled forward and a wonderful 20-metre pass from Mallinder saw Tuala twist and twirl through three men to touch down before the former calmly landed the touchline conversion to give them a one-point lead they held to the end.
Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder:
"I don't think anybody can see Tom [Wood] putting his foot on the opponent, it was an unfortunate one and it certainly wasn't deliberate, but we will have to see what the disciplinary panel says.
"We actually played a lot of good rugby in the first half. We had more carries and made more metres than them but when we lost the ball, they were clinical.
"We couldn't just go wide as they have got some good outside backs, we had to go through them. Even when we were down to 13 men we stuck at that.
"The crowd were magnificent; I have not heard them as noisy as that for a long time."
Stade director of rugby Gonzalo Quesada:
"The defeat is super tough, but we should be quite proud of ourselves, we gave everything we had."
Northampton: Tuala, Foden, Tuitavake, Burrell, North, Mallinder, Groom, A. Waller, Hartley, Brookes, Lawes, Day, Harrison, Wood, Picamoles.
Replacements: Olver for Tuala (73), Hutchinson for Tuitavake (53), Dickson for Groom (66), Ma'afu for A. Waller (66), Haywood for Hartley (66), Denman for Brookes (60), Ratuniyarawa for Day (56), Gibson for Picamoles (56).
Sin Bin: Hutchinson (61), Wood (63).
Stade Francais: Camara, Nayacalevu, Doumayrou, Danty, Sinzelle, Plisson, Genia, Zhvania, Bonfils, Alo-Emile, Alberts, Gabrillagues, Burban, Lakafia, Ross.
Replacements: Steyn for Camara (64), Daguin for Genia (76), Slimani for Zhvania (51), De Giovanni for Alberts (61).
Not Used: Burden, Melikidze, S. Macalou, M. Bosman.
Sin Bin: Bonfils (41).
Ref: John Lacey (Ireland).


Nurses and medical assistants fighting the Ebola outbreak in Liberia have largely ignored a call to strike over danger money and conditions.

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13 October 2014 Last updated at 17:48 BST
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan said the outbreak threatened the "very survival of societies and governments in already very poor countries".
Also, BBC World News begins broadcasting a special programme with the very latest on the outbreak. It will air daily this week at 18:30 GMT.
Here is the latest Ebola news for Monday 13 October - in 15 seconds.


Warwickshire captain Ian Bell made his first century in 10 months to give the England selectors a nudge and earn a first-innings lead against Hampshire.

Bell's six-hour vigil for an unbeaten 130, his 51st first-class hundred, has given the Bears a slim hope of victory.
After Monday's lost day, it took just four overs for the Bears to wrap up Hampshire's first innings for 202.
Warwickshire then struggled to 132-5, before Chris Woakes (66) helped Bell steer them to 283-6 at the close.
Building on Keith Barker's five-wicket haul on the first day, Rikki Clarke got the third day off to a good start for Warwickshire with two early wickets, starting with Ryan McLaren, to earn him figures of 3-43.
Having rescued Hampshire from 87-7 on Sunday, McLaren only added one to his overnight score before playing a Clarke bouncer onto his own stumps, departing for 85.
West Indian Fidel Edwards then slapped a four straight down the ground to earn a batting point before holing out, leaving James Tomlinson stranded on 23.
Edwards then gave Hampshire the perfect start by removing both openers, former Bears captains Ian Westwood and Varun Chopra.
But helped by partnerships of 49 with Jonathan Trott (27) and Sam Hain (25), and with Hampshire short of the injured Reece Topley, Bell took control.
Just a day after his 34th birthday, and on the same day that the sad news of James Taylor's early retirement broke, he shared a 151-run stand with Woakes, his fellow England hopeful, although the latter fell lbw to Edwards with the final ball of the day.
Warwickshire captain Ian Bell on James Taylor's retirement:
"It is an immensely sad day. We couldn't believe it when we were told this morning. Thoughts are with Titch and with a speedy recovery.
"He is one of the top blokes in English cricket. I know Chris Woakes is very close and is really upset. It is shocking news."
Hampshire captain James Vince on James Taylor's retirement:
"It has been extremely sad. It is never nice when news like that comes out especially for someone who is so dedicated and hard working for the sport. To have it taken away like that is heart-breaking.
"He has always been an excellent performer and his numbers have been excellent. He had the world ahead of him in terms of international cricket and an extremely sad day."
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire's Clive Eakin:
"Warwickshire may have to pay a price for the way two of their players dominated the third day. The performances of Ian Bell and Chris Woakes in sharing a stand of 151 suggest they may be away from their county again and back in the England set-up before very long.
"Bell's century may not have been the most entertaining of the 51 he has scored in first class cricket, but it was calm, confident and faultless, apart from surviving a stumping chance on 95.
"Woakes paced his innings impressively and, having bowled well on the first day, has enhanced his international prospects.
"Hampshire will take encouragement from the way they kept Warwickshire tied down for long spells despite being a bowler light due to Reece Topley's injury and spinner Liam Dawson in particular bowled very tightly."


"Go now and it's 850 dollars, and your kids can go for free, wait until tomorrow and it's double."

A Syrian nurse, Nancy Ahmed, recounts the conversation she had with Turkish smugglers in Izmir, as she chose to risk setting off on a rubber boat to Greece.
"They offered a discount because the seas were rough and it was raining. It's riskier, but we were told we'd be okay," she says.
Nancy, her 11-year-old twin boys and her 70-year-old mother travelled along with 40 others in one of seven boats that set out early in the morning last Friday.
She says the dinghy nearly overturned three times, and survived "out of luck and the skill of the Iraqi driver".
The driver was another migrant, designated to steer by the smuggling gang. He had spent an hour being taught basic seacraft.
The boat was picked up by the Greek coastguard and taken to the island of Samos.
Another boat that set off an hour after Nancy's faced even worse conditions. Thunderstorms and rain in the Aegean Sea caused the boat to capsize - 13 people drowned.
In Samos last week, I met a grief-stricken Syrian man. He had been rescued by another migrant boat, but his wife and sons were missing, presumed drowned.
He told aid workers he had taken advantage of a "discount" being offered by smugglers.
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says it has received many migrant reports of smugglers offering to charge less for people willing to travel in turbulent conditions.
The UNHCR spokesman in Greece, Ron Redmond, believes the discount has contributed to the sharp rise in drownings in recent days.
"In Lesbos at the moment we're hearing from migrants that they're being offered up to 50% discounts to travel when it's windy or raining."
He says a false sense of security is being given by smugglers, who are offering wooden boats to transport people across the Aegean, rather than rubber dinghies.
"This is the other thing - people may think the wooden boat is safer. But I've seen these boats, they look very old and unseaworthy, mechanically not in good condition.
"And they're packed with 300 to 400 people. If it sinks, the coastguard can't get to everybody. That's what we're now seeing."
On Wednesday night, close to the Lesbos coast, an old tourist boat with three decks full of 400 migrants capsized. Greek patrols rescued 274 people, 16 died. The others remain unfound.
A sense of the conditions migrants are travelling in was confirmed when it later emerged that one of the boat's decks had collapsed.
The figures speak for themselves.
So far this year, around 202 people have died in Greek waters, with many more missing, presumed drowned. Half of those deaths happened this October.
As the weather worsens, aid agencies are calling on EU leaders to once again provide more search and rescue boats, to help support the Greek coastguard, now clearly overwhelmed.


Professor Stephen Hawking has lent his voice to Monty Python's famous Galaxy Song as part of Record Store Day 2015.

The song is released both digitally and on vinyl this weekend.
Professor Hawking, who was recently the subject of Oscar-winning film The Theory of Everything, is in the music video flying through space.
An online game has also been released which invites players to "destroy all Monty Python asteroids before they collide with Stephen Hawking".
Professor Hawking, 73, also appeared in last year's live Monty Python stage shows alongside Professor Brian Cox at London's O2 Arena.
Galaxy Song, originally sung by Eric Idle, is from the Monty Python film The Meaning of Life and is crammed with facts and figures about the universe.
Idle announced the song by tweeting that the "Galaxy Song digital download and video has now been released".
Theoretical physicist Hawking, famed for his book A Brief History of Time, is no stranger to appearing in comedy sketches and shows.
He was recently in a Comic Relief sketch with David Walliams and Catherine Tate, and has appeared on US shows The Big Bang Theory and The Simpsons.
In The Theory of Everything he was played by Eddie Redmayne, who won the best actor Oscar. The film also won two Golden Globe awards and three Baftas.
After being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (ALS) while studying at Oxford University, Professor Hawking was given two years to live.
However he went on to develop theories that reshaped the way the world thinks about black holes, stars and the universe.


A giant yellow rubber duck on display in a Taiwanese port has burst in unexplained circumstances.

The 18 metre (50 foot) inflatable duck suddenly collapsed on Tuesday, only 11 days after it had been put on display in the port at Keelung.
Organisers are unsure as to the cause of its demise, but one theory is that it was attacked by eagles.
The duck was designed by the Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman to be a giant version of a popular bath toy.
Last month a similar duck was damaged elsewhere in Taiwan, when an earthquake triggered a power cut that caused it to deflate.
A third Taiwanese duck was brought ashore in September because of an approaching typhoon.
A large crowd had been anticipated in Keelung Port for New Year celebrations, and the rubber duck was due to be an important part of the festivities.
But video footage showed the giant inflatable suddenly bursting in front of scores of people gathered on a quayside.
"We want to apologise to the fans of the yellow rubber duck," organiser Huang Jing-tai told reporters. "We will carefully examine the duck to determine the cause."
The original duck designed by Hofman has been transported around the globe since 2007, visiting cities including Sydney, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong and Amsterdam.
The artist hopes the works will bring people together and encourage a connection with public art.
Despite the ducks' misfortunes, they have been a big hit among the Taiwanese.
The duck at Kaohsiung, which had to be deflated during Typhoon Usagi, attracted four million visitors during its one-month display,


Changes to the exam system, which come into force in six months, risk causing significant problems for schools, head teachers are warning.

The National Association of Head Teachers says it fears an extended time of volatility, with students unsure which exams and subjects to take.
The government hopes to make A-levels and GCSEs in England more rigorous.
It wants pupils to achieve the levels met in high-performing countries such as Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong.
In an attempt to achieve this, ministers have ordered the biggest shake-up of the exams system in three decades.
This includes phasing in new, tougher GCSEs and A-levels with new content and examinations at the end.
The biggest change introduced in the autumn term will be at AS-level.
Currently taught in the first year of sixth form, the qualification will no longer count towards the final A-level result in many, but initially not all, subjects.
NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said: "We face an extended period of volatility.
"The cause of this volatility is the sheer scale and speed of changes to the examination system - changes to both the scoring of the exams themselves, and to the way these scores are used to judge the performance of schools."
He said that on top of this, a new way of measuring both secondary and primary school performance was being introduced.
"Not all of these changes are bad," Mr Hobby said.
"The concern is that the scale and pace of them will make it very hard indeed to know what will happen and how the changes will interact."
Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Brian Lightman said: "School and college leaders are deeply unhappy about the way in which a large number of changes to exams have been introduced in a short space of time in a piecemeal manner.
"This has resulted in them having to manage an extremely difficult situation, with changes to many different qualifications happening at different times.
"This process has also put teachers under a great deal of unnecessary pressure, and the confusing nature of the changes has caused students and their parents anxiety.
"These problems could have been avoided if changes had been introduced in a more manageable and coordinated way."
At 1,300-pupil comprehensive Hampstead High School, in north London, assistant head Adam Hedley said: "The entire school is going to be affected in some way by the first of the exam reforms.
"The problem has been making sure we are able to cover all the stuff we need to cover in Years 7, 8 and 9 to prepare them to start the new GCSE curriculum."
Head of sixth form at the school, Zoe Fisher, says she is trying to decide whether to continue to run a stand-alone AS-level course for pupils who only want to study for one year. If she does, she will also have to run a separate new A-level course for those who want to complete two years of study.
At GCSE, English and maths will become more challenging.
Topics such as calculus, differentiation and kinematics, previously taught to 17-year-olds will now be introduced to 15-year-olds.
Teachers have dubbed the new course "big maths" because there is so much more content.  Some schools have estimated they will need an extra hour each week to teach it.
The government says it is making the changes to raise standards - so England's schools can compete with some of the top ranking education systems in the world like those in Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Other GCSE subject changes will be phased in over the next few years.
Last week at a speech in Coventry, exams regulator, Ofqual, warned the system could not tolerate any further reform under a future government until these changes have been completed and allowed to settle.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "As part of our plan for education we have made important reforms to our exam system to ensure young people leave school ready to succeed in life in modern Britain.
"Our crucial reforms are ensuring pupils take qualifications that are on a par with the best in the world. We recognise that these vital reforms have led to changes in the system but they can be implemented, which is a testament to the dedication of our schools and teachers.
"We are replacing the system which rewarded schools to push pupils to scrape a C and moving to a new system which encourages high-achievers and recognises schools for the progress made by all pupils."


The European Union has issued a formal warning to Poland for threatening the rule of law - one of the founding principles of the EU.

Critics of the right-wing Polish government have been angry at changes it has made to the country's top court, leaving it, they say, in effect unable to review and veto legislation.
The warning from the European Commission could lead to Poland being stripped of its EU voting rights.
Poland has two weeks to respond.
Why is Poland worrying the EU?
Government takes control of state media
The EU has been having inconclusive talks with the Polish government since it announced a preliminary assessment of the new laws in January.
The Commission, the EU's executive arm, can press a member state to change any measure considered a "systemic threat" to fundamental EU values.
Commissioner Frans Timmermans said political issues in Poland were the business of politicians in Poland.
But he tweeted: "Our business is preserving the rule of law, in line with the [EU] Treaties."
Poland's conservative and populist Law and Justice party (PiS) government came to power in October last year.
In December it made changes to the top court, the Constitutional Tribunal, which, opponents say, render it unable to review laws.
Since then the government has ignored the court's rulings, including one that found that the changes themselves were unconstitutional.
Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro said he was "surprised and saddened" by the European Commission's position.
The government "was ready to look for far-reaching compromises," he said.
Mr Timmermans said he had spoken to Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo on Tuesday evening and she had confirmed that she wanted dialogue with the EU to continue.


Cardiff University has launched a campaign to become one of the UK's first bee-friendly campuses.

The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals has several research projects on bees - including one using honey to find plant-derived drugs.
It has teamed up with charity Buglife to plant pollen-rich flowers around its Redwood Building.
Dr James Blaxland said it would "increase awareness of the plight of bees".
Cardiff University has three bee hives on the roof of the building, with more set to be installed at some of its other sites.
Dr Blaxland, fellow members of the school, research group Pollen8 Cymru and students have planted a mixture of wildflowers, including dandelions, and bulbs at the site.
"It increases people's awareness of the plight of bees, which are losing areas where they can forage from," he said.
"It also increases people's knowledge of where honey comes from and also the research that we are doing at the school."
One of Cardiff University's various bee projects has uncovered a Welsh honey with as much antibacterial potency as New Zealand's manuka honey.
Buglife is working to turn gardens, parks and unused urban sites in Cardiff into "rich and vibrant habitats" for pollinators, such as bees, beetles, wasps and butterflies.
Michelle Bales, of the charity, said: "Pollinators are in massive decline at the moment, mainly due to habitat loss, pesticides and things like that, and cities are actually good foraging for them."
She added: "It's a really nice link together - by increasing the plantings around the university, it's not only good for their studies but also it will increase the habitat for wild pollinators in the city."


Jason Gillespie says Yorkshire were driven to win the County Championship this season by captain Andrew Gale's ban from lifting the trophy in 2014.

Gale was suspended last season after being found guilty of abusing Lancashire batsman Ashwell Prince.
Yorkshire secured the title this week on day one of their game at Middlesex.
"When we were told that he wasn't able to go out and lift that trophy, my blood boiled," head coach Gillespie told BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.
"I know it's been something that's driven Andrew, it's driven our whole squad, and it's certainly driven me as a member of the support staff.
"I can't tell you how satisfying it's going to be when Andrew rightfully gets to lift that trophy at the conclusion of this game."
Former Australia paceman Gillespie, who was heavily linked with the England coaching job earlier this season, said he was pleased with his team's willingness to back up their ambition with actions this summer.
"The most pleasing thing for me is that the lads all said last year that they wanted to do it again and that is easy to say," he added.
"What we saw is that their actions backed up those words. They wanted to win it again and that's the goal, but what they did was find the way to do it.
"It started with pre-season and the work ethic in the north of England in the middle of winter. They had the motivation to do their drills out there in the cold."
He added: "It's hard to say if this is a better achievement. Both are special in their way.
"We've gone about things differently and it's great to have the success."


Google has added new features to its online media and app store to help parents ensure the content is suitable for children.

They include a new setting that filters out age-inappropriate titles, so that youngsters do not see them in Google Play's market places.
The move was announced at the search giant's annual developers' conference.
It follows the firm's decision to hand over responsibility for age-rating its apps to a third party.
Google Play was created just over three years ago, and sells films, ebooks, music, magazines and apps for Android devices.
The store has more than one billion active users, and has recorded more than 50 billion app downloads over the last 12 months.
Last year's release of Android Lollipop added the ability to set up "restricted profiles", which can be used to prevent access to some apps, including the Play service itself.
The new update presents a version of Play that screens out potentially unsuitable content and highlights child-focused material.
Users will not, however, be locked into this version of the store, so parents may still wish to supervise their children's activity.
A new label will be used to flag titles that are ad-supported and new icons will provide information about the age range at which an app is targeted.
It coincides with a switchover to a new grading scheme run by the International Age Rating Coalition.
The body will issue age classifications based on an app's content - taking into account factors such as nudity, violence and references to gambling and drugs.
Unlike Google's earlier self-run system, the ratings will also be location-specific. So, an app might get a different grade for users in North America to those in Europe, Brazil or Australia.
Read more about how the new app rating scheme works
Google is also making other child-focused changes including:
"The character pages will include, for instance, Dora the Explorer where familiar icons can be associated with a broad range of content, including ebooks, TV and video," Mark Bennett, head of Google Play's Europe team, told the BBC.
"Parents will be able to go to those pages and their children explore the franchise."
The effort echoes the Kids Corner and My Family facilities found on Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, which already restrict which apps a child can access and download.
But one child safety charity noted that some of the innovations had not been seen elsewhere.
"One of the things I really like with the new features is the family badge which will help parents easily identify family-friendly content," said Jennifer Hanley from the Family Online Safety Institute.
"The more companies can do to notify parents about ratings for content and age-appropriate games as well as what to expect in apps, the better."
Google also announced new developer-focused changes to Play.
They include a new tool that will allow app makers to advertise their products within the results of the store's search feature.
It said this was a commonly requested feature by publishers, but it will also generate a new source of revenue for the search firm. Search ads will not be shown in the Google Play for Families section.
In addition, developers will be able to carry out what is known as A/B testing.
This allows them to concurrently run two different versions of the same app promotion page within Play in order to see which leads to more sales.
They will also be able to create a new home page for their brand, from which they can promote a range of apps.


Scrap metal thieves have stolen lead roof tiles from miniature houses at Blackpool's model village tourist attraction.

Owner Anita Brakewell said the thieves had targeted various properties which would now need to have their roofs replaced with roofing felt.
She said despite the damage, the thieves stood to benefit by only a few hundred pounds.
Police said instances of lead theft had more than doubled in a year.
The model village near Stanley Park sits in two-and-a-half acres of landscaped gardens and is built to a one-twelfth scale.
Properties range from a Scottish castle to a Cornish fishing village.
There are thatched cottages, a Tudor village where model residents are enjoying a cricket match on the village green, and a working tram running through a shopping centre.
Mrs Brakewell said: "Every year we have problems with vandalism and theft, we get our little people stolen.
"We used to have an awful lot of golfers and we're down to about half a dozen because people pick them up and walk out with them.
"But to be honest if you didn't laugh about it you couldn't do it. We make everything ourselves and you become quite passionate about it, and when they disappear or get lost you either laugh or cry, and I'd rather laugh."
Lancashire police said in 2009 there were 728 lead thefts in the county, compared with 1,469 in 2010.


A third of a million adults in the UK are to be invited to take part in the world's biggest study of cognitive function.

The aim of the trial, funded by the Medical Research Council, is to try to predict what factors may increase the risk of developing dementia.
All the participants will be part of UK Biobank, and previously gave DNA samples and lifestyle information.
They will be asked to do a series of memory and reasoning tests online.
When they were enrolled in UK Biobank over the past decade, volunteers gave blood and urine samples, underwent a fitness test and answered questions on their health and diet.
They also did a series of computer-based puzzles - those cognitive tests will now be repeated.
If you are already part of UK Biobank then you may remember doing a computer test measuring your cognitive function.
This includes simple games like Snap and some easy Maths questions.
But there are some designed to stretch you.
Some of the tests are done against the clock, so it can tell researchers whether your speed of response has declined.
It doesn't matter if you get the questions wrong - I am sure I made a few mistakes.
You will not be given your test results or be told whether you did better or worse than when you enrolled.
So what's in it for volunteers?
Nothing except the knowledge that you are helping improve the health of future generations.
It is a piece of pure altruism to which half a million Britons signed up.
So it may not help you, but it could help your children or grandchildren stay healthy.
All the participants were aged 40-69 when the programme started.
This time the volunteers can do the test at home by logging in online.
Dr John Gallacher, an epidemiologist at Cardiff University. who helped devise the tests said: "Most people will have just minute falls in their test results since they did them last time but even this might help us predict who will develop dementia in the future."
Researchers will also look at other factors like smoking, diet and exercise, to see how big a factor these are in triggering dementia.
"It's important to stress that this is not a dementia test," said Dr Gallacher.
"In order to stratify people for dementia risk we have to know their cognitive function before they develop the condition."
UK Biobank, based in Stockport, is the world's biggest and most detailed biomedical resource.
Information about individual participants is anonymised, but open to researchers in any field provided they feed all their results back.
Another long term goal is to develop new treatments.
Dr Gallacher added: "If we could delay the onset of dementia by five years that would halve the number of people with the condition, which would be massive".
Dr Doug Brown, Alzheimer's Society Director of Research and Development said: "We know that changes in the brain happen decades before any symptoms of dementia present themselves.
"Studying people in mid-life could ultimately help us find clues to understand or even prevent the condition."


A man who fantasised about "putting a bullet in Prince Charles's head" has been convicted of plotting a mass cyanide attack from his bedroom.

Mark Colborne, 37, of Southampton, was found guilty of preparing terrorist acts after a retrial. A previous jury failed to reach a verdict.
The trial heard how Colborne had felt "belittled" for being ginger and white.
Judge John Bevan accepted a majority verdict at the Old Bailey and will sentence Colborne on 3 November.
The verdict was reached by a majority of ten to two jurors after more than 14 hours of deliberations.
They found him guilty of possessing handwritten notes and books related to making recipes for lethal poisons such as cyanide.
He bought the ingredients over the internet, and stockpiled dust masks, metal filter funnels, plastic syringes and latex gloves at his home in Butts Road, jurors were told.
However, Colborne was cleared of intending to use the chemicals and paraphernalia as part of the terror plot.
The court heard Colborne felt alienated and marginalised for being a white, ginger-haired man and also suffered from agoraphobia and depression.
In his notebook, he wrote about carrying out the assassination of Prince Charles so that Prince Harry could be king.
"I don't want to be a serial killer. I'm more of an Anders Breivik. I have left potential targets open.
"I was waiting for an opportunity to kill one of them. Let it be Prince Charles which would be good," he wrote.
He added he wanted a "silent rifle...take up a good position and put a bullet in Charles's head".
Prosecutor Annabel Darlow said Colborne's notes expressed hatred for "non-Aryans" whom he referred to as "blacks and Caucasian idiots".
Judge Bevan said: "It is a very strange case involving, if I may say it, a very strange person."
Colborne was arrested on 3 June last year after his half-brother and mother uncovered chemicals and papers detailing his racial hatred stashed in his bedroom.


Customer data has been stolen from Ashley Madison, a dating website for married people who wish to cheat on their spouse.

The hackers said they had obtained information including "all the customers' secret sexual fantasies and matching credit card transactions".
The site's operator confirmed there had been an "intrusion" but not its extent.
One security expert said a small percentage of the site's user account data had been published online.
The hackers, who called themselves the Impact Team, said they had managed to steal the real names and addresses of the site's users, including those who had previously paid to "delete" their accounts.
Security researcher Brian Krebs said the hackers had published a small percentage of user account data and planned to post more until the website closed.
Ashley Madison told the BBC that it would allow people to delete their profile from the site for free with immediate effect.
The company had previously charged $19 (Â£12) for a "full delete".
The hackers alleged that service was a "complete lie" because some personal information was kept even after a customer had paid for it to be removed.
Ashley Madison said: "The 'paid-delete' option removes all information related to a member's profile and communications activity."
Ashley Madison says it operates in more than 50 countries and has 37 million users, more than a million of whom live in the UK.
It promotes its service with the tagline, "Life is short, have an affair."
The website is owned by Canada-based Avid Life Media.
Avid Life Media said in a statement: "We apologise for this unprovoked and criminal intrusion into our customers' information.
"We have been able to secure our sites, and close the unauthorised access points.
"Any and all parties responsible for this act of cyber-terrorism will be held responsible."
In May, casual dating website Adult Friend Finder was also hacked. Thousands of its customer records were leaked online.


Former Premier League footballer Marcus Bent has appeared in court charged with affray and possession of a class A drug.

Mr Bent of Claremont Lane, Esher appeared at North Surrey Magistrates Court in Staines earlier.
He is next to appear at Guildford Crown Court on 16 October and was bailed.
The 37-year-old, who played for clubs including Wigan Athletic, Charlton Athletic, Everton and Leicester City, was arrested in Esher on 13 September.
Mr Bent also played as a striker for Sheffield United, Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town and Birmingham City during his career. He is believed to have retired from football in 2012.


Uefa has responded to Aberdeen's complaint after goalkeeper Danny Ward was targeted with a laser beam during the Europa League tie with Shkendija.

"Disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Shkendija for use of laser pointer - Article 16 (2) of the Uefa Disciplinary Regulations," a statement said.
"This case will be dealt with by the UEFA Control Ethics and Disciplinary body on it's next meeting on 23 July."
Aberdeen drew the first leg match 1-1.
The Dons said a Uefa delegate at the National Stadium in Skopje was informed of the incident after the game.
Hristijan Kirovski's goal for Shkendija cancelled out Niall McGinn's opener.
Aberdeen had pitched goalkeeper Ward, on loan from Liverpool, straight into European action.


Cardiff Blues are set to release new signing Franco van der Merwe before he has played a game.

The Welsh region announced in January the 34-year-old lock had signed from Ulster for the 2017-18 season.
But now the once-capped South Africa second row could be heading to the Aviva Premiership, with London Irish leading the interest.
It is thought the Blues believe they have enough locks, with Seb Davies impressing on Wales' summer tour.
Van der Merwe spent three seasons with Ulster, playing more than 70 games.
He played Super Rugby with South African sides the Lions and Sharks before joining Ulster. He was capped against New Zealand in 2013.
The Blues board are looking to trim their wage bill ahead of the current season.
The region's specialist second rows include Davies, James Down, George Earle and Damian Welch - who has signed from Exeter - while flankers Josh Turnbull and Macauley Cook can also pack down at lock.