Donald Trump's renouncement of his baseless claim that President Obama was not born in the US has made headlines - and prompted self-reflection in the media.

What would have been a low point in any other presidential campaign may have worked to Mr Trump's advantage, and raised questions over whether conventional reporting can capture an unconventional candidate.
Here is what the US media said about Mr Trump's announcement.
US networks were expecting Mr Trump to comment on the birther row and several carried the event live as it began in Washington just after 1100 local time on Friday.
Twenty minutes later, there had been no comment from Mr Trump. Instead, viewers saw a succession of military figures voice support for the Republican, in what was effectively a campaign advert.
Then, after falsely accusing rival Hillary Clinton of starting the birther controversy, he said: "President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period."
"We all got Rick-rolled,'' said CNN's Jake Tapper, referring to the meme of replacing an expected link online to a video of Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up.
For Townhall editor Katie Pavlich it was his "most brilliant campaign move yet".
In finally admitting that Barack Obama was indeed US-born, Mr Trump made "those desperately waiting for his statement look like fools" she wrote in an article approvingly re-tweeted by Mr Trump.
Margaret Sullivan turned her fire on TV news, saying it had played into Mr Trump's hands.
"Meanwhile, as if to illustrate in caricature the differences in the candidates' styles - and relative success with the media - the Democratic nominee was doing something unexciting, substantial and workmanlike: addressing the Black Women's Agenda Symposium," she wrote in the Washington Post.
"It got, of course, only a fraction of the media's attention."
She added: "With public trust in the media at an abysmal low, it's time - long past time - for TV news outlets to stop playing the stooge for Trump."
For Dan Gillmor, writing in the Atlantic, journalists need "stronger tactics to fight back against the war on truth that Trump and so many others have been waging this year".
He warns that the media are being "played for suckers by manipulators whose propaganda skills are vastly better than journalists' apparent ability to do their jobs".
When candidates lie, he says: "Don't publish the lie. Do explain what topic the candidate was addressing. Explain that the candidate was lying. Tell the truth about that topic. Or ignore it entirely."
In Vox, Libby Nelson attacks reporting of Mr Trump's renouncement, pointing to his lack of acknowledgement he has been pushing the birther theory and his attempt to blame Mrs Clinton.
"This is what people mean when they complain about how 'the media' has covered the Trump campaign," she wrote.
"By trying to avoid bias, some reporters and editors end up spreading the narrative that Trump wants voters to hear."
Frequently, she says, reporting has failed to adjust from when Mr Trump's campaign lays out an expectation - in this case that he would make a major announcement on President Obama's birthplace - to when Mr Trump delivers something different.
One problem for media is access: Mr Trump's campaign has previously blacklisted reporters from major news outlets for critical coverage, and tensions again emerged on Friday.
After his making his comments, Mr Trump invited TV networks' pool camera - which provides footage for multiple channels - to tour his hotel in Washington.
Reporters, however, were barred. The designated pool reporter, ABC News producer Candace Smith, said she was "blocked" from following the camera.
The networks collectively agreed not to use the pooled footage in protest.
"The TV pool traditionally doesn't participate in events that our reporters or producers are not allowed to attend,'' said Bryan Boughton, Fox News Washington bureau chief and current chairman of the TV pool.


A Florida woman opened fire on her house guests because they were "too loud" and had overstayed their welcome, police say.

Alana Annette Savell, 32, was hosting a couple at her Panama City home when the visitors apparently became noisy.
Police say she ordered them to go, before shooting the man and woman in the legs. The victims went to hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
Ms Savell has been charged with aggravated battery by a firearm.
Bay County Sheriff's Office told the BBC the female victim had turned up with a male friend, whom she had just met in a bar, at the accused's home at around 01:00 local time on Monday.
Ms Savell told police her hospitality began to wear thin after her guests began drinking and raising their voices.
But instead of dropping a hint by yawning or loading the dishwasher, she armed herself with a 22-calibre handgun and shot at her guests' feet, officials said.
As well as shooting the woman, Kristy Jo Mohr, in both legs in the incident, and her companion, who went by name "Cowboy", Ms Savell's own boyfriend was struck by a bullet in the leg.
Ms Mohr told police she believed eight or nine shots were fired in total.
Bay County Sheriff's Office said: "The victim (Ms Mohr) stated she felt herself get hit in the legs and ran away from the home and got into a vehicle.
"Savell stated that the victim and her friend had come to her home to hang out and began drinking and getting too loud.
"Savell stated she did not want them in her house and started shooting at their feet.
"The suspect's boyfriend stated to investigators that he has told his girlfriend that once someone is told to leave their property three times, she is to go get the gun and shoot it at the ground.
"If that does not work, she is to shoot people in the leg."
Ms Savell remains in custody at the county jail.


How do comedians cope when they outnumber the audience and what is it like to watch a show when you and a friend are the ones in the spotlight?

Blame it on the excitement of my friend Emma's first experience of a live comedy show but she wants to sit in the front row.
Me, on the other hand, already marked out as "the woman from the BBC" and the veteran of too many late night shows at the fringe, I'd like to sit a little further back, in the middle of a row where I can't be picked out, or picked on.
Not that it matters. By the end of the show, we may as well pull up a chair onstage, and crack a few jokes of our own. This is comedy at its most intimate.
It begins simply enough, with a packed room at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival for Chris Broomfield's latest show.
Chris is a comedian of 20 years standing (or should that be stand-up?) but he's also deaf and as he's part of a discussion I'm doing on BBC Radio Scotland about comedy and disability. I want to see him in action.
Chris would be first to admit his latest show Game of Tones is new territory, a sort of radio show work in progress.
And he'd also be first to admit it didn't go down well with the audience.
Heckling is limited to the first few rows - he lipreads well, and there's unexpected comedy in his bad lip reading (you went to Nipples? Ah, Naples!) but it can't save the show which he eventually gives up as a bad joke after 40 minutes.
Another Chris - comedy promoter Chris Stephen - moves in fast and tries to persuade the audience to stay on for a comedy showcase.
It's for charity, and a taste of the comedy marathon they plan for the end of the festival.
The night is young and this is Emma's first live comedy experience so we pay our money and settle back for the show.
Comedy showcases are brilliant because comics are only on for five minutes at a time.
It's essentially one joke and you're off.
If it's bad, another will be along in a minute, and the first few comics don't disappoint.
But soon Emma and I realise we are the only people laughing.
The front row has cleared, and behind us, the audience is actually other comedians waiting to go on.
By the time the fifth comic arrives, there's only one other man in the audience, who stares mournfully into space.
"Less of an audience, more of a hostage situation," quips young comic Christoper KC.
We're trying not to feel uncomfortable, for ourselves, but also for the comedians.
Every comedian must have a gig like this, where a routine, so funny to a belly-laughing crowd, echoes around an almost empty bar room.
Stand-up comics don't just need the laughs, they need a connection, one individual whose experience chimes with their own.
Ross Thomson's routine about bowel screening in the East End of Glasgow (like an invitation to a film premiere!) is lost on the sole male in the audience.
Don't pick on me, he scowls. Bit tricky in a room with just three people, two of whom are women.
By the time the last comic Scot Laird arrives, he shakes our hands, commends our stamina and delivers his routine directly to me and Emma from the chair in front (our second row, mid-position seats, offering no hiding place in an empty room).
I'm guessing it wasn't any comedian's finest five minutes but it may have provided some useful insight, both for the promoter, in timing (Saturday night, in the midst of a busy festival with many other bigger shows on offer) and for performers, into reading a room and handling an audience.
We may have been a small audience but we were an enthusiastic one - willing the comedians on, rather than heckling them.
They in turn, adapted their material. Two middle-aged mums, nursing a glass of wine on a Saturday night, are a different proposition from a raucous stag party.
I won't lie.
It was a 'wriggle in your seat'-type experience, and one I'm not sure I'd like to repeat.
Which is why I'd urge you to get along and support the Round the Clock Comedy Roadshow they are staging on 25 March.
Fifty comedians, eight venues and all money raised for the Beatson Cancer Charity. A marathon event, which this time, hopefully, will have an audience to match.
Glasgow International Comedy Festival runs until 26 March.


The Northern Ireland Assembly has rejected a motion calling for the introduction of same-sex marriage during a debate at Stormont.

A total of 51 assembly members (MLAs) voted against the Sinn Féin motion, while 43 MLAs voted in favour.
It is the third time in the past 18 months that Stormont has rejected same-sex marriage.
Northern Ireland is now the only part of the UK which has not passed a law to introduce same-sex marriage.
The first gay marriages have recently taken place in England and Wales, with Scotland due to follow later this year.
Ahead of the latest Stormont vote, the human rights organisation Amnesty International said Northern Ireland politicians would not be able to block same-sex marriage indefinitely.
The debate, led by Sinn Féin, began on Tuesday with the party insisting this was an equality issue.
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) backed the motion which also supported freedom of religion.
The DUP is opposed and tabled a petition of concern ensuring the motion would be blocked under the Northern Ireland Assembly's cross- community voting rules.
The party had argued this was not about equality, nor human rights and said it was opposing the redefinition of marriage.
However, when it came to the vote, the DUP did not need to depend on their veto, as the No camp had a majority of eight over the supporters of same-sex marriage.
All the nationalist MLAs who took part in the vote backed gay marriage, while most unionists rejected it, with only four of them voting in favour.
Alliance Party MLA are designated as "other", as opposed to defining themselves as unionist or nationalist in the assembly.
Their party policy is also in favour of same sex-marriage, but two Alliance MLAs, Judith Cochrane and Trevor Lunn, voted against the motion.
The Ulster Unionist Party voted on conscience grounds and only two UUP MLAs, Michael Copeland and Danny Kinahan, broke the unionist trend and voted in favour.
Both of NI21's MLAs, Basil McCrea and John McCallister, who are designated as unionists, voted to support same-sex marriage.
Jim Allister, leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice voted no while Green Party leader Steven Agnew voted yes.
Patrick Corrigan, director of Amnesty International, said: "Politicians in Northern Ireland who continue to block marriage rights for same-sex couples are like latter-day King Canutes, trying in vain to hold back the tide of equality.
"States may not discriminate with regards to the right to marry and found a family, on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
"That obligation is clear in international law."
The Sinn Féin motion proposed that Stormont introduce legislation similar to other jurisdictions in Britain and Ireland.
The motion comes a day after Catholic bishops in Northern Ireland published an open letter to all MLAs urging them to reject the same-sex marriage motion.
The letter said it undermined the principle of equality by applying it "inappropriately".
The assembly motion said that "other jurisdictions in Britain and Ireland have moved forward with same sex-marriage" and that Stormont should introduce similar legislation.
The motion also said religious institutions should have the freedom to decide whether or not to conduct same-sex marriages.
This was the third attempt to persuade MLAs to back same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.
A year ago, they rejected a similar motion by 53 votes to 42.
Supporters have stepped up their campaign following the first gay weddings in England and Wales.
Rallies in favour of same-sex marriage were held on Monday evening in Belfast and Londonderry.
As well as the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Alliance made its opposition to the motion clear.


The economist and former public servant TK Whitaker has died aged 100 in Dublin.

Whitaker, who was born in Co Down, was named Irish Man of the 20th Century in a public vote in 2001.
His work in the finance department set the blueprint for a plan that reversed the Republic of Ireland's economic problems in the early 1960s.
Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Enda Kenny described TK Whitaker as "in every sense a national treasure".
Thomas Kenneth Whitaker, who turned 100 last month, was 39 when he was appointed as the Secretary General at the Department of Finance in 1955.
When he took over as Secretary General he concluded that a radical new approach was required.
This thinking resulted in the First Programme for Economic Expansion and was embraced by Taoiseach Sean Lemass.
It would increase foreign investment in Ireland, spur economic growth and cut unemployment rates.
In 1965, Whitaker would also help organise an unprecedented meeting between Taoiseach Sean Lemass and the Prime Minster of Northern Ireland Terence O'Neill.
While this early effort at reconciliation was unsuccessful - it did undoubtedly lay the foundations for future agreements in Northern Ireland.
In 1969 he became Governor of the Central Bank and after retiring from that role he was twice appointed to Seanad Ã‰ireann.
For 20 years up to 1996 he was chancellor of the National University of Ireland.


More people are taking out so-called drawdown pensions without taking advice, the City regulator has warned.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said 30% of consumers go in to drawdown without getting guidance.
That compares with just 5% before the pension freedoms were introduced in April 2015.
It also says that those who access drawdown policies before the age of 65 typically stick with their current provider, rather than shopping around.
Drawdown pensions allow people to withdraw as much money as they like at any one time.
The FCA said twice as many consumers are now using drawdown rather than annuities, which provide a fixed income for life.
It is also worried that too many annuity providers are leaving the market, which it said could bring a risk of weakened competition.
Critics of the pension freedoms said new rules were vital.
"Many people will run down their precious pension pots too quickly or be scammed by bogus investment advisers," said Professor David Blake, director of the Pensions Institute at Cass Business School.
"What would otherwise be a safe and secure retirement is going to end in tears for many of these people."
The FCA said that withdrawing money from pension pots had become "the new norm".
However, the pensions industry has disputed that claim.
According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), 100,000 people take money out of their pension pots every quarter.
But that is small compared to the 4.7 million people over the age of 55 who leave their pots untouched, the ABI said.
The FCA report said that 52% of fully-withdrawn pots were not spent, but were put into other savings or investments.
Some of this was due to "a lack of trust in pensions", it said.
Only a quarter of people withdrawing cash spent some or all of it.
"Contrary to the concerns expressed before the pension freedoms, we did not find that most consumers spent this money on consumer goods and services such as cars and holidays," the report said.
Of those who took all the money out of their pension pots since 2015:
As a result some consumers may be paying too much tax, or missing out on investment growth, the FCA said.
Gay man wins case for equal pension rights
The FCA is considering asking the government to:
Pensions expert Tom McPhail, from Hargreaves Lansdown, said he was concerned about the FCA's plans to intervene in the market.
"This report looks like a regulatory cry for help; the FCA seems to be trying to put the pension freedom genie back in the bottle," he said.
The TUC was also critical.
"Savers are increasingly dipping into their pots early. And others are following the path of least resistance and risk buying rip-off products," said Frances O'Grady, the TUC's general secretary.
The pension freedoms allow consumers to take out as much as they like from their pension pots after the age of 55, subject to income tax.
The regulator plans to publish its final report in the first half of 2018.


India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing his biggest electoral test since gaining power, with voters heading to the polls in the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh (UP).

Mr Modi took the northern state, which is home to over 200 million people, when he won the 2014 national election.
But the state election is being seen as a referendum on his decision to ban high value banknotes in the country.
The move led to a cash shortage, hurting individuals and businesses.
Voter turnout at the close of polls on Saturday was estimated to be about 63% of 26 million eligible voters. Polling was mostly orderly and peaceful, officials said.
Voting in the state is taking place in seven stages between Saturday and 8 March. Results are expected on 11 March.
Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is competing against an alliance of two young leaders - Rahul Gandhi of the Congress Party, and the state's Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav.
Mr Yadav and his Samajwadi Party have criticised the prime minister's currency reforms and predicted the BJP will be rejected by the voters.
"This result is going to give him [Mr Modi] a big jolt," Mr Yadav said on Saturday in the state capital, Lucknow.
Mr Modi,for his part, has played a high profile role in the election campaign, urging voters to participate in a "huge festival of democracy", while also encouraging them to reject corruption which he says is endemic in the state.
"Criminals rule the roost in UP," the prime minister said. "There is so much lawlessness all around," he said in a speech on Saturday.
Analysts say the election will be an important reflection of public opinion in relation to Mr Modi's demonetisation policy.
The move to scrap 500 ($7.60) and 1,000 rupee notes in November was intended to crack down on corruption and so-called black money or illegal cash holdings.
However, the government has admitted that the withdrawal of high value banknotes, which was met with shock in India, has had an "adverse impact" on the economy.
Mr Modi has defended the currency move, which he said was made in the interests of the poor.
He hopes a strong showing at the polls will strengthen his chances of a second term in 2019.
The polls currently suggest that the BJP is tied with Mr Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Congress.


Delegates to the SNP conference speak passionately about whether cannabis should be decriminalised for pain relief use.

15 October 2016 Last updated at 13:56 BST
One speaker said the SNP was the "party of compassion" and she urged the conference to back the resolution.
Another delegate said now was not the time to decriminalise cannabis and to audience boos she asked fellow party members to reject the call for change.


A lavish funeral has been held for a Japanese cat who became an international star when she was made a station master in western Japan.

Tama, who was made a railway official eight years ago, was credited with putting the rail firm back on track financially after drawing in thousands of tourists.
Her custom-made cap and jacket made her a familiar sight at Kishi station.
The 16-year-old cat died of heart failure on 22 June.
Dozens of company officials and fans turned out for Tama's Shinto-style funeral on Sunday, where was elevated to the status of a goddess.
The Shinto religion, practiced by many in Japan, has a variety of gods including animals.
During the ceremony, officials thanked the feline celebrity for saving the station by attracting tourists from around the world.
The president of Wakayama Electric Railway, Mitsunobu Kojima, also gave her the special title of "honorary permanent stationmaster", AP reports.
He said Tama had contributed an estimated 1.1 billion yen ($8.9m; Â£5.7m) to the local economy.
"She was affectionate with people and hard-working," one local resident said.
Outside the station, bouquets of flowers, canned tuna and other gifts were left by many of Tama's thousands of fans.
Since 2007, Tama has been quietly welcoming and sending off railway travellers at the station in Wakayama Prefecture.
At the time, the local railway line was almost bankrupt and the station was unmanned but Tama's celebrity status helped to bring the company back from the brink of financial ruin.
The governor of Wakayama Prefecture, Yoshinobu Nisaka, said it was important the practice of using feline staff at the railway station was maintained.
Another cat, called Nitama, has since become an apprentice station-master.


A murder inquiry has begun after a woman was found with fatal stab wounds at a house in Greater Manchester.

The 39-year-old died at the scene shortly after police had arrived at the house in Cheadle Road, Cheadle Hulme, at about 19:40 BST on Monday.
A man, 39, was later arrested on suspicion of murder and Greater Manchester Police said they were not looking for anyone else.
"Our thoughts go out to the family of the woman," Det Supt Tony Creely said.
He appealed for witnesses or anyone with "information which could help us with our investigation" to contact police.
"The investigation is in its very early stages, however, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the murder," Det Supt Creely added.


The Manx government will review its position on Syrian refugees after receiving a petition calling for the island to take its "fair share".

The petition, which has been signed by over 1,000 people, was delivered to Chief Minister Howard Quayle this week.
The MHK said it showed a "clear desire... to help", but it was "not simply a case of opening our doors".
The government had previously stated the island could not provide the "level of support" needed to help refugees.
Campaigners want the Manx government to reconsider taking in refugees through the UK's Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
The scheme has helped around 4,500 of those in the "greatest need" resettle in the UK.
The petition calls for the new government, which has taken up power since the last decision on refugees was made, to reconsider and take in 25 Syrians by 2020.
Mr Quayle said the Council of Ministers would revisit the "complex and highly emotive" issue, but said "nothing has changed" in terms of the island's "constitutional position".
"There is a clear desire within our community to help Syrian people and this is reflected in the number of people who have signed the petition," he said.
"However, it is not simply a case of opening our doors to accept a relatively small number of refugees - there are many factors to consider."
A government spokesman added that as a Crown Dependency, the Isle of Man "cannot act on its own and must adhere to UK policy on refugees".
Since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria, the Manx government has donated more than Â£500,000 through the International Development Committee.


Two schoolgirls have been injured after being struck by a car while crossing a road in Banbridge, County Down.

It happened on the Scarva Road in the town on Monday afternoon.
The girls are pupils at St Mary's Primary School. One is aged 10, the other 11. The accident happened down the road from the school.
Both are believed to have head injuries and one girl also suffered a neck injury and a broken leg.
One has been taken to Craigavon Area Hospital where she is in a stable condition. The other was taken to the Royal Hospital in Belfast. The Belfast Health Trust said her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
The principal of St Mary's said the area where the accident happened lost its crossing patrol person 10 years ago and has since been "an accident waiting to happen".
He said both pupils are very lucky to be alive.
DUP MLA Carla Lockhart said: "Children leaving school - you can imagine them bouncing out the door, heading for home and for this accident to have taken place, it doesn't bear thinking about," she said.
"My thoughts and prayers are very much with the driver of the vehicle as well, I can only imagine the turmoil that this has caused them.
"We're thankful that the two children are receiving medical treatment at Craigavon Area Hospital and the Royal Victoria and our thoughts and prayers are very much with them and their families."
Police have said the Scarva Road has been closed in both directions.


Drivers were caught in tailbacks of up to six miles after a safety system failed following engineering work at the Dartford Crossing.

The northbound east tunnel was due to reopen at 05:30 BST on Monday but remained shut until about 09:30 BST, causing major traffic queues.
It has been closed overnight since 16 May for "safety-critical repairs".
Motorists were urged to allow extra time for their journeys or consider alternative routes.
Problems with a safety system that stops over height vehicles entering the tunnel meant the tunnel could not be reopened on time, according to Andrew Broughton of Highways England.
Earlier, Highways England issued a statement which said: "There are long delays on the M25 in Kent anti-clockwise due to the closure of the Dartford Crossing east tunnel.
"There are also long delays on the A2 westbound between the M2 and the junction with the M25."


Annan Athletic chairman Henry McClelland has been charged with allegedly placing 4,011 football bets, including 430 involving his own club.

Inverness CT's Lewis Horner has also been charged with allegedly placing 353 football bets, including three accumulators involving his side.
The SFA charges against McClelland date back to July 2011 up to 1 May 2017, and four of the bets were placed on Annan to lose.
He has until next Tuesday to respond.
Annan posted a statement on the club website, which stated: "Annan Athletic Football Club recognise the complaint that has been raised by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and the club will co-operate fully with the enquiry (sic). In the interim, the club will offer its support to the chairman until the matter is resolved."
Horner's charges also range from July 2011 to 1 May 2017. The midfielder was at Hibernian and then on loan at East Stirlingshire when 12 of the bets were placed between July 2011 and June 2012.
In a statement, the Premiership club said: "Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC are aware that Lewis Horner has been served with a Scottish Football Association Notice of Complaint in relation to match betting.
"Upon speaking to Lewis he informed us that he had previously suffered from problems with gambling; for which he had sought professional help.
"Lewis regrets that, having previously received counselling with regard to his addiction, he did not ask for further help sooner. He is very contrite and is extremely embarrassed to have brought this upon both himself and the club.
"Whilst it is disappointing, he has fully co-operated with the club in this matter and we will offer him all the support possible in dealing with this.
"The matter is still under review and, until such time as that is complete, neither the club or player will be making any further comment."
Mr McClelland has been approached for comment.


A company which has been managing investment funds on behalf of Invest NI has resigned from its position by "mutual consent".

E-Synergy managed the Northern Ireland Spin Out (NISPO) initiatives, investing in start-up and early stage businesses.
Invest NI launched a High Court legal action against E-Synergy in 2015, but the case has now been withdrawn.
E-Synergy has been paid almost £2.6m in management fees since the contract started in 2009.
A further £145,000 remains to be paid.
The NISPO initiatives were established in 2009, backed by £9m of Invest NI funds for equity investment.
The bulk of the money, £7m, was for the Invest Growth Fund and £1m each for the Ulster Investment Fund and the Queen's University, Belfast (QUB) Investment Fund.
London-based E-Synergy was appointed to act as fund manager and invested the money in about 30 businesses.
At the time it launched the legal action, Invest NI alleged that E-Synergy had failed to perform its obligations under a limited partnership agreement.
E-Synergy, in company documents, accused Invest NI of being "a defaulting investor".
Invest NI has now written to NISPO portfolio companies advising them that, as well as resigning, E-Synergy has also agreed not to pursue any outstanding "management or monitoring fees".
The monitoring of the investments will now be carried out by Invest NI's in-house corporate finance team.
The NISPO funds have had a mixed performance: one of the portfolio firms, Path XL, was sold to the multinational health technology company, Philips.
However other firms in the portfolio are no longer trading.
Invest NI said the most recent valuation for NISPO, as of September 2016, was £5.4m
Invest NI launched a new suite of investment funds in 2014 - E-Synergy is not involved with them.


US-Pakistan ties "could not be more important", Secretary of State John Kerry has said, as he met Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif in Washington.

Mr Sharif's three-day visit marks the highest-level talks between the two countries in the US for years.
The relations have been tense on several issues, including Islamabad's opposition to US drone strikes.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has asked Congress to resume $305m (Â£190m) in blocked security aid to Pakistan.
Washington's security assistance was interrupted following tensions in bilateral relations after a US commando raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan in 2011 and the killing of more than 20 Pakistani soldiers in a US air strike.
"We have a lot to talk about and the relationship with Pakistan could not be more important," Mr Kerry said before his meeting with Mr Sharif on Sunday.
America's top diplomat described Pakistan as "a democracy that is working hard to get its economy moving and deal with insurgency and also important to the regional stability".
Mr Sharif - who was elected in May - did not make public comments before the meeting started.
The talks are a strong sign of a willingness from both nations to co-operate, the BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan in Washington reports.
Trade, dealing with extremism, and working on issues with Pakistan's neighbour, Afghanistan, were all set to be on the agenda, our correspondent says. So, too, was the thorny issue of US drone strikes.
Mr Sharif, who will meet President Obama on Wednesday, has said they are a challenge to his country, and that he will ask the US to bring an end to them.
The Pakistani PM earlier called for a joint strategy to stop such attacks.
The issue is highly controversial in Pakistan, where parts of the government and military have often been accused of criticising the use of drones in public while co-operating in private.
It is estimated that, between 2004 and 2013, CIA drone attacks in Pakistan killed up to 3,460 people - although this figure will not include the very latest strikes.
About 890 of those killed were civilians and the vast majority of strikes were carried out by the Obama administration, research by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism said.
Earlier this year, Mr Obama called the strikes part of a legitimate campaign against terrorism, but he also pledged more transparency in the programme and stricter targeting rules.


A motorcyclist has died following a crash in Ballycarry, County Antrim.

The man died after his motorcycle was in collision with a lorry on the Larne Road shortly after midday.
Police have appealed for information about the crash.
The Larne Road in Ballycarry was closed, but has now reopened.


When you travel to a foreign country with your mobile phone, you are roaming.

The claim: British holidaymakers would have to pay more to use their phones abroad if we left the European Union.
Reality Check verdict: It's fair for the EU to take credit for the abolition of roaming charges next year, but we can't say that if the UK left the EU that British consumers wouldn't still benefit from the deal, or that prices would go up.
Roaming charges are added by mobile operators for calls, texts and internet browsing when phone users are abroad.
An EU regulation will abolish roaming charges in EU member states from 2017.
Decreasing roaming charges is something that the European Commission has been working on for about a decade.
Without the EU's institutions, it would have been very difficult to bring countries together to impose this, and the mobile telecoms companies themselves certainly didn't have much interest in it.
"The UK led the charge," boasts a press release from Downing Street on Wednesday.
But it's difficult for any single country to take the credit for the roaming measures, which were a joint initiative.
As a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), Norway is part of the deal, but Switzerland is not, according to this answer to a European parliamentary question by the commission.
If Britain votes to leave the EU, it's not a foregone conclusion that it will benefit from the EU deal to scrap roaming charges - but there could still be a deal to abolish them for Britons. And operators are free to lift tariffs.
Read more: The facts behind claims in the EU debate


Rugby legend Shane Williams says it was the worst season in the history of regional rugby in Wales and national coach Warren Gatland says it was "disappointing".

None of the Welsh teams reached the play-offs in the Pro12 and only Scarlets have qualified for the European Champions Cup next season.
And Welsh Rugby Union chairman Gareth Davies has confirmed the regions will meet Gatland and head of rugby Geraint John to pick over the mortal remains of the 2015-16 domestic season.
So, where did it all go wrong?
And why is it so important for the Welsh regions to succeed when the national team has been consistently competitive over the past decade?
This is what Gatland had to say when he was asked about the performance of the Welsh regions.
"Everyone would agree it's been disappointing," he said.
"From our point of view you want to see more than one regional team in the highest echelon of Europe for a start, and you'd like to see one if not more making the semi-finals of the Pro12.
"It's important for the regional game and from our point of view to having players come into the national team from sides that are doing pretty well - they come in with a spring in their step and a bit of confidence."
Scarlets were the best of the Wales regions in fifth-place in the Pro12 - seven points ahead of Cardiff Blues in seventh.
But having led the league at Christmas, their demise in the tail-end of the season was a major disappointment.
"On reflection it was an improvement on last year," said head coach Wayne Pivac.
"We were a lot stronger mentally and we've managed to get some great wins away from home and I think we're in a reasonably good position looking to building for next season.
"We'll take a lot of positives out of the season."
Prospects for 2016-17: Scarlets will be stronger next season, with Wales internationals Jonathan Davies and Rhys Patchell joining along with wing Johnny McNicholl arriving from Crusaders in New Zealand.
Cardiff Blues were the bottom Welsh region in 2014-15 so finishing above Dragons and Ospreys reflects an improvement.
Under head coach Danny Wilson the capital region have developed an open attacking style which works on their artificial pitch at Cardiff Arms Park.
They are the second top try scorers in the league with 62, but have been let down by a defence which leaked 53 touchdowns.
"We have changed other people's perception of the Blues. People outside the group maybe talked about the Blues not being able to finish teams off and what I've seen this year is that the players have huge fight and desire in them," said Wilson.
"It proves there's a mental toughness there that is slowly growing, but it needs to grow and develop more."
Prospects for 2016-17: Nick Williams joining from Ulster will add power and bulk, Matthew Morgan will bring his trickery from Bristol and Willis Halaholo arrives with Super Rugby experience from Hurricanes. George Earle, Kirby Myhill and Steven Shingler are also on their way.
It means Wilson - who wants to cut his pool of players to 45 from nearly 60 - has some players to shed.
Of all the Welsh regions, Ospreys suffered the biggest fall - culminating in the 46-26 home defeat by Ulster.
It means the Swansea-based team will not play in Europe's top flight next season - the first time that has happened since the region was formed in 2003.
Injuries to key players - including Wales internationals Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric - hampered their run-in, but by their own high standards Ospreys under-performed.
"I'm not going to make excuses because of injuries," said backs coach Gruff Rees.
"Last season we overplayed some of our bigger players, this year they've underplayed them and there's a clear correlation in where we've come top four (last season) and where we've been chasing a bit this year.
"We weren't good enough over 22 games regardless of who's on the field or not."
Prospects for 2016-17: With no World Cup, Ospreys will have their big names available more often. A specialist defence coach has arrived in the shape of Brad Davis from Wasps. On the player front, it is quiet at the moment.
Only the Italian teams Zebre and Treviso finished below Newport Gwent Dragons, and Zebre won more games than the Welsh region.
Promising displays in the European Challenge Cup - particularly an away win against Aviva Premiership side Gloucester in the quarter-final - were punctuated by too many narrow defeats in the league.
Head coach Kingsley Jones, now in sole control following the departure of Lyn Jones, has to turn those narrow defeats into wins.
Prospects for 2016-17: With stand-out player Taulupe Faletau departing for Bath, the region's promising young talent - epitomised by Hallam Amos and Tyler Morgan - will take centre stage. But pro rugby is an unforgiving proving ground.


More detail about the wrangling behind-the-scenes over safety concerns at the proposed new Casement Park stadium in west Belfast has been revealed.

The safety expert, who claimed he was bullied by a Stormont department, took a grievance case against his boss at Sport NI  over the way his complaints were handled.
At the heart of the Casement Park controversy are concerns over safety.
Could the 38,000-capacity stadium be evacuated safely in an emergency?
Safety expert Paul Scott has been arguing that it cannot. He claims attempts were made to bully him into changing his mind.
Last month, he made his concerns public. The Department of Culture, Arts and Lesiure (DCAL),  immediately announced an investigation.
However, there has also been a separate investigation into complaints that Mr Scott made about how his boss at Sport NI handled his concerns.
According to documents given to MLAs last month, he won a grievance case against Sport NI chief executive Antoinette McKeown.
In December, Mr Scott wrote to the board of Sport NI, telling them in detail about one meeting to discuss Casement where, he said, he and he and a colleague had been "met with a barrage of abuse from DCAL".
Then, he wrote formally to Ms McKeown and referred to having "raised concerns about the pressure being asserted on me to approve the proposals for Casement Park".
However, he was not happy with how she dealt with the matter and told her: "I do not believe that you have handled my complaint appropriately" and subsequently launched a formal grievance procedure.
The investigation into his complaint concluded that it was "valid" and that his grievance had been upheld.
In response, Kevin McAdam from the union, Unite, representing Ms McKeown and speaking on her behalf said: "Antoinette McKeown believes she acted in good faith, in the proper manner with the structures that are in Sport NI.
"Had she been allowed to manage as expected, then the organisation would be in a healthier, better place now.
"She has given a matter of record as to how she dealt with it and the organisation itself has said no action is required."
Mr McAdam also confirmed that Ms McKeown is currently suspended from her role.
"Antoinette is currently the chief executive officer, she is currently under suspension pending investigation into leadership issues, not necessarily related to her, but to the organisation in general," he said.
The stadium project has been plagued by difficulties, so much so that there are doubts over whether it will ever be built.
One of the big issues surrounds the emergency exits.
The design of the stadium needs to be able to cope with more than 30,000 people being able to get out quickly and safely, that would include ensuring that areas like turnstiles do not become over-crowded and dangerous.
The GAA is working on a new planning application. It has also denied any of its representatives were involved in bullying.
At the same time, DCAL said  its investigation into Mr Scott's allegations of bullying continues.
It is expected to be completed next month.


Cardiff Blues retained their hopes of European Champions Cup qualification with a hard-fought win over Newport Gwent Dragons.

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Danny Wilson's side rose above Ospreys to eighth in the Pro12 table, one point below sixth-placed Edinburgh and Munster in seventh.
Josh Turnbull, Rey Lee-Lo and Gareth Anscombe went over for the hosts.
Dragons battled throughout with Sarel Pretorius' try and Dorian Jones' penalty their reward.
Rhys Patchell was playing his last game at the Arms Park before joining Scarlets in a Blues team showing two changes from the 28-22 win in Llanelli.
Kristian Dacey replaced Matthew Rees at hooker with Jarrad Heota taking over from Turnbull in the second row.
Dragons were unchanged from their 23-21 win at Gloucester in the European Challenge Cup, but will travel to Montpellier in next Saturday's semi-final on the back of a Welsh derby defeat.
While Dragons were in action, Montpellier won 26-20 in the French Top 14 at Stade Francais.
A player with west Wales roots helped ensure the east Wales contest went Blues' way.
Having moved to number eight, Turnbull underlined his value to Blues this season by bursting past Taulupe Faletau's challenge to go over from close range.
Anscombe added a penalty to that opening try before Jones put Dragons on the scoreboard with his reply.
After Anscombe's second penalty the visitors had chances with Hallam Amos and Pretorius to the fore in attack.
Amos fluffed one chance when he went for the line instead of using an overlap, but Pretorius pounced at the base of a scrum.
Pretorius' yellow card for a deliberate knock-on while attempting to intercept looked harsh to some.
In his absence, man-of-the-match Anscombe's perfectly-weighted chip gave Lee-Lo the chance to gather and score.
Anscombe converted to give the hosts a 10-point half-time lead and added his final penalty as Blues tightened their grip on the game.
However, Blues were as guilty as the visitors of wasting chances.
When Anscombe went over to finish the final move of the game, Blues were already rueing missing the opportunities that could have led to a bonus-point win that would have sent them sixth in the table.
Cardiff Blues: Rhys Patchell; Dan Fish, Garyn Smith, Rey Lee-Lo, Tom James; Gareth Anscombe, Lloyd Williams; Gethin Jenkins (capt), Kristian Dacey, Taufa'ao Filise, Jarrad Hoeata, James Down, Ellis Jenkins, Sam Warburton, Josh Turnbull
Replacements: Matthew Rees, Brad Thyer, Dillon Lewis, Manoa Vosawai, Josh Navidi, Tomos Williams, Harri Millard, Aled Summerhill
Newport Gwent Dragons: Carl Meyer; Adam Hughes, Tyler Morgan, Adam Warren, Hallam Amos; Dorian Jones, Sarel Pretorius; Phil Price, Elliot Dee, Brok Harris, Rynard Landman, Nick Crosswell, Lewis Evans (capt), Nic Cudd, Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Rhys Buckley, Boris Stankovich, Lloyd Fairbrother, Matthew Screech, Ed Jackson, Charlie Davies, Angus O'Brien, Geraint Rhys Jones.
Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Leighton Hodges, Gwyn Morris (both Wales)
Citing Commissioner: Jeff Mark (Wales)
TMO: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)


Champions Dunfermline Athletic beat Peterhead before being presented with the Scottish League One trophy.

A win for the visitors would have taken them above Ayr United into second but Joe Cardle's strike condemned them to a sixth straight loss.
Cardle netted the winner when he converted from Ryan Wallace's pass.
The Pars go up to the Championship having finished 18 points clear, while Peterhead will take on Ayr in the promotion play-off semi-final.


E-fits of two men suspected of abducting and raping a 14-year-old girl on her way to school in Oxford have been issued by police.

The girl was lured into a silver hatchback at 08:51 BST on 28 September in Summertown.
She was attacked in the car by two men before escaping, seeking help from residents three hours later in Cavendish Drive, Marston.
No arrests have been made, and 30 police officers are investigating.
The first man is described as white, in his mid-20s, about 6ft (182cm) tall, with short blonde hair, of average build, and speaking with a northern accent. He is thought to have been wearing a grey hoodie and black trousers.
The second man is white, in his late teens, muscular, and was wearing black clothing.
Deputy Superintendent Chris Ward said: "A team of specially-trained officers continues to support the victim and we are working with her to gather further information surrounding the incident."


Morocco coach Herve Renard says he is shocked by Hakim Ziyech's absence from the Atlas Lions camp.

They play the Netherlands in a friendly on Wednesday and Cameroon in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on 10 June.
The Ajax midfielder was handed a recall despite saying he would never play under Renard again.
"He deserved a call-up from Morocco based on his Europa League performances. But he's not here and I can't tell you why," Renard said.
"If you wish to know why he doesn't want to work with me, you will have to ask him directly. I am not going to talk about it in the media.
"I respect Hakim's decision to reject this latest call-up but I do believe he is making a very big mistake. The ball is now in his court."
The 24-year-old was surprisingly left out of Morocco's preliminary squad for this year's Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.
He then rejected a late inclusion as replacement for the injured Younes Belhanda.
However Renard believes Ziyech , who scored 12 goals in 42 appearances this season and reached the Europa League final deserves another chance.
Last month Ziyech said: "As long as Herve Renard is there, I will be with my head elsewhere.
"He remains in charge of picking players of his choice. And I accept it. I know that a coach does not usually stay long. I'm waiting quietly (maybe he's leaving)."


Papiss Cisse has said he "will never forget" Newcastle's fans after leaving the club to join Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng.

The striker said on Twitter: "I will be back as a supporter alongside them one day. Every goal I scored in that famous number nine shirt was for them."
Cisse, 31, leaves for an undisclosed fee following a four-and-a-half year spell at St James' Park.
A Senegal international, he scored 44 goals in 131 games for Newcastle.
Cisse, who joined the Magpies from German club Freiburg, scored three times during the 2015-16 season, which ended with Newcastle being relegated to the Championship despite a late upturn in form under Rafael Benitez.
He added: "I hope that the team are quickly back in the Premier League.
"We had some great times together and hopefully under Rafa those times will return."
It has also been reported that Southampton forward Graziano Pelle will sign for Shandong Luneng, who are coached by ex-Fulham manager Felix Magath.
Cisse is the latest of a string of high-profile names to move to China both on and off the pitch.
Brazil forward Hulk recently joined Shanghai SIPG in a £46.1m transfer that eclipsed the £38.4m Asian transfer record fee that Jiangsu Suning paid for compatriot Alex Teixeira last February.
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Demba Ba, formerly of Newcastle and Chelsea, moved to Shanghai Shenhua in July 2015, while Jackson Martinez left Atletico Madrid to join Guangzhou for a then-Asian record £31m in early February 2016.
Shanghai SIPG are managed by ex-England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, and former Netherlands midfielder and AC Milan manager Clarence Seedorf was named as head coach of second-tier side Shenzen FC earlier this week.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


A teenager accused of two murders told police he was hunting a third victim when he was caught, a court has heard.

The 17-year-old, has admitted the manslaughter of James Attfield, 33, and Nahid Almanea, 31, in 2014.
Guildford Crown Court previously heard he was carrying a knife and wearing latex gloves when he was arrested in May 2015 near the site of Miss Almanea's death.
He denies murdering both victims on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
The boy was apprehended after he was spotted acting suspiciously on the Salary Brook Trail and later told police he was "going to get my third victim, but there was no-one about".
In a police interview played to jurors, he said voices told him to carry out the killings.
During the recording he describes how, whilst in police custody, the voices told him to attack a female detention officer.
"When the police lady came to my cell the voices told me to strangle her," he is heard to say. "I was taken out to the exercise yard and they locked me out.
"That was a good thing because otherwise I would have got her."
He went on to describe how he would have strangled her.
While in custody, the teenager also told police he was "a bit sad" about the killings.
"At the time I thought it was a good thing," he said. "I thought it was the right thing. I was getting rid of the sinners."
The trial continues.


Warwickshire fast bowler Grant Thornton has signed an extended contract with the Bears until the end of the season as a reward for his promising form.

Fellow seamer Oliver Hannon-Dalby, 28, and batsman Matthew Lamb, 20, have both signed one-year extensions, to the end of the 2018 season.
Thornton, 24, made his first-team debut for the Bears in the One-Day Cup win over Northamptonshire on 27 April.
A week later, he signed a three-month deal - his first professional contract.
Thornton, who is currently sidelined through injury, helped Berkswell to win the Birmingham League title last summer, having been a Bears second XI regular for the last two seasons.
Since being drafted into the Bears side for his debut, he has played three more One-Day games, finishing on the winning side in two of them.
He also took 4-34 against Somerset on his first-class debut at Taunton - the first of two Championship appearances so far.
Lamb, who turns 21 next week made his first-class debut at Taunton last season, and scored 51 in the first innings of last week's one-wicket defeat by champions Middlesex at Edgbaston, having been brought in for his first appearance of the season to replace injured captain Ian Bell.
Hannon-Dalby, who joined Warwickshire from his native Yorkshire in 2013, has made just two Championship appearances in 2017, having been dropped following the Bears' poor start to the season.
But he played in five of this season's One-Day Cup games, having been part of the side that won the trophy against Surrey at Lord's last September.
He was also in the team when the Birmingham Bears won the T20 Blast in 2014 - and has so far taken five wickets in two wins out of two in this season's group games.


A grotto has collapsed in Brazil, killing at least 10 people celebrating a religious event, police say.

Part of the roof caved in at the Casa da Pedro grotto near the city of Santa Maria in Tocantins state in central Brazil. It was unclear what caused the incident.
About 50 worshippers were in the grotto at the time. At least four other people were injured.
The worshippers were leaving candles and praying to mark All Saints' Day.
Part of the roof collapsed suddenly, burying many of the worshippers and causing panic.
Images on Brazilian media showed part of the collapse.
Fire department Lt Edvaldo Gomes Araujo told Associated Press that all the bodies and the injured had now been removed.
Santa Maria is located about 1,200 miles (2,000km) north-west of Rio de Janeiro.


World number two Rory McIlroy is one off the pace at the South African Open after firing a five-under-par 67 in his first competitive round of 2017.

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It left the Northern Irishman a stroke behind home players Trevor Fisher Jnr and Keith Horne in Johannesburg.
Experimenting with new clubs after Nike withdrew from the market, McIlroy produced a couple of superb late recoveries following wayward drives.
Nick Faldo, making a rare Tour start, opened with an impressive 70.
"I was a bit adventurous on my second nine," admitted McIlroy, who hopes strong performances this week and next week in Abu Dhabi could see him replacing Jason Day at the top of world rankings rankings by the end of January.
"As my round drew to a close, I had to scramble on a few holes and did my bit by salvaging some pars. I played well, giving myself birdie chances."
McIlroy expressed satisfaction with his new clubs after notching seven birdies at the 7,100-yard Glendower Golf Club course.
"It is nice to card a 67 in my first competitive round with new clubs. I am sure I will become accustomed to them. There will be some chopping and changing as time goes by."
South African Fisher - 442 places below McIlroy in the world rankings - had a run of seven birdies in eight holes in his 66, which was matched late in the day by another home player Horne.
England's Jordan L Smith, who graduated from the Challenge Tour after last season, joined McIlroy in the group on five under which included other home players Dean Burmester and Thomas Aiken.
Fifty-nine-year-old Faldo, playing in his first European Tour event since 2014, brought back memories of his glory years in the late 1980s and early 1990s with a typically steady three-birdie 70.
The six-time major winner dropped his only stroke of the day at the first before picking up shots at the seventh, 15th and 16th.
Faldo was joined in a share of 26th place on 70 by 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke, who finished with three successive birdies, and the highest placed Scot, David Drysdale.


West Indies claimed their first Women's World Twenty20 with a pulsating eight-wicket win over Australia in Kolkata.

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Australia, seeking a fourth successive World T20 title, chose to bat and posted 148-5, with Elyse Villani making the first half century in a final.
But 18-year-old Windies opener Hayley Matthews hit a stunning 66 off 45 balls with three sixes, in a stand of 120.
The Windies won with three balls to spare and their men's team later completed a T20 double.
West Indies had lost all of their eight previous T20 internationals against Australia and in their first final they made a nervous start bowling at the iconic Eden Gardens.
Villani (52) seized on some wayward full tosses to reach her fifty from 34 balls.
Australia skipper Meg Lanning hit three successive fours in her 52 and the elegant Ellyse Perry dispatched two glorious straight drives for six in a cameo 28.
Having fought back by conceding only a single from the final over they bowled, the Windies made a slow start to their reply, scoring three from the first two overs.
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But Matthews and skipper Stafanie Taylor hit 16 from the fifth over, bowled by Perry, and recorded their century partnership in the 14th over.
Matthews was caught with 29 more runs required from 26 balls and Taylor's 59 ended with only five left to score from eight deliveries.
Three were needed from the final over and victory was secured after a routine run-out opportunity turned into an overthrow, to spark exuberant West Indian celebrations, joined by the men's team who were arriving for their final with England.
It continued a welcome resurgence for West Indian cricket, after the Under-19 team beat India to win the 50-over World Cup in February.
West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor:
"I've been waiting for this a long time and it has come at the right time.
"We didn't get the start we wanted but the batting has done it for us.
"It was fantastic to know that the men were with us. [Men's captain Darren] Sammy sent me a text this morning 'Staf you are going to do it, you girls you are going to do it'."
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Australia skipper Meg Lanning:
"Full credit to the West Indies, they came out with the bat, and we did not quite get the result we wanted.
"We felt we were a little short, 160 would have been nice, but if we bowled well we would have defended.
"It was a really exciting, tough road into the World Cup and I am proud of the effort that everyone has put in."
Former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent on BBC Test Match Special:
"The Windies have brought power into this tournament.
"Hayley Matthews running down the wicket and hitting Ellyse Perry for six was probably the moment of the tournament.
"They have discipline in their game now. If this team can tighten up with the bowling and handle pressure they will be a dangerous force going forward."


The HS2 high-speed rail line linking London with northern England should be scrapped to pay for upgrades to the existing network, UKIP Wales has said.

The party led a Senedd debate saying its Â£55.7bn budget should be spent on projects like a South Wales Metro.
Labour and the Welsh Conservatives called for work to ensure HS2 has good connections for passengers in Wales.
Plaid Cymru insisted on extra public funding for Wales under Barnett rules, claiming HS2 only benefits England.
The Â£55.7bn HS2 project aims to create a new high-speed line to link London to Birmingham by 2026, with routes to Manchester and Leeds by 2033.
In July, new Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said he had "no plans to back away" from HS2, despite criticism of the cost and the impact on people living along the route.
UKIP Wales transport spokesman David Rowlands told BBC Wales HS2 was a "a hugely expensive project" which he felt would have a "detrimental effect on the Welsh economy".
He said his party felt the new line could swallow up money better spent on other projects, such as electrification of the south Wales main line and valleys services, a South Wales Metro and improvements in north Wales.
"Because of the huge cost of HS2 - which is rising on a daily basis - it could mean that the UK Government doesn't have the funds to secure a Metro system in Wales," he said.
A Department for Transport spokesman said UK ministers "remain fully committed to delivering HS2, with construction set to start next year".
"HS2 will be a transformative project that will support growth and investment across the country, create extra capacity on the rail network and generate thousands of jobs.
"It will deliver significant benefits to passengers in Wales, which will be linked up to HS2 through the north Wales main line into Crewe," he said.
"Journeys from central Wales to London, Manchester and Leeds will also be quicker."


(Noon): The FTSE 100 lost ground as shares in financial firms wilted.

Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered fell 1.9% after analysts at Barclays cut their rating of the shares. Consumer finance firm Provident Financial and insurer Standard Life were both down almost 2%.
Shares in house builder Berkeley remained the top performer on the FTSE 100 with a 3% gain.
Investors were encouraged by its full-year results.
Berkeley said there had been a rise in customers cancelling reservations for new homes after the Brexit vote, but that had now returned to normal.
It added that property prices remained "resilient".
Meanwhile Redrow, Wales' biggest house builder, said pre-tax profits had risen 23% to Â£250m.
Redrow shares were up nearly 7% by noon.
Overall the FTSE 100 was down 17 points lower at 6,861.
On the currency markets, the pound was up 0.2% against the dollar, at $1.3333. Against the euro, it just a touch higher at â‚¬1.1938.


Almost one in five people in Wales diagnosed with cancer each year say they lack support from family and friends, a charity claims.

A report from Macmillan Cancer Support reveals that more than half of health professionals say they have patients who refuse treatment because of this.
Former AM Karen Sinclair, who has cancer, was "saddened" by the findings.
"There are people out there who are facing this alone and they shouldn't have to," she said.
Macmillan's report, Facing the Fight Alone, looked at the number, profile and experiences of isolated people living with cancer.
It estimated that 3,420 people - 19% - of the 18,000 newly diagnosed cancer patients each year said they lacked support from family and friends.
More than half of health professionals - 53% - have had patients choose not to have treatment because they felt they did not have the support.
Susan Morris, general manager for Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales, said: "This research shows that isolation can have a truly shattering impact on people living with cancer.
"Patients are going hungry, missing medical appointments and even deciding to reject treatment altogether which could be putting their lives at risk, all because of a lack of support."
She said these figures were the tip of the iceberg.
"As the number of people living with cancer in Wales is set to double from 120,000 to 240,000 by 2030, isolation will become an increasing problem and we need to address this now," she added.
"That's why we are launching a new campaign to help tackle this crisis and to ensure that in future, no-one faces cancer alone."
She added: "We know of people, from a survey we've done by professionals, who said they've actually turned down treatment because they didn't think they would be able to cope with the demands of the treatment without that support around them.
"And we know if you're tired and can't prepare a hot meal for yourself, or can't take care of yourself in the same way, that's really tough and it can affect the outcome of the treatment as well.
"We know we live much busier lives these days and perhaps families don't have the same time for each other that they did."
Despite the love of a devoted family, Karen Sinclair knows how desperately isolating fighting cancer can be.
The 60-year-old former Labour AM for Clwyd South, who will never be cured, endured 18 months of treatment that "poisoned" her body and wiped out her immune system.
There were weeks where she was cut off from family and friends for fear of infection.
It was during these darkest moments Mrs Sinclair, from Llangollen, felt the loneliness of the disease.
She said: "When I could not see people I was isolated, I could not work, go out and meet people - my life had disappeared."
"I was saddened to see the percentage of people who face treatment alone or don't even have treatment - it makes me so sad because there's help out there."
Mrs Sinclair was diagnosed with multiple myelomas, which is when a collection of abnormal plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow, in 2008 aged 55.
She said: "I wasn't isolated in the sense that I have a very supportive family - they are absolutely fabulous.
"But there are things that I cannot talk to them about during those deepest, darkest times because I don't want to distress or scare them.
"There are people out there who are facing this alone and they shouldn't have to because help is there."
Mrs Sinclair received eight months of chemotherapy and spent weeks at the Christie Hospital in Manchester receiving stem cell treatment.
Her spine was severely damaged by the cancer, which meant has been left in permanent pain and her movement has been severely affected.
Mrs Sinclair said she did lose a few friends who could not "cope with the idea of cancer".
The mother-of-two's immune system was broken down and she was not able to see anyone in case they passed on an underlying infection.
But Macmillan nurses would visit Mrs Sinclair for support.
She said: "They also put me in touch with the local hospice that had a hydro pool and I could use that, rather than a local pool, because they were kept so clean. I'd also go for massage therapy.
"That helped in all ways - mental as well as physical benefits. It makes me so sad that so many people don't seek out this help because it's there."
Mrs Sinclair and her husband Michael know her cancer can only be managed.
She said: "My Wrexham haematologist told me that while not curable my cancer was treatable and if it went well the course of treatment could see me in remission.
"I was told how long for no-one knows but then no-one can say what will happen in the future and with new treatments."
While Mrs Sinclair remains positive she admitted living with the disease, that she admits will cut her life short, was "pretty stressful" at times.
She said: "When I was diagnosed we were planning our wonderful retirement when suddenly all the things you were going to do you were never going to do."
The couple and their children Helen, 36, and Tom, 30, are now planning a close-knit celebration for their forthcoming 40th wedding anniversary.


MSPs are being urged to radically change the way Scotland's bus services are run.

The Unite union says communities are being let down by privately-operated routes leading to falling passenger numbers and rising fares.
Scotland's buses were deregulated by Margaret Thatcher's government more than 30 years ago.
The Scottish government has said it is ploughing almost Â£250m a year into the bus network.
But ministers have ruled out wholesale re-regulation of buses in Scotland.
At the moment, almost all routes are operated by private companies, which do not have to run services which are unprofitable.
Unite said this approach had failed communities and has petitioned the Scottish Parliament, calling for a change in policy to allow local authorities to control bus services.
Buses to rural communities tend to be the least profitable for operators - and so these routes are most vulnerable to being cut or severely reduced.
The village of Banton, North Lanarkshire, is not the most isolated community in Scotland by a long way. It is just a few miles from a major A-road and the M80.
But those few miles make all the difference to how well it is served by buses.
It already has a limited bus service and the current provision could be under threat. Margaret Chalmers has lived in Banton for 20 years. She does not have a car and told BBC Scotland she relied completely on public transport.
I normally go to Falkirk or Kirkintilloch, but the thing is now we need to get off at Kilsyth and wait and try and get another bus," she said.
"And they're talking now about putting the Falkirk one off as well and it's just not fair on us people that don't drive."
Ms Chalmers said the limited timetable made it difficult to get to health centre appointments - or to leave the village at all at a weekend.
"We've no bus on a Sunday either. We're marooned out here basically. A wee lost village," she said.
Buses are Scotland's most-used form of public transport. Four times as many journeys were made by bus than train in 2015-16.
That year, there were 407 million bus journeys made in Scotland. A whopping number, no doubt - but that's a reduction from 414 million the previous year.
There's been a decade-long decline in the number of routes, and fares have risen.
Some think the way bus services are run could be a cause of this decline.
Train services are run by a single operator, ScotRail. But over 200 bus companies are involved in running Scotland's bus network.
When ScotRail fall below their targets, they're the focus for complaints. Bus firms are judged by different standards - and holding them to account is difficult.
In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher deregulated Scotland's bus service. Routes were opened up to competition. The Iron Lady argued this would increase choice for bus passengers, and drive down fares.
Read more of David's analysis
Young people living in the village of 400 - who are probably among the least likely to own a car - are also worried about the possible loss of a vital transport link.
School pupil Eilidh Dunsmore said: "If I stay after school, I wouldn't be able to get the bus if the bus stopped and I'd have to rely on my parents then. But my parents might be at work so I won't be able to do that.
"I can't get to work and I can't get to go out with my friends or anything so it'll be difficult. When I leave school I won't be able to go to college without relying on my mum and dad."
In Scotland, more people use buses than any other form of public transport. The services are mostly run by hundreds of private bus firms.
Unite has pointed to changes being made in England which give powers to councils to regulate buses.
Pat Rafferty, the union's Scottish secretary, has argued that this could lead to a much better service for rural areas.
"You can't have it that you're handing over such a vital service to the community to a private sector firm and allowing that firm to dictate what it will and won't do in terms of that service to the public," he said.
"It needs to be expressed and stipulated and a control given and regulations given to local authorities and the Scottish government about what you are required to do as part of that tender process."
Unite took its petition to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday.
The convener of the Public Petitions Committee, Johann Lamont, said "compelling evidence" of problems facing bus users had been presented.
"While bus companies are subsidised to the tune of Â£2.6bn, routes have dropped by 26 million since and fares are up by 18% since 2007," she said.
"Meanwhile, 40% of bus income comes from the public purse, and more journeys by bus are made than any other form of transport, with lower income groups and communities particularly targeted by reduced services.
"There is clearly an issue here on the level of public subsidy for a service which, based on the evidence we have heard, does not adequately serve the public."
A spokeswoman for the Scottish government said: "The Scottish government is committed to improving bus services and the workings of the current regulatory framework, and look to work in partnership with bus operators and local transport authorities to improve bus services.
"Whilst we have no plans for wholesale re-regulation we do want to see more people using our public transport networks.
"That is why we continue to work with users and stakeholders to see where we can improve funding and regulation, including via the upcoming Transport Bill."


Dundee have made goalkeeper Elliot Parish their eighth signing of the summer.

The 27-year-old agreed a one-year contract after leaving Accrington Stanley as a free agent at the end of last season.
Dundee have already signed Scott Allan, Glen Kamara, Lewis Spence, Sofien Moussa, Jack Hendry, Roarie Deacon and Randy Wolters.
Parish will challenge number one Scott Bain for a starting place in goal.
A graduate of Aston Villa's youth set up, and a former England under-20 international, Parish impressed Dundee manager Neil McCann during a trial spell.
After spells at Cardiff, Wycombe, Bristol City, Newport County, Blackpool and Colchester, Parish made 16 appearances for Accrington Stanley last season.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


The bells at York Minster have been silenced because the volunteer bell-ringers have been sacked.

All 30 volunteers were told by York Minster that bell-ringing activity had "ceased with immediate effect".
A spokesperson for York Minster said their "agreements were terminated" for a fully trained professional team led by a new head bell ringer.
The Minster said: "The main bells will be silent until we have recruited a new team in the New Year."
Volunteers were immediately denied access to the Minster's bell tower, the BBC understands.
York Minster confirmed key fobs had been withdrawn from the current volunteers, for "safety reasons as the Minster has to know who can access the building at any time".
In a letter sent to all the volunteers on Tuesday, the Reverend Canon Peter Moger said the Minster's key objective was to "have a fully trained, motivated and engaged community of staff and volunteers" by 2020.
"In order to begin this process, all current bell ringing activity will cease at the Minster, from today, Tuesday 11th October. The only exception is the ringing of the carillion."
Mr Moger said applications to join the new bell-ringing team would be "invited from everyone".
He said he wanted to bring the bell ringing team "in line with other teams across the organisation" following similar changes to its flower-arranging, brodery, collections and its police teams, which were "all adopting new structures and embracing new working practices.


Greenpeace has called on Russia to release a ship seized in the Arctic with 30 activists on board.

The Russian coastguard is towing the ship towards the city of Murmansk, a journey expected to take several days.
Four of the Greenpeace activists had tried to board a Gazprom oil rig on Wednesday, to protest against drilling.
Russia accused Greenpeace of violating an exclusion zone around the rig, but the group said its ship was in international waters.
Greenpeace published photos that it said showed Russian security personnel in balaclavas confronting the activists with guns and knives after abseiling from helicopters onto the Dutch-flagged Arctic Sunrise.
Greenpeace says planned drilling at Gazprom's Prirazlomnaya rig in the Barents Sea threatens a unique and fragile environment - a claim denied by Moscow.
"The safety of our activists remains our top priority and we are working hard to establish what is facing them," said Ben Ayliffe, head of Greenpeace International's Arctic oil campaign.
"They have done nothing to warrant this level of aggression and have been entirely peaceful throughout," he said.
Greenpeace dismissed claims that a safety pod on the ship in any way resembled a bomb.
The group of activists being held includes six Britons.
A spokeswoman for the Murmansk region's border guards told local media that the Arctic Sunrise's captain had already been questioned, and the activists were being taken to court for "further legal procedures".
The Russian foreign ministry earlier accused the group of "aggressive and provocative" behaviour.
Moscow also said that its coastguard vessel had to fire warning shots across Arctic Sunrise.
The Gazprom project is Russia's first effort to extract oil from the Barents Sea.
Prirazlomnaya is scheduled to begin production by the end of the year. Russia's economy and its recent growth depend to a large extent on income from its huge oil and gas deposits.


Jason Smyth enjoyed a comfortable passage to the T13 200m final at the World Para-athletics Championships by cruising to a heat win in London.

The Irish sprinter clocked 21.86 seconds on Monday night with Poland's Mateusz Michalski second in 22.19.
Smyth was back in action at the London Stadium a day after securing a fourth world title in the T13 100m.
Meanwhile, Ballyclare's James Hamilton finished sixth in the T20 1500m final in a season's best of 4:01.78.
The Great Britain runner was over eight seconds behind winner Michael Brannigan of the United States.
Smyth will race for 200m gold in Tuesday night's final.
The visually-impaired athlete from County Londonderry was a double Paralympic gold medallist at the same stadium in 2012.
Smyth is unbeaten at Paralympic level since beginning his international career at the 2005 European Championships.
Meanwhile, Ballyclare's James Hamilton will compete in the T20 1500m final later on Monday night.


Ask most people what they know about nuns, and many will have formed their impressions from the cinema: from The Sound of Music, to Philomena or The Magdalene Sisters, and Sister Act.

Those portrayals fail to offer much of a clue as to why the number of nuns joining convents in England and Wales is on the rise.
Recently, the Catholic Church said the number of women becoming nuns here had reached a 25-year high, with the number of women taking holy orders rising to 45 last year. Many are aged 30 or under.
That may not seem like many, but it stands in stark contrast to the global decline in women entering religious orders.
Figures in 2013 showed the number of nuns fell from a million worldwide in 1973 to just 710,000.
So what has been happening in Britain, and what makes women in the modern world choose to take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience?
One reason may be the concerted effort by the Catholic Church here in recent years to demystify what nuns do, and to explain what life in monastic orders actually means.
Outreach and communication clearly help, but the Church believes there is something more profound going on.
Father Christopher Jamison, the former Abbot of the Benedictine Abbey at Worth, is the Catholic Church's national vocations director, and has overseen the revitalisation of its appeal to young people.
"There is a gap in the market for meaning in our culture," he says.
"Increasingly, young people find Christian faith filling that meaning gap, and for a smaller number of those, 'religious life' has a tremendous appeal because it leads them to the heart of human life today: to the heart of working for the poor, leading a balanced life and a great conviction that there is more to life."
The figures show a rise for enclosed or contemplative orders, as well as for active or apostolic ministry, and the work can vary immensely within both.
Some nuns in London can find themselves at the sharp end of social need in the modern world.
Some even accompany police on raids of brothels to help women who have been trafficked, while others work with the poor and the marginalised, or with elderly people.
0530: Vigils
0830: Lauds
0900: Mass with Terce
1220: Midday Prayer
1800: Vespers
1950: Compline (followed by Adoration Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday)
Those in enclosed orders are not completely cut off from the world, but they do devote themselves to contemplation and prayer, rising at 05:00 to start the day with vigils or matins at 05:30.
Sister Walburga, 35, became a Benedictine nun at St Mildred's Priory at Minster Abbey in Kent, where she leads a simple life as part of a small community.
She was a social worker who felt her calling to religious life grow stronger.
While she was thinking about her vocation, the Catholic Church offered her the chance to stay with the sisters there to see if it would be the right life for her.
"When my vocation really became strong, my boyfriend and I split up so I could explore it.
"My family thought I'd be locked away and miserable, but when they saw I was here and I was happy, they've come round," she says.
"Some of my friends were slightly bemused. One friend said to me that she didn't realise that nuns existed any more."
The rhythm of life is rather different for Roisin McGrogan, a novice with the Faithful Companions of Jesus in a convent in London.
Roisin is among the 27 women who joined active orders last year, working outside the convent, helping homeless and vulnerable people in the UK or abroad.
Roisin, a 27-year old Irishwoman with an infectious smile, came to this ancient calling in a very modern way, using an internet web app to explore her options.
"Vision Vocation Match" allows would-be nuns to answer an internet questionnaire, to narrow down which religious order would suit them best.
Roisin agrees that it's a little like using an online dating site to find the perfect partner.
"I tried that too, but I found it less effective," she says, laughing.
"When you're looking for a life partner, or one love, it's to sustain you and to enable you to become the best person you can be ideally.
"And this is another way of falling in love: with great hope and great promise."
That is a feeling echoed by Theodora Hawksley, an equally engaging novice who was a theologian and academic, and is now writing a book on peace-building.
At the age of 29, she has become a novice with the Congregation of Jesus in north London.
Her work also involves helping homeless people, as well as taking part in the daily life of the convent, cooking and gardening.
I ask how she deals with the knowledge that she will no longer have the chance to marry or have children.
Her answer is direct and unhesitating.
"Yes, of course, that is going to hurt at various times. But in the same way as when you prune a plant, it encourages it to grow and flourish in different ways, that's ideally what should happen when you cut off one possibility of love.
"When you are chaste, other parts grow, and may be more flourishing, more welcoming to others.
"If our society is obsessed with money, sex and power and the games people play with them, then vows of poverty chastity and obedience represent a profound freedom.
"That's what has drawn me to religious life.
"It's not a fleeing from the world - it's a finding your place in it."
Whether a life of religious contemplation or participation in good works, both traditions of monasticism for Catholic women are clearly enjoying a fresh flourishing in Britain today.


The Royal Navy may ask US squadrons to fly off its new aircraft carrier following delays to its new F35B fighters, BBC Newsnight has learned.

MoD insiders said the US Marine Corps would be offered the use of HMS Queen Elizabeth for flight operations.
The UK plans to have its first F35 squadron operational by 2018, but Newsnight has learned that there may be further delays.
The MoD said it was not aware of any further delay to the timetable.
The plan is for one squadron of British F35s to be ready for service at sea by 2021. But even if it is achieved, it will create a gap of years where the Queen Elizabeth is ready but British squadrons are not.
For the past year defence analysts had been expecting the MoD to order 14 of the new jets.
In February, Newsnight was told that it would be placed "within days". But persistent doubts about the F35's enormously complex software, and an engine fire this summer caused successive delays to the decision.
When the British purchase was announced, last month, it was for just four of the planes. The MoD says that this order will allow trials to start from the Queen Elizabeth on time with "UK F35Bs, flown by UK pilots".
But the slowdown in the expected purchasing rate is bound to delay the aircraft's entry into squadron service, say defence insiders.
Former chief of the defence staff General Lord Richards told Newsnight that asking US jets to fly from the Queen Elizabeth would be a sensible way of bridging the gap between the carrier being completed, and a British squadron of jets being available.
He said: "If we can catch up using American aircraft in the intervening period that would make good sense."
He denied that it was humiliating for Britain not to have its own jets ready when it comes into service because the ships could be used for different functions such as carrying helicopters or troops.
However, the MoD said on Wednesday that it was "not aware" of any further delay to the timetable for the first operational squadron.
Even if the timetable is kept, senior naval officers are nervous that a gap in capability during 2018-2021, coming at a time when the defence budget will come under fresh pressure after the next general election, could damage their chances of keeping the two new carriers, which they regard as central to remaining a "first division naval power".
With a Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) expected to get under way in 2015, the huge ships, which have long been the subject of controversy in Whitehall, are likely to come under fresh scrutiny.
Newsnight has been told that many decisions relating to the new ships, including such questions as their communications fit, are now being put on hold until the SDSR. Naval chiefs are therefore determined to get them to sea with a credible looking complement of aircraft on their decks, as soon as possible.
An MoD spokesman said: "The Lightning II [F-35B] Force will be manned by Royal Navy and RAF pilots and we can be clear that aircraft used for the first Class Flying Trials in 2018 will be UK F35Bs, flown by UK pilots.
"We are also working closely with our key allies, specifically the US Marine Corps and the US Navy, to regenerate our carrier strike capability and we will seek further opportunities to do so in the future."


Swansea's planned £1.3bn tidal lagoon project is "in danger of not happening", an MP has warned.

Tonia Antoniazzi said more than £200m of investor funding was currently only available until Christmas, calling on UK ministers to back the scheme.
The Gower MP said some of the company's staff were working a four-day week.
The government has said it needs time to assess the lagoon's merits but investors have warned it risks stalling unless a green light is given soon.
Ms Antoniazzi was speaking at a Westminster Hall debate about the Queen's Speech and Wales.
"Recent reports have stated the tidal lagoon is in the most precarious position since its inception," she said.
"It is in danger of not happening. Funding is available until Christmas, what's going to happen then?"
Ms Antoniazzi said more than £200m had been "provisionally committed" by investors "ready to raise hundreds of millions more to fund the project".
"David Stevens, the founder of Admiral Insurance, has recently said if there's no evidence that the government is committed at some point the patience of investors will be exhausted and he is right," she told MPs.
"So Swansea tidal lagoon investors have now reportedly decided to delay their investment - we have to have the go ahead.
"It's reported staff have been asked to cut back to four days working week and unless the government acts, in the words of Stevens, an opportunity will have been lost and it will be very hard to piece together the future of my constituency."
UK ministers have said they are considering the recommendations of a review by former energy minister Charles Hendry, which backed the plan.
Last week a spokesman said: "We will require time to assess the merits of such a programme and determine what is in the best interest of the UK energy consumer and taxpayer in the long term and will publish its response to the Hendry Review in due course."


Actress Dame Judi Dench has been diagnosed with a condition that can lead to blindness, she has revealed.

The Oscar-winning star told the Daily Mirror she had age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and struggled to read scripts or recognise faces.
But the 77-year-old has had some treatment and is hoping it might slow the decline in her eyesight.
AMD affects more than 600,000 Britons and last year research was published suggesting it could rise to 750,000.
Dame Judi, who is due to reprise the role of M in the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall, told the Mirror: "I can't read scripts any more before because of the trouble with my eyes.
"And so somebody comes and reads them to me, like telling me a story."
AMD, which affects the macula at the back of the eye, is the cause of more than half of registrations for blind and partially sighted people in the UK.
She said: "I've got what my ma had, macular degeneration, which you get when you get old."
Dame Judi stars as one of a group of pensioners who move to India in her latest film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which premiered in London earlier this month.
She said the worst part of the condition was not being able to see the person she was having lunch with in a restaurant.
But she said she had no plans to let it force her retirement and added: "You get used to it. I've got lenses and glasses and things and very bright light helps."
She has been chosen to narrate the film Better Living Through Chemistry, starring Sam Rockwell and Olivia Wilde as a couple engaged in an affair.
Dame Judi won a best supporting actress Oscar in 1998 for her role as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love but she is not expected to attend next weekend's Oscars.


Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has said he is committed to the club and that there is "no possibility" of him becoming the Netherlands' next manager.

Dutch coach Danny Blind's position is under scrutiny after his team's failure to qualify for Euro 2016.
Former Netherlands star Koeman, 52, said: "I like to stay, and I have after this season one year more. There's no way, no possibility [I could leave]."
"Maybe [I could be Dutch manager] in future depending on a lot of things."


Simon Webbe has credited Strictly Come Dancing with helping him with his depression.

The Blue singer, who is in the final of the BBC One competition, said it began after a short tour of Kazakhstan ended in July.
"I was a bit gutted at first because the music went quiet," he told Newsbeat.
"I didn't have an outlet so I was sitting at home and got myself into a bit of depression."
He said he realised the fans could tell he wasn't feeling himself and thought that he needed to tell them.
"Hopefully I've done that and now I am just so grateful for this Strictly team," he said.
"Even though I have been in a dance-off, they picked me up just before I went out there and danced.
"I remember it being an absolute saviour and I can't thank them enough."
In an interview with the Daily Mirror earlier this year, he revealed how he had turned to alcohol after Blue's reunion tour finished.
He also admitted property losses had led him to bankruptcy and he even thought about suicide.
The Strictly finalist said it was then that he realised he was suffering from severe depression.
But since appearing on the show, he says he feels things are looking more positive and he is looking towards the year ahead.
"Career-wise we've got two albums with Blue next year, we're signed to Sony," he explained.
"We've got our own TV show as well which is going to be launched in January, so things are looking very, very good for Blue next year."
He will also go on tour with this year's Strictly Come Dancing contestants and could potentially win on Saturday night with dance partner Kristina Rihanoff.
"What a great way to end the year, it didn't start off too well but I feel I ended on a high no matter what."
Strictly Come Dancing final is on BBC One at 18:30 on Saturday.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


A former wine bar owner who is believed to have been murdered, died from head trauma, an inquest has heard.

Nicholas Anthony Churton, 67, was found dead at an address in Crescent Close, Wrexham, at 08:20 BST last Monday.
An inquest into his death was opened and adjourned on Monday, with the provisional cause of death detailed.
Jordan Davidson, 25, will appear before Mold Crown Court on Tuesday charged with murder, robbery, burglary and offences against police officers.


South Korean tech giant Samsung says it has sold stakes it held in four other companies in order raise money "to focus on its core business".

The company has shares in four companies raising more than 1 trillion won ($888.9m; Â£681m).
The sales come as Samsung is recalling its flagship Galaxy Note 7 phone after reports of fires caused by faulty batteries.
Analysts say the recall could cost the company more than $1bn.
Samsung sold shares in US chipmaker Rambus and hard drive producer Seagate, Dutch semiconductor firm ASML and Japan's Sharp.
The firm sold off half of a 3% stake it held in ASML, and its entire stakes in the other three companies for "efficient management of assets," it said.
It had held a 4.2% stake in Seagate, 4.5% of Rambus, and 0.7% of Sharp.
On Friday, US regulators ordered a formal recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. According to Samsung, the problem affects 2.5 million devices globally, including one million in the US.
Phones in China were thought by the firm to be safe as they are equipped with batteries by a different supplier. However, reports on Monday suggested that there had been two incidents of phones in China catching fire in the past few days.
Samsung has already recalled a small batch of phones in China that had been handed out prior to the official launch in the country for testing purposes. It is not clear whether the two phones affected were from that batch.


Chris Froome will carry a lead of two minutes 38 seconds into the final competitive Tour de France stage after tracking Nairo Quintana's late attack to finish third.

Colombian Quintana came second after moving clear of the Briton on stage 19's last climb to cut the gap by 32 seconds in a bid for the yellow jersey.
Defending champion Vincenzo Nibali rode clear to win the stage.
Froome's Team Sky team-mate Geraint Thomas finished well behind the pack.
The Welshman began the 138km-route from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire fourth overall but slid down to 15th as he came home 22 minutes adrift. The effects of his previous hard work and a crash on stage 16 caught up with him.
A relatively short but gruelling final day in the mountains remains on Saturday - culminating in the fabled climb to Alpe d'Huez - before Sunday's procession to the sprint around the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
Nibali broke off the front of the main pack on the Col de la Croix de Fer - 59km from home.
Froome had come to a momentary standstill on the side of the road to remove a stone caught in his brake calliper, as the Italian climbed out of the saddle to ride clear.
It is against the race's traditions to deliberately exploit a rival's mechanical misfortunes and Nibali said that he had not seen Froome slowing to a stop behind him.
Television replays showed Nibali twice glancing over his shoulder before accelerating away.
"I told him exactly what I thought of him," said Froome afterwards.
"I heard other riders could see that he turned around and then decided to attack.
"That's not in the spirit of the Tour de France and it's definitely not what this race is about."
Nibali said: "I won't repeat what he said to me, it was very harsh and unfair.
"He was very angry with me but I didn't understand what his problem was. Today the race was on, I didn't know he'd had a problem."
Tomorrow's stage offers opportunities for Quintana to test Froome's climbing abilities once again with a return up Col de la Croix de Fer before the final ascent to Alpe d'Huez.
Froome's Team Sky team-mates drifted away during stage 19; Richie Porte, like Thomas, dropped off as an early injection of pace proved too much for their tiring legs.
Dutchman Wout Poels did a fine solo job escorting Froome through the majority of the stage, and although he drifted on the final climb to La Toussuire, he will be required to do something similar on Saturday.
"It was a massive day. From the word go the racing was on," Froome told ITV4.
"All in all it was a good day to be able to tick it off with one day of racing left. Quintana put in a big attack and I opted to limit my losses and keep a bit of energy.
"Tomorrow will be full on. I'm looking forward to Alp d'Huez. It would be a dream to win there but I have to keep up with the Colombian first."
1. Chris Froome (GB) Team Sky 78hrs 37mins 34secs
2. Nairo Quintana (Colombia) Movistar +2mins 38secs
3. Alejandro Valverde (Spain) Movistar +5mins 25secs
4. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) Astana +6mins 44secs
5. Alberto Contador (Spain) Tinkoff - Saxo +7mins 56secs
6. Robert Gesink (Netherlands) LottoNL +8mins 55secs
7. Mathias Frank (Switzerland) IAM Cycling +12mins 39secs
8. Bauke Mollema (Netherlands) Trek +13mins 22secs
9. Romain Bardet (France) AG2R +14mins 8secs
10. Pierre Rolland (France) Europacar +17mins 27secs