Equatorial Guinea is a small country on the west coast of Africa which struck oil in 1995 and which is now being cited as a textbook case of the resource curse - or the paradox of plenty.

It is made up of a mainland territory called Rio Muni, and five islands including Bioko, where the capital Malabo is located.
Since the mid 1990s the former Spanish colony has become one of sub-Sahara's biggest oil producers and in 2004 was said to have the world's fastest-growing economy.
Despite having the highest wealth ranking of any African country, a large proportion of the population still lives in poverty. According to the African Development Bank, while oil and gas revenues have led to improvements in basic infrastructure in recent years, there has been no significant improvement in living conditions for the population.
The government has increased spending on public works, but the UN says that less than half the population has access to clean drinking water and that nearly 10 percent of children die before reaching age five.
The country has exasperated a variety of rights organisations who have described the two post-independence leaders as among the worst abusers of human rights in Africa.
Equatorial Guinea profile - home
Country profiles - home
Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring
Francisco Macias Nguema's reign of terror - from independence in 1968 until his overthrow in 1979 - prompted a third of the population to flee. Apart from allegedly committing genocide against the Bubi ethnic minority, he ordered the death of thousands of suspected opponents, closed down churches and presided over the economy's collapse.
His successor - Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo - took over in a coup and has shown little tolerance for opposition during the three decades of his rule. While the country is nominally a multiparty democracy, elections have generally been considered a sham.
According to Human Rights Watch, the ''dictatorship under President Obiang has used an oil boom to entrench and enrich itself further at the expense of the country's people''.
The corruption watchdog Transparency International has put Equatorial Guinea in the top 12 of its list of most corrupt states. In 2008 the country became a candidate of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative - an international project meant to promote openness about government oil revenues - but failed to qualify by an April 2010 deadline. It has since re-applied.
A 2004 US Senate investigation into the Washington-based Riggs Bank found that President Obiang's family had received huge payments from US oil companies such as Exxon Mobil and Amerada Hess.
Observers say the US finds it hard to criticise a country which is seen as an ally in a volatile, oil-rich region. In 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hailed President Obiang as a "good friend" despite repeated criticism of his human rights and civil liberties record by her own department. More recently President Barack Obama posed for an official photograph with President Obiang at a New York reception.
In October 2014, President Obiang's son Teodorin, a government minister, was forced to relinquish more than 30 million dollars of assets in the United States, which the authorities there say were bought with stolen money.
Equatorial Guinea hit the headlines in 2004 when a plane load of suspected mercenaries was intercepted in Zimbabwe while allegedly on the way to overthrow President Obiang.


There are no shortage of sweeteners for Wales in Plaid Cymru's glossy 64 page manifesto.

The biggest one of the lot, an extra £1.2bn for Wales, isn't even mentioned but implied when it talks about Wales receiving the same level of funding per head as Scotland.
They would also commit to spending 1% of GDP towards infrastructure projects which they say would equate to £800m for Wales.
There are many others such as an extra 1,000 medical staff, taking 70,000 firms out of business rates and the creation of 50,000 extra jobs by giving more public sector contracts to Welsh firms.
They also oppose some big ticket revenue items for the Treasury such as most of the welfare reforms and the rise in the state pension age.
Main pledges
Policy guide:  Plaid Cymru's key priorities
So how will it all be paid for and what is their attitude to paying off the deficit?
For the record, the deficit is mentioned twice in relation to finances.
My colleague David Cornock went to a pre-budget briefing earlier this month where Plaid appeared keen to kill off any impression of them being reckless spenders and where they acknowledged the need to reduce the deficit.
To be fair, the manifesto is not all about spending.
Plaid plans to reintroduce the 50p income tax rate for all those earning more than £150,000 as well as increasing the upper limit on on national insurance contributions.
Currently everyone earning between £8,060 and £42,380 pays 12%. After that it drops to 2%. Plaid would maintain that 12% rate until you earn £100,000 or above.
They would also end the pensions relief for higher rate taxpayers and double the bankers' levy, and there would be the so-called "pop tax" or levy on sugary drinks to pay for the extra medical staff.
Plaid says the policies on national insurance and pension relief would save £100bn. They'd also save £100bn by scrapping a replacement of Trident.
At the earlier briefing, Plaid said they would "modestly" increase spending on government departments by 0.5% from 2016/17 onwards, which is important in that it shows there is a limit to how much they believe spending should increase.
Away from the finances, there are some interesting questions that arise from some of the manifesto commitments.
They talk about creating a Welsh Migration Service to ensure those coming into the country match the shortages in certain skills and also for Wales to become a safe haven for those displaced by war. The inevitable question here is what Plaid believes the numbers should be.
They also talk about introducing a fair pay scheme for companies to ensure senior executive pay doesn't streak ahead of workers' salaries and the introduction of supervisory boards, made up of elected workers, to scrutinise management.
It'll be interesting to find out over the next few weeks how they envisage these bodies working.
A final word on the controversial issue of welfare. On first glimpse it seems that Plaid are broadly in agreement with Labour in their opposition to the so-called bedroom tax and also their view that there should be a review of the universal credit before it's introduced fully.


Plans to create replica trenches alongside original ones where soldiers trained during World War One have been approved by Denbighshire council.

The trenches at Bodelwyddan Castle were used by soldiers based at a former nearby camp during their basic training.
They have filled in over time although their zigzag outlines can still be seen.
Councillors approved the plans at a committee meeting on Wednesday.
A planning report said the development would provide "tourism and history benefits".
During the war, an Army camp housing approximately 20,000 recruits was built at Kinmel Park, near Rhyl, for basic training.
The Army requisitioned large areas of the Bodelwyddan estate and, while the castle was used as a convalescence hospital for wounded officers, a trench warfare training area was built within the grounds.
The trenches have similar structures to those found in Belgium and France.


Danske Bank has again upgraded its growth forecast for Northern Ireland as the economy has performed better than it expected after the EU referendum.

The bank now expects growth of 1.2% this year compared to the previous forecast of 0.8% and an original forecast of just 0.5%.
However, it expects the growth rate will slow to 1% in 2018 as inflation hits household spending power.
Many economists have revised short-term forecasts after the Brexit vote.
Danske Bank economist Conor Lambe said: "There were a number of positive data releases for Northern Ireland which pointed to a very strong end to 2016.
"And, on the whole, the data for the beginning of 2017 suggests that the economy continued to grow during the first three months of this year.
"Taking all this into consideration, we have revised our forecast for economic growth in 2017 up to 1.2%, though we do anticipate a slight slowdown in 2018."
Mr Lambe said that despite increasing inflation, he still expects consumer spending to drive growth this year.
He is forecasting growth of almost 3% in the hospitality and leisure sector and more than 2% in the retail sector.
Meanwhile, a survey of 315 chartered accountants across all sectors of the Northern Ireland economy suggests they believe Northern Ireland's economic prospects are weakening.
The survey by Chartered Accountants Ulster Society found that its members regarded political uncertainty and Brexit instability as key issues likely to affect the economy over the next 12 months.
Cuts in government spending, concerns around the increasing cost of doing business and rising inflation also featured as negative factors affecting Northern Ireland's economy.


The latest in a series of US sporting exports goes under the spotlight in the UK this weekend, looking to build a fan base and television audience away from its spiritual home.

But this is not the latest NFL game at Wembley, rather it is the equally bone-jarring mixed martial arts event in Manchester staged by the UFC, the leading promoter in a sport known in street vernacular as "cage fighting".
Casino owner Lorenzo Fertitta and his brother Frank bought the UFC - the letters stand for Ultimate Fighting Championship - for $2m (Â£1.24m) back in 2001. Since then its value has soared and it now generates $500m a year in revenues.
From being a sport with a limited TV audience, it is now shown in close to 150 countries, in 28 languages, and broadcast to one billion homes.
But why did the brothers decide to buy into a sport that was on the ropes at the time?
"It was a combination of business sense and love of sport. I thought it had good business potential," says Lorenzo, 44.
He said that coming from Las Vegas, he had seen many great boxing bouts in a city dubbed Fight Town - from Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes, to the golden era of the late 1970s and early 1980s featuring Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran, and then into the Mike Tyson era.
"But when I looked at boxing, I felt it was a broken business in many ways, with a short-term vision from a business perspective," Mr Fertitta says.
It is a business that has been around for 100 years, makes millions in revenues, but has no real brand value, he adds.
"Then we came across the UFC and felt there was value in the brand."
He said that the UFC brand had transcended the sport it promotes - mixed martial arts - and that "by establishing regulations, and improving health and safety, we could really build something".
"Combat sports are one of the few that can be transferred across a global stage," he adds.
"Sometimes sports - cricket for example - just don't travel well. We take two world class athletes, and let them use the martial arts they want."
After their purchase, the Fertittas regulated the sport, looked after the fighters, introduced marketing and sold TV rights.
In the ring they eliminated the fouls that had caused US senator John McCain to once call it "human cockfighting" - including eye-gouging, groin attacks, and head-butting.
"We took a step back, we knew we were dealing with a sport that had a controversial background," says Mr Fertitta.
"We crafted rules and regulations. We looked at Olympic Games combat sports, and took the rules and regulations from Olympic boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, taekwondo, and judo.
"That is our sport, a combination of those four. The Olympics defined our health and safety rules."
He says that based on revenues and profitability, the UFC brand is now in the top echelon of global sports franchises, alongside the likes of Manchester United, the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees.
Current big name sponsors include Gillette, Ford, P&G, and Disney.
The UFC's core base of fans are males aged 18 to 34, but in some markets, notably Brazil, there is a strong female interest.
He says the sport - helped by a strong social-media presence - is creating fans in a different demographic from boxing, which he says is increasingly seen as "your father's sport".
UFC mixed martial arts has a healthy pay-TV audience in the US and Canada, and a growing viewership in Brazil, where many of the top fighters are from.  In North America the UFC is now looking at establishing its own viewing channels.
Whereas previous strategy has very much been aimed at the US, their global ambitions are now turned to Asia and Europe, with BT Sport signed up for regular TV programming in the UK.
"Local programming in prime time - that will broaden audience access, and help us break through to our British fan base," says Mr Fertitta.
To grow the sport, the UFC a year ago hired Gary Cook - the former chief executive of Manchester City football club - with responsibility for the Europe, the Middle East and Africa region, and whose brief includes getting more coverage on to primetime slots.
He is also in the process of organising a series of European fights in major cities such as London, Berlin, Stockholm and Istanbul.
Next year, a successful American gym business is also being exported to Europe, where people can practise different martial arts under one roof. There will be a tie-in UFC fitness DVD, and there are also high hopes for an EA computer game coming out early next year.
Back in the US, there are a couple of flies in the ointment - the refusal of New York state to sanction the sport,  and allegations by some fighters that they are not fairly paid.
Mr Fertitta puts the New York impasse down to a dispute about union representation in his Las Vegas group Station Casinos spilling over into the New York legislative process.
On fighter pay, he says: "You get paid for performance. You don't hear the guys who are successful complaining. We also have a vibrant 'middle class' of fighters - guys who will never be world champion, but still make a good living."
Two of the top fighters competing in Manchester on Saturday, will be in the bout between American Mark Munoz and Brazilian Lyoto Machida, with the latter replacing injured UK fighter Michael Bisping.
Mr Fertitta does not believe the British fighter's withdrawal will hit attendances at the Phones 4U Arena event.
But he adds: "We don't just want to be another American sport that rolls in and rolls out again, we want to create a truly European sport, with homegrown talent for a homegrown audience."


Aldershot Town manager Barry Smith will leave the National League club at the end of the season after deciding to not renew his contract.

The 42-year-old Scot joined the Shots last April and guided the side to safety this season.
"I had to make a decision for my family," he said.
"The board have given me their full backing throughout the season, but also have understood why I needed to make this decision to return to Scotland."
The former Dundee and Alloa boss has won 15 of his 45 league games at Aldershot and will take charge of the side for the last time at Bromley on Saturday.
The Hampshire side are 16th in the table heading into the final day of the season.
"I would like to thank Barry for his honesty in making what must have been a very difficult decision," Shots chairman Shahid Azeem said.
"We are sorry to lose him but recognise that some things are more important than football."


Fans will be able to visit the Tardis in 3D in a special 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who later this year.

The special was announced as part of the BBC's latest round of drama commissions, which will also see Call The Midwife return in 2014.
Atlantis, a new 13-part drama, will also take the Saturday night slot previously held by Merlin.
Controller of drama, Ben Stephenson, said he wanted to make the BBC "more British than ever".
"It is about applying the Danny Boyle vision to our work - a bold, adventurous, authorial approach that exports because of its Britishness not despite it."
Doctor Who celebrates its 50th birthday in November, but it is not the first time viewers have had the chance to see the Time Lord in 3D.
Doctor Who's 30th anniversary was marked in 1993 with a 3D story, Dimensions in Time, broadcast as part of Children In Need.
The two-part adventure was filmed on EastEnders' Albert Square set, and featured Doctor Who stars past and present, as well as cast members from the BBC soap.
Steven Moffat, the show's lead writer and producer said the latest 3D escapade would bring a "whole new dimension of adventure for the Doctor to explore".
Atlantis, penned by Misfits writer and Merlin creator Howard Overman, has been billed as an "action-packed" series to begin in the Autumn.
It centres on the eponymous city - "a mysterious, ancient place; a world of bull leaping, of snake haired goddesses and of palaces so vast it was said they were built by giants".
The series will begin shooting in Wales and Morocco in April.
Other new commissions include Death Comes to Pemberley, a three-part hour-long drama, adapted from PD James' bestselling novel.
Set six years after Pride and Prejudice ends, the book features Jane Austen's best-known characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy,  and combines "classic period drama" with a suspenseful mystery plot.
BBC Four will pair The Wire's Dominic West with Helena Bonham Carter for a 90-minute one-off drama, Burton and Taylor.
They will play the glamorous, volatile ex-lovers in a story of their ill-fated 1983 revival of Noel Coward's stage play, Private Lives.


Edward Snowden is the former National Security Agency (NSA) analyst responsible for the biggest leak of top-secret intelligence documents the world has ever seen.

Russia has given him sanctuary. America wants him back. Opinion is sharply divided on what he has done.
US and British intelligence agencies and their governments say Snowden is a traitor who has jeopardised national security making us all less safe.
Gen Michael Hayden, former director of the NSA says: "He has betrayed his own oath, he's betrayed his workmates, he's betrayed his institution and he's betrayed the Secret Service of his homeland."
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley agrees: "Edward Snowden has undermined our ability to protect the public and save lives. We've got terrorists and criminals who are better informed and more alert at finding the gaps in our capability and operating there."
Opinions are equally entrenched on the other side of the argument.
Eric King of Privacy International says: "He's a hero. To me it seems clear that what he did was in the public interest. He didn't sell the secrets to a foreign government."
In the middle there's the sobering voice of David Anderson QC, the UK government's independent reviewer of terrorist legislation.
"Edward Snowden has done harm to the ability of this country to protect itself but I think you could also say that he's done us a service by ensuring that these intrusive powers will be publicly debated and properly provided for in law."
That debate, about the Investigatory Powers Bill regulating intrusive surveillance by the intelligence agencies, will get under way in a few weeks' time.
We decided that viewers could make up their own minds should the interview with the man at the eye of the storm materialise.
Edward Snowden: Leaks that exposed US spy programme
It took producer Howard Bradburn and I three months to try to arrange Edward Snowden's first British television interview.
We considered doing a Skype interview but decided we should try for a face-to-face meeting, as there is no substitute for interviewer and interviewee looking each other in the eye.
First, we had to persuade Edward Snowden to do the interview.
We understood he was reluctant as he was not enamoured of the way he feels he has been treated by the British media - with the exception of The Guardian, where his leaks were published.
We never spoke to him directly but worked through intermediaries, where necessary using encrypted emails.
In the end we were told he was prepared to consider an interview but only if he was part of the wider debate.
He was aware of the forthcoming parliamentary debate and wanted to engage with the issues surrounding it.
We said that we wanted to interview him as part of that debate.
He finally agreed. We were told to go Moscow, check into a hotel, provide a room number and on a set date and at a set time, Edward Snowden would come and knock on the door.
Waiting with an empty chair was the worst bit, fearing that the chair may remain empty and we would return to London without an interview.
Then, while Howard and the crew were setting up, the phone in the hotel room rang.
"Hello," said a voice. "It's Ed. I'll be with you in 15 minutes."
Then came the knock on the door.
I didn't recognise him at first as he wasn't wearing the glasses that have made him a recognisable figure the world over, almost approaching Che Guevara status.
He was carrying a rucksack and dressed in black. He looked trim, fit and healthy.
He was engaging, personable and clearly highly intelligent.
For reasons of security, given that we were working in Vladimir Putin's Russia, we never told anybody at home what we were doing.
It was only when we were safely out of Russia with the interview that we felt free to say what we had done.
The first question from just about everybody was, "What's he like?"
Such is the fascination with the man.
He looks even younger than his 32 years and shows no outward sign of all that he has been through, albeit of his own doing.
He is driven by a single conviction that his actions were right and the public should know what is done in its name.
He refuses to accept that he has done damage, something the intelligence agencies dispute.
Edward Snowden faces a future between a rock and hard place.
He can spend the rest of his days in Russia, courtesy of President Putin.
"He's going to die in Moscow. He's not coming home," says Gen Michael Hayden.
Or he can spend many years behind bars in the US.
His fellow American leaker, Chelsea Manning, was sentenced to 35 years under the Espionage Act. Edward Snowden faces charges under the same act should he return.
"I'm a whistleblower, not a spy," he insists.
Nevertheless, he remains unrepentant about what he has done.
"I have paid a price but I'm comfortable with that and I have to say I sleep more soundly than I ever have before."
But where those nights will be spent remains to be seen.


A woman has been arrested and two teenagers reported to prosecutors over alleged drugs offences after the death of an 18-year-old man in Cumbernauld.

Declan Thomson fell ill at a house in the North Lanarkshire town in the early hours of Sunday morning. He died in Monklands Hospital later that day.
Police said his death was unexplained. It is believed they are looking into whether it was drugs-related.
A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out to establish how he died.
A 17-year-old woman was arrested and is expected to appear at Airdrie Sheriff Court on Wednesday in connection with alleged drugs offences.
Two males, both aged 15, have been reported to the procurator fiscal in connection with alleged drugs offences.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: "An 18-year-old man was admitted to Monklands and District General Hospital at around 0230 hours on Sunday 3 April 2016 after becoming unwell at a house in Cumbernauld. He died within hospital later that day.
"The death is being treated as unexplained, however, a post-mortem will be carried out in due course to establish the exact cause of death.
"A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal."
Mr Thomson's brother, Dean, died last year aged 19.
Posting on Facebook, their mother Linda Ann Thomson, said: "Never forget the days U were born now I will never forget the days we had to say goodbye to U both.
"Me and Dec were sooo close. My heart has now been broken twice.
"My heart goes out to my poor Anthony I love all my boys loads and will never ever B forgotten my 2 lovely angels xxxx."


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Theresa May is to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks in Downing Street later.

Discussions are expected to cover increasing trading relations between the UK and Israel after Brexit.
Mrs May is also expected to restate concerns over settlement building in the West Bank, with Mr Netanyahu urging a "common front" against Iran, after it test-fired a ballistic missile.
It is the first time the two leaders have met in person.
They spoke by telephone after Mrs May became prime minister last year.
The UK backed a United Nations Security Council resolution in December denouncing Israel's settlements in occupied Palestinian territory as a "flagrant violation" of international law and a "major obstacle" to a just and lasting peace.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "Theresa May must make clear to the Israeli prime minister that the British government will stand unequivocally behind the rights of the Palestinian people, along with the many who support them in Israel, as well as human rights and justice across the region."
Mrs May's official spokesman has said Monday's talks will cover "a range of security and international issues, including the Middle East peace process", adding that "the continued increase in settlement activity undermines trust".
The US has imposed sanctions on Iran following the testing of a missile - reportedly a medium-range ballistic missile - last month.
The UK was one of the signatories to the 2015 international agreement by which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of economic sanctions.
But while Mrs May has described it as "vital" for the security of the region, Mr Netanyahu has said he regards it as a bad deal which will do nothing to halt Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Before leaving Israel for his UK visit, Mr Netanyahu said: "In the diplomatic sphere, I intend to emphasise the need for a common front against Iran's defiant aggression which has raised its head in recent days."
With Brexit negotiations expected to begin as soon as April this year, the UK government says it is beginning unofficial talks with countries outside the European Union on promoting future trade.
This is expected to form part of Monday's discussions.


US singer Paul Simon and cellist Yo-Yo Ma are to be the recipients of this year's Polar Music Prize.

The award, which is Sweden's highest music honour, is presented annually to both a pop act and classical performer.
It is given in recognition of "exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music".
The pair will collect their one million kronor (Â£91,000) prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf at a Stockholm ceremony on 28 August.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Music praised Simon for his "consummate skill, innovative arrangements and provocative lyrics".
"Nobody else is more deserving of the epithet of 'world-class songwriter'," it said.
"For five decades, Paul Simon has built bridges not only over troubled waters but over entire oceans by (re)joining the world's continents with his music. Paul Simon has compiled a library of songs which will remain open to future generations."
The academy also lauded Ma as "the leading cellist of our time" who had "united people from every continent".
"Yo-Yo Ma has dedicated his virtuosity and his heart to journeys of musical exploration and discovery around the world," it said.
"[He] is living proof that music is communication, passion and the ability to share experience."
The prize was founded by Stig Anderson, the manager of Swedish pop group ABBA, in 1989.
Previous recipients include Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan and Ennio Morricone.
Last year's winners were Patti Smith and US string group Kronos Quartet.


A 74-year-old woman has died after a two-vehicle crash near Castledawson, County Londonderry.

Alice Smylie, from the Ballymena area, died in the crash on the Hillhead Road just after 10:40 GMT on Saturday morning, police said.
Three men were taken to hospital but their injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
Police said the crash happened near the Creagh Road and involved a red Kia Soul and a black Mazda.
They have appealed for information.


Actor Johnny Depp appeared to threaten US President Donald Trump during a speech at the Glastonbury Festival.

"Can you bring Trump here?" he asked the audience, as he introduced a screening of his film The Libertine.
After receiving jeers from the crowd, he added: "You misunderstand completely. When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"
"I want to clarify," he added, "I'm not an actor. I lie for a living [but] it's been a while. Maybe it's about time."
The star acknowledged that his comments - which may have been a reference to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by actor John Wilkes Booth in 1865 - would prove controversial.
"By the way, this is going to be in the press and it'll be horrible," he said. "It's just a question, I'm not insinuating anything."
He is not the first US celebrity to allude to killing the president.
At a rally in Washington DC, Madonna said she thought "an awful lot about blowing up the White House" and the US rapper Snoop Dogg shot a toy gun at a Donald Trump character in a music video.
But on social media, some have criticised Depp's comments - which come days after a gunman shot and injured Republican congressman and four others in Virginia in the US.
"Casual Johnny Depp: 'When was the last time an actor assassinated a President?' GOP reps targeted & shot days ago," tweeted one user, Chet Cannon, referring to the incident.
The US Secret Service is aware of Depp's comments, according to US media reports.
Festival-goers in Somerset met his comments about President Trump with laughter, albeit mixed with shock.
Depp - wearing distressed jeans and a black fedora - was mobbed by fans as he arrived at Worthy Farm.
Speaking to the BBC afterwards, one fan was more concerned with meeting her idol than analysing his politics.
"I don't even know what to say. I'm going to die," said Jess Gallagher. "He reached out and touched my hand and I don't know what to do.
"He's an amazing actor and I've loved him ever since I studied him in year 11 in A-Level drama. I can't cope!"
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


A lifeboat and Coastguard search has been carried out after a report of a body seen in the water near the Tay Road Bridge at Dundee.

Both Broughty Ferry lifeboats were called out shortly before midday, with a Coastguard helicopter later joining the search.
Coastguard officers conducted a search on foot of the waterfront area close to the bridge.
The lifeboats were stood down at about 15:00.
A Broughty Ferry RNLI spokesman said: "The inshore lifeboat was launched within six minutes and was quickly in the area of the reported sighting.
"The all-weather lifeboat Elizabeth of Glamis was launched a short time later to join the search.
"Following an extensive search of the area no one was found."


A strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea has killed at least two people on the Greek island of Kos, officials say.

The 6.7-magnitude quake hit 12km (seven miles) north-east of Kos, near the Turkish coast, with a depth of 10km, the US Geological Survey said.
At least 20 others were injured on Kos, a popular tourist destination. Some buildings were damaged.
In the Turkish city of Bodrum, several people were injured as they tried to flee the quake.
Pictures on social media showed people in the city walking with water lapping their ankles and localised flooding, and about 70 people sought hospital treatment for minor injuries.
The earthquake struck at 01:31 on Friday (2230 GMT Thursday).
Turkey and Greece sit on significant fault lines and are regularly hit by earthquakes.
One of the deadliest in recent years hit the heavily populated northwest of Turkey, in 1999, killing some 17,000 people.


Drivers will face long delays at ports and tailbacks on the roads if Brexit is not handled properly, an assembly committee has warned.

Its report said urgent action was needed to avoid disruption.
AMs on the cross-party external affairs committee also said they were disappointed by how little contact there had been between the Welsh and Irish governments to discuss Brexit.
The Welsh Government said it would look at the report and respond formally.
The committee's report has looked at the impact of leaving the EU on Wales' 32 ports - seven of which are considered major ports.
It said having a soft border in Ireland but a hard sea border between the Republic and the UK could "severely disadvantage Welsh ports and result in a loss of competitiveness leading to a displacement of traffic from Welsh ports, principally Holyhead, to ports in England and Scotland, via Northern Ireland".
The committee said it was "extremely concerned" that Welsh Economy Secretary Ken Skates has not met counterparts in the Irish government to discuss Brexit.
AMs said freight companies could send cargo to Northern Ireland from Scottish and English ports, instead of sailing directly to the Republic of Ireland from Holyhead, Pembroke and Fishguard.
It is not currently known what type of border would exist between Britain and Ireland.
The ports are estimated to contribute Â£1bn to Wales' economy.
"Urgent action will be necessary if our worst fears - of lengthy delays at our ports, disruption to wider supply chains and tailbacks on our roads - are to be avoided," the committee said.
There are also warnings about the "technological and logistical challenges" if new customs checks are needed and about whether ports would be able to cope with border controls.
Committee chairman David Rees said: "Welsh ports directly support 18,400 jobs and many more besides.
"At the moment, Holyhead and Fishguard both work on the premise of seamless travel from one side of the Irish Sea to the other for goods and people.
"We learned that many Welsh ports lack the physical capacity to accommodate new customs and border checks, which could have an unwelcome effect including increased delays and congestion."
Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said the report's finding that Economy Secretary Ken Skates had not met Irish counterparts to discuss a way forward was "damning".
"It's yet more evidence of a Labour government which is happy to sit on the side-lines complaining - rather than taking a positive and proactive approach to making Brexit work for everyone," he said.
A Welsh Government spokesman said it had "set out clearly our priorities for Brexit" and stressed any changes to migration and customs rules "would have an immediate and major impact at Welsh ports".
"As the economy secretary made clear in his evidence to committee, tariffs, the wider fiscal regime and customs arrangements are reserved matters for HMRC," he said.
"We have been calling on the UK government to ensure that - if they continue to insist on an approach to Brexit which would take the UK out of both the single market and the customs union - customs arrangements, which are the ports sector's key concern,  are proportionate to support so-called 'frictionless' trade and do not in any way disadvantage Welsh ports.
"We have also pressed the point that the UK government needs to provide funding for any additional requirements that Welsh ports might require as a result of arrangements post Brexit,  including infrastructure."
The spokesman added it would continue to "engage closely with the sector on the potential threats and opportunities that Brexit presents for ports" and continue to work with other partners, including its counterparts in Ireland.
The UK government's Brexit department declined to comment.


The Saatchi Gallery is hosting its first exhibition dedicated to the work of female artists to mark the venue's 30th anniversary.

Champagne Life pays tribute to the gallery's commitment to supporting the work of women artists early in their careers.
Organisers say the exhibition will provide "a rare and apposite moment to reflect on what it means to be a female artist working today".
The exhibition is named after one of the works on display by Julia Wachtel.
Organisers say: "Champagne Life suggests high living, prestige and affluence... the irony of the title is palpable and throws into contrast the reality of many long, cold, lonely hours working in the studio with the perceived glamour of the art world."
American Wachtel has been working in the same vein since the 1980s as part of the Pictures Generation, who were originally influenced by Andy Warhol and more recently by the internet's quick exchange of images and the blossoming of celebrity culture.
Alice Anderson used 181 kilometres of copper thread in her piece Bound.
She addresses the loss of the tangible by mummifying items in copper threads to create recorded objects.
Iranian Soheila Sokhanvari describes herself as a "cultural collage between Eastern and Western philosophy", her work moving between political commentary and the magical.
She uses visual metaphors to deal with the Iranian state. Moje Sabz speaks of the Green Movement uprising of 2009.
Sigrid Holmwood uses psychedelic neon tones clashing with historical re-enactments of the lost Swedish traditional lifestyle of the 19th Century in her work.
She takes part in historical re-enactments, often wearing costume of the period when painting in public and using materials from the time she is recreating.
Born and brought up on the Isle of Man, Stephanie Quayle's sculptures link man to nature through the organic material of clay as well as animal to human.
"I'm interested in how much we align or distance ourselves from them - how they reflect, question and return our gaze. How they see into our souls and connect us to the natural world and force of nature inherent within," she says.
Fantastical figures appear against deep, saturated colours in Mequitta Ahuja's canvases.
She weaves ancient mythologies into a style embracing all cultures and is autobiographical - the figures are often self-portraits. Her art conveys the conviction that identity is ours to fabricate.
Virgile Ittah's work is a study of the frailty and transience of the human body, where bodies' muscles and flesh are rendered in painstaking detail.
She plays with the confrontation between the organic material of wax, and the cold rigidity of the metal antique beds.
Champagne Life opens at the Saatchi Gallery on 13 January.


The chancellor has announced a £2bn rescue package for the social care sector in England.

Philip Hammond says the extra money - to be phased in over three years - will help support a system that is "clearly under pressure".
It comes after months of warnings that services provided by councils for the elderly are under threat because of a lack of funding.
The numbers getting help in care homes and in their own homes for daily tasks such as washing and dressing have been falling in recent years.
This trend has been blamed for contributing to the growing pressures being seen in the NHS, particularly the rise in visits to A&E.
Social care chiefs have said they will need to spend nearly £20bn on services this year.
But even when you take into account the extra money being raised from council tax increases and NHS money that is being transferred across, (both previous policy announcements to help out the sector) councils are still nearly £1bn short of what they need.
By 2020 that funding gap is predicted to grow to £2.6bn.
The money announced in the Budget will go some way to plugging that gap, but clearly not all the way.
It is expected to be phased in - with £1bn coming next year and the remaining £1bn spread out over the subsequent two.
This will go into a pot shared across both services for the elderly, and those provided to younger adults with disabilities.
Charities have called it a "sticking plaster" to the wider problems facing the sector.
Although, to be fair to the chancellor, he said the extra money would be followed by a green paper later in the year to overhaul the entire system, which has remained largely unchanged since it was created along with the NHS, after the Second World War.
About 500,000 people in England pay the full cost of their care in England. This can prove very expensive.
One in 10 people face costs of over £100,000 once they pass the age of 65.
And there is growing evidence these self-funders are helping to prop up the council-funded side of the market.
Analysts LaingBuisson have calculated that the fees councils pay care home firms are £100 a week below the actual cost of providing the care.
Its researchers say this shortfall has effectively created a "hidden care tax" with self-funders now paying more than 25% extra for the same care.
To limit these costs the coalition government announced in 2013 it would be introducing a cap on the cost of care so no-one paid more than £72,000 over their lifetime.
This was meant to be introduced in 2016, but that was delayed until 2020. The green paper that was announced in the Budget will set out how - indeed if - that policy will be incorporated into any future changes.
But the extra money will do nothing to help these people.
More than 4m people over the age of 65 have care needs, but only about 1.35m of them get formal care - either by paying for it themselves or relying on council help.
What happens to the rest? There are 1.5m people who are cared for by family and friends and another 1.2m who struggle by with little or no help.
In theory councils could use the extra money to increase the number of people they help.
But given there's already a shortfall in funding to maintain the status quo, it seems doubtful this will happen. Again, the promise of longer-term reform remains their best hope.
They may also benefit from extra support announced in the Budget for the NHS.
There is £100m extra to help A&Es ahead of next winter and £325m over the next three years to help with NHS reform by getting local plans off the ground to shift care out of hospitals and into community services.
Eventually this should help boost services such as GPs and district nursing, which the frail elderly are heavy users of. However, given the health budget is currently nearly £120bn a year, the impact of this extra money will be limited.
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A US serviceman has been killed by an improvised explosive device while fighting against so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria, officials say.

The soldier, who has not been named, died after the device detonated in Ayn Issa, north of the IS stronghold Raqqa.
It is the first such death since US special forces deployed in Syria in October 2015.
Meanwhile at least 32 people have been killed in intense Syrian air strikes on rebel-held east Aleppo, monitors say.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors casualties, said the attack was one of the heaviest since Syrian forces resumed an offensive on the east earlier this month.
A statement from the anti-IS US-led coalition said the serviceman died on Thursday from wounds sustained in the blast.
Coalition commander Lt Gen Stephen Townsend called the soldier a "hero" and praised those he said were protecting his country from IS's "hateful and brutal ideology".
"On this Thanksgiving, please be thankful that there are service members willing to take up the fight to protect our homeland," he said.
US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said the soldier's death was a "painful reminder of the dangers our men and women in uniform face around the world to keep us safe".
About 300 US special forces personnel have been deployed in Syria to advise an anti-IS alliance of Arab, Kurdish and other fighters, and improve the coalition's targeting of air strikes.
Meanwhile, the Syrian government has intensified its offensive on east Aleppo, monitors and activists say.
"There was an escalation in the evening, with successive bombardments," SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP news agency, adding that many people were trapped under rubble.
Five children were reported to be among the dead.
Syrian forces stepped up ground and air attacks on eastern Aleppo in November following a three-week moratorium.
Once Syria's commercial and industrial hub, Aleppo has been divided roughly in two since 2012, with the government controlling the west and rebels the east.
In late September, two weeks after encircling the east and reimposing a siege on its estimated 275,000 residents, the army launched an all-out assault to take full control of the city.
Rebels launched a counter-attack in an attempt to break the siege in late October. But their progress slowed after early gains.


MSPs have voiced dissent against the UK government's Trade Union Bill during a debate at Holyrood.

The matter was debated by the full parliament after a report condemning the Westminster bill was put together by the devolution committee.
The SNP and Scottish Labour are both strongly opposed to the bill, and have made efforts to have it blocked north of the border.
Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone alone defended the bill as "reasonable".
Members lined up to speak out against the legislation, which seeks to tighten regulations on trade unions and make it more difficult to call strikes.
MSPs voted to support the conclusions of the committee by 99 to 14, while an amendment from Labour calling on parties to support efforts to block the bill was also overwhelmingly accepted.
Leading the debate, SNP minister Roseanna Cunningham described the "poorly thought-out bill" as being "nothing more than an ideological attack on trade unions, with no evidence to underpin it".
She earlier attempted to lodge a legislative consent memorandum, a special motion which would have allowed the Scottish Parliament to block the bill from applying north of the border, but this was rejected by Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick.
Scottish Labour is making efforts to have Holyrood's standing orders changed to allow such a motion to be lodged.
The party has voiced opposition to the bill repeatedly, with one MSP ejected from the chamber while protesting against Ms Marwick's decision.
Labour MSP Neil Findlay said the "vast majority" of MSPs opposed the bill, which he called an "aggressive, regressive and an unwarranted ideological attack on workers' rights".
Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur added his voice to those opposing the bill, saying it had "no place in Scotland, frankly no place anywhere in the UK".
There was however some division among the parties opposing the bill, with SNP MSP Mark McDonald criticising Labour for not supporting his party's attempts to have employment law devolved to Holyrood.
Only Mr Johnstone spoke in defence of the bill, accusing other members of trying to "out-left each other". He was the sole member of the devolution committee to dissent from the conclusions carried in its report.
He said the bill fulfilled a Conservative manifesto promise, saying people had "real concerns" about strikes.
He said it would "increase transparency" and reiterated the Tory position that unemployment and trade unions laws were reserved to Westminster.


The head of one of England's biggest exam boards has expressed "profound regret" after leaks hit two of its A-level exams in the past few days.

Rod Bristow said Edexcel's maths and economics exams had been overshadowed by concerns that content had been available beforehand.
Some of an economics exam appeared on social media and a maths paper was apparently for sale online.
Police arrested and released two men pending further inquiries in the case.
The alleged leaks prompted angry responses from teachers' and head teachers' leaders, who said this year's exams had been "plagued" with problems.
Pearson, which owns Edexcel, said the sale of maths exam papers had been confirmed on Friday.
But Pearson chief executive Mr Bristow said this was "too late to replace papers to be sat that day and the following Monday".
"We notified the exams regulator Ofqual and took the evidence we had gathered to the police, who immediately began their investigations.
"The police rapidly made arrests, but their detailed investigation takes time, and we had to make a decision about how to approach the exams that students still had to sit," said Mr Bristow.
"In any situation like this we have well-established contingency plans that adhere to one over-riding principle - fairness for all students.
"We have to ensure that the exams are secure, and that we will be able to mark papers to ensure fair results.
"If we had had any reason to believe that there had been a widespread breach of the maths papers, we would have postponed this week's sittings without hesitation."
As the police had suggested the problem was localised, the board decided to issue replacement exam questions for the papers to be sat in the small number of schools and colleges thought to be affected.
Staff visited those centres on Monday morning to help teachers issue the replacement questions, said Mr Bristow.
The issue of the economics A-level paper was quite different in nature.
The board was alerted after some content from the exam appeared on social media about 20 minutes before it was due to be taken.
Mr Bristow said: "This contained no precise details about specific questions and we do not believe any student has been disadvantaged, although we will monitor trends very closely."
Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: "The reputation of exam boards relies on the security and effective administration of exam papers.
"But this summer's exams have been plagued with questions leaking, unanswerable questions and essential information missing from exam papers. Students, parents and teachers are likely to be distressed by these failings and lose confidence in the exam system."
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, added: "We expect more of the examination boards, whose reputation rests in their ability to design and check exam papers, and then to guarantee their security.
"Schools and colleges pay thousands of pounds each year for this service."


Members of Sri Lanka's women's cricket team were forced to perform sexual favours to keep their places in the team, the sports ministry has said.

The ministry said evidence of sexual harassment was uncovered in an investigation begun last year.
It was launched following reports a player had been dropped for refusing to have sex with cricketing officials.
Disciplinary procedures would now be initiated, the ministry said, without naming the individuals involved.
"It is a shameful incident," Sri Lankan Children's Minister Rosy Senanayake told the AFP news agency.
It is not clear what action will be taken against the alleged offenders.


Scotland's Hannah Miley earned the first gold medal in the pool after obliterating her own Commonwealth Games record in the 400m medley in Glasgow.

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The 24-year-old from Inverurie clocked four minutes 31.76 seconds to improve on the new mark of 4:38:27 she set in the heats on Thursday morning.
England's Aimee Willmott, 21, from Middlesbrough, led for the first 350m but was overhauled in the final leg and had to settle for silver.
Keryn McMaster of Australia won bronze.
The crowd's reception for Miley when she arrived on poolside before the race was near deafening, but the swimmer appeared unaware, wearing headphones and looking at the floor.
Willmott started more strongly though, even holding off Miley in her strongest breaststroke stage before the Scot responded in the final stages with a brilliant freestyle finish.
"I tried to drown out the noise a little bit before the race," Miley, who became the first Scot to win Commonwealth swimming gold in Scotland, told BBC Sport.
"But it was really great and helped me both tonight and in the heats."
Further home nations medal success came in both the men's 400m freestyle and the women's 200m equivalent.
England's 18-year-old James Guy clinched bronze in the former, finishing ahead of Scottish trio Stephen Milne, Dan Wallace and Robbie Renwick.
The Scots had all qualified for the final in quicker times than their Bury-born rival but finished fifth, seventh and eighth respectively.
Despite struggling to produce a sample for doping control - meaning a two-hour wait after the morning session - Guy was able to deliver an impressive new personal best of 3:44:58 and finish behind winner Ryan Cochrane of Canada (3:43:46) and Australian David McKeon (3:44:09).
More home nations' medal success came when England's Siobhan-Marie O'Connor took silver in the women's 200m freestyle.
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The 18-year-old from Bath only missed out on gold by 0.25 secs, with Australia's Emma McKeon taking the title in a new Games record of 1:55:57.
Her compatriot Bronte Barratt won bronze with Jazz Carlin of Wales sixth in 1:57:26.
The final event of the evening, the women's 4x100m freestyle relay, yielded another medal for England - this time a silver.
The quartet of O'Connor, Fran Halsall, Becki Turner and Amy Smith were 4.74secs adrift of the imperious Australians, who smashed the world record.
Their time of 3:30:98 was almost three-quarters of a second faster than the previous mark.
Canada took bronze and Scotland were fifth ahead of Wales, with Northern Ireland finishing eighth.


A residents' group has challenged the sports minister after she said she was unaware of safety concerns regarding the redevelopment of Casement Park.

Safety expert Paul Scott said last week the planned 38,000-capacity Belfast stadium could not be evacuated safely.
He told the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee there was the potential for a disaster like the Hillsborough tragedy.
Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said that the first she had heard of his claims was when he appeared before the committee.
She said she was "absolutely confident that had concerns of that nature been raised with my officials before I would have heard about it".
However, the Mooreland and Owenvarragh Residents Association (MORA) claim they have evidence that contradicts the minister's assertion.
Carmel McCavana, chairperson of the association, said: "We have lots of evidence. It was presented in court [at the judicial review].
"We have reports that the police made to DCAL about safety concerns, so I just can't understand how she didn't know, or any of of her officials didn't know."
In a statement on Wednesday evening, a spokesman for the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL)  said Mrs Ní Chuilín had repeatedly said that "the allegations made to the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee on 30 April are now the subject of an independent investigation".
"This investigation will have access to all relevant documentation and will also take evidence from individuals as it deems appropriate."
The DCAL spokesman added: "It is important that due process is adhered to throughout the investigation and that conclusions are not drawn or inferred from selective material which has been obtained by the media."


A south Wales MP is holding a community surgery in a McDonald's after being refused permission to hold it in a beach hut.

Alun Cairns, who represents the Vale of Glamorgan, wanted to pitch up in one of Barry's colourful seafront huts.
But the council refused as this would be classed as "commercial" use.
Mr Cairns said the decision was "ridiculous". But the seaside's loss is Ronald McDonald's gain - the surgery will be in the town's fast food venue.
The Conservative MP wanted his Saturday morning surgery on the seafront, but the council's rules state the huts cannot be rented by "charities, organisations, traders, schools etc. unless it is a pre-planned commercial week".
He said: "The beach huts are barely being used and I wanted to meet residents on Barry Island in a venue that was accessible whilst at the same time draw attention to the possible different uses for a beach hut."
A council spokesman said: "The booking was declined as the beach huts are normally available only for use by members of the public."


Every Paralympian has a story of how they battled the odds to compete in the sport they love, but few have a tale as remarkable as Australian swimmer Ahmed Kelly.

Kelly, 24, is from a family of amazing resilience.
His adoptive mother is a world-renowned humanitarian, his brother - who was born with similar, severe limb deficiencies - is musically gifted and appeared on the Australian version of the X-Factor, while his adoptive sisters, Trishna and Krishna, were born as conjoined twins and separated through surgery in 2009.
Ahmed and Emmanuel, who sang John Lennon's Imagine on the Australian talent show in 2011, were both born in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.
Unable to care for the children, their parents left them at an orphanage where Ahmed spent the majority of his first seven years.
That was until his future adoptive mother, Moira Kelly, took the brothers to Australia in 1998.
"What my mom does is quite extraordinary, bringing kids from all over the world that need life-saving operations," said Kelly. "She has done an awesome job. She brought me and my brother over for our own surgery and I pretty much haven't looked back since."
Once in Australia, Kelly had surgery to remove the deformed sections of his lower legs and learned to walk, and then run, using prosthetic legs, before he started to play Australian rules football.
He switched to swimming and has now competed at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Kelly, who failed to win any medals in Brazil, was cheered on by his mother and brother, who both made the long trip from Australia to Rio.
Speaking about his brothers and sisters, Kelly added: "They are remarkable siblings.
"They themselves had to conquer their own challenges and I'm very proud of all three of them.
"My mom has always had values of treating each other with respect and trying to be as fair as possible. They are great values and that's something I really worked hard to live by as well."


Worcestershire have appointed local businessman Tom Scott as their interim chief executive.

He will take over when current CEO David Leatherdale leaves New Road in March for a similar position with the Professional Cricketers' Association.
Scott is a member of the Division Two side's informal strategic group, having previously been a police detective.
"Replacing David is a hard act for anyone to try and follow," he told the club website.
"I am clear on what needs to be done and hope to continue to help this great club run smoothly during the next six months, continuing the excellent work David and the team have been doing in recent years.
Worcestershire were relegated from Division One of the County Championship last season, winning just three matches, after a solitary season in the top flight.
Chairman Stephen Taylor said of Scott's appointment: "I said when David announced that he was leaving that enormous shoes would have to be filled.
"But it is reassuring to know that we have someone filling those shoes for the interim period in Tom Scott who cares passionately for the club and has done so since he was a young boy."


Consumer prices in the eurozone fell sharply in February to minus 0.2%, putting more pressure on the European Central Bank.

The slide into deflation is a sharp reversal from the revised 0.3% increase recorded in January.
It is the first fall in inflation since September when it shrank by 0.1%, according to Eurostat.
Energy drove the decline, with prices down 8% in February compared to a 5.4% slide in January.
The dismal figures have dashed hopes that ECB efforts to boost prices were working. That raises the chance of the bank announcing further stimulus measures next month.
It has already announced a cut to its bank deposit rate, which remains in negative territory.
ECB chief Mario Draghi insisted earlier this month the policies were working.
It's not the first time the eurozone inflation had slid below zero, and once again the price falls are driven by lower energy costs.  But the weakness is widespread.
The breakdown from the EU's statistical agency (not a very detailed one) shows every category having lower inflation than in the previous month. The highest, for services, is just 1%, which is well short of the European Central Bank's target of below but close to 2%.
The ECB has already decided to review its policy next week. The deflation news adds to the chances that the review will lead to more action to get inflation back up (yes, up) towards the target.
That means some combination of more quantitative easing - buying financial assets with newly created money - or taking some of the ECB's interest rates even further below zero.
Nordea economist Holger Sandte said: "Deflation would be a disaster for the euro area as the burden of high debt would increase. Therefore, the ECB will continue easing monetary policy significantly.
"But no matter what the ECB decides to do on 10 March, inflation is likely to hover around zero during the next few months before it picks up - if oil prices behave well."
Economic sentiment across the eurozone deteriorated more than expected in February, according to research by the European Commission.
The Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers and central bankers agreed on Saturday to use "all policy tools, monetary, fiscal and structural - individually and collectively" to renew growth.


A school has completely banned pupils from wearing skirts because they have become too short.

In a letter to parents, Plymstock School in Devon says although "some girls leave their homes with their skirts at a reasonable length", they "roll them up for school".
From September, all students will have to wear dark grey trousers.
The letter said "time wasted addressing skirt issues would be better spent focusing on teaching and learning".
The school and Plymouth City Council were unavailable to comment.
One mother, who did not want to be named, said: "I've heard it's a small number of girls who have caused this, so the minority are spoiling it for everyone else.
"My daughter has a right to wear a skirt. Now she's worried she's going to be bullied in trousers."
Another mother, whose daughter is due to start at Plymstock in September, said she was so upset she had asked another school to take her daughter, but they were full.
The woman, who also did not want to be named, said: "She's really disappointed. I don't feel the school did enough to consult with parents."
The letter said: "Recent fashions have led to girls wearing skirts that are too short to be acceptable in the workplace.
"I am sure that some girls leave their homes with their skirts at a reasonable length but 'roll them up' for school," the letter said.
In 2014, the school attempted to tackle the issue of short skirts by placing "warning stickers" in the planning diaries of those pupils who had worn skirts "deemed too short".
"This will be the only warning and should they be found wearing an unacceptable skirt again they will forfeit their right to wear a skirt to school and will be required to wear trousers," a letter to parents at the time stated.
In 2011, Guiseley School in Leeds announced it was banning girls from wearing skirts after guidance on the length was ignored and the year before St Aidan's Church of England School in Harrogate also took the same action.


Mae peiriannydd wedi dweud wrth gwest i farwolaeth dau ddyn mewn tân yn Llanrwst yn 2014 nad yw'n anochel fod y fflamau wedi dechrau mewn sychwr dillad.

Ond wrth roi tystiolaeth, dywedodd Clifford Christie, peiriannydd gafodd ei alw gan gwmni Whirlpool i archwilio'r peiriant yn y fflat ar Sgwâr Ancaster, na allai ddiystyru'r posibilrwydd yn llwyr.
Cafodd Doug McTavish, 39 oed, a Bernard Hender, 19 oed, eu lladd yn y tân ym mis Hydref 2014.
Llwyddodd trydydd dyn, Garry Lloyd Jones i ddianc o'r adeilad.
Ar ail ddiwrnod y cwest, dywedodd Mr Christie fod y sychwr wedi ei ddifrodi'n sylweddol yn y tân, ond bod rhai o'r cydrannau'n gyfan.
Wedi iddo archwilio'r peiriant, dywedodd ei fod yn sicr nad yr amserydd na'r motor oedd wedi dechrau'r tân, ac nad oedd llwch wedi cronni yn y peiriant - sy'n achos cyffredin pan fo sychwyr yn mynd ar dân.
Serch hynny, doedd y botwm i ddechrau'r peiriant ddim wedi goroesi'r tan, ac er nad oedd yna dystiolaeth ddigamsyniol mai yno y dechreuodd y tân, fedrai Mr Christie ddim â diystyru'r posibilrwydd.
Dywedodd ei fod o'r farn bod y tân wedi dechrau yn yr ystafell lle'r oedd y sychwr yn cael ei gadw, a'i bod yn bosib bod nam ar haearn smwddio oedd yn cael ei gadw yn yr un ystafell.
Ychwanegodd ei bod yn bosib fod Mr Lloyd Jones, yn ei dystiolaeth ddydd Mawrth, wedi camgymryd, pan ddywedodd fod yr haearn wedi ei ddiffodd.
Er bod gan haearnau declynnau i'w hatal rhag gorboethi, dywedodd na ellir diystyru'r posibilrwydd hwnnw chwaith.
Mae'r cwest yn parhau.


Falkirk boss Peter Houston and Clyde counterpart Barry Ferguson have won manager prizes for February.

Houston is Scottish Championship manager of the month after the Bairns won two and drew one of their three league games last month.
They have subsequently moved two points ahead of Hibernian into second place, having played a game more, and are 12 points behind leaders Rangers.
Ferguson takes the League Two award after Clyde won three out of four.
Those 12 points helped the Bully Wee in their push for promotion and they are currently just inside the play-off zone.


Rail workers are being sprayed by human urine and faeces from passing trains, putting their health at risk.

A Network Rail worker said staff were "genuinely concerned" about excrement, urine and sanitary towels on the tracks.
Network Rail accepted that train toilets which emptied on the track were "outdated and unpleasant" for track workers.
Greater Anglia said it was hoping to phase out toilets which dump waste.
The man who works across the East Anglia region said: "A train would be coming and we'd stand back the recommended distance.
"It's not unusual to feel a spray, a kind of mist in the air. That's bad enough, but then you walk back to where you've been working on the tracks there's [faeces] everywhere."
Passenger waste is discharged from trains not fitted with retention tanks.
The majority of trains running through Cambridge station are operated by Greater Anglia, First Capital Connect and CrossCountry.
More than half of Greater Anglia's trains in the Cambridge area do not have retention tanks. The other two operators' trains do not discharge on to the track.
"We'd like to see them replaced or modified, but this requires effort from across the industry and funding," said a Network Rail spokesman.
The Department for Transport said the government recognised "this is a very unpleasant experience for railway workers and the public" and was "working closely" with Greater Anglia on a fleet upgrade.


A man has been charged with manslaughter following the death of a six-month-old girl.

Officers were called to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk, after Milana Guzas was admitted with suspected head injuries on 26 February.
She was transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge where she died on 2 March.
Arunas Guzas, 40, of Greenland Avenue in King's Lynn, has been charged with manslaughter.
He will appear before magistrates in Norwich later.
More news from Norfolk


The co-owner of Belfast's Titanic Quarter project has injected another £29m into the business.

Dermot Desmond made the move, by way of a loan, as part of a refinancing exercise in February.
Mr Desmond ultimately owns the Titanic Quarter project, in partnership with the developer, Pat Doherty.
In 2016, the Titanic Quarter group of companies made a pre-tax loss of just under £1m on turnover of £10.5m.
Nick Reid, a former chief executive of the William Ewart property business, has been appointed executive chairman of Titanic Island, the top company in the group.
He said the refinancing, which also included new borrowing from Danske Bank, had been important for the future of the group.
"The group and its shareholders are committed to progressing further development in Titanic Quarter in the near term," he said.
"Once complete, these developments will further contribute to the positive impact of Titanic Quarter on the local economy and on the infrastructure of Northern Ireland."
Work is due to begin on an office project, known as Olympic House, before the end of 2017.


An inquest into the deaths of 10 people shot dead by soldiers in west Belfast 45 years ago will get under way later this month.

The killings by members of the Parachute Regiment took place in Ballymurphy over a three-day period in August 1971.
A preliminary inquest hearing has been scheduled for 30 November.
But it will not be completed unless the Coroner's Courts service is given additional funding.
The decision to prioritise the Ballymurphy deaths follows a review of more than 50 so-called legacy inquests, involving more than 90 deaths in some of the most controversial incidents of the Troubles.
They include killings by police officers and soldiers, and others where there are allegations of collusion.
The Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, has written to the families of the Ballymurphy victims informing them that their inquest is deemed to be at an advanced stage of readiness.
Those killed included a mother-of-eight and a priest.
A solicitor representing the families has welcomed the scheduling of a hearing date, but stressed that this does not mean the inquest will be completed at this time.
"The families have received notification that the inquest has been prioritised by the Lord Chief Justice," said Padraig Ã“ Muirigh.
"However, he was very clear that this doesn't mean that the inquest can be completed at this time.
"He warned earlier this year that legacy inquests can't be completed unless extra funding is made available and that position hasn't changed."
The decision means the Ballymurphy inquest will be among the first to be heard if the Stormont Executive or Westminster government agree to a request from Sir Declan Morgan for additional funding for the coroner's court service.
The Lord Chief Justice has drawn up a five-year plan to hear all outstanding legacy inquests.
It has been estimated that the cost would be at least Â£10m.
His request for additional funding has been blocked by First Minister Arlene Foster.
The BBC revealed on Thursday that lawyers acting for families of more than 30 people killed in some of the most controversial incidents of the Troubles have launched legal action in an attempt to have the funding released.
They are seeking a court order instructing the Stormont Executive, department of justice and Westminster government to give the Lord Chief Justice the resources he has requested.
A hearing for a judicial review application has been listed for 14 December.


A £1.2bn Cardiff Capital Region deal has been signed to improve public transport and bring economic growth over the next 20 years.

It includes £734m for the south Wales Metro, bringing better rail and bus travel in the capital and valleys.
It also involves 10 local councils and aims to bring 25,000 new jobs and an extra £4bn in private sector investment.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said it was a "vote of confidence in the region".
The announcement was made on the eve of Chancellor George Osborne's Budget and a year after he promised talks to set up the deal.
He called the deal "fantastic" and said it would hand "real power to local decision makers that are best placed to ensure the Welsh economy is fit for the future".
City deals are a way of different levels of government financing big infrastructure projects and regeneration over long periods of time.
The one agreed for the Cardiff region will run over 20 years - not the typical 30 years - which those behind it hope will mean funding will be delivered faster.
£1.2bn
over 20 years
£734m South Wales Metro
£495m Other projects including Innovation District and software academy
£50m Extra UK Government cash for Catapult compound semi-conductor project
WHAT THE CITY DEAL INVOLVES
HOW THE DEAL STACKS UP
Q&A: What does the Cardiff Capital Region city deal mean?
Representatives of 10 councils and the Welsh and UK governments were at the announcement in Cardiff.
Cardiff Council leader Phil Bale said: "Financially we have secured a bigger deal for our residents than the Glasgow city deal, but the real work starts now.
"We want this deal to make a real difference to people's lives, improving prospects for all our citizens."
Rhondda Cynon Taf council leader Andrew Morgan added that it would "enable us to unlock significant economic growth, and bring about social improvements and regeneration".
Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies called it a "once in a generation opportunity" and a "game-changing moment for the regional economy".
Councils signed their own agreement in November, a milestone for the deal.
A cabinet of 10 council leaders will be involved in driving the project, while a regional business organisation and economic growth partnership will also be created.
The programme will look at how nearly half of Wales' population can benefit from better public transport links and from business being attracted into the area.
The population of Cardiff is forecast to increase by more than a quarter over the next 20 years - one of the fastest growing in the UK.
The city has been stressing that as well as the strengths of its workforce and universities, it has a location still within reach of London, with hopes this will be even easier once rail electrification comes.
The Swansea region last month outlined its own £500m city deal proposals, which involve a vision of an "internet coast" to provide super-fast broadband and develop a new digital era for energy industry.


An army unit has carried out a controlled explosion after a suspected explosive device washed up on a Carmarthenshire beach.

Police closed Pembrey Country Park on Friday following the discovery, with a bomb disposal team called to make it safe.
Dyfed-Powys Police lifted restrictions to the park on Saturday morning.
Cefn Sidan beach remained closed while the operation was carried out.


Scotland's businesses, charities and public bodies are to learn later of reforms being recommended for their Â£3bn rates bill.

Non-domestic rates, also known as business rates, have been under review by an independent group set up by finance secretary Derek Mackay.
Ken Barclay, former chairman of the Scottish board of Royal Bank of Scotland, has led a panel considering ways to improve the system.
The remit required the five-member board to consider ways in which it could be fairer, while creating incentives for growth, and reflecting changes in the economy.
Since the review began, more than a year ago, criticism of the business rates system has mounted.
It was already under fire for being linked to inflation while council tax was frozen, and for the absence of any link to turnover, profit or ability to pay. For many businesses, the rates bill is the second biggest cost, after staff pay.
Earlier this year, the revaluation - based on notional rental values for commercial property in 2015 - led to sharp increases for some.
Bills are based on a "poundage" of roughly 50p, which means businesses pay around half the annual rental value in business rates. However, there are significant exemptions and reliefs, including charities, places of worship and many sports facilities.
The five-year revaluation cycle had been delayed, so this year's changes reflected a gap of seven years from 2008.
Coming out of deep recession, there had been substantial shifts in property values for different types of firm in different parts of the country.
In north-east Scotland, these failed to reflect the regional economic downturn that accompanied the oil price fall between 2015 and 2017.
The Scottish government stepped in with a relief package for north-east businesses, and also for the hospitality industry.
Since 2008, the Scottish government has also taken thousands of smaller premises out of the reach of business rates, by raising the threshold at which they start to be paid.
Most of that has been financed by a supplement on business rates for larger firms, running this year at twice the supplement for businesses in England.
The next revaluation is due in 2022, based on prices in 2020.
Council tax, for domestic property, has not been revalued since the early 1990s.
In addition to Ken Barclay, the members of the review team were business consultant Professor Russel Griggs, former civil servant and local government finance expert David Henderson: lawyer Isobel d'Inverno: and Nora Senior, former president of the British Chambers of Commerce.


Rick Parfitt has said he won't return to Status Quo in any performing capacity.

The 68-year-old had a heart attack in June and was forced to pull out of the band's autumn tour.
The band will only perform acoustic shows after the current tour, and Parfitt said he won't take part.
"No. I don't think I really want to," he told Classic Rock's Dave Ling. "In my heart I'm a rocker... If I'm going to make music it's got to rock."
Parfitt added: "There would probably have been room for me if I decided I wanted to, but I'm not a great fan of the whole acoustic malarkey. It doesn't float my boat.
"What I am disappointed in is missing the last of the band's electric shows."
Band manager Simon Porter said Parfitt "died" for several minutes after an attack that left him with "mild cognitive impairments".
Parfitt said he is now "fully recovered".
"As the weeks pass I'm better and better. I don't know whether I will be able to improve on that because I feel as well as I did when I fell over."
He has been replaced by Richie Malone in the band. Parfitt said he was doing a great job and wished him "all the best".
He added that the band have his blessing for any future plans.
The guitarist has had a number of health issues in recent years, including a throat cancer scare in 2005 and a heart attack in 2011.
Status Quo cancelled a series of gigs in 2014 after Parfitt was told to rest by doctors, following surgery to correct a problem with the quadruple heart bypass he underwent in 1997.
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Donald Trump has tweeted that Toyota will face hefty tariffs on cars built in Mexico for the US market if it builds Corollas south of the border.

The president-elect said the Japanese company would be hit with a "big border tax" if the plan went ahead.
American car companies have faced harsh criticism from Mr Trump for building cars more cheaply outside the US.
Toyota's President Akio Toyoda said the company had no immediate plans to curb production in Mexico.
"We will consider our option as we see what policies the incoming president adopts," said Mr Toyoda, speaking in Japan on Thursday.
The company's US arm issued a statement saying production and employment levels at Toyota in the US would not decrease as a result of the new plant in Mexico. The company has 10 manufacturing plants in the US.
"Toyota looks forward to collaborating with the Trump Administration to serve in the best interests of consumers and the automotive industry," the statement said.
The carmaker's shares fell more than 3% in early trade in Tokyo on Friday but have since recovered some ground.
Japan's trade minister Hiroshige Seko,  speaking at a regular news conference on Friday, said the new US administration needed to understand that his country's auto industry "has greatly contributed to the US economy".
Mr Trump has already targeted American carmakers General Motors and Ford for manufacturing south of the border.
Ford later cancelled its plans for a $1.6bn (Â£1.3bn) plant in Mexico and said it would expand operations in the US instead, but said this was due to market considerations.
Currently there are no tariffs on goods passing between the US and Mexico, as the countries - and Canada - agreed to trade freely without tariffs under the Nafta trade pact more than 20 years ago.
But Mr Trump has said he wants to renegotiate Nafta and has threatened to withdraw from it if he cannot get a better deal for the US.
Toyota announced in April 2015 it would build a $1bn Corolla factory in central Mexico. Construction began in November 2016.
It has existing manufacturing facilities in Baja, Mexico which were established in 2002.


Sir Philip Green has demanded MP Frank Field resign as chairman of a Commons inquiry into the collapse of BHS.

The retail billionaire and former BHS owner said he was "not prepared to participate" with the work and pensions committee hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, unless Mr Field stands down.
In a letter, he said the MP was biased and conducting a "trial by media".
Mr Field had told the Financial Times he "would laugh" if less than £600m was offered to settle BHS's pension debts.
Meanwhile shadow chancellor John McDonnell has called for Sir Philip to be stripped of his knighthood if he fails to attend a session on Wednesday to answer MPs' questions.
He told the Observer that the move would "help restore public faith in the honours system".
Reacting to news of the letter, which he said he had yet to receive, Mr Field said: "The House of Commons decides who chairs these committees, not Sir Philip Green. It's in his interest to turn up."
And Business Minister Anna Soubry tweeted: "Sir Philip needs to understand Parliament is the boss, get a grip [and] get in front of the committee on Weds."
Attempts to find a buyer to rescue the chain of department stores failed earlier this month, and it was announced it would close with the loss of up to 11,000 jobs.
Sir Philip, whose Arcadia Group sold BHS for £1 to a former bankrupt in 2015, has been accused of taking money out of BHS while the pension fund sank deep into deficit.
He is scheduled to answer MPs' questions about the sale on Wednesday.
However, in a strongly worded letter he claimed the outcome of the inquiry was "pre-determined", and Mr Field had used his position as committee chairman "to destroy my reputation" ahead of the hearing.
"I am not prepared to participate in a process which has not even the pretence of fairness and objectivity and which has as its primary objective the destruction of my reputation," he wrote.
"I therefore require you to resign immediately from this inquiry."
163
stores to close
11,000
jobs at risk, including:
8,000 members of staff and
3,000 non-BHS employees who work in the stores
A spokesman for Sir Philip Green's retail group Arcadia later clarified his position saying Sir Philip was waiting to see how Mr Field replies to his letter before deciding whether to attend on Wednesday.
He added: "This doesn't appear to be a proper process any more. This is mob rule."
by Joe Lynam, BBC business reporter
Both Frank Field and Sir Philip Green are taking a gamble with this stand-off.
Sir Philip must know that Mr Field will never resign at his behest and ordering him to do so won't look great.
But Mr Field also knows that publicly disparaging the retail tycoon may give the latter the excuse he needs to not to attend a grilling by MPs.
Although the Thatcher Room in Portcullis House is not a court of law, it could be seen as the court of public opinion.
If that's the case, then calling for Sir Philip to be stripped of his knighthood before the Arcadia boss even takes his seat next Wednesday, doesn't sound like Frank Field has an open mind.
Of course we could have a situation where Sir Philip attends next week but folds his arms in silence every time Frank Field (who is co-chairing this inquiry) asks a question.
We shall wait and see.
On Friday, the Financial Times quoted Mr Field as saying £600m was needed to cover BHS's pension hole, which affects more than 20,000 people.
If Sir Philip's proposal amounted to "anything less than that, the committee will just laugh at him", he said.
"The committee may have considered a reasonable settlement in the very early days of our inquiry, but things have changed."
Sir Philip has previously said he would appear before the committee on condition that his wife Tina Green, who owns a company which controls Arcadia Group, was not called.


Former British athlete Sir Chris Chataway has died at the age of 82.

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Chataway, who broke the 5,000m world record in 1954, is more famously remembered as the man who helped pace Sir Roger Bannister to breaking the four-minute mile barrier the same year.
He was named the first-ever BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1954.
Chataway, who won the Commonwealth Games three miles title in the same year, was knighted for his services to the aviation industry in 1995.
"Christopher Chataway was a high achiever who excelled in a number of fields. An Olympic athlete and one-time world 5,000 metres record holder, he was also a television reporter, a Conservative MP and a government minister.
Sir Chris Chataway's obituary
Bannister described Chataway, who had been suffering from cancer for two and a half years, as "one of my best friends".
"He was gallant to the end," Bannister told BBC Sport. "Our friendship dated back over more than half a century.
"We laughed, ran and commiserated together. People will always remember him for the great runner he was but it shouldn't be forgotten that he had an extremely distinguished career off the track.
"My family and I will miss him sorely and our thoughts go out to his family and many friends who were so fond of him."
Double Olympic champion Lord Coe added: "He was a 'Renassiance Man', and although his international career was relatively short, he packed an enormous amount in it.
"He was a four-time world record holder, inspired Roger to the first sub four-minute mile, made two Olympic finals and won the Commonwealth Games title at three miles in Vancouver. He did all this on four training sessions, so had bags of natural talent.
"If he and Roger had not broken the four-minute mile, and it had gone to someone like Australia's John Landy, that distance would have had a different geographical feel.
"It is a very British thing with British record holders, and is still regarded as an extraordinary achievement. More people have climbed Mount Everest than run a sub four-minute mile and that puts it into perspective."
"Chris was one of a kind; throwing himself into every project and achieving so much in so many fields. We have lost a great Briton," added Prime Minister David Cameron.
Chataway was born in Chelsea on 31 January, 1931 and educated at Sherborne School in Dorset. After National Service, he took an honours degree in politics, philosophy and economics and became president of the University Athletic Club at Magdalen College, Oxford.
His career in international athletics lasted only five years with the pinnacle being in 1954 when he set a new 5,000m world record of 13 minutes 51.6 seconds in a televised race at White City.
Chataway beat Russia's Vladimir Kuts by 0.1 secs - the man who he had finished second behind in the 5,000m European Championships final two weeks earlier.
He and Chris Brasher also paced Bannister to the first sub-four-minute mile but just one year on he was dividing his time between athletics and working in the world of broadcasting.
In September 1955, Chataway became the first newsreader on Independent Television, before finishing 11th in the 5,000m at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
He then moved into politics, working as a Conservative MP between 1959 and 1966 and rising to serve in positions as a Parliamentary Private Secretary and junior Education Minister.
Chataway was elected again in 1969 and served further ministerial positions.
In 1974, Chataway retired from politics to concentrate on his business career, becoming managing director of Orion Bank, before leaving in 1988 to work as chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority.
BBC athletics commentator Brendan Foster said: "Sir Chris was a real gentleman and an intelligent man.
"As well as his sporting achievements, he was an expert broadcaster, politician and businessman. He was vice chairman of a London bank and chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority. He truly was a boys' own hero.
"He was thrilled to be the first BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1954. It came after his 5,000m world record was broadcast from White City with that one spotlight on him on the line as he beat European Champion Vladimir Kuts. It brought the sport of athletics into people's living rooms."
Chataway's son Mark paid tribute to the resolve shown by his father in later life.
"We were struck by his amazing qualities of humility and strength, especially in these last few years," the 53-year-old said.
He also described his father as "a very compassionate and wise man" and said his father's passion for running remained with him in his advanced years.
"He ran with a couple of my brothers in the Great North Run about three years ago, doing it in a very respectable time."
He also completed the half marathon course of just over 13 miles in one hour, 38 minutes, 50 seconds at the age of 75 in 2006.
Chataway is survived by his sons Mark, Matthew, Adam, Charles, Ben, his daughter Joanna, his wife Carola and his former wife Anna.
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Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema said allegations he was part of a sex-tape blackmail plot are "all a huge misunderstanding", reports say.

The 27-year-old footballer told French TV that accusations against him about claims involving his France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena were "persecution".
He said his name was being dragged through mud as if he was a criminal.
Mr Benzema is under investigation and faces up to five years in jail if found to have taken part in blackmail.
"Hopefully it will end well, we will all be OK," he told the TF1 channel. "We will all return to the France team to win that Euro [2016]."
In a leaked transcript of a hearing in Versailles, near Paris, last month he admitted telling Mr Valbuena things that were untrue but claims he was only trying to help.
"It's all a huge misunderstanding. All I was doing was trying to help. There's nothing to any of it, no blackmail or demands for money," Mr Benzema told investigating judge Nathalie Boutard in early November, according to French newspaper Le Monde.
Mr Benzema said he was told about the sex-tape while dining in Madrid with Karim Zenati, a childhood friend who he employs.
Someone he did not know told him there was a "hot video" featuring Mr Valbuena, he said.
Mr Benzema later told Mr Valbuena about the video and said he knew someone who could help - this was Mr Zenati, Mr Benzema told the judge.
After this conversation, Mr Valbuena went to the police, who began tapping Mr Benzema's phone.
In one taped conversation with Mr Zenati, Mr Benzema says he had told Mr Valbuena that he had seen the video - but later in court he admitted that this was untrue.
Mr Benzema was also recorded telling Mr Valbuena to meet his friend alone in Lyon if he wanted the sex video destroyed.
Mr Valbuena told Le Monde last week that Mr Benzema had "indirectly" suggested he would have to pay.
Mr Benzema responded in the Wednesday interview with TF1: "I spoke with the heart with Mathieu Valbuena. When I heard about blackmail, that we demanded money, it makes me mad - I don't need money."
But at the hearing Mr Benzema insisted he believed Mr Zenati would not ask for money because he did not need it as he was employed by the footballer.
"To find myself involved in an affair like this with a team-mate that I'm fond of, I'm disappointed," added Mr Benzema. "When I talked about it on the phone I was just joking around, I didn't understand what a big deal it was."
In his TV interview, Mr Benzema apologised to Mr Valbuena and his family for comments that appeared to mock him.
"I'm mad with myself for having talked that way on the phone, we went too far."
As well as Mr Benzema, three other men have been placed under formal investigation for involvement in the alleged plot.
France's Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said Mr Benzema should not play for the national side again.
Sex, blackmail and French footballers


A zoo has been evacuated due to what police have called a "serious incident".

Visitors were led away from Hamerton Zoo Park, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, at about 11:15 BST.
A spokeswoman for the attraction denied claims on social media that a tiger had escaped from its enclosure.
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that no animals have escaped and members of the public are safe."
She continued: "Officers were called at around 11.15am to reports of a serious incident at Hamerton Zoo Park, Steeple Gidding.
"Officers attended the scene along with ambulance crews and Magpas (Mid Anglia General Practitioner Accident Service - air ambulance).
"We are unable to provide further information at this time."
A Magpas spokesman said: "At 11:34am today, the air ambulance landed in a public place near Sawtry in Cambridgeshire, after the Magpas enhanced medical team were called to a very serious incident.
"An East of England Ambulance Service paramedic crew and two rapid response vehicles were also in attendance, alongside the police."
The zoo said it will remained closed for the day and a full statement will be issued later.
Hamerton Zoo Park includes enclosures for Malaysian tigers, Bengal tigers, cheetahs, wolves, corsac foxes, kangaroos as well as a variety of birds, reptiles and domestic animals.


A "rapid transit" bus scheme due to be running in Bristol by 2017 still has no operator and may need public funds.

Negotiations over who will run the £200m Metrobus network have stalled as bus companies are reluctant to run the service on a completely commercial basis.
Metrobus admits public subsidies might now have to be used to entice firms on board.
The first of the new bus routes are due to be completed in the next few months.
David Redgewell, from passenger group Bus Users UK, said the lack of a current operator was a worry.
"We need to be realistic about what the bus industry can deliver in hard times," he said.
"The buses have to make money, so there's really going to have to be realism amongst the public authorities that unless they are prepared to put public subsidy in then they [buses] need to be commercial."
In March 2015, Bristol City Council was required to spend more than £1m removing protestors from Stapleton allotments, part of the new Metrobus route.
Former secretary of Stapleton Allotments Association, Jane Ghosh, said she was "absolutely shocked but not the least bit surprised".
"It's cost £200 million plus, it's a lot more than that because of the delays. They only have £34 million from the government, which is static and won't go up," she said.
"We told them right at the beginning, this was never going to be a commercially viable project - but nobody listened to us."
BBC Radio Bristol politics reporter Pete Simson
Could Bristol really be left with a brand new public transport network, but no company willing to run it?
The idea was always for Metrobus to be run without subsidies, using shiny new buses with clean fuel.
Unfortunately, it would appear bus companies view this as simply too risky, after all, they want to make a profit.
With huge swathes of Bristol's roads currently being dug up to build Metrobus, the need for a deal becomes ever more pressing. Time will tell if this is merely another teething problem, or a hugely costly mistake.
Commuters are currently enduring roadworks associated with the scheme in the city centre, on the M32 and various other locations in South Gloucestershire.
The scheme was devised by the West of England Partnership (WEP), an alliance between the four councils in Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
It involves three routes: Ashton Vale to Temple Meads, Cribbs Causeway via Emersons Green to the city centre and the South Bristol link between the A370 Long Ashton bypass and Hengrove Park.
It will provide an express bus service on 31 miles (50km) of segregated bus-ways and bus lanes.
The WEP said Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset council were "actively negotiating" with bus operators and such discussions were commercially sensitive.
A spokeswoman said: "We have always been clear that the aim is that the MetroBus services are run entirely on a commercial basis via a quality partnership scheme that sets minimum standards for frequencies, quality of vehicles and maximum fares, supported by a voluntary partnership agreement with one or more operator.
"Of course should negotiations not be successful, we have a range of back up plans which could include formal contracts to run all or some services on a contracted basis.
"This might require the use of public money following a competitive procurement process, but this would depend on the situation when negotiations conclude - which all parties agree should be in about three-four weeks' time."
First Bus, Wessex and the Bath Bus Company RAPT were said to be in the running for the contract.