Motherwell have released Louis Laing after the defender spent the first half of the season on loan to Notts County.

The 23-year-old played 27 times for the English League Two outfit, but his contract with the Scottish Premiership club has ended by mutual consent.
Laing had joined Well from Nottingham Forest, initially on loan, in January 2015 and made 31 appearances.
He had previously had a loan spell with County, playing 12 times for the Magpies.
Transfer deadline day passed without any major changes to Mark McGhee's Motherwell squad.
They failed in an attempt to sign Turkish striker Nadir Ciftci from Celtic on loan.
That could have allowed Well to accept an approach A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers for Scott McDonald.
But the Australian will remain at Fir Park until at least the end of the season.
Motherwell did make two additions to their squad on deadline day, with midfielder Shea Gordon joining from Sheffield United and goalkeeper Oliver Pain on loan from Sunderland.
The 18-year-old Gordon, who has captained Northern Ireland youths, and 19-year-old Pain will initially join Motherwell's development squad.
Australian-born Pain signed for Sunderland in September after leaving Crystal Palace and is a replacement for Well under-20s goalkeeper PJ Morrison, who needs an operation following a wrist injury.
In addition, Well midfielder Tom Fry has joined League Two outfit Annan Athletic on loan, while defender and fellow 19-year-old Luke Watt has joined East Fife after the end of a similar loan move to League One rivals Stranraer.


A bride-to-be said she was "gutted" after finding out her venue had closed, a few months before her wedding day.

Jazmine Parry, 30, from Swansea, was due to marry Kurt Tracey, 31, at The Gower Hotel in Bishopston on 27 April.
However, the hotel ceased trading on 31 December with 23 people being made redundant, meaning 28 couples who booked weddings in 2017 and 2018 now have to make new plans.
Miss Parry said: "We are just devastated by it to be honest."
Insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor told the Jason Mohammad programme: "Having lost some key members of staff, and themselves suffering ill-health, the owners are now no longer able to run or financially support the business.
"The owners of the family-run business are deeply sorry and extend their sincerest apologies to those affected customers."
People who had booked an event or to stay at the hotel in January are being contacted by post.
The couple got engaged last February and booked the venue the following month - they had paid £5,000 towards the cost of the wedding, including £3,000 last month.
Miss Parry said the couple took out wedding insurance at the beginning of January but as the company, unbeknown to them, had stopped trading a few days earlier, it was not covered.
"We found out on Friday. We had an email from the wedding coordinator who basically just said that she'd lost her job and the hotel was closing," she said.
"I was in shock, I still am. I feel completely let down."
Miss Parry said other venues in the area had offered to match the original price, but as they had already lost £5,000, they did not have the budget for it.
The couple intend to keep their wedding date but are now considering a small ceremony abroad with just their two daughters Layla, eight, and Isabelle, seven.
Consumer law expert Prof Margaret Griffiths urged couples involved to go to a creditors' meeting on 25 January as it will allow people to find out what is happening.
She said: "Unfortunately, of course, people like Jazmine and the other couples involved will be what's termed unsecured creditors, so they will actually be at the end of the line when it comes to paying out for the insolvency of the firm."


Leading figures in higher education have attacked government plans to limit UK visas for international students.

The vice-chancellors' body Universities UK described them as "damaging and dangerous", while one university head said they could be "catastrophic".
The government is currently consulting on plans to cut visas for students studying below degree level and to raise English language requirements.
It says the system is abused and net migration needs to be reduced.
The proposals relate to prospective students from outside the EU applying for visas under what is known as Tier 4 of the points-based system.
These accounted for about two-thirds of the 273,000 visas issued to students to come to the UK in 2009.
The government wants to reduce the number of visas granted to such applicants wanting to study at courses below degree level, and to require a higher standard of English for those who do come.
It has pledged to reduce net migration from its current 215,000 to less than 100,000 by 2015.
But universities argue that many international degree students are recruited from non-degree courses, on which they have improved their English and increased their subject knowledge.
And Universities UK says that international students provide about 9% of the sector's income.
Edward Action, Vice Chancellor of East Anglia University, said that if the language requirement was raised, "the catastrophic effects on universities will, for a period, actually make the home [tuition] fees matter slightly fade from the centre, so grave will it be".
Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, said of the proposals: "They're damaging, they're dangerous and we are very opposed and very concerned about them."
Tony Milns, chief executive of the English language teaching association English UK, estimated that the planned raising of the required language level would rule out 70-80% of students who currently study foundation courses.
He said universities recruit nearly half of their international students from such courses.
"International student fees subsidise home student places, they keep courses and sometimes whole departments open. In some universities, where more than 60% of students are not home students, they are vital to the survival of institutions," he said.
The proposed changes come as tuition fees for students in England are set to rise in 2012 from just over Â£3,000 to up to Â£9,000, alongside cuts to teaching budgets.
This year, before the increased fees are brought in, universities in England face a 6% cut to teaching budgets, as well as cuts of 54% to capital funding related to teaching.
The president of the National Union of Students, Aaron Porter, said home students would lose out in terms of the cultural and academic environment if the number of international students were to drop.
He raised concerns about the effect on some institutions, such as the London School of Economics, in which 70% of students come from an international background.
"It would be an absolute travesty at a time when universities and students are facing unprecedented challenges for an additional, unnecessary and indeed economically counter-productive challenge to be thrown into the mix," he said.
Immigration Minister Damian Green said the government believed that attracting talented students from abroad was vital to the UK, "but we must be more selective about who can come here and how long they can stay".
The Home Office estimates that 14% of language school  students on Tier 4 visas, and 26% studying in private institutions are  breaking immigration rules.
It says it is concerned that some non-degree courses are used as a pretext to enable the student to enter the UK in the hope of living and working there.
A Home Office analysis found that 20% of people who were granted student visas in 2004 were still in the UK in 2009.
It also said 13% of people were granted permission to settle in the UK in 2009 had entered the UK on a study visa.
"Too many individuals applying to study at below degree level have been coming here to live and work instead. We need to stop this abuse," Mr Green said.
He said the government was listening to the views of the education sector in its consultation, which ends on 31 January.
"The proposals follow a major review of the system, and are aimed at a more selective system and, crucially, reducing the numbers to meet the Government's target of reducing net migration to sustainable levels," a Home Office spokesperson told the BBC last week.
The government also wants to introduce measures to ensure students return home following their studies.


Adopting "clean technology" doesn't have to cost the earth, whether you're a large global enterprise or a local shop, but it could ensure the long-term survival of your business.

As the population continues to grow, the demand for food, water and energy will rise by as much as 50% by 2030, says the US National Intelligence Council (NIC) in its Global Trends 2030 report. Energy costs alone are forecast to grow by 25% over the next 10 years.
Special Report: The Technology of Business
Fire risk prediction gets technical
Final call for the phone box?
India's politicians going social
Digging for nuggets of gold in data
Why tiny cameras are big business
But many business are not doing enough to prepare for this changing world and could be "sleepwalking into a resource crunch", warns Tom Delay, chief executive of the UK's Carbon Trust, a not-for-profit organisation advising businesses on how to reduce their energy usage.
Many businesses could go bust if they don't go green and embrace clean tech, he believes.
Some companies, such as Houweling's Tomatoes in Camarillo, California, exemplify what a totally integrated sustainable operation can look like.
It employs five acres of photovoltaic solar panels to generate one megawatt (MW) of electricity to power its 125 acres of tomato-growing greenhouses.
The company captures and reuses rainwater and water run-off using a four-acre reservoir equipped with filtration technology, while computer-monitored drip irrigation ensures that water and fertilisers are used as efficiently as possible in the production of its hydroponically grown tomatoes. Any excess water is also treated and recycled.
The company estimates that this method of production uses about a sixth of the water and one 10th of the land typically needed to produce the same amount of product via traditional agricultural practices.
On top of this, an 8.8MW heat-and-power co-generation unit captures heat from refrigeration units, water and CO2 for use within the greenhouse and produces enough energy to allow Houweling's Tomatoes to sell some of the electricity back to the grid.
More than 90% of the company's waste is recycled.
While this $200m-plus (£130m-plus) operation serves as a "clean tech" exemplar, the Carbon Trust worries that many businesses are dangerously complacent.
In a recent survey it carried out, executives in Brazil, China, Korea, the UK and the US, were asked about their companies' approach to sustainability.
More than half had not set goals for reducing water consumption, waste production or carbon emissions, and a quarter of companies had no-one with a specific responsibility for sustainability issues.
"One reason that companies are stalling on taking action on resource and sustainability appears to be that they still see this as an obligation and a cost," says Mr Delay.
But "clean tech" costs have fallen dramatically. For example, installing photovoltaic solar panels costs half what it did three years ago, while improvements in energy-efficient lighting mean businesses can now save millions on their electricity bills.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology has been around since the 1960s, but it has advanced so far that the latest units now use less than half the wattage of the high-pressure sodium and mercury vapour bulbs traditionally used in industrial locations, while also providing brighter illumination and lasting for up to 10 years.
Dialight, a British company that specialises in LED lighting for large industry and public sector clients around the world, reckons upgrading from old-school to clean tech lighting can save businesses 50% on their lighting electricity costs and recoup the capital outlay within three years.
Geoff Smyth, head of technology and delivery for the Carbon Trust, agrees, saying: "Lighting accounts for 20% to 50% of total energy consumed in commercial buildings, and a lot of the time the lights don't even need to be on.
"With these breakthroughs in LED and lighting management technology, businesses can achieve energy savings of 70% to 80% and see a payback on their investment within two or three years."
For example, one small hotel upgrading 80 lights to LEDs spent £22,000 on the project, says Smyth, but is now achieving annual savings of £6,600 on its energy bill.
Ron Pernick, managing director of Clean Edge, a US-based clean tech research and advisory company, says: "Innovations in visualising energy efficiency, paired with big data, are already having a significant impact on energy usage. Efficiency continues to be the low-hanging fruit for most companies and governments."
For example, C3 Energy, a "big data" analytics specialist, provides software and monitoring systems that can show large and small businesses how much energy they are using and on what processes, then compare these with buildings and businesses in the same area.
As the software builds up a detailed profile of the business, it can then suggest ways energy consumption can be reduced, such as by upgrading equipment
Similarly, Wireless Energy Management Systems (WEMS), whose clients include Marks & Spencer, BT and Boots, provide a range of wireless sensors and controllers that can monitor and adjust a building's entire energy usage, reducing lighting and temperature levels if it is bright and warm outside, for example.
The entire integrated system can be monitored remotely every 30 minutes, and WEMS says it can cut energy costs for any building with an average energy bill of £7,000 or more.
On a much smaller scale, the latest "smart" thermostats can also save businesses and households money on their energy bills.
California-based Nest Labs, founded by two former Apple executives, produces a thermostat capable of learning user behaviour and working out when a building is occupied or not, using temperature, humidity, activity and light sensors.
It adjusts the temperature to match user habits and can be programmed remotely over wi-fi using a smartphone or laptop.
Nest claims it can save 20% on energy bills by managing heating more efficiently, and that adjusting temperature by just one degree can knock 5% off your bill. The main drawback is that it is currently only available in the US and Canada, priced $250 (£165).
Nest spokeswoman Kate Brinks, told the BBC: "We haven't provided a timeframe for entry in to the EU market yet, other than to say this year."
Inefficient buildings account for 43% of the UK's total greenhouse gas emissions, says the Department of Energy & Climate Change, and UK industry could save up to £32bn over the next four decades by reducing carbon emissions and energy usage.
So whether you run a corner shop or an industrial complex, energy cost savings are there for the taking.
Not only will you be saving money, but you will also be making your business more resilient in the face of future energy and resource shortages.


The acquisition of non-league Salford City by a group of former Manchester United footballers and their business partner Peter Lim has been approved.

Ex-United quintet Gary and Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, who agreed to take over the club in March, will have 50% ownership.
Lim, who has just taken over Valencia, has acquired the other 50% stake.
The Football Association and the Northern Premier League have both ratified the deal.
Salford City are currently third in Division One North of the Northern Premier League, six points behind leaders Darlington 1883 with two games in hand.
They play in the eighth tier of English football, alongside FA Cup giantkillers Warrington Town.
Singapore-based self-made billionaire Lim, 61, is estimated by Forbes to be worth £1.5bn, but withdrew a £320m bid to buy Liverpool in 2010.
When the link-up was announced in September, the Neville brothers, Giggs, Scholes and Butt said they have known Lim for more than 10 years, and expect "exciting times" for the club.


Escaped horses were marched down a north London high street by police officers.

4 March 2017 Last updated at 18:52 GMT
Police were called to St Albans Road, Barnet, just after 01.00 GMT on Friday when motorists reported the horses were causing a hazard on the roads.
Police cars were used to block traffic as the horses were brought under control.
They were later returned to their home on a nearby private residence.
Insp Jamie Kay of Barnet police said: "Leading horses down a busy high street was certainly an unusual spectacle and goes to show the variety of incidents we deal with.
"Luckily, one of my officers was an equestrian expert who was able to gently coax the horses into makeshift harnesses made from water rescue ropes that we carry."


A lorry driver has been jailed for six years for causing a crash on the M5 in which a man died.

Five vehicles were involved in the crash near junction 28 at Hele, Devon, in December 2012.
Alan Clements, 47, from Hengoed, near Oswestry, died from from his injuries.
Julian Ketcher, 44. from Warwick, was jailed at Exeter Crown Court after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving earlier this month. He was also banned for five years.


Fifa vice-president Juan Angel Napout has been extradited to the US to face corruption charges, Swiss officials say.

The president of the South American football federation Conmebol was detained in Zurich earlier this month.
Mr Napout, a Paraguayan, is accused of taking bribes worth millions of dollars linked to the sale of marketing rights to South American tournaments.
He resigned following his arrest and is currently banned from football.
Swiss justice authorities also said Eduardo Li, a former president of the Costa Rican federation who was arrested in Zurich in May, had dropped his appeal against extradition to the US.
Mr Napout was arrested at the same time as fellow Fifa vice-president Alfredo Hawit, the interim president for North, Central America and Caribbean football.
All three men are among 16 current and former senior football officials indicted by US authorities investigating corruption in the organisation earlier this month.
The FBI investigation was initially sparked by the controversial award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, as well as the bidding process for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
But the inquiry has since been widened to look at Fifa's dealings over the past 20 years. The US says the corruption was planned in the US and US banks were used to transfer money.
Fifa President Sepp Blatter has always denied any wrongdoing, but in September he was made the subject of a parallel Swiss criminal investigation.
Under the US investigation, former Honduras President Rafael Callejas appeared in court in New York and pleaded not guilty to bribery charges.
Mr Callejas, who led his country between 1990 and 1994, is a current member of Fifa's television and marketing committee.
Meanwhile in Peru, authorities have opened an investigation into the current head of the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF), Edwin Oviedo, as well as 65 other people.
Prosecutors are examining the FPF's bank accounts and balance sheets amid suspicion that sports activities were used to launder money, AFP news agency reports.
And in Brazil, former stars including Rai and Paulo Cezar Caju have called for the resignation of Brazilian Football Confederation President Marco Polo Del Nero, who has been indicted in the US for "racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies".
"We need a more democratic institution in order to rebuild Brazilian football," Rai told BBC Brasil.
Mr Del Nero is currently on a leave of absence.


Crashes on a stretch of road upgraded after a 40-year campaign fell "significantly" in the first year after it opened, the BBC can reveal.

Police have welcomed the drop of collisions on the A11, running through Norfolk and Suffolk, which fell by 80% between 2010 and 2015, from 115 to 23.
The last nine miles between Barton Mills and Thetford opened on 12 December 2014 at a cost of £134m.
Insp Julian Ditcham, of Suffolk Police, attributed the drop to the upgrade.
"The majority of the accidents were on the single carriageways, often through people overtaking at a risk to themselves and others," said Insp Ditcham.
"There was the added problem of deer getting on to roads. There is now more space between the forestry and the road."
Prof David Spiegelhalter, of Cambridge University, said: "The numbers for 2015 are certainly significantly less [in the technical sense] than 2010 to 2012."
He accepted that figures were affected by speed restrictions during construction in 2013-14.
"[But] a reduction of around 100 a year to 23 in one year could not plausibly be due to chance," he continued.
"It is a rather a dramatic reduction, and so unless there is some other plausible reason provided [for example, a massive reduction in traffic], I would think it reasonable to claim it was due to the dualling."
Highways England said: "We routinely assess the impact of our major projects on congestion and safety and, while it is too early to say for sure what the long term impacts of dualling the A11 have been, the early indications are very encouraging."
Dr Giles Smith, 68, who lived and worked near the A11 and attended crash victims, campaigned in the 1980s and 1990s for the A11 to be made safer.
"I am impressed with the A11 dualling, even if it was 20 years late," he said.
West Suffolk Conservative MP Matthew Hancock said: "Thousands of commuters are having a much safer journey thanks to the dualling."
Business leaders said the new road had been for positive for companies in Norfolk and Suffolk.
John Dugmore, chief executive of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, said: "We hear from our members and from businesses big and small across the East of England that 12 months on the dualling of the A11 is having an improved impact on our economy."


England one-day batsman Alex Hales says the players are "embarrassed" by their World Cup failure, while team-mate Ravi Bopara claims they played "with fear".

Nottinghamshire opener Hales, 26, played in England's final two group matches at the tournament, including the decisive defeat against Bangladesh.
"I think all of us are embarrassed about what happened," Hales told BBC Radio Nottingham.
"The skill level and standard of cricket we showed wasn't good enough."
Bopara, 29, featured in England's dead rubber against Afghanistan, where he did not bat in the match as they chased down a low total for victory.
The Essex batsman believes England's players struggled to show what they were actually capable of during the event.
"I can't stand here and lie - we probably did play with fear and did not express ourselves as we should," Bopara told BBC Sport.
"But at least we've identified that. We've been honest with each other and we are going to change the culture in the team."
Hales was overlooked for the defeats against New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka, as well as the win over Scotland.
But he returned to the side against Bangladesh - scoring 27 - and retained his place in the meaningless nine-wicket win over Afghanistan in Sydney, where he scored 37.
Hales had not played in nearly a month before his first appearance, but he refused to blame a lack of cricket for failing to hit a big score.
"The standards we set and the way we played was poor," Hales said.
"It was a bit frustrating carrying the drinks for a few games but I am disappointed I didn't take my chance. I felt ready for it."
Hales is convinced England do have the quality in their domestic game and are capable of playing a brand of cricket that will challenge the best sides.
The national side will get the chance to prove that theory when New Zealand and Australia visit to play a series of one-day internationals.
He added: "If you look around English cricket there are some talented, young, dynamic players and it's about us creating an environment where everyone is comfortable to go out and express that.
"It's going to be a very tough summer of one-day cricket playing arguably the two best teams in the world, so we all know we have to raise our standards.
"I am looking forward to it and hope I can nail down a spot in the team."


Myanmar has allowed the aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres to reopen its clinics in most of the country, two days after suspending the organisation.

The agency said it remained "extremely concerned" that it had not been authorised to resume work in Rakhine, a state plagued by sectarian violence.
A presidential spokesman earlier alleged MSF was biased in favour of Rakhine's Muslim Rohingya minority.
The medical body is one of the biggest providers of healthcare in Rakhine.
It provides emergency assistance to tens of thousands of Rohingya people displaced by recent violence.
The United Nations has described the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. They are considered stateless and are rejected by both Myanmar and neighbouring Bangladesh.
The Rohingya have faced widespread public hostility in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, also known as Burma.
There have been several outbreaks of mass violence against them since June 2012, with tens of thousands fleeing their homes for temporary camps.
MSF said it had been allowed to resume operations in Kachin and Shan states, as well as in the Yangon region, also known as Rangoon.
"Whilst we are encouraged by this and will resume these activities for now, MSF remains extremely concerned about the fate of tens of thousands of vulnerable people in Rakhine state who currently face a humanitarian medical crisis," the agency said in a statement.
People in Rakhine are particularly in need of treatment for HIV/ AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
The BBC's Jonah Fisher, in Yangon, says MSF is one of the few agencies providing care for Rohingya who would otherwise be turned away from clinics and hospitals.
Authorities ordered MSF to cease its Myanmar operations on Friday.
The government has accused the organisation of prioritising the treatment of the Rohingya community over local Buddhists.
The final straw may well have been MSF's statement a month ago that they had treated people after an alleged massacre of Muslims by Buddhists near the border with Bangladesh, our correspondent says.
The government's own investigation found there had been no casualties.
MSF earlier insisted that that its actions were always "guided by medical ethics and the principles of neutrality and impartiality".
The non-profit, self-governed organisation was founded in France in 1971 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.


MP Carol Monaghan says she was not embarrassed about her decision to appear at a Commons select committee meeting with a cross on her forehead on Ash Wednesday.

The SNP MP for Glasgow North West said: "The reaction was generally positive, most people didn't know what it meant.
"When I came into committee, one of the members asked me about it. I said 'it's Ash Wednesday' and they said 'but this is going to be broadcast'.
"I think they just thought I didn't want to be embarrassed - but I was not going to rub it off.
"Many religions have visible symbols and Christians should not feel any embarrassment in either practising their religion or in the public display of religious symbols."
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and many Christians attend a church service at which their foreheads are marked with ash in the shape of a cross.
The crosses are made from a mix of ashes - often from burnt palm leaves - and holy water and signify the worshipper's repentance before God.
Ms Monaghan says she got the "usual" reaction, including people pointing out that she had a mark on her forehead.
It is something she is used to having been a science teacher in a non-denominational comprehensive school before becoming an MP in 2015.
"I am happy to answer their questions. For me it is an educational opportunity," she said.
The Church of England says it encourages members to go out on the streets to bring this centuries-old tradition to the wider public.
Members of Croydon Minster spoke to commuters at the local tram station, offering what they dubbed "Ash n' Dash".
In Galway, a drive-thru Ash Wednesday service was described as "beautiful and overwhelmingly respectful".
For Christians, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before Easter, marking Jesus's 40 days of fasting in the desert.
Many attempt to fast, or give up something for the 40 days - such as Prime Minister Theresa May, who will stop eating crisps.
On Ash Wednesday, Christians are encouraged not to rub the ashes off their foreheads and many display the symbol at work, like Ms Monaghan.
A spokeswoman for the Catholic Church in England and Wales says: "Keeping the ashes on one's forehead throughout the day acts as a sign of the cross to all we meet and can often be a source of conversation.
"Many people are dimly aware of ashes and the season of Lent - this visible witness could awaken faith in the hearts of others in the way that words cannot."
But are Christians allowed to display the religious symbol while at work?
Claire Dawson, employment lawyer at Slater and Gordon, says the right to display a religious symbol is protected under employment law and the European Convention on Human Rights, unless there is a good justification for prohibiting it.
She says: "If it was questioned by an employer or prohibited then they would have to have a good reason for that.
"If you are someone who is a TV presenter, for example, there may be more of a debate.
"The type of justification which is taken seriously would be health and safety.
"There has been a case where somebody was fighting for her right to wear a cross at work, but because she was a nurse, it was against the employer's health and safety policy which justified her not being allowed to wear it.
"Whereas a woman who was British Airways ground crew and who wanted to wear a cross, although it didn't comply with BA's dress code and corporate image, that wasn't considered important enough to trump her religion."
In addition, she says, employees are protected from being treated less favourably because of their religion or belief and from being subjected to harassment because of it.
She said that one of the Commons doorkeepers at Prime Minister's Questions had asked her about it after seeing another MP with, as he put it, "something on his head".
The 44-year-old mother of three said it had never been a problem for her although "in a situation where cameras are rolling, you have to make a conscious decision".
"I have to be open about it - for me it would be wrong to hide something which is important to me."


Sale Sharks flanker David Seymour has signed a new two-year deal with the Premiership club.

The 31-year-old has made 160 appearances for Sale since joining the club from Saracens in 2009.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the club and was delighted to be offered a new deal," he said.
Seymour is the third Sale player to commit his future to the club recently, with winger Will Addison and centre Mark Jennings also signing new deals.
"He is one of the senior professionals at the club and is well respected by the whole squad," director of rugby Steve Diamond added,
"David wants to help us continue our journey and wants to enjoy success at the club."


An elderly Angus couple have been targeted by bogus workmen who used maggots to try to convince them they had woodworm in their roof.

The incident happened in the village of Westmuir near Kirriemuir on Wednesday.
The couple's bank intervened after becoming suspicious of their customers' request to withdraw Â£3,000.
It follows a similar incident in March where an elderly Montrose couple gave Â£5,000 to bogus workmen who passed off the live maggots as woodworm.
The men entered the property after telling the couple they had noticed loose slates on the roof.
Angus Council trading standards believe the bogus workmen may be part of organised criminal groups operating across the UK, targeting older or more vulnerable people.


Hundreds of homes were left without power while roads and trains were affected by flooding after storms battered Wales.

Scottish Power said 300 customers have had power cuts, with the worst affected areas around Newtown and Welshpool, Powys.
An additional 259 Western Power Distribution customers were without electricity in the Pontyberem area of Carmarthenshire
Flood warnings were also issued.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said flooding would affect the Conwy, Dyfi and Lower Dee valleys.
The Met Office yellow "be ready" warning for north Wales, Ceredigion and Powys, was in place until 04:00 GMT Monday.
The Met Office said: "Be aware that, given already saturated conditions, flooding is possible either from standing water or from rivers which have remained high after the large rainfall totals over the last few days."
NRW said its staff would be out working all weekend on flood defences and putting measures in place to reduce the impact on people and their property.
Check if this is affecting your journey


Theresa May says she will directly oversee work on a new law to tackle domestic violence amid concerns victims are being let down by the legal system.

Downing Street said it was "unacceptable" some areas of England and Wales were putting more effort into tackling the problem than others.
The Domestic Violence and Abuse Act aims to address an inconsistency in the use of existing offences and measures.
Mrs May said tackling such abuse was a "key priority" for the government.
As home secretary, Mrs May introduced a new offence against controlling and coercive behaviour and domestic violence protection orders.
Domestic violence prosecutions and convictions have started to improve in recent years, and the prime minister said "no stone will be left unturned in delivering a system that increases convictions, and works better for victims".
Mrs May added: "Domestic violence and abuse is a life shattering and absolutely abhorrent crime.
"There are thousands of people who are suffering at the hands of abusers - often isolated, and unaware of the options and support available to them to end it.
"Given the central importance of victim evidence to support prosecutions in this area, raising public awareness - as well as consolidating the law - will prove crucial."
Downing Street said work on the legislation would be co-ordinated by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, although other departments would be involved.
'Sea change'
Experts working with victims will also be invited to contribute ideas and proposals.
Charities and groups supporting victims welcomed the plans.
Women's Aid chief executive Polly Neate said there was "scope to make the legal framework surrounding domestic abuse clearer and more comprehensive", while the NSPCC called for the needs of affected children to be prioritised.
Refuge chief executive Sandra Horley said she hoped the new law "will bring the sea-change that is needed to give victims the protection they need and deserve".
Victims' Commissioner Baroness Newlove said: "These long awaited changes will ensure those vulnerable victims and survivors are listened to and that they feel able to come forward and speak out against their abusers."
Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said: "A domestic abuse case is more likely to be prosecuted and convicted today than ever before.
"However, we know this crime is often under-reported and therefore any new initiative which encourages victims to come forward is to be applauded."


Exeter slipped to five points off the League Two play-off places as Mansfield seal all three points in a five-goal thriller at St James Park.

Ryan Tafazolli fired in to give Mansfield the lead before Malvind Benning struck to make it 2-0.
Long-range shots from Football League Young Player of the Month Ollie Watkins and Christian Ribeiro levelled matters.
But Tafazolli rifled in again two minutes later with a drive from distance to give the visitors victory.
The result means Exeter slip a place to 10th in the League Two table while Mansfield move up to 12th.


A man who admitted raping a schoolgirl three times has been spared jail due to the "exceptional circumstances" of his sister's murder.

Luke Grender, 18, of Newport, was given a suspended sentence at Newport Crown Court after a judge said his family had been through "heartbreak".
His sister Nikitta and her unborn baby were murdered in 2011 by Carl Whant, who then burnt down her house.
The court heard Grender's victim was aged under 13.
Whant was jailed for life with a minimum of 35 years and was also found guilty of raping Nikitta, who was 19 at the time of her killing.
The court heard the impact of his sister's death "twisted the thinking" of her brother.
John Lloyd, prosecuting, said Grender raped his victim three times when he was 16 or 17.
Speaking of the impact on his victim, Mr Lloyd added: "Since this incident she doesn't feel like a person anymore. She doesn't trust anyone.
"She said 'I want to go out with friends without looking over my shoulder. I want to look forward to the future'."
James Tucker, defending, said: "One of the contortions twisting the thinking of Luke is that he has ended up, in some way, blaming himself for being so close to his sister so soon before she was killed."
Grender cried in the dock as Judge Philip Richards told him he could be spared prison because the circumstances were "quite exceptional by any standards".
Judge Richards added: "You must not think you are getting away with it. Your conduct towards this young girl was entirely unacceptable.
"It is likely she will have appalling reflections on this ordeal for the rest of her life.
He added: "You and your family have undergone more heartbreak than nearly any other family in the context of the work we undergo.
"I believe that the reality is that a sentence in the community will offer you more help and protect the public more quickly, than a short prison sentence - that you would struggle to cope with."
Grender was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.


The band Little Mix have been forced to cancel their Belfast gigs after singer Jesy Nelson became unwell.

The girl band was due to play a matinee and evening show at the SSE Arena on Thursday.
The cancellation was announced just minutes after the doors opened for the afternoon performance.
Fans were later informed by text message that the show would not be going ahead as scheduled.
Michael Green was in Belfast for the concert with his daughters, aged five and six.
He said the family had been among fans who were disappointed when One Direction re-scheduled their Belfast concert last October.
Mr Green told the BBC he felt "physically gutted and a little bit sick" when he was told the kids were to be let down again.
"I thought this couldn't happen again, what are the chances?"
Michael had surprised his daughters with the tickets on Christmas morning and travelled from Coleraine to see the girl band.
He said he was worried the band would re-schedule for an afternoon when the children were back at school.
"I'm really, really annoyed. Once again they've waited until we got here to tell us it was cancelled."
Mother Geraldine McLaughlin had brought her stepdaughter, Stacey, to the concert for her birthday.
She said the 16-year-old's birthday had been ruined by the news.
"We came down to Belfast and booked into the Ramada to make a day of it," she said.
"Stacey was so excited about this, I don't know what we'll do for the rest of the day.
"We're just going to go back to the hotel now to get away from this chaos."
Thousands of young people were gathered at the SSE Arena at lunchtime on Thursday when the announcement was made via speakerphone.
Ms McLaughlin said many of them were in tears.
"It's not been handled very well," she said. "There's absolute bedlam down here now.
"Surely they could have informed us before we all landed at the place? This was minutes before the show was due to begin."
A statement from gig promoter Aikens said: "We regret to announce that both Little Mix shows at the SSE Arena will not take place today due to Jesy being unwell and not able to perform.
"Please hold on to your tickets - we hope to be able to make a further announcement on possible rescheduling later today."
Ms McLaughlin pointed out that if the concert is rescheduled for next week, children will be back at school.
"You can't just take a day off school and time off work for a concert," she said.
Mother Sarah-Louise Murray had tickets for her and her three-year-old daughter, Scarlett, to see the band on Thursday afternoon.
She said Scarlett had been in tears when she was told the concert was not going ahead.
"We had special matching T-shirts made for the day and she was so looking forward to it.
"We arrived after 13:00 when the doors were due to open because I wanted to avoid the crowds, but when we got to the arena the queues of people were still waiting outside.
"When we heard from others that it was cancelled I put Scarlett back in the pram and told her we had to go home and come back another day."
It is the second major cancellation to disappoint young music fans in the city in recent times.
Last October, One Direction called off a gig at the SSE at late notice after singer Liam Payne became ill.


A US woman has been given a suspended four-month jail sentence in Spain for threatening to kill British physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking.

The 37-year-old has also been banned from approaching to within 500m of the scientist or communicating with him on social media for eight months.
The woman was arrested in a hotel in Tenerife, close to where Prof Hawking was attending a conference.
She had stalked him on social media before following him to the island.
Stephen Hawking: 'Things can get out of a black hole'
Stephen Hawking's Reith Lecture: Annotated transcript
Prof Hawking's daughter told police that threatening messages had begun flooding the scientist's social media profiles and one of his email accounts on Tuesday, Spanish News Today reported.
The woman, named in Spanish media reports as Jenny Theresa C., had told the scientist she would kill him during the Starmus Festival, attended by Nobel laureates as well as musicians including Brian May, Brian Eno and Hans Zimmer, and famous astronauts.
She was arrested on Wednesday by police who found her in possession of a map showing Prof Hawking's itinerary while on the island.
After being detained, she told police that she was in love with the scientist and would never have hurt him.
Police said everything pointed to the woman being mentally unstable.
Spanish police had provided Prof Hawking with extra security because of the emails - the first time such threats have been made against him.
During his lecture, entitled "A brief history of mine", Prof Hawking forecast that humans would not survive another thousand years on Earth because of the fragility of the planet, Spanish News Today said.


Ian Evans "will take it on the chin" if his wedding-enforced-absence from Wales' first Test against Australia on 9 June boosts his rivals' Test claims.

Evans' wedding date was set for next week more than a year ago when the lock was out of the Wales reckoning following a series of injuries.
He said: "If everything does go well for the team in the first Test, and I hope it does, then I can fully understand the situation.
Saturday, 2 June: Wales v Barbarians (Millennium Stadium, 14:00 BST)
Saturday, 9 June: Australia v Wales (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane; 11:00 BST)
Tuesday, 12 June: Brumbies v Wales (Canberra Stadium, Canberra; 10:30 BST)
Saturday, 16 June: Australia v Wales (Etihad Stadium, Melbourne; 11:00 BST)
Saturday, 23 June: Australia v Wales (Aussie Stadium, Sydney; 0600 BST)
"I will have to take it on the chin."
Evans will delay his honeymoon to join the Wales squad down under and will be in contention for the second Test in Melbourne on 16 June.
Fellow Osprey Alun Wyn Jones could also miss the first Test as he attends his sister's wedding ahead of Wales' clash against the Barbarians in Cardiff on Saturday.
Jones and Evans' wedding commitments mean they are likely to line up against the Baa-Baas, with Bradley Davies expected to return alongside Luke Charteris to take on the Wallabies.
After a promising start, Evans' career was hit by serious knee and shoulder injuries that stymied his progress.
Media playback is not supported on this device
But he fought back to fitness and form ahead of the Six Nations in which he played an impressive part in Wales' Grand Slam.
He added: "At the time we chose the wedding date, I was just getting back into it with the Ospreys after injury.
"A lot of things have changed from January onwards, really, which have been really positive in my rugby career.
"It has all been a bit of a whirlwind. If you had said to me at the start of this season how it would end, I would have laughed at you.
"I've had a bit of luck, which everyone needs, and things have progressed really well. It has been a little overwhelming, really.
"I have proved to myself that if I get the game-time under my belt then I can keep on progressing.
"I can accept that it could be tough to get back in the team.
"Once you get your chance, you have got to take it, and if I am lucky enough to get another chance then the responsibility falls on my shoulders."


A Palestinian man whose child was killed in an arson attack blamed on Jewish settlers has died of his injuries.

Saad Dawabsha, 32, died in an Israeli hospital where he was being treated for second-degree burns to most of his body.
His son Ali, 18 months, died in the attack in the village of Duma in the occupied West Bank on 31 July.
His mother and his four-year-old brother remain in critical condition.
Hundreds of people turned out as Saad Dawabsha was buried in Duma on Saturday.
In last week's attack the family's small home was firebombed in the night, and daubed with slogans in Hebrew, including the word "revenge".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack an act of terrorism. Israel has vowed to catch the arsonists.
Palestinian officials said they held Israel "fully responsible".
The incident may have been a so-called "price tag" attack.
Such attacks usually involve acts of vandalism or arson by Jewish extremists as retribution for actions taken by the Israeli government against Jewish settlements or unauthorised outposts in the West Bank, or for violence by Palestinians.
Hossam Badran, spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas, said on Saturday that nothing would stop the "murderous settler attacks".
"Our people in the West Bank have only one choice: that of open and comprehensive confrontation against the occupation," he wrote in a message posted on Facebook.
The UN's Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, called for the perpetrators to be brought swiftly to justice.
"Political, community and religious leaders on all sides should work together and not allow extremists to escalate the situation and take control of the political agenda," he said in a statement.
Palestinians regard settlements as a major obstacle to building a sought-after state in contiguous territory in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.


Jordan Nobbs has been named England player of the year at the Football Association Women's Football Awards.

The Arsenal midfielder, 23, helped the Lionesses qualify for Euro 2017.
Chelsea's Millie Bright, who made her senior international debut in a 2-0 win against Belgium in September, was voted England young player of the year.
Manchester City boss Nick Cushing was awarded Women's Super League manager of the year after guiding the Blues to a league and cup double.
City also took the club of the year award, while their defender Lucy Bronze was crowned Women's Super League 1 player of the year.
Former England women boss Hope Powell was also recognised at the event as the 49-year-old took the outstanding contribution to women's football award.


Three pharmacists caught illegally selling addictive drugs to undercover reporters have been suspended with immediate effect.

A BBC London investigation found nine west London pharmacies sold drugs including Valium, Viagra, temazepam and morphine without prescription.
As a result three of them have received 18 month suspension orders following a General Pharmaceutical Council hearing.
A Metropolitan Police investigation into all nine is still on-going.
The three pharmacists suspended are Chawan Shaida of Bin Seena Pharmacy, Hussain Jamal Rasool of Al Farabi Pharmacy - both in Paddington - and Murtaza Gulamhusein from Curie Pharmacy in Maida Vale.
Selling drugs without prescription has a maximum penalty of two years in jail.
An inspector at the Met's Drugs Directorate told the BBC last month: "It looks like you have evidence of criminality and obviously we need to look at that very closely.
"We would want to look at that as a matter of urgency."
Meanwhile a third investigation is being launched jointly by Westminster Council and Inner North West London Primary Care Trust.
Westminster Council has said it was suspending its contract with Curie Pharmacy.
The General Pharmaceutical Council had said before the BBC London investigation, it had only taken one pharmacist in England to a fitness to practise hearing for selling drugs without a prescription in 2012.
Several London pharmacies sold the reporters from the BBC London's Inside Out programme diazepam or its trade name drug Valium - a strong and addictive sedative in the benzodiazepine family - for up to Â£85.
Over a few weeks, researchers bought 288 Valium tablets, 21 temazepam tablets, 294 amoxicillin tablets, 24 Viagra tablets and one bottle of Oramorph without prescriptions.
And for Â£200, Al Farabi Pharmacy in Paddington dispensed a bottle of Oramorph - containing morphine.
A standard NHS prescription would cost about Â£7.65.
The BBC was acting on specific intelligence about the pharmacies.
Latest figures show 293 people died in the UK in 2011 from misuse of benzodiazepines, more than double the 125 killed by cocaine and ecstasy combined.


Environmental groups in Northern Ireland are facing huge cuts to their budgets after the money they receive from government was slashed.

Letters from the Department of Environment to a range of organisations that work in areas like tourism, environmental heritage and hills management, began arriving on Wednesday.
It is understood a number of high profile organisation are badly affected.
In some cases the cuts runs to more than £200,000.
It follows a cut of more than 10% to the department's own budget which was finalised earlier this week.
One of the organisations affected is the Northern Ireland Environment Link.
Its funding has been cut from £200,000 to £50,000.
The letter it received said its funding would continue until June, but would be withdrawn after that.
Its chief executive Craig McGuicken said: "We knew that the department had taken a serious cut in the budget, but the sector has been surprised by the severity of this."
In the letter his organisation received, a departmental official wrote: "We will pay the relevant portion of our offer of funding for 2015-16 for the three month period from 1 April to 30 June 2015 in accordance with the verification and claim process set out in the letter of offer and to a maximum of £50,000.
"No further funding will be provided in future financial years in relation to our previous letter of offer.
"I appreciate that this letter will not bring welcome news to you."
The Belfast Hills Partnership has also been affected.
It helps to conserve and promote the mountains around the city.
Its core funding from the department has been reduced to zero from £50,000.
Its director Jim Bradley said: "Although NIEA [Northern Ireland Environment Agency] have been warning us of very drastic cuts, this is much more than just a major cut in funding, it is an end to funding of organisations, many of which NIEA set up to tackle specific needs and issues.
"This has nothing to do with how efficient or effective individual organisations were, it's a wholesale removal of a sector which delivered services much better and at lower costs than government could."
A representative from the Ulster Wildlife Trust said their annual grant of £220,000 was being totally cut.
She said it would have an impact on jobs.
"We're all very shocked. We expected cuts but not at this level. It will be a very different landscape we're going to be operating in," she added.
The Mourne Heritage Trust is losing three quarters of its funding for 2015/16 going from £225,000 to £56,000 pounds.
Chief Executive Martin Carey said the scale of the cut had come "as a complete surprise".
"As of July 1, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency will not be providing any funding for an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and for the Mourne Heritage Trust which it established."
He said it would affect the organisation's ability to maintain paths and stiles and collect litter.
He said the decision also jeopardised up to £1,000,000 pounds in `match funding` from organisations like the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund.


London could seek a deal to enable firms in the capital to continue recruiting staff from the European Union after Brexit, mayor Sadiq Khan has told business leaders.

In a speech to the Institute of Directors (IoD), he said he will hold a summit in the new year to consider proposals from business groups.
The mayor believes London firms must retain access to a skilled workforce.
He also accused ministers of not listening to the concerns of the City.
Mr Khan told the IoD he has been pressing the government to adopt a negotiating stance which satisfies demands for skilled workers.
He said his monthly meetings with ministers have given him the impression that "it doesn't look like they are listening".
"London's businesses must retain access to the skilled workforce they need in order to grow - it's absolutely essential to protecting jobs, growth and tax revenues across Britain over the next decade," the mayor said.
"If the government ignores the needs of business and pushes ahead with a new system that cuts off access to skilled workers, then we will have no choice but to look at a London-specific solution."
Setting out plans for a London summit, he added: "The City of London Corporation and London Chamber of Commerce have already done some crucial early thinking about options - but we need to go further and faster to make the case to the government and develop a new system."
About 616,000 people born elsewhere in Europe currently work in London, equivalent to 12.5% of the capital's workforce.
They include 88,000 in the construction industry, 49,000 in financial and insurance work and 58,000 in professional, scientific and technical activities.
A spokesperson for the Department for Exiting the European Union said: "We're determined to get the best possible deal for the UK and are preparing for a smooth and orderly exit from the EU.
"There is no benefit to Britain by providing a running commentary on every twist and turn of these negotiations.
"However, it must be a priority to regain control over the number of people coming to the UK from Europe while getting the right deal for trade in goods and services."


Security researchers have discovered a "vaccine" for the huge cyber-attack that hit organisations across the world on Tuesday.

The creation of a single file can stop the attack from infecting a machine.
However, researchers have not been able to find a so-called kill switch that would prevent the crippling ransomware from spreading to other vulnerable computers.
Experts are still unsure about the attack's origins or its real purpose.
Given that the ransom amount - $300 - was relatively small, some are speculating that the attack may be a front for causing wider disruption or making a political statement.
Among the victims of the attack were the Ukrainian central bank, Russian oil giant Rosneft, British advertising firm WPP and the global law firm DLA Piper.
Also caught up in the attack was at least one hospital in the US city of Pittsburgh.
But for those concerned about the attack there appears to be fix, albeit one with limited effectiveness.
By creating a read-only file - named perfc - and placing it within a computer's "C:\Windows" folder, the attack will be stopped in its tracks.
An explanation of how to do this has been posted by security news website Bleeping Computer and has been backed up by several other security experts.
However, while this method is effective, it only protects the individual computer the perfc file is placed on. Researchers have so far been unable to locate a kill switch that would disable the ransomware attack entirely.
"Even though it will make a machine 'immune'," explained computer scientist Prof Alan Woodward, "It is still a 'carrier' (to use the biological analogy).
"It will still act as a platform to spread the ransomware to other machines on the same network."
For the vast majority of users, simply running an up-to-date version of Windows will be sufficient to prevent the attack taking hold, were it to infect your PC.
The spread of this new ransomware is likely to be much slower than last month's WannaCry attack, researchers predict, as code analysis showed the new attack did not attempt to spread itself beyond the network it was placed on.
Because of this, several experts are predicting that the attack will not spread significantly further than it did on Tuesday, unless it is modified.
"There is low risk of new infections more than one hour after the attack," suggested the MalwareTech blog.
So how did it spread? Experts from Cisco's Talos intelligence unit said it believed the attack may have been carried out by exploiting vulnerable accounting software.
"We believe it is possible that some infections may be associated with software update systems for a Ukrainian tax accounting package called MeDoc," the company said in a blog post.
MeDoc initially posted an update to its website on Tuesday saying, in Russian, "Attention! Our server made a virus attack" - though this was later removed, and the company has since denied its software was exploited.
As reported on Tuesday, the method by which victims can pay the ransom fee has been rendered useless. An email address provided by the criminals has been shut down by the hosting provider, while the Bitcoin wallet - where ransoms are deposited - has not been touched.
At the time of writing, the wallet contains approximately $8,000-worth of Bitcoin, not a large return for such a significant and widespread attack.
These factors contribute to a now-prevailing theory that this was a politically motivated attack on Ukraine, coming as it did just as the country is set to celebrate its Constitution Day.
"This looks like a sophisticated attack aimed at generating chaos, not money," said Prof Woodward.
___________
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC
You can reach Dave securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370


Drivers have been warned to expect major delays on the A55 and A483 on the Chester-Wrexham border as carriageways are closed for ongoing improvements.

The closures from 22:00 BST on Friday at the Posthouse roundabout are part of Â£6m layout changes.
The A55 under the roundabout will be closed in both directions until 07:00 BST on Sunday, while the west bridge will be shut until 05:00 on Monday.
The roundabout will also be partially closed until Monday morning.
Work began last summer and was expected to finish by March but it has now been pushed back to 28 June.


Gloucestershire have released wicketkeeper Cameron Herring and all-rounder Robbie Montgomery.

Herring, 21, made 15 appearances for the county in all competitions, while all-rounder Montgomery, also 21, played in one T20 match.
Neither player featured for the first team this summer.
"Cameron and Robbie were committed, hardworking members of the squad both on and off the pitch," said Gloucestershire coach Richard Dawson.


Taiwan is an island which has for all practical purposes been independent since 1950, but which China regards as a rebel region that must be reunited with the mainland - by force if necessary.

China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, when the defeated Nationalist government fled to the island as the Communists, under Mao Zedong, swept to power.
China insists that nations cannot have official relations with both China and Taiwan, with the result that Taiwan has formal diplomatic ties with only a few countries. The US is Taiwan's most important friend and protector.
Despite its diplomatic isolation, Taiwan has become one of Asia's big traders. It is considered to have achieved an economic miracle, becoming one of the world's top producers of computer technology.
Population 23,3 million
Area 36,188 sq km (13,972 sq miles)
Major languages Mandarin Chinese (official), Min Nan Chinese (Taiwanese), Hakka
Major religions Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity
Life expectancy 76,2 years (men), 82,7 years (women)
Currency New Taiwan dollar
President: Tsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen became Taiwan's first female president when she won the election in January 2016.
With 56% of the vote, she led her traditionally independence-leaning Democratic People's Party (DPP) to their biggest ever victory in parliamentary elections.
Ms Tsai's political message has always revolved around the importance of Taiwanese identity and she has pledged that democracy will be at the heart of the island's future relations with China.
By pursuing Taiwanese sovereignty, Ms Tsai runs the risk of antagonising China, reversing eight years of warmer ties under former President Ma Ying-jeou of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang party.
In the 1990s, Ms Tsai negotiated Taiwan's accession to the World Trade Organization. She joined the DPP in 2004 after working as a non-partisan chairwoman of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council. Four years later she became the youngest person and first woman to lead the party. She lost the presidential election to Ma Ying-jeou in 2012.
A former law professor, she hails from the coastal village of Pingtung in southern Taiwan. Her mixed ethnicity - a Hakka father and Taiwanese mother - has been cited as one of the traits that helped her connect with voters.
The media environment in Taiwan is among the freest in Asia, and extremely competitive.
There are hundreds of newspapers, all privately-owned and reflecting a wide range of views. Laws which prohibit the promotion of independence from China or communism are not generally enforced.
Internet penetration is estimated at 80% of the population.
Some key dates in Taiwan's history:
1683 - Island comes under administration of China's Qing dynasty.
1895 - China - defeated in the first Sino-Japanese war - cedes Taiwan to Japan.
1945 - Taiwan reverts to Chinese control after Japanese defeat in Second World War.
1947 - Nationalist troops crush island-wide rioting by Taiwanese disgruntled with official corruption, killing unknown thousands. The event is now known as the 228 Incident.
1949 - Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek loses civil war to Mao Zedong's Communist forces and flees to Taiwan. He rules the island with an iron fist until his death in 1975.
1950s-1960s - Rapid industrial development.
1971 - UN recognises Communist China as sole government of whole country. People's Republic takes over China's UN Security Council seat.
1979 - Washington switches diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei. US Congress passes the Taiwan Relations Act promising to help the island defend itself.
1987 - Taiwan lifts almost four decades of martial law and eases ban on travel to China.
2000 - Voters put Democratic Progressive Party in power for first time, ending more than five decades of Nationalist rule.


Planning proposals have been submitted for a £70m refurbishment of historic buildings at Glasgow's George Square which have lain empty for decades.

The buildings sit at the north east corner of the square, between George Street and Martha Street.
Developer Chris Stewart Group wants to create apartments, a hotel and student accommodation, offices, and a pedestrian lane with cafes and bars.
It is now seeking planning permission from Glasgow City Council.
Chris Stewart, chief executive of the developer, said: "We have been looking for the right opportunity in Glasgow for some time now, and were delighted to be chosen as the preferred developer by City Property and Glasgow City Council for this important and strategic site right in the heart of the city centre.
"We have been working closely with Glasgow City Council and a number of other stakeholders for almost a year to ensure that our proposals and vision for the site match with the city's aspirations for high quality mixed use development."
Mr Stewart's firm wants to create a "George Street Complex" which would see two listed buildings renovated for five-star serviced apartments and commercial offices as well as the construction of a new hotel and student accommodation.
The plan includes a pedestrian lane with restaurants, bars and cafes and a central plaza.
It is thought that the development could eventually support about 320 jobs in the city centre.
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stuart Patrick is backing the scheme.
"These development plans offer an opportunity to regenerate a prominent city centre site, part of which has been left derelict for more than 80 years," he said.
"From a series of run-down buildings and an empty patch of land, the plans will create an area that thrives with people and businesses.
"The mix of offices, leisure and retail destined for this site, bringing both jobs and new visitors, will be of tremendous value to the city as a whole."


A prisoner needed medical treatment after a fire broke out in a cell at HMP Winchester.

Crews were called to the Hampshire prison amid reports of a blaze on B wing.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed there had been a "small fire in a single prison cell".
A prison service spokeswoman said there were no injuries to staff or prisoners and the fire service attended just as a precaution.
A South Central Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We had a call from the fire service at 3.02pm about a fire in a prison cell.
"We sent our hazardous area response team and four vehicles, along with an ambulance officer and a rapid response vehicle.
"The prisoner was taken out of the cell and is being cared for by the prison's health care team."
HMP Winchester holds up to 706 male prisoners.
The results of an announced inspection published in November said the prison was making progress following criticisms in 2012, but said living conditions should be improved.


Archaeologists in Peru have uncovered a 4,500-year-old mummy that experts hope will help them to learn more about an ancient civilisation called 'Caral'.

The discovery was made in Aspero, an ancient fishing village in Northern Peru, in South America.
The director of the Caral Archaeological zone, said that the mummy was probably a woman, aged between 40 or 50.
She was buried with objects carved with images like birds and monkeys, which suggest she was probably an important rich-woman.


Jeetan Patel took a career-best 7-38 after hitting 98 as Warwickshire fought back against Somerset.

The New Zealand spinner fell two runs short of a century when he was stumped off Jack Leach, who also finished with career-best figures of 7-106.
After bowling Warwickshire out for 324, Somerset then slumped to 9-3 as Keith Barker picked up three early wickets.
Patel's devastating spell saw the hosts bowled out for 110 at Taunton before Warwickshire closed on 20-0.
The 35-year-old's fine innings, which included eight fours and four sixes, took the visitors past an unlikely 300 after they were 120-7 at one stage on day two.
After resuming on 180-7, the Bears' recovery was aided by Laurie Evans who made 73, sharing an eighth-wicket stand of 166 with Patel.
On a third day pitch which had begun to turn, Patel had Jim Allenby caught at short leg, before Peter Trego and Luke Ronchi were both dismissed lbw. Lewis Gregory then could only pick out deep mid-wicket when he looked to launch the spinner over the boundary rope.
Having edged his way to 26 Tom Cooper was bowled to give Patel his third first-class five-wicket haul of the season.
Jamie Overton and Leach were both caught in the slips as Somerset were bowled out in just 34 overs, leaving Alfonso Thomas, in his final innings for the county, stranded on 13.
Varun Chopra and Ian Westwood saw off the final hour before stumps without trouble to leave the Bears requiring another 205 for victory.
Bears all-rounder Jeetan Patel told BBC WM:
"It didn't bother me falling two short of a century because I don't really worry about stats like that. The partnership with Laurie Evans was more important because it got us back in the game.
"The main thing is that it was a good day for the team. After seeing Jack Leach do so well for Somerset it was good for me to get some turn and take wickets. The ball is coming out well for me at the moment.
"We still have a lot of work to do to win the game because 200 more will take some getting on that pitch. Hopefully we can be proactive from the start tomorrow and finish the season with a win."
Somerset fast bowler Alfonso Thomas:
"It was emotional for me walking out to bat in both innings on my last appearance for the club because I have had eight great years here.
"There have been a lot of highlights. Taking four wickets in four balls in a Championship match was great for me personally, but there have been so many memorable times for the team while I have been here and a lot of great one-day occasions at Taunton.
"I still think we can win this game. The pitch is aiding spin, rather than seam, but hopefully I can chip in and we can support Jack Leach. If that happens, it won't be easy for Warwickshire to get 200 more runs."


Hundreds of jobs will be lost following a decision to close almost 160 RBS and NatWest branches.

RBS blamed a "dramatic shift" in banking, with branch transactions falling 43% since 2010.
In the same period, online and mobile transactions have increased by more than 400%.
About 770 staff will be affected as 30 RBS and 128 NatWest branches are closed, but hundreds of workers will be redeployed.
An RBS spokesman said the bank now had 4.2 million customers who used its mobile app - an increase of two million since 2014.
"We interact with our customers over 20 times more through digital channels than physical ones. As customers change the way they bank with us, we must change the way we serve them," he said.
"The role of the branch is fast moving to a centre for advice, away from basic transactions. While the branch will still be a core part of our offering to customers, inevitably some branches will have to close."
RBS said it was creating two new roles. Community bankers will give customers personal assistance and support and focus on rural communities. There will be 50 such bankers across the UK by the end of this year.
The bank is also creating specialist roles for staff who will support customers with training and support with digital skills.
After the closures 151 RBS and 856 NatWest branches will remain.
RBS remains still majority-owned by taxpayers following its multi-billion government bailout almost a decade ago.
Unite union acting general secretary Gail Cartmail accused the bank of "turning its back" on the communities that have kept it in business for generations.
"Banks have a duty to the wider community and that is especially the case for banks like RBS that have large taxpayer-owned shareholdings," she said.
"People like the face-to-face contact that having a physical presence in the high street provides. It's time for banking regulators and government to intervene, to force banks to maintain an adequate network that properly serves communities across the UK."


The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has agreed in principle to remove radioactive material from Dalgety Bay.

The plan may resolve the long-running row over who is responsible for managing risks to the public in the area.
The stretch of Fife coastline affected is contaminated with radium from scrapped aircraft instrument panels.
The MoD has said it expects the work to be completed by the end of 2018. It said costs are "still being finalised".
The plan, which was commissioned by the MoD's Defence Infrastructure Organisation, has been endorsed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).
As well as the removal of the hazardous radium, the plan calls for the reinforcement, replacement and extension of coastal rock armour.
A replacement slipway will be constructed at Dalgety Bay Sailing Club.
Defence minister Andrew Murrison said: "We are committed to supporting the Dalgety Bay community and, whilst the risk to the public has always been very low, this report sets out a clear and strong strategy to address the radium contamination on the beach.
"We continue to work with Sepa and the council to achieve agreement on their future responsibilities and a definitive solution as soon as possible."
Previous attempts to tackle the contamination have been hampered by disagreement between the MoD, Sepa and the local authority about who is responsible.
Sepa Executive Director Calum MacDonald said: "The proposed works outlined today by MoD provide a long term solution to the radium contamination of Dalgety Bay which if successful will allow the public to use the entire area again in an unrestricted manner.
"We welcome the proposals and will continue to work with MoD, Fife Council and other partners as detailed plans for the works are developed and implemented."
Councillor David Ross, the leader of Fife Council, added: "I am pleased with the commitment in principle from MoD to deliver the necessary remedial coastal protection works.
"The council looks forward to being involved through the design and planning phases and in the development and implementation of the proposals."
The council has said in principle that it could take on the long-term maintenance of the coastal protection measures.
Mr Ross explained: "Further detailed discussions will now need to take place and the council will work with all interested parties, including the MoD, SEPA and the local community in order to bring this to an acceptable conclusion."


UK DIY chain Homebase has been sold by its owner Home Retail Group to Australian retail giant Wesfarmers for £340m (A$705m; $485.2m).

Wesfarmers already owns Bunnings - one of Australia's largest suppliers of outdoor living and DIY products.
The 265 UK Homebase sites will be rebranded under the Bunnings banner over the next three to five years.
Wesfarmers said it would spend a further £500m on upgrading the UK stores.
The deal is expected to be wrapped up in the first three months of this year provided shareholders of Home Retail Group agree to the purchase.
Wesfarmers, which owns one of Australia's biggest supermarket chains, Coles, has estimated that the UK's home improvement and garden market is worth £38bn.  The market leader is Kingfisher's B&Q chain.
Home Retail Group, which owns the Argos retail chain as well as Homebase, has been put in the spotlight after it emerged that it had rejected a takeover bid from supermarket chain Sainsbury's last year.
However, Sainsbury's has made clear that it is only interested in Argos and it had been expected to sell Homebase if a deal was agreed.
Last week, Home Retail Group said its annual profits would be at the bottom end of forecasts following disappointing sales at Argos over the key Christmas period.
Announcing the deal, Home Retail Group chairman John Coombe said: "We are very pleased to have reached agreement with Wesfarmers regarding the sale of Homebase. We believe that this is the best deal for shareholders and for the business."
Bunnings managing director John Gillam said the acquisition represented a "compelling opportunity to enter the attractive UK home improvement and garden market".
"Homebase has an established and scalable store platform with strong representation in high density areas," Mr Gillam said. "The stores are well-sized for the UK market and support warehouse merchandising," he added.
"We will combine essential local elements with the best of Bunnings to bring customers in the UK and Ireland an exciting new home improvement and garden offer."
If Wesfarmers can transfer some of the Bunnings magic to the UK, consumers will be in for a treat. The vast warehouses are well laid out and signposted, and seem to employ knowledgeable, friendly staff.
Bunnings is clearly doing something right. Woolworths, which owns the main competitor to Wesfarmers' supermarket chain Coles, has failed to convince many Aussies to switch to Masters - the DIY chain it set up four years ago.
The loss-making business has been a drain on Woolworths and contributed to the three profit warnings the retailer issued last year. Shares in Woolworths have slid almost 23% in the past 12 months, compared with a fall of just 6% for Wesfarmers.
My builder mate in Brisbane says he is sticking with Bunnings because Masters is more expensive and doesn't have the same product ranges.
It's likely that Wesfarmers will use its existing supply deals for its UK Bunnings stores, which could mean more competitively priced products. Kingfisher - owner of both B&Q and the successful Screwfix chain - will soon have some proper competition on its hands.


Small businesses in Scotland are leading the way when it comes to digital skills, according to a study.

The annual Bank of Scotland Business Digital Index assessed small firms in five key skills needed to get the most out of being online.
It found that fewer than a third of small businesses north of the border lacked these basic skills.
This compares to a UK average of 38%. Only London rivals Scotland in terms of this measure.
Experts said the lack of key digital skills was a primary barrier to doing more business online, with 15% of firms across the UK stating this was the main barrier, more than doubling since 2015.
The skills assessed for the current report were managing information, communicating, transacting, creating and problem solving.
The report also noted cyber security was rising in prominence as a reason for small businesses not doing more online.
Almost 60% of Scottish firms said they still needed to invest in cyber security, lower than the UK average of 69%.
Philip Grant, chair of the bank's Scottish executive committee, said: "It's pleasing to see that the Business Digital Index shows digital maturity is increasing for small businesses in Scotland, however, there are still too many without basic digital skills.
"It's clear that being online can open the doors to opportunities, as well as cost and time saving benefits.
"We must do more to encourage small businesses based in Scotland to invest in digital skills, allowing them to make the most out of being online and to reap the benefits."
Two thousand businesses and charities across the UK were surveyed, including 109 in Scotland. The study was developed along with Doteveryone and Accenture.


A row over a refreshments bus led to a seaside village losing a multi-million pound trust fund, it has emerged.

Gillian Goddard had intended to leave her shares in a 750 acre estate around Bantham in Devon to the village after her death.
But she was "very upset" over local objections to the estate's decision to let a food bus use the beach car park, her widower revealed.
As a result, Mrs Goddard dropped her plans before she died last November.
She was one of five directors of Evans Estates, which includes much of Bantham village as well as a long sandy beach and surrounding farmland.
Her husband Tony, 74, said she had been keen for the village to be left "several million pounds" as a trust fund after her death.
He said she changed her mind after the firm's decision to allow a refreshments bus on the beach car park provoked several letters of complaint from villagers.
He said the estate had charged an entrance fee for Bantham beach car park but it had otherwise been free from commerce until three years ago when a surf school and the food bus were allowed.
He said the aim was to offset rising costs and give visitors a chance to buy refreshments.
He said: "Gill's life's work was to look after Bantham. But one of things people asked for is whether they could get some food or drink on the beach.
"So they introduced a Gastrobus to avoid putting in some great big cafe, because they thought it would be environmentally friendly."
He said the idea for the Gastrobus "provoked an enormous reaction" from a "small number of villagers" who objected to commercialisation of the area.
A number of people wrote to Evans Estates with their objections.
Mr Goddard said: "She was deeply upset by the suggestion that she and her fellow directors, having looked after the estate for all these years, would do something that was against that policy of preserving the estate.
"Her idea of leaving her company shares on the estate on trust for the village disappeared overnight."
He added that there had been no specific plans for the trust fund, just that it should be used for the benefit of the village.
Nick Grodhunce, one of the opponents of the Gastrobus, said he was "saddened" that the trust fund had been dropped by Mrs Goddard.
He said: "Both Tony and Gilly did a huge amount of work to preserve what we have here and it is to their credit.
"It is sad but my personal opinion is that the community people have clearly stated that they want to preserve whatever Evans Estates said should be preserved."
The Bantham estate, owned by Mrs Goddard's family for nearly 100 years, is due to be marketed in May. There has been no official reason given for the sale.
Concerns have been raised about what effect a new owner will have on the area, including from tenants of about 21 Evans Estates-owned homes in the village. A number of residents have raised concerns about losing their tenancies.
Michelmore Hughes, which is handling the sale of the estate, and Gastrobus declined to comment.


Boss Sir Alex Ferguson admitted his relief after Manchester United withstood a late Liverpool rally to beat their Premier League rivals 2-1.

Media playback is not supported on this device
The victory helped United stay seven points clear at the top of the table.
Ferguson said: "Some of our defending after [our lead was halved] was a bit erratic and even desperate at times.
"But we managed to get through it. The name of the game is winning. There are moments where you have to defend. This was one of them."
United had opened up a two-goal lead through Robin van Persie and Nemanja Vidic before Daniel Sturridge pulled one back for the visitors.
Manchester United now have 55 points from 22 Premier League matches - this represents their highest tally at this stage of a top-flight season
Source: Infostrada
And Sturridge failed to convert a late chance as the home side held on for a win which maintained their advantage over second-placed Manchester City, who later won 2-0 at Arsenal.
"I would have taken that score [against Liverpool] before the game," said Ferguson.
"The first-half performance, and until we scored the second goal, was absolutely brilliant.
"It was as good a performance as we have had for a long time and we should have been three or four up, but when they got their goal they got inspired by it.
"Their supporters got going and it was hard work after that. I am just glad we won the match."
United are now 24 points ahead of eighth-place Liverpool, and before the game Ferguson had claimed he did not know where the Merseysiders were in the table.
But he added: "Winning against Liverpool is important. It doesn't matter where you are in the league.
"Manchester United-Liverpool games are fantastic challenges.
"They are the two most successful teams in the country. Today hopefully those three points will be very important."


A teenage racing driver who had both legs amputated after a crash at Donington Park has said his sister has been his "one true hero".

Billy Monger, 17, was airlifted to hospital after crashing with another car on the track mid-race on 16 April.
From hospital, he posted on Facebook that Bonny "gave me the will to keep fighting" and thanked everyone for their "love and generosity".
A campaign to raise money for his future has raised more than £750,000.
Billy, from Charlwood in Surrey, wrote the support he had received from fellow motor racers, fans, and everyone has been "awesome and truly inspirational".
"Your kind words have given me and my family the strength to get through this past week," he posted from the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.
The Formula 4 driver also said that without emergency crews at the Leicestershire track and medical staff "I wouldn't be here today".
"I will always thank you all for saving my life," he said.
"The one true hero of this tragic event has been my sister, Bonny who gave me the will to keep fighting.
"A value that I will continue to hold now... and for the rest of my life."
The Just Giving page was set up by Steven Hunter, head of Billy's team Derbyshire-based JHR Developments, to help the 17-year-old "return to a full and active life".
The donations came in swiftly, including one from Formula 1 driver Jenson Button and F1 driver Max Verstappen, who both donated £15,000.
Billy's F4 former rival Devlin DeFrancesco made a donation of £26,000.
Hundreds of people have sent messages of support to the teenager and a hashtag, #billywhizz, has been widely shared on social media.
Billy was competing in the Formula 4 British Championship, a motor racing series which features a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded drivers.


A British woman who has spent years helping refugees by taking supplies to Turkey and Greece has said she will stop her mercy missions because they are "too dangerous".

Rachel Miller has paid "brokers" up to Â£7,500 a time to free sex slaves.
She travelled to parts of southern Turkey this summer that the Foreign Office had declared no-go zones.
But the recent coup attempt in Turkey means she cannot work "under the radar" any longer, she said.
Ms Miller, 40, a mother-of-three from Cinderhill in Nottingham, said her Kurdish husband supported her work but she did not always tell him the full story until after she had returned.
"I don't deal directly with the slavers - but I deal with a broker who has contacted a family that wants to free their child from slavery," she said.
"He says I can get your daughter but it will cost - it can cost up to $10,000."
Her husband often stays in Britain with their two young children, who are seven and eight years old, while she makes her trips abroad.
She said she would not be returning to Turkey in the near future as "the police presence and road blocks have increased".
"I could feel the tension and I was worried I might be arrested," she explained.
She has raised almost Â£40,000 in crowd funding to take supplies to the refugees and has travelled to camps in France and to the island of Kos in Greece.
"A lot of people say 'you are funding Isis' but you have to got to remember these are children," she said.
"You can't change the world, but you can change a life."
Ms Miller, who has even sold some of her own gold wedding jewellery to fund freeing the girls, said she would continue working to help refugees and was planning to travel next to northern Iraq.
She is setting up a charity shop called Mesopotamia in a former bank in Nottingham to raise more money.
"You sell what you've got - I've sold at car boots and on eBay and on internet sites and begged and borrowed," she said.


United States Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson says the American team must "get even" at Gleneagles later this month.

Media playback is not supported on this device
The US have lost five of the last six contests, including the most recent match at Medinah in 2012 after Europe's thrilling final-day comeback.
"The American team has to get back on track," Watson said. "The loss at Medinah should stick in their craw."
Ex-Europe captain Bernard Gallacher has called the appointment of eight-time major winner Watson a "masterstroke".
Watson has captained the US once before, winning at the Belfry in 1993, and the 65-year-old told BBC Sport he was desperate to be given a second chance.
"I wanted to be captain, in the worst way," Watson said.
"When I got the call a couple of years ago, I said to myself, 'I've been waiting for this call for almost 20 years.'"
And Gallacher, who lost as captain to Watson's American team in 1993, believes it was an inspired decision by the PGA of America to approach Watson again.
"I thought it was absolutely a masterstroke," said Gallacher, whose nephew Stephen will compete for Europe at Gleneagles.
"If anybody can keep the interest going on the American side, [it's Watson].
"It's not just about the players, because the players obviously want to play in the Ryder Cup, but you're really thinking about the American public - keeping them."


Germany has rejected a Greek request for a six-month extension to its eurozone loan programme.

The rejection came despite the European Commission calling the Greek request "positive" only minutes earlier.
Greece had sought a new six-month assistance package, rather than a renewal of the existing deal that comes with tough austerity conditions.
However, a German finance ministry spokesman said the new plea was "not a substantial proposal for a solution".
Later on Thursday, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras and German chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by telephone, according to the Reuters news agency.
One Greek government official described the 50-minute call as "constructive", adding: "The conversation was held in a positive climate, geared towards finding a mutually beneficial solution for Greece and the eurozone."
Meanwhile, Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi spoke to Mr Tsipras and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in a further effort to strike a deal, an Italian government source said, according to Reuters.
Greece formally requested a six-month extension to its eurozone loan agreement on Thursday, offering major concessions as it raced to avoid running out of cash within weeks, but the  German finance ministry abruptly dismissed the proposal.
The BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens says Germany's rejection of the Greek proposal suggested "a rift between Brussels and Berlin at the very highest level".
"It's not yet clear which side will prevail, and which side will give ground, but clearly the hopes that Greece was moving towards a deal... have been thrown into doubt once again."
BBC Europe editor Gavin Hewitt says the situation underlines the tension between Brussels and Berlin and mistrust between Berlin and Athens.
A top European official said the stand-off had come down to a clash of personalities between German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who objected to the negotiating style of his Greek counterpart, Yanis Varoufakis.
"There is a real problem of personalities and I understand that. Schaeuble  is outraged by comments made by Varoufakis," the official said.
The Greek request letter includes a pledge to maintain "fiscal balance" for a six-month period, while it negotiates with eurozone partners over long-term growth and debt reduction.
The Greek government was also reported as saying that its extension proposal was in order to give Athens enough time, without the threat of "blackmail and time deficits", to draw up a new agreement with Europe for growth over the next four years.
The German finance ministry spokesman said the Greek request was an attempt at "bridge financing, without meeting the requirements of the programme. The letter does not meet the criteria agreed upon in the Eurogroup on Monday."
But shortly before the German rejection of the proposal, a European Commission spokesman said that Mr Juncker regarded the letter as a "positive sign, which, in his assessment, could pave the way for a reasonable compromise in the interest of the financial stability in the euro area as a whole".
"The detailed assessment of the [Greek loan] letter and the response is now up to the Eurogroup," the spokesman added, referring to the discussions due to take place on Friday when European finance ministers meet in Brussels.
In comments aimed at Germany, a Greek government source said the Eurogroup had "just two choices: to accept or reject the Greek request. We will now discover who wants to find a solution, and who does not".
The main problem between Greece and Germany is an ideological one: Athens wants to stop saving and start spending to get out of the crisis.
But Berlin believes that's exactly what caused the crisis in the first place, and remains convinced that the only path to long-term economic health is to make Greece more competitive.
To make matters worse Berlin is clearly frustrated by Greece's negotiating tactics. Newspaper commentators accuse Athens of theatrical grandstanding - rather than constructively finding a compromise.
And the occasional references to Nazis - such as a recent cartoon in a pro-Syriza newspaper depicting German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in a Second World War German army uniform - have clearly not helped.
In a radio interview Mr Schaeuble said he had a thick skin. But he also added that it's unwise to insult the people you're asking to help you.
There is, however, also a lot of sympathy in Germany for the plight of Greek people. And an awareness of the importance of keeping Greece in the eurozone. But increasingly it seems, not at any price.
Friday's vote on the Greek proposals must be unanimous. If no agreement appears likely before the ministers gather, the meeting could be postponed.
The uncertainty was reflected on stock markets, with the FTSE 100 closing down 9 points, although Frankfurt's DAX index ended the day up 0.4%. The euro was down slightly against the dollar and sterling.
Italian finance minister Pier Carlo Padoan warned on Thursday: "We have to send a signal that the euro is irreversible. If a country were to leave, it wouldn't just mean one less country in the union but the transformation of the euro into a mechanism that can be undone."
Mirabaud Securities trader John Plassard said: "Investors think that even if a deal is reached, it won't mean that the 'Greek issue' will be resolved. There will be serious doubts on whether Greece will fully implement the agreement."
Greece could run out of money by the end of the month without a deal and deposits continue to flow out of its banks.
Popular tabloid Bild has a double-page spread featuring pictures of Vladimir Putin and Alexis Tsipras with the headline: "The Russian or the Greek: who is more dangerous for us?" Underneath it says: "Europe is in the most difficult crisis it's seen for decades -- because two heads of government are aggressively demonstrating their power."
A commentary in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung says: "The Greek government appears to believe it can treat its partners like fools," accusing the Greek government of using Brussels like a stage for theatrics, adding that many people have simply had enough.
And the business paper Handelsblatt says the request for a loan extension changes very little. "It remains unclear whether Athens is willing to meet the conditions set by its creditors." And that, the paper says, is crucial for the meeting of European finance ministers on Friday.


The government has lost a vote in the House of Lords on child poverty.

Peers voted by a majority of 92 to amend the Welfare Reform and Work Bill to make ministers report annually on income levels in the poorest families.
The move was spearheaded by the Bishop of Durham, Rt Rev Paul Butler, who argued income-related statistics must be recorded so they could be assessed with other measurements of deprivation.
Ministers say life chances are a better measure of economic outcomes.
The defeat could be overturned when the bill returns to the Commons later this year.
If it is not, ministers will be obliged to present a report to Parliament each year setting out the percentage of children in households whose net income is 60% to 70% below the median average.
The government's decision to change how child poverty is measured, to focus on the root causes of poverty rather than income disparities, has angered opposition parties and anti-poverty campaigners
But ministers insist that income benchmarks put in place by the last Labour government painted a false picture and meant that inter-generational factors holding families back, such as unemployment and low educational attainment, were ignored.
Bishop Butler said he conceded income levels should not be the only measure of levels of relative poverty but were still highly significant.
"It is also possible to understate the importance of income, or the lack of it, especially among those of us who have plenty," he said.
"There is also a wealth of academic evidence pointing to the damaging effect income poverty has on children's wellbeing, including their health, education and future employment prospects."
While he was not seeking to reinstate an income-based definition of child poverty, the bishop said his proposal would ensure income was measured and reported on an equal basis to other social indicators.
Ministers insist the move is not needed as income-related statistics would still be collated.
Welfare minister Lord Freud said, on their own, income figures were at best a "partial reflection" of an individual's economic wellbeing, and did not take into account levels of debt and savings, employment histories and increased school spending in areas of the highest deprivation.
During Monday's report stage debate on the Welfare Bill, ministers also announced that the government would be exempting recipients of carer's allowance from the overall household benefit cap, which is set to fall to a maximum of Â£20,000 outside London and Â£23,00 in the capital.
Lord Freud said the government valued the contribution carers made to society and was taking further steps to support them.