US President Barack Obama has met the Dalai Lama in private and told him he encourages dialogue with China, the White House has said.

The two met in Washington despite Chinese objections.
China has denounced meetings between foreign leaders and the exiled Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, whom the country considers a separatist.
The pair, who have met several times before, talked behind closed doors in the White House Map Room.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman condemned Wednesday's meeting.
"If the United States plans this meeting, it will send the wrong signal to Tibet independence and separatist forces and harm China-US mutual trust and cooperation," said Lu Kang.
Mr Obama encouraged direct dialogue between the Dalai Lama and China, the White House said.
"Tibet, per US policy, is considered part of the People's Republic of China, and the United States has not articulated our support for Tibetan independence,'' said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.
"Both the Dalai Lama and President Obama value the importance of a constructive and productive relationship between the United States and China.
"All of those were policy positions of the United States before the meeting occurred. Our policy hasn't changed after the meeting.''
Mr Obama has previously described the Tibetan Buddhist leader as a "good friend".
The Dalai Lama fled to India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
The Buddhist leader has pushed for more Tibetan autonomy while China accuses him of encouraging outright independence.


Hundreds of accounts for online games used by registered sex offenders have been shut down in the US.

More than 2,100 gaming accounts were closed as part of Operation: Game Over run by New York's attorney general.
It was able to target the accounts because registered sex offenders are required to surrender details of their online aliases.
Blizzard, Microsoft, Sony, NCSoft and many other game firms are backing the purge, aimed at protecting children.
"The internet is the crime scene of the 21st Century, and we must ensure that online video game platforms do not become a digital playground for dangerous predators," said New York's attorney general Eric Schneiderman in a statement.
Mr Schneiderman said the action would make online gaming communities a safer place for children. Many parents did not know, he said, that online gaming platforms and services let players communicate anonymously. However, he added, offenders had used this capability in the past to contact and "groom" children they later went on to abuse.
New York's Electronic Securing and Targeting of Online Predators Act, known as the e-STOP law, requires convicted sex offenders to tell the state which email addresses, login names, screen identities and other online aliases they use. These are then passed on to game and web firms that have signed up to help the programme.
Gaming accounts on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Gaia Online and many others have been deleted as a result of the law.
This action builds on the first stage of the e-STOP programme that saw more than 3,500 online accounts used by sex offenders shut down.


Life expectancy, employment, school leaver skill levels and air quality are among the measures ministers plan to use to judge Wales' national progress.

Welsh language use and housing quality would also feed into an annual report, to help achieve the goals of the Well-being of Future Generations Act.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said the aim was to achieve a "more rounded picture" of how Wales was advancing.
He invited people to give their views on 40 planned "national indicators".
Mr Jones called the consultation a "fantastic opportunity for public bodies, individuals and organisations to have their say on how we continue to develop and build the Wales we want".
"The Well-being of Future Generations Act places a duty on us all to work together to ensure that decisions taken today are made with future generations at their heart," he added.
During its passage through the assembly, some opposition members had criticised the proposed law to improve the nation's social and economic prospects as a "bureaucratic monster" with no "clear purpose".


An MP has called on the UK government to set out contingency plans on "vital" EU farm funding to Wales.

Plaid Cymru's Arfon MP Hywel Williams made his calls ahead of the second reading of the EU Referendum Bill in the House of Commons on 9 June.
Mr Williams said contingencies must be put in place for common agricultural policy and structural funds payments in the event of a vote to leave.
The loss of these funds would be "catastrophic", he said.
Mr Williams, Plaid's foreign affairs spokesman at Westminster, said the government must "urgently" set out their intentions.
"To suddenly cut off vital funds to our farming communities would also potentially decimate the agricultural industry here - a cornerstone of the Welsh economy," he added.


Police guarding London airports will start using drones for surveillance following a review by counter-terrorism officers.

An 18-month analysis by the National Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters, which helps develop police policy, found the technology could be "transformative".
Privacy campaigners said they were concerned about the plans.
Police are also to take over investigations into drone misuse.
Following a successful trial at Gatwick airport over the past year, drones will be given to units guarding Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and City airports.
Selected airports in other parts of the UK will also use the technology.
The equipment will be rolled out over the next 18 months.
BBC London has also learned police will take responsibility from for investigating the irresponsible or illegal use of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
There are now estimated to be more than 50,000 drones in the UK and the move reflects growing concern over the damage they could cause in the wrong hands.
Counter-terrorism officers are also concerned about the publicity extremists could gain if they flew a flag or banner over a prominent central London location.
On Wednesday a drone carrying radioactive material landed on the roof of the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe's residence. No-one was injured.
George Trebess from the National Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters said it was also possible that drones could be used during major incidents, including sieges or standoffs involving firearms.
Speaking to security experts at the Counter Terror Expo in London, he said: "The technology is transformative.
"With the new system we will be able to carry out missions around seven times faster than ground-based activity and at around 10% of the cost. We estimate Â£1.2m would be saved in three years."
It is thought the savings would come through having fewer officers patrolling airports on foot.
Emma Carr of Big Brother Watch, which campaigns over state surveillance, called for clear information about how police planned to use the drones.
She called for a "better understanding of how they're used and who they're being used by".


David Swift won for the first time in a nine-year Great Britain career as he took gold in the penultimate race of the Europa Cup season in St Moritz.

The 31-year-old from Devon has previously won bronze and silver medals on both the Intercontinental Cup and Europa Cup circuits.
But his success in Switzerland was his first in more than 80 senior races.
"It's taken a long time, but it's such a nice feeling hearing your national anthem blaring out," said Swift.
"I had fairly high expectations, but there's a big difference between performing well in training and racing. That's something I've struggled with historically."
Swift has slid on both the World Cup and Intercontinental Cup circuits so far this season and will hope to be in the GB World Championship team when it is announced in early February.


Canoeists dressed as Father Christmas took to the canal to celebrate a project linking some of Britain's waterways.

About 25 people battled driving rain for the Santa Splash event, organised by the Canal and River Trust along the Leeds Liverpool Canal.
It marked the end of the first year of a project which aims to map a 150-mile stretch of canal from east to west.
A similar event is being staged in Burscough, Lancashire, on Sunday.
The Coast to Coast trail, which has been funded by a Â£1.3m charity grant, will stretch between Liverpool on the west and Goole on the east coast.
The Santa Splash canoeists tackled a two-mile stretch of the canal for the fun event.
Project manager Greg Brookes said: "I want to say a big thank you to everyone who joined a tremendous effort to bring some festive cheer to the canal."


North Korea has test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine but it failed in its initial flight stage, South Korea's military says.

It says the missile was launched in waters east of the Korean peninsula - the latest in a recent series of tests.
It comes less than three months after a previous attempt to launch a missile from a submarine failed.
North Korea, believed to be developing nuclear weapons, is banned by the UN from any use of ballistic missiles.
"The SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile) was ejected from the submarine normally, but is estimated the initial flight was unsuccessful," the South Korean military said in a statement.
"Our military strongly denounces such provocative acts by North Korea," it added.
The missile had been launched at about 11:30 local time (02:30 GMT) off North Korea's port of Sinpo.
The US and South Korea on Friday agreed to deploy a missile defence system to counter threats from Pyongyang.
It remains unclear exactly where the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system will be sited and who will have final control.
Earlier this week, the US imposed sanctions on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un - a move Pyongyang described as an "open declaration of war".
This was the first time sanctions have been used against Mr Kim by the US, as it declared him directly responsible for human rights abuses in his country.
Pyongyang has reportedly warned that it will close down all diplomatic channels with the US unless the blacklisting is revoked.
In January, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test, claiming it to be its first using a hydrogen bomb.
Shortly after that Pyongyang launched a satellite, widely seen as a test of long-range missile technology.


US country singer Lynn Anderson, best known for her worldwide 1971 hit (I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden, has died, aged 67.

She had been in hospital in Nashville, where she suffered a heart attack on Thursday.
Other US hits included You're My Man, How Can I Unlove You? and Top of the World, also recorded by the Carpenters.
Singer Dolly Parton said, "Lynn is blooming in God's Rose Garden now. We will miss her and remember her fondly."
Born in North Dakota and raised in Sacramento, California, Anderson was the daughter of two country songwriters and started performing at the age of six.
In 1967, she began a two-year television engagement on The Lawrence Welk Show, which led to a contract with Columbia Records in Nashville, the capital of country music.
"He was absolutely wholesome,'' she later said of Welk in an Associated Press interview.
"He felt country music was coming into its own and deserved to be on national TV."
She won a Grammy award for Rose Garden and was the Country Music Association's female vocalist of the year in 1971.
"It was popular because it touched on emotions,'' she told AP.
"It was perfectly timed. It was out just as we came out of the Vietnam years and a lot of people were trying to recover. This song stated that you can make something out of nothing. You take it and go ahead."
Alongside her singing career, she made a number of television appearances with stars including Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby and John Wayne.
She also appeared in episodes of the cop show Starsky and Hutch and in the 1990 BBC drama The Wreck on the Highway.


South Africa's justice minister has blocked the early release of athlete Oscar Pistorius from prison on Friday.

He said the decision by the parole board to free the athlete after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence was premature and without legal basis.
It could now take months for the board to review its decision, legal sources told the BBC.
Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter last year after shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The Olympic athlete insists he mistook her for an intruder.
He was due to be transferred from prison to house arrest on Friday, when he was expected to stay at his uncle's three-story mansion in the capital, Pretoria.
Under South African law, Pistorius is eligible for release under "correctional supervision", having served a sixth of his sentence.
One of his relatives, who did not want to be named, told Reuters news agency they were "shocked and disappointed" at the news.
In a statement, South Africa's Justice Minister Michael Masutha said the decision to free the athlete was taken prematurely.
"One sixth of a five year sentence is 10 months and at the time the decision was made Mr Pistorius had served only over six months of his sentence," the statement said.
Thursday would have been Ms Steenkamp's 32nd birthday.
Her parents held a small ceremony for her close friends and supporters in her hometown of Port Elizabeth, throwing roses into the sea in her memory.
Analysis: Milton Nkosi; BBC News; Johannesburg:
The decision by Mr Masutha to put Oscar Pistorius' early release on hold has come as a complete shock, not just to the Pistorius family but to many people who follow legal issues here.
According to the prison department, the double amputee was going to be released on Friday because this is South African law - all offenders convicted under the same law as Pistorius can be considered for correctional supervision once they have served at least one-sixth of their sentence.
In other words it was not the prison's independent view to release the Paralympian but part of South African legal procedure.
Many believe that this will merely cause a slight delay to his early release.
But the intervention by Mr Masutha, who is a lawyer, could have implications for many other cases which are less prominent.
The decision was taken after a petition to the minister by the Progressive Women's Movement of South Africa, which includes the African National Congress Women's League, part of the governing party. It had described the athlete's early release as "outrageous" and "an insult" to victims of abuse.
It seems as though his last-minute intervention was the result of this political pressure.
Oscar Pistorius - in 60 seconds
The making and unmaking of Oscar Pistorius
This week, prosecutors filed court papers calling for the athlete's conviction to be converted to murder, which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years. His defence team has a month to file its response.
During sentencing, Judge Thokozile Masipa said the state had failed to prove Pistorius' intent to kill when he fired.
The double amputee shot and killed Ms Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door at his Pretoria home, believing she was an intruder, he told his trial.
Pistorius was born without the fibulas in both of his legs, and had surgery to amputate both below the knee while still a baby.
He went on to become one of South Africa's best-known sports stars, and was the first amputee to compete against able-bodied athletes, at the 2012 London Olympics.


Raith Rovers striker Jon Daly is to become Hearts' new Under-20s coach when his playing contract with the Scottish Championship club expires in January.

The 32-year-old former Dundee United and Rangers forward joined the Kirkcaldy club this summer.
Director of football Craig Levein said he and Hearts' head coach thought it was an "exciting" appointment.
"Jon is somebody that both myself and Robbie Neilson know from our respective times at Dundee United," he said.
"We believe he has all the attributes to develop into a great coach."
Daly is a replacement for Jack Ross, who left his player development manager post in October.
No reason has yet been revealed by the club or the former Clyde, Falkirk and St Mirren defender for the 39-year-old's exit.
Dublin-born Daly began his career with Stockport County and had spells with Bury, Grimsby Town and Hartlepool United before moving to Scotland to join the Terrors in 2007.
He signed for Rovers in August after being released by Championship rivals Rangers at the end of last season.
Daly, who also played for Republic of Ireland at youth level, has made 11 appearances, nine of them starts, and scored once, for the Kirkcaldy outfit, who lie fourth in the table.


Hamilton Academical came from two goals down to hold Kilmarnock to a draw in the Scottish Premiership.

Dom Thomas's free-kick was knocked into the net by Hamilton's Louis Longridge to give Killie an early lead.
Lee Erwin's stylish lob put the hosts two up but Giannis Skondras replied for Accies with a well-taken strike.
Steven Smith fouled Greg Docherty in the box and Ali Crawford restored parity by converting the resulting penalty.
Killie get their first point of the season but Lee McCulloch's side will be frustrated not to have taken all three.
There was a real desire to the home side's play and less than three minutes had been played when they opened the scoring.
Scott McMann fouled Kris Boyd just outside the box wide on the Killie right and Thomas's low left-foot delivery took a deflection off Longridge and flew past goalkeeper Gary Woods.
Boyd could have increased the home side's lead when played in behind the Accies defence by Thomas but the experienced striker toe-poked his effort just wide from eight yards as Woods advanced quickly to narrow the angle.
However, Killie were to lose Boyd to injury when he suffered a hamstring strain 10 minutes before the interval and had to be replaced by Erwin.
Jamie MacDonald produced an excellent save to deny Accies an equaliser when Gordon Greer's headed clearance landed at the foot of Longridge. The Accies frontman's half-volley from just inside the area was tipped over by the Killie keeper at full stretch.
There was an early scare for Accies in the second half when a powerful Thomas free-kick bounced back off Woods as he tried to save but fortunately for the keeper his defence helped him out.
At the other end, a clearance from MacDonald from outside his area fell to Crawford, who tried to score from near halfway but saw his effort sail over.
Killie increased their lead with Erwin's first league goal for the Rugby Park club. Adam Frizzell delivered the through ball and the big striker outpaced the Accies defence before superbly lobbing Woods.
But Hamilton got themselves back in the game by use of the wide areas. McMann sent in a fine cross that his fellow full-back Skondras struck into the corner of the net on the half-volley with his left foot.
And two minutes from the end Accies, who are now unbeaten on their last six visits to Rugby Park, equalised from the penalty spot. Smith was judged to have tripped Docherty and Crawford made no mistake, blasting the spot-kick past MacDonald.
Martin Canning's side go into the international break on seven points from four games and are unbeaten in their last three.
Kilmarnock manager Lee McCulloch: "That's two points dropped, again individual errors costing us the goals.
"It was a bit of a slow game but if you go 2-0 up in any game in world football you're expected to keep a bit of game management and just come in with three points, regardless of how you play.
"I thought after we scored the second goal we panicked for some reason. I don't know why.
"The home form is atrocious for the last seven years, I don't know why so it's something that needs to start getting addressed other than just looking at the stats, something needs to give.
"If you panic when you go 2-0 up you don't deserve the three points. First goal we conceded was bad defending, the second it looked like a penalty from where I was standing, so no real complaints about that, unless I feel different when I see it again."
Hamilton Academical manager Martin Canning: "In the end delighted with a point, it's always a difficult place to come.
"We knew it was going to be a hard game. I thought in the first half we were the better team but we find ourselves 1-0 down.
"I thought their second goal was offside but I've watched it back and I think it's actually a really good decision from the linesman. He's probably a foot inside his own half when he starts his run which is a good spot and we've gone 2-0 down.
"But to have the fight to get back into the game was really pleasing. We made a wee change, Scott McMann put in a great cross and Giannis gets the first. The fighting spirit really pleased me."
Match ends, Kilmarnock 2, Hamilton Academical 2.
Second Half ends, Kilmarnock 2, Hamilton Academical 2.
Foul by Lee Erwin (Kilmarnock).
(Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Greg Taylor (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Georgios Sarris (Hamilton Academical).
Goal!  Kilmarnock 2, Hamilton Academical 2. Ali Crawford (Hamilton Academical) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the top left corner.
Penalty conceded by Iain Wilson (Kilmarnock) after a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty Hamilton Academical. Greg Docherty draws a foul in the penalty area.
Hand ball by Jordan Jones (Kilmarnock).
Attempt missed. Adam Frizzell (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Lee Erwin (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Xavier Tomas (Hamilton Academical).
Attempt missed. Scott McMann (Hamilton Academical) right footed shot from the left side of the box is just a bit too high.
Attempt missed. Giannis Skondras (Hamilton Academical) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Substitution, Hamilton Academical. Ross Cunningham replaces Louis Longridge.
Goal!  Kilmarnock 2, Hamilton Academical 1. Giannis Skondras (Hamilton Academical) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Scott McMann.
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Rory McKenzie replaces Dom Thomas.
Substitution, Hamilton Academical. Alexander Gogic replaces Dougie Imrie.
Attempt saved. Ali Crawford (Hamilton Academical) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Adam Frizzell (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Adam Frizzell (Kilmarnock).
Darian MacKinnon (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Ali Crawford (Hamilton Academical) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Steven Smith (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Steven Smith (Kilmarnock).
David Templeton (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Ali Crawford (Hamilton Academical) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Greg Docherty (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Greg Taylor (Kilmarnock).
Goal!  Kilmarnock 2, Hamilton Academical 0. Lee Erwin (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Iain Wilson.
Substitution, Hamilton Academical. David Templeton replaces Steven Boyd because of an injury.
Foul by Iain Wilson (Kilmarnock).
Steven Boyd (Hamilton Academical) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Steven Smith (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Attempt missed. Ali Crawford (Hamilton Academical) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is close, but misses the top left corner.
Corner,  Kilmarnock. Conceded by Giannis Skondras.
Attempt saved. Dom Thomas (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Jordan Jones (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Ali Crawford (Hamilton Academical).


Senior US officials have been setting out their position on Russia, in some of the new administration's first diplomatic moves.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US would consider working with Russia in some areas but would stand up for its own interests.
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said Washington was not ready to collaborate militarily with Moscow.
US President Donald Trump has called for improved ties with Moscow.
But the new administration's diplomatic initiative comes as questions are raised about the Trump team's dealings with Russia dating back to last year's election campaign.
US intelligence services have concluded that Moscow hacked into emails of President Donald Trump's Democratic opponents during the election.
Rex Tillerson may be on a steep learning curve in the transition from oil executive to top diplomat. But the State Department press corps is also adjusting. We'd become accustomed to the garrulous John Kerry, now we have his opposite: The Quiet Man.
So far Mr Tillerson has spared only a few words for us, a "Good Morning, y'all" as we boarded the plane in Washington. And he diligently refused to respond to questions shouted out during brief moments of press access at the beginning of his meetings in Bonn, Germany.
So we gleaned what we could: he chatted about his flight with the Saudi foreign minister and about jetlag with the Turkish foreign minister. Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary, made him laugh with a joke about the Commonwealth.
"Good try," Mr Johnson muttered as we lobbed another question, prompting more laughter but no answer. We were heartened when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made opening remarks, and perplexed when we were ushered out just as Mr Tillerson began to respond.
He did give us a 43-second statement on Russia afterwards. And eventually a few spontaneous words as the questions continued. All in a hard day's work
And three of Mr Trump's aides have been forced out over allegations about their links with Russia, including National Security Adviser Mike Flynn earlier this week.
Mr Tillerson met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Germany as part of his first foreign trip in his new job.
He said the US was willing to co-operate with Russia if Moscow lived up to its commitments.
"As I made clear at my Senate confirmation hearing, the United States will consider working with Russia when we can find areas of practical co-operation that will benefit the American people," he said.
"Where we do not see eye to eye, the United States will stand up for the interests and values of America and her allies.
The secretary of state added that he expected Russia to honour its commitment to the Minsk agreements aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine, and to work to stabilise the region.
Russia's role in backing separatists in the east of the country has soured relations with the West since the conflict began in 2014.
Mr Lavrov said the two sides had agreed to co-operate in areas where their interests coincided, particularly in the fight against terrorism, over Syria and in other countries in the Middle East where "terrorism has put down roots".
However, he said that they did not discuss US sanctions against Russia, first imposed when Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine nearly three years ago.
Mr Tillerson, who as ExxonMobil CEO was perceived to be close to the Russian leadership, told his nomination hearing in the Senate that he would consider reviewing the sanctions.
Mr Tillerson also met the UK's Boris Johnson and other foreign ministers from the G20, made up of developed economies and emerging nations including China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and Brazil.
At a Nato meeting in Brussels, Gen Mattis rejected calls by Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu to "restore co-operation with the Pentagon".
"We are not in a position right now to collaborate on a military level, but our political leaders will engage and try to find common ground or a way forward," he told reporters.
The defence secretary said that Russia had to abide by international law, adding that there was "little doubt" that Moscow had interfered or attempted to interfere in several Western elections.


African leaders have agreed to create the continent's largest free-trade zone, covering 26 countries in an area from Cape Town to Cairo.

The deal, signed in Egypt, is intended to ease the movement of goods across member countries which represent more than half the continent's GDP.
Since the end of colonial rule, governments have been discussing ways to boost intra-African trade.
The poor state of roads, railways and airlines have made it difficult.
Three existing trade blocs - the Southern African Development Community (Sadc); the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa  (Comesa) - are to be united into a single new zone.
Analysis: BBC Africa Business Report's Lerato Mbele:
With this agreement comes into fruition a century-old dream to link the continent from the Cape to Cairo. Explorers and freedom fighters alike all shared the vision to integrate African economies.
And on paper it looks like a progressive step for a continent that has seen average growth rates of 5% in recent years.
However, it needs parliamentary endorsements from all member-nations and once governments start reading the fine print, the mood may change.
Many of them have small economies that produce few exportable goods. A free-trade protocol would mean they would have to compete with larger industries that could threaten their economies.
Africa's many regional blocs have not really aided continental trade so far and the African Development Bank has often said that the focus should rather be on developing infrastructure.
Nevertheless if it is implemented in a reasonable time-frame and there is sufficient political will to follow through, then it marks a new beginning for local trade.
Will Cape to Cairo free-trade zone work?
The pact - known as The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) - will then be officially unveiled at the upcoming summit of the African Union this weekend in South Africa.
BBC Africa Business Report's Lerato Mbele says the idea behind it is to remove trade barriers on most goods, making them cheaper, and stimulating $1tn (Â£648bn) worth of economic activity across the region of more than 600 million people.
However, concluding the deal in Egypt will merely be the first step and it will need to be approved by each country's parliament, before the wheels are set in motion, she says.
It is hoped that this will happen by 2017.
Africa news updates
African free trade still some way off
Analysts say countries within a free-trade zone agree to reduce or do away with certain trade barriers within that area, but still pursue their own trade policies when it comes to outside countries.
Kenyan academic Calestous Juma said the move was "extremely exciting" for the continent as, once implemented, trade within Africa would increase to 30% from 12%.
"The comparison with Europe is 70% of their trade is within Europe," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
"By having larger markets, it signals the possibility of being able to manufacture products at a scale that is cost-effective.
"For example, where you need large-scale investments like $200m to create a pharmaceutical factory, you couldn't do that if you were only selling the products in one country."
He said the consolidation of financing would be another benefit of the TFTA.
"As soon as banks notice that they can lend to larger investors, say in manufacturing, that will lead to the liberalisation of the financing sector, greater access to finance and more investors coming to Africa."


Public access is set to be improved at some of Wales' beauty spots.

The national park authorities of Pembrokeshire, Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons have each received a share of Â£600,000 Welsh Government funding for a variety of projects.
They include improving accessibility to Cadair Idris, Snowdon's Miners Track and in the east Beacons.
Wheelchair access will also be installed at Freshwater East, Abereiddy and St Davids in Pembrokeshire.
The remainder of the funding will be spent on improvements to the 870 mile Wales Coast Path.
Work will be carried out at:
There is also an allocation to Natural Resources Wales to help it repair winter storm damage on the coast path, preserving it for years to come.


One week after a Russian airliner broke up in the skies over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, there is still no official conclusion or consensus on what shattered the plane, killing all 224 passengers and crew on board.

In the urgent search for answers, relations between London and Cairo have taken a hit.
"We touched some raw nerves," admits a senior British government source present during tense talks this week which followed the UK's announcement that the plane "may well have been brought down by an explosive device".
That evoked a worst-case scenario that it may have been the work of the local jihadist group Sinai Province, which pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State a year ago.
Its claims to have downed the Airbus were initially treated with scepticism.
"They're jumping to conclusions," Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry angrily declared when I reached him by telephone shortly after the UK prime minister's office announced a suspension of all flights in and out of the popular tourist enclave on the southern edge of the Sinai which is meant to be highly protected.
But since then a number of other countries have followed suit in suspending flights or adjusting travel advice, as some new intelligence is shared and scrutinised.
Even Russia, which initially sprung to the defence of its close ally, soon took the decision to suspend all flights not just to Sinai, but across Egypt.
So far, US officials have been more cautious in their assessments of what is said to be still insufficient intelligence.
On Saturday, the Egyptian official leading the five-country investigation panel confirmed that a loud noise was heard in the last second of the cockpit voice recording.
But Ayman al-Muqqadam refused to be drawn into whether this suggested a technical fault or an act of terrorism.
For Egypt, what Mr Maqqadam obliquely referred to as "a certain scenario" has calamitous consequences: its tourism sector is vital to any hope of reviving a struggling economy and the reputation of its much vaunted security forces in the battle against an Islamist insurgency is at stake.
Earlier in the week, I had asked Egypt's President Abdul Fattah el- Sisi whether his forces were in complete control in Sinai.
The former army chief reacted immediately: "It is under our full control, of course."
"We will never accept," he insisted, "that we do not have full control over our country."
In extraordinarily awkward timing, the president had just landed in London for his first official visit when news broke about Britain's judgment about safety in Sinai.
British officials had hoped President Sisi and Prime Minister Cameron would emerge from their talks on Thursday with a "shoulder-to-shoulder" moment to send a very public symbol of their resolve.
But their proposal to announce a detailed "joint plan" was scuppered by Egypt.
"They tried to put us on the spot," one Egyptian official told me. "Our own teams need time to study the details."
Egyptian officials also said they wished their British counterparts would have done more to publicly acknowledge the catastrophic impact their move had on a sector which provides millions of jobs and is a key source of foreign currency at a time when reserves are running perilously low.
"It's wholly understandable Cairo was aggravated by London's decision to abruptly suspend flights," remarked Dr H A Hellyer, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and the Royal United Services Institute.
But he added: "If the Egyptian government doesn't learn from this episode, in terms of crisis management and showing that security really is being taken care of, there may be other uncomfortable situations in future."
Over the past week, co-operation has been stepped up on many levels.
A senior Egyptian official told me his government had responded to "every single British request", including an extra battalion of troops in and around the airport.
A British source acknowledged it had been a "very big ask" and their concern about continuing gaps had led to the decision to halt UK flights.
The focus now is on getting 20,000 stranded British tourists home on return flights which are gradually being resumed.
Egypt's airport security is now under a global microscope as the world's media converge on the Red Sea resort area.
Egypt must also confront growing disquiet that this local Islamic State affiliate may be growing in its resources and ambition.
A number of militant groups, drawn from Bedouin tribes resentful of years of official neglect, operate in the hardscrabble desert of northern Sinai.
Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in attacks. In recent weeks, Egyptian forces stepped up operations  in what is a closed military zone after an assault in July killed, according to official figures, 21 soldiers.
Other accounts of the worst attack on the military since the 1973 war put that figure even higher.
Two major attacks in Cairo this summer - including the assassination in broad daylight of the public prosecutor, and a powerful bomb that ripped through the Italian consulate - raised more questions.
Egyptian officials blame the attacks on radicalised elements of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, while others posit it could have been the work of IS fighters who travelled from Syria, via Libya, to Egypt.
Western officials express concern that Egypt's harsh security laws and punitive strikes in Sinai are driving more Egyptians into the ranks of extremists.
There's also the threat posed by the 1,200 km (745-mile) long border with volatile Libya, where IS also has a stronghold. It was one of the main issues on President Sisi's agenda for his British visit before this crisis erupted.
"I warned two-and-a-half years ago that the fighters in Syria will pose a threat to all of us - but it took them a whole year to study the issue," he replied when I asked about the effectiveness of Western air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria.
"We now say there is a threat in Libya, and I hope they will not take a long time to respond."
The issues are urgent. But they will take time and resources.
"We've got to get on with it," is how one senior British government official put it, with some characteristic understatement.
For Egypt, it is impossible to understate how serious this moment is.


Two men have been jailed for the manslaughter of a drug dealer who was stabbed to death after being ambushed.

Raja Ali's car was rammed and then blocked in at the side by two vehicles in Dagenham on 25 September.
The 33-year-old initially escaped but was chased and stabbed to death.
Abubakar Bana, from Hornchurch, Essex, was jailed for 15 years. Jordon Archambie, 20, of Stratford, east London, was sentenced to 12 years in a young offenders institution.
Three other men, Daniel Welch, 34, of Winstead Gardens, Dagenham, Zakar Yunas, 22, of Rokeby Steret, Stratford, and Mussa Jalo, 21, from Norfolk Road, Dagenham, were jailed for violent disorder.
Jalo - who pleaded guilty to violent disorder at the start of the Old Bailey trial - and Welch were each sentenced to three years in prison. Yunas was jailed for four years
Bana, and Archambie were also both sentenced to three years each for violent disorder to run concurrently with their sentences for manslaughter.
Jurors in the trial heard that Mr Ali was sitting in his car along with two friends waiting for what they thought was a drugs deal.
A Mitsubishi Shogun 4x4 then rammed into Mr Ali's car, shunting it forward, while a red Renault Megane pulled up alongside and the occupants got out armed with weapons.
Mr Ali and two other men ran away but they were chased and the 33-year-old was stabbed to death in Braintree Road.
Det Ch Insp Dave Whellams called it a "pre-planned and orchestrated murder".
"Regardless of what Raja's intentions were that night, when he arranged to meet these men he should not have lost his life.
"I hope Raja's grieving family are able to move forward knowing his attackers have now been brought to justice."


A petition has been launched to reduce the speed limit in an area where a 14-year-old boy was injured in a hit-and-run collision.

Mitchell Ogston was on his bike outside his family home in the Oldmixon area of Weston-super-Mare on 7 March when a driver hit him and drove away.
Neighbour Linda Dalrymple said she wanted the speed limit cut from 30mph to 20mph and speed bumps installed.
Avon and Somerset Police said investigations are continuing.
North Somerset Council said it is currently waiting for a police report on the accident, which will be added to its database to record all injury accidents.
It said: "The database is used to direct our casualty reduction programme, which includes highway engineering, enforcement (in conjunction with the police) and road safety education, training and publicity.


Plans to cut the hours of children who attend nursery in special schools have been suspended pending a review, a Stormont committee has heard.

The Education Authority (EA) had proposed that children receive 2.5 hours a day in schools that offer pre-school provision rather than 4.5 hours.
The plans were due to come into effect from September 2016.
The review was requested by Education Minister John O'Dowd who described the decision as "flawed".
Officials from the EA appeared before Stormont's Education Committee on Wednesday.
Dr Claire Mangan said that the review would be completed within a short period of time.
"Obviously, until the EA board has the information that they will require, we are not moving forward with part-time," she said.
UUP MLA Sandra Overend said she could not understand how the minister did not know of the proposed cuts.
"Do you know how he didn't know?" she asked Dr Mangan.
"I can't answer that," Dr Mangan replied.
The EA's proposed cut in hours would have affected 29 special schools in Northern Ireland.
The EA had said that the move was "designed to increase the opportunity for children to access special schools places".


David Cameron has said the UK and Turkey are working "hand in glove" to prevent British jihadists returning home after fighting in Iraq and Syria.

Speaking after talks with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara, the UK prime minister said Islamic State (IS) was a "common enemy" that must be confronted.
He hailed the countries' existing intelligence co-operation and said this would be stepped up further.
The US and EU want Turkey to take a more active role in tackling IS.
At a press conference in the capital, Turkey's prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the two countries shared a "strong and common political will" to address the threat posed by foreign fighters travelling to and from conflict zones in Syria and Iraq.
Mr Cameron said that British jihadists had "sometimes" passed through Turkey and the two men had had "productive discussions" over how they could be detained and, if possible, prosecuted.
The UK government is seeking greater powers to confiscate the passports of people returning to the UK from Iraq and Syria who are thought to pose a threat to national security, with Parliament currently debating changes to the law.
Asked whether Turkey could be doing more to identify and stop suspects at its borders, Mr Cameron said the two countries were already working "as closely as we possibly can" to tackle the threat.
He said: "Whether it is about stopping people coming through Turkey to Syria or Iraq to fight for Islamic State, whether it's about making sure we deal with people when they return, whether it is the highest levels of intelligence co-operation that we can possibly achieve between our countries, this is all about making sure people are safer in Turkey and making sure people are safer back home in the UK."
As well as addressing the "extremist ideology" that fuels Islamic State, he reiterated his calls for a transition to a more democratic and representative government in Syria and more efforts towards reconciliation by the new government in Baghdad.
Mr Cameron also hailed a growth in economic links between the UK and Turkey, saying bilateral trade had increased by 60% since 2010.
Making his first visit to Turkey since 2010, Mr Cameron will later be hosted at a dinner by president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Mr Cameron will not return to the UK in time for Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, with Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg expected to step in for him.


Who can remember those far gone days of the general election campaign when the Conservatives warned that putting Ed Miliband in Downing Street would see the SNP calling the shots?

Today, the Conservative government has decided to scrap Wednesday's vote to relax the hunting ban in England and Wales after the SNP said its 56 MPs would vote against a government move to bring the law in line with the law in Scotland.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said one of the reasons why her MPs would vote on a law that doesn't apply in Scotland was because the prime minister was  making Scottish MPs "second-class citizens" in the House of Commons through his "English votes for English laws" (EVEL) proposal.
It's been suggested the government may now tighten up restrictions on Scottish MPs voting on matters in England and Wales before holding a vote on hunting regulations.
But as my colleague Mark D'Arcy explains, the current EVEL proposals would still allow the SNP to vote on changes to hunting laws if they are enacted by secondary legislation.
So either the EVEL proposals will have to re-drafted (again) or primary legislation will have to be used if the government wants to change the law.
Wednesday's vote would have thrown up some interesting alliances. In the last parliament, Plaid Cymru and the SNP were treated as a single parliamentary group at Westminster, but Plaid's three MPs were expected to vote with Tory MPs to relax the ban.
Plaid parliamentary leader, Jonathan Edwards, told me: "It is a free vote for Plaid Cymru MPs and I have to make a decision when votes are presented to the House of Commons how I believe it would be better for me to represent my constituents in those circumstances.
"With this particular issue my position my position is that it would improve livestock protection for the farming community and the farming community is obviously a key stakeholder in my constituency."
The free vote may owe something to hunting being an issue of conscience, although it may owe something to party management too: several Plaid Cymru AMs are prominent opponents of fox hunting.


The UK's largest retail investment manager, Invesco Perpetual, has been fined £18.6m by the city watchdog for exposing investors to unnecessary risk.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said investors had lost £5m, but the losses could have been greater.
The fine is one of the largest of its type ever imposed.
Invesco Perpetual said the funds involved had been "fully reimbursed", but admitted it had fallen short of its usual standards.
The FCA said that over a four year period, between 2008 and 2012, the company had failed to comply with investment limits, which are designed to protect consumers from undue exposure to risk.
The rules were broken on 33 separate occasions.
The firm also failed to explain the use of derivatives - complex financial instruments - to its investors.
Two of the funds involved - the Invesco Perpetual High Income Fund, and the Invesco Perpetual Income Fund - were managed by Neil Woodford, one of the UK's star fund managers.
After a long and successful career at Invesco Perpetual, Mr Woodford left the company earlier this month.
"Investors of all sizes trusted Invesco Perpetual to manage their money," said Tracey McDermott, the FCA's director of enforcement and financial crime.
"They signed up for a certain level of risk, but we found Invesco Perpetual's actions were at odds with investors' reasonable expectations," she said.
The company said it was confident that its systems and controls had now been improved.
"The small number of impacted funds were fully reimbursed," said Mark Armour, the chief executive of Invesco Perpetual.
"In this instance, we clearly fell short of the high standards we consistently strive to deliver," he said.


Campaigners for reduced immigration to the UK have warned officials could be underestimating net migration.

Migration Watch said given that figures for the 10-year period to 2011 were proved unreliable, it feared current estimates may be wrong.
The Office for National Statistics said it was reviewing the quality of data but could not alter the past estimates.
It has already accepted it undercounted the number of immigrants from countries which joined the EU after 2004.
In December the ONS said its figures on net migration - the number of people moving to the UK minus the number leaving - for the 10 years up to 2011 had  proved to be inaccurate.
This came after information from the 2011 Census showed the population of England and Wales grew by 464,000 more than the ONS estimated - mostly due to migration.
As Britain prepares to lift labour market restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians next year, Sir Andrew Green - chairman of Migration Watch - says the same mistake on statistics could still be being made.
He has written to the UK Statistics Authority watchdog calling for a revision of previous immigration estimates.
"There is no point in burying bad news in obscure documents," Sir Andrew said. "That simply destroys trust.
"It is hard to think of set of statistics that is more important to the public."
But ONS head of population outputs Paul Vickers said: "It is simply not true to suggest that ONS has 'refused' to revise migration estimates."
An ONS spokesman told the BBC the past figures, based on surveys at ports of entry to the UK, could not be updated based on the Census statistics as the two datasets were not comparable.
Mr Vickers said improvements had been made to the ONS's data and it had already announced plans to publish a report "analysing the quality of the long-term international migration data since 2001" in the autumn.
The government has so far refused to put a figure on the number of Romanians and Bulgarians who could come to the UK when restrictions are lifted in January.
Campaigners have said as many as 250,000 people could arrive for work in the next five years.
The coalition government vowed net migration would fall to under 100,000 per year by 2015.


Brentford midfielder Lewis Macleod has signed a one-year extension to his contract with the Championship club.

The 22-year-old, who is currently sidelined with a serious knee injury, will remain with the west London club until the summer of 2019.
Injuries have restricted the Scot to just 14 appearances since he arrived from Rangers in January 2015.
"Prior to his injury he was beginning to show the undoubted potential he possesses," head coach Dean Smith said.


The location for north Wales' new 2,000-inmate super-prison has been announced by the Ministry of Justice.

The £250m jail will be built on the Welsh government-owned former Firestone site on the Wrexham Industrial Estate, creating 1,000 jobs.
The closure of four prisons - Reading in Berkshire, Dorchester in Dorset, Blundeston in Suffolk and Northallerton in North Yorkshire was also announced.
There are also plans to replace Feltham Young Offenders Institution in London.
In north Wales, two sites in Wrexham had been shortlisted for the new jail - both on the same industrial estate - but the owners of one of them said last week it was out of the running.
Neighbours divided over prison site
The jail should be built by 2017 and worth £23m a year to the local economy.
It will be a Category C prison used for inmates who cannot be trusted in open conditions but who do not have the resources and will to make a determined escape attempt.
Secretary of State for Justice Chris Grayling said: "I can today announce that, following the assessment of several site options and subject to local planning approval, the new prison will be built on the former Firestone site in Wrexham.
"Work will begin on-site next summer with the prison fully operational by late 2017.
"The new prison will provide up to 1,000 much-needed jobs, great opportunities for local businesses and millions of pounds worth of construction opportunities.
"It also provides north Wales with its first ever prison, offering an opportunity for offenders from the region to be closer to their homes."
Earlier this week, the Howard League for Penal Reform said almost a quarter of all prisoners in England and Wales were kept in overcrowded cells in the year to April.
Figures showed about 19,140 inmates on average were made to share a cell designed for one person.
The closure of four prisons follows an announcement in January that six entire prisons were to shut plus one of the three amalgamated jails on the Isle of Wight.
Figures published by the Ministry of Justice show that jails held an average of just over 85,000 prisoners between April 2012 and March this year.
Locations in London and north west England, including Cumbria, had also been in the running for the super prison.
But Wrexham's campaign to host the prison with the backing of other local councils in the region, paid off in June when the town was chosen.
Two potential sites were identified at Kingmoor Park and the former Firestone rubber factory site, both on Wrexham Industrial Estate, which already provides work for 10,000 people.
But the owners of Kingmoor Park said in August they have optioned a large section of its land to Wrexham Power, which hopes to build an £800m gas-fired power station.
It left the former Firestone site as the only other option for the prison.
The Welsh government said the 108-acre former Firestone site - supported by First Minister Carwyn Jones - was acquired by the then Welsh Development Agency in 1994 and was prepared for development shortly after.
"Many of the older prisons in the UK are now outdated and in an unsuitable condition.
"We can see so-called super prisons in the United States and other large countries, although those set for the UK are not on the same scale.
"They are a way of making the whole prison system more efficient and over a long period costs will be cut.
"The prisoners in Wrexham are not going to be very dangerous and there's no evidence the prison will become an overspill for the large prisons in Manchester and Liverpool.
"People will not want a prison built next door to them and there will be opposition but unfortunately prisons are necessary in society.
"One of the advantages will be the jobs the new prison will create. It will obviously need prison staff but there will be ancillary benefits as well - a large workforce on site while the prison is built.
"There will also be the benefit of variety of prison services on site, such as rehabilitation programmes and back to work schemes. Often these services are dotted around various prisons and those conducting them have to travel. With this new prison all these services and staff should be on one site.
"Having a prison in north Wales will also make it easier for families in Wales to visit loved ones. We are harsh on people who commit crime but they have families and if they have children it can be difficult for them."
Dr Norris is based at Aberystwyth University
It has been on the market for employment use "for a number of years".
Welsh Secretary David Jones welcomed the announcement.
He said: "The construction of this much needed facility will bring with it considerable economic benefits for local businesses, and create up to 1,000 employment opportunities across the region.
"It will facilitate the rehabilitation of offenders by making them more accessible to their families, legal advisers and the probation service, enabling a smoother transition back into the community.
"It will also benefit prisoner welfare by allowing Welsh speakers more opportunity to speak the language in an environment where its cultural significance is understood."
First Minister Carwyn Jones said the announcement was a "big boost" for Wrexham.
"The current arrangements whereby prisoners from north Wales have to serve their sentences in England are far from ideal," he added.
"The Welsh government has long supported seeing a prison built in north Wales and I am very pleased that the benefits of having a prison in Wrexham have been recognised by the UK government.
"We will work closely with the Ministry of Justice, local authorities in north Wales and other partners to ensure its success."
It is not the first time a prison for north Wales has been considered but the Ministry of Justice dropped plans for a jail in Caernarfon in 2009.


Anglesey has become the latest Welsh local authority to stop tenants buying their own council houses, Communities Secretary Carl Sargeant has confirmed.

He said he had agreed to suspending the right-to-buy scheme "to ensure homes are available to those who need them".
Swansea and Carmarthenshire have already been granted the power to halt sales to protect their housing stock.
Ministers are planning to introduce a law to abolish right-to-buy across Wales over the next year.
Ending the flagship policy of former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was one of the most eye catching pledges in Welsh Labour's assembly election manifesto.
Since 1980, more than 130,000 houses in Wales have been bought under right-to-buy, for council tenants, and right-to-acquire, for housing association tenants.
Anglesey council says nearly half its housing stock has been sold under the scheme - leaving it with fewer than 4,000 properties.
Mr Sargeant said he had agreed to the council's application to suspend right-to-buy to "help them deal with the pressure their social housing is facing and to ensure that homes are available to those who need them".
He said the Welsh Government was also abolishing right-to-buy altogether, because the scheme was "further increasing the pressure on our social housing supply and is forcing many vulnerable people to wait longer for a home".
"Legislating to end the right-to-buy is the only sure way to prevent this and give social landlords the confidence to invest in building more of the affordable homes Wales needs," Mr Sargeant added.


Northampton claimed a bonus-point win over Scarlets, with results on Sunday sending them into the Champions Cup last eight.

Saints needed maximum points from their final Pool Three game to stay in with a chance of progressing as one of the best three runners-up.
And they did it with ease, thanks to tries from Harry Mallinder, George Pisi, Sam Dickinson and George North.
Rhodri Jones grabbed a late consolation score for the hosts.
Bottom side Scarlets had nothing left to play for in the competition and they were soon behind as 19-year-old Mallinder, son of director of rugby Jim, intercepted a loose Scarlets pass and sprinted home.
Saints struck again eight minutes later as Pisi went over in the corner, before Aled Thomas slotted the hosts' first points from the tee to make it 12-3 at the break.
Dickinson claimed a simple touchdown after the restart and Scarlets' woes continued when lock Maselino Paulino was yellow-carded for a shoulder barge on England's Courtney Lawes.
Wales international North secured the important bonus point when he crossed the line after a brilliant pass from Mallinder.
Saints finished with 14 men after replacement scrum-half Lee Dickson was sin-binned for a technical offence, and it gave Jones the chance to touch down at the death.
Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac: "We wanted to be in the game, and over the 80 minutes we put in a solid performance.
"It was a big step up from last week."
Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder:  "It's always a challenge, particularly to get the four tries, so we are delighted to get the bonus point.
"We knew that whatever team Scarlets put out they would be fighting. We can sit back and hope that results go our way on Sunday.
"Not getting any bonus point wins has made it difficult for us and made it close, but to win four and draw one is pretty good."
Scarlets: Michael Collins;  Tom Williams, Regan King, Steven Shingler, DTH van der Merwe; Aled Thomas, Gareth Davies; Phil John, Ken Owens (C), Samson Lee; Tom Price, Maselino Paulino; Aaron Shingler, Will Boyde, Morgan Allen.
Replacements: Kirby Myhill, Dylan Evans, Rhodri Jones, Lewis Rawlins, Tom Phillips, Aled Davies, Josh Lewis, Steff Hughes
Sin Bin: Paulino (48).
Northampton: Ben Foden; Jamie Elliott, George Pisi, Harry Mallinder, George North; Stephen Myler, Tom Kessell; Alex Waller, Dylan Hartley (c), Paul Hill; Courtney Lawes, Christian Day; Jamie Gibson, Tom Wood, Sam Dickinson.
Replacements: Mikey Haywood, Ethan Waller, Gareth Denman, Michael Paterson, Jonathan Fisher, Lee Dickson, JJ Hanrahan, Luther Burrell.
Sin Bin: Dickson (73).
Ref: Pascal Gauzere (France).
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.


A tourist has broken the record for lifting the famous Dinnie Stones.

Bryan Hunsaker from America held the 733lbs (332kg) boulders at Potarch in Aberdeenshire for 33.9 seconds - beating the record of 31 seconds.
Mr Hunsaker, a 6ft 8in tall, 22-stone amateur weightlifter, travelled to the area while on holiday in the UK to take on the challenge.
The 36-year-old's family watched as he lifted the granite boulders challenge, dressed in a kilt.
The smaller of the stones weighs more than 144kg (318lbs) and the larger is more than 188kg (414lbs).
Iron rings were attached to them in the 1830s so they could act as counterweights for scaffolding during the maintenance of Potarch Bridge.
In 1860, Donald Dinnie carried them across the width of Potarch Bridge and back.
Mr Hunsaker had learned of the stones via the weightlifting community.
The vitamin exporter told the BBC Scotland news website: "I had known about them for about a year, and started training seriously for it about two months ago.
"We were coming to the UK anyway so decided to try.
"I realised I could hang on to them for a while - to beat Mark Felix's record is quite something."
Ballogie Estate marketing co-ordinator Helen Knowles said of the new record: "We timed it with a stopwatch. He was very determined - and absolutely delighted."
Attempts to lift the stones have to be made by arrangement, to protect the stones.


Scientists will set out this week to drill a hole into the Indian Ocean floor to try to get below the Earth's crust for the first time.

They want to sample rock from the planet's mantle - its deep interior.
In the process, the researchers hope to check their assumptions about the materials from which the crust itself is made.
It will probably take several years to drop the full 5 to 5.5km, says co-team leader, Prof Chris MacLeod.
This is in addition to the 700m of water between the drilling ship, the Joides Resolution (JR), and the seabed.
"In total, we think it will take three expeditions," the Cardiff University geologist told BBC News.
"The science is approved and we have funding for this initial two-month investigation. But we will need to come back and we may not complete the task until the 2020s."
There have been several attempts to drill into the mantle, but none has yet succeeded.
This latest effort may fare better, however, because faulting and erosion have already thinned the crust at the targeted drill site, known as Atlantis Bank on the South West Indian Ridge of the Indian Ocean.
The project, which is running under the auspices of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), would give scientists access ultimately to fresh, unaltered peridotite - the rock, rich in olivine minerals, that, because of the size of the mantle, makes up the bulk material of the planet's interior.
This is a worthwhile goal in itself. But as they sink deeper and deeper, the researchers want also to test current models for how the crust is constructed and constituted.
In particular, Prof MacLeod is keen to probe the so-called Moho boundary.
This is the famous "discontinuity" where seismic waves from earthquakes abruptly change speed.
The textbook explanation is that the Moho draws the line between the crust and the mantle: a demarcation between familiar igneous surface rocks - such as granites, basalts and gabbros - and those of the interior peridotites.
But Prof MacLeod suspects the discontinuity could also describe in places the depth to which water has managed to penetrate into the peridotites to produce a different type of rock known as serpentinite.
Given that the seismic signature of this material is essentially the same as crustal igneous rocks, there is no way of telling - other than to drill and sample everything between the seabed and the top few hundred metres of unadulterated mantle.
If proven correct, the more sophisticated Moho description would have a number of far-reaching consequences for our understanding of how the planet is put together.
For a start, it would mean the igneous ocean crust is far more variable in thickness and in structure than previously recognised.
"The Moho is pretty uniform everywhere across the ocean basins, and because of that everyone has assumed that the ocean crust is very uniform and therefore, by inference, very simple," explained Prof MacLeod.
"But if we're right here, it changes the game completely. If the Moho seismic boundary is actually an alteration boundary from water penetration into the mantle, it means we know a lot less about the ocean crust than we did."
And it might also say something really quite profound about life on Earth, because the process of making serpentinites (serpentinisation) is a huge draw for microbes.
The hydrogen and methane produced as the peridotites' olivine minerals are altered in contact with water can be metabolised by single-celled organisms. If serpentinite is shown to be more extensive than current models accept, then it means assessments of the scale of the biology occurring inside the Earth has also been greatly underestimated.
"If there's far more serpentinite down there, goodness knows how much of it has microbes in it," said Prof MacLeod.
Tuesday sees the IODP Expedition 360 team board the Joides Resolution in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The ship should put to sea later this week.
Because Atlantis Bank has been drilled before, and its condition is known, fairly swift progress is expected on this first outing, with the hole being opened to a depth of perhaps 1.3km below the seabed.
Assuming all goes well, the next opportunity to drop the hole further still may come in 2018. This would be dependent on funding and of a capable ship like the JR being available.
Expedition 360 can be followed live on the web, here and here.
Schools and the public are also being encouraged to contact and interact with the science team directly.
Expedition members will also be tweeting using the hashtag #exp360.
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos


The definition of vape: to inhale and exhale the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device.

It's now followed in the footsteps of selfie after being named 2014's international word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries.
They chose it to reflect the huge rise and popularity of electronic cigarettes over the past few years.
Other words shortlisted for word included "bae" - a term of endearment, "indyref" and "contactless".
Oxford Dictionaries claims we are now 30 times more likely to come across the word "vape" than we were two years ago.
It can be used to describe both the device and the action.
Judy Pearsall, editorial director for Oxford Dictionaries, said: "As vaping has gone mainstream and with growing public debate on the public dangers and the need for regulation, the language usage of the word vape and related terms in 2014 has shown a marked increase."
The earliest known use of the word "vape" was seen in an article called Why Do People Smoke? from 1983.
The author, Rob Stepney, wrote about "an inhaler or non-combustible cigarette, looking much like the real thing, but...delivering a metered dose of nicotine vapour. The new habit, if it catches on, would be known as vaping".
In March 2014, the UK's first vape cafe opened in London while protests were held in New York against the banning of indoor vaping.
Controversy over e-cigarettes was raised again last week when fire bosses said that safety messages should be put on the kits because of a rise in incidents linked to the devices.
Previous words of the year have included "selfie", "omnishambles" and "simples".
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube.


A former South Wales Police officer has appeared in court charged with two counts of rape.

Jeffrey Davies, 44, of Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taff, is alleged to have committed the offences in 2002 and 2003.
He was a detective constable at that time, but is no longer in the force.
Mr Davies did not enter a plea at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday and will appear at the city's crown court on 7 December.
An investigation was carried out by South Wales Police, managed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Mr Davies was released on bail.


Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock has strongly criticised the Football Association for scheduling Championship matches on the last day of the January transfer window.

The Bluebirds beat Preston North End 2-0 in one of seven Tuesday night games.
There were also seven Premier League games as the window drew to a close.
"It's a nightmare, it's a disgrace. You can't tell me the Football Association couldn't plan it where there isn't a game," said Warnock.
The deadline was 23:00 GMT for Football League and Premier League clubs - a little over an hour after the final whistle in the matches.
"I am disappointed that we haven't brought anyone in," said 68-year-old Warnock.
"In the afternoon I should have been resting and I went to have a kip for half an hour and my phone went 20 times.
Podcast: Warnock praises winning Cardiff attitude
"It's typical of the FA that they haven't got the time or the inclination to try and help clubs or managers.
"They obviously have never been in our situation, don't know the phone is ringing every five or 10 minutes -agents, clubs.
"They haven't got a clue."


Peterborough United manager Grant McCann has said "everything" went wrong in the defeat by Oldham on Tuesday.

Posh, beaten 5-1 at Bury in their previous away game, were defeated 2-0 by a side that only had 13 League One goals all season prior to the match.
"We were poor from minute one. The Bury result was a 5-1 defeat, but we never folded like (against Oldham)," he said.
"That's probably the worst I've seen us under my management. I'm disgusted with the performance to be honest."
Second-half goals from Paul Green and Ryan McLaughlin, their first for the Latics, gave the second-from-bottom hosts victory over a Posh side currently just four points outside the play-off places.
McCann, who became manager in May, continued to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "Without me being too critical, because I'll take responsibility, I'm the manager, on the whole the character this season has been good. It wasn't against Oldham.
"We lacked energy, tempo, anything about us. We were launching hopeless balls into their box into centre-halves like Anthony Gerrard and Peter Clarke who've been around this league and just head things away.
"I toyed with making changes to freshen it up, but I gave them another shot because they won the game. I'm possibly regretting that decision now."


Cardiff Blues fly-half Rhys Patchell will join Welsh rivals Scarlets on a two-year deal from next summer.

Patchell, 22, will leave the Blues at the end of the current season after rejecting a new contract.
He will join Wales centre Jonathan Davies at Scarlets next term after Davies' switch from Clermont Auvergne.
"Rhys is an exciting young player who will bring a new dimension to our game next season," head coach Wayne Pivac said.
"He's been playing particularly well for the Blues in recent weeks. He will be joining what is shaping up to be a very exciting backline."
Patchell made his regional debut for the Blues in September 2012 and his international debut for Wales in the summer tour to Japan in 2013.
"I'd like to thank Cardiff Blues for giving me an opportunity and supporting my development over the last few seasons," he added.
"As a Cardiff boy it has been a really difficult decision to have to make, and one that I have deliberated over for quite some time.
"I will continue to give my all to the Blues as we look to build on recent victories in both the Pro12 and Challenge Cup. I will leave the region with fond memories and having made lifelong friends."


Stephen Hester, chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, has decided not to take a bonus for this year.

The decision followed the chaos due to an update to RBS computer systems, which left many customers unable to access their accounts or move money.
He confirmed that RBS is one of the banks being investigated about attempts to manipulate Libor interest rates, for which Barclays has already been fined.
He told the BBC it was a time of "high emotion around financial services".
Barclays has already accepted a fine following an investigation by the Financial Services Authority.
Mr Hester said he could not comment on the situation because the investigation was still ongoing.
The RBS boss had previously turned down the Â£963,000 bonus in RBS shares that he had been awarded for last year. He said at the time that the decision was due to "enormous political pressure".
As for this year's award, he said: "I don't deserve one and wouldn't take one." His salary last year was Â£1.2m.
Mr Hester agreed that there needed to be a cultural change in banking. "[Bankers] thought they were masters of the universe, when they should have been servants of the customer."


For Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, his appearance at the BBC Proms on Sunday will mark the end of a "musical pilgrimage" which has seen him perform Beethoven exclusively for the past four years.

He has worked on the project with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, directing the ensemble himself - without a conductor - from the piano stool.
His "Beethoven journey" began in 2011 with the idea to focus on the work of a single composer. And while the three Proms concerts that will host his final performances of Beethoven's five piano concertos were planned from the beginning of the project, the Beethoven seed was planted in Andsnes much earlier.
"Beethoven's music has been growing in me since I was a child," he says, "and when I was a student I felt the revolutionary character of the music".
Later it was the "human aspect" of Beethoven's music, the search for "answers to the big questions", that touched the pianist.
And despite Beethoven's image as a serious and often grumpy character, Andsnes has found the piano concertos to be "full of happiness" and surprises.
"There's an irrationality which is fun to play with as a musician," he says.
Play is a quality that came through strongly in Andsnes's performance at Prom 10 on Friday.
There was an optimism on display, which carried into more melodramatic episodes, such as in the first movement of the third concerto in C minor. And an immense energy was shared between the pianist and the orchestra, who between them brought the movement to a roaring end.
There was no sense of catharsis, just the impression of a musician who has grown with the music.
Andsnes gave himself all the time in the world going into the second movement, which opens with a spacious piano solo. And he had plenty left in the tank for the show-pony prancings of the final movement, with the Norwegian as ringmaster, bobbing up and down in his seat as he directed the musicians.
Working on the project with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Andsnes has performed Beethoven's five piano concertos, and the "Choral Fantasy" for piano, chorus and orchestra, in no fewer than 55 cities, in 22 different countries.
After such an intensive period working with just a limited number of works, the pianist says he has revisited "millions of small details".
"A lot of these details become part of the sub-conscious," he says, until the performance of these elements happens "automatically, in a way where it breathes more naturally."
"And then you are working on other things again, and making the performance more organic. And at the same time, maybe more surprising."
Playfulness was complemented with punch and vigour in Thursday's Prom 9, which opened with concerto No. 1.
The Mahler Chamber Orchestra's clean sound and tight articulation heard the staccatos of the opening section double back from the back the Royal Albert Hall. The ensemble's phrasing popped with crisp definition, and with Andsnes and his piano tucked closely into the orchestra, transitions into tender solo passages were smooth and unfussy.
Being so close to the musicians is both a necessity and an advantage. Andsnes needs to conduct the orchestra sometimes with a mere raise of the eyebrows - his hands are busy at the keyboard - and he relies heavily on the trust he has built up with the musicians over the course of the project.
And sitting with the orchestra at close quarters means they can hear each other very clearly and very quickly - enabling the instrumentalists to pick up on the pianist's slightest musical gesture.
Andsnes says concentrating solely on Beethoven was an opportunity to "try to understand one language" better.
"It's been really liberating to have this focus," he says. "Beethoven was so great for the piano. That's where so much of his experimentation happened, and where he developed as a composer."
Andsnes admits that at the start of the project he was nervous. The received wisdom is that one can never grow tired of the great composers. But would it really work out that way? Perhaps - after four years - he would never be able to face Beethoven again?
The Proms "is the last destination on my Beethoven journey," he says, "and for sure, I will have a few years break from these concertos now."
"It's been very intense and I'm longing to play other music as well. But I will come back to this and I will love this music for ever."
The project reaches its end at the Proms on Sunday evening with Beethoven's final "Emperor" piano concerto, and it will be a special occasion for the Norwegian pianist.
"I've been thinking about that moment for a long time and I'm sure I will feel very emotional. It's been very intense.
"The really difficult thing will be to say goodbye to the Mahler Chamber Orchestra," says Andsnes, "because there are deep friendships there now. That will be very difficult. I don't know when I will see them next."
So as he reaches the end of one pilgrimage, is it too soon to think about starting another?
"I'm not sure," Andsnes hestitates.
"I was thinking of this as a once in a lifetime project. But one can find other composers one can do big projects with and I've been intrigued by the fact that my personal journey has led me to understand and love this music so much better.
"I like to have a focus when it comes to repertoire, so we'll see."
Leif Ove Andsnes performs Beethoven Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 5 with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra at the BBC Proms on Sunday 26 July.


Gillingham have signed midfielder Scott Wagstaff on a two-year contract after his recent released by Bristol City.

The Maidstone-born 26-year-old made 90 appearances during a three-year spell at Ashton Gate.
But he started only one league match for the Robins last season.
"I'm delighted to sign for Gillingham. I've got a lot of friends and family this way, which adds to my excitement about joining," Wagstaff told the Gills' website.
Wagstaff began his career at Charlton, and played 120 league games for the south London club.
He has also had spells on loan at Bournemouth, Leyton Orient and Northwich.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


The Conservatives have said regulated rail fares in England would rise by no more than inflation if they win the election.

They said the move - extending the policy for 2014 and 2015 - would save an average rail commuter £400 by 2020.
The Lib Dems said they had fought in government to keep rail fares down while the Tories "repeatedly argued" for above-inflation increases.
Labour called the pledge "unfunded, uncosted and... totally unbelievable".
The pledge would affect regulated fares, which cover about half of all tickets sold including season tickets and day returns.
A restriction limiting rises in these fares to RPI (retail prices index) inflation has been in place for the past two years under the coalition government.
Between 2004 and 2013, regulated fares rose by an average of RPI plus 1% annually, in an attempt to reduce taxpayer subsidies to the industry.
In 2014 and 2015 the government limited the increase to RPI only. In January, regulated rail fares in England increased by 2.2%.
This election issue includes transport infrastructure, HS2 and airport expansion.
Policy guide: Where the parties stand
Transport Secretary Patrick McLaughlin insisted that the cap on fare increases could be afforded.
"We've capped them for the last two years, we're also seeing growth on our railways too," he said.
"On some of the railway lines we're seeing 6% growth.
"We're investing record amounts, so it is possible for us to be able to say over the next five years we will stick to an increase of RPI ."
Does the Conservative price "freeze" policy mean rail fares will remain the same?
The Conservatives say they will "freeze" rail fares in England for the whole of the next parliament. However, read the small print, and this doesn't mean your rail fare will stay the same.
As the Tories go on to explain, prices may rise but the policy would ensure the only increases are those pegged to inflation.
This would control costs for many commuters, but would all tickets be subject to the rule?
The Tories' policy only targets "regulated" rail fares - these include season tickets, some off-peak returns as well as anytime tickets in major cities.
The House of Commons Library said in January 2015 that just 45% of fares are regulated. So people buying unregulated fares - such as advance purchase bookings and the other fares that fall outside the scope of regulation -  won't necessarily benefit from the Conservatives' pledge.
But Labour's shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher said rail fares overall had risen by 20% on average since 2010, while services had worsened for "hard-pressed commuters".
He said: "Labour wants to see big changes on rail - action on fares, but also an end to the failed franchises, a public-sector operator and for the first time a passenger voice to stop the rip-off railways that have defined David Cameron's government."
Lib Dem Norman Baker, a former transport minister under the coalition, said: "It is astonishing that the Conservatives would now turn around and claim they are going to freeze fares.
"They have shown no willingness to do so in the last five years and no-one should believe them now."
BBC transport correspondent Richard Westcott said fewer than one in 10 people commuted by train, with most using the car to get to work.
But he added: "Rail fares are always contentious, because they went up by more than inflation every year for a decade."
Transport campaigners have called on any future government to start cutting prices.
Stephen Joseph, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: "Rail passengers have suffered inflation-busting fare rises for most of the last 10 years, which have far outstripped wage growth, so any commitment to end real-terms fare increases is welcome.
"However, more is needed: we want to see flexible tickets for the army of part-time workers who currently pay full fares, and more widely, the whole rail fares system needs to be made simpler, fairer and cheaper."
Mick Cash, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said: "This latest stunt would still mean annual fare increases that would institutionalise the harsh reality that the British passenger pays the highest fares in Europe to travel on rammed out and unreliable trains."


What will the house of the future look like?

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19 September 2015 Last updated at 00:06 BST
As Britain struggles to solve its housing shortage crisis, experts have been looking at the best solutions to building new homes.
Professor Philip Oldfield and the Sustainable Tall Buildings Design Lab at the University of Nottingham have been trying to predict what new houses will look like in 2050.
A specially-commissioned animated film for BBC Inside Out shows a variety of approaches to how our homes might look in 40 years' time.
The homes of tomorrow could range from sky-high apartments in vertical villages to flat-pack, pre-fabricated housing and eco homes.
Inside Out is broadcast on BBC One on Monday, 21 September at 19:30 BST and nationwide for 30 days thereafter on the iPlayer.


The remains of the daughter of a 14th Century traitor are believed to have been discovered in a church tomb in Herefordshire.

Blanch Mortimer, who died in 1347, was the daughter of Sir Roger Mortimer, who overthrew King Edward II and ruled England for three years.
Work to restore Blanch's tomb at St Bartholomew's Church in Much Marcle uncovered the remains in October.
English Heritage described the find as "astonishing".
The Reverend Howard Mayell, vicar for the parish, said the Â£500,000 work to restore the church had begun in 2006.
"However, it wasn't until autumn we discovered there was a lead-lined coffin in the tomb, which was a real surprise," he said.
"We kept the discovery under wraps until we had carried out tests and made her secure again.
"There wasn't much left in the coffin, so we can't be absolutely certain it is Blanch but we believe the remains are hers.
"We are quite overwhelmed by the idea Blanch is still in the church."
Blanch's tomb, which is located within the chancel, includes an effigy that has been described by experts as "strikingly beautiful".
Mr Mayell said the monument had been removed for preservation and it was only then the tomb had been discovered.
The king overthrown by his wife in favour of his son
Michael Eastham, the conservator of sculpture, who was working on the church, said: "We could not work out what it was when we first took the stone panels from the front of the memorial.
"We thought it might be a layer of slate but as we explored further we realised it was a lead coffin."
A spokesman for English Heritage said it was "astonishing" to find a coffin within a tomb, adding: "Usually the tomb chest is empty, with the body buried beneath."
He said: "The coffin is complete, irregular in shape like a lead shroud, and has a number of small holes in it."
The remains underwent an endoscopic examination.
The spokesman added: "The decision was eventually taken that the coffin should not be opened, both on grounds of best archaeological practice and the Church of England policy that human remains should be disturbed as little as possible."


Two Palestinians who attempted to stab Jews in separate incidents have been killed, Israeli forces say.

The army said the first incident, in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, saw an Israeli settler shoot dead a youth who attacked him.
In East Jerusalem, police reported that a Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli forces when he tried to stab a soldier at a checkpoint.
Violence between the two sides has recently spiralled.
There have been near-daily stabbings by Palestinians of Israelis this month.
Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in the stabbings and some gun attacks. At least 39 Palestinians, including several of the attackers, have been killed in the growing unrest.
The upsurge in violence began last month when tensions at a flashpoint holy site in East Jerusalem revered by Jews and Muslims boiled over amid rumours Israel planned to relax long-standing rules to strengthen Jewish rights at the complex. Israel has repeatedly denied such claims.
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Friday on the upsurge of violence.
Opening the meeting, UN Assistant Secretary-General Taye-Brook Zerihoun welcomed repeated assurances by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the status quo at the flashpoint holy compound, known to Jews as Temple Mount and Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, would not change.
But he said that "reckless statements made by Palestinian and Israeli extremist elements reinforced by some mainstream voices as well" had created a different impression.
A second factor behind the recent escalation in violence was the "heavy handed approach by the Israeli security services", he said.
The Israeli deputy ambassador to the UN, David Roet, defended Israel's approach, saying it faced an enemy "willing to die in order to kill" and was "responding proportionately".
US President Barack Obama said he was "very concerned about the outbreak of violence" and urged leaders on both sides to "try to tamp down rhetoric that may feed violence or anger or misunderstanding".
There has been a spate of stabbings of Israelis - several of them fatal - by Palestinians since early October, and one apparent revenge stabbing by an Israeli. The attackers have struck in Jerusalem and central and northern Israel, and in the occupied West Bank. Israel has tightened security and its security forces have clashed with rioting Palestinians, leading to deaths on the Palestinian side. The violence has also spread to the border with Gaza.
After a period of relative quiet, violence between the two communities has spiralled since clashes erupted at a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site in mid-September. It was fuelled by rumours among Palestinians that Israel was attempting to alter a long-standing religious arrangement governing the site. Israel repeatedly dismissed the rumours as incitement. Soon afterwards, two Israelis were shot dead by Palestinians in the West Bank and the stabbing attacks began. Both Israel and the Palestinian authorities have accused one another of doing nothing to protect each other's communities.
There have been two organised uprisings by Palestinians against Israeli occupation, in the 1980s and early 2000s. With peace talks moribund, some observers have questioned whether we are now seeing a third. The stabbing attacks seem to be opportunistic and although they have been praised by militant groups, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said Palestinians are not interested in a further escalation.
What is driving the latest violence?


Hamilton Academical have signed French central defender Xavier Tomas for an undisclosed fee from Swiss club Lausanne-Sport.

The 31-year-old is the Premiership club's first recruit of the summer.
He has played in his homeland and in Greece and Israel before his move to the Swiss top flight in January.
Accies say Tomas is the first player they have paid a fee for since goalkeeper Tomas Cerny arrived from Sigma Olomouc in 2009.
Gramoz Kurtaj, Alex D'Acol and Ioannis Skondras left Hamilton at the end of last season, while goalkeeper Remi Matthews has returned to Norwich City after his loan.
Tomas joined Lausanne-Sport from Israeli Premier League outfit Bnei Yehuda in January and made three appearances for the side who finished ninth in the Swiss Super League.
He started his career at Gueugnon and moved on to Tours before spells with Olympiacos Volou and Levadiakos in Greece.
Tomas joined Maccabi Petah Tikva in Israel before half a season with Bnei Yehuda, for whom he played 17 times.
His move is still subject to international clearance, meaning he will not feature for his new side when they kick-off their League Cup campaign away to Lowland League outfit East Kilbride at K-Park on Saturday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


On this week's edition of Tech Tent, we bring you two controversies raging in the technology world, plus an insight into an AI business that's actually making money.

Since India's telecoms regulator banned Facebook's Free Basics on Monday the row over the social network's motives in offering a free but limited mobile internet service has deepened.
When Marc Andreessen waded in, the temperature rose to boiling point. The legendary Silicon Valley venture capitalist and Facebook board member was contemptuous of India's ban on Free Basics, then tweeted: "Anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the lndian people for decades. why stop now?" He deleted the tweet but not before his words were held up as an example of Silicon Valley's arrogance towards developing countries.
I'm talking to Mahesh Murthy, a tech entrepreneur who clashed with Marc Andreessen on Twitter and was then blocked. He says he's lived in Silicon Valley and is a fan - but says there is still an arrogant "masters of the Universe" attitude there which assumes that Americans know what's good for India.
Dave Lee in San Francisco speaks to Om Malik, the technology journalist who's been based in Silicon Valley for many years. He's more sympathetic to Facebook, believing Mark Zuckerberg's motives are essentially altruistic - but says Silicon Valley's boundless optimism can blind it to the realities of life in India.
The fallout from last year's hacking of the toy company VTech continues. This week it emerged that the company had slipped out some new terms and conditions which warned parents that there was no guarantee that its online products could not be hacked again. They were told to "acknowledge and agree that any information you send or receive during your use of the site may not be secure and may be intercepted or later acquired by unauthorised parties".
The security researcher Scott Helme tells us what happens when you first turn on a VTech children's tablet. He says VTech has a point when it says no company can guarantee it won't be hacked - but it still should shoulder the responsibility if it happens.
We will also get our special guest Professor Angela Sasse, head of information security research at University College London, to give her take on the story.
By the way, we tried to put a few questions to VTech about trust in its technology last month at London's Toy Fair. You can see what happened here.
This week saw another example of the boom in investment in artificial intelligence. A Silicon Valley-based company called Diffbot raised $10m from investors who had backed firms like Google and Tesla in the past. Diffbot is teaching computers to read the web and understand it just like humans do - in other words, look at this page and say that's about a radio programme called Tech Tent and this picture is of Mark Zuckerberg so it must relate to a story about Facebook. It doesn't sound hard - but this simple task has proved a big challenge for AI researchers. Mike Tung of Diffbot talks us through the technology - and reveals that unlike most AI ventures, this is a business which actually makes money.
Tune in to the BBC World Service at 15:00 GMT for all that and more, or catch the podcast later.


The North Circular has been named London's most polluted road in a study carried out for the mayor.

The Walthamstow section of the road in north-east of the city had the worst traffic fumes, the study said.
Oxford Street ranked in the worst 15 for its estimated levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
Diesel vehicles are responsible for up to 30 times more emissions than petrol vehicles, Clean Air in London said.
The campaign group's study called for diesels to be banned from London's most polluted streets by 2020.
Clean Air for London said the mayor's office released the pollution data after they had turned down three freedom of information requests and Clean Air for London used EU legislation to force the mayor's office to release it.
Of any capital city in Europe, London has the highest levels of NO2, the group said.
•Benzene: A406 (North Circular Road), A118, A1055, A40 and A282
•NO2: A406, A118, A1055, Alfred's Way in East Ham and Barking (A13) and A13
•NOx: A282 (Dartford Crossing), A406, A118, Alfred's Way (A13) and A40 (Oxford Street)
•Particulate Matter 2.5: A406, A1055, A40, A118 and A4202 (Park Lane)
•Particulate Matter 10: A406, A1055, A40, A118 and A4202 (Park Lane)
Tonnes per kilometre per year, 2012; (Source: Clean Air in London)
Clean Air in London founder Simon Birkett said: "Ultimately, the only answer is for London to eliminate completely deadly diesel exhaust from the most polluted parts of London by 2020.
"If London knuckles down and cracks the diesel problem, it could be leading the world fighting air pollution as it did 60 years ago after the great smog."
The North Circular (A406) had the highest emission rates of four out of five of the pollutants measured in the study, while the Dartford Crossing (A282) had the highest emission rate of nitrogen oxide (NOx),
Mr Birkett said it was "staggering" Oxford Street and Brompton Road - two of the busiest for shoppers, were in the top 15 worst locations in London in 2012 for emissions of NO2.
He said the levels of NO2 on these streets were 2.5 times the limits set in World Health Organisation guidelines.
He called on the mayor to follow in the footsteps of Berlin, which he said in January 2010 "made a big step towards banning all diesel vehicles" by banning pre-2008 diesel vehicles.
A Mayor of London spokeswoman said: "Strenuous efforts are being made to improve air quality in the capital and the mayor constantly reviews new measures to target the most polluted roads.
"From building Europe's largest fleet of low-emission hybrid buses to tighter emission standards for lorries and vans, the mayor will continue to work tirelessly to improve air quality in the capital."
Westminster Councillor Ed Argar said: "A long-term vision is needed to tackle congestion, but incremental change has to be the way to realise this vision - we cannot take chances with the West End economy."