The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world's deadliest to date and the World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency as more than 3,850 people have died of the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria this year.

Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And that is just the beginning: subsequent stages are vomiting, diarrhoea and - in some cases - both internal and external bleeding.
The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.
It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased.
The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa, although one strain has cropped up in the Philippines.
Healthcare workers are at risk if they treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus - in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover.
World Health Organization guidance on Ebola
Ebola crisis: Five ways to avoid the deadly virus
Ebola outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, says the WHO.
It was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976 since when it has mostly affected countries further east, such as Uganda and Sudan.
This year's outbreak is unusual because it started in Guinea, which has never before been affected, and it quickly spread to urban areas.
From Nzerekore, a remote area of south-eastern Guinea, the virus spread to the capital, Conakry, and neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone.
There have been 20 cases of Ebola being imported by someone travelling from a country of widespread transmission to Nigeria, with eight confirmed deaths. The US and Senegal have both confirmed one case each. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in September that the virus might have been successfully contained in Nigeria and Senegal.
In October, a nurse in Spain became the first person to contract the deadly virus outside of West Africa, after treating two Spanish missionaries who had eventually died of Ebola in Madrid.
11,315
Deaths - probable, confirmed and suspected
(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)
4,809 Liberia
3,955 Sierra Leone
2,536 Guinea
8 Nigeria
The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says the outbreak is "unprecedented" in the way the cases were scattered in multiple locations across Guinea, hundreds of kilometres apart, and says it is a "race against time" to check people who come into contact with sick people in neighbouring Sierra Leone.
Ebola: Mapping the outbreak
Ebola: Why is it this disease we fear?
Ebola: How bad can it get?
Ebola is spread through close physical contact with infected people. This is a problem for many in the West African countries currently affected by the outbreak, as practices around religion and death involve close physical contact.
Hugging is a normal part of religious worship in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and across the region the ritual preparation of bodies for burial involves washing, touching and kissing. Those with the highest status in society are often charged with washing and preparing the body. For a woman this can include braiding the hair, and for a man shaving the head.
If a person has died from Ebola, their body will have a very high viral load. Bleeding is a usual symptom of the disease prior to death. Those who handle the body and come into contact with the blood or other body fluids are at greatest risk of catching the disease.
MSF has been trying to make people aware of how their treatment of dead relatives might pose a risk to themselves. It is a very difficult message to get across.
All previous outbreaks were much smaller and occurred in places where Ebola was already known - in Uganda and the DR Congo for example. In those places the education message about avoiding contact has had years to enter the collective consciousness. In West Africa, there simply has not been the time for the necessary cultural shift.
The virus detective who discovered Ebola
Ebola drains weak health systems
Avoid contact with Ebola patients and their bodily fluids, the WHO advises. Do not touch anything - such as shared towels - which could have become contaminated in a public place.
Carers should wear gloves and protective equipment, such as masks, and wash their hands regularly.
The WHO also warns against consuming raw bushmeat and any contact with infected bats or monkeys and apes. Fruit bats in particular are considered a delicacy in the area of Guinea where the outbreak started.
In March, Liberia's health minister advised people to stop having sex, in addition to existing advice not to shake hands or kiss. The WHO says men can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to seven weeks after recovering from Ebola.
Surgical cap
Goggles
Medical mask
Scrubs
Overalls
Apron
Double gloves
Boots
Respirator
The cap forms part of a protective hood covering the head and neck. It offers medical workers an added layer of protection, ensuring that they cannot touch any part of their face whilst in the treatment centre.
Goggles, or eye visors, are used to provide cover to the eyes, protecting them from splashes. The goggles are sprayed with an anti-fogging solution before being worn. On October 21, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  announced stringent new guidelines for healthcare personnel who may be dealing with Ebola patients. In the new guidelines, health workers are advised to use a single use disposable full face shield as goggles may not provide complete skin coverage.
Covers the mouth to protect from sprays of blood or body fluids from patients. When wearing a respirator, the medical worker must  tear this outer mask to allow the respirator through.
A respirator is worn to protect the wearer from a patient's coughs. According to guidelines from the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the respirator should be put on second, right after donning the overalls.
A surgical scrub suit, durable hospital clothing that absorbs liquid and is  easily cleaned, is worn as a baselayer underneath the overalls. It is normally tucked into rubber boots to ensure no skin is exposed.
The overalls are placed on top of the scrubs. These suits are similar to hazardous material (hazmat) suits worn in toxic environments. The team member supervising the process should check that the equipment is not damaged.
A minimum two sets of gloves are required, covering the suit cuff. When putting on the gloves, care must be taken to ensure that no skin is exposed and that they are worn in such a way that any fluid on the sleeve will run off the suit and glove. Medical workers must change gloves between patients, performing thorough hand hygiene before donning a new pair. Heavy duty gloves are used whenever workers need to handle infectious waste.
A waterproof apron is placed on top of the overalls as a final layer of protective clothing.
Ebola health workers typically wear rubber boots, with the scrubs tucked into the footwear. If boots are unavailable, workers must wear closed, puncture and fluid-resistant shoes.
Fighting the fear and stigmatisation surrounding Ebola is one of the greatest challenges health workers face.
But health workers themselves are becoming scared of treating patients, and are demanding better protective clothing when exposed to patients.
Ebola has already claimed the lives of dozens of doctors and nurses in the Ebola-hit region, including Sierra Leone's only virologist and Ebola expert, Sheik Umar Khan.
This has put a further strain on the health services of these West African states, which have long faced a shortage of doctors and hospitals.
How not to catch Ebola
Profile: Dr Sheik Umar Khan
Saving lives on the Ebola front line
No handshakes, no sex
You must keep yourself isolated and seek professional help. Patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment.
There are no vaccines, though some are being tested, along with new drug therapies. The WHO ruled in August that untested drugs can be used to treat patients in light of the scale of the current outbreak.
The experimental drug ZMapp has been used to treat several people who contracted Ebola: Two US aid workers and a Briton have recovered after taking it but a Liberian doctor and a Spanish priest have died.
But the US pharmaceutical company that makes it says it has for now run out of it.
Patients with Ebola frequently become dehydrated so they should drink solutions containing electrolytes or receive intravenous fluids.
MSF says this outbreak comes from the deadliest and most aggressive strain of the virus.
The current outbreak is killing between 50% and 60% of people infected.
It is not known which factors allow some people to recover while most succumb.
Ebola: Experimental treatments
Ethics: Resolving the Ebola dilemma
I caught Ebola in Guinea and survived
*In all cases but two, first in Madrid and later in Dallas, the patient was infected with Ebola while in West Africa.


A new chain ferry is to enter service, saving drivers a 10-mile road diversion after its predecessor was retired in January.

Isle of Wight Council removed the old "Floating Bridge" after 40 years of crossings between Cowes and East Cowes.
The new ferry is two months overdue after engineers waited for tides low enough to complete a slipway.
The ferry office said 20 cars would fit on the new vessel, compared with about 15 on the old ferry.
Welsh boat building firm Mainstay Marine built the new ferry, which has an expected lifespan of 40 years.
The council said the vessel and slipway work would cost Â£4.6m, including a margin for contingencies.
It said Â£3.8m of funding would come from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, with any remaining balance paid by the council.
The first crossing is due to take place at 14:00 BST on Saturday.
The authority had invited the public to suggest names for the ferry, but later postponed a decision "until after the general election".
Suggestions made so far include "Floaty McFloatface", and "Blyskawica" - the name of a Polish destroyer which defended Cowes during World War Two.


Anyone with toddlers will sympathise with this experience.

Two children videobombed their father's live interview on BBC News on Friday morning.
Professor Robert Kelly was speaking to BBC News about the political crisis in South Korea when there was an unexpected interruption from his children who were keen to share the spotlight.
As Professor Kelly described the region's geopolitics, a little girl in a yellow jumper opened the door and sauntered into his office.
She made herself comfortable next to her dad, as he valiantly continued his analysis.
BBC Presenter James Menendez, apparently tickled by the new guest, said "I think one of your children has just walked in".
Several seconds later a baby - who seems commendably independent - makes her way into the room in a baby walker.
Very keen to offer her view, she settles next to her dad at the desk.
The girls' mum eventually rescued the girls from their live broadcast, and Professor Kelly, who smiled and maintained his composure throughout, completed his interview about the ousting of South Korea's President Park Geun-Hye.
Many social media users have sympathy with Professor Kelly.
Beth Ortega said what many parents are thinking - "we laugh with you, mum and dad, because we've all been there in one way or another".
Chris said 'the baby cruising in had me in tears laughing'.
A video of the interruption posted on one account was retweeted 18 thousand times in the first couple of hours.


Striker Daniel Carr has joined Mansfield Town on an emergency one-month loan from Huddersfield Town.

The 20-year-old will go straight into the Stags squad for their League Two match at Tranmere on Tuesday.
He has appeared three times for Huddersfield after joining them in 2013 following a short trial at Liverpool.
Carr made five appearances during a loan spell with Fleetwood Town last season and scored in their New Year's Day win over Accrington Stanley.


(Closed): US shares closed higher on Tuesday, recovering some of the ground lost since the UK voted to leave the European Union.

The Dow Jones finished up 269,48 points, or 1.6%, at 17,409.72.
The S&P 500 rose 35.55 points to 2,036.09, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 97.42 to 4,691.87.
The rises followed a rebound on European stock markets, with investors hunting for bargains after two sessions of heavy falls.
Shares in JP Morgan Chase were up 3.3%. Bank stocks have been hit particularly hard since the UK's referendum result was announced last week.
Energy shares climbed as oil prices recovered. Chesapeake Energy shares rose 5.4%, while Marathon Oil was 8.2% higher.
Exxon Mobil climbed 2.3%.
Airline stocks also saw a rebound. Delta Airlines was up 3.9%, and American Airlines climbed 5.9%.
On Tuesday, the Commerce Department revised up its estimate of how fast the US economy expanded in the first quarter of 2016.
The agency said gross domestic product increased 1.1% in the quarter, up from an earlier estimate of 0.8%.


Two hospitals missed opportunities to take action against a consultant breast surgeon who was performing unnecessary or incomplete operations, a review has found.

Spire Healthcare began investigating the work of Dr Ian Paterson at two private West Midlands hospitals in 2007.
Mr Paterson was suspended by the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2012.
Spire Healthcare has apologised "unreservedly" to all patients.
A number of key events and missed opportunities occurred at Spire Parkway in Solihull and Spire Little Aston in Sutton Coldfield leading to a failure to take action against Mr Paterson, the independent review concluded.
Mr Paterson, who was employed there from 1993 to 2012, "continually breached" Spire's practising privileges policy which, it is claimed, should have been a warning that he was unwilling to comply with procedures.
The private healthcare organisation was alerted by Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) to issues surrounding his work in 2007.
But the review said there was poor communication between the trust and Spire about HEFT's investigation into Mr Paterson.
A total of 15 recommendations for improving procedures were made in the report and all will be implemented, Spire said.
The case was referred to West Midlands Police following Mr Paterson's suspension by the GMC in 2012.
He carried out "cleavage sparing" mastectomies while at the two private hospitals and Solihull Hospital.
The GMC said the procedure, which left a small amount of tissue for cosmetic reasons, breached national guidelines because it risked the return of cancer.
More than 700 patients, who had been treated by the surgeon and subsequently recalled by Spire, were contacted as part of its review.
Mr Paterson was invited to take part but declined to do so, Spire said.
Rob Roger, chief executive of Spire Healthcare, said the report made "challenging reading".
"We give a full and unreserved apology to all of the patients and their families for any distress they have suffered as a result of their treatment by Mr Paterson while he was a surgeon at the Spire Parkway and Little Aston hospitals," he said.
"I would also like to apologise to the professionals who raised concerns at the time Mr Paterson was practising."
In December, an independent review of his work at Solihull found hundreds of breast cancer patients were failed by the trust.
The report said senior managers at the trust did not respond effectively until 2007 and their response was neither sufficiently robust nor rigorous.
In November, a solicitor representing some patients said the NHS has so far paid out Â£3,220,315 in damages, out of 503 claims.
Kashmir Uppal, from Birmingham law firm Thompsons which is representing 400 women, said the firm had settled 10 claims so far.
Frances Perks, had nine operations carried out at Spire by Mr Paterson between 1994 and 2009, including a mastectomy.
"I was [later] told that I didn't need the mastectomy or the reconstruction - there was nothing there at all, all the operations were unnecessary.
"It was very hard to accept it, to get your head around," she said.
A spokeswoman for the Medical Defence Union said Mr Paterson did not want to comment on the Spire report because of his duty of confidentiality and the ongoing investigations.


Tributes are being paid to a mother of triplets who died after spending her first Christmas at home with her children.

Poppie, Mollie and Evelyn Park were born prematurely in March and spent several months in hospital in Newcastle and Whitehaven.
Their mother Rachel, 39, died at the family home in Bransty, Whitehaven, on Tuesday.
Police described her death as "unexplained but not suspicious".
Online appeals have been launched to help Mrs Park's husband Steven care for the youngsters who were born 14 weeks early.
More than Â£4,500 has been donated towards a Â£5,000 target on Go Fund Me while Â£4,900 has been raised through Paypal.
Family friend Lucy Dawson told BBC Cumbria: "Rachel had the girls back in March this year and I fell pregnant with triplets just after.
"I got in touch with Rachel online and she supported me through every step because she knew what I was going through. I wouldn't be where I am without her support.
"She was a good friend to me and a good support to other ladies who had triplets in the area and across the UK as well."
Julie Hodgson, who also helped set up the appeals, said on her Facebook page its aim was to give Mrs Park's "beautiful family the support they need now and in the coming months".
Dozens of tributes have been posted with one describing her death as "totally tragic and heartbreaking".
The Parks spoke last week of their joy at having the children home for Christmas and told the BBC they were "three little bundles of miracles".
Mrs Park said their combined weight was less than two bags of sugar, adding: "They were really tiny. You were terrified to touch them in case they snapped or they broke."


The general secretary of UKIP has denied a claim that he sexually harassed a newly-recruited candidate.

Roger Bird has been suspended from his post on full pay over what the party called "allegations of impropriety".
Natasha Bolter, 35, who used to campaign for the Labour Party, has told the Times Mr Bird propositioned her over dinner on the day he interviewed her as a prospective candidate.
She denies claims by Mr Bird they had a sexual relationship.
As a Labour activist who had switched to Nigel Farage's party, Ms Bolter, a teacher, was greeted by cheers and applause when she addressed UKIP's conference in Doncaster in September.
She was introduced to party members by Mr Bird, a former Tory councillor who joined UKIP in 2009
He had interviewed her earlier that month as she sought to become an approved UKIP candidate for next May's general election.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Bird said they had a sexual relationship. But in her comments to the Times, Ms Bolter denies this.
Mr Bird told the BBC: "We were in a relationship briefly, but that relationship developed well after she had been admitted to the approved candidates list, so her selection was not connected to that."
A UKIP spokesman confirmed that an investigation had been launched.
On Monday, the party said it had acted "swiftly and decisively" as soon as it became aware of the allegations.
But it declined to discuss the nature of the claims, saying it was an "internal party matter".
A statement on its website said: "Unfortunately, UKIP has had to suspend Mr Bird pending a full investigation into allegations made against him.
"The party has acted swiftly and decisively and will not tolerate impropriety of any kind amongst its staff."â€‹â€‹
It is understood that an internal party disciplinary committee will decide what to do about the claims before Christmas.
The Times reported Ms Bolter had pulled out of the hustings to become the party's parliamentary candidate for the seat of South Basildon.
Mr Bird had been named as UKIP election candidate in the Surrey constituency of Mole Valley, but told the BBC he had stood down some time ago "due to work reasons".
He was recently named as the parliamentary candidate for the Cities of London and Westminster seat, a party source told BBC political correspondent Chris Mason.


House prices are rising fastest in the East of England, official figures show, as analysts suggest property market "action" has moved out of London.

The typical home in the East increased in cost by 8.3% in the year to the end of July, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Prices in London, which saw big rises last year, rose by 5.5%, slightly lower than the average in England of 5.6%.
Overall, UK house prices increased by 5.2% in the year to the end of July.
The other area to see significant price growth was Northern Ireland, up 7.4%.
Property values in Northern Ireland are recovering from a massive fall during the financial crisis, and remain 42% below the peak of August 2007, the ONS figures show,
Prices rose by 6.7% in the South East of England, the ONS figures show, although here - as in the East and in seven other regions - the pace of price rises has slowed.
Analysts suggest that the time of double-digit price rises in London is over for now.
"There is very much a ripple effect - the action has moved out from prime central London to the outskirts and those commuter areas where there is better value to be had, although not as much if prices continue to rise as they have been," said Jonathan Adams, director of central London estate agency Napier Watt.
The 5.2% average price increase in the UK was down from the 5.7% rate recorded in the previous month. Prices in Scotland fell by 1.3% and were 0.7% lower in the North East of England.
Excluding London and the South East of England, UK house prices increased by 4.4%.
The average home cost £295,000 in England, £173,000 in Wales, £154,000 in Northern Ireland and £196,000 in Scotland. In England, the highest average price was paid in London (£525,000) and the lowest in the North East (£156,000).
The average price paid in the UK was £282,000, and analysts expect this to continue to rise, not least as a result of a lack of properties in the market.
Writing in the Guardian, Neal Hudson, a housing market analyst for Savills, said that the cost of buying a property, rather than the cost of owning it, is the biggest barrier to people buying their first home. That is because a large amount is needed for a deposit, while mortgage costs are well below the norm.
Figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show that the number of homeowners remortgaging - in order to take advantage of low rates - rose by 26% in July compared with the same month a year earlier.


A 101-year-old man - thought to be the oldest person convicted in British legal history - has been found guilty of historical child sex offences.

Jurors found Ralph Clarke from Erdington, Birmingham, guilty of 21 counts of abusing two girls in the 1970s and 80s.
He admitted nine charges relating to a young boy part-way through his trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Clarke told police he was "immune to feelings", the court heard.
See the latest updates and reaction to this story here
The former RAF serviceman, of Holly Lane, who was born in March 1915, sat impassively as the unanimous verdicts were delivered.
Judge Richard Bond said he needed to "ponder with care" the sentence and added: "The reality is that he's so old it's unlikely he'll be released back into the community."
He said the public would be "horrified" if Clarke was not sent to prison.
The court had made some special arrangements for the 101-year-old former lorry driver.
He didn't have to sit in the dock and had an intermediary to help him hear proceedings. The court only sat until lunchtime each day to allow Clarke to rest.
But prosecutors said he was "lucid" with an "excellent memory".
Clarke did admit some of the offences he was charged with relating to one of the three victims but described his actions as "something that happened" for which he showed no real remorse.
At the start of Clarke's trial, prosecutor Miranda Moore QC said the defendant was arrested after two of his victims walked into a police station in August last year.
Before the case was opened by Miss Moore, the judge informed the jury there would be occasions when Clarke left the hearing without permission for personal reasons.
Det Con Emma Fennon from West Midlands Police's historical sexual offences team described the crimes as "horrific offences" and said Clarke showed no remorse.
When questioned on the merits of taking a 101-year-old man to court, she said: "The day that not prosecuting someone who hurts a child is not in the public interest, we may as well all pack up and go home."
Det Con Fennon added that his age was "no defence to what he has done".
She said: "The nature of what he did to his victims has robbed them of their childhood."
Claire Nicholls from the West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service said for more than 40 years "Clarke thought he'd got away with his crimes".
"However, due to the courage of the victims we were able to bring this defendant to justice," she said.
Clarke had told the jury the offences against the schoolboy were "something that happened".
The court heard he abused the girls at his home in Erdington, in the cab of his works truck and in his garden shed after placing them on a work bench.
His victims reported the offences to West Midlands Police in August last year after seeing Facebook posts celebrating Clarke's 100th birthday.
Investigations revealed a catalogue of abuse spanning many years.
Clarke admitted two counts of attempting to commit a serious sexual offence, two of indecency with a child and five indecent assaults on the boy.
The retired lorry driver was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on Monday.


Online retailer eBay has reported better-than-expected results but added that a strong dollar substantially hurt the company's results.

Profits for the first three months of 2015 were $626m (Â£416m), and revenues were $4.45bn, a 4% increase from a year earlier.
However, eBay said that "strengthening dollar significantly impacted first quarter results".
Revenue at eBay would have been 7% higher without that currency headwind.
At payment site PayPal, currency fluctuations were less severe, hurting revenues by 3% as a result of hedging by the site.
eBay said it expected to complete its spinoff of PayPal into a separate company by the third quarter of 2015.
"I feel very good about the performance of our teams at eBay and PayPal. Each business is executing well with greater focus and operating discipline as we prepare to separate eBay and PayPal into independent publicly traded companies," said eBay chief executive John Donahoe in a statement accompanying earnings.
Shares in the site increased by over 5% in trading after markets had closed.


The trial of a Dublin teenager held in an Egyptian prison for more than two years has been adjourned until June.

Ibrahim Halawa, the son of the most senior Muslim cleric in the Republic of Ireland, was arrested during a siege on the Al-Fath mosque in Cairo in 2013.
The 20-year-old could face the death penalty if he is convicted.
The mass trial of Mr Halawa and more than 400 others began in March 2015, after being postponed five times since his arrest.
Mr Halawa was on a holiday to his parents' homeland with three of his sisters when they were arrested by Egyptian security forces in Cairo.
Mr Halawa's sister were allowed to return to Ireland.
The Republic's outgoing Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, said he was deeply concerned over the latest delay.
"The constant adjournments in the case are, understandably, a source of concern and frustration for Mr Halawa and his family, and I share their deep disappointment," he said.
"I want to reassure Ibrahim's family of my own and the government's continued commitment to achieving our two objectives: to secure his return to Ireland as soon as possible and to ensure his welfare during his detention."
Gavin Booth, from Kevin R Winters solicitors in Belfast, represents Mr Halawa's family.
He said Mr Halawa remains on a form of hunger strike, taking water and some fruit.
"The European Parliament has taken a stronger stance on Ibrahim Halawa's case than the outgoing Irish government.
"Ibrahim's health is quickly deteriorating on hunger strike. This matter has been ongoing for two and a half years now.
"We need an urgent and unified approach from the Irish government," he said.
Mr Halawa's trial is now due to begin on June 26.


Cameroon coach Hugo Broos has left captain Stephane Mbia out of his latest 24-man squad.

The coach says that Mbia is suspended for their match against France on 30 May after his red card in another friendly against Nigeria last year.
He added that Mbia is also due to play for his club Hebei China Fortune a day earlier.
The 29-year-old will also miss a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on 3 June against Mauritania.
Mbia was left on the bench by Broos for their last Nations Cup qualifier against South Africa in March.Norwich City's Sebastien Bassong, Marvin Matip and Landry N'guemo also miss out.
There is a recall for the Tottenham Hotpsur striker Clinton Njie after recovering from the knee injury that saw him miss both matches against South Africa.
Broos has called up three locally-based players to his squad for the matches, Mohammed Djetei Union Douala, Coton Sport's Aaron Mbimbe and Jonathan Ngwem of Unisport.
Cameroon are currently top of their 2017 Nations Cup qualifying pool with eight points and one point ahead of Mauritania, with only the group winners guaranteed a place at the finals in Gabon.
Cameroon squad:
Goalkeepers: Andre Onan (Ajax, Netherlands), Guy Roland Ndy Assembe (Nancy, France), Fabrice Ondoa (Tarragona, Spain)
Defenders: Allan Nyom (Watford, England), Nicoals Nkoulou (Marseille, France), Aurelien Chedjou (Galatasaray, Turkey) Henri Bedimo (Lyon, France) Ambroise Oyongo (Montreal Impact, MLS) Adolphe Teiku  (Sochaux, France) Jonathan Ngwem (Unisport Bafang), Mohammed Djettei (Union Douala) Aaron Mbimbe (Coton Sport Garoua)
Midfielders: Franck Kom (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia), Eyong Enoh (Standard Liege, Belgium) Georges Mandjeck (Metz, France) Sebastien Siani (KV Oostende, Belgium)
Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar (FC Porto, Portugal), Eric-Maxime Choupo-Moting (Schalke, Germany),Benjamin Moukandjo (Lorient, France), Jacques Zoua (Ajaccio, France), Anatole Abang (New York Red Bulls, MLS) Karl Toko (Sochaux, France), Clinton Njie (Tottenham Hotspur, England), Edgar Sali (St Gallen, Switzerland)


Nottingham Forest have appointed Pedro Pereira as director of football.

Pereira held the position of sporting director at Italian Serie A side Fiorentina last season.
The Reds, who finished 16th in the Championship in 2015-16, are without a manager after parting company with caretaker boss Paul Williams in May.
"Forest has huge potential and I believe and hope I can contribute significantly in bringing the club back to the Premier League," said Pereira.
"It is a big honour and, at the same time, a great challenge to work with such a historical and important club as Nottingham Forest."
Pereira also worked as a CEO at Portuguese team Sporting Braga for 13 years, as they twice reached the Champions League group stage and the final of the Europa League in 2011.
"I want to sincerely thank the chairman for offering this opportunity to me," he continued.
"I respect deeply the history of the club but we have to look ahead and create the background for a new chapter of success, stability and victories.
"Our focus is to prepare the team for the coming season and to fulfil our ambitions. We need the support of all Nottingham Forest fans to achieve our goals."


From the relatively tame ice bucket challenge to the utterly senseless fire challenge, the internet is awash with all manner of social media crazes.

But for one man from south Wales, an online dare proved fatal. In her first interview since the tragedy, his mother spoke to BBC One Wales' Week In Week Out about the dangers of internet challenges.
"I had a phone call from my son Paul saying, 'Mum you need to come over. Stephen's not well'. By the time I got there it was too late. That night was the first time I'd heard about Neknominate."
Paula Brookes is angry and with good reason. Her son Stephen died of alcohol poisoning in February 2014 after downing a most of a bottle of vodka in an online drinking challenge. He was just 29 years old.
"My heart was ripped in two and I miss him," she says. "A lot of people miss Stephen and I just wish that day never happened.
"If only they didn't do these stupid things with Facebook and the internet just to give everybody a thrill, then Stephen would still be here today."
Mr Brookes, from Rumney in Cardiff, had been drinking with friends after watching Wales play Ireland in the Six Nations.
A few weeks earlier he had been "Neknominated" - a craze where people post videos of themselves on social media "necking" alcohol and nominating friends to do the same.
Friends said he downed the vodka "in seconds".  He died within an hour and was later found to have 458 millilitres of alcohol in his blood. The drink-drive limit is 80.
Stephen's was one of five deaths linked to the Neknominate craze in the UK and Ireland.
But thousands more have put their lives at risk by performing reckless stunts online.
The cinnamon challenge, for example, saw thousands of people posting videos of themselves swallowing a tablespoon of ground cinnamon without water.
It might sound harmless enough but the spice is caustic and trying to gulp it down can cause choking, throat irritation, breathing trouble and even collapsed lungs.
Then there was the fire challenge, in which people set themselves alight, timed how long it took to put out the flames and posted the whole thing on social media. Unsurprisingly, several people ended up with serious burns.
Wetnominate began with people pouring buckets of water over each other to raise money for charity. But, in an attempt to outdo their friends, "nominees" soon began jumping off bridges.
One man somersaulted off the Coed Bridge in Cynon Valley in August 2014. The video, uploaded to Facebook, went viral, with thousands sharing and liking it.
Police and the local MP Ann Clwyd cautioned against copying but it seems no amount of warning will deter a determined would-be internet star.
Peer pressure, the need to belong and a desire to be noticed will compel many people - especially younger people - to keep taking ever bigger risks in the pursuit of online fame, says social media expert Dr Laura Toogood.
"If you're going to create something that's really going to stand out, it has to be quite extreme for it to get noticed in the first place," she said.
"And I think that's one of the driving factors in these extreme videos, is that you have to do something that's more dangerous than the person before, or more interesting or more cutting edge in order to get the attention and to get the wow factor."
Two year's after her son's death Paula Brookes and her family are still living with the fallout of an online prank gone wrong.
But despite her anger and heartbreak, she still finds comfort in social media through a Facebook account set up to remember her son.
"I get messages every day on Stephen's page," she says. "I enjoying looking at the messages from all his friends, different pictures, poems, songs.
"Stephen's personality was absolutely amazing. He was funny, he was kind, he just loved everybody.
"This is what keeps me going, all these different messages. Every single day there's something new."
Mrs Brookes has strong words for anyone thinking of taking on a dangerous social media dare:  "If anybody asks you to do anything silly, to drink, jump off bridges, jump off mountains, stick your hand in the fire, just say no because it could be your mum sitting here telling the story that I'm telling. Or your dad, your brothers or your sisters."


A charity has been sent 12kg (26lb) of Tesco gift cards worth £238,000 "by mistake" instead of 23.

As reported in the Cambridge News, Ken Smith, who runs Buckingham Emergency Food from Histon, received many thousands more than his £2,380 order.
The charity sends the cards as Christmas presents for mothers and children living in women's shelters.
Tesco said it was an "operational error" and the correct number of cards were sent out the following day.
The mistake affected four other customers, the supermarket giant said, and £860,000-worth of gift cards were sent out in total, instead of the £16,000-worth ordered.
The company said it was "extremely grateful for [the customers'] honesty".
Mr Smith said he knew something was up when Tesco rang him on Tuesday morning, "sounding a little cagey" to say there was a problem with his order.
He said: "I was pacing up and down, waiting for the cards as I needed to get them posted off this week, when a large box was delivered.
"I thought, 'is this a case of wine or a large turkey order?', but when I cut it open I saw thousands of £100 gift cards."
He had been expecting 23 gift cards to arrive.
Tesco cancelled the cards and Mr Smith received the correct number on Wednesday, while a courier collected the wrong order on Thursday.
Buckingham Emergency Food was founded by Norfolk farmer Mike Buckingham 30 years ago.
Now run from Cambridgeshire, it supplies 210 charities in East Anglia and the north west of England with £200,000-worth of food for Christmas meals, much of which is donated by farmers.
The charities range from homeless hostels and women's refuges to churches running lunches for people who are alone on Christmas Day.
The £100 gift cards are intended as presents for women living in the shelters "to spend on whatever they wish, be it sausages or party hats", said Mr Smith.


Cauley Woodrow scored the only goal as Burton Albion moved above of Nottingham Forest in the Championship with their first competitive win over the Reds.

Woodrow's powerfully struck low free-kick - Burton's first and only effort on goal - went through Forest's wall and beat goalkeeper Jordan Smith.
John Brayford made a crucial second-half block to deny Forest's Matty Cash, who also wasted a late chance.
The victory was Burton's first in five games and put them 18th in the table.
Forest have now lost five in seven games, with their only win in the past month coming against automatic promotion hopefuls Brighton, and they are just two points above the relegation places, with Blackburn - in 22nd spot - claiming a point in a 2-2 draw at Norwich City.
Their first league visit to Burton - managed by former Forest striker Nigel Clough - failed to produce anything like the drama of the reverse fixture in August, when Forest overcame Albion 4-3 in what was the Brewers' debut in the second tier.
Lasse Vigen Christensen and Jackson Irvine both fired shots over the bar before on-loan Fulham forward Woodrow put the hosts ahead.
Forest's Zach Clough scuffed two chances wide for the visitors in the first half, while Brewers goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin foiled Ben Brereton at the near post.
And while Cash had two openings after the break, Burton survived to move three points clear of the bottom three.
Burton Albion boss Nigel Clough:
"The first goal was crucial. Whoever got it the opposition were going to struggle to break them down. We got it and looked after it.
"There were a few scares and they had a lot of possession but we saw it through. I'm disappointed that we didn't do enough on the break.
"In the first half of the season we were conceding goals late on in games which is one of the reasons we are where we are in the table, but the determination and resilience at the moment to see it through and get that clean sheet is what impressed me."
Nottingham Forest manager Gary Brazil:
"Obviously it's not the result we wanted. There wasn't a great deal in the game in terms of penalty box action and clear cut chances.
"We had to be a bit better in possession and in that top third of the pitch to give ourselves opportunities to score, and in fairness we didn't really do that.
"We felt if we could get one we would go on and get a second and win the game."
Match ends, Burton Albion 1, Nottingham Forest 0.
Second Half ends, Burton Albion 1, Nottingham Forest 0.
Corner,  Nottingham Forest. Conceded by Tom Flanagan.
Attempt saved. Matthew Cash (Nottingham Forest) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by David Vaughan.
Hildeberto Pereira (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Lasse Vigen Christensen (Burton Albion).
Hildeberto Pereira (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lasse Vigen Christensen (Burton Albion).
Zach Clough (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tom Naylor (Burton Albion).
Attempt missed. Tom Naylor (Burton Albion) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Jackson Irvine.
Attempt blocked. Lloyd Dyer (Burton Albion) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jackson Irvine.
Foul by Apostolos Vellios (Nottingham Forest).
Kyle McFadzean (Burton Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Apostolos Vellios (Nottingham Forest) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ben Osborn with a cross.
Attempt missed. Jackson Irvine (Burton Albion) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Substitution, Burton Albion. Tom Naylor replaces Cauley Woodrow.
Attempt blocked. Ben Osborn (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Matthew Cash.
Corner,  Nottingham Forest. Conceded by Tom Flanagan.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Apostolos Vellios replaces Ben Brereton.
Attempt missed. Daniel Fox (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Joe Worrall.
Attempt saved. Ben Brereton (Nottingham Forest) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Hildeberto Pereira.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Hildeberto Pereira replaces Eric Lichaj.
Corner,  Nottingham Forest. Conceded by John Brayford.
Attempt blocked. Matthew Cash (Nottingham Forest) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ben Brereton.
Attempt missed. David Vaughan (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ben Osborn.
Corner,  Nottingham Forest. Conceded by Tom Flanagan.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Matthew Cash replaces Michael Mancienne.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Cauley Woodrow (Burton Albion) because of an injury.
Ben Brereton (Nottingham Forest) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Ben Brereton (Nottingham Forest).
Kyle McFadzean (Burton Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Ben Osborn (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Luke Murphy (Burton Albion).
Corner,  Burton Albion. Conceded by Eric Lichaj.
Corner,  Nottingham Forest. Conceded by Tom Flanagan.
Attempt blocked. Jackson Irvine (Burton Albion) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Lasse Vigen Christensen.
Second Half begins Burton Albion 1, Nottingham Forest 0.
Substitution, Burton Albion. Lucas Akins replaces Luke Varney because of an injury.


The transfer window is about to close as clubs make their final adjustments to the squads that will take them through until the end of the season.

They have until 23:00 GMT on Monday to sign up or ship out players they will count on between then and May - so who will be the big targets and will the deals go through?
IN THE FRAME? Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur
WHY? Newcastle - who have made a £21m bid - are desperate to add firepower in an attempt to push themselves up the table and, for all his fragile relationship with West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace since a move to Spurs fell down in August, Berahino brings goals.
Spurs' need is not so desperate but history suggests he is a player manager Mauricio Pochettino rates as potential support for Harry Kane, who Berahino has partnered for England U21s.
HOW MUCH WILL HE COST? £25m.
WHERE WILL HE FIT IN? He is a young player with pace and an ability to become a regular goalscorer - important assets for any team. He scored 14 league goals for the Baggies last season and was central to their survival and has 22 goals in 88 Premier League games in all.
At Newcastle he would become a focal point alongside 21-year-old Aleksandar Mitrovic. At Spurs he would lend valuable support to Kane but also provide a danger with his ability to drop deep.
WILL IT HAPPEN? May go down to the wire and no-one should expect the tough negotiator Peace to offer any bargains to potential suitors - August demonstrated he will not be railroaded into doing business. Newcastle could also find Peace unwilling to do a deal that would considerably strengthen a close rival. And of course Spurs love a late deal.
IN THE FRAME? Liverpool, Chelsea
WHY? A late developer, the 26-year-old Brazilian has scored 22 goals in 15 league games and four in 10 Champions League games for Ukrainian side Shakhtar this season, attracting attention from major clubs elsewhere in Europe.
Liverpool have scored just 30 goals in 23 Premier League games this season and with Daniel Sturridge more or less a permanent spectator and doubts about whether £32.5m summer signing Christian Benteke fits manager Jurgen Klopp's high-intensity pressing style, their situation has become urgent.
HOW MUCH WILL HE COST? Shakhtar say Teixeira has a £53.2m buyout clause in his contract - higher than an original £38m valuation. Liverpool have so far only offered £24m with £3m in add-ons according to Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin - hence no deal so far.
WHERE WILL HE FIT IN? Teixeira will fit the Klopp template, mobile and busy as part of an attacking spearhead with the likes of fellow Brazilian Roberto Firmino. Would be a big statement of intent and he would have responsibility for solving the goalscoring gap caused by injuries to the likes of Sturridge, Divock Origi and Danny Ings.
WILL IT HAPPEN? Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre flew to Shakhtar's winter training camp in Florida to open negotiations and more hard talking needs to be done.
Teixeira is desperate for the move to go through and join compatriots Philippe Coutinho, Lucas and Firmino in Liverpool's senior ranks, saying: "I want to be there but that is up to the club president now. I can only hope. I've played with Coutinho since we were 10 and it would be a lot of fun to play with him again."
Whether he gets his wish depends on Liverpool increasing their offer and Shakhtar meeting them somewhere in the middle - but time is against this one.
IN THE FRAME? Leicester City, Newcastle United
WHY? Remy is a goalscorer of proven Premier League pedigree who is on the market because of lack of opportunities since his £10.5m move to Chelsea from Queen's Park Rangers in August 2014.
As demonstrated by their interest in Berahino, Newcastle manager Steve McClaren wants to add goal threat to his struggling side while Premier League leaders Leicester want to add quality from a position of strength.
HOW MUCH WILL HE COST? £11.5m.
WHERE WILL HE FIT IN? At Leicester he would provide support and strength for the speed and mobility of Jamie Vardy and the creativity of Riyad Mahrez.
Remy would be the spearhead at Newcastle. He is fondly remembered on Tyneside after a successful loan spell from QPR in 2013-14, when he scored 14 goals in 27 appearances. He also has a very respectable overall Premier League record of 28 goals in 71 games.
WILL IT HAPPEN? There's a good chance he will leave Chelsea, who are ready to accept offers after the loan signing of Alexandre Pato. The price is reasonable by current standards and he would fit the bill for any side seeking goals.
IN THE FRAME? Everton
WHY? Everton's problems under Roberto Martinez have been in defence this season but with his attacking resources depleted by the £8.5m sale of Steven Naismith to Norwich City and the failure of Aiden McGeady to make an impact, buying a striker is also under consideration.
HOW MUCH WILL HE COST? £13.5m
WHERE WILL HE FIT IN? A player with pace who has scored 12 times in 21 league games this season, Niasse would provide much-needed back-up for Romelu Lukaku, who has been carrying a heavy burden this season.
WILL IT HAPPEN? Everton have been looking to make a big signing during this transfer window and with Dynamo Kiev's Andriy Yarmolenko out of reach this looks like the one they will be pushing for on deadline day. Expensive for a player with no Premier League experience.
IN THE FRAME? Aston Villa, Sunderland
WHY? The 30-year-old France right-back has fallen down the pecking order and been troubled by injury during his time at Arsenal following a £10m move from Newcastle United in 2014. Debuchy has made only two Premier League appearances this season so it makes perfect sense for him to move on.
HOW MUCH WILL HE COST? Initial loan.
WHERE WILL HE FIT IN? Aston Villa manager Remi Garde is hoping to clinch a deal that will allow his fellow countryman to add experience at the highest level to a side currently looking certainties for relegation. Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce may be tempted into a late move but Garde will know the player and is currently in pole position.
WILL IT HAPPEN? There's a strong expectation Debuchy will go before the deadline, with Villa currently favourites.
IN THE FRAME? Everton, Arsenal, Stoke City
WHY? A player of proven quality who has been the talisman for Dynamo Kiev in their qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League, where they meet Manchester City. Now looks ready to finally cut his ties with Ukraine, where he is also a key figure for the national side with 22 goals in 55 games.
HOW MUCH WILL HE COST? £25m
WHERE WILL HE FIT IN? A gifted, powerful all-purpose attacker. Wonderful left-foot and can operate on both wings and also as a number 10. Trademark has been to cut in from the right and score - as Everton found to their cost in last season's 5-2 thrashing in the Europe League in Kiev.
Everton boss Martinez has had the player in his sights since then and would use him in the number 10 role. If Arsenal pursue their interest you would imagine his versatility would be ideal there.
WILL IT HAPPEN? Don't see this unless something very dramatic happens - more likely to happen in the summer. Dynamo Kiev simply blocked Everton when they tried to do a deal in August - and it's hard to see why they would sell now with that Champions League meeting with Manchester City coming up.
IN THE FRAME? Swansea City
WHY? The pacy striker is not part of manager Alan Pardew's plans at Crystal Palace this season and has yet to score in the Premier League in the current campaign - but Gayle got 10 in 29 appearances last season and the 26-year-old might just benefit from a change of scenery.
HOW MUCH WILL HE COST? £7m
WHERE WILL HE FIT IN? Swansea have been forced to look at strikers because Bafetimbi Gomis' form has faded after a bright start and he would be an energetic partner for Andre Ayew.
WILL IT HAPPEN? There is a deal to be done there and if Swansea come up with a good offer then do not see Palace resisting too hard on this one.
IN THE FRAME? Newcastle United
WHY? Struggled to deliver this season with just five goals in 21 Premier League games and his potential partnership with Andre Ayew has not worked, although the latter has done well. Swansea may be tempted to cash in.
HOW MUCH WILL HE COST? £7m
WHERE WILL HE FIT IN? Newcastle United are looking to bring in a striker before the deadline to give them an added dimension - on his day Gomis is a powerful, formidable figure. Just that those days are getting fewer and fewer lately.
WILL IT HAPPEN? Newcastle are working through a list that also includes Saido Berahino, Loic Remy and Seydou Doumbia -  manager Steve McClaren is understood to want two strikers so Gomis could be a fall-back option.
IN THE FRAME? Manchester United
WHY? Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is short of defensive resources with the likes of Marco Rojo out injured and first-choice left-back Luke Shaw a long-term absentee as he recovers from a broken leg. Rose is not currently Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino's preferred option, with Ben Davies at left-back.
HOW MUCH WILL HE COST? £6m
WHERE WILL HE FIT IN? Will fit on the left side of United's defence, where Van Gaal is struggling for experienced personnel.
WILL IT HAPPEN? Long shot but United are desperate for full-backs. Spurs will not be keen on dealing with a direct rival in this instance but could just get a late deadline day phone call. United have reportedly watched Rose four times recently.
IN THE FRAME? Arsenal
WHY? The 19-year-old left-back has barely figured for Leicester but his performances in England's youth teams have marked him out as an almost certain future international.
HOW MUCH WILL HE COST? £5m
WHERE WILL HE FIT IN? One for the future. He has also been linked with Liverpool but Arsenal are trying to get in first for a player who could emerge as a threat to Nacho Monreal and England defender Kieran Gibbs.
WILL IT HAPPEN? Leicester want Chilwell to sign a new contract at the King Power Stadium and stay at a club on the up. Would take a special offer from Arsenal, or indeed anyone else, to persuade the Foxes otherwise.
Media playback is not supported on this device


A baby girl from Lewisville, Texas, has been "born" twice after she was taken out of her mother's womb for 20 minutes for life-saving surgery.

At 16 weeks pregnant, Margaret Hawkins Boemer discovered her daughter, Lynlee Hope, had a tumour on her spine.
The mass, known as a sacrococcygeal teratoma, was diverting blood from the foetus - raising the risk of fatal heart failure.
Baby Lynlee weighed just 1lb 3oz (0.53kg) when surgeons opened the womb.
Mrs Boemer had originally been expecting twins, but lost one of her babies before the second trimester. She was initially advised to terminate her pregnancy entirely before doctors at Texas Children's Fetal Center suggested the risky surgery.
The tumour and the unborn baby were almost the same size by the time the operation was performed. Lynlee was given a 50% chance of survival.
Mrs Boemer told CNN: "At 23 weeks, the tumour was shutting her heart down and causing her to go into cardiac failure, so it was a choice of allowing the tumour to take over her body or giving her a chance at life.
"It was an easy decision for us: We wanted to give her life."
Doctor Darrell Cass of Texas Children's Fetal Centre was one of the team who carried out the surgery. He said the tumour had been so large that a "huge" incision was required to reach it, leaving the baby "hanging out in the air".
Lynlee's heart virtually stopped during the procedure but a heart specialist kept her alive while most of the tumour was removed, he added. The team then placed her back in her mother's womb and sewed her uterus up.
'Second life' for Indian baby girl left to die
Premature babies' mums want more leave
Mrs Boemer spent the next 12 weeks on bedrest, and Lynlee entered the world for the second time on 6 June. She was born via Caesarean at almost full term, weighing 5Ib and 5oz, and named after both of her grandmothers.
When Lynlee was eight days old, a further operation helped remove the rest of the tumour from her tailbone.
Dr Cass said the baby girl was now home and thriving. "Baby Boemer is still an infant but is doing beautiful," he confirmed.
Sacrococcygeal teratoma is a rare form of tumour seen in one out of 30,000-70,000 live births. Its cause is unknown but baby girls are affected four times more often than boys.


Police in Denny are investigating a report of public indecency after a man was seen flashing at passing motorists.

Drivers reported seeing the man exposing himself as he walked on the B818, near to Nethermains Road, at about 17:30 on Wednesday.
He was described as a white man in his 30s, about 5ft 9in tall, with a slim build and wearing a blue or grey hooded top and jeans.
Officers are continuing to carry out inquiries in the area.
Sgt Peter Dimberline said: "This is a fairly busy road with young children potentially travelling in vehicles, which passed the suspect, and this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable."


Net migration to the UK rose to 333,000 in 2015, according to Office for National Statistics estimates - the second highest figure on record.

Net migration is the difference between the number of people coming to the UK for at least a year and those leaving.
The figure for EU-only net migration was 184,000, equalling its record high.
Boris Johnson said David Cameron had been "cynical" to promise to bring net migration down to below 100,000 while the UK was part of the EU.
Speaking to BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg, the Conservative MP and former London Mayor said it was "cynical and unacceptable to say you can fulfil that pledge".
"I think that they (the figures) show the scandal of the promise made by politicians repeatedly that they could cut immigration to the tens of thousands and then to throw their hands up in the air and say there's nothing we can do because Brussels has taken away our control of immigration," he said.
Mr Johnson, a leading figure in the campaign to get Britain out of the EU in June's referendum, said he was pro-immigration but there was "no public consent for the scale of immigration we are seeing" and the situation was "completely out of control".
He said that the only solution was to leave the EU, saying that a vote to stay in the union would mean people "kissing goodbye permanently to control of immigration".
Laura Kuenssberg said the immigration figures "could hardly have come at a more sensitive time, just when the referendum campaign is moving into a more brutal and frantic phase".
Home Office minister James Brokenshire said David Cameron's renegotiation of the UK's membership of the EU, which will see restrictions placed on the benefits new arrivals can claim and a crackdown on "sham marriages", would "close back-door routes" into the country.
"Leaving the EU is absolutely no panacea or silver bullet," he added, telling BBC News that net migration from outside the EU was higher than from within it and leaving would "wreck the economy and harm jobs".
In other developments, with four weeks to go before the UK votes on 23 June on whether to stay in or leave the EU:
According to the Office for National Statistics, there was a 20,000 rise in net migration to the UK from the 313,000 for the year to December 2014.
The figure is well above the government's aim of getting it to the "tens of thousands" and is the highest recorded for a calendar year.
The document has moved here.
A Downing Street spokesman declined to say whether Mr Cameron remained committed to that target but said the government would "continue to look at what more might be done".
The spokesman added: "Of course people rightly have concerns on immigration but the PM's view is very clearly that wrecking the economy and destroying jobs by getting rid of our privileged access to the world's biggest market is not the answer."
He said the Leave campaign failed to spell out what would happen to migration if the UK left the EU, with some saying "they will cut migration while telling other groups that they will keep freedom of movement or increase visas".
Thursday's figures show estimated levels of long-term migration into the UK from within the EU and outside in the year to December 2015.
They show that 270,000 EU citizens moved to the UK for at least a year in 2015, up from 264,000 in 2014. The number of non-EU citizens moving to the UK was 277,000, down from 287,000 in 2014.
The rise in the net figure was the result of a fall in the numbers of people emigrating.
Analysis By Home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani
The net migration figure is just short of the record but that statistic alone doesn't do justice to the global picture and the UK's place in it. Everywhere you look, people are on the move - coming and going depending on economic and political circumstances.
EU immigration is relatively stable - although there are more southern Europeans than before thanks to the Eurozone's economic doldrums.
One really interesting figure, that doesn't affect the population headcount - officially at least - is the 110,000 rise in short-term immigration to about 1.2m.
More people are coming for less than a year - such as short contract workers selected by employers who are looking internationally for the best people at the most competitive price.
But it will also include some Brits who spend part of the year here - and the rest living in the sun.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the numbers show "mass immigration is still hopelessly out of control and set to get worse if we Remain inside the EU, going on with disastrous open borders".
But former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett warned that an agreement with France to allow British border controls at Calais and the Eurostar terminals in Paris and Brussels would be at risk if Britain left the EU.
He criticised Leave campaigners for wanting to create a "fortress Britain" - and defended the last Labour government's record immigration, saying "We didn't just simply say to Poles coming in back in 2004, just come here, we said we'd rather you come here and work than be in the sub-economy."
He added: "40% of those who registered to work back in 2004 were already in the country and the reason I make that point is because a lot of people would come in illegally if we didn't have the border controls on French soil."
The Institute of Directors said the public was "being very poorly served by the current level of the debate on immigration" and people came to work in the UK because it is one of "best performing economies in Europe".
"Employment is at a record high, and there are big skills gaps that employers cannot fill domestically. Despite the overblown rhetoric that today's figures have sparked, the actual numbers have not changed much in the last year," said IoD employment spokesman Seamus Nevin.
Other ONS figures on employment show:
How to follow the BBC One EU referendum debate


Vietnam has accused China of threatening regional air safety by conducting unannounced flights through its airspace to a disputed reef in the South China Sea, state media reported.

Forty-six such incidents were logged by aviation authorities in the first week of January, the reports said.
Protest letters have been sent to Beijing and the UN's aviation body.
Vietnam is among several nations challenging China's claims of sovereignty in the area.
China has been running test flights to an artificial island it built in the Spratly Islands, which Vietnam also claims.
The flights prompted Vietnam to complain its sovereignty had been violated.
What is stoking the tensions?


Exeter bounced back from last weekend's loss to Northampton to beat struggling Gloucester in the Premiership.

The Chiefs led 19-0 at the break through two Thomas Waldrom tries and another from Olly Woodburn, while Gareth Steenson kicked two conversions.
Greig Laidlaw got Gloucester on the board with a penalty before Charlie Sharples went over in the corner for a try, which Billy Burns converted.
Exeter pushed for the bonus point but despite late pressure could not cross.
The hosts lost wing Jack Nowell to a knee injury midway through the second half and that could have implications for England's Six Nations squad, which is announced next week.
The club's backs coach Ali Hepher said Nowell had suffered a "twisted knee" and he would be "assessed in the week", but added: "Sometimes the least painful ones can be the longest out."
With the wind in their favour, Exeter scored twice inside the opening 10 minutes as Waldrom crossed after Julian Salvi charged down James Hook's kick and then went over off the back of a driving maul.
Woodburn scored in the corner from Steenson's chip over the Gloucester defence, but to their credit the Cherry and Whites staged a mini-fightback.
Laidlaw sent over a penalty shortly after the break and Sharples touched down with 12 minutes left.
Exeter had a late effort ruled out by the TV official as they failed to score the fourth try that would have secured the extra point.
Exeter Chiefs backs coach Ali Hepher:
"At the start of the day we would have taken four points. To not concede a losing bonus point is obviously important.
"It was one of those days when you just have to battle through it and not having the ball was the best option. We showed good enthusiasm and intent to battle away and got our tries off our defensive work.
"We played pretty well with the conditions and all in all we are really pleased. This sets us up nicely for the two-week break in the Premiership."
Gloucester director of rugby David Humphreys told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:
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"The conditions were horrific for both teams. We conceded three tries - three in the first 20 minutes, two in the first 10 minutes - all three from our errors.
"All three I don't think Exeter had to play through any phases of play at all, so once you give a team as good as Exeter in these conditions that much of a lead it's a long way back - but I actually thought we played some good rugby.
"There's no secret as to why they are at the top of the table - they've been building this, they're a very, very hard team to play agains and they do their jobs very, very well."
Exeter: Dollman; Woodburn, Nowell, Whitten, Short; Steenson; Chudley; Hepburn, Yeandle (capt), Francis, Atkins, Parling, Armand, Salvi, Waldrom.
Replacements: Taione, Moon, Low, Hill, Horstmann, Lewis, Hooley, Campagnaro.
Gloucester: Cook; Sharples, Meakes, Twelvetrees, Purdy; Hook, Laidlaw (capt); Wood, Hibbard, Thomas, Savage, Thrush, Kalamafoni, Kvesic, Morgan.
Replacements: Lindsay, Murphy, McAllister, Galarza, Moriarty, Heinz, Burns, Atkinson.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.


Former celebrity publicist Max Clifford has been charged with an indecent assault allegedly committed in 1981, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

Mr Clifford, 71, was arrested on 12 March at Littlehey Prison, in Cambridgeshire, where he is serving a sentence for sex-related offences.
He was arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, the Met Police investigation into sexual abuse allegations.
Mr Clifford will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 21 July.
Baljit Ubhey, chief crown prosecutor for CPS London, said: "We have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest for Mr Clifford to be charged with one offence of indecent assault."
Operation Yewtree is investigating sexual abuse allegations and was launched in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.


The Speaker in the House of Commons has said many of the SNP's 56 MPs were "already proving to be very good parliamentarians".

John Bercow said the SNP members deserved respect for the way they turned up in large numbers to support each other in the chamber.
But he said he did not believe the party had yet changed the parliament.
Mr Bercow was speaking at an the Edinburgh Festival Fringe organised by Edinburgh University's business school.
The SNP won 50% of Scottish votes in the general election to secure an unprecedented 56 of the country's 59 Westminster seats.
Asked how the Scottish nationalists - who now form the third largest party in the Commons - have changed the parliament, the Speaker said: "The significant thing is not how the SNP have changed parliament, because I don't think yet that they have.
"I think the significant thing is that, whatever you think of the SNP, their parliamentary party has said something very significant by its behaviour since May about group solidarity.
"They turn up in large numbers, they turn up very regularly, they turn up to support each other and a lot of them are already proving to be very good parliamentarians.
"It's not for me to support the SNP or oppose the SNP and I wouldn't dream of doing so, but I'm simply saying respect where it's due."
Mr Bercow said Nicola Sturgeon's party had scored a "notable political victory" when it was credited with forcing the Conservatives to shelve plans to water down the hunting ban in England and Wales.
In a wide-ranging discussion, Mr Bercow also indicated that the House could change its stance on applause within the chamber if MPs so wished.
In May, the Speaker told SNP MPs to stop clapping during a response from the party's Westminster leader Angus Robertson to the Queen's Speech.
Asked why they were not allowed to applaud, Mr Bercow said: "I think my attitude to that is if the House wants to change its procedures, it can, if they vote to do so."


Everton have loaned defender Brendan Galloway to Championship newcomers Sunderland on a season-long deal.

Galloway, 21, has made 21 appearances for the Toffees since joining from MK Dons and also played five games for West Bromwich Albion on loan last term.
The Zimbabwe-born England Under-19 international can play centre-half or left-back.
He is new manager Simon Grayson's first signing for the Black Cats, following his move from Preston this summer.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Islamist militant group al-Shabab has taken control of the port city Merca, residents say.

However the African Union force insists it still has control of the town.
The governor of Somalia's Lower Shabelle region Ibrahim Adam told the AFP news agency that al-Shabab secured took the town without fighting.
Earlier reports had said the AU forces had left the town but they tweeted later that they "re-adjust their positions" from time to time.
"Amisom [African Union] forces moved out at midday and the local administration and all other Somali security forces left a few minutes later - and then heavily armed al-Shabab militants entered the town," local resident Ibrahim Mumin told AFP.
"They have been addressing residents at the district headquarters," he added.
Another resident, Mohamed Sabriye, told AP news agency that al-Shabab fighters had hoisted their flag over the city's police station and administrative headquarters.
However, Amisom tweeted that "contrary to propaganda by enemies of Somalia, AMISOM is still in control of Marka".
Amisom later tweeted "Our troops will from time to time re-adjust their positions for tactical purposes to guarantee defeat of terrorists. #Somalia."
It comes three weeks after al-Shabab overran an African Union military base outside the southern Somali town of el-Ade, saying they had killed about 100 Kenyans soldiers.
Kenya has not said how many of its troops died.
Al-Shabab was ousted from the capital, Mogadishu, in August 2011, but still has a presence in large areas of southern Somalia and often stages attacks across the country.
It's clear that the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) is having problems securing the region.
Sources within the mission say this is a tactical move. The problem, however, is that as soon as these troops leave, al-Shabab militants are swiftly replacing them.
It's no doubt a major setback for the regional forces, seeing as they would have to fight their battles afresh to regain these regions.
In January, Kenyan troops withdrew from other parts of southern Somalia after they suffered heavy losses in an an attack on their base in el-Ade.
As al-Shabab fills the void, it will be looking to win the support of the communities - something the regional coalition has failed to do.
And that would be disastrous overall for the regional efforts to bring peace to Somalia. The nations contributing to Amisom are expected to meet in Djibouti later this month to review their campaign.


Engines reportedly worth £3m were taken from a Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plant by thieves using a suspected stolen truck to hook up to trailers.

The truck was believed to have twice gone into the Solihull site on Tuesday night or Wednesday and the trailers have since been found empty, police said.
Sources claimed the first theft took just six minutes and took place in front of CCTV, Birmingham Mail said.
JLR said a reward was on offer.
Read more news for Birmingham and the Black Country
The West Midlands force described it as a "large scale theft" of Jaguar Land Rover engines, which was believed to have taken place at the Lode Lane site between late night Tuesday and the early hours of Wednesday.
Birmingham Mail said insiders stated the stolen 40 tonne lorry arrived at the depot at 22:30 GMT on Tuesday.
It added sources claimed the criminals obtained paperwork from the site before leaving, making their escape easier, and the stolen lorry was believed to have unloaded in the Coventry area before returning to the factory and hooking up another trailer.
Police said they had seized the empty stolen trailers.
Asked by the BBC whether any JLR staff had been arrested or dismissed, a company spokeswoman would not comment.
In a statement, JLR said it could confirm it was "working closely" with police to "investigate the theft of engines from the Solihull manufacturing plant".
It said: "A reward is on offer to anyone who has information which leads to the successful recovery of these engines.
"It would be inappropriate for us to make any further comment whilst this investigation is ongoing."


Sale Sharks are interested in speaking to Bath fly-half George Ford once the negotiation period opens in January, says director of rugby Steve Diamond.

England's Ford has been linked with a move away at the end of the 2015-16 season, particularly since his father Mike was sacked as head coach in May.
Ford, 23, was born in Oldham during his father's rugby league career and has played union for Leicester and Bath.
"We would be interested in anyone of George Ford's ability," Diamond said.
Speaking to BBC North West Tonight he added: "We've not had direct contact [with Bath or George] but when 1 January arrives and the transfer window opens we can start discussions if he fancies a chat."
Ford is contracted to Bath until the end of the 2017-18 season, but has a break clause in his contract at the end of the present campaign.
On Monday, Bath head coach Todd Blackadder said: "If George makes a decision to leave at the end of the year, that will be his decision and it will be one that we will respect.
"There will be a lot of speculation around his future but we will be guided by what he wants to do and we'll just take it as it comes."
Danny Cipriani's departure to Wasps at the end of 2015-16 left the Sharks with a gap at fly-half.
USA stand-off AJ MacGinty, who was signed from Connacht, and Dan Mugford, who joined from Championship club Nottingham, have both appeared in that position for Sale this season.
The signing of Ford, who has won 30 England caps, would be a major coup for Diamond, who was at Sale when internationals such as Jason Robinson, Bryan Redpath and Sebastian Chabal were signed and the Premiership title was won in 2006.
"Anyone who's watched us this year knows there are two or three positions that we're lacking," Diamond added. "We've got to go for world-class quality if we're to take the club where we want to over the next three to five years.
"The days of us bargain basement shopping have not completely gone. The academy is going to be the foundation of building a club, but we've got to get back the mid-2000s era of buying high-quality players, bringing them in and supplementing with home-grown players.
"We need four or five world-class players, I think, to compete."


Mainland Chinese shares ended July with their biggest monthly loss in nearly six years.

The Shanghai Composite Index closed down 1.1% at 3,664, losing 10% over the week and more than 14% for the month.
The government took further action to calm the market on Friday with a crack down on automated trading.
It restricted 24 trading accounts in which it had detected what it called abnormal bids, moves it described as malicious selling.
Hong Kong's share market headed in the opposite direction, with the Hang Seng index finishing up 0.6% to 24,636.28 points.
Investors are looking ahead to China's official manufacturing data, which is expected to be released over the weekend.
A private manufacturing report last week showed a surprise drop, prompting a plunge in mainland China's shares earlier this week.
In Japan, shares were held back as data showed inflation stalling and an unexpected fall in household spending.
The country's benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed slightly higher at 20,585.24 points, up 0.3%.
Japan's inflation in June remained at 0.4% while household spending dropped by 2%, significantly more than expected.
The weak data is likely to revive deflation fears and increase the pressure for more fiscal policy and monetary easing.
Shares in technology giant Sony fell by 1.5% despite the company releasing strong results on Thursday after the Japanese stock market had closed.
The company saw its net profit more than triple in the April-to-June quarter, helped by strong sales of its PlayStation 4 games and camera sensors.
In South Korea, positive data on business confidence and industrial production lifted shares.
The Kospi index closed 0.5% higher at 2,030.16 points.
Australia's ASX 200 finished 0.5% up at 5,699.20 points.


Ex-South Australia head coach Darren Berry is interested in the vacant position at Essex, reports BBC Essex.

The 45-year-old Australian has also previously coached the Adelaide Strikers in the T20 Big Bash.
And he was part of the coaching team as Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural Indian Premier League in 2008.
Essex have been looking for a head coach since Paul Grayson left by mutual consent on 2 September and want to complete shortlist by mid-October.
The county, who currently have Chris Silverwood in charge until the end of the season, then hope to make an appointment in late December or early January.
Essex, currently third in Division Two and without silverware since 2008, saw the first day of their final County Championship match of the season against Lancashire rained off on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, young fast bowler Aaron Beard has signed his first professional contract with the club that will keep the 17-year-old at Chelmsford until at least the end of the 2017 season.


Six Jordanian security personnel have been killed and 14 hurt in a car bomb attack near a makeshift refugee camp on the Syria-Jordan border, officials say.

The attack took place at about 05:30 (02:30 GMT) in the remote Rukban area, a few hundred metres from the camp.
A number of other vehicles involved in the attack were destroyed.
It is not yet clear who carried out the attack, but the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) has threatened in the past to "break down" Jordan's borders.
The kingdom is part of the US-led coalition against IS and has carried out air strikes on militants in Syria.
Tuesday's attack, the first of its kind since the conflict in Syria began in 2011, saw an explosives-laden vehicle blown up beside a military post.
The blast left four border guards and two personnel from the Civil Defence and Public Security Department dead, a military statement said.
"Such criminal act will only add to our unshaken determination to fight terrorism and terrorists' ideologies regardless of their motives," it added.
Earlier this month, Jordanian intelligence service officers and two other employees were killed in a Palestinian refugee camp near the capital, Amman, in what the government said was a terrorist attack.
The Rukban camp is located beside an earthen berm in the desert, about 8km (5 miles) west of the point at which the Iraq, Syria, and Jordan borders meet.
The rocky area is devoid of shade, water or vegetation and is far from any towns.
Aid workers say more than 50,000 refugees are stranded at the camp, living in deplorable conditions while awaiting entry to Jordan.
UN satellite analysts mapped more than 6,400 probable shelters in the area in late April.
The Jordanian authorities currently only allow in about 50 to 100 refugees each day, citing security concerns.
Many of the refugees are believed to have fled areas controlled by IS in eastern Homs province and neighbouring Raqqa, where forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have made gains in the past year with the support of Russian air strikes.
Thousands of other refugees are stranded at another tented camp on the border at Hadalat, about 90km west of Rukban, where the UN mapped 1,900 shelters.
The UN acknowledged in December that Jordan had legitimate security concerns, but called on the country to allow all the refugees at the two camps to enter.
Jordan is hosting 655,000 of the 4.84 million Syrians registered as refugees with the UN.
The government says more than one million other Syrians are living there, including those who arrived before the uprising against Mr Assad began.


Museum officials have not yet received a formal request for the return of the skulls of two Native American people taken from Newfoundland 200 years ago.

The National Museum of Scotland was contacted over the remains of a Beothuk chief and and his wife a year ago.
Campaigners claim they were taken from their graves and sent to a collector in Edinburgh in the 1820s.
The museum said it was "continuing a constructive dialogue" with the Canadian government.
Despite an indication last year from the Canadian department of heritage minister Melanie Joly of an intention to formally request repatriation, it has noy been made.
The skulls, thought to belong to chief Nonosbasut and his wife Demasduit, are not on display in the Scottish museum.
It said they were stored in environmentally-appropriate conditions at its collection centre.
Native American campaigner Chief Mi'sel Joe, of the Miawpukek First Nation, has visited Edinburgh and been allowed to see the skulls, which he says were taken from a grave site near Cormack.
The chief has led calls for the return of the remains since 2015.
Nonosbasut is believed to have been killed by John Peyton Jr and his men in 1819.
His wife Demasduit was captured and for a time lived with a Church of England priest. She died of tuberculosis in 1820 and her body was recovered by her tribe and buried alongside her husband.
It is thought the tribe died out within a decade of her death.
The National Museum of Scotland said the pieces in its collection came to Scotland through the actions of William Epps Cormack.
He was born in Newfoundland and educated in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
A collection of 11 pieces were sent to Professor Robert Jameson of the University of Edinburgh and entered into its collections on 15 March 1828.
Six items were subsequently transferred into the permanent collections of the National Museums Scotland in the mid-nineteenth century.
In addition to the skulls, the museum also has a model birch bark canoe, two birch bark dishes, and a birch bark drinking cup which it is thought was part of the original collection.
Two years ago, SNP MSP Michael Russell asked a question in parliament about what discussions the Scottish government had with the National Museum of Scotland over the request to repatriate the remains.
Mr Russell said: "The keeping of skulls is surely not a 21st-century response to the common humanity that we share with these two individuals, who were the last recorded individuals of this tribe, which was wiped out probably because of environmental pressures on their hunting grounds, as well as by cultural pressures."
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the museum had met those wishing the Beothuk remains to be repatriated to Canada and it had explained the "established mechanism for making a formal repatriation request".
The formal procedure requires requests to be made by a national government, supported by a national museum and by a community with "direct genealogical descendant of the community whose remains are under claim".
For tribes like the Beothuk which have ceased to exist a claim can be made by a group that "continues to share the same culture (spiritual beliefs, cultural practices) attributed to the community whose remains are under claim".
Last year, councillors in the Borders returned a Maori war flag to New Zealand after an approach from the New Zealand museum and descendants of "key parties" involved in the battle.
The flag was taken by Crown forces from a Maori tribe during the Battle of Omaruhakeke in 1865.
The exact details of the flag's journey to the south of Scotland remain something of a mystery.
It was donated to Hawick Museum in 1921 by local artist Tom Scott.
In 1999, a relic believed to have been worn by a Sioux warrior killed in the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre was returned to its native land from Scotland.
The ghost dance shirt was officially handed back to descendants of the battle victims at a special ceremony in South Dakota.
The relic was displayed for more than a century in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow after George Crager, a member of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, gave it to the museum in 1891.


What exactly is going on in Bahrain these days?

In early 2011 this tiny island state looked poised to become the first Gulf state to experience dramatic regime change at the hands of the so-called Arab Spring.
Crowds of thousands poured onto the streets, demanding first reform and then the downfall of the ruling family.
There were clashes with the security forces, deaths, funerals, human rights abuses and then a comprehensive investigation by an international commission headed by respected lawyers from outside Bahrain.
But today, only partly due to the conflicts elsewhere in the Arab world, Bahrain is rarely in the news. It is largely peaceful.
So what has happened to that uprising and the hopes for reform?
It depends, of course, on who you talk to.
"Street violence is at its lowest level in years," says a western diplomat. "It reflects a fatigue in the villages."
But Human Rights Watch describes the rights situation as "dismal", saying it continues to deteriorate.
"Today the iron-fisted policy has won out," says a critic of the government who asked not to be named.
"A lot of people have been jailed, both rioters and bloggers. The police are easily able to put down riots and seal off Shia areas within 30 minutes.
"There is no dialogue about democracy, no positive outlook."
By contrast, the secretary-general of the Bahrain Federation of Expatriates, Betsy Mathieson, from Scotland, takes an upbeat view.
"The economy is really flourishing," she says. "Hotel occupancy is sharply up, the government is investing heavily in tourism.
"But anyone who wants change should push for it through democratic means and not rioting. Bahrain needs a strong credible opposition and that opportunity has been missed."
She is referring to the recent parliamentary elections which were boycotted by the main opposition party al-Wefaq, a move criticised by some international observers.
"When al-Wefaq boycott parliament," says a diplomat, "Shia women get elected as independents which is a positive step."
On 28 December,  al-Wefaq's leader Ali Salman was jailed and now there are fears that a verdict on his case, due on 16 June, could once again inflame protests on the streets.
"Politically there is no dialogue now between the opposition and the government," says al-Wefaq's spokesman, Ali al-Aswad.
"Everything is on hold and our leaders are in jail. Now Bahrain is unstable and there is a crisis in the economy."
Another prominent opposition activist, Nabeel Rajab, has also been jailed, causing mild international protestations.
I say "mild" because Bahrain's allies like the UK and US are treading a delicate path when it comes to reform.
They have been gently pushing the ruling Sunni monarchy, the al-Khalifas, to give more jobs, opportunities and political freedom to the Shias who form the majority of the Bahraini population.
Diplomats call it "constructive and critical engagement".
But they are wary of pushing too hard as Bahrain gives both countries a vital base in a strategically important region.
Mina Salman, the naval base, is home to the US Navy's massive 5th Fleet. Next door, Britain's first permanent overseas base in the Middle East since 1971 is under construction.
Bahrain sends its princes (called sheikhs) to Sandhurst to get their military training. Britain's Royal Military Academy even has a King Hamad Hall named after a benefactor, Bahrain's ruler, who trained there.
The previous British ambassador, Jamie Bowden, was seen as a little too friendly to the opposition and too critical of the government and he was eventually frozen out by the ruling family.
But his period in Manama, the capital, saw the worst of the violence which has since subsided dramatically.
When I visited back then, in April 2011, Bahrain was effectively under martial law.
There were armoured cars on the streets, a dawn-to-dusk- curfew, policemen in balaclavas with pump-action shotguns manning roadblocks and intimidating Shia drivers.
I attended a press conference given by the then human rights minister Fatima al-Balushi where she dismissed allegations that protesters had been tortured in police custody.
This I challenged, on camera, as that morning I had witnessed a tense funeral in the Shia suburb of Sahla al-Shimaliya where a body, released by the police, was briefly unwrapped.
His back was like a zebra's, lashed and lacerated where he had been beaten to death by his jailers.
It was human rights abuses like this that prompted King Hamad to commission a surprisingly frank and critical report - the BICI Report - that called for wide-reaching reforms, especially in the police service.
I met him briefly around the time of its publication in late 2011 and found a man apparently bemused by the turn of events in his country.
"Why are people calling me a dictator?" he asked me. "I am not like President Assad of Syria. I am listening and I am choosing reform."
The jury is still very much out on whether those reforms have gone far enough.
Abuses in police custody have certainly been reduced - officers now have to attend mandatory human rights courses in Europe and CCTV cameras are installed in interrogation centres - but there has been too little accountability for senior figures.
Bahrain is a news story that is often misrepresented by the media.
Bahrain
Full country profile
Inevitably, visiting reporters have sought out the most dramatic images as the generally tranquil streets of central Manama will hardly fight their way onto a packed news bulletin.
That means venturing into certain restive Shia villages on a weekend evening to witness clashes between youths in bandanas hurling homemade Molotov cocktail petrol bombs at the police, who then respond with volleys of tear gas and baton charges.
For balance, reporters will turn to the government who usually field some dull official in an air-conditioned office, pretending that everything is fine in Bahrain.
Lost in the middle without a voice are the thousands of ordinary people - shopkeepers, business men and women, both Sunni and Shia, Asian store owners - who have simply wanted Bahrain to get back to business, and perhaps be better ruled with less corruption at the top.
This sizeable middle chunk of Bahrain's residents is sandwiched between violent Shia extremists, allegedly encouraged by Iran, who want to overthrow the whole system, and the Sunni hardliners who want to crush them without mercy.
From all my visits to Bahrain I would say there is no appetite for revolution amongst this large, silent majority, but there is a need for reform.
The more equitably this country can be ruled, the better its chances of staving off a repeat of the dark days of 2011.


Detroit in January is largely filled with just one group of people, petrolheads.

They come to the Detroit Motor Show in droves, eager to get a peek at the latest offerings from the big three US car makers and the European manufacturers who are competing for market share in the lucrative car market.
But car firms here, while continuing to focus on horsepower, are beginning to turn their attention to processing power.
That's because most analysts agree that if car makers want to appeal to a younger generation, who are driving approximately 23% less than they used to, they'll need to shrink cars into, well, iPhones.
"If you look at the buying decisions of the younger generation, they're a little worried about the navigation system that gets you from point A to point B, but mainly they're interested in texting and being able to communicate with their friends," says Gary Silberg, the national automotive sector leader at consultancy KPMG.
"Whoever gets that right, that's who will win in the marketplace."
Dieter Zetsche, the boss of Mercedes, put it more bluntly.
"The car of the future [is] a smartphone on wheels," he told the BBC.
While only about 10% of cars are connected to the internet today, that number is expected to balloon to 90% by 2020, according to the consulting group Machina Research.
The big question is who will be behind the software that connects cars - traditional car manufacturers like Mercedes and General Motors, or Silicon Valley giants like Apple and Google, who have turned their attention towards Detroit?
Both tech firms have come out with in-car entertainment operating systems in the last year.
"There is a huge battle between the tech giants and auto firms right now," says Bryan Reimer, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT's) AgeLab and the associate director of the New England University Transportation Center.
"The question is: are you going to go to the dealer five years from now and have the choice of an Apple interface, an Android interface or a [traditional] manufacturer's interface?"
Special Report: Global Car Industry
For now, most of the car firms, whose offerings are on display in Detroit, are playing it safe by keeping their options open - while keeping their ears to the ground about what's happening in Silicon Valley.
Take Ford, for example.
Mark Fields, the company's chief executive, told the BBC that the company was planning to open a Palo Alto office next week, to ensure that it remained close to Silicon Valley while considering its options.
"I think there are a lot of interested parties in what they call the fourth screen now - the screen within the vehicle," says Mr Fields.
"There are a lot of competitors that we recognised, a lot of competitors we didn't recognise, and there are probably a bunch of competitors that haven't been born yet that want a piece of the auto industry."
Ford's strategy has been to continue to develop its software in house, while making sure that it is compatible with the latest tech offerings from elsewhere.
It unveiled the latest version of its in-car entertainment software, Sync 3, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, which featured upgrades like the ability to update the software wirelessly, as well as enabling it to interact with apps such as Spotify and AccuWeather.
Notably, the company also switched from using Microsoft software to Blackberry's QNX operating system.
Yet Don Butler, Ford's executive director of connected vehicle and services, said the company was still committed to remaining "device agnostic".
"Whether you've got a Blackberry, iPhone, or any of the various flavours of Android device, your phone will be compatible with the Sync system," says Mr Butler.
The crucial challenge for everyone will be to keep up with changing technology.
"We're willing to toss out a smartphone every year or so but vehicles need to last 10 years," says MIT's Mr Reimer.
"No-one is going to have their iPhone 6 in their hands 20 years from now."
This need to predict what consumers will want in five, 10 or 20 years is complicated by the fact the industry suffers from a data problem.
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While Apple might know every app you open on your iPhone, and Google may know exactly what you search for on its engine, car firms really don't have a good sense of what exactly people want to do and interact with while in their cars.
Do we really want to be able to update Facebook while on the go? Or would we settle for being able to sync our Pandora playlists while in traffic?
And then of course there is the possibility that all of this might be made semi-irrelevant by the introduction of driverless car technology, which would free up our hands altogether.
"We're just at the beginning of a remarkable era where the car is going to change dramatically," says Guggenheim Partners senior managing partner John Casesa.
"And all of us are at the moment just trying to figure out how long it will take us to get there."


Lawyers for a newspaper have argued an injunction preventing the reporting of "well-known" man's alleged extramarital activities should be lifted.

The Sun on Sunday said information had now been published outside England and Wales and was available online.
Desmond Browne QC, who is representing the man, said lifting the injunction would be "devastating" to his client.
Court of Appeal judges are considering a legal bid to lift the injunction and will give their decision on Monday.
The man took legal action earlier this year and two Court of Appeal judges later imposed the injunction, which prevents him being named in the allegations.
Lawyers for News Group Newspapers - publishers of the Sun On Sunday - have now asked judges to lift the ban.
Gavin Millar QC, representing the Sun on Sunday, said the man had been identified in publications in the US and Scotland.
He also said there was now a public debate about the granting of the injunction.
However, Mr Browne argued a "substantial" number of people did not know the identity of the man - referred to in court as "PJS".
He said the "media storm" would be "devastating" for his client and for his children, should the injunction be lifted.
Mr Browne said "remarkable efforts" were being made to remove the story from Twitter and Google.
Details of the case emerged in a ruling by two judges following a Court of Appeal hearing in London, held earlier this year.
In the ruling, Lord Justice Jackson and Lady Justice King said PJS was a "well-known" man, who was married and in the entertainment business.
They said his spouse - named in court as "YMA" - was also well-known in the entertainment business. The couple had "young" children, the judges said.
Lord Justice Jackson said the man had appealed after a High Court judge had earlier ruled in favour of the Sun On Sunday.