The number of people being declared insolvent has fallen to its lowest level for nearly a decade, figures show.

The Insolvency Service said 18,866 individuals became insolvent in England and Wales between April and June.
That is a fall of 29.3% on the same period a year ago, and the lowest total since the summer of 2005.
The number of companies going bust has also fallen to its lowest in more than seven years.
Altogether 3,908 firms became insolvent over the last three months, the smallest number since the end of 2007.
Experts said the news reflected increasing strength in the economy, and the return of real-terms increases in wages.
"It has taken a long time, but with wages outstripping inflation again, people are finding it easier to repay their debts without resorting to insolvency procedures," said Phillip Sykes, president of R3, the insolvency trade body.
At the same time, there has been a jump in the number of people taking out mortgages to buy a flat or house.
In the month of June, 66,582 homeowners took out a new mortgage, according to figures from the Bank of England.
That was up from 64,826 in May, and just 1,469 short of the recent peak in April.
But the same figures show a significant fall in lending to businesses.
Total borrowing by UK non-financial companies fell by Â£5.5bn in June, the biggest drop for four years.
"On the face of it, this sharp reduction in bank lending to businesses raises serious question marks about activity and investment," said Howard Archer, the chief UK and European economist with IHS Global Insight.
The fall in personal insolvencies was welcomed by the Money Advice Trust (MAT), which runs National Debtline.
However it warned about increasing debt levels.
"Many households will be able to accommodate this extra borrowing as the economic recovery continues - but we are concerned that many will turn to credit to plug gaps in their budgets," said Jane Tully, head of insight and engagement at the MAT.
She said the situation could be made worse for some people by the changes to tax credits in the years ahead.
Household debt is forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility to reach 169% of household income by 2020.


Yum Brands, the company behind KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, has seen disappointing quarterly results in its China business just before spinning it off into a separate company.

Sales in the country slipped partly due to protests against western restaurant brands in the wake of the South China Sea dispute.
The firm plans to spin off its China restaurants at the end of October.
Overall global revenue fell 3% to $3.32bn (£2.5bn) for the third quarter.
Shares in Yum were down 2.2% in after-hours trading.
The largest Western restaurant operator in China said that sales at Yum China restaurants open at least one year fell by 1% in the three months ending 3 September.
Analysts had expected a 4% sales gain for Yum's China business which is the US company's biggest profit driver.
According to Yum, the disappointing result was in part due to protests against Western companies following international criticism over Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea.
In July, an international court in The Hague ruled against those claims, backing a case brought by the Philippines.
"If not for this event, we believe the China Division would have delivered its fifth consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales growth," Yum said.
The company will separate its operations in China into a separate company which will start trading on 1 November at the New York Stock Exchange.
The decision to sell the China unit means that any setbacks in the country will have less impact on the US stock.
Yum had come under mounting pressure from investors to split the units, after it had suffered a number of setbacks and food safety scandals.
In September, Yum announced Chinese firms Primavera Capital and Ant Financial, an affiliate of Alibaba, as major investors in its new China unit.


Two stone soldiers have stood watch over Enniskillen for more than 110 years from the clock tower of the town hall.

One is an Inniskilling Fusilier and the other, an Inniskilling Dragoon.
The statues represent the important military history of Enniskillen in County Fermanagh.
It is the only town to have its name carried by two British Army regiments, raised to defend the town in 1689.
But during a spell of bad weather in January 2015, one of the soldiers let down his guard and his arm and sword broke off and fell to the street below.
Specialist stone masons were brought in as part of a Â£50,000 project to restore the exterior of the building which was designed by William Scott and opened in 1901.
They took measurements from the 7ft 6in tall statue and carved a new arm from Portland stone before re-attaching the stainless steel sword.
The statue was the gift of Francis William Bracken, a soldier who had returned to Enniskillen from South Africa when the town hall was being built.
Mark Scott from the Inniskilling Regimental Museum at Enniskillen Castle said: "I'm delighted that sword didn't skewer some unfortunate person down below when it came off but now it is replaced, it's looking very good."


Former classmates of Adam Lanza, 20, the man identified as the gunman in the Sandy Hook School killings, do not remember much about him.

They talk of a boy who dressed smartly and worked hard, but who barely said a word during his time at school.
Police officers have said he may have had a personality or developmental disorder, while one relative told ABC News he was "obviously not well".
Lanza appears to have kept a low profile throughout his life. US media report that unusually, his high school yearbook of 2010 contained no photograph of him.
"Camera shy" was the comment by his entry.
Unlike the majority of his peers, Lanza apparently had no Facebook page. His online footprint was minimal. He appears not to have been known to the police.
Adam Lanza lived with his mother in a well-to-do neighbourhood of Newtown, Connecticut. The house is about five miles (8km) from Sandy Hook School, which he attended as a child.
He went on to Newtown High School, but made few friends. His mother pulled him out of the school and taught him at home because she was unhappy with the school district's plan for his education.
His aunt, Marsha Lanza, said that Adam was "definitely the challenge to the family in that house".
"Every family has one. I have one. They have one. â€¦ But he was a very bright boy, he was smart," she said.
Intelligent but shy and nervous were the most common memories of those who learnt beside him.
Richard Novia, who was head of security at Newtown High School, said it was clear Lanza had "some disabilities".
He was protective of his personal space and sometimes appeared to completely withdraw into himself or to "take flight", Mr Novia told AP, meaning his mother had to be called in to resolve the problem.
"You had yourself a very scared young boy, who was very nervous around people he could trust or he refused to speak with."
Mr Novia helped to run a technology club, which Lanza attended, and said he had to keep a close eye on him while the club was using soldering equipment or electrical equipment.
"If that boy would've burned himself, he would not have known it or felt it physically," he said.
An inability to respond to sensation, and a difficult in relating to other people, could be an indication of Asperger's Syndrome (a form of autism), say experts.
They stress there is no direct link between the condition and aggression. People with the condition can sometimes struggle to express themselves in socially expected ways, however.
Olivia DeVivo was a student with Lanza in the 10th grade, at about the age of 15. She told the Associated Press he was "very shy and didn't make an effort to interact with anybody".
"Now looking back, it's kind of like 'OK, he had all these signs,' but you can't say every shy person would do something like this," she said.
A former school bus driver in the town, Marsha Moskowitz, said she remembered the Lanza boys.
"You know the trouble kids, and you figure, 'Pfft, that one's going to be trouble.' But I never would have thought that about them," she told the Hartford Courant newspaper.
Marsha Lanza told the Associated Press that Adam had been raised by kind, nurturing parents, who would not have hesitated to seek counselling for their son if he needed it.
The parents divorced in 2009, having separated at least three years earlier. His father, Peter Lanza, moved to Stamford, Connecticut, and recently remarried.
His mother, Nancy, remained in the family home, where it is thought she was killed by her son. She had previously worked in finance, but her divorce settlement left her well off and she stayed at home.
Friends said she was popular and sociable. An acquaintance, Jim Leff, wrote on his blog that she was "a friend-of-friends who I periodically would briefly bump into, and who always seemed kind-hearted... and, yes, a bit high-strung. But with ample reason, as it turns out."
Contrary to initial reports, Nancy Lanza never worked as a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
She was a gun enthusiast who is reported to have taken her sons with her to the shooting range. Adam Lanza used her legally purchased Bushmaster assault rifle to carry out his attack. He was also carrying his mother's two handguns, a Glock pistol and a Sig Sauer. Police found a shotgun in his car.
Adam Lanza's elder brother, 24-year-old Ryan, who was initially named in the media as the suspected gunman, has been helping police with their investigation. US media is reporting that he told them he had had no contact with his brother since 2010.
In a statement issued to the media, Lanza's father said: "No words can truly express how heartbroken we are.
"We, too, are asking why. Like so many of you, we are saddened and struggling to make sense of what has transpired."


A teenage boy with "significant" mental health problems has been held in solitary confinement for four-and-a-half months, a court has heard.

The boy, who is 16 and referred to as AB, was detained alone in his cell at Feltham Young Offenders Institution in London for 23-and-a-half hours a day.
Lawyers for his mother claim the "inhuman and degrading" conditions breach the Human Rights Act.
The Justice Secretary, Liz Truss, is contesting the case.
The High Court was told that Ms Truss had "conceded" that AB's placement in solitary conditions had breached his right to a private life and was unlawful because prison rules weren't followed.
"The real dispute relates to Article 3," said Dan Squires QC, for AB's mother, who also claims that he has been denied the statutory minimum of 15 hours' education per week.
Mr Squires said AB was placed on "single unlock" when he arrived at Feltham last December, meaning that he was allowed out for only 30 minutes each day to shower, exercise, make a phone call and take medication.  He was given no education.
What's life like inside a young offender institution?
Since February, the boy has been permitted out of his cell for slightly longer periods, mainly to attend classes, but still spends at least 22 hours alone in his cell.
"All he has to do is to watch television...or lie on his bed," said Mr Squires.
The court heard the boy had experienced "emotional and physical abuse and serious trauma" when he was younger.
According to papers submitted by his legal team, he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder anxiety, hyper-vigilance, hyper-arousal and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, for which he requires a "high dose" of medication.
He is due to be released in July.
The documents say AB has been known to police since he was 10, and has been convicted of a range of offences.
According to the legal documents the boy was placed in solitary confinement because of his behaviour at another young offender institution on a previous sentence, and continued after he shouted abuse at staff and other children.
But Mr Squires said it was "common practice" at Feltham to hold inmates with "challenging behaviour" in solitary confinement, citing an inspection report which found that 25% of boys there were locked alone in their cells for 23 hours a day.
The judicial review action has been brought on behalf of the child by the Howard League for Penal Reform.
The charity's chief executive Frances Crook said: "This is a widespread problem and it is getting worse.
"In just the last week, several more children, held in prisons across the country, have asked the Howard League for help because they are in almost total isolation."
The hearing will continue on Wednesday. The judgement is expected to be reserved.


Wakefield scored three second-half tries as they came from behind to beat Leigh Centurions and deny the visitors a first Super League away win.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Three tries in the space of 10 first-half minutes by Micky Higham, Sam Hopkins and Ben Crooks had put Leigh in control.
But Tom Johnstone, Jacob Miller and Ben Jones-Bishop crossed to turn the game around for the hosts after the break.
Leigh saw a second-half score for Matty Dawson ruled out for a forward pass.
Had Ryan Hampshire's long floated pass to Dawson not crept ahead of play, Leigh could have stretched their lead to 12 points going into the last quarter.
But within two minutes, a clever grubber from Wakefield scrum-half Liam Finn allowed Miller to score under the posts and level the scores.
Sam Williams then executed a pin-point cross-kick for Jones-Bishop to collect out wide and, after the video referee eventually awarded a try, Wakefield reclaimed a decisive lead.
Trinity's third victory of the season takes them level on points with Leigh, who have now lost four matches away from home.
Wakefield coach Chris Chester: "It was a tale of two halves. We looked in control after 23 or 24 minutes, but then came up with a poor play and we struggled to contain them.
"We need to be a lot better defensively because we conceded some really soft tries, a couple of dive-overs.
"But I'm pleased with the way we stuck at it and I thought we were worthy winners.
"We were a totally different team in the second half, very dominant, I thought we got back to where we were a couple of weeks ago.
"I'm proud we got the two points but we're certainly not getting carried away."
Leigh coach Neil Jukes: "I'm just really disappointed with our second-half performance. We were like chalk and cheese.
"For 40 minutes we were on fire and, if we'd have had a half-decent second half, I'd have thought fair play, but we were garbage in the second half.
"We lost (Josh) Drinkwater but that's no excuse for trying to cling onto a 12-point lead.
"I'd like to have given the guys a long weekend off and kick on on Monday but we'll be in tomorrow and we'll fix it up.
"We've got to find that away form."
Wakefield: Allgood, Arona, Arundel, Ashurst, Batchelor, Fifita, Finn, Grix, Hadley, Hirst, Huby, Johnstone, Jones-Bishop, Kirmond, Miller, Tupou, Walker, Williams, Wood.
Leigh: Naughton, Brown, Higson, Crooks, Dawson, Drinkwater, Hock, Higham, Weston, Hansen, Pelissier, Tickle, Vea, Hampshire, Reynolds, Green, Hopkins, Acton, Burr.


Demba Ba struck twice as Newcastle ended a run of four straight defeats with victory over 10-man Wigan.

Latics defender Maynor Figueroa was sent off in the 12th minute after he brought down Papiss Cisse in the box.
Ba smashed home the penalty and added a second eight minutes later when he pounced on an Ali Al-Habsi spill.
Wigan tried to fight their way back into the game but Gael Bigirimana wrapped up the win with a spectacular third in the 71st minute.
Roberto Martinez's side have now lost four of their last five games and are just two points above the relegation zone.
The visitors had started the game brightly and tried to put a nervy Newcastle under pressure with a couple of early snapshots, although they failed to trouble home keeper Tim Krul.
But home anxieties were eased in the 12th minute when Cisse was forced off the ball by Figueroa as he darted onto a clever pass from strike partner Ba, and referee Mike Jones immediately pointed to the spot before producing a red card.
Ba tucked the penalty beyond Al-Habsi and, before 10-man Wigan had properly reorganised, he then added a second.
Full-back Davide Santon cut inside and hit a fierce 25-yard strike, which Al-Habsi could only parry straight to the feet of Ba, who tapped the ball into the empty net.
Roberto Martinez reacted by replacing attacking midfielder Jordi Gomez with James McArthur in an attempt to stem the home attacks.
And the change worked as his side's slick passing had Newcastle on the back foot for long periods, despite their one-man advantage.
But the Latics still failed to seriously threaten the Newcastle goal, Al-Habsi remaining the busier keeper.
He reacted well to keep out Marveaux's 52nd-minute strike and a low effort from Bigirimana but he had no chance when the latter hit a brilliant third - his first ever goal in professional football.
The former Coventry midfielder cut inside to curl a dipping left-foot shot past inside the far post.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Ba missed the chance to complete his hat-trick, slicing his shot from close range, before limping out of the game late - the only negative on a night of huge relief for Newcastle manager Alan Pardew.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew: "It's been difficult for the players and staff and it was nice to get a break tonight, and it was a break - we got one tonight.
"I think it was a penalty. When the defender is coming across the striker and he's got a goal chance the referee has got a tough decision. I think it was a penalty and that gave us a great start to the game."
"Demba loves it here. It's a football city, we've tried to take the clause [£7.5m get-out in his contract] out but we haven't been successful with that and that is difficult for us and Demba."
Full Time   The referee blows for the end of the match.
Arouna Kone produces a right-footed shot from close range which goes wide of the left-hand post.
Long range effort by Sammy Ameobi goes wide right of the target.
Foul by James McArthur on Sammy Ameobi, free kick awarded. Vurnon Anita takes the free kick.
Centre by Ronnie Stam, save by Tim Krul.
Centre by Ronnie Stam, save by Tim Krul.
Shane Ferguson produces a cross, Shot by Papiss Cisse from 12 yards. Save by Ali Al Habsi.
Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Sylvain Marveaux from the right by-line, clearance made by James McArthur.
The referee blows for offside. Indirect free kick taken by Adrian Lopez.
Danny Simpson challenges Callum McManaman unfairly and gives away a free kick. Jean Beausejour takes the free kick.
James McCarthy fouled by Sylvain Marveaux, the ref awards a free kick. David Jones takes the free kick.
Shane Ferguson delivers the ball, Ali Al Habsi makes a save.
Vurnon Anita fouled by James McCarthy, the ref awards a free kick. Vurnon Anita takes the indirect free kick.
Indirect free kick taken by James McArthur.
Booking      Sammy Ameobi receives a caution.
Free kick awarded for a foul by Sammy Ameobi on Ronnie Stam.
Sammy Ameobi fouled by Ronnie Stam, the ref awards a free kick. Vurnon Anita takes the free kick.
Substitution      Sammy Ameobi replaces Jonas Gutierrez.
The ball is sent over by Ronnie Stam, Tim Krul makes a save.
Shot from 18 yards from Arouna Kone. Blocked by Mike Williamson.
The assist for the goal came from Sylvain Marveaux.
Goal!  - Gael Bigirimana -    Newcastle 3 - 0 Wigan        A goal is scored by Gael Bigirimana from just outside the penalty area to the top left corner of the goal. Newcastle 3-0 Wigan.
Effort on goal by Papiss Cisse from just inside the area clears the bar.
The ball is swung over by Arouna Kone, Mike Williamson makes a clearance.
The ball is swung over by Jonas Gutierrez.
Shot by David Jones. Vurnon Anita gets a block in.
Substitution      Callum McManaman is brought on as a substitute for Franco Di Santo.
Booking      Caution for Franco Di Santo.
A cross is delivered by Jean Beausejour.
A cross is delivered by Jean Beausejour, clearance made by Mike Williamson.
Inswinging corner taken by Sylvain Marveaux from the right by-line, Adrian Lopez makes a clearance.
Emmerson Boyce concedes a free kick for a foul on Demba Ba. Fabricio Coloccini takes the free kick.
The ball is sent over by James McCarthy, Danny Simpson makes a clearance.
The ball is crossed by Ronnie Stam, clearance by Fabricio Coloccini.
Ronnie Stam gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Jonas Gutierrez. Indirect free kick taken by Shane Ferguson.
Effort on goal by Papiss Cisse from just inside the area clears the bar.
A cross is delivered by Shane Ferguson.
Gael Bigirimana takes a shot. Save by Ali Al Habsi.
The ball is swung over by Ronnie Stam, Danny Simpson makes a clearance.
Short corner taken by Ronnie Stam.
Jonas Gutierrez concedes a free kick for a foul on Ronnie Stam. Free kick taken by Emmerson Boyce.
Shot from 12 yards by Sylvain Marveaux. Ali Al Habsi makes a save.
Shane Ferguson delivers the ball, save made by Ali Al Habsi.
Substitution      Shane Ferguson on for Davide Santon.
Franco Di Santo produces a right-footed shot from just outside the penalty area that goes harmlessly over the target.
The ball is swung over by Ronnie Stam, clearance made by Fabricio Coloccini.
The referee blows his whistle to start the second half.
Substitution      Adrian Lopez on for Gary Caldwell.
Substitution      Gael Bigirimana replaces Cheick Tiote.
Half Time    The ref blows to signal half-time.
Mike Williamson gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Arouna Kone. James McArthur takes the free kick.
Shot by Cheick Tiote from outside the box goes high over the crossbar.
Unfair challenge on Jonas Gutierrez by Ronnie Stam results in a free kick. Demba Ba restarts play with the free kick.
Danny Simpson sends in a cross, Gary Caldwell manages to make a clearance.
Unfair challenge on Demba Ba by James McCarthy results in a free kick. Sylvain Marveaux restarts play with the free kick.
Outswinging corner taken left-footed by Jean Beausejour from the left by-line, clearance made by Vurnon Anita.
Shot from long distance by Franco Di Santo misses to the right of the target.
Ronnie Stam produces a cross, save by Tim Krul.
Cheick Tiote takes a long range shot clearing the bar.
Shot by Cheick Tiote from 30 yards. Blocked by Jean Beausejour.
Foul by Gary Caldwell on Demba Ba, free kick awarded. Sylvain Marveaux crosses the ball in from the free kick.
Shot from 18 yards from Sylvain Marveaux. Save made by Ali Al Habsi. Corner taken by Sylvain Marveaux from the right by-line, clearance made by Arouna Kone.
Ronnie Stam crosses the ball, Fabricio Coloccini makes a clearance.
The ball is swung over by Danny Simpson, comfortable save by Ali Al Habsi.
Jonas Gutierrez sends in a cross.
Sylvain Marveaux restarts play with the free kick.
Booking      Booking for Gary Caldwell for unsporting behaviour.
Free kick awarded for a foul by Gary Caldwell on Demba Ba.
The ball is sent over by Ronnie Stam.
Free kick awarded for a foul by Fabricio Coloccini on Franco Di Santo. Franco Di Santo takes the free kick.
Vurnon Anita has an effort at goal from outside the box missing to the wide left of the goal.
Unfair challenge on Davide Santon by Ronnie Stam results in a free kick. Jonas Gutierrez takes the indirect free kick.
Arouna Kone concedes a free kick for a foul on Cheick Tiote. Cheick Tiote takes the free kick.
The ball is swung over by Danny Simpson, clearance made by Ronnie Stam.
Foul by Davide Santon on Arouna Kone, free kick awarded. James McCarthy takes the indirect free kick.
Substitution      James McArthur replaces Jordi Gomez.
Assist on the goal came from Davide Santon.
Goal!  - Demba Ba -    Newcastle 2 - 0 Wigan        Demba Ba finds the back of the net with a goal from close in to the bottom right corner of the goal. Newcastle 2-0 Wigan.
Davide Santon takes a shot. Ali Al Habsi makes a save.
The ball is sent over by Papiss Cisse, Emmerson Boyce fouled by Jonas Gutierrez, the ref awards a free kick. Indirect free kick taken by Ali Al Habsi.
Jordi Gomez produces a left-footed shot from just outside the box that goes wide right of the goal.
Sylvain Marveaux crosses the ball, save by Ali Al Habsi.
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Demba Ba by David Jones. Free kick taken by Cheick Tiote.
Shot by Demba Ba from outside the area goes high over the crossbar.
Jordi Gomez is caught offside. Fabricio Coloccini takes the free kick.
Assist on the goal came from Papiss Cisse.
Booking      Jean Beausejour receives a yellow card for dissent.
Goal!  - Demba Ba -    Newcastle 1 - 0 Wigan        Demba Ba scores a placed penalty. Newcastle 1-0 Wigan.
Dismissal      Red card for Maynor Figueroa.
Foul by Maynor Figueroa on Papiss Cisse, Penalty awarded.
Centre by Sylvain Marveaux, save by Ali Al Habsi.
Free kick awarded for a foul by Jean Beausejour on Papiss Cisse. Free kick crossed right-footed by Vurnon Anita, Jean Beausejour makes a clearance.
Free kick awarded for a foul by Papiss Cisse on Jean Beausejour. Maynor Figueroa takes the free kick.
Corner taken right-footed by Vurnon Anita to the near post, Maynor Figueroa makes a clearance.
The referee penalises James McCarthy for handball. Free kick taken by Sylvain Marveaux.
James McCarthy takes a shot. Ronnie Stam produces a right-footed shot from just outside the penalty area that goes harmlessly over the target. Fabricio Coloccini gets a block in.
Free kick awarded for a foul by Papiss Cisse on James McCarthy. Free kick crossed left-footed by David Jones, clearance by Vurnon Anita. Corner taken by Jean Beausejour.
Shot by Franco Di Santo. Tim Krul makes a save. David Jones takes a inswinging corner from the right by-line to the near post, Danny Simpson makes a clearance.
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Jordi Gomez by Cheick Tiote. David Jones takes the indirect free kick.
Cheick Tiote concedes a free kick for a foul on Ronnie Stam. Maynor Figueroa restarts play with the free kick.
Cheick Tiote has an effort at goal from outside the penalty box which goes wide left of the goal.
The ref blows the whistle to begin the match.
Live data and text provided by our data suppliers
Live text commentary


The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed the expansion of the Women's Super League in 2018.

Presently, six host teams play five group games before Finals Day in the KSL - the first professional domestic women's cricket tournament in England.
After a successful inaugural season in 2016, teams will play 10 group games in future, facing each team home and away.
"It's about growth and engaging a new audience with T20," said ECB director of women's cricket Clare Connor.
"It wasn't possible this year to expand because of the World Cup but from next year it will [expand].
"Everyone felt [with five games] the competition was just getting going, players were just finding their feet and coaches were just starting to understand their players and game plans."
The 2017 tournament starts on 10 August, with England's World Cup winners set to play at 13 different venues - including The Oval, Headingley and Old Trafford - before Finals Day at Hove on 1 September.
Each of the 54 non-contracted England and non-international players have also been given participation fees to cover training, travel and taking time off work, as opposed to just the match fees they received for games they played in last year.
"The feedback we got from players and the host teams last year was that you have to remunerate the players fairly for their commitment," Connor told BBC Sport.
"It's a big step and I see that area getting more budget as time goes by, which is great news."


The Ebola crisis proves the World Health Organization (WHO) lacks the "capacity and culture" to deal with global health emergencies, says a damning independent report, commissioned by the WHO itself.

The review panel says WHO was too slow to act to get on top of the deadly virus which has now killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa.
And it calls for an urgent overhaul of the organisation.
WHO says it has plans for reform.
It has already admitted that it waited too long to declare Ebola a public health emergency of international concern.
WHO Director General, Margaret Chan, admitted in May it had been "overwhelmed" by the Ebola outbreak, saying it "shook this organization to its core".
The disease began spreading in December 2013, but it took until August 2014 for WHO to sound the alarm. By that point, more than 1,000 people had died of the virus.
The death toll now stands at more than 11,000.
According to the report, WHO lacked a culture of rapid decision-making.
In the early stages of the Ebola crisis, messages were sent about the seriousness of the situation but these "either did not reach senior leaders or senior leaders did not recognise their significance".
"There seems to have been a hope that the crisis could be managed by good diplomacy rather than by scaling up emergency action," the report says.
WHO was also criticised for failing to keep governments and the public up to speed about the extent and severity of the outbreak.
But the review praised WHO for playing a critical role in pushing forward work to find new treatments and cures for Ebola.
And it said WHO should be given the job of leading future health emergency responses - be that for Ebola or an outbreak of pandemic flu, for example.
The report suggests an immediate contribution from all member countries towards a $100 million special outbreak response fund, and says WHO should establish a Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
The panel's head, Dame Barbara Stocking, former chief executive of the charity Oxfam, said the WHO must now be made fit for the task.
"To me, coming from somewhere like Oxfam which is an emergency culture, you are very much, if you like, on the front foot. You are always trying to prevent a situation coming through or grab it when it starts and really get it under control very fast and those are some of the internal changes that have to be made at WHO."
The WHO said it was "already moving forward" on some of the panel's recommendations including the development of the global health emergency workforce and the contingency fund.
It will be up to member states to make these voluntary financial contributions.
Dr Joanne Liu, President of MSF International, questioned how the recommendations would translate to real action on the ground.
"We have seen so many reports calling for change, with everyone focused on how to improve future response and meanwhile, with 20-25 new Ebola cases per week in the region, we still don`t have the current epidemic under control. On Ebola, we went from global indifference, to global fear, to global response and now to global fatigue. We must finish the job," she said.
Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust, said the support of the global community was crucial if we are to avert another catastrophe on the scale of Ebola."


Tipperary produced a remarkable display of attacking football to reach their first All-Ireland semi-final since 1935 as they beat Galway 3-13 to 1-10.

Galway led 0-4 to 0-1 after 15 minutes but Tipp then hit 1-6 without reply with Michael Quinlivan netting.
Damien Comer's goal cut Tipp's lead to 1-8 to 1-5 at half-time but two second-half goals from Conor Sweeney helped seal the Premier County's deserved win.
Tipperary will face either Tyrone or Mayo in the All-Ireland semi-finals.
On the evidence of Sunday's game, neither Tyrone boss Mickey Harte or Mayo manager Stephen Rochford will underestimate Liam Kearns' side in the semi-final.
In Sunday's other quarter-final, Kerry eased to a 2-16 to 0-11 victory over Clare.
The sides were level at 0-3 to 0-3 after 20 minutes but Donnchadh Walsh's goal started a Kerry scoring burst of 1-4 which helped the Kingdom lead 1-8 to 0-4 at half-time.
Darran O'Sullivan's second goal put further daylight between the teams as Kerry progressed to a semi-final meeting with either holders Dublin or Donegal.
SUNDAY'S RESULTS
All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Finals
Kerry 2-16 0-11 Clare
Galway 1-10 3-13 Tipperary
All-Ireland MFC Quarter-Final
Kerry 1-24 2-10 Derry


The corruption scandal plaguing athletics is worse than the one faced by football, says four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson.

Three senior IAAF officials were banned for life for alleged doping breaches.
And Russia is currently banned from all athletics competitions following accusations of widespread doping.
Asked how the scandal facing athletics compared to that of Fifa, Johnson told the BBC: "If you think about the victims, it is absolutely worse."
Fifa, the body that governs world football, is also in crisis following a series of damaging corruption claims.
Its president, Sepp Blatter, has been banned for eight years for breaching ethics rules.
In an interview with Mishal Husain, Johnson said that those athletes cheated out of medals by dopers "never had the opportunity to stand on the podium - and they should have".
However, he stopped short of backing an Olympic ban for Russian athletes later this year.
"Do you ban an entire country that ostensibly could include clean athletes, from participating in Rio?" asked the American, who still holds the world and Olympic records for the 400m.
"That is a very difficult decision to make."
Johnson was also cool on the idea, floated by chairman of UK Athletics Ed Warner, of resetting all world records so athletics could start afresh with a level playing field.
"It doesn't make sense to me how a reset of all the world records is going to deal with the issue of people cheating," Johnson said.
"It doesn't create a clean competition and that does not deter anyone from cheating."
But he does believe the International Association of Athletics Federations must be "completely restructured".
"It is the governing body - and the very structure of the governing body - that has allowed this type of corruption," he said.
A report by the World Anti-Doping Agency's independent commission was scathing of former IAAF president Lamine Diack, whose 16-year reign came to an end in August 2015 when he was replaced by Lord Coe.
It claimed that "corruption was embedded" in the organisation and said it could not be ignored or dismissed as attributable to "the odd renegade acting on his own".
It concluded: "The IAAF allowed the conduct to occur and must accept its responsibility."
Johnson said he hoped the crisis would be the catalyst for "a fresh look" at all the problems facing athletics and would help rebuild trust with fans.


China has agreed to allow imports of rice from the US for the first time.

The agreement gives US farmers access to the world's biggest rice consumer, with China importing about 5 million tonnes last year.
It follows trade talks between the two countries that resulted in little progress on other issues.
While China opened its rice market in 2001, a lack of protocols on pests and plant diseases effectively stopped imports taking place.
The organisation representing the US rice industry said the new agreement was the most complex of its kind, and set strict standards for US exporters to protect against the introduction of certain pests to China.
USA Rice added it would work with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make sure the industry complied with the rules.
"We know China wants to send a team here to inspect mills and facilities certified to ship to China, and we are working with USDA to make that happen in the quickest and most efficient way," said Carl Brothers, chairman of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee.
US authorities and the industry have both hailed the agreement as a huge win.
"This market represents an exceptional opportunity today, with enormous potential for growth in the future," said US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
According to OECD projections, the average person in China will consume 75kg of rice a year by 2024, compared with an average of 13kg in North America and 5kg in Europe.
USA Rice said China consumes the equivalent of the entire US annual output every two weeks.
Agriculture appears to be a bright spot in an otherwise thorny trade relationship between the two countries.
The announcement follows a round of contentious trade talks in Washington that appeared to end with little progress on tricky issues like China's steel exports or its $347bn (Â£268bn) trade surplus with the US.
The two sides didn't issue any joint statement following the talks, and cancelled scheduled press conferences.
The US has indicated that it might impose tariffs or quotas on Chinese steel, but since the talks wrapped up China has suggested that there was some progress on the issue.
Beijing's embassy in Washington said the two sides "had in-depth discussion on cutting excess steel production capacity in the world and agreed to active and effective measures to jointly address this global issue".


For this simple reason, it remains the world's main source of power, providing a quarter of our primary energy and more than 40% of our electricity. And it will continue to do so for many years to come.
The challenge, then, is how to harness coal's energy more cleanly. While global attempts to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) have stalled, a number of countries are looking at different ways to exploit their abundant coal reserves.
Not all are motivated by environmental concerns, but are driven instead by economics and a desire for energy independence.
The main technology being used is coal gasification - instead of burning the fossil fuel, it is chemically transformed into synthetic natural gas (SNG).
The process is decades old, but recent rises in the price of gas mean it is now more economically viable. The US has dabbled in the technique, but China is going all out in a bid to satisfy its soaring demand for power and reduce its dependency on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The country's National Energy Administration has laid out plans to produce 50 billion cubic metres of gas from coal by 2020, enough to satisfy more than 10% of China's total gas demand.
How American energy independence could change the world
Shale industry faces reality check
German coal underpins renewable push
Not only does it make economic sense, but it allows China to exploit stranded coal deposits sitting thousands of kilometres from the country's main industrial centres. Transporting gas is, after all, a lot cheaper than transporting coal.
Coal gasification can also help address local pollution problems that have in recent months brought parts of the country to a virtual standstill.
But there are two big problems. First, coal gasification actually produces more CO2 than a traditional coal plant; so not only will China be using more coal, it will be doing so at a greater cost to the environment.
As Laszlo Varro, head of gas, coal and power markets at the International Energy Agency (IEA), says: "[Coal gasification] is attractive from an economic and energy security perspective.
"It can be a nice solution to local pollution, but its overall carbon intensity is worse [than coal mining], so it is not attractive at all from a climate change point of view".
Indeed a study by Duke University in the US suggests synthetic natural gas emits seven times more greenhouse gases than natural gas, and almost twice as much carbon as a coal plant.
The second problem is water use. Coal gasification is one of the more water-intensive forms of energy production, and large areas of China, particularly in the western parts of the country that would host new gasification plants, already suffer from water shortages.
Mr Varro says a recent IEA report concluded that coal and coal gasification plants would use "quite a substantial portion of the available water in China".
Other countries are looking at different ways to get gas from coal. One method, particularly popular in Australia, is coal-bed methane, a process allowing access to coal deposits that are too deep to mine. Water is sucked out of the seam and the methane attached to the surface of the coal is freed and then collected.
China, Indonesia and Mozambique are looking at coal-bed methane, while the US and Canada also have abundant reserves.
Very little CO2 is emitted, but the process is not without controversy. Opponents highlight concerns about water contamination, land subsidence and disposing of waste water safely, while the water intensive process sometimes involves fracking.
And yet coal-bed methane has "fundamentally changed the dynamics of the gas industry in Australia," according to Phil Hirschhorn, partner at the Boston Consulting Group's energy practice in Sydney.
He says there are 200 trillion cubic feet of coal-bed methane resources in the country, with projects under construction to liquify and export 25 million tonnes of gas every year - equivalent to 10% of the entire global LNG market.
A very different way to produce gas from coal is known as underground coal gasification (UCG), a process that has been around since the 19th Century but which has yet to become commercially viable on a grand scale - there is currently one working facility in Uzbekistan and pilot projects in Australia and South Africa.
According to Julie Lauder, chief executive of the UCG Association, the process is a "new way of harnessing the energy of coal without the usual environmental impacts".
Technological developments and the rising price of gas mean UCG is now a feasible way of accessing the vast resources of coal that are too deep to mine, she says. Indeed, estimates suggest that as much as 85% of the world's coal resources cannot be accessed through traditional mining techniques.
Opening them up to exploitation has potentially disastrous implications for CO2 emissions and climate change, but the industry says these resources can be accessed cleanly.
The process involves pumping oxygen and steam through a small borehole into the coal seam to produce a small and controlled combustion. Unlike coal-bed methane, therefore, the actual coal is converted from a solid state into gas. The hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide and CO2 are then siphoned off through a second borehole.
According to Dr Harry Bradbury, founder and chief executive of UK clean energy company Five Quarters, this process results in 20% of the CO2 produced from traditional coal mining.
But his company is developing a process that requires no burning of coal, and which combines what Dr Bradbury calls "solid state chemical engineering" with releasing gases that are trapped not just in the coal, but in the surrounding rocks as well. And all of this takes place offshore, relieving concerns about water contamination and subsidence, he argues.
But the real advantage lies in the ability to capture the CO2. "We need to get more radical - we need to get to zero carbon," Dr Bradbury says. "Full carbon capture and storage is absolutely crucial."
This can take place through re-injecting the CO2 back into the coal seams, or by converting the carbon into products such as plastics and graphene, he says.
The UK government has established a working party to investigate the merits of UCG, undoubtedly excited by the vast resources of coal sitting under the North Sea. Other governments are equally keen to exploit new technologies to access their hidden coal seams.
The problem, of course, is that the process depends entirely on wider efforts to develop CCS, efforts that have, so far, singularly failed to find a solution.
Until one is found, any attempts to gasify coal underground will either remain theoretical or will exacerbate the already grave problem of CO2 emissions. And if recent efforts are anything to go by, we could be waiting a long time.


The insurance group Aviva is to axe around 30 jobs at its office in Belfast, a company spokesman has told the BBC.

The positions are in its claims department and represent around one third of its local workforce.
A statement said: "Today we have briefed employees in our Belfast office on changes to our claims function.
"We will be closing our claims function in Belfast by the end of April 2015."
Aviva said the work will move to locations in England.
"These changes have not been taken lightly, and we will work closely with those affected to provide as much support as possible," they added.
"Other Aviva teams based in Belfast are not impacted."


A schoolboy has appeared in private at Jedburgh Sheriff Court accused of raping a 15-year-old girl.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces a single charge under the Sexual Offences Scotland Act 2009.
His address was given as the Scottish Borders and the alleged offence is said to have happened last month.
He made no plea or declaration and was granted bail by Sheriff Peter Paterson.


Wales will have to be "quite a bit" better than they were last year's World Cup if they are to beat England at Twickenham, according to forwards coach Robin McBryde.

The former international hooker says England have improved since their 28-25 loss against Wales in September.
"I think there's more of an edge about them, without doubt," said McBryde.
"They look far more comfortable in expressing themselves."
Asked if Wales would need to improve over their World Cup performance, McBryde replied: "Quite a bit, really."
England are one point clear of Wales at the top of the table with three wins from three games.
The winners of Saturday's encounter will be strong favourites to win the tournament, with Wales coach Warren Gatland having called the game a "cup final."
Both teams are unchanged, with Wales impressing their management in training on Thursday.
"During the session the coaching team looked at each other and said 'we're in a pretty good place at the moment'," added McBryde.
"The fluidity and intensity gives us a lot of confidence.
"We've steadily got better and better as the tournament has gone on and the longer we spent together the better we seem to get."
England and Wales also engaged in a verbal dispute, each saying the other employs illegal scrummaging tactics.


Michael Phelps, the 18-time Olympic gold medallist, may be allowed to compete at the World Championships in Russia after originally being banned.

The American, 29, was given a six-month competitive ban plus exclusion from the Worlds later this year after being convicted of drink-driving.
USA Swimming director Chuck Wielgus told ESPN: "It's complicated, but there are ways in which it could happen.
"There's a pathway for things to be reconsidered - or considered."
Phelps is expected to make his comeback at the US Grand Prix in Arizona in April when his suspension ends.
He announced he was quitting the sport after London 2012 but changed his mind and is preparing for the 2016 Olympics in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.
He has already qualified for the American team for the World Championships in the 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 200m medley and would probably be included in three relays.
The championships are being held in Kazan from 24 July to 9 August.
Phelps was given a one-year suspended prison term and sentenced to 18 months of probation by the courts following a drink-driving incident in his home town of Baltimore in September 2014.


The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has said it is investigating why the Algerian women's goalball team failed to arrive in Rio in time for matches against the US and Israel.

Seven members have not yet turned up, allegedly because of transport issues.
But there are suspicions the Algeria team wanted to boycott the match against Israel because of longstanding tensions between the two countries.
Goalball is a sport for the visually impaired involving a ball with bells.
Algeria had been due to play the US on Friday, and Israel on Saturday, and the seven team members were scheduled to leave a training camp in Poland for Rio last Monday.
The IPC says the team claims to have missed a bus which led to them missing a flight. They allegedly did not manage to rebook it in time because of a public holiday in Algeria.
"It's an interesting account they have delivered to us," IPC spokesman Craig Spence told the BBC.
"To have five days travelling to Rio, it's a long time. I've missed connections in the past, and you usually get there within 24 hours," he said.
Goalball at the Rio 2016 Paralympics: All you need to know
A beginner's guide to goalball
The Times of Israel suggests the Algerian absence is "likely to avoid an Israel draw".
"It is a great shame that politics has also seeped into the Paralympics," the paper quotes the head of the Israeli Paralympic Committee, Danny Ben-Abu, as saying.
The issue has received some reaction on social media too.
The IPC says it will check the facts and act accordingly.
"If, as many people believe, this is a political protest, we can take some form of action against them," Craig Spence says.
"It could be a slap on the wrist, or we could remove the goalball team from the tournament altogether," he added.
In the meantime, both the US and Israel have been awarded a 10-0 win and three points each for the unplayed matches.
Goalball is played by two teams of three visually impaired players, using a ball with bells inside.  The object of the game is to throw the ball into the opposing team's net, while defenders attempt to block it with their bodies.


A stranger walked a seven-year-old girl to a park and then hit her in the face, police said.

The man, aged between 18 and 25, approached the girl in the Minories Road area of Tidworth, Wiltshire, at 14:45 BST on Friday.
He then walked with her to a nearby park where he hit her in the face, officers said. The girl managed to escape and run home uninjured.
Wiltshire Police said "it appears the man was not known to the girl".
Det Sgt Nick Bailey said officers had searched the area and made house-to-house inquiries.
"This incident is understandably distressing for this little girl and we are keen to speak to anyone who has any information," he added.
The attacker is described as about 6ft (183cm) tall and of a thin build.  He was wearing a black hat, black trousers and a black t-shirt.


An Aberdeenshire nursery has blamed rises in business rates for its decision to close part of its operation.

The Bridges nursery is to shut one of two branches in Westhill in June.
Director Graham Mogford said they could not keep passing on costs to their customers.
It comes after many businesses in the north east of Scotland saw large increases in their rates following a revaluation.
Mr Mogford said: "The parents are getting pretty angry about the whole thing.
"There's an awakening amongst parents."
Why are business rates causing concern?
Business rates - what do they pay?
The Scottish government said it was down to local councils to offer further relief packages.
A spokesman said: "The Scottish Government has committed around Â£660m of business rates relief next year.
"Any business that is concerned about its valuation should contact the assessor and discuss how they worked out the provisional value.
"Companies have until September to appeal and we would encourage firms to take up those opportunities."
Aberdeenshire Council is inviting applications to a support scheme.
Head of Finance Alan Wood said: "We understand the implications of an increase in costs for businesses in Aberdeenshire and will be supportive where we can."
Rateable values are changing for the first time since 2010 after a national revaluation by The Scottish Assessors' Association.


Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has withdrawn from the Labour party leadership contest, just days after throwing his hat into the ring.

The MP, 36, said in a statement that he was not comfortable with the level of pressure and scrutiny that came with being a leadership candidate.
Mr Umunna also cited concerns about the impact of the bid on his family.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the MP's team insisted no "unwelcome press story" lay behind the move.
But Mr Umunna had been shocked by the level of scrutiny of himself, his mother, sister and girlfriend, he said.
You can follow the latest reaction here.
A rising star of the party, Mr Umunna was first elected to Parliament in 2010 before joining the shadow cabinet.
He confirmed his candidacy for the Labour leadership via a post on his Facebook page on 12 May, saying the party under Ed Miliband had failed to appeal to enough voters in England.
But on Friday he said he had not found the leadership bid to be "a comfortable experience".
I understand that Chuka Umunna has told friends that "this is not right for me or people close to me. I'm human, the rest of my life is more important to me than politics."
The shadow business secretary has been distressed by the degree of scrutiny he, his family and his girlfriend have come under since he declared his intention to stand for the labour leadership.
I am told that this includes reporters waiting outside the houses of relatives late at night.
Friends of Mr Umunna deny that he is nervous of not getting the support of enough MPs to run for the leadership; they point out that he already has half the necessary names and that there are some weeks to go.
The shadow business secretary now wants to play a leading role in arguing that Britain should stay in the EU and does not rule out seeking the leadership in the future.
He said he thought he had understood "the scrutiny and attention a leadership contest would bring", but added: "However, since the night of our defeat last week I have been subject to the added level of pressure that comes with being a leadership candidate."
The shadow business secretary said he had wondered if it was too soon for him to stand for the leadership, and "I fear it was."
He also cited concerns about the impact on "the rest of one's life" and those close to him.
"Consequently, after further reflection, I am withdrawing my candidacy," he said.
Mr Umunna said he would continue to serve as shadow business secretary and hoped to "play a leading role" in Labour's campaign to keep the UK in the EU during the forthcoming in/out referendum.
Commenting on the news, Labour former culture secretary Ben Bradshaw - who is expected to run for deputy leader - said Mr Umunna was a "terrible loss" to the field.
He told the BBC's Daily Politics the Streatham MP had been the candidate the Conservative Party "feared the most".
"And if it's the result of pressure on an extended family or an extended group of friends, I think that's a very sad reflection on our political culture," he said.
Chuka Umunna feels "liberated", he told me, by his decision to quit the Labour leadership race.
He hopes to be given a good role (shadow chancellor, I wonder?) by whoever becomes Labour leader. And I expect he'll become very high profile in the campaign to keep Britain in Europe, which is increasingly looking like it will be next May.
He'll endorse a candidate in the next four weeks before nominations close. It will be very interesting to see who he piles in behind.
Read more from Allegra (see post 13.23).
Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock said he thought Mr Umunna had made the right decision.
He said: "If he felt in his soul that he wasn't prepared to subject himself - and more importantly his family - to the kind of attention which is fairly typical, sadly, these days, he has done absolutely the right thing.
"There is no point at all in inflicting avoidable, unnecessary misery on those you love most."
Leadership contender Mary Creagh said she had "huge respect" for Mr Umunna, telling BBC Radio 4's World at One programme it took "courage" to withdraw from the leadership race.
Mr Umunna was "a big beast" and would play a "big role" in the future of the Labour Party, she added.
Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham, Liz Kendall and Mary Creagh have already thrown their hats into the ring for Labour's top job while a number of other potential candidates, including Dan Jarvis, Alan Johnson and David Lammy, have ruled themselves out.
Candidates must secure nominations from 34 colleagues - 15% of the party's MPs - by 15 June to make it on to ballot papers, which will be sent to members in August ahead of the leader's election a month later.


The death of an Iranian blogger has been reported by his family a week after he was taken into custody.

Sattar Beheshti, 35, was arrested by Iranian police on charges of "actions against national security on social networks and Facebook."
His exact whereabouts and the manner of his death are unclear. Mr Beheshti's family say police told them to pick up his body on Wednesday.
Iranian authorities have offered no official comment on the case.
Mr Beheshti spent one night in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, where he wrote an official complaint to prison authorities alleging ill-treatment, before being moved to an unknown location.
It is thought Mr Beheshti was targeted for his writings on political and social issues on his blog and on Facebook.
Mr Beheshti's family say they have been prevented from visiting his grave, with the exception of his brother-in-law.
Campaign group Reporters Without Borders called on the Iranian authorities "to clarify the exact circumstances" of Mr Beheshti's death and urged the international community "not to allow this crime to go unpunished".
France and the UK have issued similar appeals for more information on Mr Beheshti's death, but there has been no response from Iranian officials.


A man who describes himself as the "close companion" of the late Ulster Unionist leader Lord Molyneaux has spoken of their relationship.

James Molyneaux died last year.
On the anniversary of his death, Christopher Luke, who is openly gay, told BBC Radio Ulster that the men had a very loving relationship.
Lord Molyneaux was an MP for almost 30 years and the leader of unionism for a decade and a half.
He was one of the most important politicians in Northern Ireland's recent history.  He died aged 94 and the first anniversary of his death was this week.
Christopher Luke said he was Lord Molyneaux's close companion.
In a newspaper tribute, he wrote: "You were very dear to me..... Your love for me was wonderful - more wonderful than the love of women."
The Irish News reproduced the memorial notice and published photographs on Friday.
Mr Luke also spoke to BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme. He said he felt the politician's legacy had been forgotten by unionism and loyalism.
"So many people these days seem to be airbrushing Jim from history, no doubt because he stood for the remainder of this life after the Good Friday Agreement was signed as steadfastly against it," he said.
A year on, Mr Luke said he still found the loss of James Molyneaux very difficult.
"I had a very loving relationship with Jim. I loved him as a brother. He will always have a place in my heart. There was love between us, but there are different forms of love."
Lord Molyneaux was the Ulster Unionist leader during some of Northern Ireland's most difficult years.


Oldham Athletic have added former Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest manager Sean O'Driscoll to the coaching staff and given him a role in helping the board appoint a new manager.

Peter Shirtliff also returns as a coach, having worked as assistant manager at the end of last season.
Ex-Sheffield United chief scout Lee Turnbull also joins the backroom staff.
The Latics continue to search for a manager to replace John Sheridan after he left for Notts County.
Steve Evans, most recently of Leeds United, rejected the offer to manage Oldham despite agreeing personal terms.


Criminal charges could be brought against five police officers after a man was paralysed following an incident outside a nightclub.

Julian Cole suffered a broken neck outside Elements nightclub in Bedford in May 2013.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has examined the circumstances around the arrest.
It said there may be a case to answer for gross misconduct and has made a referral to prosecutors.
Bedfordshire Police has confirmed four of the officers in question remain on active duty and one has retired from the force.
Live: Follow updates and reaction
Four of them could face a charge relating to their honesty and integrity, and one could face a case of misconduct for use of force, which is not believed to be linked to Julian's spinal injury.
Visiting Julian Cole in his care home was a deeply moving experience.
Since May 2013, his life has changed beyond all recognition. Once an energetic and athletic young man, he's now dependent on nursing staff and his devoted parents for everything.
An Arsenal calendar hangs above his bed - a reminder of his love of football - but he will never be able to enjoy a match, let alone play the game, again.
How exactly he sustained the injuries is unclear - and may never be known with certainty.
But his family has moved a step closer to finding out some of the answers with the conclusion of the IPCC investigation.
It means there's the possibility of a criminal trial and misconduct hearings which, under new rules, will be open to the public.
The case is so serious it needs transparency - that does not now seem such a distant prospect.
The IPCC said it had been a "complex and lengthy investigation involving examination of over 900 documents, interviews with witnesses, a number of medical expert opinions, CCTV trawls and forensic analysis".
The Crown Prosecution Service will now decide whether charges should be brought.
The 23-year-old student's mother, Claudia Cole, told BBC News the announcement was "welcome" but had taken too long.
"It has been the hardest three years waiting for the IPCC investigation to conclude," she said.
"Julian is still alive, but it cannot be said that he is really living."


The suspected mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, has been released on bail from a Pakistani jail, officials say.

Jail officials in Rawalpindi said Mr Lakhvi was released on Friday morning.
India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh has called the release "unfortunate and disappointing", Indian media reports say.
Mr Lakhvi had been granted bail in December, but was kept in detention under public order legislation.
That detention was declared void by the High Court, which ordered his release.
Mr Lakhvi still faces trial - along with six other suspects - over the attacks, which left 166 people dead and damaged peace efforts between the two countries.
Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi's trial in the Mumbai attacks case still continues, but his release on bail suggests the legal evidence presented in court by prosecutors may not be enough for a conviction.
This contrasts with six years ago, when the interior minister at the time, Rehman Malik, provided graphic details of how a part of the Mumbai attacks conspiracy was hatched in Pakistan. Indian officials have since said that they also handed evidence against Mr Lakhvi and his comrades to Pakistani prosecutors.
Apparently, most of this evidence has not been made part of the case record, indicating legal complications and also perhaps a lack of interest on the part of Pakistani authorities.
Analysts say legal technicalities may be one factor behind his release. Another factor, according to some in the intelligence community, may be the fear in security circles that his "demobilisation" may hurt the morale of Kashmir-focused insurgents, something they say the government does not wish to see.
Profile: Lashkar-e-Taiba
The Mumbai attacks were blamed on militants of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group (LeT) which Mr Lakhvi was accused of heading.
He was arrested by Pakistan on 7 December 2008, four days after he was named by Indian officials as one of the major suspects.
A spokesman for Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charity accused of links to LeT, said Mr Lakhvi was "free now and in a secure place".
"We can't say exactly where is he at the moment for security reasons," the official told AFP.
Mr Lakhvi had been receiving special treatment during his time in prison.
Jail officers said he, along with six of his comrades, had several rooms at their disposal. They had access to a television, mobile phones and the internet, as well as dozens of visitors a day.
These privileges had allowed him to remain in effective contact with the LeT rank and file, the officials said.
Elements in the Pakistani establishment are known to have provided such facilities to jailed militant commanders whom they believe they may need in future.
The court order to free Mr Lakhvi on bail caused controversy as it came just after militants carried out a massacre at a school in Peshawar last December.
The attack prompted the civilian and military leadership to come together to make a rare call for action against "all shades of terrorism".


A musical protest has taken place over the cost of crossing the River Severn.

Both the old bridge and the Second Severn Crossing will become publicly owned in 2018 once their original construction costs have been covered.
Campaigners are calling for the tolls to be lowered in the future.
The Department for Transport said no decision had been taken on the future management or tolling costs of the crossings after the end of the current concession.
"However, the government has been clear that any future arrangements will need to make proper provision for repayment of government costs, future maintenance and reflect the needs of road users in both England and Wales," a DfT spokesman said.
On Saturday, St David's Day - the national day of the country's patron saint, protesters, waving banners and dressed in Welsh national costumes occupied a bridge over the M48, close to the toll booths.
Protester Karl Daymond said the tolls affected not only individuals but businesses as well.
"People would spend more money in Wales and in England.
"It would do the local economy a huge amount of good if they were reduced or banned altogether when the tolls come back into public ownership in 2018," he added.
Costs to cross either bridge range from Â£6.40 for a car to Â£19.20 for a coach or lorry.


Mali says it intends to prosecute parents who send their underage children to Europe as migrants, but needs Europe's co-operation to do so.

A government minister told the BBC that families were increasingly sending children on the dangerous sea crossing to Europe as minors were not expelled.
Abderrahmane Sylla appealed to European nations to identify these unaccompanied minors to help Mali's authorities.
He said he hoped that prosecutions would act as a deterrent.
Mr Sylla, who is the minister for Malians in the diaspora, said he received almost daily reports of the deaths of Malians in the Mediterranean.
He gave an example of an overcrowded boat that left Libya in July with 87 Malians amongst the passengers - 86 of them died, 17 from the same village.
Mr Sylla said his ministry has prepared draft legislation to be put to parliament after returning from a recent visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa, where the experiences of two Malian children - aged 10 and 12 - had prompted him to act.
"This phenomenon brought tears to my eyes... these children take the same route as the adults - Ouagadougou, Niger, Chad, Libya; then they confront the ocean just as the grown-ups do," he said.
"So they arrive on the European coast completely traumatised. We have to punish those who send their children; we have to put a stop to it."
Mapping Mediterranean migration
But the minister said that while in Italy he had tried to find out the identities of the two boys so he could trace their parents, but Italian law protected their identities.
The BBC's Alex Duval Smith in Bamako says thousands of Malians depend on money sent home from their relatives in the diaspora - it is estimated the country receives an estimated $350m (Â£221m) in remittances annually.
Mr Sylla said Malians needed to do more to develop the country so that the culture of emigration stopped.
Our reporter says his comments mark a shift from a previous generation of Malian politicians who believed more foreign aid was the solution.


Theresa May is to vow to renew the UK's special relationship with the US "for this new age" as she prepares to meet Donald Trump for the first time.

She travels to Philadelphia on Thursday to address Republican leaders at an event attended by the US president.
She will tell them that after Brexit, a "sovereign, global" Britain wants to enhance ties with its "old friends".
On Friday, Mrs May will be the first world leader to hold face-to-face talks with Mr Trump in the White House.
Post-Brexit trade opportunities, security and intelligence co-operation and the future of Nato are likely to feature siginifcantly in the talks.
Mrs May has said her goal is to build on the historic relationship between the two nations, underpinned by their shared values and common interests.
But she has said she "won't be afraid" to speak candidly to Mr Trump on matters where they disagree, having criticised remarks the businessman has made in the past about women and Muslims.
Becoming the first foreign leader to be invited to visit the White House since Mr Trump's inauguration has been seen as something of a coup for Mrs May.
The government is keen to capitalise on the US president's strong personal and business links to the UK and his support for Brexit - which he has described as a "smart move".
In her speech to the annual Republican retreat on Thursday, Mrs May will stress the unique contribution that the US and UK have made to the modern world and the institutions that underpin it, such as Nato and the United Nations.
She will say that just as the two nations have worked hand-in-hand to "defeat evil" and to "open up the world" in the past, they now have an opportunity to "lead, together, again".
"The UK is by instinct and history a great, global nation that recognises its responsibilities to the world," she will say.
"And as we end our membership of the European Union, we have the opportunity to reassert our belief in a confident, sovereign and global Britain, ready to build relationships with old friends and new allies alike.
"So as we rediscover our confidence together - as you renew your nation just as we renew ours - we have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the special relationship for this new age."
Although the UK cannot begin to negotiate trade deals with the US or other countries until it leaves the EU, Mr Trump has said he wants a "quick" deal after that happens and the two leaders are expected to discuss future co-operation.
Ted Malloch, who has been tipped as a future US ambassador to the European Union, has told the BBC the outline of a free trade deal could be done in as little as 90 days.
"There won't be a deal signed in the White House of Friday, but there could be an agreement for a framework going forward where people are empowered to have that kind of conversation behind closed doors," said Prof Malloch, who works at Henley Business School.
"That's very positive, I think, and it also sends a signal that the United States is behind Great Britain in its hour of need."
But other economists have warned that although the UK and US are already significant trade partners, negotiating a bilateral agreement from scratch could take years and face many potential obstacles.
Mr Trump's protectionist rhetoric in his inauguration speech and his apparent hostility to existing global trade deals - he has already withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and urged major reform of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) - have raised question marks about his commitment to an equal partnership.
Labour has urged Mrs May not to give Mr Trump a "blank cheque" over trade, warning UK interests must be put first and there can be no question of watering down food safety standards and opening up the NHS to foreign procurement in return for concessions.
During Friday's visit, Mrs May will present a hamper of produce from her Chequers country retreat to First Lady Melania Trump as well as an engraved quaich - a Scottish toasting cup - to the US president.
The groundwork for the two-day visit was laid before Christmas when two of Mrs May's closest aides met members of the Trump transition team, while Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has also held talks with members of the president's circle.
Mrs May, however, will not be the first British politician to meet Mr Trump since his election victory.
He met former UKIP leader Nigel Farage in New York and was interviewed by former cabinet minister Michael Gove for the Times newspaper - meetings which are said to have dismayed some in Downing Street.
Mr Trump is expected to make a cameo appearance at the three-day Republican retreat in Philadelphia, an annual strategy event held behind closed doors.
Although the party also controls the House of Representatives and the Senate, Mr Trump fell out with many leading party figures during the presidential campaign.


India will ban ministers and senior officials from using red beacons on their cars to speed through traffic.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said "no vehicle will have a red light" from 1 May, and "there will no exceptions".
Under the new rule, only emergency vehicles, ambulances, fire engines and police cars can use flashing blue lights.
Critics say VIPs often use red beacons as a status symbol, leading to traffic chaos for commuters.
Status-conscious politicians and government officials are also accused of using the beacons to bypass the gridlocked city traffic on official business and show off their importance.
Mr Jaitley said the government was "removing the rule which allows state and central government to specify who can use the red lights".
Correspondents say the government's move comes as a blow to India's fabled "VIP culture" that privileges politicians and officials above ordinary citizens.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to twitter to respond to messages from his followers about his  government's decision.
"It's a huge democratic decision," Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took the lead in 2015 by asserting he would not have the red beacon on his car.
In 2013, India's Supreme Court had said that only those holding constitutional office - the president, the prime minister, cabinet ministers, senior judges and some other officials - could have red beacons on their cars.


A man has been charged after two women were attacked at student accommodation in Edinburgh.

The incidents happened between 01:30 and 01:40 on Sunday 3 May at the Riego Street flats.
One woman was indecently assaulted and the other was assaulted.
A 25-year-old man was detained following a CCTV appeal and will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday.


Turkey has blocked the social networking site Twitter following Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's vow to "wipe out" the service.

He has frequently expressed his dislike of social media sites - including YouTube and Facebook - believing they are being used to attack him.
However, the Twitter ban has drawn widespread criticism, including from Turkish President Abdullah Gul who tweeted his disagreement.
But Mr Erdogan's troubles go far beyond social media. He is also facing allegations of corruption and is embroiled in a feud with a former ally.
Here's a look at some of the battles he is currently fighting.
Last month, an audio recording posted on an anonymous Twitter account appeared to show Mr Erdogan talking to his son about hiding large sums of money.
Mr Erdogan denounced it as a fake.
"I don't care what the international community says at all. Everyone will see the power of the Turkish Republic," Mr Erdogan said on Thursday.
However, millions of Turkish internet users continued to access Twitter, using proxy servers and other means. Twitter itself posted instructions, while in Istanbul, graffiti appeared with details of how to sidestep the ban.
Many of the prime minister's harshest critics have used Twitter to co-ordinate protests against him and circulate damaging information.
A law passed last month tightens government controls on the internet, allowing the Turkish authorities to block websites without first seeking a court ruling.
It will also force internet providers to store data on web users' activities for two years and make it available to the authorities.
The opposition and human rights organisations have criticised the move as an assault on freedom of expression.
The BBC also expressed concern after a reporter for BBC Turkish was attacked on social media by the mayor of Ankara.
Protesters and politicians defy Turkey's Twitter ban
Turkey tightens internet controls
BBC reporters 'intimidated' by Turkey
The recorded phone call posted on Twitter appears to show Mr Erdogan asking his son Bilal to dispose of millions of euros in cash from a house.
Mr Erdogan says the allegations are a plot by his enemies to oust him.
In December, three Turkish government ministers resigned after their sons were taken into custody by police investigating allegations of bribery for construction projects.
All three sons were later released.
One of the ministers later said a great number of the construction projects had been approved by Mr Erdogan himself and he called on the prime minister to resign.
Erdogan's private phone call goes viral
Turkish ministers resign amid scandal
Once an ally of Mr Erdogan, Fethullah Gulen is an Islamic scholar who founded an influential social and cultural network which now includes more than 900 schools in Turkey.
Mr Gulen himself has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since 1999.
Followers of his Hizmet movement - whose name means "service" - are said to hold senior positions in the Turkish police, the judiciary and Mr Erdogan's AK Party itself.
However, Mr Gulen's critics believe Hizmet's aim is to gain power, to spread socially conservative Islamic attitudes on issues like marriage and alcohol around the globe, and to suppress any opposition.
Mr Erdogan has accused him of running a "state within a state" - an accusation he denies.
In December, Turkish pro-government media claimed prosecutors with ties to Mr Gulen had illegally wiretapped thousands of prominent figures.
Targets reportedly included government ministers and business leaders.
The claims were published a few hours ahead of the leaked recording said to be of Mr Erdogan.
Profile: Fethullah Gulen's Hizmet movement
Turkey prosecutors 'tapped phones'
The anger which led to last year's protests flared up again recently, with the news of the death of a 15-year-old boy who had been in a coma since last June.
Berkin Elvan was on his way to buy bread when he was hit on the head by a tear gas canister fired by police.
Mr Erdogan said the boy had links to "terrorist organisations".
His death brought the toll from last year's unrest to at least eight, including one policeman.
The protests began over plans to develop Istanbul's Gezi Park into a new mosque and shopping centre, but escalated into national demonstrations against what opponents see as Mr Erdogan's growing authoritarianism.
Erdogan and the 'foreign plot'
Erdogan accuses boy of 'terrorist links'
For many years, Mr Erdogan was held up as the role model for the leaders of Muslim countries, at ease with democracy and a pluralistic society. He has now been in power for 11 years. His critics say he is becoming increasingly autocratic.
Turkey is a member of Nato and is formally a candidate to join the European Union. European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes took to Twitter to voice her disappointment at the Twitter ban: "The Twitter ban in #Turkey is groundless, pointless, cowardly. Turkish people and intl community will see this as censorship. It is."
The German government also criticised the ban, as did the US-based research and pressure group Human Rights Watch, which called it a "fundamental blow to freedom of expression".
Mr Erdogan is likely to shrug off criticism from his foreign critics. But local elections are due to take place on 30 March, and the Turkish prime minister will have no choice but to listen to the voters' verdict.


Fifa has banned its former secretary-general Jerome Valcke from all football-related activity for 12 years.

The governing body's independent ethics committee also fined the 55-year-old 100,000 Swiss francs (£70,800) after it investigated allegations of misconduct relating to sales of World Cup tickets.
During the inquiry, other acts of potential misconduct arose concerning travel expenses and regulations.
Valcke's lawyer said his client had done "absolutely nothing wrong".
The lawyer's statement said: "With today's decision, the Fifa ethics committee has shown that it is not a credible, independent or objective decision-making body.
"In reaching an entirely unsupported, unjust and politically motivated decision, it wholly ignored the uncontroverted and exculpatory evidence that had been presented to it.
"Mr Valcke is confident that when all the facts come out, it will be clear that he did absolutely nothing wrong in carrying out his duties for the good of Fifa and the sport."
In September last year Valcke was put on leave and released from his duties until further notice after Fifa had "been made aware of a series of allegations" involving him.
His dismissal was confirmed in January and Fifa recommended he be banned from football for nine years.
Regarding the 12-year ban imposed on Friday, a Fifa statement said: "Amongst other things, the adjudicatory chamber found that a sports marketing firm had gained an undue advantage from the selling of World Cup tickets.
"In this respect, not only did Mr Valcke do nothing to stop these activities, he even encouraged the persons responsible to do so.
"By travelling at Fifa's expense purely for sightseeing reasons, as well as repeatedly choosing private flights for his trips over commercial flights without any business rationale for doing so, Mr Valcke gained an advantage for himself and relatives.
"In doing so, Mr Valcke acted against Fifa's best interests and caused considerable financial damage to Fifa.
"Concerning the issue of TV and media rights for the Caribbean, it was found that Mr Valcke attempted to grant the TV and media rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to a third party for a fee far below their actual market value and had taken concrete preparatory action in this regard.
"Furthermore, it was found that Mr Valcke deliberately tried to obstruct the ongoing proceedings against him by attempting to delete or deleting several files and folders relevant to the investigation, despite being aware of his duty to preserve all data and to collaborate in order to establish the facts of the case."
In December last year, Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Uefa boss Michel Platini were suspended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation which concluded they had demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their positions.


A handful of Saudi women have taken to the streets in their cars on a day of collective protest against the ban on female drivers.

Several videos of women driving have been posted online despite official warnings that women who took part risked sanctions.
Some women received warning phone calls from men purporting to be from the interior ministry.
But one woman who took part said she had faced no reprisals.
"I went to the grocery shop near the house... there was a reporter with me," Mai al-Sawyan told the BBC from Riyadh.
"Personally I know three other women" who also drove, she said.
"No-one approached me," she said, adding she was hopeful that the ban would be lifted soon.
But one leading activist - the university lecturer Aziza al-Yousef - said she had decided not to take part in the protest drive after being called by the authorities.
Saturday's protest is the third of its kind since 1990, after which a number of women were arrested or lost their jobs.
About 17,000 people signed a petition calling either for women to be allowed to drive or for an explanation of why the prohibition should remain in force.
An interior ministry spokesman, Mansour al-Turki, considerably toughened the Saudi government line on the women drivers' campaign on Thursday.
Mr Turki explicitly restated that women were prohibited from driving, with violators - and their supporters - likely to face unspecified measures.
A campaign activist, Zaki Safar, said that this was an unusually explicit statement of the ban, which is informal rather than enshrined in Saudi law.
The BBC has seen a document advising police on how to handle women drivers.
It suggests police take them into a side street. There police should issue them and their male guardians with a warning, and make them promise not to drive again.
The car keys should be given to the women's male guardians, the document says.
But the authorities' apparent failure to act to enforce the ban on Saturday has added to activists' conviction that the government is sending mixed messages as it is itself divided over whether to lift the ban.
Earlier this week, about 100 conservative clerics asked for an audience at the royal court in the capital, Riyadh, to denounce the campaign as a conspiracy by women and a threat to the country.
But there have been indications of a less hard-line attitude by the authorities than back in 1990, and at the second protest in 2011.
As part of the latest campaign, dozens of women have posted online videos of themselves driving in different Saudi cities. No-one has been arrested.
The activists behind the campaign believe the public mood is changing, with many more people - including an increasing number of men - publicly supporting the lifting of the ban.


Cyber-bullying is far less common than "traditional" face-to-face bullying, according to an academic survey of more than 120,000 English 15-year-olds.

While 30% reported regular bullying of some form, just 3% said it happened both on and offline.
Fewer than 1% said that the regular bullying they experienced was online-only.
Children's charity the NSPCC said it was receiving an increasing number of calls about cyber-bullying.
The study's authors, at the Oxford Internet Institute, wrote that their findings stood "in stark contrast to media reports and the popular perceptions that young people are now more likely to be victims of cyber-bullying than traditional forms".
The results have been published in medical journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
Respondents were also asked to complete a mental well-being questionnaire for the study.
It revealed that the lowest levels of well-being were reported among those 15-year-olds who had experienced both online and offline bullying (3%).
The survey was designed to enquire about bullying that 15-year-olds experienced regularly: once or twice in the past two months, or more often than that.
"It's not that they never experienced cyber-bullying," explained co-author Andrew Przybylski, pointing out that isolated cases would not be represented in the data.
"The main takeaway here is that it doesn't make sense to think of cyber-bullying as its own thing," he told the BBC.
"If you're a parent or you're running a school or designing an intervention, [on and offline bullying] are two sides of the same coin."
He said that his research suggested the best way for parents and teachers to combat the problem was to make sure children are comfortable with talking about any form of bullying they might experience.
But the rise of cyber-bullying has clearly been apparent to charities working with children.
"We have seen an 88% increase in counselling about online bullying over the past five years," the NSPCC said in its Childline bullying report 2015-16.
"We know that cyber-bullying can be particularly damaging because it doesn't stop at the school gates," said Claire Lilley, NSPCC head of Child Safety Online.
"Every year we receive more and more calls about cyber bullying.
"It's vital that children who are being bullied tell someone what's going on, either by talking to a trusted adult or by contacting Childline on 0800 11 11."


At least 15 Afghan soldiers have been killed in an attack by the Taliban on a military base in Kandahar province.

Five others were injured in the assault on the facility in Shah Wali Kot district, defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Wazir told the BBC.
It comes four days after 10 Afghan soldiers were killed when Taliban militants stormed another base in the same area.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, AFP news agency reports.
What will Trump do about the Taliban?Who are the Taliban?The new 'Great Game' in Afghanistan
Last month, the Taliban announced the start of their "spring offensive" a week after killing at least 135 Afghan soldiers in a military compound near the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif.
The group said it would use military alongside political tactics, and that its main target would be foreign forces.
The attacks in Kandahar follow raids on police outposts in central the central Zabul province on Sunday, which left at least 20 officers dead.
The US and other Nato allies are considering sending thousands more troops to back up the Afghan military as it battles the insurgency.
US combat operations against the Taliban officially ended in 2014, but special forces have continued to provide support to Afghan troops.
The Taliban is believed  to control up to a third of Afghanistan, after gaining ground in the past two years.


Internet addicts can suffer a form of cold turkey when they stop using the web - just like people coming off drugs, according to research.

A study by Swansea and Milan universities found young people had "negative moods" when they stopped surfing the net.
Heavy internet-users also tended to be more depressed, the research found.
Internet addiction is said to be a clinical disorder marked by out-of-control internet use.
Swansea University said around half of the 60 young people it studied spent so much time on the net that it had negative consequences for the rest of their lives.
The results are part of a study looking at the negative psychological impacts of the internet.
The university said over the past decade internet addiction had became widely debated in medical literature.
Its research said the so-called addicts' web usage was varied, but it was common for them to gamble and access pornography online.
Prof Phil Reed, of Swansea University's college of human and health sciences, said: "Although we do not know exactly what internet addiction is, our results show that around half of the young people we studied spend so much time on the net that it has negative consequences for the rest of their lives.
"When these people come off-line, they suffer increased negative mood - just like people coming off illegal drugs like ecstasy.
"These initial results, and related studies of brain function, suggest that there are some nasty surprises lurking on the net for people's wellbeing.
"These results corroborate previous reports regarding the psychological characteristics and traits of internet users, but go beyond those findings to show the immediate effect of the Internet on the mood of those who are addicted."
The study explored the immediate impact of internet exposure on the mood and psychological states of internet addicts and low internet-users.
The 60 volunteers, made up of 27 men and 33 women aged in their 20s, were given psychological tests to explore levels of addiction, mood, anxiety, depression and autism traits.
They were then given exposure to the internet for 15 minutes and re-tested for mood and anxiety.
The research found the mood of high internet-users suffered after internet use compared to low internet-users.
Scientists said this could possibly trigger them to log back on to the internet to "remove these unpleasant feelings".
Research into internet addiction has also been carried out in China.
Last year experts there said web addicts had brain changes similar to those hooked on drugs or alcohol.
They scanned the brains of 17 young web addicts and found disruption in the way their brains were wired up.


One of the great joys of covering rugby around the globe was the sight of Jonah Lomu charging through the 1995 World Cup.

The high veld and coastal landscapes of South Africa were the venues for the emergence of this rugby superstar whose exploits persuaded media baron Rupert Murdoch that he must galvanise the sport into a fully professional code.
Get me that man, Murdoch told his henchmen, no excuses, no maybes. Sign Jonah and we have the jewel we need to lead this rugby revolution.
A year before, on test debut as the youngest in All Black history, Lomu was uncertain in two tests against France, but that was gone in Johannesburg through Bloemfontein to Pretoria then Cape Town.
His transformation was remarkable. The gauche teenager was replaced by a thundering keg of explosive venom on the All Blacks left wing.
In a rugby land which lauded size and power, Lomu came with super-sized quantities of both, topped with deft ball-handling skills, superb balance and a sense of timing which astounded his opponents and those of us fortunate to cover that extraordinary tournament.
When All Black coach Laurie Mains picked Lomu in 1994, the shy wing never quite got to grips with his job description.
But after a punishing fitness schedule and massive encouragement from people like Eric Rush to stick with rugby and fend away offers from rival codes, Lomu was picked for the World Cup.
We wondered about his influence but did not have to wait long as Lomu smashed into his work with two tries in the opening test with Ireland.
His impact spread quickly, but only a few knew he was playing with the debilitating effects of kidney nephritis.
"I went to the World Cup in '95 knowing I was sick," Lomu later revealed.
While the All Blacks were feted in their usual way at Johannesburg Airport at the start of the tournament, there was no special crowd focus on Lomu.
He was a strapping young wing with two mediocre tests on his CV while Sean Fitzpatrick, Richard Loe and Zinzan Brooke were the team legends.
They lost that status very quickly while Lomu was assigned his personal bodyguard as his presence at any shopping centre or tourist haunt was a magnet for frenzied hordes.
In a few weeks Lomu turned his potential into pure destruction, and the mixed-race, known as coloured, and black populations in South Africa had a new superhero they could barrack for, and taunt those who had restricted much of their lives.
When Lomu returned home that interest rose even more - he was rugby's first superstar.
His time was not his own. He had his public and private troubles, but he was growing up in the nation's spotlight.
Watching him play rugby was a special occasion. He was phenomenal for the Auckland Blues, and many times in Australia, like in late 1995, he made a mess of their very strong defence.
He ran through, around or over those who lost their tackling technique, and then in 2000 he tiptoed down the sideline for a last-minute try to win a test in Sydney.
That was 15 years ago, when his kidney problems were causing him a lot more issues before he finished his 63rd and final test against Wales in Cardiff in 2002.
Lomu had his kidney transplant, but that was failing him as he struggled through the opening ceremony at the 2011 World Cup.
He regrouped and, with his wife Nadene and two young boys, was an ambassador at this year's event. Before he left, he toured the country in speaking engagements with Brian Lochore, Graham Henry and Stephen Donald.
He looked well and was chirpy. He was managing the multiple weekly visits for kidney dialysis and that was sorted for his lengthy trip to the World Cup.
He, like thousands of Kiwi travellers, was confident the All Blacks would return as winners.
They were - and so was Lomu, whose untimely death today at 40 will be an enduring shock for the sport and his global friends.


Clashes have broken out in Indian-administered Kashmir on the anniversary of the killing of a militant leader.

The security forces are reported to have used tear gas against stone-throwing protesters.
They also surrounded the hometown of Burhan Wani, 22, who was killed fighting Indian troops last year.
Separately seven people are reported to have been killed in shelling across the Line of Control that divides Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
Officials on the Pakistani side told Reuters that five people died in Indian shelling, while Indian officials say two people were killed by Pakistani fire.
There has been an armed revolt in the Muslim-majority region against rule by India since 1989, although violence has waned in recent years.
The disputed region is claimed by both India and Pakistan in its entirety. India blames Pakistan for fuelling the unrest, a claim denied by Islamabad.
Burhan Wani is credited with reviving the image of militancy in Muslim-majority Indian-administered Kashmir, becoming a figurehead for young people.
Saturday's violence started as people tried to walk to his home in Tral - where he died in a shootout with the army last July.
His death led to a wave of protests during which dozens of people were killed.
The Indian authorities imposed heavy restrictions in the Kashmir valley for the anniversary, stopping internet access and sealing off Tral.
There have also been reports of army personnel being injured in a militant attack overnight on Friday.


A £10m investment to improve NHS care in Wales for major health conditions like cancer and diabetes has been announced.

Deputy health minister Vaughan Gething said the cash would also improve services for heart disease, stroke, critical care and mental health.
Liver, neurological, respiratory, and end-of-life care will also benefit.
Each condition has a delivery plan, put together by clinicians, patients and advocates for excellent care.
Mr Gething said: "These plans are making a real difference for people in Wales.
"More people are surviving cancer than ever before, despite significant increases in incidence - 96% of people with cancer rate their care as excellent, very good or good.
"We are making similar progress with our other delivery plans - survival from heart disease and stroke has improved; the number of people dying from stroke has fallen by 1,000 a year; and the number of emergency admissions for stroke, heart disease and diabetes is also falling, demonstrating better management of the conditions in the community.
"I want the health service to use this funding to maintain focus on these key plans and deliver even more improvements in patient care and outcomes."