Adele has apologised to fans after cancelling a concert in America because she is suffering from a cold.

The Hello singer was due to appear in Phoenix, Arizona, for a second night as part of her sell-out world tour.
But the star posted a video on social media explaining she had "pushed too hard" on her first night at the city's Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Adele said she was "so sorry", adding: "It's the last thing I want to do but I have to look after myself."
In the video, posted on Instagram and Twitter, the 28-year-old said: "I'm really, really sorry. I've had a cold for a couple of days and I've been pushing through it.
"I did my show last night and I loved it but I pushed too hard and my cold has gotten the better of me."
Speaking with a croaky voice and appearing emotional, she added: "As you can hear, even if I did the show it wouldn't be very good."
Adele is due to perform two concerts in Los Angeles this weekend and said she would reschedule the cancelled gig, which was due to take place on Wednesday night.
"I'm so sorry to let you down," she said. "I know lots of people will be flying in from all over. It's the last thing I want to do but I have to look after myself because I've got so many more shows to do.
"I will reschedule this show, I promise you. And I will come back and I'll smash it for you."
She said she had been "trying to sing all morning" but added: "Nothing's really happening."
The singer is due to complete her tour in Mexico City in November.
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About 23,000 police, including special forces, will provide security for this year's Tour de France cycle race.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said exceptional measures would be in place with soldiers guarding key landmarks.
He said the "terrorist threat" following November's Paris attacks remained "very high".
France has been in a state of emergency since the jihadist-claimed assaults. The tour runs from 2-24 July.
The emergency was extended last week by the French parliament to cover the Tour and next month's European football Championship.
Mr Cazeneuve said that the GIGN, an elite police unit, would be on duty throughout the Tour and "ready to intervene at any time if needed".
He said it was necessary for the security forces to be "extremely vigilant" during the race because they were up against "a determined enemy willing to strike at any moment".
Correspondents says the event - which covers a route of 3,519km (2,247 miles) and attracts up to 12 million spectators - is notoriously difficult to police because crowds gather informally on innumerable narrow mountain roads and city streets.
The group known as Islamic State carried out last November's assaults on bars, restaurants, a concert hall and a stadium in which 130 people were killed.
The Tour de France is a multiple stage race that has been held annually - apart from in wartime - since 1903.


It will be "extremely disappointing" if England do not reach at least the semi-finals at Euro 2016, says World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst.

England have not reached the last four since 1996 and face Russia, Slovakia and Wales in the group stage.
Roy Hodgson's side were the only nation to qualify for the finals in France with a 100% winning record and beat Germany 3-2 on Saturday.
"We have got to get close to the semi-finals," said former striker Hurst.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek, he added: "Anything less will be extremely disappointing for the squad, players and fans.
"We want to get through, a good performance in the quarter-finals, maybe losing on penalties."
Hurst believes Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy will make the biggest impact in France in the summer.
The 29-year-old, who has scored 19 goals for the Foxes this season, scored his first England goal in the win against Germany.
"He has come from nowhere. If you look at his background, performing like he is performing, he is a very good, level-headed guy. I like his performances and the way he plays, he is very intelligent. Playing for a smaller club, I think that would be fantastic and he deserves every chance he warrants."
Hurst also praised the impact of Tottenham's 19-year-old midfielder Dele Alli.
He added: "He has made an impact not only at club level but the games he has played for England. He is very exciting among a number of exciting young players we have."


The Ampulex "Dementor" wasp - named after the soul-sucking Harry Potter monsters - is just one of many new species discovered in Greater Mekong.

The wasp takes its name from the dark creatures in JK Rowling's stories, because it paralyses its prey with venom before sucking its life away.
Nature charity the WWF says a total of 139 new species have been found in the South East Asia area in the past year.
There are 90 plants, 23 reptiles, 16 amphibians, 9 fish and 1 mammal.
The Mekong delta, which covers the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam, is one of the world's richest and diverse wildlife regions.
A total of 2,216 new species have been discovered in the region in the past 17 years: that's about three every week.
Now conservationists believe it's a race against the clock to document all of them, as they say threats to their habitat could mean species go extinct before they're even discovered.
The colour changing thorny frog has a distinctive spiny back. At night its spikes have a pink and yellow colour; but in the daytime the yellow turns into a darker brown.
The wolf snake (above) is very well camouflaged, it has large non-venomous teeth on both jaws and blends well into its mountain forest home.
The crocodile newt lives around ponds and shaded places. Scientists have known about it for a long time but it's only recently been confirmed as a new species.
The name of this stick insect is nearly as long as its body. The Phryganistria heusii yentuensis is the second-longest insect in the world at 54cm long - that's over half a metre! But even this is shorter than the biggest ever, discovered in Borneo: Phobaeticus chani is more than 56cm long.
This bent-toed gecko is the 10,000th reptile recorded on Earth. It's one of 16 species of bent-toed geckos found last year, which puts the total at a huge 197 different species.


Two girls are in hospital in a critical condition following a three-vehicle crash in Newport.

The crash happened at the junction of Usk Way and Frederick Street at about 19:15 GMT on Tuesday.
Four people from Newport including the girls, aged 12 and 13, were taken to hospital. Two men, aged 49 and 53, received minor injuries.
A 33-year-old man from Newport has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.


Fort William's Christmas tree is staying up because a pigeon is nesting in its branches.

The bird was discovered when Highland Council workers began efforts to remove the tree and lights.
Scottish Natural Heritage said the bird could be scared off, but councillors have agreed to wait until the pigeon eventually gives up the nest.
The tree will stay in place with the lights switched off and a sign will be erected to explain why.
Lochaber committee chairman Thomas MacLennan said: "Although the pigeon is not a protected species, myself and fellow councillors Baxter, Gormley and Murphy decided to leave the bird in peace.
"Who knows, by next Christmas there might also be four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in our Christmas tree."


Comedian Stewart Francis has won an award for the funniest joke of the Edinburgh Fringe.

The deadpan Canadian funnyman was given the prize by digital TV channel Dave, whose panel put a selection of their favourites to a public vote.
He won for the joke: "You know who really gives kids a bad name? Posh and Becks."
The British King of the one-liner, Tim Vine, took the runner-up spot for the second year in a row.
Vine, who won the award two years ago, appears twice in the list of 10 jokes compiled by the TV channel, as does Francis.
The top jokes were:
The winning joke was taken from Stewart Francis's current Edinburgh show, Return of the Lumberjacks.
The show, at The Assembly Rooms, is a reunion for Francis and other Canadian comics, Craig Campbell and Glenn Wool.
Francis, who made his Edinburgh debut 15 years ago, has made appearances on British TV shows such as Mock the Week and Live at The Apollo.
Although born in Canada, both of Stewart's parents are British and he lives in the UK full-time with his Scottish wife.
Of his win, Stewart said: "1969 West Mall Soccer Association's Most Valuable Player, and now this."
The 10 Dave judges sat through an average of 60 comedy shows.
The panel was made up of comedy critics such as Dominic Maxwell of The Times, Mark Monahan of the Daily Telegraph and Bruce Dessau of the Evening Standard.
They shortlisted 30 jokes which were then put to a public vote.


National League side Leyton Orient have re-signed midfielder Freddy Moncur on a one-year contract.

Moncur, 20, made nine appearances for the O's last season, but left the club following the expiry of his contract on 30 June.
"I felt that Freddy performed well here last year," director of football Martin Ling told the club website.
"I believe he goes in well to the bracket of young players that we have here who can be a good squad member."


So what do you do when your editor hears one of the biggest A-list celebrities in the world is going to be in town and he asks you to go and find him?

George Clooney is a Hollywood superstar so this was going to be no easy feat.
A browse on social media and a few phone calls to those in the know in Edinburgh and I heard he was due to visit the homeless charity cafe, Social Bite, on Rose Street.
The fact I had written a story about the visit for the BBC Scotland news website helped too.
Would he come? Would he arrive through the front door or a secret back entrance?
I had nothing else to go on but hope, so I began my quest to seek out Mr C.
I arrived to find barriers erected around the cafe entrance, could this be a clue that the rumours were indeed true?
Could one of the world's most famous actors really be coming?
Mum, Sandi Pringle, 57, and her daughter, Kirsten Pringle, 22, from Edinburgh, had been camped out since 07:00, so I joined them alongside a growing number of journalists, photographers and cameramen.
Over the course of the next 90 minutes security guards arrived, more onlookers, and people started hanging out of their windows in the narrow tenemented-street.
This was looking quite promising now, especially when I observed the security guards listening to their ear pieces and saying "He's landed".
Squeal.
People were starting to look nervous that they weren't in the perfect spot to get near "him" and they started shuffling towards what was thought to be the best vantage point.
The security guard then said my section was to move back two feet to allow his car in and the fear of missing him was palpable.
Then his red jaguar appeared around the corner and stopped just feet away from the entrance.
He got out and immediately began greeting the now three-deep crowd lining the street.
There was no mistaking him as I craned to catch a glimpse, his tan glowing against a sea of Scottish winter white faces.
There was a surge from the crowd as he got closer up the line of people.
And then there he was: smaller and thinner than I had thought he was going to be.
Everyone agreed though that he was just as good looking in the flesh, and oh what a deep tan.
The 54-year-old had weathered well all the ladies agreed.
He was then greeted by the cafe owner, Josh Littlejohn, before being whisked inside.
My sources tell me he tucked into a platter of different sandwiches including chicken and bacon and smoked salmon.
He then left $1,000 for homeless people to enjoy lunch on him before spending 15 minutes meeting and greeting the staff, many of whom have been homeless themselves.
Then he was back out into the street where I cheekily asked him for a selfie, not thinking he would.
"Sure, I will," he drawled.
I managed to take about 20 to make sure I had the best angle, of course, then he was off.
A quick chat with my sources and I found out he was going for lunch to Tigerlily, so I headed off along George Street, to find him again.
This was when I "bumped" into him leaving the Postcode Lottery offices and I took a few more snaps as he shouted "hey guys".
It was here I saw him autograph a birthday card for an onlooker for his mother who was celebrating her 60th birthday.
Then he was gone, disappearing as fast as he had bloomed from the pavement in front of me.
This quest to find A-list celebs was rather easy, I chuckled.


Scotland's first baby boxes are being delivered to mothers-to-be by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

All newborn children in Scotland will receive the boxes by the summer following a three-month pilot in Clackmannanshire and Orkney.
The boxes include clothing, bedding and toys and are based on a project that has been running in Finland since 1938 to give all children an equal start.
The Scottish government scheme will cost an estimated £6m per year.
The boxes contain about 40 different items including a play mat, a changing mat, a digital thermometer, a fleece jacket, several babygrows, a hooded bath towel, a reusable nappy and liners, a baby book and an organic sponge.
The box also contains cot sheets, a mattress and a blanket, making it suitable for a baby to sleep in.
It comes with a poem specially written by Scotland's Makar, Jackie Kay, called Welcome Wee One.
Ms Sturgeon distributed some of the boxes at Clackmannanshire Community Healthcare Centre, where she met parents and midwives.
She said: "Scotland's baby box is a strong signal of our determination that every child, regardless of their circumstances, should get the best start in life.
"It's a simple idea with a proven record in tackling deprivation, improving health and supporting parents, and I'm proud and excited that the pilot is now under way."
The Scottish government said the scheme was also intended to encourage engagement by expectant mothers with maternity and antenatal services.
Six students have reached the final of a competition run by Dundee's V&A Museum to design the baby boxes that will go into production later this year.
Expectant mother Joan McKinven said she was "very impressed" with the new baby box.
She said: "I think any support will be appreciated by new parents.
"There are a lot of helpful items so I think it will be well used."
Scottish Labour inequalities spokeswoman Monica Lennon said the scheme "looks like a massive missed opportunity" to promote breastfeeding.
Responding to a written parliamentary question from Ms Lennon, Childcare and Early Years Minister Mark McDonald said there were currently no plans to include direct aids in the boxes to support breastfeeding.
In his reply, Mr McDonald said: "We will signpost parents to the new feedgood.scot website so that they can access up-to-date information which will help them make the right feeding choices for their babies."
Ms Lennon said: "Labour supports the aims behind the baby box but what it actually delivers is essential.
"Missing basic support like this makes it look like a PR exercise rather than a good piece of public policy."


Serious security flaws that could give attackers complete access to a phone's data have been found in software used on tens of millions of Android devices.

The bugs were uncovered by Checkpoint researchers looking at software running on chipsets made by US firm Qualcomm.
Qualcomm processors are found in about 900 million Android phones, the company said.
However, there is no evidence of the vulnerabilities currently being used in attacks by cyberthieves.
"I'm pretty sure you will see these vulnerabilities being used in the next three to four months," said Michael Shaulov, head of mobility product management at Checkpoint.
"It's always a race as to who finds the bug first, whether it's the good guys or the bad."
Affected devices included:
Mr Shaulov said six months of work to reverse engineer Qualcomm's code revealed the problems.
The flaws were found in software that handles graphics and in code that controls communication between different processes running inside a phone.
Exploiting the bugs would allow an attacker to gradually be able to take more control over a device and gain access to its data.
Checkpoint handed information about the bugs and proof of concept code to Qualcomm earlier this year.
In response, Qualcomm is believed to have created patches for the bugs and started to use the fixed versions in its factories.
It has also distributed the patches to phone makers and operators. However, it is not clear how many of those companies have issued updates to customers' phones.
Checkpoint has created a free app called QuadRooter Scanner that can be used to check if a phone is vulnerable to any of the bugs, by looking to see if the patches for them have been downloaded and installed.
In addition, Mr Shaulov said Android owners should only download apps from the official Google Play store to avoid falling victim to malicious programs.
"People should call whoever sold them their phone, their operator or the manufacturer, and beg them for the patches," said Mr Shaulov.
In a statement, Qualcomm said: "We were notified by the researcher about these vulnerabilities between February and April of this year, and made patches available for all four vulnerabilities to customers, partners, and the open source community between April and July.
"We continue to work proactively both internally as well as with security researchers to identify and address potential security vulnerabilities."
This article was updated on 10 August 2016 to add a response from Qualcomm.


A wanted man who taunted police by dressing as Where's Wally handed himself in while broadcasting the event on Facebook.

JJ McMenamin, 30, had failed to attend court for alleged driving offences.
Officers searched Leyburn, North Yorkshire, for the suspect over the weekend, calling in the force helicopter and sniffer dogs.
Earlier Mr McMenamin filmed himself walking up to Harrogate police station dressed as the character.
Mr McMenamin shared his arrival at the police station on Facebook Live, saying at one stage: "I'm right outside the cop shop now, let's see how it goes."
He had previously taunted police in a series of posts and videos on his Facebook page, including sharing a photo of his head superimposed on an image of children's book character Where's Wally with the caption, "Dude... I'm right here."
In another video, Mr McMenamin sang along to Kenny Rogers' The Gambler on the car stereo and laughed as he played Lionel Richie's Hello, which contains the line "is it me you're looking for?", and the Spencer Davis Group's Keep On Running.
In another Facebook post the 30-year-old, originally from Middlesbrough, shared a picture of Where's Wally in a police mugshot, with the caption "Hide Seek Champion 2016-2017".
A North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "A 30-year-old man from Middleham has been arrested after he handed himself in to officers at Harrogate police station.
"The arrest comes after extensive police searches for the man over the weekend."
A warrant was issued for Mr McMenamin's arrest after he failed to appear at Northallerton Magistrates Court on 19 December to face charges of driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
He was due to attend a hearing at the same court on Monday.


The death of the world's biggest celebrities made them some of Britain's most searched-for stars in 2014.

TV presenter and columnist Peaches Geldof was the most popular term, according to new research from Microsoft's search engine Bing.
The 25-year-old died in April after suffering a heroin overdose at her home in Wrotham, Kent.
Hollywood star Robin Williams came second on the list after he took his own life in August.
Bing says nearly half of all British searches for the comedian came from smartphones.
In third place was Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, who has been in the spotlight for both professional and personal reasons this year.
The 24-year-old plays the lead role in the The Hunger Games.
Its latest instalment Mockingjay - Part One took $123m (Â£79m) in its opening weekend in the United States.
Over the summer naked images of Jennifer Lawrence were leaked online, something she later called "a sex crime".
Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker, who was killed in a car accident in November 2013, completed the top four.
Newly-engaged Wimbledon champion Andy Murray was the UK's most searched-for sportsman in 2014, followed by South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete, Oscar Pistorius, who was jailed in October for killing his girlfriend.
In the music world, One Direction and Justin Bieber captured the most online attention this year.
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British number one Andy Murray will not defend his Rogers Cup title in Toronto next week.

Murray has not played since beating Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon final, and was only a spectator as Great Britain won their Davis Cup tie against Serbia in Belgrade at the weekend.
The three-time Rogers Cup winner will train in Mallorca before defending his Olympic title in Rio next month.
"My body needs some recovery time," said the 29-year-old.


A Special Olympics gold medallist caught with child sex abuse images has been given a community sentence.

Andrew Gray, a former assistant Scout leader who taught disabled children swimming, was arrested after police raided the home he shared with his parents in Dundee.
Officers discovered hundreds of indecent images of children that he had downloaded from the internet.
The 37-year-old was placed on supervision for three years.
Gray, who won gold in the 25-metre butterfly at the 2007 games in Shanghai, was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and placed on the sex offenders register for five years.
Dundee Sheriff Court was told previously that police officers discovered the material after receiving confidential information.
A computer tower and external hard drive were recovered and contained indecent images of children and internet searches including "naked toddler".
A total of 893 images were recovered, with 87 at the most serious level.
Gray, of Dundee, admitted taking or making indecent images of children at his home between 18 March and 29 August last year.
Sheriff Alastair Brown ordered Gray to take part in a sex offenders group work programme and to abide by strict conditions on his access to the internet.
The sheriff told him: "Quite apart from anything else these images are of real children - these things have really happened to them.
"They have been abused and the only reason for that is to provide images for people who want to look at them.
"By viewing them you help to make the abuse happen.
"If you ever do this again, and in particular if you share images with anyone else, you can expect to go to prison for several years."


Former chancellor Denis Healey has died at the age of 98, his family has said.

Lord Healey was Labour's defence secretary from 1964 to 1970 and chancellor of the exchequer from 1974 to 1979 before becoming deputy party leader in opposition in 1980.
The former Leeds MP's family said he died peacefully at his Sussex home on Saturday, after a short illness.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was "a Labour giant". The PM said he was a "huge figure of post-war politics".
BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said Lord Healey's death marked the end of an era in Labour's history.
Obituary: Lord Healey
Denis Healey: A life in pictures
'A great man': Tributes paid
Mr Corbyn tweeted: "Denis Healey was a Labour giant whose record of service to party and country stands as his testament. All our thoughts are with his family."
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he was "absolutely loyal to the Labour Party" and a "towering intellect".
Prime Minister David Cameron wrote on Facebook: "We've lost a huge figure of post-war politics. A hero in World War Two as Beach Master at Anzio and a brave politician, Denis Healey told his party hard truths about Britain having to live within her means."
Lord Healey served as an MP for Leeds for 40 years from 1952 before joining the House of Lords in 1992.
A defining moment in his career came in 1976 when, as chancellor, he applied for an emergency loan from the the International Monetary Fund in an effort to save the pound from collapse.
He came close to winning the Labour leadership in 1980, finishing just 10 votes behind winner Michael Foot.
A graduate of Oxford university, he also served in the Army, joining operations in North Africa, Sicily and Italy during World War Two.
His wife, Edna, died in 2010.
Obituary
Denis Healey, an intellectual heavyweight who had a range of interests that stretched far beyond the narrow world of Westminster politics, was known for his tough, no-holds-barred style of debate.
His relish for the cut-and-thrust of politics served him well during long periods in government in the 1960s and 1970s, and in the internal struggles that re-shaped Labour during its years in opposition in the 1980s.
His trademark bushy eyebrows, colourful turn of phrase and expertise on a range of musical instruments, including the piano and double bass, made him a regular fixture on television and a favourite target of impressionists.
But he had a sharp mind and could fell opponents with a devastating one-liner, once likening debating with Conservative Chancellor Geoffrey Howe to being "savaged by a dead sheep" and accusing Margaret Thatcher of "glorying in slaughter" during the Falklands conflict.
Read more: Obituary of Lord Healey
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair said Britain "has lost a dedicated and faithful public servant".
Mr Blair said:  "He steered the Labour government and the country through some of the most difficult economic times; and in winning the deputy leadership of the Labour Party in 1981, he probably saved the Labour Party as an instrument of government and social change.
"All of us in the Labour Party owe him a huge debt. Britain has lost a dedicated and faithful public servant."
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Lord Healey would be remembered as "one of the great political figures of Britain's 20th Century".
"I found him to be a friend who was always intellectually robust, passionate about his values, knowledgeable in every area of policy and supportive when times were difficult," Mr Brown said.
Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn, whose father Tony unsuccessfully ran against Lord Healey for the party's deputy leadership in 1980, said: "Very sorry to hear that Denis Healey has died. All our thoughts are with his family on their loss.
Current Chancellor George Osborne tweeted: "Sad to hear that Denis Healey has died at 98. A giant of the Labour movement + Chancellor in the most difficult circumstances."
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "Very sorry to hear that Denis Healey has died. He was, undoubtedly, a giant of the post war Labour movement. Condolences to his family."
Labour's leader in the House of Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon, said: "Denis was a great man of British politics and a real character with a tremendous sense of fun.
"He maintained his passion and commitment and all of us in the Labour peers group will miss him so much."
Former Labour cabinet minister Peter Hain told the BBC Lord Healey was "an enormous character" who had a "wonderful sense of humour".
He said: "His passing, very sad, is part of a passing of a Labour era those big figures in the Labour party."


Pedro Caixinha felt his Rangers team gave Celtic too much respect as they lost the Scottish Cup semi-final 2-0.

The Ibrox side were outclassed by their Glasgow rivals, only really threatening in the closing stages while 2-0 down.
Caixinha also admitted he changed his pre-match team talk on the advice of assistant Helder Baptista to ease tension among the players.
"By respecting the opponent we dropped off too much. It wasn't what we prepared during the week," he said.
Caixinha said he did not believe his game-plan had been unclear to his players, but he gave an uncommon insight into his pre-match approach.
"Helder came to me just at the end of the warm-up and told me 'please, in your speech, don't be so tough. They need to feel a little bit more freedom'," the Portuguese added.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"When you don't feel that freedom you don't enjoy and you don't perform the way you need to.
"We were a little bit 'blocked' and if you're blocked - even if you have the best organisation and the best ideas - you can't perform."
Caixinha said Baptista felt the players were tense, but stressed he did not believe they were frightened by the occasion or their opponent.
The Portuguese was asked about his tactics for the game, prompting a detailed response, outlining what he had hoped his players would execute.
"We organised our defending in three ways. The first one was to try to place a high block - if you see they were trying to build from the back - they open the centre-halves and Scott (Brown) is always in the middle. We had three players down there," he explained.
"In the middle of the park what we were trying to get them to play the ball to (Mikael) Lustig, block it, block Brown who was making the triangle with the centre-halves, and with this block we could have space to explore after we regain possession.
"We could not do it in this match because we were a little bit lower on the pitch. In the lower block, we were expecting not to allow them to divide the game.
"We just played wide when the spaces were inside. The idea was for our wingers to come inside and fill the space."
Despite seemingly thorough planning, Caixinha accepted his strategy had failed to work.
"The game-plan is one thing, what we put in practice was a totally different thing," he acknowledged.
"So it wasn't our day. We couldn't perform the way we prepared. We expected more from our players but we need to keep going.
"After tomorrow's day off we need to get back to Murray Park to start preparing the next match and we still have five matches to go until the end of the season."


French car hire firm Europcar has admitted that it may have to pay out as much as £30m to British motorists who were overcharged for car repairs.

UK Trading Standards officers launched an investigation after its office in Leicester received complaints.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is also planning to launch an inquiry, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The paper says more than half a million motorists could have been overcharged for repairs over many years.
In a statement, Europcar said: "Europcar's view is that the implications of the investigation will be somewhere in the region of £30m."
But the company - whose shares fell by 2.5% on Monday - said it had no further comment to make.
The Telegraph said some people were charged four times what they should have been for routine repairs.
The figures suggest an average compensation payment of up to £60 for every motorist who was overcharged.
Europcar's website says it charges an administration fee of £40 for each repair, plus up to £25 for a replacement wiper blade, and up to £350 for replacing a tyre.
The investigation appears to involve motorists who hired cars through Europcar UK, either via the website or on the phone.


The owners of Oxford United's Kassam Stadium have failed with a second appeal to prevent the ground being listed as a community asset.

The application for community asset status was made by supporters' trust OxVox and it means the group must be notified if the ground is to be sold.
Kassam's latest appeal against OxVox has now been rejected by the courts.
Owners Firoka had asked Oxford City Council to hold an internal review of May's decision to award the status.
Having a football ground listed as a community asset means supporter groups will have six months to put together their own bid for the stadium if it is to be sold.
Since the ruling was made in May 2013, Manchester United's Old Trafford has also been listed an a community asset and applications have also been made for many other grounds, including Liverpool.
Manchester United's owners also requested a review of the decision to list their stadium, but later withdrew this request.
Oxford have played at the stadium since it was opened in 2001 by former owner Firoz Kassam, who sold the club five years later, but retained control of the ground.
Current U's owner Ian Lenagan has previously stated his desire to try to buy the ground.


Facebook says it will allow an iconic photograph of a girl fleeing a Napalm attack taken during the Vietnam war in 1972 to be used on its platform.

It had previously removed the image, posted by a Norwegian author, on the grounds that it contained nudity.
The move sparked a debate about Facebook's role as an editor.
The editor of Norway's largest newspaper had written an open letter to Facebook's chief Mark Zuckerberg calling the ban "an abuse of power".
The tech giant said it had "listened to the community" and acknowledged the "global importance" of the photo.
"Because of its status as an iconic image of historical importance, the value of permitting sharing outweighs the value of protecting the community by removal, so we have decided to reinstate the image on Facebook where we are aware it has been removed," it said in a statement.
"It will take some time to adjust these systems but the photo should be available for sharing in the coming days.
"We are always looking to improve our policies to make sure they both promote free expression and keep our community safe."
The Norwegian prime minister - who had earlier posted a copy of the photo on Facebook herself only to see it removed - welcomed the U-turn.
"That's very good, I'm a happy prime minister," Erna Solberg told BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight programme.
"It shows that using social media can make [a] political change even in social media."
Tom Egeland, the author whose Facebook account had been suspended over the affair, also expressed his pleasure.
"Now I'm happy!" he tweeted.
"This does not alter at all the difficult issues that involve Facebook and the Norwegian media. But tonight I'm just happy."
But Espen Egil Hansen - the editor of Aftenposten, who had brought the issue to prominence - said he still had concerns.
"When it comes to this photo specifically I would say that it was a sensible decision by Facebook. That's what we editors have to do sometimes - realise that we made a mistake and change our minds," he wrote in Norwegian on the newspaper's site.
"But the main point of my article, and the point that I have asked Mark Zuckerberg to engage in, is the debate about Facebook's power that results from so much information going through its channels. And that still stands.
"He should begin to take part in this discussion, for there are no simple solutions. Facebook must recognise that it has become an information filter - and that raises problematic issues."
Last month, Mr Zuckerberg told an Italian audience that he did not want his firm to become a news editor.
"No, we are a tech company, not a media company," he said.
"The world needs news companies, but also technology platforms, like what we do, and we take our role in this very seriously."


Prop Gethin Jenkins is in negotiations for a new contract with Cardiff Blues.

And Wales' most-capped international player says he wants to carry on playing for his country.
Speaking on his 35th birthday, Jenkins said he does not want to "throw away" his work in reaching the World Cup.
"I'm out of contract at the end of the season, I've stated my desire to keep playing internationals, and I'm in talks with the Blues to hopefully extend [my contract]," he said.
"It's around this time clubs start looking for their players and their budgets for next season, so both sides are talking."
Jenkins has played 119 times for Wales, including three appearances in the 2015 Rugby World Cup where Warren Gatland's side reached the quarter-finals.
He said the thought of leaving the game at the international level was potentially a wrench.
"When you're still at the top of your game, it's quite hard to finish and to let that go the occasion of running out on an international weekend with that jersey on your back," added Jenkins.
"As long as I'm there fitness-wise and form-wise and feel that I can do the job that I have been doing, I'm going to keep doing that.
"I've let Warren [Gatland] know my feelings on that. The fact I went through so much training and hard work to get to that World Cup, there's no way I'm going to throw that away while I'm still playing at regional level."
Cardiff Blues head coach Danny Wilson backs Jenkins' case to stay on.
"He's proving now and he's proven in the past what a quality rugby player and leader he is," he said.
"He's definitely somebody we at the Cardiff Blues would like to see stay."


At least 13 people were injured when a bus crashed into the office of a guide dog charity.

The single-decker crashed near Peterborough city centre at about 11:43 GMT, Cambridgeshire Police said.
There were no fatalities and all the casualties had what were described as minor injuries. Nobody in the building was hurt.
Stagecoach confirmed one of its buses had been in a collision with a car. The road was cordoned-off near Church Walk.
More updates on this story and other news from BBC Cambridgeshire Local Live
The East of England Ambulance Service said seven patients were taken to Peterborough City Hospital with a variety of minor injuries, including a female car driver in her 50s and her female passenger.
The other five - four women and one man - were passengers on the bus.
Two people were treated at the minor injuries unit and four were discharged at the scene.
A Stagecoach spokesman said: "At around mid-day today (24 December) a car was involved in a collision with one of our buses on Broadway, Peterborough.
"Our first thoughts are for the welfare of those involved.
"Safety is our highest priority and we will assist police fully with their inquiries into the incident."
Tahir Hussain, manager at a nearby building, said: "A few of the passengers came out of the bus with bloody noses and whiplash.
"Some of them came in and we offered them cups of tea and coffee.
"Then we were evacuated because of a suspected gas leak so we all just left."
A spokesman for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association said three people were in its regional office building, but none had been injured and no dogs were inside.
The front bay window of the office was demolished by the bus. Engineers are assessing the damage to the structure of the building and the gas supply has been isolated.


The only thing cheerful about the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today was the colour of her scarf, says the BBC's Katty Kay.

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2 October 2014 Last updated at 23:44 BST
But even the flash of bright turquoise couldn't make up for what Christine Lagarde called the storm clouds surrounding the global economy.
The world is doing less well than the IMF anticipated even six months ago.
Growth is too low, unemployment too high, the recovery is feeble and we face the prospect of long term mediocrity if policy makers don't get their act together soon.
Add to that a slew of international hotspots - from Ukraine, to the Middle East and now Hong Kong - which she told me the IMF is watching closely for any ripple effects, and it's clear the effects of the 2008 financial crash are far from over.
Christine Lagarde was talking to the BBC's Katty Kay for World News America


Alastair Seeley increased his haul of North West 200 victories to 12 as he took Supersport and Superstock wins on the opening night of racing at the Northern Ireland motorcycling meeting.

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Carrickfergus man Seeley recovered from a bad start to take a stunning win in Thursday's opening Supersport race.
Seeley, 34, later triumphed in a thrilling Superstock race as he held off Michael Rutter and Michael Dunlop.
A Northern Ireland treble was completed by Lee Johnston's Supertwins victory.
Seeley was 15th on lap one of  the opening Supersport race after getting caught up in Johnston's early exit but the Mar-Train Racing rider produced a remarkable recovery to take victory ahead of Guy Martin and Australian Josh Brookes.
Fermanagh man Johnston regrouped from his Supersport mishap to overhaul Ivan Lintin in the Supertwins race, with James Cowton third.
In the final riveting Superstock race, Seeley led by 1.5 seconds after two laps before being overhauled by Rutter on the penultimate fifth lap.
As backmarkers became a factor, Dunlop stormed into contention and the Ballymoney man moved into the lead midway through the final lap.
However, Seeley regained the advantage at the Black Hill section of the course and held on to the lead over the closing corners as Dunlop was also passed by 13-times North West 200 winner Rutter.
Australian Brookes, 31, took an early lead in Thursday's Supersport opener as Seeley dropped five seconds off the pace after Johnston's early exit at York Corner.
Gary Johnson took the lead on lap two as he battled with Brookes and Rutter and the Englishman maintained his advantage to half way.
However, Seeley, 34, moved his way through the field to take the lead on the penultimate lap and he held off a strong challenge from Guy Martin on the final lap, as the Lincolnshire man was hindered by backmarkers.
Seeley had 1.134 seconds to spare from Martin at the finish with Brookes a further .06 back in third.
The top six was completed by William Dunlop, Keith Amor and Rutter.
"Lee Johnston made that hard work for me and I was forced to go straight on at York," said Seeley, as he won a Supersport race at the meeting for the third successive year.
"I had to do a U-turn and come back. But I caught the leading bunch.
"Coming back from so far back, it is testament to the team and the bike they have given me."
In the Supertwins event, Lincolnshire man Lintin appeared to have victory secured as he led by more than four seconds after two laps.
However, the gap was reduced to less than a second by the start of the final lap and Johnston moved ahead in the closing stages to take his maiden North West win.
"It is about time. The first few laps I was on edge after my slip off in the first race," said Johnston, 25.
"Ivan somehow got away but I worked hard for it and it feels great."
Seeley's two victories mean he moves ahead of Philip McCallen's haul of 11 career wins on the all-time North West list as he becomes the fourth most successful rider in the meeting's history.
THURSDAY'S NORTH WEST 200 RESULTS
Supersport 600
1. Alastair Seeley
2. Guy Martin [1.134 secs behind]
3. Josh Brookes [1.194]
4, William Dunlop [2.332]
5. Keith Amor [16.499]
6. Michael Rutter [16.680]
7. Gary Johnson [17.495]
8. Bruce Anstey [18.2180
9. Daniel Cooper [25.680]
10. James Hillier [30.3250]
Supertwins
1. Lee Johnston
2. Ivan Lintin [0.525]
3. James Cowton [10.479]
4. James Hillier [11.109]
5. Jamie Hamilton [14.785]
6. Ryan Farquhar [14.855]
7. Martin Jessopp [15.910]
8. Jeremy McWilliams [36.472]
9. Paul Shoesmith [1:02.131]
10. Timothee Monot [1:02.203]
Superstock
1. Alastair Seeley
2. Michael Rutter [0.570]
3. Michael Dunlop [0.786]
4. Martin Jessopp [3.089]
5. Horst Saiger [3.455]
6. Simon Andrews [15.632]
7. Conor Cummins [29.360]
8. Guy Martin [36.128]
9. Peter Hickman [36,.466]
10. William Dunlop [39.299]


Firefighters in Maryland have had to backtrack after blaming a meteorite for a brush fire.

An astronomy lecturer told the BBC the "little old rock" was not to blame.
Rocks are poor conductors of heat and although they cause fireballs when they streak through the Earth's atmosphere from space, even recent large meteor falls have not started fires.
The Bowie Volunteer Fire Department apologised and said the Twitter post "should have never been made".
The blaze took 15 firefighters four hours to put out and left a crater 12-15 ft (3.7-4.6m) wide and 5-6 ft deep.
Afterwards, a tweet was sent out from the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department account showing a photograph of a crater and a rock, calling it a "possible meteorite strike".
But Greg Redfern, an astronomy lecturer and Nasa ambassador, told the BBC a rock could not be called a meteorite before it is tested by a specialist laboratory.
And, he said, people's perceptions of meteorites were not quite right.
"People have this vision that a meteorite is going to be hot and flaming and it is such a wrong notion," he said.
"When a meteorite has come through the atmosphere it is cooled off way up high. I can't give you a temperature but it would be cool to touch, maybe even cold."
Three years ago, space rocks fell over Russia, injuring nearly 1,000 people but there was no ground fire.
Rocks that enter the Earth's atmosphere from space partially burn up in the air but when they hit the ground they are cold.
Mr Redfern said: "The bottom line is that the fire in Maryland was not caused by that little old rock."
Jonathan Howard of the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department promised in a statement that measures would be taken to ensure there was no repeat of the mistaken report.


A two-minute silence has been observed across the Isle of Man to remember Britain's war dead.

It was held at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - the time in 1918 when the guns fell silent along the Western Front.
The silence was also used to remember all of those who have died in conflicts ever since.
Veterans joined serving armed forces personnel and dignitaries for a short service at the war memorial in Douglas.
Among those paying their respects were the Mayor of Douglas and the Lieutenant Governor.
The short service was led by the Archdeacon of Sodor and Mann, the Ven Andie Brown, and followed by the laying of wreaths.
Despite heavy rain, large crowds gathered to pay their respects.
Several other gatherings were also held around the island to mark the day.
During the course of World War One, 1,165 Manxmen were killed at a time when the island's population was 50,000.
Official records show that 8,261 men enlisted in the armed forces, which was 82.3% of the Isle of Man's male population of military age.
Armistice Day
100 years of remembrance: From World War One to today
Did one man's vision shape the way we remember our war dead?


(Close): Wall Street markets were mostly unchanged on Thursday as banks reported declines in profits, but beat analysts earnings estimates.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average crept up by 18.15 points to 17,926.43.
The S&P 500 rose 0.36 points to 2,082.78, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 1.53 to 4,945.89.
Bank of America and Wells Fargo reported earnings Thursday morning. Both set aside cash to cover exposure to the energy industry.
Shares in Bank of America gained 2.5%, despite reporting a 18% drop in profit from a year earlier.
Wells Fargo shares fell 0.5% and JP Morgan shares rose 1.3%. It reported a 6.7% drop in first quarter profits on Wednesday.
Petroleum firm Exxon Mobil shares rose 0.7%.
Delta Airlines rose 1% after the company reported its earnings.  The airline's revenue was boosted by falling oil prices.


A stowaway who is believed to have clung on to a plane has fallen to his death, while another is in hospital.

The two men are believed to have been clinging to a British Airways flight from Johannesburg to Heathrow.
The victim was found on the roof of notonthehighstreet.com's headquarters on Kew Road, Richmond, at about 09:35 BST on Thursday. Police said his death was being treated as unexplained.
The man who was injured is in a critical condition in hospital.
The Met Police said it could not confirm if the two cases were linked.
In a statement, the force said: "At this time there is no evidence to link the death to the discovery of a stowaway in the undercarriage of a plane at Heathrow Airport; however this is one line of enquiry into identifying the deceased and the circumstances of his death."
The surviving man, who is believed to be aged 24, was found in the undercarriage of the plane at about 08:20 BST and taken to a west London hospital.
Officers believe they know his identity but are awaiting confirmation.
The 8,000 miles (12,875km) journey from South Africa to the UK usually takes about 11 hours.
In a statement, British Airways said: "We are working with the Metropolitan Police and the authorities in Johannesburg to establish the facts surrounding this very rare case."
Notonthehighstreet.com said the incident was "unrelated to the business or its team members and added the company was "co-operating with the ongoing police enquiry".
A post-mortem examination will be carried out on the dead man, who has not yet been identified.
Officers said enquiries are ongoing into how long his body had been on the roof.
There have been other cases where stowaways have fallen to their deaths in London after smuggling themselves onto planes and hiding in landing gear.
In September 2012, Jose Matada, 26, died after falling from the undercarriage of a flight from Angola to Heathrow on to a street in Mortlake, west London.
An inquest heard he may have survived freezing temperatures of up to minus 60C (-76F) for most of the 12-hour flight, but it was believed he was "dead or nearly dead" by the time he hit the ground.
Phillip Norton, BBC News Correspondent in Richmond
Aircrafts are a part of daily life in this area of London - just seven miles away from Heathrow - jets fly over every few minutes.
But the discovery of a man's body on top of the four-storey building close to Richmond station is particularly shocking for the community.
If the body had landed a few metres either side, it would have landed on a busy roundabout or near a row of shops.
And that another man has somehow survived such a long flight crammed into the wheel well of an aircraft is also surprising. If the moving mechanism of the landing gear or the cold does not cause death - a lack of oxygen often can.
People who work and live around here say they are shocked at such a tragic set of events. The local vicar will offer prayers for both men in a service at a nearby church tonight.
People's thoughts are very much with the two men who desperately tried to find a better life, but whose dangerous journey ended in tragedy.


US air strikes have hit suspected al-Qaeda targets in Yemen for a second consecutive day, according to Yemeni security sources and local residents.

The home of an al-Qaeda leader in the Yashbum valley, southern Shabwa province, was among the locations hit.
On Thursday, the Pentagon said it had carried out more than 20 strikes in Shabwa, Abyan and Baida provinces.
It comes a month after a controversial US raid that was reported to have left as many as 25 Yemeni civilians dead.
A US Navy Seal commando also died in the incident, which was the first military action authorised by President Donald Trump since he took office.
US raid on al-Qaeda in Yemen: What we know so far
The US has been battling al-Qaeda in Yemen for years. The jihadist group has taken advantage of the chaos caused by a three-year conflict to entrench its presence in the south and south-east.
Local residents, quoted by AFP news agency, said military forces believed to be US descended on Wadi Yashbum village early on Friday, backed by drones and Apache helicopters, and fought al-Qaeda militants for nearly an hour.
They said there were a number of casualties, including children.
The home of al-Qaeda provincial commander Saad Atef was among three houses hit by air strikes, tribal sources said.
The Pentagon has not yet confirmed the latest strikes, but it did say it had carried out more than 20 strikes on Thursday in three separate areas: Shabwa, Abyan and Baida.
Yemeni officials said at least 12 suspected militants were killed in those strikes.
Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said they had targeted al-Qaeda militants, equipment and infrastructure. Another US official said they had involved both fighter jets and drones.
The US was criticised last month over a raid on a village in central Yemen, in which a number of civilians died - many of them children - as well as one US Navy Seal. Its target was the house of a suspected leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
At the time, US military central command acknowledged that a number of civilians had been "likely killed in the midst of a firefight".
The US military later denied allegations reported by the New York Times that the mission had been compromised, and that the commandos knew about this.
The raid was approved just six days after President Trump took office, however, the planning for it began under the Obama administration.


The Open University (OU) staff are being balloted for strike action in a row over job losses and the closure of regional offices.

The OU wants to close seven regional centres, in Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, Gateshead, Leeds, London and Oxford, to streamline student support.
The university's senate, which met on Wednesday, voted to reject the plan.
The University and College Union (UCU) says more than 500 jobs are at risk. The ballot closes on 5 November.
UCU Open University branch president Pauline Collins said: "Axing over 500 staff across seven centres would be catastrophic to the Open University's ability to provide the kind of support that students need.
"We hope the university will now see sense and work with us to find a better solution for staff, students and the future of the Open University."
The OU said the offices earmarked for closure were not predominantly used as teaching centres and services to students would not be reduced or withdrawn.
The new structure, due to be in place by February 2017, would retain offices in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Manchester and Nottingham, as well as a small sub-office in Dublin.
The university said its centres in Milton Keynes, Manchester and Nottingham would expand under the plan.
Peter Horrocks, Vice-Chancellor, said: "The OU's mission has always been about embracing innovation and providing our students with the best possible experience.
"This is a difficult decision and I fully recognise the impact it will have on many of our staff, but we cannot afford to stay still.
"This recommendation, if approved, would allow us to enhance student support in a way that's simply not possible in our current office network, and offer our students the sort of support they expect and deserve."
A final decision will be made by the university's council in late November. If approved, a period of consultation with unions would follow.
The OU has almost 200,000 students, with many combining their study with employment and other commitments.


A hospital in Northamptonshire could be fined more than £160,000 for breaching A&E targets.

Kettering Hospital is currently reviewing the "flow" of patients across the trust.
Between October and December 2012, 90% of A&E patients were dealt with in four hours. The target is 95%.
The hospital said its A&E team were seeing and treating people quickly but encountered issues in finding space for patients elsewhere in the hospital.
The problems could end up costing its £10m-a-year A&E department up to £167,000, depending on its performance up until the end of March.
Hospital chief executive Lorene Read said: "Our A&E department works very hard to maintain a good quality of patient care at a time when the whole health system is under pressure with significant demand on A&E, on hospital beds and on the timeliness of discharge back into the community.
"These pressures can mean A&E can become a 'waiting area' for longer than four hours for the 5% or more of patients who are waiting for a hospital bed, or have been kept in the department for observation.
"We are working very hard to reduce these 'four hour' breaches.
"Our current average wait for initial assessment is two minutes and our average wait to treatment is 47 minutes."


Bottles and bricks have been thrown at police by a crowd as they attempted to recover a stolen car in west Belfast.

Police said the vehicle was stolen from Galway Street at 19:15 GMT on Saturday and driven into the Divis area where a crowd had gathered.
They said that after a number of "reckless hand-brake turns" the vehicle was taken to Roumania Rise where an attempt was made "to burn it out".
This was prevented by police, they added.


National Theatre head Rufus Norris and artist Jeremy Deller were behind a Somme commemoration project with men dressed as World War One soldiers.

The "modern memorial" involved about 1,500 voluntary participants appearing in public spaces across the UK.
Photos and reactions to the project quickly spread across social media, connected by the #wearehere hashtag.
Each carried a card with the name of the soldier they represented and his age - if known - when he died.
The Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest of World War One, began on 1 July 1916. All of the 1,500 men represented died on the first day of fighting.
More than one million men were killed and wounded on all sides during the five-month conflict, with the British suffering a total of nearly 60,000 casualties on the first day alone.
The project, entitled We're Here Because We're Here, was commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK's arts programme for the World War One centenary.
The day-long event - code-named Project Octagon - saw "ghost Tommies" appear at shopping centres, train stations and high streets and beaches.
The Royal Exchange in Manchester, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the National Theatres of Scotland and Wales were among 25 organisations involved.
According to organisers, it "broke new ground in terms of its scale, breadth, reach and the number of partners and participants involved".
Turner Prize winner Deller said he wanted to make "a contemporary memorial... that moved around the UK with unpredictability".
Norris described the work as "a truly national piece of theatre" that offered "a powerful way to remember the men who went off to fight 100 years ago."
The volunteers, who were drawn from a range of professions, were aged between 16 and 52, reflecting the ages of the men who would have fought in the Somme.
Jenny Waldman, director of 14-18 NOW, said the project had given "hundreds of young people across the UK the chance to find out more about... the bloodiest day in British military history."
Comedian Dawn French was among those to post a picture on Twitter, asking: "Has anyone seen WW1 soldiers on their commute this mornin?!"
Many others have posted their own pictures of soldiers they have sighted in locations as far afield as Chester, Glasgow and Newcastle.
Norris and Deller are appearing live on BBC Radio 4's Front Row at 19:15 BST to discuss the project.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


A man has appeared in court charged with the attempted murder of a prison officer in a bomb attack in Belfast last week.

The officer, 52, was seriously injured when a booby-trap device exploded under his van on Friday, 4 March.
Christopher Alphonsos Robinson, of Aspen Park in Dunmurry, County Antrim, appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court.
The 45-year-old was also charged with possessing an improvised explosive device with intent to endanger life.
There was an increased police presence in court for the hearing.  A detective constable said he could connect Mr Robinson to the charges.
When asked by the clerk if he understood the charges, Mr Robinson did not reply, but let out a loud sigh.
A defence solicitor told the court that Mr Robinson was not applying for bail, but said during 16 police interviews, "no evidence was actually put" to the defendant to link him to the attack.
Mr Robinson was remanded in custody to appear again on 1 April via video-link.
A dissident republican group known as the New IRA has said it carried out the attack.


The Scottish economy slowed down towards the end of 2015, according to new figures.

Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) analysis suggested the rate of recovery was constrained by companies in the north east.
New business levels eased during the three months to the end of November with an overall balance of just 3%, compared with 18% a year ago.
FAI said it was likely this slowdown would end and recovery improve.
In the three months ending November 2015, 34% of the firms surveyed in the Scottish Business Monitor reported an increased turnover, 33% experienced static turnover and 33% a decrease. This latest result indicates a slowing in the pace of the improving trend identified last spring.
Grant Allan, FAI deputy director, said: "Growth in the Scottish economy slowed in the final quarter of 2015, while expectations of growth have remained broadly positive.
"We await the GDP figures for the third quarter of 2015, and following only slight growth of 0.1% in the second quarter, we will then learn whether growth through last year will be at the moderate levels forecast earlier in the year."
He added: "Internationally, the US Federal Reserve's decision to increase interest rates during December 2015 suggests their confidence in recovery. However, it remains to be seen how the US economy - a vital trading partner for Scottish non-UK exports - responds to this decision.
"Concerns about a slowdown in Chinese growth as we begin 2016 suggests ongoing weakness in the global economy. This feeds back to Scottish activity both through lower exports and a low price of oil affecting activity across the country, and particularly in the north east of Scotland."
A brief summary of some of the other findings in the survey suggested volumes of repeat business were showing a slight decline in the latest quarter; export activity was continuing to fall; firms' assessments of their immediate prospects in the next six months were on a rising trend throughout 2013 and reached highs in the first two quarters of 2014.
This is the 12th successive Scottish Business Monitor showing a positive net balance for turnover expectations.
These expectation levels suggest the private sector of the Scottish economy will show growth close to, but below, the trend level in the fourth quarter of 2015, and slower growth in the three months to February 2016 compared with the period to November 2015.


The former managing director of Leeds United, David Haigh, says he was mistreated and beaten while in prison for fraud in Dubai.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight in his first interview since his release last month, Mr Haigh said there had been five "serious episodes" of physical abuse.
He claims he was tasered, hit, and threatened during detention in Dubai, which lasted a total of 23 months.
The authorities in Dubai have yet to comment on his allegations.
Mr Haigh was detained for financial misappropriation and accusations of cybercrime. He was arrested in Dubai in May 2014 and accused of fraud by his former employer, GFH Capital - a Dubai-based private equity group.
It was alleged that he faked invoices for millions of pounds and personally signed off on their payment, illegally channelling GFH's money to bank accounts he controlled. Mr Haigh has always strenuously denied the allegations, claiming it was a set up.
He told BBC Newsnight that the alleged mistreatment by police began three to four weeks after his arrest, and the most recent incident - where he was "hit over the head with the back of a broom" - was three weeks before his release.
In another incident, Mr Haigh says he was "hit with the back of the hand around the face and then tasered".
On one occasion he says he was taken into the car park at night. "They were trying to scare me, telling me that I needed to confess, that if I confessed everything would be fine, that I could leave, they would give me bail - but if I didn't, I was looking at 10 years."
Asked why he had issued a public statement during his time in prison stating that he was being treated well by the authorities, Mr Haigh said he was acting on legal advice.
"[It was] to protect myself and ensure I would then get access to my lawyers," he said.
Mr Haigh says that during his detention, he witnessed very serious mistreatment of other inmates - including a young Pakistani man.
"Three or four policemen were torturing him, standing on his throat, tasering him, using a cattle prod against him. It was the most shocking thing of my life, and I will never forget it," he said.
We have approached the authorities in Dubai for comment. They are yet to reply.
Mr Haigh says he kept the British embassy in Dubai informed of his treatment while in prison, but their response was "wholly inadequate".
"There are a hundred or more British people that have had their human rights abused, that have not had fair trials, that have been detained arbitrarily... It's shocking."
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: "Our embassy staff were in almost daily contact with Mr Haigh throughout his detention, and this included regular checks on his welfare. We also regularly raised his case with UAE authorities, letting them know we were following it closely.
"We take Mr Haigh's allegations of mistreatment extremely seriously and are setting out our concerns to the UAE authorities. We only raise allegations of mistreatment when we have the individual's consent to do so."
David Haigh acquitted in Dubai over tweet (21 March 2016)
Ex-Leeds United MD David Haigh was 'suicidal' in Dubai prison (14 March 2015)
Leeds Utd's ex-managing director David Haigh arrested in Dubai (21 May 2014)
Leeds United: Managing director David Haigh resigns (11 April 2014)
Speaking to Newsnight, Mr Haigh continued to maintain his innocence on the fraud charges - saying he believed that payments into his account were salary and commission owed to him by his former company, GFH. However, he admitted he did have "concerns they were being paid in a rather bizarre fashion".
Mr Haigh was released from prison at the end of March after being acquitted on separate charges of cyber slander relating to a tweet.
He claims the entire legal process was skewed against him during his time in Dubai. "The best word to describe it is a farce," he says.
Mr Haigh said he believes his former company GFH - which still holds a 25% share in Leeds United - should leave the club.
"GFH need to leave. They are hampering the advancement of the club," he said
He said he would consider re-joining Leeds United himself, if the circumstances were right.
"Would I like to be involved with Leeds at some point in the future - with the right owner who has got the money and the passion to back that club and get it to where it belongs - of course I would."
"It's a dream job. It's an amazing place," he said.


Western politicians have urged Russia to release Ukrainian officer Nadiya Savchenko, who is on trial in Russia.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she should be freed "immediately and unconditionally".
Meanwhile, the US envoy to the UN, Samantha Power described the trial in southern Russia as "farcical".
Ms Savchenko, who is on hunger strike, is accused of directing mortar fire that killed two Russian journalists in Ukraine in 2014 - a claim she denies.
The 34-year-old, who is also a member of the Ukrainian parliament, was captured two years ago while fighting pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.
"This is no longer just a judicial or political case: now it's a matter of human compassion," Ms Mogherini said on Wednesday.
She added that Ms Savchenko's release would be in line with Moscow's commitments under the Minsk peace deal, which is aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Also on Friday, Ms Power said: "She [Savchenko] belongs back in Ukraine, working alongside her colleagues in the Rada (parliament) to build a better future for her country.
"We call on Russia to release her at once," the US ambassador added, urging Russia to also free "all Ukrainians who are being held illegally by separatists and by Russia".
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry official Oleksiy Makeyev said more than 20 foreign nations were demanding Ms Savchenko's release.
More than 4,300 people, including Nobel prize-winner Svitlana Aleksievich, have signed an open letter urging European leaders to act to secure her freedom.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that negotiations on any decision concerning Ms Savchenko's would not happen until the court's ruling.
Ms Zakharova also accused the West of trying to put pressure on the judges in the Russian town of Donetsk and influence the case's outcome.
Earlier in the day, Ms Savchenko defied the court, vowing to continue a hunger strike. She  made an obscene gesture at judges during her closing statement.
Speaking Ukrainian, Ms Savchenko, who said he had not had food and drink since Friday, said the judges proved that Russians were "fascists".
A translator read out her formal, final statement in which she proclaimed her innocence and described her trial as a "farce".
A verdict in the case is due to be delivered on 21 and 22 March but her lawyers have said she will not survive that long unless she is force-fed.
The prosecutors have asked for a 23-year prison term.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a visit by Ukrainian doctors to assess Ms Savchenko was now "impossible" because of her behaviour in the court.
This was a brief hearing but a dramatic one. Despite five days refusing food and water, by her own account, Nadiya Savchenko walked into court herself and stood throughout - her cage surrounded by armed guards.
When she spoke, her voice was strong - and angry. At one point she leaped on to the bench and showed the three judges her middle finger - a furious demonstration of what she thinks of Russian justice.
Her formal statement was read by a translator, in which she called President Vladimir Putin a "tyrant" and her trial a "farce" directed by the Kremlin.
Some supporters had brought yellow flowers, to match the Ukrainian flag, and as the judges left to consider their verdict over the next 12 days, Nadiya Savchenko stood with her hand on her heart leading them and her relatives in a passionate verse of the Ukrainian national anthem.
She vowed to keep up her hunger strike until she is returned home. But outside court, her lawyers warned that she would not live that long unless she was force-fed.
How Savchenko became a symbol of resistance
Ms Savchenko was captured in the summer 2014 at the height of the fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.
A pioneering female combat pilot in the Ukrainian air force, where she held the rank of lieutenant, she had enlisted in a volunteer infantry unit, the Aidar Battalion.
She is charged with acting as an artillery spotter and directing the bombardment of a rebel checkpoint, in which two Russian state TV journalists, Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin, were killed.
Ms Savchenko says she was kidnapped by rebel fighters at least an hour before the attack in which the Russian journalists were killed, and later handed over to the Russian authorities.
Russian prosecutors say she secretly crossed into Russian territory herself.
Relations between Russia and Ukraine - along with its Western allies - have deteriorated since the events of 2014 in Ukraine.
Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula that March after an unrecognised referendum on self-determination, and is accused of covertly supporting the rebels in the bloody conflict which later divided eastern Ukraine.


Plans to close more than half of Devon's libraries have been shelved by the county council.

The local authority had proposed cutting funding to 28 smaller libraries around the county to save £1.5m.
After a consultation, it said it was considering a new approach involving a pilot of 10 communities working with professionals to run the service.
The buildings and staff in those areas would become part of new trusts, separate from the council.
Previously a briefing paper from Devon County Council proposed keeping 22 major libraries, to be known as Devon Centres. It also said in April that communities would be asked to take over the running of services, otherwise they would end.
Campaigners have given a cautious welcome to the new plans.
Paula Ferris, the chairperson of the Friends of Braunton Library, said: "I am not sure it's the right answer but it's certainly a bold one.
"Libraries are very highly valued and should be properly funded. I'm supportive they appear to have listened."
Roger Croad, the Conservative county councillor responsible for Devon's libraries, said: "I think we're on the right track.
"Nearly half our libraries have friends' groups who raise funds and we want to continue that involvement. We're looking to save in excess of £400,00 in business rates, we're making the larger libraries as efficient as possible."
The scheme has already been used in Suffolk where an Industrial and Provident Society (IPS) was set up in 2012 to run the libraries.


Winger Jordan Williams helped end Taunton's FA Cup adventure as Barrow earned victory in their first-round replay at Holker Street.

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Eighth-tier Taunton were playing their ninth game in this season's competition and were the lowest-ranked side left after Westfields' exit on Monday.
Centre-half Ed Palmer drew them level with a superb free-kick in the 73rd minute, cancelling out a fine 48th-minute opener by Barrow winger Williams.
But the hosts went back in front within two minutes when a Ryan Yates cross appeared to be deflected into his own net by Josh Searle, and that was enough to send the National League side into the second round for the first time since 2012/13.
Taunton frustrated the hosts in the first half, with Barrow defenders Nick Anderton and Danny Livesey both having headers cleared off the line in quick succession.
Williams then fired wide while Palmer had a free-kick deflected over.
But Williams then latched on to a poor clearance to cut inside and curl a superb right-footed effort into the top corner from 20 yards.
Palmer stunned the home crowd by curling a 20-yard free-kick into the top corner.
But Barrow soon restored their lead and keeper Lloyd Irish prevented Ross Hannah, Richie Bennett and Williams making the victory more emphatic.
Report supplied by the Press Association
Match ends, Barrow 2, Taunton Town 1.
Second Half ends, Barrow 2, Taunton Town 1.
Ed Palmer (Taunton Town) is shown the yellow card.
Attempt saved. Jordan Williams (Barrow) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by Alex-Ray Harvey (Barrow).
Adam Kelly (Taunton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Myles Anderson (Barrow) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Matthew Wright (Taunton Town).
Attempt saved. Richard Bennett (Barrow) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Corner,  Barrow. Conceded by Matt Villis.
Attempt saved. Ross Hannah (Barrow) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Matt Buse (Taunton Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Liam Hughes (Barrow) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Matt Buse (Taunton Town).
Jordan Williams (Barrow) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Matthew Wright (Taunton Town).
Attempt missed. Ross Hannah (Barrow) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, Taunton Town. Matt Buse replaces Brett Trowbridge.
Alex-Ray Harvey (Barrow) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Shane White (Taunton Town).
Corner,  Taunton Town. Conceded by Nick Wilmer-Anderton.
Goal!  Barrow 2, Taunton Town 1. Ryan Yates (Barrow) left footed shot from long range on the right to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Shaun Beeley.
Goal!  Barrow 1, Taunton Town 1. Ed Palmer (Taunton Town) from a free kick with a right footed shot to the top right corner.
Foul by Shaun Beeley (Barrow).
Ed Palmer (Taunton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner,  Taunton Town. Conceded by Myles Anderson.
Attempt blocked. Ross Hannah (Barrow) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Taunton Town. Adam Kelly replaces Ollie Chamberlain.
Hand ball by Shane White (Taunton Town).
Attempt saved. Ryan Yates (Barrow) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Owen Irish (Taunton Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Jordan Williams (Barrow) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Owen Irish (Taunton Town).
Shane White (Taunton Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Ryan Yates (Barrow) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Shane White (Taunton Town).
Shaun Beeley (Barrow) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Matthew Wright (Taunton Town).
Substitution, Taunton Town. Craig Veal replaces Jordan Rogers.
Corner,  Barrow. Conceded by Lloyd Irish.


A man has been found guilty of theft over the false advertisement and sale of £3,000 Hajj package trips on a TV channel.

Mudassir Shaheen was convicted after 10 Muslim families who bought the trips, which involved a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, did not receive tickets.
The 38-year-old, from Green Lane in Bolton, is due to be sentenced at Bolton Crown Court on 14 January.
The Hajj is the pilgrimage that forms the fifth pillar of Islam.
Every adult Muslim must perform the journey to the birthplace of Islam at least once if they are physically able and can afford it.
Package trips usually last between a fortnight and a month, although the price of some tours, which sell for up to £10,000 per person, has often been criticised for being too expensive.


Top 14 leaders La Rochelle withstood an Edinburgh fightback to reach the European Challenge Cup semi-finals.

Jeremie Maurouard scored twice from early line-out drives, before Phil Burleigh arced over to reply.
Arthur Retiere raced in for a third, and created a fourth for Steeve Barry, with Ross Ford touching down for Edinburgh before the break.
Hamish Watson hauled the hosts back within a score, but Brock James' last-minute penalty settled the issue.
La Rochelle laid waste to Edinburgh in the early minutes. And it was easy, oh so easy. Edinburgh were a soft touch in so many areas. Blair Kinghorn's sliced kick to touch inside his own 22 was a present to one of the best mauling sides in French rugby.
They fired out their driven line-out, rumbled forward and crashed over, Maurouard getting the score.
James added the conversion and with only four minutes on the clock, Edinburgh were already in trouble. They were in the midst of a nightmare soon after. Again it was the line-out maul that did the damage, firstly in winning a penalty, which La Rochelle kicked to touch and then in pulling off a repeat of their first.
Same drive, same scorer, same man converting; 14-0 to the French league leaders.
Edinburgh had a death-wish all night, even when they roused themselves and threatened to make a comeback. Chris Dean butchered an overlap midway through the half, but they got away with that one when Burleigh went over after heavy pressure.
Jason Tovey converted, but that capacity to shoot themselves in the foot returned in horrific fashion just after.
La Rochelle scrum-half Retiere was magnificent in the first 40, a quick-thinking, darting number nine that Edinburgh did not have a clue how to deal with. It was Retiere who got his side's third try when picking up at the back of a ruck and running 60 metres to score. En route he ran through an embarrassing non-tackle from Kinghorn. All of Murrayfield winced.
Retiere was at the root of the fourth try as well. He scampered away after a brilliant offload by Kevin Gourdon, drew the cover and put Barry under the posts. James made it 26-7 and even when Ford blasted over from close range, after gorgeous hands from Viliame Mata, it still looked like curtains for Edinburgh.
To their credit, they came out ready for the battle, nobody more so than Watson, who led the charge. The flanker got on the ball again and again. He was immense. After waves of pressure, Mata drew three tacklers to him and bounced a pass outside where Watson picked up and scored.
Sam Hidalgo-Clyne put over the conversion and now, suddenly, it was a seven-point game. Then it was a three-point game. Weir landed a penalty after Lekso Kaulashvili, the replacement prop, tackled Damian Hoyland without the ball while Edinburgh were threatening. Kaulashvili was sin-binned and Weir did the rest.
James restored the seven-point lead and the rest was painful for Edinburgh. Their line-out fell apart, their desperation grew, their play became rushed and panicked and their errors mounted.
La Rochelle wrapped it up with another James penalty. Their dream season continues. For Edinburgh, they cannot wait for the nightmare campaign to end.
Edinburgh: Blair Kinghorn, Damien Hoyland, Chris Dean, Phil Burleigh, Tom Brown, Jason Tovey, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne; Murray McCallum, Ross Ford (capt), Simon Berghan, Anton Bresler, Grant Gilchrist, Viliame Mata, Hamish Watson, Cornell du Preez.
Replacements: Stuart McInally, Kyle Whyte, Kevin Bryce, Fraser McKenzie, Viliami Fihaki, Nathan Fowles, Duncan Weir, Glenn Bryce.
La Rochelle: Kini Murimurivalu, Steeve Barry, Paul Jordaan, Pierre Aguillon, Eliott Roudil, Brock James, Arthur Retiere; Mike Corbel, Jeremie Maurouard, Mohamed Boughanmi, Jason Eaton (capt), Mathieu Tanguy, Romain Sazy, Levani Botia, Kevin Gourdon.
Replacements: Hikairo Forbes, Dany Priso, Lekso Kaulashvili, Leandro Cedaro, Victor Vito, Alexi Bales, Vincent Rattez, Benjamin Noble.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.


The asylum seeker who was attacked in south London has told Kurdish campaigners he "thought he was going to die".

Kurdish MP Faysal Sariyiliz, who visited Reker Ahmed in hospital, said the 17-year-old was "very pleased to be alive" after the assault
The teenager was beaten and kicked by a gang while waiting at a bus stop in Croydon on Friday night.
Police are still looking for five males over the attack.
Mr Sariyiliz visited the Kurdish-Iranian teenager with Zinar Demeni, from the Kurdistan Solidarity Campaign.
He told the BBC, Reker had said "the number of people attacking him" had made him fear he would be killed.
Mr Demeni said the victim was still "in pain" and that "his body was battered and... he wasn't able to move much."
"I told him that many British people in the UK are behind you, they support you, they condemn this attack," he added.
"When he heard this, and heard how many people were supporting him, this put a huge smile on his face."
The 17-year-old suffered a bleed on his brain, a fractured eye socket and fractured spine in the attack.
He was visited by his brother Hadi Ahmed on Tuesday, who said Reker had not recognised him.
A demonstration by Kurds was held in Croydon earlier.
Thirteen people, aged between 15 and 24, have been charged with violent disorder in relation to the attack.
A total of 16 people have been arrested. Three of those will face no further action.


Andy Murray emerged from a titanic tussle with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for a seventh time.

With Roger Federer also coming through a five-set thriller against Marin Cilic in the last eight, many feel the Swiss legend and Murray are destined to meet for the second time in a Wimbledon final, and a fourth in Grand Slams.
But the Scot will have to overcome a difficult obstacle in the shape of Tomas Berdych -  who beat Lucas Pouille of France in the last round - to reach Sunday's final.
So what do we know about Murray's opponent? BBC Scotland Sport takes a look at the world number nine from the Czech Republic.
A player renowned for his powerful service game and ferocious forehand, Berdych has amassed 12 career titles to date.
Capable of troubling even the very top players on his day, many tennis observers tipped him as a future Grand Slam champion, but at 30 he has yet to break his duck.
His record in Slams should not be dismissed, however. He has reached the last four in each of tennis' four majors, and his run to the Wimbledon final in 2010 - where he lost in straight sets to Rafael Nadal after beating Roger Federer in the quarter-finals - demonstrates just what a formidable opponent he is on grass.
Currently ranked number nine, he was as high as number four in 2015.
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Murray has never met Berdych at Wimbledon, or indeed on grass, but there is history between the pair - on and off the court.
Their head-to-head record is 8-6 in favour of Murray, with Berdych's last win coming in the Cincinnati Masters three years ago. The Scot has won their last four meetings.
In Grand Slams the world number two leads 2-1. Murray beat Berdych in the last four of the 2012 US Open as he went on to claim his maiden Grand Slam title, but it was their semi-final meeting at the 2015 Australian Open that provoked some ill-feeling between the two camps.
With Murray's long-time hitting partner and coach Dani Vallverdu in the Czech's box after parting company with the British number one a few weeks before, tensions were high courtside.
Murray's fiancée - now wife - Kim Sears was caught on camera apparently swearing at the Berdych team following a Murray break of serve, betraying the animosity between the two camps.
Murray blamed the media focus on Vallverdu in the build up to the match, which Murray won 6-7 (6-8), 6-0, 6-3, 7-5, saying afterwards: "When there's a lot of tension surrounding something, which you (the media) created, it's completely normal that the whole first set everyone was tight."
Perhaps another source of tension is Murray's coach Ivan Lendl.
Berdych approached Lendl about becoming his coach, only to be rebuffed by his countryman before he reunited with Murray in June.
Berdych said: "I approached Ivan and he said he doesn't want to be involved in tennis. Then he comes back to Andy. So that's how it is."
"He hits a big ball and likes to dictate, so I need to make sure I keep him on the back foot as much as possible in Friday's semi-final.
"We haven't played on grass before so I'll have a look at a couple of his matches over the last week and make a plan.
"Having a rest day on Thursday will help me recover from playing five sets and I'll be ready to go on Friday, whether I play first or second."
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"It's definitely the way I'm playing, you know, try to push him as hard as I can, being aggressive, not giving him the time to create the game.
"I think at the beginning, he was a bit more defensive, just waiting for what the opponent is going to do. I think it was working pretty well for myself. I was able to really dictate the game and play aggressive.
"Now he comes to be more aggressive, way more creative on the court. I think that's the difference with him, I would say (between) the beginning of his career and now."
"Definitely Berdych could cause Andy problems. He hits very hard, very flat, with a big serve.
"He's been so consistent over the last decade and I think he's going to be very, very aggressive, trying to stop Andy messing with the rhythm out there.
"I think Berdych doesn't like sliced backhands a lot. Andy will slice a lot, keep it low, make things as uncomfortable as he can for Berdych.
"Andy has the ability to get inside your psyche and break you down emotionally out on the court."


A man has been convicted of paying a 13-year-old school girl to send him sexually-explicit photos of herself.

Paul Gorman, 46, befriended the girl and offered her Â£40 to supply indecent images, which she took on a mobile phone in toilets at her school.
Police were called after a family friend spotted suspicious Facebook messages between Gorman and the girl.
Officers later found images of children being sexually abused on a computer at his home in Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire.
Midway through his trial at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, Gorman admitted taking or making indecent images at a house in Dalry in May 2014.
A jury found him guilty of causing a child to engage in sexual activity by photographing herself and sending him pictures, and asking her to make an indecent video.
Gorman was remanded in custody for background reports and will be sentenced next month.
Sheriff Derek Livingston placed him on the sex offenders' register and said a prison sentence was "inevitable".


Mercedes dominated Friday practice at the Italian Grand Prix, with Valtteri Bottas topping the second session and Lewis Hamilton quickest in the first.

Bottas beat the Briton by 0.056 seconds in the afternoon, when Hamilton's title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari was just 0.14secs off the pace.
Hamilton led Bottas by 0.435secs in the morning, with Vettel a second slower.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was fourth, ahead of Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.
Dutchman Verstappen and Australian Ricciardo face starting from the back of the grid because of a series of penalties for using too many engine parts.
McLaren's Fernando Alonso will join them for the same reason.
Hamilton has identified this race as a must-win, aiming to go into the Asian long-haul races with an advantage in the expectation that Ferrari will be difficult to beat in the next grand prix in Singapore.
"It's been a good day, a clean day," said Hamilton.
We are not quite where I think we can be
"We got the running done, we got through our programme with no problems. The car seems nicely balanced here. We just have some work to do to eke out a little bit more performance.
"It looks quite close between us and the Ferraris, so I anticipate it's going to be similar to the last race in that sense."
Hamilton looked like he could have beaten Bottas' headline time in the second session had he put together a clean lap on his qualifying-simulation run; as it was he made a couple of mistakes.
"Valtteri had lots of tows during the lap and I just didn't have a good lap," he added.
"P1 was really good. P2 was a little tricker with the track being hotter, so the balance of the car was a bit inconsistent. So it is harder to guess where we have the car for Saturday and Sunday so my mind is moving pretty fast."
Mercedes appear to have the edge over Ferrari on both qualifying and race pace so far on the historic Monza track, famous for its enthusiastic Ferrari fans, the tifosi.
On first indications, Hamilton and Bottas appeared to be a few tenths of a second quicker than Vettel on both the soft and super-soft tyres when they ran with race fuel loads later in the session.
"Our day has been a bit mixed," said four-time champion Vettel. "We need to improve a little bit here and there, then we should have a better day tomorrow.
"We are OK. There are a couple of things we need to of better - car balance, stability and braking which is important around here to get the confidence because you are on low downforce and you need to have the confidence to throw the car in without thinking.
"We are not quite where I think we can be."
The McLarens showed a surprising turn of pace on a track that exposes the lack of power from the Honda engine - Alonso was eighth fastest and team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne seventh, 0.021secs ahead.
The two spent some of their time practising slipstreaming techniques, which they will use to try to get the Belgian as high up the grid as possible on Saturday.
Williams, after a terrible race in Belgium last weekend, looked more competitive, with Felipe Massa ninth fastest behind the Force India of Esteban Ocon.
Massa's team-mate Lance Stroll was 0.5secs slower, and down in 15th, after a high-speed spin at the Ascari chicane.


A woman is in a critical condition following a fire at her flat in Edinburgh.

Emergency services were called to Granton Mains East at about 05:45.
The woman was rescued from the blaze and given first aid until ambulance crews arrived and took her to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are investigating the cause of the fire.


A consultation ends later on plans to further reduce the number of offenders receiving short jail sentences.

Since 2010 Scottish courts have been prohibited from jailing people for three months or less unless there is no other way of dealing with them.
The Scottish government has asked for views on whether that period should be extended and, if so, by how much.
Ministers argue that short jail terms are ineffective and lead to high rates of reoffending.
Figures have suggested 60% of those sentenced to less than three months are reconvicted within a year.
In 2010 the government introduced, for the first time in Scots law, a presumption against short prison sentences of three months or less except where no other punishment would be appropriate.
The SNP minority government at the time dropped a plan to impose a six-month limit because of fears it would be voted down by the opposition.
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson has now revived the proposal and called for "bold action" to stop offenders "going in and out of prison time and time again and reoffending upon release".
Under the proposals, he has said offenders would serve their sentences in the community instead of being jailed and receive help for the causes of their offending behaviour, including drug or alcohol addictions or mental-health issues.
Some have argued there should be a presumption against sentences of less than 12-months.
But the Scottish Conservatives have criticised the move, saying it could lead to hundred of people convicted of crimes like housebreaking, handling offensive weapons or common assault "walking free".
They have argued that extending the presumption against short sentences would give criminals the impression that their crimes are not serious.


Author Jane Austen is to feature on the next £10 note, the Bank of England says, avoiding a long-term absence of women represented on banknotes.

The Pride and Prejudice author will be the next face of the note, replacing Charles Darwin, probably in 2017.
Chancellor George Osborne tweeted the move showed "sense and sensibility".
In April, the Bank prompted a high-profile campaign against the prospect of having no female characters, besides the Queen, on the UK's currency.
It had announced that Sir Winston Churchill would be put on the £5 note from 2016, replacing social reformer Elizabeth Fry.
The latest announcement means that women could be absent from newly issued banknotes for up to a year, although the Elizabeth Fry £5 note will still be in circulation.
On Twitter, Mr Osborne wrote: "[Incoming Bank of England governor] Mark Carney's choice of Jane Austen as face of £10 note is great. After understandable row over lack of women, shows sense and sensibility."
Banknotes are regularly redesigned, in order to maintain security and prevent forgeries.
The most recent new design from the Bank of England to enter circulation was the £50 note. This features Matthew Boulton and James Watt, who were most celebrated for bringing the steam engine into the textile manufacturing process.
The decision to replace Elizabeth Fry on the £5 note prompted protests and discussions about female representation on banknotes, but Jane Austen was thought to have already been part of the Bank's plans for the next new note.
Sir Mervyn King, in his last public appearance as governor of the Bank, said the author was "quietly waiting in the wings" to replace Darwin.
Mr Carney started discussions about female representation on banknotes on his first day in office.
The Bank said in a statement that it was "never the Bank's intention" that none of the four characters on banknotes would be a woman.
"Jane Austen certainly merits a place in the select group of historical figures to appear on our banknotes. Her novels have an enduring and universal appeal and she is recognised as one of the greatest writers in English literature," Mr Carney said.
He also announced a review of the selection process for future banknote characters. Jane Austen will be the 17th historical figure to appear on Bank of England notes. The review will be completed by the end of the year.
The pressure was increased on the new governor through protests, an online petition - signed by 35,000 people, and a threat of legal action.
The campaign was led by Caroline Criado-Perez, from Rutland, who was invited to speak to Bank officials about the situation earlier in July.
She described the expected announcement as "a brilliant day for women and a fantastic one for people power".
"We warmly welcome this move from the Bank and thank them for listening to us and taking such positive and emphatic steps to address our concerns," she said.
"To hear Jane Austen confirmed is fantastic, but to hear the process will be comprehensively reviewed is even better.
The money raised for a legal challenge will now be donated to women's charities the Fawcett Society, Women's Aid and Rape Crisis.
Jane Austen, who lived from 1775 to 1817, became one of the country's most celebrated novelists. She was born in Hampshire as one of eight children.
She began to write as a teenager. Her first novel, Sense and Sensibility, appeared in 1811. She described her next novel, Pride and Prejudice, as her "own darling child".
Her other published novels were Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey - the final two of which were published after her death.
Most of her novels were published anonymously.
The portrait of Jane Austen, which will appear on the banknote, is adapted from a sketch drawn by her sister Cassandra Austen. Other features include:
Fellow writers William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens have appeared on banknotes in recent times. Dickens was on the £10 note and Shakespeare on the £20 note.
Bank of England notes can be spent throughout the UK. In addition, three banks in Scotland and four in Northern Ireland are authorised to issue banknotes.