The campaign to get Britain out of the EU has launched a contest to win £50m - if you can correctly predict the result of all 51 games in the Euro 2016 football championships.

If no one manages that then there is a £50,000 prize for the person who gets the most consecutive games correct.
Vote Leave has taken out an insurance policy to fund the contest.
But Britain Stronger In Europe say it is a "con" - with the odds of winning a sextillion to one.
The £50m represents the amount Vote Leave says Britain sends to the EU a day, a claim disputed by its critics.
The argument that Britain sends £350m a week to the EU has proved controversial because it does not take into account the rebate that the UK gets on its payments to the EU.
A Vote Leave source said the football contest could be a "game changer" for the campaign because it would allow them to gather the contact details of thousands of potential voters, many of whom would not normally be interested in the referendum.
Anyone entering will have to rate themselves on a scale of one to five as to whether they are more likely to back continued membership of the EU.
The campaign admits that the chances of winning the top prize are slim - but says it is "worth a punt".
But Will Straw, executive director of Britain Stronger In Europe, said the long odds were the same as those for Vote Leave "coming up with a coherent vision for what life would look like outside the EU".
He added: "Once again Vote Leave put wild guesswork at the heart of their campaign and it is the British people who they are asking to take the risk."
Hosts France take on Romania in the first game of Euro 2016 on 10 June, with England and Wales in action the following day.
Vote Leave's campaign director Dominic Cummings said: "This is the chance of a lifetime - just imagine what you could do with the £50m we send to the EU every single day.
"We want everyone to have the chance to win the sort of money most people can only dream of, unless they are a banker or a Euro MP."
You are staggeringly unlikely to win this competition.
There are 36 games in the group stages of the tournament, when there could be a victory for either side or a draw.
Then there are 15 knockout games, which cannot be drawn.
The odds of picking all 51 games randomly are one in 5,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, which is a bit better than the odds of guessing the mobile phone numbers of the next two strangers you see in the street.
Now, your in-depth knowledge of European football may tip the odds more in your favour, but remember you also have to guess which teams will qualify from the group stages, which may go down to goal difference or even goals scored.
The competition is a based on a similar contest in the US, run by billionaire Warren Buffett, one of the world's richest men, involving the annual men's NCAA basketball tournament known as March Madness.
Vote Leave says the contest is free to enter and is open to anyone who is over the age of 18 who is registered to vote in the EU referendum.
Entrants must supply their telephone number, email address and home address to qualify for the prize.
Vote Leave's privacy policy allows anyone to "opt out" from receiving campaign information "at any time".
A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said any money spent on the contest would have to be reported by the campaign, but added: "Vote Leave indicate that the £50m prize would be paid by an insurance company and not by them."
The chairman of the UK Statistics Authority has again rebuked Vote Leave over its £350m a week claim.
In a statement on the authority's website, Sir Andrew Dilnot said that he was "disappointed" that the campaign group continued to claim the full amount could be spent in the UK, saying it "undermined trust in official statistics".


Russia plans to introduce new powers to prosecute foreigners whose activities are seen as "undesirable" on national security grounds.

Russian MPs have backed a bill to ban "undesirable" foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or firms.
The draft leaves the definition of "undesirable" open to interpretation.
Under an existing 2012 law, foreign-funded Russian NGOs linked to politics must register as "foreign agents". The label has connotations of spying.
A party loyal to President Vladimir Putin drafted the new law. His supporters dominate both houses of parliament.
The text going through the Duma - Russia's lower house - says it will be up to Russian prosecutors and the foreign ministry to decide if a foreign organisation or firm is "undesirable".
A foreigner declared "undesirable" could face a fine of up to 500,000 roubles (Â£6,343; $10,000) and up to six years in jail.
The bill passed a second reading in the Duma on Friday. It still requires a third reading, then approval by the upper house (Federation Council) and President Putin to become law. In most cases that is a formality.
The legislation comes amid frosty relations between Russia and the West, characterised by sanctions and counter-sanctions over Russia's involvement in the Ukraine conflict.
The BBC's Yuri Vendik in Moscow says the legislation opens up foreign firms to potential prosecution, because it does not include the word "non-commercial" in the text.
The MP who drafted it, Alexander Tarnavsky of the party A Just Russia, said he wanted foreign businesses to be covered by the law.
"Unfortunately some foreign organisations for various reasons are working against Russia.
"They may be ideological reasons, or in the interests of shareholders, or economic interests, it's normal for them to say: 'Come on, let's push Russia down, so the value of Russian shares goes down, and then we'll buy them,'" he told the BBC.
'Pressure on foreigners' - Yuri Vendik, BBC Russian:
This law is a way of strengthening pressure on foreigners - it can be seen as a political step.
It doesn't give any criteria to define "undesirable", so it is not clear which organisations could be affected - the language is not precise.
In theory they can punish whoever they like - businesses, media organisations. Or it could be an oil firm, or someone in the financial sphere.
Non-governmental organisations are not clearly defined in Russian law.
The text has been finished - there won't be more amendments now. But there might be a procedural delay before the Duma's third and final reading.
Pavel Chikov, head of a human rights umbrella group called Agora, said: "Simply declaring someone 'undesirable, we don't want to see him on our territory' will be a violation of international law and general legal principles, and of the civil legal code."
He predicted "a mass of disputes over interpretation of the law".
In a commentary on the draft law, the popular Russian daily Moskovsky Komsomolets said the "undesirable" label could be applied to any foreign organisation, "commercial and non-profit alike".
It said NGOs such as Medecins Sans Frontieres, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Reporters Without Borders and Transparency International "are certainly under threat".
It described the new law as a "weapon" that could be used "next time relations with the West escalate, or under the influence of paranoid 'anti-Maidan' nightmares" - referring to Russian fears of a Ukraine-style popular revolt against the government.


Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams made more than $5m (£3.26m) each from Blurred Lines, according to figures revealed during a copyright trial.

Total profits for the biggest track of 2013 are $16.68m (£10.87m), with rapper TI getting a $704,000 (£459,000) share according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The trio are being sued for copyright infringement by Marvin Gaye's family, over similarities to Got to Give It Up.
They are seeking money from sales and touring, as well as damages.
According to testimony from damages experts in court in Los Angeles, singer Thicke received $5.66m (£3.69m) from the song's profits.
Williams got a total of $5.15m (£3.36m) - $4.3m of it from publishing royalties, and a further $860,000 for producer royalties.
Thicke, Williams and rapper TI - real name Clifford Harris Jr - deny copying Gaye's 1977 hit.
They have previously insisted there are no similarities "other than commonplace musical elements" and claim the track was created "without copying anyone else's composition".
The financial details of the music industry and the profitability of individual tracks usually remain a closely guarded secret.
But they have been revealed in this instance as Gaye's children, Frankie and Nona, seek a substantial amount of income and damages for lost licensing revenue.
CAA (Creative Artists Agency), who represent Thicke, was served with a subpoena over details of his income.
This revealed that an estimated $11m (£7.17m) of his touring income was attributable to the success of Blurred Lines.
After Thicke, Williams and TI received their share of profits, the rest of the $16.68m was divided between record companies Interscope, Universal Music Group Distribution (UMGD) and Star Trak.
An executive at Universal Music testified that the track's overhead costs accounted for $6.9m (£4.5m).
During opening arguments, a lawyer for the Gayes estimated damages at $40m (£26m).
A second song, Thicke's Love After War, is also being contested at the trial. The Gayes claim it is similar to another Marvin Gaye track, After the Dance, which Thicke also denies.
The trial continues.


Commemorations have been held across Scotland to mark the World War One armistice.

A two-minute silence was observed to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when the hostilities of 1914-18 formally ended.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WW1.
Wreaths were laid at the war memorial at Edinburgh's Waverley Station while a plaque was unveiled at Glasgow's Central Station.
A number of other ceremonies took place to remember those who died during WW1 and all conflicts since.
In Dundee, a two-minute silence was held at City Square.
Lord Provost Bob Duncan was joined by veterans, councillors, local authority officers and civic guests for a short ceremony on the steps of the Caird Hall.
Councillors on Dumfries and Galloway Council's economy, environment and infrastructure committee halted their meeting to mark Armistice Day.
A two-minute silence was observed during proceedings at the main council offices on English Street in Dumfries and at the war memorial outside St John's Church.
In Inverness, people gathered outside the Town House to mark the two-minute silence.
Lord Provost George Adam was at Aberdeen's war memorial at the Cowdray Hall to take part in the silence.
This year also marks 70 years since the D-Day landings and the end of Britain's conflict in Afghanistan.
On Sunday, two-minute silences took place across the UK and the Commonwealth.
The Queen, political leaders and military veterans laid wreaths at the Cenotaph on Whitehall - the focal point of Remembrance Day services.
Armistice Day has been marked on 11 November every year since 1919 - a year after the Allied forces signed an agreement with the Germans that would end WW1.
After the Second World War, commemorations were adapted to honour the fallen of both conflicts, and Remembrance Sunday was established to replace Armistice Day.
From 1995, the British Legion campaigned successfully to restore the two-minute silence to 11 November as well as Remembrance Sunday.
Charity proceeds from Poppy Scotland will help to provide support for members of the armed forces and veterans.
Last year's appeal raised more than Â£2.6m in Scotland.


An emergency treatment using a balloon device to control catastrophic bleeding in accident victims is being trialled as part of a new £1.1m study.

The University of Aberdeen trial - over four years - compares the survival of those who receive the treatment against those who do not.
Reboa (resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta) works by inserting a balloon device into the body's main artery.
London Air Ambulance has used it.
The trial will examine if the technique can prevent deaths and disability from road collisions and falls from height.
The study is being supported by a £1.1m grant from the National Institute of Health Research.
The trial will take place across 10 major trauma centres in England.
The research team estimates about 120 patients may be treated using Reboa during the course of the study.
It was first used in the UK by the Royal London Hospital.
Pedestrians or cyclists involved in serious crashes often have internal bleeding due to injury to blood vessels deep inside the body, but these cannot be compressed from the outside.
Some people will die at the scene or before they can be transferred safely to hospital.
The technique allows doctors to control bleeding from within.
Jan Jansen, a consultant in general surgery and intensive care medicine at the University of Aberdeen and the chief investigator of the study, said: "Reboa is quite a simple concept which many in the medical profession believe will be a tool that helps save more lives.
"This trial will provide evidence that either supports or refutes that conception.
"The technology is not without its complications. Cutting off blood from half the body can only be done for so long and you have to deal with the consequences of that but with injuries this severe it can be a trade-off worth making.
"We want to find out if it is worth taking an extra few minutes to do this procedure and arrive in the theatre in a more controlled state."
He added: "It's important to stress that this procedure is only used in extreme cases where there is a real chance of the patient dying in the emergency department.
"All teams involved will be given bespoke training and, as well as assessing the success of Reboa, we will be evaluating how practical it is to incorporate into the procedures of each individual trauma team.
"Some early adopter teams have already started using this but this trial will provide some thorough research that shows just how effective it is at saving lives."


Scotland's Daniel Keatings has won gold in the men's pommel horse at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Media playback is not supported on this device
England claimed silver and bronze in the final through Max Whitlock and Louis Smith. Scotland's Daniel Purvis finished in fifth place.
Keatings's gold follows his two silver medals, in the men's all-round finals and the men's team event.
And it takes to 14 the number of gold medals won by Scotland since the Games got under way.
Keatings, 24, produced a stunning routine in front of his home crowd to score 16.058 and see off the challenge of Whitlock.
"It was amazing to be in front of a home crowd and do probably one of my best routines," he said afterwards. "I went for a 7.2 start and hit it. I'm ecstatic to have won."
BBC Sport's gymnastics expert Beth Tweddle said: "It feels right that, in front of a home crowd, Dan Keatings produces that.
"It's a massive achievement for Dan because this wasn't just any old final, this was the one they all wanted."
Meanwhile, Purvis secured a bronze medal in the men's ring final.
The event saw Canada earn their first gold medal in the gymnastics courtesy of Scott Morgan, with compatriot Kevin Lytwyn taking silver.


The former principal of an Aberdeen university has handed back an honorary degree in protest at a similar award being given to Donald Trump.

Dr David Kennedy, principal of Robert Gordon University (RGU) between 1987-97, said he was "appalled" at plans to honour the US tycoon next month.
Mr Trump's plans to build the "world's greatest golf course" in Aberdeenshire have proven divisive in the north east.
Dr Kennedy returned the honorary doctorate which he received in 1999.
He described the decision to give Mr Trump an honorary doctorate as "an insult to decent people everywhere".
Dr Kennedy said: "Mr Trump is simply not a suitable person to be given an honorary degree and he should not be held up as an example of how to conduct business.
"Mr Trump's behaviour in north-east Scotland has been deplorable from the first, particularly in how he has treated his neighbours."
The academic, who is also a member of the Tripping up Trump protest group, added: "The university needs to realise how strongly people feel about this issue.
"I can think of no better way to express my anger at the decision to honour Mr Trump than to return my own honorary doctorate to the university.
"I would not want to hold the award after Mr Trump has received his."
Robert Gordon University is due to present Mr Trump with the honorary award of Doctor of Business Administration on 8 October.
The university said the honour recognised his "business acumen" and his company's commitment to the north east of Scotland.
The Trump Organisation had said it was a "tremendous honour" for Mr Trump.
A spokesperson for Mr Trump said they would not be making a statement on Dr Kennedy's decision, saying it was a matter for RGU.
A spokesman for RGU said: "We're disappointed that Dr Kennedy feels compelled to return his degree, particularly given his past connections and major contribution to the development of the university."
Work on Mr Trump's controversial golf course got under way earlier this year.
The billionaire believes the total cost of the project is likely to be about Â£750m.
However, some residents object to the plans and are refusing to sell their land to the billionaire.
Many opponents of the development have bought a stake in a one-acre stretch of land at the heart of the resort site in a bid to disrupt it.
As well as a championship golf course, the luxury development on the Menie Estate includes a 450-bedroom hotel, 950 holiday apartments and 500 residential homes.


More and more firms are completely rethinking how products are made; redesigning them to make them more durable, easier to dismantle, repair and reuse.

Fundamentally changing the way we organise our current economic model is no easy task, but European governments and some of the continent's largest companies are waking up to the fact that profound change is needed.
Radical new concepts are rarely embraced with enthusiasm, but the circular economy could be an important exception.
The reason is simple; ever-growing demand, driven by population growth and wealth creation, cannot be met by the Earth's finite natural resources.
As the European Commission's Frans Timmermans has said: "Our planet and our economy cannot survive if we continue with the 'take, make, use and throw away' approach. We need to retain precious resources and fully exploit all the economic value within them."
Our current, so-called linear, approach is unsustainable. In its place, we could adopt a more circular model, where the output of one process becomes the input to another; where the "waste" from one action becomes a resource for the next.
Indeed materials are currently classified as waste too early in the production process - perfectly good resources are simply discarded in favour of starting afresh.
By keeping these resources within the production process, a far greater value can be extracted from them.
As Ian Ellison, sustainability manager and Jaguar LandRover (JLR), says: "We have to look to nature, which has been making the most of resources and producing no waste for three billion years.
"Industrial processes have only been going 200 years and already we are bumping up against limits."
This is the essence of the circular economy, an idea that is gaining ever-greater traction as it moves from academia into the minds of policymakers and company directors across Europe and beyond.
The European Union, which imports more than 60% of its raw materials, is leading the way.
At the end of last year the European Commission unveiled its Circular Economy Package, committing more than â‚¬6bn (Â£4.7bn; $6.8bn) in funding.
By 2030, the commission expects this to save the EU economy â‚¬600bn a year and be a powerful force for job creation.
There are two main components to it: The first redefines waste, allowing companies to make greater use of still-valuable resources that are currently discarded, and sets binding recycling targets for the next 15 years.
The second is an action plan that encourages far greater resource efficiency much earlier in the production process and includes an eco-design standard encouraging producers to design products with their end of life in mind; in other words ensuring that as many components as possible can be reused.
This will work as an extension of energy efficiency ratings already mandatory on white goods, explains Nick Molho, executive director at sustainable business group Aldersgate.
The action plan is not yet binding, but it could be very soon.
Legislation will be introduced "over the coming year, we are talking months", says Joss Bleriot, executive officer at the circular economy charity, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
"The European Parliament is massively supportive and business wants to do this, as they can see the competitive advantage."
Indeed the benefits to businesses are numerous. For a start they can save money from re-using natural resources rather than buying new ones, such as expensive rare-earth metals in the case of electronics.
This will become ever-more important as dwindling resources become more expensive.
Re-using resources also insulates companies from volatile commodity prices, while reducing waste disposal costs and energy consumption.
Equally, it also should lead to less pollution and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that will increasingly become a cost to business as taxes are introduced to combat them.
The one major downside, of course, is that manufacturers may well sell fewer products if they are built to last longer and to be reused - but this simply means they will have to find different sources of revenue such as servicing.
In a world of finite resources, says Mr Bleriot, they will simply have no choice.
A number of big companies are starting to embrace a more circular business model, including Unilever, Philips, Google, Ikea and BT. Indeed, according to Mr Bleriot, the most profitable car factory in Europe is Renault's remanufacturing plant in Choisy-le-Roi near Paris.
Another carmaker leading the way is JLR, which manufactures two of its three Land Rover models from aluminium, which is lighter than steel, giving improved performance and fuel efficiency.
The problem is it's more expensive and takes more energy to produce, thereby emitting more CO2.
For this reason, the carmaker has gone to great lengths to use recycled aluminium, known in the trade as post-industrial scrap. Half its aluminium is now from recycled sources, and JLR has set a target of 75% by 2020.
"Finding technical solutions and reorganising our supply chain has been difficult, but [buying less freshly smelted aluminium] saves us money," says Mr Ellison. "Economically, it pays off."
The company is now looking at its other top 10 most-used resources, from steel and magnesium to glass and plastics, to work out how best to source recycled materials.
Construction and support services giant Interserve is another firm looking at the circular economic theory to transform the way it does business.
Buildings are now not only dismantled rather than demolished and buried, with a view to reusing the raw materials, fixtures and fittings, - but are designed to be maintained, refurbished and repurposed more easily.
"That is the future," says Interserve's Mat Roberts. "The emphasis will be on modular and reusable buildings that can switch from commercial use, to residential, to healthcare, to office blocks."
He points to Sheffield University's Factory 2050 as an example of what is possible.
Circular economic theory is slowly but surely embedding itself at the highest levels of some of the world's biggest companies, and those implementing it first believe they are gaining an important head start on their rivals.
"If you want to save costs, reduce waste, cut your environmental footprint and improve revenue, you have to talk about circularity," says Mr Ellison.
"It is the only model that resolves all the different tensions [facing businesses]."
Finite resources may mean companies ultimately have no choice, but many believe embracing the circular economy now also makes perfect business sense.


Phil Edwards claimed a stoppage-time winner as Oxford came from behind to beat promotion-chasing Scunthorpe in League One.

Paddy Madden curled in a right-footed shot from 14 yards to give the Iron a 12th-minute lead.
The rest of the first half was a scrappy affair on a bobbly pitch where getting the ball under control was not easy.
The second half was much livelier and captain John Lundstram brought the home side level with a driven half-volley from Joe Skarz's left-wing cross in the 52nd minute.
It was Lundstram's first goal of the season and the ex-Everton midfielder was unlucky not to get a second four minutes later with a 20-yard shot which came back off the underside of the crossbar.
Madden was always a threat for Scunthorpe, and goalkeeper Simon Eastwood had to beat out a drive from the dangerous striker, and then saved his header a few moments later.
Luke Daniels' superb point-blank save kept out Liam Sercombe's volley two minutes from time, but Scunthorpe's defence was under severe pressure and, following a corner, Curtis Nelson drove a low 14-yard shot across goal for Edwards to touch home.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Oxford United 2, Scunthorpe United 1.
Second Half ends, Oxford United 2, Scunthorpe United 1.
Substitution, Scunthorpe United. Craig Davies replaces David Mirfin.
Goal!  Oxford United 2, Scunthorpe United 1. Curtis Nelson (Oxford United) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Marvin Johnson with a cross.
Corner,  Oxford United. Conceded by Jordan Clarke.
Attempt missed. Conor McAleny (Oxford United) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Paddy Madden (Scunthorpe United) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Attempt saved. Liam Sercombe (Oxford United) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the bottom left corner.
Conor McAleny (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jordan Clarke (Scunthorpe United).
Joe Skarz (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Neal Bishop (Scunthorpe United).
Foul by Curtis Nelson (Oxford United).
Ivan Toney (Scunthorpe United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Scunthorpe United. Hakeeb Adelakun replaces Stephen Dawson.
Substitution, Oxford United. Kane Hemmings replaces Antonio Martínez.
Attempt saved. Josh Morris (Scunthorpe United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by Conor McAleny (Oxford United).
Neal Bishop (Scunthorpe United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Oxford United. Marvin Johnson replaces Joe Rothwell.
Foul by Conor McAleny (Oxford United).
Murray Wallace (Scunthorpe United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Scunthorpe United. Ivan Toney replaces Tom Hopper.
Attempt saved. Paddy Madden (Scunthorpe United) header from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by John Lundstram (Oxford United).
Josh Morris (Scunthorpe United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. Antonio Martínez (Oxford United) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Joe Rothwell (Oxford United) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the centre of the goal.
John Lundstram (Oxford United) hits the bar with a right footed shot from outside the box.
Foul by Antonio Martínez (Oxford United).
Murray Wallace (Scunthorpe United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Goal!  Oxford United 1, Scunthorpe United 1. John Lundstram (Oxford United) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Joe Skarz.
Foul by John Lundstram (Oxford United).
Tom Hopper (Scunthorpe United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Second Half begins Oxford United 0, Scunthorpe United 1.
First Half ends, Oxford United 0, Scunthorpe United 1.
Philip Edwards (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tom Hopper (Scunthorpe United).
Joe Skarz (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Paddy Madden (Scunthorpe United).


About 15 cars were stuck for five hours between two landslips on the A82 in the Highlands as heavy rain caused flooding and travel disruption.

Police said that a number of vehicles were trapped about five miles south of Fort William from about 10:10.
Engineers from Bear Scotland and the Forestry Commission have cleared that blockage but are working to clear other debris from the carriageway.
The road is expected to be closed overnight for assessment.
No-one was injured but vehicles were unable to get out of the area.
The A82 is closed between Fort William and Ballachulish, with diversions in place.
Insp Donald Campbell said: "Firstly, I would like to thank the members of the public who were stuck between the blockages for their good spirit and patience whilst we dealt with the incident.
"The road is expected to be closed overnight as engineers will be working to assess the area."
A spokesman for BEAR Scotland said "We are dealing with a variety of flooding related incidents across the north west area of Scotland.
"Our main concerns currently relate to the A82 between Fort William and Ballachulish where several flood events have caused the road to be blocked.
"These have included trees and debris washed from the forestry areas above the road. We are currently working with the Forestry Commision to remove approximately 30 large trees from the carriageway using specialist plant."
The Met Office issued an amber "be prepared" warning for the Highlands.
It said prolonged and heavy rain was forecast during Sunday and Monday.
It has also issued yellow "be aware" warnings for Strathclyde, Central, Tayside and Fife, where rain and gales are predicted with gusts of up to 70mph possible in exposed areas.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has put in place 11 flood warnings in the Highlands and Tayside, with further flood alerts throughout the country.
The Tay, Skye and Dornoch bridges have been affected by high winds while CalMac ferry services on the west coast have been disrupted or cancelled.
Transport Scotland is monitoring the situation with Sepa, local authorities and Police Scotland.


Shares of computer and smartphone maker Apple rose nearly 5% in after-hours trading after it reported better-than-expected profits for the third quarter.

It made $6.9bn (Â£4.5bn) profit in the three months to June, thanks in part to good sales of its iPhone smartphone.
Apple said it sold 31.2 million iPhones, a record for the June quarter, compared to 26 million last year.
But profit was down 22% from the same period a year earlier as its profit margins shrank to 36.98% from 42.8%.
However, average sale prices were lower at $581, compared with $608 a year ago.
Its revenue was also better than expected, with the company earning $35.3bn, although that was barely above the $35bn of a year ago.
Analysts said the data, especially on iPhone sales, may help allay some fears of a slowdown in Apple's growth rate.
"The iPhone number should provide some comfort to investors who were worried about smartphone demand," said Shannon Cross of Cross Research.
"That's one of the reasons the stock is up. Expectations were not strong for this quarter."
One of the brakes on the robust pace of growth that Apple has enjoyed in recent years has been the growing popularity of rivals such as Samsung - which has now become the world's biggest mobile phone maker - as well as the launch of low-cost smartphone by Chinese manufacturers.
According to its latest numbers, Apple's sales in China were also down by 4% in the April to June period.
Research firm IDC has estimated that 66% of the 385 million smartphones sold in China next year will cost less than $200 - significantly less than the cost of Apple's iPhone.
That has led some investors to fear that Apple may have to cut the price of its products in an attempt to attract customers.
At the same time, sales of its the iPad tablet computer, fell by 14% to 14.6 million units, compared with 17 million a year ago.
Apple has spent most of the past 10 years as the darling of consumers and investors.
But a lack of new products - its last innovation was the iPad in 2010 - has seen faith in it wane recently, and strong competition from South Korea's Samsung in particular, has also eaten into its market share.
That has seen investors dump the stock. Its shares have dipped nearly 40% since hitting the peak in September last year.
This is the second quarter in a row that the technology giant's earnings have been below those of the previous year.
Analysts said that while the latest numbers were better than they had estimated, the company needed to come up with new products in order to keep growing at a robust pace.
"This was a 'blah' quarter and the story hasn't changed," said Adam Sarhan, chief executive of Sarhan Capital.
"Until it delivers a new, innovative product that really adds to both top and bottom-line, I would expect the stock to continue treading water."
For his part, Apple's boss. Tim Cook, said that the company was going to introduce new products soon.
"We are laser-focused and working hard on some amazing new products that we will introduce in the fall [autumn] and across 2014," he said.


Crawley Town defender Joe McNerney has signed a new two-year contract with the League Two club, with the option for a third year.

The 27-year-old signed from non-league Woking in July 2015 and has made 34 appearances, including 21 this season.
He missed much of his first season at Broadfield Stadium because of a knee injury and subsequent surgery.
McNerney said: "I'm delighted to have agreed the new contract and to know I have a long-term future at the club."


Olympic and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has been chosen to carry the flag for Great Britain at Friday's Rio 2016 opening ceremony.

The 29-year-old was picked ahead of the likes of boxer Nicola Adams and rower Katherine Grainger.
Murray, who inspired Great Britain to the Davis Cup in November, is the first tennis player to fill the role.
"To lead out Team GB will be an incredible honour, the biggest in sport," he said.
As well as individual gold, the Scot also won doubles silver alongside Laura Robson at the London 2012 Games.
"I obviously have great memories of London and I am 100% focused on winning here in Rio," Murray added.
"The privilege of being the flag bearer is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life and will certainly be one of the highlights of my career."
Murray is seeded second in both the men's singles and the doubles tournament in which he is teaming up with brother Jamie.
Team-mate and fellow British number one Johanna Konta is seeded 10th in the women's draw.
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A British Olympic Association panel selected Murray to be flag bearer after each sport put forward athletes to a shortlist.
Cyclist Sir Chris Hoy led Team GB into London's Olympic Stadium four years ago, while speed skater Jon Eley was selected for the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014.
The United States have nominated swimmer Michael Phelps, while hosts Brazil have chosen modern pentathlete Yana Marques.
The Russian team have selected volleyball player Sergey Tetyukhin after pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and the rest of the Russian athletics team was banned in the wake of the country's doping scandal.
Marco Balich, the executive producer of Rio 2016's opening ceremony, has said that his plans are "not an opulent show compared to London or compared to Beijing" but "full of heart and very graceful."
The ceremony begins at midnight BST on Friday night.
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Ian Paisley and Bob McCartney were anti-agreement. U2, Ash, David Trimble, John Hume and a host of others were pro-agreement.
In 2015 it's more complex. If we were to hold a referendum on the Stormont House Agreement we would have to include boxes for people to tick labelled yes, no, fair wind, qualified support and implement but don't like.
It's inevitable, given that most deals are struck between the key players, that the other parties seem relatively happy to let the DUP and Sinn FÃ©in do the heavy lifting.
By remaining semi-detached, the UUP and the SDLP give themselves more room for manoeuvre when the Welfare Reform Bill comes to the assembly chamber.
Despite unionist concern over the NIO decision to drop the north Belfast parading panel, the DUP isn't giving any indication it will back off on the main tenets of the Stormont House deal.
Despite assertions that they caved in over welfare reform, Sinn FÃ©in is showing no sign of having second thoughts.
The notion that the corporation tax element of the agreement might be jeopardised raised its head in the Commons this week.
But Labour blew cold for a day, before blowing just lukewarm enough to apparently guarantee that the bill enabling businesses taxes to be devolved will become law.
Peter Robinson has a point when he objects to commentators redefining all the dates in the Stormont House Agreement as trip wires that might snag the negotiators.
The first minister argues the naysayers would have had a field day if there had been no deal, and are now overly keen to probe any weaknesses in the agreement that did emerge.
So with Stormont about to elect its first Sinn FÃ©in speaker, it's reasonable to acknowledge that the institutions appear to be in a far more stable state in January 2015 than they were when Mr Robinson made his "not fit for purpose" comments back in September 2014.
However, the on again, off again speaker saga also illustrates another truth - that deals concluded between parties can be unpicked if the politicians fall out over subsequent developments.
The calendar for new legislation and new quangos envisaged in the Stormont House agreement may roll out smoothly between now and 2021.
If there was a referendum, I think I'd tick the "events, dear boy, events" box.


England fought back brilliantly with the ball after disappointing with the bat on an astonishing opening day of the Ashes series at Trent Bridge.

In a riotous final session, the hosts lost their last four wickets for two runs in crumbling to 215 all out before tearing through Australia's top order with the new ball to reduce them to 75-4.
Peter Siddle was Australia's outstanding performer on an overcast day which offered plenty of assistance to swing bowlers, removing five of England's top seven to finish with figures of 5-50.
But Steven Finn dismissed Shane Watson and Ed Cowan in successive balls and James Anderson took two wickets of his own to leave the match beautifully poised, with Steve Smith on 38 not out.
2013: P Siddle, Trent Bridge
2010: P Siddle, Brisbane
2005: G McGrath, Lord's
2001: S Warne, Edgbaston
1948: W Johnston, Trent Bridge
If England can dismantle the remainder of the Australian batting order on Thursday, they could yet escape with the first innings lead they were targeting when captain Alastair Cook won the toss and chose to bat on a dry pitch hardened by several days of sunshine.
It was a decision that appeared justified as the hosts found the boundary 19 times in the first session and advanced to a promising 178-4 in the afternoon.
But a combination of poor shot selection and fine swing bowling saw them lose their last six wickets for 37 runs to round off an innings that had lasted just 59 overs.
With Stuart Broad off the field receiving treatment to a shoulder injury he suffered while batting, Australia began their innings positively. Watson struck successive fours off Finn as they took the total to 19 off as many balls.
But the Middlesex fast bowler gained his revenge with a double strike as first Watson, then Cowan were drawn into chasing balls outside off stump, sending thick edges through to a gleeful England slip cordon.
If Finn's intervention had altered the course of the match, Anderson was about to turn things full circle with the wicket of Michael Clarke for a six-ball duck.
"I was surprised how Australia came out and played with the bat, so I'm not sure what will happen tomorrow. Shane Watson and Ed Cowan came out and played their shots and gave their wickets away.
"Steve Smith surprised me - without being nasty, he looks like a good club batsman. He is not technically correct like Michael Clarke but the way he played today was excellent. He stayed back to the seamers and then gave it a club when he got chance. He could take the game away from England tomorrow if he gets in."
Listen to the TMS Podcast
The Australia captain, averaging 66 in his 24 previous Tests as skipper, was beaten by a ball that moved away at the last moment and kissed the top of his off stump.
Anderson's 308th Test wicket took him past Fred Trueman into third on England's all-time list, and his 309th followed soon afterwards as Chris Rogers was trapped lbw to a ball which replays revealed would have brushed the outside of leg stump.
It was a breathtaking finale to a day that began with fireworks and a fly-by from the Red Arrows to mark the renewal of hostilities in one of sport's oldest rivalries.
Australia sprung a huge surprise before the start of play by handing 19-year-old spinner Ashton Agar his Test debut at the expense of Nathan Lyon.
The tall left-armer, of Sri Lankan background, had only played 10 previous first-class matches and was lining up in the Home Counties Premier League for Henley earlier this season.
James Pattinson, one of five Australians playing in their first Ashes Test, was given the responsibility of delivering the first ball of the series. But as a hush descended over the 17,000 fans inside a sold-out Trent Bridge, the 23-year-old sent down a high and wayward bouncer that was rightly called a wide.
At 19 years 269 days Agar is the 13th youngest player to play for Australia and the third teenager since Doug Walters in 1965. (Craig McDermott and Pat Cummins are the other two). He is the 17th player to bowl spin for Australia in the 68 Tests since Shane Warne retired. The most successful is Nathan Lyon - the man Agar ousted from the line-up - with 76 wickets at 33.18.
Australia player profiles
Left-armer Mitchell Starc delivered a similarly inauspicious first over, but once their nerves settled Australia's new ball pair found plenty of swing and beat the bat with regularity.
Pattinson claimed the wicket of the England captain in the ninth over as Cook aimed a forceful shot at a ball outside off stump and got a healthy nick through to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.
Jonathan Trott quickly wrested the initiative back England's way, striking consecutive boundaries in Siddle's first over and cracking Agar's first delivery - a full toss - to the cover fence.
Joe Root had appeared equally assured in a partnership of 51 before he was clean bowled by a superb away-swinging yorker from Siddle.
Kevin Pietersen and Trott followed soon after lunch, the former edging an expansive shot to second slip for 14 and the latter deflecting an equally reckless drive on to his stumps.
Ian Bell and Jonny Bairstow revived England with a counter-attacking partnership of 54, but the wicket of Bell - caught at first slip off another fine delivery from Siddle - proved pivotal as England's lower order folded miserably.
Matt Prior lazily slapped Siddle to point for one and Broad top-edged a pull shot to gift Pattinson the simplest of caught and bowled dismissals.
Bairstow was bowled after playing around a full ball from Starc, with Finn caught behind off the following delivery.
Anderson survived Starc's hat-trick ball but in the following over Graeme Swann prodded tamely to cover to complete the rout.
Listen to clips of the key moments on the BBC Ashes page
Match scorecard


Triathlon world champion and Wales medal hope Non Stanford will miss the 2014 Commonwealth Games because of a stress fracture in her left ankle.

The 25-year-old first injured her left foot in March and was unable to defend the ITU World Championships title she won in 2013.
"I'm pretty devastated," Stanford told the BBC, adding the stress fracture was related to the foot injury.
Carol Bridge a 29-year-old accident and emergency nurse comes in.
Stanford was  for Glasgow and now hopes to bounce back by qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The squad already announced for the event included 2011 world champion Helen Jenkins and 23-year-old Holly Lawrence, who was preferred to double Ironman world champion Leanda Cave.
However, Cave has again been overlooked again in favour of Rhondda Tri club's Bridge, who also competes in middle distance events.
Talking about her own preparations, Stanford added: "I was really optimistic and everything was going really well. We had plenty of time to make sure I was ready.
"So to take a second blow so quickly has been pretty tough, but unfortunately it's part of the game that we play.
"Injuries happen to everyone and the timing has not been ideal for me. But I had such a fantastic year last year, maybe it would have been greedy of me to have another good one this year.
Stanford said she was in "really good shape" before the fresh injury blow became apparent.
"About nearly two weeks ago, I started getting a pain in my ankle. I got the doctor to scan it and, unfortunately, it showed up a stress reaction in my navicular, which is one of the bones in your ankle.
"So I'm back in a boot and back on crutches and this week I had to make the really difficult decision that I wouldn't be able to race in Glasgow."
When Stanford pulled out of the start of the ITU series in March, she was confident her Games preparations would not be hindered.
But she admitted to BBC Wales in early June that she was still hampered by injury and her running was limited.
It was an injury problem that first resulted in Stanford picking up triathlon. She was a successful junior distance runner before a period of rehabilitation led her to take up swimming, and consequently join the University of Birmingham's triathlon club.
Stanford was crowned Under-23 World Champion in Auckland in 2012 and year later won the world title to become only the second woman to achieve those triumphs in successive years.


A Scottish artist captured many of the landscapes for his latest collection of works from the sea.

Glasgow-based Gregor Smith was taken up and down Scotland's west coast in a friend's boat to create paintings and etchings of Lismore and Mull.
He also made several long drives north to Caithness, Sutherland and Wester Ross for paintings of Achiltibuie and sea stacks at Duncansby Head.
The collection, Far Shore, is being exhibited at Glasgow's Compass Gallery.
Smith said: "There are advantages to working from a boat, as it opens up so many more vistas and viewpoints.
"You have to work quickly though."
He added: "I travelled with my sketchbook, chalks, pencils and other materials and captured as much as I could, but if you're accustomed to using your eyes, you'll see and record a lot of it in your mind."


MPs have launched an inquiry into why there are not more women in their ranks amid fears boundary changes will make it even harder to get winnable seats.

The boundary changes will cut the number of MPs from 650 to 600.
Inquiry chair Maria Miller said cutting the size of the Commons should not come "at the expense of a representative, modern Parliament".
There are currently more men in the Commons - 458 - than the number of women to have ever won seats there.
Women currently make up 30% of the House of Commons, occupying 192 of the 650 seats.
The boundary changes, which are due to come in to effect by the next scheduled general election in 2020, could increase competition for seats among would-be candidates, and could pit sitting MPs in the same party against their neighbours for the chance to stand for re-election.
The changes, brought in by the Conservatives, are meant to make elections fairer by ensuring all constituencies are roughly the same size, in terms of population.
The women and equalities committee committee will look at the potential consequences for female MPs and what parties are doing through their candidate selection processes to improve the gender balance in 2020 and beyond.
All the major parties have attempted to get more female candidates into winnable seats, with varying results.
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Labour has used all-women shortlists and the Conservatives have set up support networks to help women through the often costly and time-consuming selection process.
Mrs Miller, the Conservative former minister who chairs the committee, said: "We need to see proper diversity in public life - an important part of this is making sure the House of Commons is representative of the nation at large.
"Encouraging women into politics is an important first step but much more could and should be done to improve the retention of women MPs."
The committee's inquiry will also look at the following areas:
It says it will also examine the recommendations by The Good Parliament report, which proposed "a blueprint for a more representative and inclusive Commons".
The committee is inviting written submissions to its inquiry which must be submitted by 12 September.
An initial set of proposed boundary changes will be published in September 2016, with a final recommendation to be made to Parliament by September 2018.


Australian of the Year David Morrison is leading a drive against the use of the term "guys" in the workplace.

The #WordsAtWork campaign by the country's Diversity Council asks people to avoid expressions they say exclude minority groups.
Using "girls" for women, and "walk the talk" to people in wheelchairs, are among terms they say are offensive.
Mr Morrison was awarded the role of Australian of the Year partly for his equality campaigning.
The former military man - once chief of the Australian Army - admitted he had used some of the terms himself.
But of "guys" Mr Morrison said "I have now removed that from my lexicon as best I can. I think it's important."
Insisting the campaign was not intended to create a "language police", he said: "People use language to denigrate others and to take away their self-respect. Sometimes it happens unconsciously, but the effect is the same."
While some praised the inclusive language drive, not everyone agreed that "guys" was offensive, or that it was the most urgent problem that the Australian of the Year could be tackling.
Some wondered if the thoroughly Australian greeting "mate" - often used by and for men - would be next.
Australian National University language expert Catherine Travis also questioned whether "guys" was still a gender-specific term, telling Australia's ABC that "you guys" was now widely used of all genders.
There was broader agreement on some other terms though, including against using "gay" in a negative fashion.


A bridge severely damaged by flooding has reopened to pedestrians, more than a year after it was closed.

Elland Bridge, in West Yorkshire, had to be rebuilt at a cost of £5m after it partially collapsed during the 2015 Boxing Day floods.
It was reopened to walkers and cyclists on Tuesday. Vehicles are expected to have access later this month.
A temporary footbridge across the Calder and Hebble Navigation was installed while the work was completed.
Joanne Wood, who runs a nursery in Elland, was among the first people to cross the restored bridge.
"It's a fantastic day. We've been waiting for this for just over a year now," she said.
"This is a bridge that is used by so many people and we you do not realise how much you use it until it's not there."


Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has signed an improved two-year deal with the Premier League champions.

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The new deal does not extend Conte's commitment to the club, as he signed a three-year contract on his arrival in west London in the summer of 2016.
"I am very happy to have signed a new contract," said the Italian, 47.
"We worked extremely hard in our first year to achieve something amazing, which I am very proud of. Now we must work even harder to stay at the top."
The decision to sign a new contract without extending the terms runs counter to previous comments by Conte, who had indicated his willingness to commit to a longer deal.
Speaking in May, he said he wanted to stay with Chelsea "for many years", adding: "If the club give me the possibility to stay and extend my contract, for sure I'm available to."
Conte lifted the Premier League title at the first attempt in the 2016-17 season, winning 30 games, which included a club record 13 consecutive victories. He also guided the Blues to the FA Cup final, though they were beaten by Arsenal.
The former Juventus and Italy manager was credited for transforming the Stamford Bridge club's fortunes after they could only finish 10th the previous season.
A brutal training regime was part of the transformation, as was his decision to switch to a three-man central-defensive set-up - his preferred tactic at both Juve and Italy.
"The Chelsea fans have given me so much support since I arrived here one year ago and it is important we continue to succeed together," added Conte, whose team has flown out to China and Singapore for pre-season games against the Gunners, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added: "Antonio achieved incredible success last season, adapting to English football very quickly and leading us to the Premier League title.
"This new contract reflects our belief that he can continue to deliver results both domestically and as we return to European competition in the Champions League."
Conte has presided over at busy summer so far at Stamford Bridge.
Blues have signed midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko from French champions Monaco in a reported £40m deal, and also brought in defender Antonio Rudiger from Roma for an initial £29m.
The Chelsea boss was thwarted in the chase to take striker Romelu Lukaku from Everton, with the Belgium international instead joining Manchester United in a £75m deal.
Conte has also been working hard to get players out the door at Stamford Bridge, with striker Diego Costa and midfielder Nemanja Matic both absent from the Far East tour before expected moves.


Children can pass the phonics test with just a basic knowledge of the government's preferred system for learning to read, research suggests.

Six-year-olds have to read aloud 20 real words and 20 made-up words in the check, testing their ability to sound out words using the phonics system.
It is meant to test knowledge of the system's 85 letter combinations, but looks at only two-thirds of them.
Pupils also needed vocabulary knowledge to read the test words, the study said.
The research, presented at the British Educational Research Association conference by Dr Jonathan Solity and Dr Cat Darnell, is a detailed analysis of the words pupils have been asked to read in the check between 2012 and 2014.
The controversial test was introduced in 2012 to ensure all children at the end of Year 1 had what the government believed was sufficient phonics knowledge to develop their reading skills.
And so it was designed to check only how well children were deploying their knowledge of the letter combinations or "graphemes", rather than using their knowledge of vocabulary to read.
Hence the inclusion of 20 so-called "pseudo words".
But the researchers said, because of the complexity of the English language, children needed to use vocabulary knowledge to work out how to pronounce 40% of the words in the test.
For example, the word "brown" was included in the 2014 test.
But as the "ow" sound can be pronounced in two different ways - to rhyme with "cow" or "slow", the researchers said it was only by knowing the meaning of the word "brown" that children would be able to pronounce it correctly.
They also said children could get high scores in the test even if they were able to read only words made up of simple sounds such as the sound "d" in "dog".
Ministers strongly advocate the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics in schools.
This is where children use only their knowledge of graphemes in order to sound out simple words - before they go on to tackle more irregular words that they simply have to remember how to pronounce.
The researchers said schools may be wasting their time teaching more complex graphemes of little use to children in reading.
And the children, particularly those who are disadvantaged and from less "language rich" homes, would benefit more from efforts to build vocabulary.
This undue focus on the rarer language sounds could leave pupils struggling to read, the researchers said.
Dr Solity, an honorary research fellow at University College London, said: "This is not an anti-phonics argument. It is absolutely clear that children need to be taught phonics, and systematic synthetic phonics in particular.
"What we are questioning is whether it is worth teachers spending a great amount of time making sure pupils learn all 85 , rather than concentrating on the most frequent ones and then building pupils' vocabulary."
The government has insisted that its test works well to pick up the children struggling to read using phonics and enables interventions to be put in at an early stage.
A Department for Education spokesperson said the research was misleading.
"We test a wide range of phonics knowledge from a range of content, but it would be impossible to test every aspect that is taught in a single check.
"Over time, as more tests are carried out, they will cover the full breadth of knowledge required under the curriculum."


Some of Northern Ireland's dissident republican paramilitary groups are to come together under the banner of the IRA, a statement has claimed.

The statement "signed army council IRA", said a number of organisations were unifying under one leadership.
It said there had been a failure among Irish nationalist leaders and there was a "necessity for armed struggle."
The Guardian
 reported the new force would include a number of known dissident republican groups.
The newspaper said the Real IRA had been joined by Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) and a coalition of independent armed republican groups and individuals, some of whom are believed to have been involved in the murder of 25-year-old Catholic Constable Ronan Kerr in 2011.
This is a grouping which could bring several hundred armed dissidents together.
The coalition said it would intensify attacks on security forces and other British-related targets.
However, police have said the threat posed by dissident republicans has not been changed since the announcement was made.
The Real IRA was identified as responsible for the Omagh bomb which killed 29 people in 1998.
RAAD operates in Londonderry in the nationalist areas of Creggan and Bogside, which during the Troubles were the centre of IRA activity in the old walled city.
Since 2008, the paramilitary group has murdered one man and shot more than 40 others. It has also warned dozens of young men to leave the city or face being shot.
In June, the armed group said it was behind a bomb attack on the PSNI.
According to the Guardian, RAAD and the Real IRA will now cease to exist.
Speaking to Radio Ulster's Nolan Show, security journalist Brian Rowan said this was a "fractured world".
"It's confused, it's a place where there are competing egos and interests," he said.
"It's a world in which there is one day a kind of reaching out to one another, only to be followed by a split.
"Are they capable of re-running the IRA campaign? No they are not, because they do not have the support.
"Do they have the capability to kill? Yes they do and that is the danger."
Mr Rowan added that the Continuity IRA and Oglaigh na hEireann remained independent.
The latter dissident group was behind a bomb which exploded outside the Army base which houses MI5's Northern Ireland headquarters in 2010 and was responsible for recent grenade attacks on police.
Sinn Fein North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly said the new force was only a small group of people.
"They come together and go apart almost as a matter of course," he said.
He said that collectively the dissident groups had "actually killed more civilians and people from their own community than those they would call the enemy".
"I have an absolute belief in dialogue. I don't want to see more people being killed," he added.


Tens of thousands of people have taken part in nationwide protests against the introduction of water charges in the Republic of Ireland.

Almost 100 separate demonstrations were staged in towns and cities on Saturday, over charges introduced last month.
The controversial austerity measure is a key part of the government's plan to pay back the international financial bailout the state had to seek in 2010.
It was one of the largest ever mass protests over Irish government policy.
Irish police said they were not able to provide official estimates of the numbers attending rallies and marches across the state.
However, Irish state broadcaster, RTÉ, reported that more than 120,000 people attended demonstrations throughout the day.
About 20 protests were staged in Dublin, culminating in a crowd of about 10,000 who gathered outside the General Post Office (GPO) building in the city centre.
RTÉ estimated that another 10,000 protesters took to the streets of Cork city, while in excess of 8,000 people marched in both Letterkenny and Drogheda.
Demonstrations in Limerick, Waterford, and Dundalk were estimated to have attracted about 5,000 people each.
Thousands of people also took part in smaller protests in Sligo, Navan, Wicklow, Galway, Kilkenny, Wexford, Ashbourne, and Longford, as well as other towns and villages.
Some of the hundreds of people attending a protest in Ringsend, Dublin, told the BBC they do not believe they should pay charges for something that is already free and paid for out of general taxation.
Other protesters said they were opposed to the bonus culture in Irish Water - the company established last month to provide the service.
In Dublin, Martin Kennedy said he was taking part in the protests because he wanted to send a message to the government.
"Primarily, people are here today about water charges, but really it's about austerity.
"We've simply had enough," he said.
Anita Stanley, who attended a demonstration in the capital with her mother, also expressed her frustration at the government's policy.
"I'm a young widow, like my mum Ann, and we're here just to say we've had enough," she said.
"We can't afford to give any more."
Éamonn Campbell, renowned as a guitarist with Irish folk music group The Dubliners, was also among the protesters.
"It is not just about water charges, it is about all these taxes that have been forced by the greedy, both in Ireland and Europe, and paid for on the backs of the needy," he said.
Campaigners who organised some of the demonstrations disagreed with the state broadcaster's estimates and claimed the total number of people who protested was actually closer to 133,000.
Despite the absence of official figures, the Fine Gael/Labour coalition government is clearly worried about the scale of opposition.
A junior minister at the Irish Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation, Ged Nash, told RTÉ radio that "some serious mistakes" had been made in the establishment of Irish Water.
"I think if we were starting again we would have a much longer timeframe to establish what is a very important public utility," Mr Nash said.
The minister added that the government would respond the public concern over water charges.
"We acknowledge people's anxieties right across the country about issues regarding affordability for water charges and we're prepared to address those," Mr Nash added.
Meanwhile, Irish Deputy Prime Minister (Tánaiste), Joan Burton, said the charges will be modest and capped.
Households are due to receive their first water bills in January 2015.
It is the second time in weeks that members of the public have staged mass protests over the controversial government policy.
Last month, tens of thousands of people marched through Dublin to show their opposition.


A woman arrested following a fire in a high-rise block of flats in Southampton has been released.

The fire at Redbridge Towers, Cuckmere Lane, started in a flat on the 12th floor at 17:25 BST on Sunday.
Hampshire Constabulary said the 28-year-old arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life still remained "under investigation".
The force added the investigation into the cause of the blaze in the 19-storey building was ongoing.
Several residents, including the woman in the flat where the fire broke out, were treated at the scene for the effects of smoke inhalation.


The last flying Vulcan bomber has made its final appearance at an annual airshow in Shropshire.

The display involving the Vulcan XH558 bomber at RAF Cosford was dedicated to former Wolverhampton Wanderers president, Sir Jack Hayward.
Sir Jack donated Â£500,000 to help get the plane back in the sky after being contacted by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust in 2006.
The plane's permit to fly cannot be renewed, partly due to its age.
By coincidence, the show took place on what would have been Sir Jack's 92nd birthday.
A spokesman for the Vulcan to the Sky Trust said: "XH558's appearance today at RAF Cosford is dedicated to his remarkable generosity in saving the project.
"The date is a huge, unplanned coincidence as Sir Jack was born in Wolverhampton, just eight miles from RAF Cosford, on June 14, 1923."
Sir Jack's son Jonathan, Wolves vice-president Baroness Heyhoe Flint and Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey were also due to attend.
RAF Cosford was originally established before World War Two to store aircraft but later became a training base.


Chelsea captain John Terry said there has been "no communication" between him and the club despite boss Guus Hiddink suggesting he could stay.

Terry, 35, said last week that he had not been offered a new deal when his contract expires in the summer.
Asked after Sunday's 1-1 draw with Manchester United whether anything had changed, he told Sky Sports: "Not from my point of view."
He added: "I made it very clear I wanted to stay."
Since Terry suggested last weekend that he would leave, Hiddink appeared keen to discuss a possible contract extension with the centre-back.
But speaking on Sunday, Hiddink said was not going to speculate further.
Terry added: "It's a difficult one. The club is the most important thing. There is no communication between me and the club at the moment.
"I'll never forget my memories here and they will live with me forever."
Terry has been linked with moves to Qatar side Al Arabi - managed by his ex-Blues team-mate Gianfranco Zola - as well as Major League Soccer in the United States and the lucrative Chinese Super League.


Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny has admitted he "made a mistake" in turning down a kick at goal during the 29-13 Six Nations defeat by Scotland.

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Wales kicked for the corner while trailing 16-13 in the 51st minute.
The Toulon full-back said he chose not to kick even though captain Alun Wyn Jones wanted the three points.
"For me, I need to hold my hand up. I made a mistake and I wasn't decisive enough," Halfpenny told the Welsh Rugby Union website.
"Alun Wyn wanted to go for the three points and I've allowed errors in my game before and the conditions to influence me and turn down the kick.
"I should have parked those mistakes and moved on.
"In the past I have made errors and not allowed those to effect me and moved onto the next job. It's probably the first time it has happened but it's the last time it will."
Jones told a media conference on Tuesday that he had changed his mind about opting for the kick at goal after taking to Halfpenny.
"Obviously I'm not a kicker and I thought it was a good shot, Leigh didn't feel the same way hence we've gone for the corner," said Jones.
"I have every faith in him [Halfpenny]. Leigh's a world-class kicker and he knows what he can and can't do."
Lock forward Jones confirmed he had initially indicated to referee John Lacey that Wales would go for goal.
During television coverage of the incident fly-half Dan Biggar could clearly be heard asking if he should kick for the corner and Lacey saying a kick at goal was "indicated".
It has led to media speculation that Biggar - an Ospreys team-mate of Jones - had influenced the decision not to take the kick which could have levelled the scores.
Asked to explain the chain of events surrounding the penalty which was awarded on the Scotland 22 metre line close to the attacking team's left-hand touchline, Jones explained: "I motioned to the posts a couple of times and the ref agreed with me.
"Leigh felt the conditions weren't right and fortunately we were still able to go to the lineout.
"I suppose when you captain your country leadership and critiquing of things you do and the things you say are always going to be there."
Jones also explained why he did not ask Dan Biggar - who has kicked more than 100 goals for Wales - to have a shot at goal.
"In all honesty and in fairness, Dan's said because of his respect for Leigh he didn't want to be seen to undermine him [Halfpenny] or myself so that's why I went to the lineout," he said.
"Obviously from my point of view to level the scores would have been a good place to be midway through the second half particularly the way possession and territory had gone."


National exit polls have been used to predict the results of British general elections for 40 years, with mixed results.

The 2010 exit poll result was as near perfection as one is likely to reach - but was greeted by fifty shades of disbelief as soon as it was published.
At 10pm - just as the polls were closing - an exit poll suggested a hung parliament with the Conservative Party 19 seats from a controlling majority. Many hours later, the actual results confirmed this to be true.
Commentators had been surprised by the apparent poor prospects of the Liberal Democrats who had been performing well in polls in the run-up to the election.
It may be that the 2015 exit poll will face the same scepticism: the political landscape it will be measuring is certainly more challenging than five years ago.
But before battle commences, it is worth acknowledging that our national exit polls are the biggest exercises in polling in a single day we will ever witness.
In 2010, between 7am and 10pm, more than 16,000 voters across Britain were interviewed and their decisions recorded and processed so that their collective verdict could be delivered at 10pm that evening.
The 2005 result illustrates how random chance plays a part in polling as in so much else in life.
In earlier elections, there were some remarkably accurate results and car crashes. In October 1974, the BBC predicted a 132 majority for Harold Wilson's Labour party.
The actual result was a three seat majority. (ITN were much, much closer).
The BBC's poll in 1983 and 1997 were remarkably accurate, but in 1992 both ITN and the BBC predicted a hung parliament.
John Major's Conservative Party government had, in fact, held its position, albeit with a significantly reduced majority.
The BBC and ITN used different pollsters from 1974 right up until 2005 when they agreed to a joint exit poll conducted by MORI and NOP.
In 2010, Sky News joined the other two broadcasters in sponsoring the exit poll and this triumvirate continues for the 2015 general election exit poll, which will also be conducted by MORI and NOP.
In some elections before 1997 there were two exit polls: one for seat prediction, which simply asked how voters exiting polling stations had voted; and the analysis exit poll which asked voters a short series of questions to discover why the nation had voted the way it did.
Both types were based on a small selection of polling stations throughout Britain but the samples were distinctly different.
The seat prediction exit poll only sampled polling stations in marginal seats because its sole purpose was to predict the actual outcome of the election that would be decided in the relatively small number of seats with a history of changing hands from one party to another.
The analysis poll was conducted in a set of polling districts designed to provide a representative national sample because its purpose was to deliver a snapshot of the views of all voters - those voting in every type of seat, not just in marginal ones.
Analysis polls were abandoned after the 1992 general election and since then there have only been seat prediction exit polls.
Exit polls do not engage every voter at the selected polling stations.
The pollsters approach one voter out of a "given number", such as six, eight or 10, based on an estimated national turnout agreed in advance between the polling companies and the broadcasters.
And because the exit poll is conducted in a small fraction of the 39,000 polling stations in Britain, it is inevitably subject to a margin of error.
Prior to 1997, exit poll predictions were replaced relatively quickly by a fast-flowing tide of real results.
However, the flow of results has slowed dramatically since 1992 because of the local elections in England held on the same day.
On 7 May, we have the largest ever set of local elections alongside the general election.
It would appear that we will be relying on the exit poll predictions for some hours before enough results have been declared to safely dispense with it.
Figures in tables provided by Chris Long, of ITN election programmes
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One man has been injured and a woman and child were forced to flee a flat after the entrance was deliberately set alight.

North Wales Police said the incident took place on Thursday evening at Llandudno, in Conwy county.
The flat was above a shop on Ffordd Las in the seaside town.
Police say they want to trace two men seen acting suspiciously in the area at about 23:00 BST.
"We are carrying out a joint investigation with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and are treating this incident as arson," said Det Insp Chris Bell.
The woman and child in the property escaped uninjured, while a male occupant suffered minor burns and needed hospital treatment.


The Premier League in England has come in for criticism over the lack of young home-grown players coming through the ranks from club academy level to first team football.

The issue hit the headlines again this week, with Football Association chairman Greg Dyke demanding changes in top-flight clubs' squads to ensure young English players get more game time.
However, behind the scenes 29 clubs from across the Premier League and Championship - those which operate England's top-rated youth academies - are looking at innovative ways to help turn the best youngsters into the stars of tomorrow.
Over the past year a number of data-based initiatives have been introduced in these academies to ensure youngsters are not needlessly discarded before realising their full potential.
At present in the top clubs, just 0.5% of Under-9 players get all the way through the ranks to the same club's first eleven - a 1-in-200 chance.
"Football is an industry that has been running for hundreds of years, with hundreds of thousands of players developed," says James Bunce, the Premier League's head of sport science.
"But as an industry we don't know what it takes to become a professional player, or international player.  It is pretty much a black hole, but we are starting to fill that void now.
"The clubs are working hard, pushing forward."
A major part of this new data approach includes making sure players are not overlooked because of the month they were born - those born in a certain part of the year can be less physically developed than others.
Clubs are sharing information on growth and maturation, and on physical testing, so that accurate benchmarks can be established, and players are assessed not just on their chronological age but also on their biological development.
Mr Bunce says the main goal is for clubs to produce their own players for the first team.
However, if a player does not make the Premier League grade, Mr Bunce says the effort will not have been wasted if the player reaches his maximum potential and goes on to a career in the Championship, League One or League Two.
He also said that the aim was not to "battery farm" home-grown players to sell on for profit, but that developing their own good young players could help clubs become more profitable.
Mr Bunce has been at the Premier League for 12 months, after eight years as head of athletic development at Southampton, a club known in recent years for developing a clear path for young talent into the first team.
One of the issues the Premier League has to address is the bias at academy level towards players born in the September-to-November quarter of the calendar year, a phenomenon known in sport as the "relative age effect".
This is a phenomenon associated with the cut-off dates for age group competition. The age group into which each Premier League academy player is placed is determined by his age on 31 August.
It means children born in September will have a physical advantage over those born in August, because they will have had nearly a whole extra year to grow and develop. Yet the two will be in the same football team.
In the Premier League academies it means that player recruitment is heavily skewed towards those born in the September-to-November period - accounting for some 45% of the intake - whereas those born in the June-to-August quarter provide just 10% of the young players.
There is a similar trend with regard to Premier League players, with "summer born" players least represented in teams, but the imbalance is not as dramatically pronounced as at academy level.
Mr Bunce says the discrepancy is not down to the UK birth-rate, as there is a fairly equal distribution of babies being born across the calendar year.
"And in the England national team squad there is an equal distribution of players across the four quarters [of the year], which suggests that at elite level the "relative age effect" does not occur.
"We're now looking at what it takes to become a Premier League player irrespective of when you were born in the year. We are looking to identify talent that might not be properly developed at present, to make sure it goes through the academy system."
To help in that ambition, the 29 clubs are sharing data about their youngsters - although the players remain anonymous when data is forwarded for collation.
A major part of this is the young player growth and maturation project, with 140 staff at the clubs taught how to take players' growth measurements accurately.
In addition the Premier League has provided standardised physical testing equipment to clubs, to again ensure uniformity in the way the data is collected.
All this should enable clubs to compare the physical progress of an individual player accurately, against a benchmark of their peers, while also taking into consideration the period of the year in which the youngster was born.
"It enables clubs to tell if a player is an early, late, or on-time developer," says Mr Bunce, who was speaking at a Sports Analytics summit in London organised by Innovation Enterprise.
"A player who looks slow can still develop, and may just need more time. And the fastest player might actually be behind on his developmental trajectory."
One aim of the data harvesting is to ultimately allow the Premier League and clubs in future to be able to group boys based on their physical maturity rather than age groups. This could lead to tournaments where boys are put in teams based on maturation level rather than age.
Meanwhile, a Premier League injury surveillance programme has been established, with expert Dr Colin Fuller, who headed up major injury data projects in rugby union, brought in.
"We know that 100% of players will get injured at some point, whether it be a severe injury or a one-day one," says Mr Bunce.  "We don't know if there are any traits, and that is something we want to know more about. It is about how we can use data to build knowledge to prevent injuries."
Looking ahead, in future the Premier League would also like to add two further data projects - one around psychology and one for technical skills.
"We understand that the psychological aspect is an intensely important element in sport, but would like to know more," says Mr Bunce.
On the technical skills criteria, the Premier League has held discussions with the heads of coaching at clubs "so that we can work together to establish technical benchmarks for our young players".


Southampton Airport has announced a new flight route to Cork in Ireland.

Operated by Stobart Air on behalf of Aer Lingus, five flights per week between the two cities will start from March, but with tickets on sale now.
This route will add to Southampton Airport's existing flights to Ireland which includes Dublin and Belfast.
Southampton Airport managing director Dave Lees said Cork had been one of the most requested routes in Ireland from the Hampshire city.
He added: "This new air link will open important connections for our region, which will be useful for business, the cruise industry, yachting, the universities and those visiting friends and relatives."


An influx of service personnel to Salisbury Plain would be a "double-edged sword" for the local area, a Wiltshire councillor said.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond announced the number of troops in Wiltshire would be increased by about 3,000 in a shake-up of army bases.
The move is part of the gradual withdrawal of troops from Germany.
It is seen as good news for the local economy but is expected to place extra demand on services in the area.
Wiltshire has a long history with the Army, with Tidworth, Bulford, Larkhill and Warminster barracks based on Salisbury Plain.
New homes are expected to be built and bases refurbished as troops and Ministry of Defence staff return to the country.
Tidworth Mayor Chris Franklin said: "This is good news for businesses and good news for the local community.
"My only concern is it needs to remain a garrison within a town and not a town within a garrison, and I think this is something the MoD need to take on board."
Wiltshire councillor Mark Connolly said he welcomed the move but was concerned land earmarked for civilian housing would now be used for troops coming into the area.
"For Tidworth, a large influx of more service personnel will be a double-edged sword," he said.
By Dave HarveyBusiness Correspondent, BBC West
It is often jokingly said the British Army has two homes - one on Salisbury Plain, the other on the banks of the Rhine in Germany.
But now, the Army is selling up its German houses and moving back to the UK, and Salisbury Plain is central to this plan.
Builders will be spending Â£1bn building houses across the UK for these soldiers and their families and it is good news for pubs, taxis and for hairdressers.
That is because garrison towns have a younger average age than your normal town.
There is some concern about the character of the towns - if you get even more soldiers and their families moving into Wiltshire there could be concern about places in schools and hospitals, so it is a bit of a balancing act.
"It will be good that Tidworth is seen as an expanded garrison town and has a long term future with the Army, but the downside is that the 20 years work of trying to redress the balance is going to be undone as the military will take over a large portion of new housing that was to have been civilian housing.
"If the MoD are going to use this land, more needs to be released for civilian housing to rebalance the situation."
He added, with higher numbers of people in the town they would also need better infrastructure and facilities to support the increased population.
More than 12,000 members of the armed forces are housed across Tidworth and Bulford barracks, which are the largest in the South West and within 20 miles of Salisbury.
This is expected to increase to 15,000.
Devizes MP Claire Perry, whose constituency includes Tidworth and Bulford barracks, welcomed the announcement.
"I am delighted that our local towns and villages will be welcoming new soldiers which will give a real boost to the local economy," Ms Perry said.
"The Salisbury Plain training area is the only place in the country where the Army can carry out the complex and demanding training they need to undertake and it makes perfect sense to concentrate units that work together around the Plain"
Salisbury Mayor John Collier said: "We welcome the relocation, we've known it was coming for a while.
"If there is a net increase of personnel into the area, that's going to be very good news for the local economy.
"Salisbury is very well placed to serve those coming back."
Bulford parish councillor John Clee said: "We are aware there is going to be an influx and that that is going to bring with it a requirement for more family quarters in the parish, but this is not causing the council any concern."
He said the move could place pressure on infrastructure and medical services but added that civilian housing developments do just the same.
Salisbury MP John Glen added: "I think this is extremely positive news for Salisbury and the surrounding area.
"Wiltshire is more than capable of coping with the extra influx. The towns are set up for military families and the challenges they face, as is Wiltshire Council."


A fire has erupted at Wimbledon's famous tennis courts in London.

London Fire Brigade said up to 21 firefighters were called after an area of shrubbery caught fire at the All England Tennis Club at 12:33 BST.
It comes just weeks before the grand slam tournament is due to take place at the venue in SW19.
The fire, which broke out at the practice courts, close to Gate 1, has since been extinguished. The cause of it is currently unknown.
About a tonne of mixed building materials, up to 20m (65ft) of hedgerow and a small section of a temporary marquee were damaged in the blaze in Church Road, Wimbledon, the fire brigade said.
This year's championship takes place for two weeks from 3 July.
Britain's Andy Murray became Wimbledon champion for the second time when he beat Canadian Milos Raonic in last year's final.
Murray is the first British man to win multiple Wimbledon singles titles since Fred Perry in 1935.
Johanna Konta will also be seeded - the British women's number one is currently sitting at number eight in the world rankings.


Macclesfield Town have signed midfielder Scott Burgess on a season-long loan deal from League One club Bury.

The 19-year-old has been with the Shakers since 2013 and scored two goals in 14 appearances last season.
However, he can return to Gigg Lane if Bury use the recall clause in his contract, which expires on 28 April.
He has had previous loan spells with National League North side Stalybridge Celtic and Norway's Bergsoy IL.


An Essex warehouse worker has taken to brightening up dirty vans by making pictures in the muck, mud and dust.

The artist, known only as Mr Konjusha is 22 and from east London.
His work has been spotted at various locations since he started drawing on the vehicles about three weeks ago. He said he had worked on 10 vans so far.
Mr Konjusha said he was doing this to "put a smile" on delivery drivers' faces. Each creation takes about five minutes, he said.
Most of the vans belong to delivery drivers who turn up at the Basildon Amazon warehouse when Mr Konjusha works.
"Sometimes they can be a bit grumpy in the mornings when I speak to them, so I just thought I'd do something to cheer them up," he said.
"They seem to really like it."
Some of the images resemble a cross between a man and a lion, but he draws "whatever comes to mind, using my fingers and hands".
At first people did not know who was doing it, but Mr Konjusha's fame has spread among drivers and his services are being requested.
"People are asking for a drawing now. They say they're going to save money by not washing their vans and then they can get a picture instead."


Opposition parties have criticised moves to cut £3.7bn from the benefits bill by reducing the number of people eligible for disability benefit.

Labour said 160,000 people would lose out as a result of changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIPs).
The disability minister said new rules to clarify eligibility criteria for payments would ensure those most in need received maximum support.
The action follows two court judgements on how benefits claims are scored.
Labour said the government was not listening to criticism of how payments are assessed.
The Liberal Democrats said the government was using court losses "as an excuse to severely restrict disability benefits".
Disability rights campaigners said the changes were one of a number of cuts and changes faced by disabled people and those in ill health.
Two tribunal rulings came in late 2016. One found someone who needed support at home to take medication or monitor a health condition like diabetes would score the same on the benefits criteria as people who needed help with a therapy such as kidney dialysis.
A second ruling said people who struggled to travel independently because of conditions such as anxiety scored the same as someone who was, for example, blind.
The government said the combined effects of the rulings would have added £3.7bn to the benefits bill by 2023.
The benefit payments are aimed at helping people cope with the extra costs of living with ill health or disability and are made according to the points a person scores in an assessment of their needs.
The replacement of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), which was partly self-assessed, with PIPs, where eligibility is tested by a company, has been controversial.
Eligibility for PIPs is reviewed regularly and the qualifying criteria are also stricter.
In a written statement to the House of Commons on Thursday, Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Penny Mordaunt said the government monitored how effective the payment was in supporting those facing the greatest barriers to leading independent lives.
She said that PIPs were designed to give "non-physical conditions... the same recognition as physical ones".
But she added: "Now, over two thirds of PIP claimants with mental health conditions get the higher Daily Living award, worth £82.30 per week, compared to 22% under DLA."
She said amendments to the criteria would "provide greater clarity", saying: "This will not result in any claimants seeing a reduction in the amount of PIP previously awarded by DWP (the Department of Work and Pensions)."
But Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary, Debbie Abrahams, said: "Instead of listening to the court's criticisms of Personal Independence Payment assessments and correcting these injustices, the government has instead decided to undermine the legal basis of the rulings."
It was an "unprecedented attempt" to subvert a tribunal judgement, she said.
She said Labour would fight changes to "strip" entitlements from more than 160,000 disabled people - describing them as a "step too far, even for this Tory government".
A Lib Dem work and pensions spokeswoman said it was "utterly outrageous" the government was using the ruling to "make matters worse" for disabled people.
"What makes things even worse is that they have sneaked this announcement out under the cover of [Thursday's] by-elections," she said.
Campaigners said the government should instead embrace the tribunal's findings.
Philip Connolly from Disability Rights UK said the changes showed "escalating levels of unfairness" in the government's approach to a benefit it had created.
People with "very serious conditions" including dementia, learning difficulties and diabetes would be hit, he said.
This change was one of several benefit cuts disabled people faced, he said.
Campaigners are due to stage a protest in Westminster on Wednesday about a £29-a-week cut to employment support payments.
A DWP spokeswoman said the government was "committed to ensuring our welfare system is a strong safety net for those who need it.
"That's why we spend around £50bn a year to support people with disabilities and health conditions."


Sir Kenneth Branagh's first appearance as Macbeth has confirmed him to be an "intemperately exciting Shakespearean actor" in what is a "great" production of the play, critics have decided.

Macbeth is Sir Kenneth's first Shakespeare role on stage for 11 years.
It is being staged in a 281-capacity deconsecrated church in Manchester.
The Guardian critic Michael Billington said: "The highest compliment I can pay him is that at times he evoked golden memories of Olivier in the role."
The play begins with a full-blooded battle scene in driving rain, in which sparks fly as the warriors clash swords.
The stage - essentially a mud-filled trough - runs the length of the church, with the audience close to the action on banks of benches on either side.
Spectators were warned not to wear their "best, light coloured, dry-clean only" clothes in case they got splattered by the mud from the earthy and violent production, which is part of the Manchester International Festival.
Mr Billington wrote that "we seem to be in the thick of the rain-soaked, mud-spattered opening battles".
"This is an exciting production that shows why Branagh is such a fine Shakespearean actor," he told newspaper readers. "He can do the soaring vocal cries but he is also sensitive to the minutiae of language."
The actor also "conveys the desolation and despair of a man who has sold his soul only to be confronted by the hollowness of tyrannical power", he wrote.
In The Telegraph, critic Dominic Cavendish declared it a "thrilling, cinematically fluid account" of Macbeth that "doesn't hold back in plunging us into the harrowing grime of battle".
"As the earthy playing-area turns into a bog, as drums beat and swords clash, something stirs in the memory. Oh yes, Shakespeare can be really exciting, can't he?" he wrote.
Sir Kenneth "shows us the vestigial civilisation beneath the martial exterior", according to his five-star review.
"This is a Macbeth, though, that won't just go down as a highlight of the Manchester International Festival but as one of the Scottish Play's great revivals.
"It's a phoenix-like feather in the cap of Sir Ken, too, comeback Shakespearean king."
The Times critic Libby Purves gave the play four stars and said there were "some oddities", particularly Branagh's "mutteringly naturalistic" performance, which she judged a "classic screen-friendly rendering".
"More resonantly 'stage' performances echo off the arches from his peerlessly intense Lady (Alex Kingston, thrilling) and from noble Ray Fearon as Macduff and Jimmy Yuill as a canny greybeard Banquo," she wrote.
But she decided that "much is forgiven" as Branagh's performance went on, thanks to his "mature, late-won understanding".
Tickets have sold out, but the 20 July performance will be beamed live to thousands of spectators on a giant screen in Manchester and to theatres around the world as part of the National Theatre's NT Live broadcasts.