The US has condemned the killing of seven Syrian volunteer rescuers who were shot dead in a north-western town controlled by jihadists.

Unknown gunmen attacked the White Helmet members at a base in Sarmeen, in the rebel-held  province of Idlib.
The motive for the killing remains unknown. The attackers stole two minibuses and walkie-talkies, the group said.
The US state department said it was "saddened and horrified" by the attack.
"These cowardly acts of masked men took the lives of civilian volunteers who work tirelessly as first responders in order to save lives in incredibly dangerous environments," a statement said.
The French foreign ministry also condemned the killings, while the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it was "devastated" by what had happened.
There were emotional scenes as dozens of people joined the funeral for the victims.
Sarmeen is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly al-Qaeda's official branch in Syria. The alliance described it as an "ugly crime".
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said all seven White Helmets had been killed by bullets to the head.
The White Helmets say they are non-partisan, but critics, often supporters of President Bashar al-Assad  and his ally Russia, allege links to jihadist groups and have long claimed that the organisation fabricates reports and rescues.
They were the subject of a recent Netflix documentary and nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.


Nottingham Forest club captain Chris Cohen has signed a one-year contract.

The club's longest-serving player last week said the deal was almost done, but would not be finalised until after Forest knew if they would still be in the Championship next season.
Cohen scored one of the goals in the 3-0 win over Ipswich Town on Sunday which secured second-tier survival.
The 30-year-old joined Forest from Yeovil Town in 2007 and has played 302 games for the club.


A failed £18m tidal energy project in Pembrokeshire stopped generating electricity after just three months because of a fault, its operators have admitted.

Tidal Energy Ltd went into administration in October, but the 400KW, 39ft high turbine in Ramsey Sound, had not worked since March.
Development director Chris Williams defended the research project.
The Welsh Government said a buyer was being sought.
Mr Williams said the DeltaStream device was never intended to generate massive amounts of electricity, but it did work for a period of time after its installation in December 2015.
The scheme received £8m in EU funds but market forces had led to the company's financial struggles causing its collapse, he previously revealed.
Mr Williams, who is helping with the firm's administration, said the device had developed "an intermittent fault with an active sonar" in about March which was part of the system's marine monitoring equipment.
The sonar was used to detect nearby wildlife, analysing the possible impact on marine mammals.
But when the fault developed, the project was no longer able to detect a potential collision and the turbine could not operate within its licence.
A mechanical defect also later developed on the turbine which would have prevented it from generating, Mr Williams explained.
He said this happened before the firm went into administration.
"The project was a research and development project. It was never put in the water to generate massive amounts of electricity," he added.
"The purpose of the project was to provide the essential learning, new knowledge, knowhow and experience to progress the industry in Wales."
"What we set out to do we did, 100%," he said.
Mr Williams also said a £1.4m grant offer from the UK government to remove the turbine to carry out improvements during the summer, was turned down "because we were looking for new funding".
Tidal Energy Ltd had received £7.99m of EU structural funds to develop, build, deploy and test the tidal device.
The money was provided through the Welsh Government's EU funding agency, the Welsh European Funding Office.
The Welsh Government also invested £49,000.
In a written answer to a question from Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies, Economy Secretary Ken Skates said there are a number of marine technology companies who have an interest in purchasing the company's assets, including the Ramsey Sound test site.
Mr Davies described the situation as "extremely concerning".
"The first minister once hailed the development of the turbine a 'landmark project' for Wales. It is sad and deeply frustrating to think of it now broken on the ocean bed," he said.
A Welsh Government spokeswoman said a buyer was being sought.
She added: "Tidal Energy Ltd's EU funded project did achieve its primary objective and has provided a significant amount of learning to the sector and the local supply chain.
"This has helped make Wales a key player in the developing marine energy industry and we are keen to build on this success. "


Gareth Bale is set to make his first appearance since November after being passed fit for Real Madrid's match at home to Espanyol on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Wales forward has been out since having surgery on ankle tendon damage suffered in November.
Wales' next match is a 2018 World Cup qualifier against Republic of Ireland in Dublin on 24 March.
"He will be in the squad and the plan is for him to have some minutes," Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said.
Madrid are top of the Spanish league by one point from Barcelona, but Zidane's side have two games in hand. Barca play at home to fourth-from-bottom Leganes later on Saturday.
"Bale is a very important player for us. We know the quality and speed that he has, and the damage he can cause the opposition," Frenchman Zidane added.
"He's very happy to return to the team, to be with us, and be able to play again."
Espanyol, managed by former Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores, are ninth in La Liga, 17 points behind Madrid.


Lego has said it is reversing its policy on bulk purchases and will no longer ask customers what they want to use the bricks for.

The U-turn follows a recent controversy involving Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
In October last year, Ai accused Lego of censorship when it refused to sell its bricks directly to him.
The company said its policy was to reject requests if it believed the bricks would be used to make a political statement.
Ai is known for his criticism of the Chinese government as well as for being one of the world's leading contemporary artists.
He wanted the bricks for an artwork on political dissidents. The artist ended up using "fake" bricks donated to him by the public for an exhibition in Melbourne, Australia.
Ai appeared to react to Lego's decision on Wednesday by posting a picture on Instagram of a young boy sticking bricks onto his face, accompanied by a grinning emoji caption.
When Lego first refused to sell a bulk order of plastic bricks to Ai Weiwei in September, he's thought to have kept the news to himself. But a few weeks later, the announcement that a new Legoland theme park would open in Shanghai led the artist to reveal Lego's decision to stay away from projects that had a "political agenda".
It was a surprising decision by Lego. After all, Ai Weiwei had used Lego before. He created a series of portraits of political dissidents that appeared at an exhibition in Alcatraz prison in 2014.
Back in October, the artist tied Lego's financial interests in China with its decision to refuse his order. His accusation has some merit: KIRKBI, the private Danish company that owns the Lego brand also owns a significant amount of shares in Merlin Entertainment, the British company that operates Legolands around the world.
China is Lego's fastest growing market and the company wouldn't want to irritate Beijing. However, as Lego might attest, few would want to battle the feisty Ai Weiwei.
In a statement posted on its website on Tuesday, Lego said it used to ask customers ordering bulk purchases for the "thematic purpose" of their project, as it did not want to "actively support or endorse specific agendas".
"However, those guidelines could result in misunderstandings or be perceived as inconsistent, and the Lego Group has therefore adjusted the guidelines for sales of Lego bricks in very large quantities," it said.
As of 1 January the company will instead ask that customers make clear the group does not support or endorse their projects, if exhibited in public.
Lego's earlier decision to refuse Ai's request angered the artist, who accused the company of censorship and discrimination, and of attempting to define political art.
The artist told the BBC he welcomed Lego's change of heart.
"I think Lego made a good move, I think this would be a small victory for freedom of speech."
The artist also linked Lego's stance with business interests in China.
The controversy sparked a public backlash resulting in supporters around the world offering to donate toy bricks.
Ai set up "Lego collection points" in different cities, and ended up making a new series of artworks based on the incident as a commentary on freedom of speech and political art.
Correction: This article was changed to make it clear that Ai Weiwei's Melbourne exhibition used non-Lego bricks.


Police sketches are a standard part of detective work, particularly in violent crimes.

A sketch or e-fit based on an eyewitness description, together with information about height, build, age and ethnicity can help lead police to a suspect.
But how many of these details could be obtained from blood or DNA left at a crime scene?
Predicting a person's outward traits from genetic information is a newly emerging field in forensics. Scientists have already developed ways of testing for traits such as age and eye colour and are working on others for skin colour and even facial dimensions.
This research effort could yield new tools to help identify unknown DNA profiles at crime scenes.
The current approach, known as genetic profiling, involves comparing crime scene DNA with that from a suspect or with a profile stored in a database.
But as Manfred Kayser from Erasmus University in Rotterdam points out, the person either needs to be among a pool of suspects identified by the police or have their profile in a DNA database.
"If both are not true, you can have the nicest DNA profile in the world but you cannot do anything with it," he told BBC News.
On Tuesday, Professor Kayser and colleagues published details of genes that predict the probable hair colour of an unknown individual.
In September 2010, the Dutch researchers outlined a method for estimating the age of a person from blood drops. The group has also developed a test for predicting eye colour.
Professor Kayser, who is chair of forensic molecular biology at Erasmus Medical Center, describes his team's work as "the full monty, starting from basic science up to a validated tool (test) that can applied in forensics".
Meanwhile, Mark Shriver, an anthropologist at Penn State University, US, has been working on the genetics of skin colour.
"We have mapped four of the major genes which determine skin colour between African and European populations," he told BBC News, adding that his group is working towards a forensic test based on the markers.
Dr Shriver says he is also working with a company on an instrument that could be used by forensic officers to test for phenotypic traits "on-site", or at a crime scene.
But Dr Peter Gill, a former DNA specialist at the Forensic Science Service (FSS) now based at the University of Strathclyde, comments: "All these markers are never definitive because they are multi-genic (determined by multiple genes).
"So you have to put a probabilistic estimate on what the presence of a gene means."
One of the most intriguing - and challenging - areas of research into phenotypic markers concerns the genes that determine the shape of a person's face.
"There are some candidates, but it's quite questionable how good these candidates are. The knowledge is very limited," Professor Kayser told BBC News.
One way Professor Kayser and his colleagues are searching for these candidates is by studying the genetics of disorders that affect the face. Scientists can then study the influence those same genes have on normal facial variation.
Another approach, he says, is to search the genome for small variations that occur more frequently in people with particular facial types. This type of search is known as a genome-wide association study.
Mark Shriver is also working on the genetics of facial proportions and has uncovered candidate genes. His work, which is being prepared for publication, suggests that single genes can exert a strong influence on the shape of the face.
A scenario where forensic scientists extract a facial image from crime scene DNA and then match it to a passport photo remains science fiction, says Professor Kayser.
But, he says: "If you can limit a large or infinite group of people - namely everybody - to a smaller group of people, namely those who fit the appearance descriptions you can currently get out of forensic samples, you can at least concentrate some of the leads which would otherwise be 'into the blue'."
Different traits are influenced to a different degree by the environment: "Grey hair can be affected by environment, whether you spend time in the Sun can obviously affect your features; height can be affected by nutrition," Dr Gill explains.
But according to Manfred Kayser: "If you estimate heritability from twin studies, you end up with about 80% heritability [for height]. That would argue that it is strongly genetic."
He adds: "It turns out that there are lots and lots of genetic factors. So far, we know of about 200, but I am pretty sure there will be more than 1,000 parts of the genome that contribute to final height."
"Therefore it's more difficult to find them all to develop the final tools with the more DNA markers they include. Perhaps we will never be able to predict from DNA height as accurately as we can for eye colour. But that needs to be seen."
Peter Gill says the available tests for appearance traits are hardly used at present: "These are small steps along the way. I think it's going to be quite a long time before we get something that can be used in anger."
Dr Gill, who, along with Sir Alec Jeffreys and Dr Dave Werrett, published the first scientific paper on applying DNA profiling to forensic science, adds: "There are certain cases where the police are absolutely desperate for any information whatsoever.
"But there may be serious limitations offered by the sample. If you are trying to do multiple tests, for example, you may simply not have enough of the sample."
He says that even when a comparative test yields no match in a database, police have other options such as familial searching. This involves looking for a close, rather than exact match, in a DNA database. Such matches can turn out to be family members of the unknown person.
But information about ethnic background can also refine descriptions of an unknown person. And using DNA to extract details of a suspect's geographical ancestry has already been put to use in a number of cases.
During the investigation into the 2004 Madrid train bombings, scientists used DNA from a toothbrush to identify one of the suspects as North African in origin. Conventional DNA analysis later led police to a suspect, an Algerian man who is still at large.
In the case of a Louisiana serial killer, eyewitness descriptions and psychological profiling initially directed police towards a white male suspect. But when DNA from a crime scene was analysed using a test developed by Dr Shriver, the results showed the killer was probably African-American.
While ancestry testing can be an important tool, researchers say its limitations must be recognised.
Manfred Kayser says ancestry markers can - at best - trace an individual to a broad region:  "Human migration history has produced no sharp genetic borders and no sharp appearance borders," he explains.
In 2009, the UK Border Agency launched a pilot scheme under which DNA from asylum seekers would be analysed in an effort to deduce their true nationality and curb bogus asylum claims.
The project drew criticism from Sir Alec Jeffreys, who called the proposal "naÃ¯ve and scientifically flawed".
At the time, the Home Office responded that DNA testing would not be used alone but would be combined with language analysis and investigative interviewing techniques.
Overall, Mark Shriver says he is encouraged about the future for phenotypic testing: "I definitely think there are a lot of cases that could be assisted by this kind of information.
"It's a shame there isn't more support for this type of work," he adds, citing profit margins as one of the major reasons.
He adds: "There's the chance to make this huge contribution, protecting people who will be killed if this person continues on their path."
Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk


The UK advisor to two Chinese firms which signed a memorandum of understanding with the Scottish government says talks have taken place over specific projects.

Nicola Sturgeon had insisted that no firm investment plans had been agreed.
Sir Richard Heygate said there were hopes for affordable housing projects totalling 5,000 homes in Edinburgh, Falkirk and Ayrshire worth £500m.
He said work backed by the "squeaky clean" firms could start "this year".
There was controversy over the investment memorandum with SinoFortone and China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group after it emerged Norway had blacklisted the railway group's parent firm over corruption fears.
Opposition parties also criticised the way information about information had "dripped" out, with the agreement only coming to light after it was reported in Chinese media.
Ms Sturgeon earlier insisted that the memorandum signed in March was only to "explore opportunities", saying there were "no actual proposals" on the table.
Speaking in Drumchapel on Friday, Ms Sturgeon repeated that there were "no specific projects agreed".
She told BBC Scotland: "We discussed areas where we are going to explore whether there are specific projects but there are no actual agreements for investment in any particular project at this time.
"If there are specific proposals for investment coming forward, they will go through normal due process and due diligence."
However, in an interview with BBC Radio Scotland, Mr Heygate said work could begin on some projects within a year.
Mr Heygate said the proposed housing development at Loudoun Castle in East Ayrshire includes a biomass power station, potentially worth another £300m.
He said a large railway project had been identified, which he was unable to give details of. He also said there had been talks about setting up a management team with the Scottish government, a major accountancy firm and local construction partners.
He did stress that the memorandum of understanding signed with the first minister in March was not legally binding, but said he considered her enthusiastic about a deal.
He said: "She was absolutely positive right from the start. We presented a number of particular projects in affordable housing, clean energy, developing new industrial parks and infrastructure, and she went straight for the ones which are most important.
"She said the two I want to focus on are affordable housing and clean energy. And I want to push those and I want to get moving, I don't want this to be another initiative which is just talked about and take forever, I want to get something moving this year."
Asked about concerns about China Railway Group which led the Scottish Liberal Democrats to call for the deal to be "torn up", Mr Heygate insisted the firms would not be put off.
He said: "We could not be more squeaky clean in terms of backing from the very top of the Chinese state.
"I have no idea what this thing refers to, but the companies we're dealing with, you could not be more A*** in terms of backing, right up to the president of China.
"Saying we should tear something up which is not a legal agreement just sounds crazy to me, it's just jealously, political back-biting."
Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie called on Ms Sturgeon to release minutes of the meetings held with the Chinese firms.
He said there was a clear conflict between what Ms Sturgeon had said about the memorandum and the comments made by Mr Heygate.
Scottish Labour said Ms Sturgeon had "misled Scots" over the "secret deal with China".
Public services spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: "The fact that discussions have been going on for a year without SNP minister providing any detail is extraordinary.
"This deal stinks and it has done from the very beginning. It's time for the SNP to stop the ducking and diving - Nicola Sturgeon should order the full publication of all documents relating to this deal, going as far back as a year ago when talks first began."


French government ministers have revealed details of their personal wealth as part of efforts by Francois Hollande to regain public trust.

The statistics were posted on a specially created website on Monday, on the orders of Mr Hollande.
The move followed the scandal surrounding former Budget Minister Jerome Cahuzac, who is charged with tax fraud over a secret bank account.
Mr Hollande's popularity ratings have plummeted in the wake of the scandal.
Each of France's 37 ministers is required to publish details of their personal finances.
The list of assets includes details of bank accounts, life assurance policies, property and other expensive items such as cars, art works and antiques.
The BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris says the exercise is designed to be eye-catching, and dispel some of the public disenchantment with politics that has developed in recent weeks.
Jerome Cahuzac caused shock earlier this month when he admitted he had hidden about 600,000 euros (£509,000; $770,000) in a Swiss bank account, having repeatedly denied it.
He resigned from his government position and is now being investigated for tax fraud.
By Hugh SchofieldBBC News, Paris
For politicians of both left and right, the obligation to declare their wealth fosters a presumption of collective guilt which is entirely unjust.
Mr Cahuzac, they say, should be seen as what he is: a grotesque exception.
And others argue that the president has simply missed the point.
What really counts in assessing ministers' integrity, they say, is not so much assets as interests.
In the UK, for example, (contrary to what the French government is saying) there is no obligation for government ministers to publish what they own - only to reveal those interests which might clash with their responsibilities.
Interests, in other words, are public. But assets should be private.
And forcing politicians to make their personal possessions public could persuade many a would-be MP that it's not worth the humiliation.
MPs worry as assets published
President Hollande has also been embarrassed by revelations that his former Socialist Party treasurer, Jean-Jacques Augier, held personal investments in two offshore companies in the Cayman Islands.
The scandals have further damaged Mr Hollande's credibility among the French public.
But politicians from the left as well as the right have derided the president's demand for ministers to reveal their wealth - details of which emerged in the days leading up to Monday's deadline.
Health and Social Affairs Minister Marisol Touraine, said her declaration would show about 1.4 million euros (£1.2m; $1.8 million) in assets, based primarily on several properties in Paris.
The junior minister for the disabled, Marie-Arlette Carlotti, said she had two apartments and a house in southern France, worth a total of 565,000 euros (£482,000; $740,000).
Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti said she owned a 70-square-metre (750-square-foot) flat in Paris, adding more light-heartedly that she also possessed a David Beckham T-shirt.
Housing Minister Cecile Duflot, of the Greens, revealed she owned a house worth 168,000 euros (£143,000; $219,000) and two cars - a Renault Twingo worth 1,500 (£1,200; $1,900) euros and a Renault 4L, worth 10,000 francs at the time of purchase in 2000.
On his list, Industrial Renewal Minister Arnaud Montebourg declared a designer lounge chair worth about 4,000 euros (£3,400; $5,200).
Mr Hollande's approval ratings were already suffering as a result of France's continuing economic problems, but have since nosedived.
When he was elected less than a year ago, he promised voters a government that would promote morality and integrity in public life.
In an apparent effort to regain the political initiative, Mr Hollande's government is also planning to table new laws obliging all members of parliament to declare their assets.
It also has plans for a special prosecutor to focus on corruption, and tougher penalties for those found guilty of fraud.


An Egyptian centre that helps alleged torture victims and documents their cases has vowed to continue to work despite an order for it to shut down.

Officials had given the Nadeem Centre until Monday to cease activities, saying it had breached regulations.
The group has filed an urgent appeal against the decision.
Rights groups have criticised Egypt for its crackdown on dissent, amid a surge of reported torture of detainees. Officials deny the allegations.
El Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence has operated since 1993, providing support and counselling to victims of torture.
The organisation was due to be closed last Wednesday accused of violating unspecified health ministry regulations. But authorities agreed to delay the order to give it time to contest the decision.
Aida Seif al-Dawla, the group's director, said the move to close it was political.
Human rights groups have criticised the measure, saying it comes at a time when enforced disappearances are on the rise and amid growing concern about allegations of torture by the police and intelligence services.
Activists accuse security forces of torturing detainees and of detaining suspected activists or militant Islamists without reporting their arrests, allegations rejected by the government.
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi led the military's overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, following mass protests.
Since then, as many as 40,000 people are estimated to have been detained. The US-based Human Rights Watch describes the crackdown as "ferocious".
More than 1,000 protesters, mostly Islamists, have been killed on the streets.
Egyptian officials deny that the Arab world's most populous nation has returned to the repression of the past.


The environment secretary says she is "absolutely committed" to ensuring that British farmers have access to migrant workers after Brexit.

Andrea Leadsom said the government would ensure the food and farming sectors have the labour they need but the details were not settled yet.
Mrs Leadsom also said that leaving the EU will allow the government to slash "ridiculous" farming red tape.
Critics are worried that these plans will damage key wildlife protections.
Around 60,000 seasonal workers come to the UK each summer, mainly from eastern Europe.
Many crop growers depend on these labourers to plant, pick and pack a variety of fruit and vegetables. Mrs Leadsom acknowledged that this was a key issue and was worrying farmers across the UK.
"I've heard this loud and clear around the country, whether in Herefordshire, Sussex, or Northamptonshire, and I want to pay tribute to the many workers from Europe who contribute so much to our farming industry and rural communities," she told the Oxford Farming Conference.
"Access to labour is very much an important part of our current discussions - and we're committed to working with you to make sure you have the right people with the right skills."
Mrs Leadsom said she has spoken "very directly" to the Home Office about the issue and there would be "announcements in due course".
Pressed on the issue, she said "you are asking me to go into the specific policy details which we don't have as yet but rest assured this is being looked at very closely".
Mrs Leadsom also said that dealing with red tape and farm inspections was costing British farmers around 300,000 hours and Â£5m a year.
Leaving the EU would give Britain the chance to define its own rules and get rid of some of the bureaucracy that farmers find frustrating.
Among the targets would be the so-called three crop rule. This requires around 40,000 UK farmers to grow three different crops on their land each year to qualify for their subsidies.
Supporters say that the imposition boosts conservation and helps fight climate change. Many farmers believe it is unfair as it limits their ability to grow more of the most profitable crop in any given year.
Mrs Leadsom also took aim at other elements of the current regulations that many farmers find irksome.
"No more six foot EU billboards littering the landscape," she said. "No more existential debates to determine what counts as a bush, a hedge, or a tree. And no more, ridiculous, bureaucratic three-crop rule."
The Environment Secretary also indicated that the number of direct inspections of farms would be cut with greater reliance on aerial photography.
Farmers hit by floods would have to fill in far fewer forms she said. UK land managers would "grow more, sell more and export more great British food whilst upholding our high standards for plant and animal health and welfare," Mrs Leadsom said.
While Mrs Leadsom's speech was welcomed by many farmers, critics were worried that the proposed rollback of regulations would damage the environment.
"Our worst fears about a post-Brexit farming landscape are being realised," said Molly Scott Cato, a Green party MEP.
"Rather than using the opportunities offered by Brexit to encourage a move towards a diverse and ecologically sustainable farming system, this government seem determined to dive headlong into encouraging damaging monocultures."
The UK receives around Â£3bn a year in direct support to farmers and the government have indicated they will guarantee similar support until 2020. There was strong criticism that Mrs Leadsom didn't address the question of what will happen after 2020 in her speech.
"Andrea Leadsom has said nothing about the two most important questions facing UK farmers - whether they will still have access to the single market and what subsidies they can expect to receive post-2020," said Kate Parminter, the Liberal Democrat environment spokeswoman.
"Warm words about wanting to increase British food exports will be meaningless if farmers are faced with a 50% tariff on beef and a 30% tariff on lamb to sell into their biggest export market."
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Families of passengers from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 have told the BBC that Malaysian authorities seem to be ignoring possible new evidence.

Two trips to Madagascar to pick up what might be debris from the plane have been cancelled at the last minute, according to the man that found them.
The potential clues have been left untouched for weeks, with no prospect of them being gathered and examined.
"Credible evidence is turning up, why are they not investigating it?" Grace Subathirai Nathan told the BBC.
Her mother, Anne Daisy, was on MH370 when it disappeared in March 2014.
"From day one we've had the notion they want an end to it, to sweep it under the rug. How can potential evidence be unattended for a month? It's becoming a farce."
American Blaine Gibson sold the family home to fund his own search for parts of MH370. Having found one piece in Mozambique that investigators say is "almost certainly" from the plane, he travelled to Madagascar where he uncovered more potential evidence.
Blaine says a Malaysian investigator was initially due to fly to Madagascar to retrieve the debris on 16 June. That was then changed to 21 June. A press conference was lined up, then the trip was cancelled at the last minute.
Blaine even offered to take the finds to Malaysia himself but says his offer was turned down.
Grace is not the only frustrated MH370 family member.
"It's been nearly a month, but the Malaysian response has been bordering on indifferent", K S Narendran, known as Naren, told the BBC.
"The point is, these are all pieces of a puzzle, that pieced together might tell us a story." Naren lost his wife Chandrika on the plane.
The official reason is that they don't have enough money for the trip, but Naren suspects something else.
"I wonder if it's just a way to bring it to a quiet close."
The Australian Transport Safety Board told the BBC: "Australia is leading the underwater search for MH370 but it is Malaysia, as the investigating body, that retains authority for coordinating the examination of debris."
The BBC contacted both the Malaysian authorities and ICAO, but was unable to get a response.
The few pieces of MH370 that have emerged so far have told us nothing about why the plane crashed. So why is it so important to collect more?
"Their examination can reveal information about how the aircraft hit. For example, are all the pieces from the left or right side of the aircraft?" said Anne Evans, an accident investigator with the highly respected British Air Accidents Investigation Branch for 23 years.
She told the BBC that debris could answer other questions too.
"Was the aircraft intact when it hit the water, so do we have pieces from the entire fuselage, front and rear? Although the information gleaned from these items may be extremely limited given their small number, the documentation and analysis of all pieces can still yield some clues".
It's important to note than these Madagascan finds may have nothing to do with MH370, although various experts I've spoken to suggest there is a good chance at least some are from the plane.
"I don't understand why they won't even take a look at it," Naren said. "I understand members of my family won't come back, but it doesn't take away my need to know. I wonder if the families have become an afterthought or an irritation."
Grace, who runs a support group for the families, says they have tried to raise the issue elsewhere.
"We have written to the ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization - the UN body in charge of aviation] but they don't write back. The Malaysians shun us."
"We have absolutely no communication with investigators. We still don't know what they found from analysis on the flaperon [the first confirmed piece of MH370 debris to be found]."
They are also upset that the Malaysian government recently said that the possible personal effects found in Madagascar were nothing to do with the plane. "How do they know" Grace said, "without examining them?"
Where confirmed or suspected MH370 debris was found
1. A section of wing called a flaperon, found on Reunion Island in July 2015 - confirmed as debris in September 2015
2. Horizontal stabilizer from tail section, found between Mozambique and Madagascar in December 2015
3. Stabilizer panel with "No Step" stencil, found in Mozambique in February 2016
4. Engine cowling bearing Rolls-Royce logo, found in March 2016 in Mossel Bay, South Africa
5. Fragment of interior door panel found in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius in March 2016
6. Fragments including what appears to be a seat frame, a coat hook and other panels found on Nosy Boraha island in north-east Madagascar.
Grace and Naren both support the expensive, complex and dangerous sea search now combing the ocean floor six days sail from Australia. But that could be wound up in a matter of weeks or months.
If no new clues come to light, the Malaysian and Australian governments have said they will call it off.
That is why the families want the search extended, to the beaches on the other side of the Indian Ocean, where more than two years later, the only solid clues to this whole mystery are washing up.
Grace says not knowing what happened is torture.
"My biggest fear is that the whole thing will be forgotten. We've all gotten' worse in our own way, we need to be able to understand something before we can accept it".
Naren says if you don't solve the mystery, you can't stop it happening again: "Do we have to wait for more unfortunate incidents to bring the focus back?"


Asisat Oshoala scored four goals as Nigeria began the defence of their women's Africa Cup of Nations title with a 6-0 drubbing of Mali in Limbe on Sunday.

The Player of the Tournament at the 2014 edition was in a class of her own as she terrorised the hapless Malian defence.
USA-based Francisca Ordega and Uchechi Sunday also scored as the Super Falcons sent out a chilling warning to their rivals.
The Group B game produced a slow start as both sides struggled to find their rhythm.
But the complexion of the match changed after 22 minutes when Ordega - the Washington Spirit midfielder - struck to give Nigeria the lead.
The Super Falcons grew in confidence after that and were in complete control for the rest of the game.
Poor defending contributed to the second goal as the Malians failed to clear their lines and the ball fell to Oshoala.
The Arsenal Ladies forward kept her cool and rounded the goalkeeper Goundo Samake before slotting the ball into an empty net.
Just after the break, the Nigerians were awarded a penalty following a foul on Osarenoma Igbinovia.
Sunday made no mistake from the spot and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.
The game was effectively over as a contest.
Three more goals from Oshoala gave the Nigerians a dream start as they bid for an eighth African title.
Nigeria's next game is against regional rivals Ghana on Wednesday.
Black Queens make winning start
In Sunday's other game in the group Ghana beat Kenya 3-1.
It was Kenya who opened the scoring through Esse Akida in the 23rd minute when she found herself in space inside the area after a neat build up and made the most of her chance to beat the keeper.
But Ghana fought back and, after having an early goal ruled out for offside, they equalised on 50 minutes when Samira Suleman scored with a diving header.
The Black Queens then went ahead through a controversial penalty for handball - skipper Elizabeth Addo keeping cool to convert the spot-kick.
And Ghana sealed victory with their third goal when Portia Boakye glanced home a header from free-kick swung in from the left.
Next up for Ghana is Nigeria while the losers Kenya and Mali also meet on Wednesday in Limbe.


A farmer who left a calf to die in a boggy field has been fined £5,000 and banned from keeping cattle for five years.

Detlef Meier, 63, of Maybole, South Ayrshire, had earlier admitted causing unnecessary suffering and failing to ensure the welfare of his animals.
He was sentenced at Ayr Sheriff Court following an investigation by animal welfare group the Scottish SPCA.
The charity said more than 20 of his cattle were found to be malnourished.
Inspectors who visited his property in January last year discovered one calf had died after becoming trapped in mud, the charity said.
Chief inspector Karl Knowles said: "This was a shocking case of severe neglect.
"Meier had failed to provide suitable nutrition and drinking water, adequate shelter from adverse weather, and a dry clean resting area and protection from the deep muddy hazardous environment he knew his animals were enclosed within.
"Upon inspecting the property, over 20 young cattle were identified as severely underweight due to inappropriate feeding methods, whilst another young calf had to be physically removed from a muddy bog area where it had become trapped and died.
"We are delighted the court has handed this sentence down, and hope Meier seriously considers his suitability to own and care for bovines in the future."


A baby girl who died at just two days old would have survived if her mother had been given a caesarean section sooner, a hospital trust has admitted.

Delilah Hubbard died on 9 March in the neonatal unit at Leicester Royal Infirmary.
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust has admitted making a series of mistakes that led to her death.
Delilah's mother, Clara Bassford, said it was "heartbreaking" to discover the death was preventable.
Ms Bassford, 25, of Coalville, Leicestershire, had been classed as having a high-risk pregnancy because her two previous children were born prematurely.
She also suffers from ulcerative colitis, which can lead to complications during pregnancy.
On 6 March, she had visited Leicester General Hospital for routine monitoring, but whilst there her waters broke and she was admitted to the ward and kept in overnight for monitoring.
The next morning she noticed she had a small bleed and that Delilah was not moving.
Ms Bassford informed the midwives but she had to wait some time before they examined her.
Delilah's heart rate was not properly recorded for a further hour and 40 minutes, because a heart monitor was not positioned correctly.
Once the monitor was adjusted, it became apparent Delilah's heart rate was unusually high with periods when it dropped very low, meaning she was in distress.
It was then a number of hours before Delilah was delivered. She was then transferred to Leicester Royal Infirmary, but died two days later.
Joan Morrissey, midwifery matron at University of Leicester NHS Trust, said: "In light of the mistakes that were made in the way Delilah's birth was managed we know that an apology can never undo what happened.
"Nevertheless, we are deeply sorry for the mistakes that were made."
The trust also admitted Delilah would have survived if Ms Bassford had been given a caesarean section sooner.
However, the trust said it was likely that she would have suffered significant permanent disabilities.
Ms Bassford said: "I am still trying to come to terms with losing my little girl and to now find out that there were a number of failings by the staff caring for me and Delilah and that this could have been prevented is heartbreaking.
"I feel that there were several points when action should have been taken to ensure the safety of both Delilah and me. They did not seem to be concerned by the dips in Delilah's heartbeat and there did not seem to be any urgency in taking me down for a caesarean section."
Source NHS Choices


A close friend of a man who drowned in a County Tyrone river has said he wants to raise awareness of the dangers of water following recent warnings.

Dale Alexander, 21, died in June 2009 while swimming with friends in the River Mourne at Sion Mills.
Northern Ireland Water and the Quarry Products Association have asked people to stay away from areas that are not usually open to the public.
They said that despite warm weather, the water can be bitterly cold.
Brendan Winters, chairman of Strabane Lifford anglers, said his childhood friend had fallen victim to the cold temperatures despite being an experienced swimmer.
"Dale had swam across the river got out of the water and spoke to people on the far side. As he was swimming back his body went into shock," Brendan said.
"From reports, his body went into shock as a result of his core temperature dropping on the first swim over the river.
"On that day, there were life ropes and rings absent from where there were positioned along the river and possibly that could have helped save his life.
"Dale is never far from my thoughts. I wouldn't wish that on any other family or for anyone else to have to lose a friend like that."
Brendan said Dale, whose wife was pregnant at the time, had spent his youth swimming in the river and was an experienced angler.
"He spent all his youth here, but it just goes to show you that regardless of how well you think you know water, it's really dangerous. You should never become complacent.
"Sadly, Dale had two young sons born after he drowned. It's terrible to think they never saw their father," he said.
Michael Bergin of NI Water, said people need to take precautions.
"Understandably, a reservoir can look like the perfect place to cool down, and while it may look safe, it can be very dangerous," he said.
"You may swim well in a warm indoor pool, but that does not mean that you will be able to swim in cold water."
A 2010 inquest into Mr Alexander's death heard that his life could have been saved had life-saving equipment been in place.


A Dundee businessman jailed for cheating the government out of millions in VAT payments has failed in an appeal against his conviction.

Shahid Ramzan claimed he was wrongly convicted of cheating the taxman out of more than £5m.
The 42 year old was jailed for nine years in 2012 after he was convicted of crimes including hiding criminal property worth more than £20m.
His appeal was rejected at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh.
Lawyers acting for Ramzan said mistakes had been made during the judge's final speech to the jury during his original trial, which dealt with a complex series of financial transactions.
However, judges ruled that the trial judge had not misdirected the jury, and that Ramzan's conviction was safe.
A full written judgement will be issued later this year.
Ramzan began trading from the bedroom of his Broughty Ferry home with only a telephone, a computer and a fax machine before building up a global financial network. Prosecutors claimed his international dealing was a cover for his real business, exploiting loopholes in VAT regulations.
He was found guilty of five charges including evading, either alone or with others, VAT payments of £5,611,839 between October 2002 and July 2004, and transferring or hiding "criminal property" of £20,610,213.


More than 150 people have gathered in Glasgow for a second vigil to remember murdered Irish student Karen Buckley.

The event in the Garnethill area, where Miss Buckley lived, follows a vigil on Friday attended by hundreds of people, including the young woman's family.
The 24-year-old's body was found on a farm near Glasgow last week, four days after she went missing on a night out.
Alexander Pacteau, 21, has appeared in court charged with the Cork woman's murder and was remanded in custody.
Mr Pacteau, from Glasgow, made no plea or declaration during the private hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
Saturday's gathering to remember the student was entitled Vigil For Our Neighbour Karen Buckley.
Miss Buckley was studying at Glasgow Caledonian University and shared a flat on Hill Street, which borders the park where the event is taking place.
Organisers said they wanted to give local people a chance to remember one of their neighbours "who didn't get to come home".
Candles were being lit in the shape of a triskele - a Celtic triple spiral - in recognition of Miss Buckley's Irish roots.
On Friday, Miss Buckley's family, friends and fellow students were among about 300 mourners at a candlelit vigil held in Glasgow's George Square.
A piper played as mourners laid flowers and others sang Scottish and Irish songs before a minute's silence was held. Cards and messages were also left.
Miss Buckley's parents Marian and John, and her brothers arrived towards the end of the vigil and looked at the tributes.
Mr and Mrs Buckley earlier visited Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) where their daughter was studying occupational health.
A special prayer service was held near her home in Mallow on Wednesday, and a fundraising page set up by Miss Buckley's former classmates to support her family has raised more than £50,000.


John Anderson has been ruled out of Ireland's third one-day international against Afghanistan on Thursday.

Anderson must undertake return to play protocol after suffering a blow to the head while batting in Tuesday's second ODI between the sides at Stormont.
Anderson scored 26 batting at three in his sixth ODI appearance for Ireland.
Afghanistan beat the hosts by 39 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series after the first game between the sides was abandoned because of rain on Sunday.
Leinster Lightning captain Anderson was struck on the helmet by a Shapoor Zadran bouncer in the 30th over of Tuesday's match, and has since shown symptoms of a concussion.
Before being available for selection again, the 33-year-old must complete a return to play protocol so his availability for the remaining fixtures on Sunday and Tuesday has yet to be determined.
Anderson will remain part of the squad in Belfast during his recovery.


Businesses, charities and voluntary organisations are being urged to ensure they comply with new rules on tackling the gender pay gap.

Conciliation service Acas has published guidance to offer "practical advice" to firms before the rules come into force.
From April, companies with at least 250 employees will have to publish the differences between men's and women's salaries
ONS figures show the gender pay gap for full-time workers in the UK is 9.4%.
The pay gap, when all types of contracts are taken into account, stands at 18.1%, the Office for National Statistics says.
Acas says the new regulations will affect around 8,000 companies.
Acas chief executive Anne Sharp said the new rules gave organisations an opportunity to look at the issue in depth and consider whether they could do more to develop talented women and "secure the benefits of greater gender diversity at all levels".
The advice from the organisation shows the calculations that have to be carried out and the regulations companies will have to follow from April.
Equalities minister Caroline Dinenage said publishing pay gaps would help make them a thing of the past.
She said: "No-one should ever be held back just because of their gender. We now have the lowest gender pay gap on record but we still have to push further.
"Shining a light on the gaps is absolutely key to achieving equality in the workplace."


We are in a city deep in the Amazon rainforest, at the point where Brazil meets Colombia and Peru.

The Brazilian town of Tabatinga vies for size and importance with Colombia's Leticia. While on the Peruvian side - across the mighty Amazon River - is the tiny hamlet of Santa Rosa. Together they form a unique 'triple town' known as Tres Fronteiras.
Though far from the glamour cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro - the engines of Brazil's economic miracle - Tabatinga is experiencing a period of extraordinary growth. This is a city with three universities, a deep-water port, and an international airport - all built within the last five years to serve a population that has doubled in size since 2000.
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Tabatinga is now more than a match for its neighbour Leticia, though the capital of Colombia's Amazonas state has also changed beyond recognition in recent years.
Three decades ago, this was a key staging post in Pablo Escobar's narco-trafficking network. The man who engineered this network for Escobar - Evaristo Porras - built his personal mansion here, painstakingly reproducing the Carrington Family home from the TV series Dynasty.
The mansion is now a ruin, though others have been turned into boutique hotels. Tourism is booming in Leticia, and helping to fill the void left by the collapse of the cartels with honest dollars.
The Peruvian side of the trio is very much the junior partner. With a population of only around 600, Santa Rosa is not much more than a single street. There's a handful of cevicherias, or fish restaurants, where tourists staying in Tabatinga or Leticia come to sample Peru's famous cuisine.
But no running water, electricity or other basic services. This may soon change as the Brazilian economic miracle sucks in more and more cheap imports from Peru.
Among these imports is illegal timber. Deforestation rates on the Brazilian side of the border have fallen dramatically in recent years, according to government figures. But rates in Peru have increased - leading some to accuse Brazil of merely outsourcing the problem to its neighbours.
Meanwhile the cocaine trade hasn't gone away, and there are rumours of a new strain of the drug - allegedly genetically modified - that's able to grow in lowland areas like the Amazon basin as well as in its native highland environment.
Together with illegal distilleries, drug smuggling and deforestation threaten the survival of indigenous communities living in the forest surrounding our square mile. With hardwoods fetching up to $3,000 (Â£1,850)  (per tree, and a kilo of cocaine worth about the same, the temptations are immense.
To protect themselves and their forest, the Huitoto people have taken policing into their own hands with the formation of the Indigenous Guard. Armed with sticks, they patrol the forest and report any wrongdoing to the police.
But the nature of the territory does not make things easy for them - with its thousands of small rivers and streams, our square mile is a smuggler's paradise, and Tabatinga is still thought to be the main point of entry of cocaine into Brazil. Behind the development success story, the old sources of wealth are still going strong.


Egypt's public prosecutor says 48 suspected members of so-called Islamic State (IS) have been referred to a military court in connection with three bombings of Coptic churches.

Thirty-one of the suspects are in custody while the others are still at large.
More than 70 people died in suicide attacks against churches in Cairo in December and in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria in April.
IS said it carried out the bombings.
In a statement on Sunday, public prosecutor Nabil Sadek said some of the suspects were leaders within IS and had formed cells in Cairo and the southern province of Qena to carry out the church attacks.
He said the militants were also responsible for killing eight police officers at a checkpoint in Egypt's Western Desert in January.
The attack in December killed 29 people at Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church in central Cairo, close to the headquarters of Coptic Pope Tawadros II.
In April, 45 worshippers celebrating Palm Sunday died in attacks at St George's Coptic church in Tanta and St Mark's in Alexandria.
IS has threatened more attacks on Egypt's Coptic Christians, who make up 10% of the population.
Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi announced a three-month state of emergency after the attacks in April.
The Coptic Orthodox Church is the main Christian Church in Egypt. While most Copts live in Egypt, the Church has about a million members outside the country.
Copts believe that their Church dates back to around 50 AD, when the Apostle Mark is said to have visited Egypt. The head of the Church is called the Pope and is considered to be the successor of St Mark.
This makes it one of the earliest Christian groups outside the Holy Land.
The Church separated from other Christian denominations at the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) in a dispute over the human and divine nature of Jesus Christ.
The early Church suffered persecution under the Roman Empire, and there were intermittent persecutions after Egypt became a Muslim country. Many believe that continues to this day.
More about the Coptic Orthodox Church


Colombian police chief Gen Rodolfo Palomino has resigned a day after the prosecutor general said he would open a "disciplinary investigation" into allegations Gen Palomino created a male prostitution ring within the force.

The general is also under investigation for alleged illicit enrichment and conducting illegal wiretaps.
Gen Palomino said he had asked President Juan Manuel Santos to be allowed to retire.
He said he was "absolutely innocent".
Gen Palomino served in the police for 38 years and was made director-general of the police force two-and-a-half years ago.
Standing next to his family, he said that he was "not guilty of any of the charges levelled against me" and that he was confident the investigation would clear his name.
The investigation was triggered by allegations by a police captain who said he had been abused by higher-ranking officers during his time as a cadet.
Colombia's prosecutor general, Alejandro Ordonez, said that allegation had been backed up by a complaint by a now retired police captain.
According to the complaint, young male police cadets were cajoled and threatened into having sex with higher-ranking officers.
Mr Ordonez said that according to the testimony gathered by his office, a senator had also allegedly been implicated in the prostitution ring, called "Community of the Ring".
He also said that the alleged incidents had taken place "with the help and complicity of police officials, including the director general [Rodolfo Palomino]".
The wiretapping accusations also relate to the case. Police officers allegedly tapped the phones of journalists investigating the scandal.
Although the prostitution ring allegations emerged a few years ago, it was the radio journalist Vicky Davila and her team at La FM Radio who brought them to wider attention in the last few months of 2015.
I met her and one of her producers in December, when she told me how an anonymous source contacted her via email to tell her she was being followed and her conversations tapped.
Her producer, Juan Pablo Barrientos, told me how on one occasion he was working on his computer on a story about Gen Palomino when he suddenly saw the cursor deleting everything he had written.
Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre confirmed in December that Ms Davila and her team were being wiretapped and spied on by Colombia's National Police. But he also said that Gen Palomino was not being investigated in connection with the wiretaps, involvement in which he has always denied.
Gen Palomino has all along denied any wrongdoing.
He has also denied allegations of illicit enrichment and has provided prosecutors with documents which he says show where his money and properties come from.
He said the allegations were a political vendetta designed to drive him out of office.


Antrim got their Division 2A Hurling League campaign off to a winning start as 10 points from Ciaran Clarke helped them see off London 0-20 to 0-13.

The Saffrons led 0-9 to 0-6 at half-time at Corrigan Park and six unanswered points after the break put the game out of London's reach.
Seven of Clarke's points came from frees while Conor McCann hit 0-3.
Jack Sheridan's last-minute goal helped Kildare beat Armagh 1-18 to 1-15 in their Division Two A contest.
Armagh led 1-7 to 0-9 at half-time at the Athletic Grounds.
In Division 2B, Down were hammered 4-21 to 1-10 by Christy Ring Cup champions Meath at Navan with Kevin Keena, Sean Quigley, Adam Gannon and Anthony Forde getting the home team's goals.
Derry, meanwhile, got their Division 2B campaign off to a winning start as they edged out Mayo 1-14 to 1-13 at Castlebar.
WEEKEND ALLIANZ HURLING LEAGUE RESULTS
Sunday
Division 1A
Kilkenny 0-17 1-15 Waterford
Division 1B
Offaly 1-12 6-23 Galway
Kerry 3-14 0-19 Laois
Wexford 1-14 0-14 Limerick
Division 2A
Antrim 0-20 0-13 London
Armagh 1-15 1-18 Kildare
Westmeath 1-11 1-11 Carlow
Division 2B
Roscommon 0-7 2-17 Wicklow
Meath 4-21 1-10 Down
Mayo 1-13 1-14 Derry
Division 3A
Donegal 2-23 1-14 Louth
Tyrone 1-11 3-15 Monaghan
Division 3B
Longford 2-13 0-7 Fermanagh
Saturday
Division 1A
Tipperary 1-24 1-8 Dublin
Cork 0-21 1-11 Clare
Division 3B
Warwickshire 3-9 3-8 Sligo


A campaign aimed at reducing people's risk of developing dementia by 60% is to be launched by the Welsh Government.

It said more than 42,000 people are currently being treated for the disease in Wales.
The Dementia Risk Reduction Campaign will be launched on Friday, with a 10-day road show visiting large shopping centres and employers.
Its aim is to encourage people to live healthier lifestyles.
The campaign follows research by Prof Peter Elwood at Cardiff University, who found a healthier life can reduce a person's risk of getting early onset dementia.
His study - over 35 years looking at people in Caerphilly - found a "huge benefit".
Last month, the Alzheimer's Society said experts fear numbers of sufferers could rise by 40% in the next 10 years.
Dementia is now the leading cause of death in England and Wales, with the charity saying it costs Welsh society Â£1.4bn a year.
One man who has started living a healthier lifestyle is Norman Parselle, 47, from Newport, who lost both his parents to dementia.
He joined a walking football club 18 months ago to improve his physical and mental health and said: "Who knows what's around the corner for any of us?
"But I do know that lack of physical activity, isolation and depression can contribute to the decline of people with dementia, so keeping fit and active, and socialising with friends may reduce the risk of getting dementia."
In Dr Elwood's Caerphilly Cohort Study, he looked at the lifestyle habits of middle-aged men from 1979 to 2014.
He monitored factors that contribute to diseases like cancer and dementia, like smoking, diet and  exercise.
One participant was Leighton Jones, 82, who believes a healthy lifestyle is why he has so far avoided serious health problems, including dementia.
He credited his wife's home cooked meals and the couples' lifelong love of physical activity.
"Longevity of life is useless unless you have quality," he said.


St Johnstone will discover on Thursday if they have been successful in their appeal against the bookings for Graham Cummins and Chris Kane for simulation during Saturday's 1-0 win over Hearts.

Saints plan to make a full submission to the SFA on Tuesday.
Manager Tommy Wright told the club's website: "We fully support the game's authorities as they attempt to clamp down on this aspect of the game.
"In both these cases we feel that the players have been wrongly cautioned."
The cards had come after Wright suggested Hearts players were guilty of going down too easily.
Cummins was booked by referee John Beaton after 15 minutes at McDiarmid Park, but the Irishman went on to score the only goal of the game 12 minutes after half-time.
He was replaced by Kane late in the match and the substitute was shown his yellow card eight minutes after coming on.
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An award-winning photographer is to spend nine days on buses in Ipswich, taking photos of local people.

George Georgiou, whose previous destinations include Turkey, Serbia and Ukraine, has not visited the town before and says he has no preconceptions of what it will be like.
"The only thing I know about Ipswich is the football club," he said.
"Every journey will be a complete exploration and mystery to me, which is the perfect way to approach something."
Georgiou's residency on the buses around Ipswich is a continuation of a project he did in his hometown of London, and before that a study of people on public transport in Ukraine following the 'Orange Revolution' protests.
"I travelled through Ukraine on buses, trains, trams, and trolley buses - photographing people going to work, going home," he said. "If you take the bus you end up going into areas you have no reason to normal go into."
His photos from the buses in London show people carrying about their daily routines, and are intended to leave the viewer with room for their own interpretation.
"The things I'm really interested in are those fairly every day mundane things, but they're so loaded with meaning," Georgiou said.
"They're open-ended scenarios, what I call little micro dramas, or mini soaps. There's an image where you're looking into a pub - it's like a film scene but you imagine the scenario yourself."
Georgiou will arrive in Ipswich on Monday and the resulting photographs will feature in the PhotoEast festival, which launches in May.
"Ipswich will be really interesting - the whole place will be new to me," he said.
"I used to research projects before I went but I found that over the years you're going in there with a preconceived idea of the place, and I think you're further away from the truth."


More than £4m of extra government funding for Dorset is not enough to stave off cuts to youth and bus services, councillors have warned.

The cash is part of an extra £32.7m which is being made available to rural councils across England.
Dorset County Council had expected to save £13m for 2016-17, but changes to government funding in November meant it needed to find an extra £7m of cuts.
Therefore, it said the £4.1m funding did not change its proposals.
The authority is currently looking to save £500,000 from a review of rural bus services and last month it approved plans to remove funding for 22 council-run youth centres to try to save £1m.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said it was providing transitional funding to councils of £150m - with £32.7m for rural authorities - over the first two years of the Spending Review period, as they move towards local financing through council tax and business rates, instead of government grants.
The move came after consultation with local authority leaders, including in rural areas where it was argued they were not as well funded as those with major towns and cities.
Conservative-led Dorset County Council leader Robert Gould said the extra funding meant no more "knee-jerk decisions" would be made in the current financial year.
However, he said it still faced a "challenging situation" and pledged to lobby the government for a better long-term deal.
Liberal Democrat opposition councillor Roz Kayes said the extra cash "clearly isn't enough".
"The government has got to take responsibility," she added.
"It keeps passing the deficit on to local government and expecting them to cope, and it's got to the point of no return."
A DCLG spokesman said Dorset County Council was forecast to have more than £1bn to spend between now and 2020. including in "transitional funding" and rural grants.
He said the government was "providing a long-term funding settlement for the first time allowing local authorities to plan with certainty".
"With councils accounting for a quarter of all public spending they need to continue playing their part in reducing the deficit," he added.


Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu has promised to boost security along the country's border with Syria, after 30 people were killed by a bomb in the town of Suruc.

Investigators think the blast was caused by a female suicide bomber from the Islamic State group.
Correspondents say Turkey is cracking down on the militants, after previously being accused of ignoring them.
But the blast triggered violent protest in Istanbul, with police using water cannon, teargas and rubber bullets.
Friday's bomb hit a group of youth activists planning to cross into Syria to help rebuild the town of Kobane.
A video shows the group holding a news conference to discuss their plans, when an explosion rips through the young people - mostly of university age - gathered in the grounds of a cultural centre.
They had been chanting slogans and were holding a large banner with the words "We defended it together, we are building it together."
Kobane is just across the border from Suruc and has been the site of fierce fighting between IS and Kurdish fighters.
It was retaken by the Kurds in January. Suruc houses many refugees who have fled the fighting in Kobane.
Kobane: Inside the town devastated by fight against IS
The attack took place just before noon local time (09:00 GMT). Around a hundred people were injured.
Mr Davutoglu said initial findings suggested it was the work of IS.
"Turkey has taken and will continue to take all necessary measures against Islamic State," Mr Davutoglu told a news conference in Ankara.
"We are face to face with a terrorism incident. We have the willpower to find and certainly punish those who are responsible."
"Measures on our border with Syria... will be increased," he added.
BBC Middle East correspondent Jim Muir says Turkey has been widely accused of turning a blind eye to IS activities, but recently it has been cracking down harder on the militants and this may be one reason for the attack.
The country's leaders seem likely to toughen their line even further in its wake, he adds.
There were large scale demonstrations in cities across the country.
Protests in Istanbul and Ankara turned violent as police clashed with protesters.
A witness told the Reuters news agency that hundreds of protesters in Istanbul chanted slogans accusing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of collaboration with IS.
Earlier in the day, the president condemned the attack.
"On behalf of my people, I curse and condemn the perpetrators of this brutality," he said while visiting Cyprus. "Terror must be condemned no matter where it comes from."
A spokesman for the White House condemned the attack and expressed "solidarity with the Turkish government and the Turkish people".


Pakistan-born all-rounder Azeem Rafiq has signed a contract with Yorkshire until the end of the season.

Rafiq, 25, has played with Yorkshire's second team recently and is now able to play in all formats for the county.
Meanwhile, seamer Josh Shaw, 20, has been recalled from his loan spell at Gloucestershire with immediate effect.
"Josh's loan spell has helped with his development and this is clear to see from the wickets that he has taken," said director of cricket Martyn Moxon.
Shaw has taken 19 first-class wickets so far this season for Gloucestershire.
Rafiq first played for Yorkshire as a teenager in 2008, and stood in as captain in 2012, but was released at the end of the 2014 season.
Moxon added: "With Liam Plunkett and David Willey being called up to the England one-day international squad and, with injuries to Ryan Sidebottom, Matthew Fisher and Jack Brooks, our seam bowling resources are stretched.
"An option is in place for Josh to return to Gloucestershire at some stage during the season."


A Nottingham MP is to challenge the government over plans to almost halve the funding for a project which improves social housing in the city.

Lilian Greenwood, Labour MP for Nottingham South, has questioned housing ministers about reductions to the Decent Homes programme.
She said the coalition was to cut the remaining project from £91m to £45m.
The government said the funding was the highest allocation for anywhere in the country outside of London.
The Decent Homes initiative was established by the Labour government in 2000 and is provided through Nottingham City Homes.
Ms Greenwood has secured an end of day adjournment debate in Parliament on the future of the programme.
The move follows the
          publication of a report by Nottingham Trent Business School
in March, which found that the housing projects have reduced the energy consumed by council properties and cut burglaries by up to 42% on some estates.
The study also found the housing scheme had improved people's health.
The Nottingham South MP said: "Thanks to Nottingham Trent University's study we have hard evidence that Labour's Decent Homes programme led to real, measurable improvements to the quality and security of homes in Nottingham and made life better for council tenants and the neighbourhoods they live in.
"I hope that Tuesday's debate will draw attention to the important work that Nottingham City Homes is doing, and the need to protect funding for future improvements."
Communities Minister Andrew Stunell said: "Despite inheriting a huge economic deficit, we are committed to investing over £2bn in the Decent Homes programme to bring 127,000 council homes up to standard.
"In recognition of the large number of homes they have in disrepair, Nottingham City Homes has confirmed funding of over £40m funding, with a further funding of £46m to be confirmed in due course - the highest allocation for anywhere in the country outside of London.
"This is on top of £78m for new homes and regeneration in the city.
"Nottingham Trent University's study shows the important economic and social benefits that this programme can bring, which is why we remain committed to the Decent Homes programme."


Sir Elton John likened a steward to Hitler as she tried to stop crowds from surging forward during a gig.

The pop legend lost his cool during his performance at Gloucester's Kingsholm Stadium on Sunday.
The steward incurred John's wrath for trying to stop people with cheaper tickets blocking the view of concert-goers at the front who had paid more.
But sorry turned out not to be the hardest word, with John later getting her on stage and apologising.
Stewards at the stadium, which is the home of Gloucester Rugby, were faced with the problem of some people moving to the front and blocking the view of others at the gig, which was supposed to be seated.
The lack of crowd control has been criticised by fans, but promoter Marshall Arts, which was responsible for the stewarding, refused to comment about it.
During the concert, the legendary singer-songwriter told the stewards to "lighten up".
He told them: "These people have come here to hear music so if they want to put their hands in the air, let them."
In an expletive-laden rant, John went to say it was "not China" and he picked out a female steward, telling her: "You put a uniform on and you think you're Hitler - well you're not."
Moments later the woman could be seen on the big screen walking away from the stage area, while people cheered the Rocket Man writer's outburst.
Steven Ward, from Tewkesbury, who attended the event, said: "This [concert] was seated, there were disabled people who were sat on our aisle who couldn't see, obviously they couldn't stand up to see the stage.
"There were people fighting to get a view of what they were trying to look at and, for some reason, the stewards brought out barriers to try and stop people, but that made them worse because they congregated by the barrier."
Gloucester Rugby's commercial manager, Mike Turner, said: "The Elton John concert is a stadium hire so Elton brings on his own stewards.
"Our stewards man the corporate areas and everything else is manned by the production company Elton uses.
"The stewards did their best to bring the concert back to how it should be."
A spokesman for Marshall Arts said the concert had been a great success but she would not comment on any aspect of the stewarding, which she said was subcontracted to another company.


A new round of US election polls have shifted momentum behind Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the three-month dash to November.

Seven national polls conducted after the close of the Democratic convention last week showed the former secretary of state receiving an average increase of nearly 7% compared with her pre-convention support.
Mrs Clinton's favourability ratings have also improved, rising to an average of four points to 41% in recent polls.
Though a larger share finds her unfavourable at an average of 53%, it is still four point less than it was before the convention.
But do the recent batch of surveys paint an accurate picture of what will happen when voters head to the polls in November?
Not quite, according to experts and pollsters.
While Mrs Clinton has gained a comfortable lead over Mr Trump, it will take more than polling to determine who will end up in the Oval Office.
With hundreds of surveys tracking the election, US polls tend to be good at gauging American opinion, according Clifford Young, the president of US Public Affairs for Ipsos polling.
"We have the luxury of large numbers," Mr Young said. "That makes it better and easier for prediction."
However, all of these polls use different methodologies to survey Americans and one of the biggest challenges is determining who actually will cast a ballot in November.
"Polling is very difficult these days," said Brendan Nyhan, an assistant professor of government at Dartmouth College.
"It's hard to get a representative sample of Americans to take a survey online or by phone, and even if you do get a good sample, it's difficult to tell who is actually going to turn out to vote."
Research has also shown polls tend to be the least accurate the further they are from Election Day.
During the early stages of the primary election, parties have yet to select their nominee while voters may not necessarily be paying attention to candidates or the issues, Mr Nyhan said.
For example, polls conducted in January 2003 showed former President George W Bush ahead of Democratic Senator John Kerry by 8% and 17%.
However, Mr Bush finished just 2.5% ahead of Mr Kerry in the popular vote, the slimmest margin of a re-elected president since Woodrow Wilson in 1916, Mr Nyhan.
Accuracy improves in the weeks leading up to the election, when people are more likely to have made up their mind, research has shown.
However, surveys released a couple of weeks after the Republican and Democratic conventions, which took place back-to-back last month, is when numbers start to become reliable, according to experts.
Party conventions are often the starting point for wider public interest in campaigns, when party officials have an opportunity to rally behind their nominee and raise awareness on campaign issues.
"The conventions help remind people what the state of the country is and which side they're on," Mr Nyhan said.
However, Sam Wang, a neuroscientist and election analyst at Princeton University, warns that only polls that specifically survey people at the beginning and end of either convention can provide an accurate picture.
Though conventions are an important election marker, Mr Wang points out the public image of a candidate can change over the course of a campaign.
Candidates often receives a "bump" or "bounce" in polls in the week following their party's convention.
For instance, candidates who are underperforming before the convention tend to receive larger bumps while candidates who are running ahead of where they are expected to be often receive smaller bumps.
The bumps, Mr Nyhan explained, helps bring the public closer to the expected outcome.
"The bounce itself doesn't necessarily determine the winner but it helps move it in the right direction," Mr Nyhan said.
But convention bounces tend to be short-lived and mainly come from party supporters.
Mr Trump enjoyed a brief post-convention bump before Mrs Clinton regained a solid lead at the end of the Democratic convention.
In fact, sometimes bounces just show how likely people are willing to respond to a survey or say they will support a candidate, but that does not mean they will show up at the polls.
While national polls can measure movement and general opinion, state polls provide a more nuanced glimpse of where voters stand.
"In a nation as ethnically diverse as the US, it's somewhat challenging to survey the whole country," Mr Wang says.
Consider the Electoral College, which assigns each state a number of electors according to its size.
The winning candidate needs to get a majority of 270 of the 538 electors to win the Electoral College vote.
In majority of US states, the winner takes all of that state's electors, which is why state polls play an integral role in election projections.
Particularly in the key battleground states such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, polls serve as an important bellwether to November's outcome.
President Barack Obama won all three of those states in 2008 and 2012.
While Mrs Clinton's bounce has given her a comfortable lead over Mr Trump, experts say whether it will stick will not be clear until the next couple of weeks.
However, her rise may be meaningful because there are not many events between now and November that are likely to change people's minds, Mr Nyhan added.
Still, the recent series of polls are more indicative in the short term of relative performance.
Mrs Clinton's bump may suggest she had a better convention performance, Mr Young said.
According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans said they were 45% more likely to vote for Mrs Clinton while 41% said they were less likely to cast their ballot for her after the Democratic convention.
In contrast, Gallup found the 2016 Republican convention marked the first time in history in which more voters said they were less likely to vote for a party's nominee after its convention.
In fact, 51% of those surveyed said they were less likely to vote for Mr Trump compared to 36% who said they were more likely to cast their ballot for him after the Republican convention.
Though Mr Wang noted this year voter attention is unusually high, the last three elections have shown less movement in polls than in previous campaign years.
"Voter polarization has gotten a lot stronger, which means voters are less and less likely to consider the other candidate," he said.
In fact, one indication is the size of the convention bounces, which have become notably smaller in recent election history.
According to Gallup, candidates saw an average convention bump of 6.2% from 1964 to 1992 while today they see an average of 3.8%.
However, Mr Young emphasises this year is a disruptive election, with campaigns marked by a stronger protest vote.
This year's forecasts must also take in account just how deeply unpopular Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump are compared with previous elections, which means it ultimately will rely on voter turnout.
"The desire to vote for neither candidate complicates things," Mr Young said. "The protest vote can have potential to really impact the outcome when it comes to the election."
As the 2016 presidential election has demonstrated, anything could happen in the race to the finish line.


Top British actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have each won an Emmy award for their roles in Sherlock.

The Emmys are the television equivalent of the Oscars in America.
Did you know:
the character of the Doctor in Doctor Who was inspired in part by Sherlock Holmes?
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The actors play Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr Watson in the BBC detective series, which won a total of three awards at the ceremony in Los Angeles.
They also performed together in the film, The Hobbit, where Freeman plays Bilbo Baggins and Cumberbatch is the voice of dragon Smaug.
Sherlock also picked up an award for writer Steven Moffat as well as the two stars.


Part of a man's ear has been bitten off during an attack by a gang of men in west Belfast.

The 31 year old was walking along Ross Street at about 02:00 BST on Tuesday when he was assaulted by four men.
One of the victim's teeth was also knocked out during the attack.
The man was treated in hospital for his injures.  Police have appealed for witnesses.


Eddie Jones believes England lack leadership figures because of the "sheltered" nature of modern sport.

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Jones says his squad has a "small and good group", but need to develop more if they are to win the World Cup in 2019.
"We need to get eight or nine guys who are consistently leaders, and we don't have that at the moment," Jones said.
"We need eight or nine to be a World Cup-winning side, and that's what we are aiming to be."
He added to BBC Radio 5 live: "I think it's a reality of the way society is - every sport faces the same problems.
"Nowadays guys don't go to university, they don't go out and work, they are in more sheltered environments such as academies."
And Jones says the England coaches are working to try to develop more figures who could potentially lead the side.
"We have a number of players now who have started individual leadership plans," Jones added. "We will see those players develop over the next period of time."
Having skippered England to an unbeaten year in 2016, hooker Dylan Hartley will again captain the side in the Six Nations - fitness-permitting - with Jones highlighting playmaker Owen Farrell as a likely replacement should he be unavailable.
"Owen makes sure the standards are kept high, as does [fly-half] George Ford," Jones said. "Certainly if Dylan wasn't ready Owen could be a very strong candidate."
Full Six Nations fixture list here


Cornwall's coroner will raise concerns with the health secretary over the care of mentally ill patients far from home.

It comes after a jury concluded the death of a man from St Austell was suicide, while undergoing care 140 miles from where he lived.
David Knight was killed by a train near St Austell after going on leave from a Somerset hospital.
The Department of Health has admitted "unacceptable" patients "are receiving care far from home".
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BBS South West Political Reporter Tamsin Melville said county coroner Dr Emma Carlyon was understood to be satisfied there was a commitment locally to continue to work hard to ensure the lowest number of patients possible leave the county for treatment.
An inquest in June heard that in May last year Mr Knight died of multiple injuries when he was hit by a train on the viaduct.
The 29-year-old had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia when he died.
A jury said his death was contributed to by an inadequate risk assessment and support while he was on leave from Cygnet Hospital in Kewstoke, Somerset.
The inquest heard Mr Knight was being treated there because there were no acute psychiatric inpatient beds available in Cornwall.
The NHS said 30 adult mental patients were placed out of Cornwall in 2015/16, 150 the year before when a key unit was closed for six months, and 60 the year before that.
The Department of Health said it had increased mental health funding to Â£11.7bn and had accepted the recommendation of the Mental Health Taskforce that the inappropriate use of out of area treatments for adults in acute care "must be eliminated by 2020/21".
"We will work to a faster timetable if at all possible," said a spokeswoman.
"We will consider Dr Carlyon's letter in detail once it arrives."


Belfast scientists claim to have developed a perfume that smells better the more the wearer sweats.

Researchers from Queen's University have created a liquid which they say releases more of its fragrance when it comes into contact with moisture.
The perfume is made up of a raw fragrance that scientists 'tagged' on to an odourless ionic liquid, which is salt in the form of liquid.
It has been designed by Queen's Ionic Liquid Laboratories (QUILL).
The perfume gives off an aroma when it comes into contact with water, allowing more of the perfume's scent to be released on to a person's skin.
The scientists say the perfume also has the ability to remove the bad odours that come from sweat. Compounds responsible for the smell are attracted to the liquid, attaching themselves to it and losing their potency.
QUILL researchers are working with a perfume development company to identify a number of products that could eventually be sold in shops.
Project leader Nimal Gunaratne said: "Not only does it have great commercial potential, and could be used in perfumes and cosmetic creams, but it could also be used in other areas of science, such as the slow release of certain substances of interest."


The need for more officers in the wake of terror attacks is tipping Staffordshire's budget "over the edge", says its police and crime commissioner.

Matthew Ellis wants more government funding for counter-terrorism and the 2% cap on how much the police can ask for from council taxpayers raised.
"Local commissioners should have the ability to raise the money that they think is necessary," he said.
The Home Office said counter-terrorism funding would rise by 30% by 2022.
Mr Ellis told BBC's Sunday Politics West Midlands he wanted to be make decisions over spending and be held to account "because the whole point of PCCs was more accountability," he said.
The Conservative PCC said day to-day policing in Staffordshire was in "a fairly good position financially" but the "additional resources that are on the streets now are tipping finances over the edge".
"I would be more than willing to have a conversation with the 1.2 million people who I represent across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and say 'guys this is why I need to put the council tax up a bit more' and then it's down to me to justify that," he said.
Ruth Smeeth, the Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove, said she would like to see funding increased at a "national level", especially as the county had "lost 501 warranted officers in the last six years".
Meanwhile, Sir Bill Cash, Conservative MP for Stone, said: " I actually do think what Matthew is saying needs to be very seriously considered and I shall be taking it back to the home secretary when I get back to Parliament."
The Home Office said last week it agreed in 2015 that overall police funding would be protected in real terms - and that cross-government spending on counter-terrorism would rise from Â£11.7bn to Â£15.1bn.


European press commentators have been taken aback at the UK High Court's ruling that Parliament must be consulted on Brexit, with many predicting further uncertainty for the UK and the rest of Europe as a result.

The front page of Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has the headline "Storm over London", above a picture of a High Court judge with his wig flapping around in the air.
"Judges put the brakes on Brexit," reads a front-page headline in Italy's Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica has "Brexit: Surprise ruling", and French business paper Les Echos says "Brexit: London's dramatic turn of events".
For Frankfurter Rundschau's London correspondent, Sebastian Border, the decision is "a heavy blow for May's government", and he sees the Brexit schedule "faltering".
The Hungarian tabloid Blikk believes the latest developments are worthy of Shakespeare, with the headline "To Brexit or not to Brexit, that is the question - parliament will decide".
French paper Les Echos, says Theresa May's government "hit an iceberg called the High Court of Justice". "Enough to sink the Brexit ship? Or just rock it slightly?" it wonders.
An article in German tabloid Bild shows a picture of a kissing couple bearing EU and Union Jack face-paint, along with the headline "Is this the exit from Brexit?"
But few commentators believe the ruling is likely to overturn June's referendum result.
L'Express describes the ruling as a "thunderbolt from across the Channel", but adds that although a delay is now likely, Brexit will still go ahead in the end.
In Italian business daily Il Sole 24 Ore, London correspondent Leonardo Maisano, says the High Court "detonated a new bomb" under Brexit, but believes MPs will ultimately not go against the "popular will expressed in the referendum".
Instead, most think the ruling only complicates an already tricky situation even further.
"Here comes the big mess," declares a headline in Germany's Zeit, whose London correspondent, Sascha Zastiral, describes the ruling as "a severe setback" for Theresa May's Brexit plans.
France's Liberation sees the decision as "not a setback for Brexit, but a stinging rap on the knuckles" for the government.
In Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, London correspondent Marcus Theurer writes that this "bitter defeat" for the PM and Leavers will "poison the political debate" in the UK, and increase the "uncertainty around Brexit even further".
Spain's El Pais also highlights the unprecedented nature of the situation, which it says takes the country into "the tricky uncharted waters of Britain's unwritten constitution".
Italian paper Il Messaggero describes the ruling as "a spoke in the wheels of Brexit" and emphasises that it is hard to predict what will happen next, as we are now "in completely new territory".
"It is not by chance that Collins dictionary has chosen 'Brexit' as the word of the year," it concludes.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring  on Twitter and Facebook.


An international arbitration panel has ruled that it can hear a case brought by the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China, involving a group of islands in the South China Sea.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, rejected China's argument that the dispute was about sovereignty - and so beyond its remit.
It will now begin hearings on the case's merits, under a UN Convention.
China's claims in the South China Sea are contested by its Asian neighbours.
The Philippines has had diplomatic spats with China over the Scarborough Shoal and Spratlys in particular, rejecting its claims to those areas.
It says China's "nine-dash line", which China uses to demarcate its territorial claims, is unlawful under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which both countries have signed.
The Philippines had asked the Hague-based panel to consider its case under the convention, which falls within the panel's jurisdiction.
The panel decided on Wednesday that it had the authority to hear seven of Manila's submissions under the convention.
The court said in a statement that it rejected the argument by China that the "dispute is actually about sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and therefore beyond the tribunal's jurisdiction".
The court instead ruled that the case reflects "disputes between the two states concerning the interpretation or application of the convention".
China has boycotted the proceedings, insisting that the panel has no authority to rule in the case.
No date has been set for further hearings, which will determine the merits of the Philippines' arguments.
China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea, dismissing claims to parts of it from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
Recently, China has begun carrying out aggressive land reclamation and construction projects on several reefs, prompting the US to call for a halt on such efforts.
Satellite images show that, among other things, China is building an airstrip on reclaimed land on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands.
China has argued that it is acting lawfully based on its sovereign rights to the disputed areas.
The South China Sea, believed to be rich in resources, is a strategic waterway through which roughly a third of the world's oil passes.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration is an intergovernmental organisation with 117 member states which was established in 1899 to encourage the peaceful resolution of disputes.


The Glasgow bin lorry inquiry into the deaths of six people has heard the driver had no references on his file and was suspended from his former job.

Glasgow Sheriff Court was told Harry Clarke was suspended from First Bus on 28 December 2010 and started work with Glasgow City Council on 5 January 2011.
Mr Clarke was at the wheel of the bin lorry when it killed six pedestrians in Glasgow city centre in December 2014.
The inquiry is examining the bin lorry, its route and Mr Clarke's health.
The court previously heard that 58-year-old Mr Clarke was unconscious at the wheel as the Glasgow City Council bin lorry went out of control on Queen Street, killing six pedestrians and injuring 15 others.
The Fatal Accident Inquiry heard Mr Clarke had his driving and lorry licences reinstated in April but they were revoked again last month.
On the seventh day of the FAI, which is being overseen by Sheriff John Beckett QC, the court heard evidence again from Mr Gellan, an area manager with Glasgow City Council's land and environmental services department.
He was questioned by Ronald Conway, lawyer for the bereaved Tait family.
The inquiry heard that on 29 April this year Mr Clarke had his car and LGV licences restored.
It was said that he was therefore deemed fit by the DVLA to get back behind the wheel of a bin lorry.
Mr Conway put it to Mr Gellan that there was never the remotest chance that the council would allow him to drive, if he made an application.
Mr Gellan replied: "We made the decision not to."
Mr Conway added: "Just because he got his licence back does not mean that you think he is fit to drive a long goods vehicle?" The witness replied: "No."
Mr Gellan agreed with the lawyers assertion that it was the council's vehicles and therefore the authority's "duty of care".
It later emerged that Mr Clarke had both his licences revoked again in June.
Correspondence from 2009 was later read to the court in which Mr Clarke appealed against a formal final warning from his then employer, First Bus, over his attendance.
The First Bus response rejects his appeal and appears to tell Mr Clarke that his attendance was "unsatisfactory" and lists his absences.
Mr Conway said that if this was accurate it would have made Mr Clarke a "deeply unattractive candidate" for a council driving job.
The lawyer asked Mr Gellan if he would have hired Mr Clarke based on this evidence.
The witness replied that he could not make an assumption but all the evidence he had been shown "would be taken into consideration".
Mr Conway then asked if Mr Gellan had asked himself last night: "How on earth did we hire this man?"
The witness replied that he did think about it.
During Mr Conway's cross-examination, it later emerged that there were no references on Mr Clarke's employment record with Glasgow City council.
This led to the lawyer stating to Mr Gellan: "Someone has blundered, either at First Bus, or at Glasgow City Council carrying out a grossly incompetent employment process."
The inquiry later heard from Geraldine Ham, a human resources manager with Glasgow City Council.
Ms Ham told the FAI that some "council paperwork" on Mr Clarke had not yet been found, adding: "Sometimes documents are misfiled."
She told the court that Mr Clarke was taken on as an "assisted support for learning driver". This involved driving children to and from school during term time.
Mr Clarke's paper application form, which was dated July 2010, was then shown to the court.
It stated that he obtained his LGV licence in 1984 and did his Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) in 2009. He also had three penalty points on his licence.
In the application for the council bus driving job, Mr Clarke said he "would be as comfortable as the passengers on the bus" in the role.
Mr Clarke listed previous employment as an LGV driver doing "general haulage work".
His application stated that he had been driving LGVs and buses for 33 years "with no serious endorsements".
Mr Clarke said in the application that he was "fit, good at working with members of public and very reliable".  He said he would be "asset" to council.
Mr Clarke also declared on the application form that he did not consider himself to have a disability.
He also signed a declaration on the form which noted that "false information or omissions may lead to dismissal".
Erin McQuade, 18, her grandparents Jack Sweeney, 68, and his 69-year-old wife Lorraine, all from Dumbarton, died in the incident in the city's Queen Street and George Square.
Stephenie Tait, 29, and Jacqueline Morton, 51, both from Glasgow, and Gillian Ewing, 52, from Edinburgh, were also killed when the truck mounted the pavement before crashing into the side of the Millennium Hotel.
A further 15 people were injured.
The Crown Office has already concluded that there will be no criminal prosecution over the crash, with senior lawyers deeming it a "tragic accident".