Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock has issued a stark warning to Jeremy Corbyn that if he continues to oppose the renewal of the Trident missile system, Labour will lose the next election.

Lord Kinnock told me in an interview for BBC Radio 4's Analysis programme that to have any chance of winning, Mr Corbyn will have to stick with the present policy of multilateral nuclear disarmament.
"No party can win a national United Kingdom election if it sustains a stance which means unilateral nuclear disarmament," he said.
The former cabinet minister Peter Mandelson also claimed that for Labour to switch back to a unilateral policy would be electoral suicide.
"The British public have never been and are never going to be unilateral nuclear disarmers. It is just something that you could never sign them up for," Lord Mandelson told me.
Labour's present multilateral policy goes back nearly 30 years. The party lost to Mrs Thatcher's Conservatives in two landslide elections in 1983 and 1987 supporting a non-nuclear policy which many believe contributed to its defeat.
Apart from Neil Kinnock and the party's communications director Mr Mandelson, one of those who engineered the policy change after the 1987 election was the party's defence spokesman, Martin O'Neill.
He is also convinced that if the present Labour review comes out in favour of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament's position, Labour cannot win the next election.
Lord O'Neill told me: "The Labour part of the British electorate, albeit declining, is still in favour of multilateralism."
He is unimpressed by the argument that if Mr Corbyn changes his mind after a lifetime's support for CND it will tarnish his vote-winning image as an "authentic" politician who does not compromise. Lord O'Neill argues this is to confuse integrity with obstinacy.
Labour's troubles with the bomb
Labour Trident deal 'may be impossible'
Trident: UK's nuclear weapons system
A nuclear fault line has cut through the party ever since the post-war Labour prime minister Clement Attlee decided that Britain should construct its own, independent nuclear deterrent.
The decision was never discussed by the full cabinet and that is a precedent which has been followed by Labour prime ministers whenever confronted with a serious split over nuclear weapons.
It was not until 1983, under the leadership of one of the founders of CND, Michael Foot, that the party went into an election in support of unilateral disarmament, ready to do away entirely with nuclear weapons.
Under Neil Kinnock, in the following election in 1987, which again produced a Tory landslide, this was still Labour's defence policy. It was only 18 months after this defeat, with Peter Mandelson now firmly established as Labour's chief spin doctor, that the policy was finally changed.
To my surprise, Lord Kinnock revealed that throughout his first election campaign as Labour leader he was uncomfortable with the party's anti-nuclear policy. It seems he had wanted to change tack long before the 1987 election.
Lord Kinnock told me: "From the early 1980s really, I'd recognised the unsustainability of the unilateral nuclear disarmament policy, and I was in the very uncomfortable position of having to try to sustain it."
He admits that he decided to make the U-turn in large part because of Labour's electoral position. He is convinced that Mr Corbyn should follow in his footsteps.
"I am not looking for anyone to blame," he says. "I am seeking the exercise of the skills of leadership, and they do require a combination of strength and assertiveness, because parties that are ill-disciplined simply don't enjoy the confidence and support of the electorate."
In contrast, one of those involved in Labour's current policy review, Ken Livingstone, strongly backs Mr Corbyn's position. He is convinced that a majority of Labour MPs will support him over giving up nuclear weapons.
But Mr Livingstone argues that when renewal of Trident comes up in the Commons, Labour MPs should be allowed a free vote, and not forced to follow the leadership line. "This is not the New Labour era of Blair and Brown where people are intimidated and threatened," he told the programme.
All this, of course, is music to Conservative ears; to have the main opposition party badly split over a fundamental policy issue is just what they need to help counter the effect of their divisions over Europe.
And they hold one of the most important cards: the Tories will decide when the vote on Trident renewal will be held.
It may not be in their interest to do this quickly. David Cameron's referendum campaign will not be helped by highlighting Mr Corbyn's problems. After all, Labour's support for staying in the European Union could be crucial.
But at some point, almost certainly this year, the vote will come and it may not only decide the future of Trident, it could also decide the future of Jeremy Corbyn.
Analysis is on BBC Radio 4 on Monday 29 February at 20:30 or you can listen online or download the programme podcast.


World War Two military documents about the build-up to D-Day in 1944, found under a New Forest hotel's floorboards, have gone on display.

Typed papers and envelopes emerged during refurbishments at the Balmer Lawn Hotel in Brockenhurst in 2015.
Historian Stephen Petty said they "added to the jigsaw" of knowledge about wartime activity in the New Forest.
A commemorative event at the hotel was attended by Canadian dignitaries.
The hotel was the headquarters of the 3rd Canadian Division before they embarked for Juno Beach in June 1944.
Although there were no papers with the highest level of security, some were marked "secret" or "most secret" and reflected the day-to-day activities as Brockenhurst camp was sealed, with no-one able to enter or leave before the invasion began.
Mr Petty said: "Anything marked most or top secret should have been burned - none ought to have survived. For some reason the occupant of Room 10 put them under the floorboards."
Among the documents was a report of a deserter who tried to flee to Scotland.
There were also details of entertainment, including an invitation to an "American All Variety Musical-Variety Show, Swingin' in the ETO".
Reports of bomb disposal and orders for burials showed the dangers faced by troops even before they got to France.
"It gives a flavour of the risks of training with live ammunition. There would have been accidents and sadly fatalities - it was accepted as part of the liberation," said Mr Petty.
He said Balmer Lawn was rapidly shut down within two weeks when it was clear the Allies had foothold in Europe. Consequently, little evidence of tented encampments in the New Forest survived.
The papers were checked by the Ministry of Defence and returned to the hotel.


For months now Europeans have been witnessing chaotic scenes of migrants pouring into Greece, Italy and Central Europe.

The EU is playing catch-up, struggling to co-ordinate asylum policy between 28 member states.
But it is a sensitive issue, affecting sovereignty and national relations with diaspora communities, such as Afghans in the UK, or Algerians in France.
The UK, Ireland and Denmark opted out of most EU asylum policy, sticking to their own rules.
The focus now is on a mechanism to distribute 160,000 new asylum seekers across the EU - but countries are arguing over that.
Many will qualify as refugees - especially those who fled Syria, Afghanistan or other conflict areas. A refugee is someone fleeing war or persecution, with a right to international protection.
But how many failed asylum seekers are sent back by EU countries? Is there any EU-wide pattern on asylum?
In 2015 the largest migrant groups in Europe by nationality are Syrians, followed by Afghans, then migrants from Eritrea, Nigeria and Somalia.
War and human rights abuses have plagued all those countries, so many of those asylum seekers count as refugees.
But each case is different - some will find it harder than others to prove their refugee credentials.
Many lack passports or other ID, having risked their lives in the Mediterranean and Balkans, abused and exploited by criminal gangs.
Establishing nationality can be a long process - and those decisions can be disputed by countries asked to take migrants back.
Many migrants reaching the EU from sub-Saharan Africa or the Western Balkans fail to get asylum, as they are classed as economic migrants.
One of the incentives for irregular migrants is the fact that fewer than half of failed asylum seekers are actually expelled.
In 2013 the EU sent back just 39% of those refused asylum, the EU Commission says in its European Agenda on Migration.
Another stumbling block is that agreements with non-EU countries on asylum returns are quite patchy.
Many readmission agreements have been negotiated, for example with Pakistan and Bangladesh. But the EU has no such deal with China or Algeria.
And the Cotonou Agreement, obliging sub-Saharan African countries to take back failed asylum seekers, has not stopped a huge exodus of economic migrants from there. The Commission admits that the EU must offer more aid, to facilitate more migrant returns to Africa.
There are also plans to widen the mandate of Frontex, the EU border agency, so that it can help send migrants back.
But Libya, plagued by fighting and crime, is a problem for the EU because it is a major transit country for migrants.
Nations are bound by the UN principle of "non-refoulement" - meaning no push-backs to life-threatening places. Greece has been criticised for violating that principle.
In 2014 Germany was the biggest recipient of new asylum claims, with an estimated 173,100 asylum applications. That put it ahead of the United States, with 121,200, the UN refugee agency UNHCR reports. And Germany expects as many as 800,000 non-EU migrants this year.
In third place was Turkey (87,800), then Sweden (75,100). The UK received 31,300 new applications. Currently the top three nationalities for asylum seekers in the UK are Eritrea, Pakistan and Syria, in that order.
A successful asylum claim often means the authorities granting an applicant refugee status - the fullest protection, entitling a migrant to stay, get a job and eventually get citizenship.
But an asylum seeker can also get subsidiary protection status. It means the applicant does not class as a refugee under the 1951 Refugee Convention, but still needs international protection. The UK uses the term "humanitarian protection" for that.
What happens to failed asylum seekers?
EU migration: Crisis in graphics
Exodus from the Balkans
EU data shows huge variation in the handling of asylum claims.
Germany has by far the most claims, but does not send the most migrants back.
In 2014 the UK topped the list for non-EU migrants sent back - 48,890 out of an EU total of 192,445, Eurostat reports. However, last year the UK had ordered 65,365 to leave.
Next were: Greece (27,055 returned, out of 73,670 ordered to leave) and Germany (21,895 returned, out of 34,255 ordered to leave). Strikingly, France returned just 19,525, despite having ordered 86,955 to leave.
The total deported from EU countries was less than one-third of the non-EU nationals found to be illegally present, which totalled 625,565.
Susan Fratzke, an expert at the Migration Policy Institute, says the UK has cultivated long-standing ties with certain countries, such as Pakistan, making it easier to send back failed asylum seekers.
"It's really these bilateral arrangements that are most effective, rather than EU-level agreements," she told the BBC.
Spain has strong co-operation with Morocco to keep migrants out of Ceuta and Melilla - enclaves sealed off with huge razor-wire fences. Spain refused entry to the most migrants last year - 172,185, or 66% of the EU total, the European Migration Network reports.
UK Home Office data on migrants removed - voluntarily or by force - reflects the nationalities more or less likely to get asylum in the UK. So 5,684 Pakistanis, for example, were removed, compared with 875 Afghans. The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan makes many parts of the country unsafe.
The UK also removed 2,184 Nigerians, but just 49 Eritreans. "Removed" does not always mean sent to their country of origin. Often they go to a third country, where they may have settled previously.
Eritreans are one of the biggest groups claiming asylum in the EU, and usually, like the Syrian migrants, they get refugee status. The EU has prioritised those two nationalities for resettlement.
Eritrea is under international sanctions, condemned for human rights abuses, including harsh military service that can last many years.
In 2014 asylum applicants from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Somalia had a success rate above 50% in the EU, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) reports.
But the rate for applicants from some other countries wracked by conflict and instability was 20-50%, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Mali, Ukraine and Pakistan.
For applicants from the Western Balkans (including Kosovo, Serbia and Albania), Algeria and Georgia the success rate was below 10%.
Germany is among those calling for an EU-wide list of "safe" countries, to make it easier to expel Western Balkan economic migrants. More than 40% of asylum applicants in Germany are from that region.
Many of those asylum seekers are Roma (Gypsies), fleeing dire poverty in Kosovo and elsewhere. But asylum officials still have to decide whether the discrimination suffered by many Roma amounts to persecution.
A further complication is the EU Dublin Regulation, which is de facto suspended because Germany is no longer sending back Syrians to other EU countries.
Under Dublin, the EU country where an asylum seeker first arrives has a duty to process their claim. But it does not work because Greece, Italy and Hungary cannot cope with the influx.
It is another reason why more migrants are not deported.
According to Ms Fratzke, Dublin is not properly aligned with migration realities. Migrants have preferences about where they want to live - even if those preferences are not grounds for asylum.
And it is easy for migrants to move to another country in Europe's open-border Schengen zone, covering most of the EU. "There are pressures for people to act outside the [Dublin] regulation, if they have no family there, or don't speak the language," she said.


On Friday morning Donald Trump dipped his presidential toe into French electoral politics, tweeting about the possible impact of the Paris shooting on Thursday that resulted in one police officer dead and two seriously wounded.

"Another terrorist attack in Paris," Mr Trump wrote. "The people of France will not take much more of this. Will have a big effect on presidential election!"
The previous day, during a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Mr Trump had quickly labelled the incident a "terrorist attack" - before even French authorities had done so.
"It's a very, very terrible thing that is going on in the world today," Mr Trump said. "And what can you say? It just never ends. We have to be strong and we have to be vigilant, and I've been saying it for a long time."
That last line is certainly true.
While the dynamics of French politics are decidedly different from those in the US, Mr Trump may recall that another incident in Paris - the November 2015 mass shooting at the Bataclan theatre - helped solidify his lead in the polls leading into the Republican presidential primaries.
"Everyone is now saying how right I was with illegal immigration and the wall," he tweeted several days after the attack two years ago. "After Paris, they're all on the bandwagon."
Mr Trump did not mention her by name, but the president seems to be predicting the Champs-Elysees shooting will be a boost for French nationalist candidate Marine Le Pen, who has campaigned on deporting suspected Islamic militants and a French withdrawal from the European Union.
Although Mr Trump has not formally met the French presidential candidate, she is close to some of the same advisers who helped craft the president's populist message during his campaign last year and was spotted in Trump Tower during the presidential transition in January.
Breitbart News, which was an early supporter of Mr Trump's improbable presidential bid, has also warmly covered Ms Le Pen's efforts.
"A new world is emerging, global equilibriums are being redefined by the fact of Trump's election," Ms Le Pen said the day after Mr Trump's presidential victory. "Their world is crumbling; ours is being built."
While critics may view Mr Trump's Friday morning tweet as an unwelcome effort to influence the politics of another nation, the reality is slightly more complicated than that. Earlier on Thursday former President Barack Obama spoke with another leading French candidate, Emmanuel Macron, who has campaigned in favour of a strong European Union and open borders.
"The main message I have is to wish you all the best in the coming days." Mr Obama said in an edited video of the call that Mr Macron posted on Twitter. "And make sure, as you said, that you work very hard all the way through because you never know, it might be that last day of campaigning that makes all the difference."
"Let's keep defending our progressive values," Mr Macron wrote. "Thank you for this discussion @BarackObama".
In other words, the French election - from an American perspective, at least - could be setting up a proxy battle between the current and former president and their competing views of economic nationalism versus liberal globalism.
A similar dynamic played out during last June's Brexit referendum in the UK, when Mr Obama tacitly endorsed the Remain camp, while Mr Trump heralded the Leave victory as evidence that his nationalist politics were gathering strength.
Now, after two notable defeats for the existing international establishment - in Brexit and Mr Trump's November election - Mr Obama may view Mr Macron as a last, best hope to stem a rising populist tide in the West. Although European Union supporters were heartened by the results in the recent Dutch elections, where nationalist candidate Geert Wilders was defeated, the French vote is a much more significant matter.
Mr Trump and his advisers may view Ms Le Pen as the hand that will deliver a death blow to the European Union and cement his own election as more than a quirk of American politics and, instead, as the harbinger of a new global order.
You can follow the first round of the French election on the BBC News website. Click here for all our latest coverage. On the day of the election, we will be running a live page bringing together the latest news, video and analysis.
On TV, you can watch a BBC World News Election Special, from 18:30 BST (17:30 GMT / 19:30 local time in France) on Sunday, which will be broadcast on BBC News in the UK and on BBC World News internationally, with Christian Fraser presenting from Paris.
For radio, BBC World Service will broadcast a special extended edition of Newshour from Paris at 18:00 GMT on Sunday.


Great British Bake Off judge Mary Berry and actress Angelina Jolie Pitt will be guest editors of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour later this month.

Footballer Eniola Aluko, Scottish poet Jackie Kay and novelist Sunetra Gupta are also among the "remarkable" women who have been invited to edit editions.
Berry said she "jumped at the chance" to guest edit a show she had listened to "for as long as I can remember".
The Woman's Hour Takeover week runs from 13 to 17 June.
Berry's edition, to be aired on 13 June, will look at beekeeping, the legacy of girl guides and the therapeutic applications of gardening.
Jolie Pitt's, to be aired on 17 June, will explore the refugee crisis in the lead-up to World Refugee Day the following Monday.
The US actress and director, who is married to actor Brad Pitt, is the special envoy for the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.
Woman's Hour editor Alice Feinstein said each guest editor would bring "their own curiosity and unique insights" and share "their personal experiences on a series of topics".
Previous guest editors during Takeover week have included Harry Potter creator JK Rowling, actress Kim Cattrall and children's author Dame Jacqueline Wilson.


Alongside their efforts on the ground, Jihadist fighters in Iraq have waged a propaganda war on social media in the past few weeks, posting graphic images, promotional videos and updates of their campaign to overthrow the government.

Isis, the group at the heart of the insurgency, has even deployed an Android app that posts tweets automatically on users' behalf (since removed), and co-ordinated hashtag campaigns to get its content trending on Twitter.
The Iraqi government responded by blocking social media sites and, in some provinces, barring access to the internet entirely.
But some of the most active Islamist social media accounts are still live, including those urging Muslims in other countries to join the struggle.
The three men featured in a recent Isis recruitment video, which was posted on YouTube but has since been removed, are all still on Twitter using military pseudonyms, the BBC believes.
But why have these accounts not been removed?
The BBC spoke to a number of social networks, all of which said they did not actively monitor their sites for content promoting terrorism, but rather responded to requests from governments and individuals to remove offending material.
A spokesperson for Twitter said the company would remove a reported post that violated its rules.
Twitter's terms ban threats of violence and the "furtherance of illegal activities" on the site.
It added that Twitter does not monitor media reports on inflammatory posts.
Many of the militants on Twitter redirect users to their Kik accounts.
Kik, a personal messaging service similar to WhatsApp and Blackberry Messenger, allows users to have group conversations.
It can also be used to send free private messages.
Kik, which boasts 120 million users, could not be reached for comment.
Another tool being used is Ask.fm, a site that allows users to pose questions to an individual.
One Ask.fm account offered advice on how to join Isis fighters in Iraq, as well as what weapons one could expect to be equipped with on arrival.
Ask.fm, which has previously been the subject of a cyberbullying controversy, told the BBC a few days ago that it did not allow posts containing calls to violence and criminal activity.
"Based on media reports, the company is now assessing several profiles to evaluate their compliance with Ask.fm terms of use," a spokesperson said.
"When requested, Ask.fm is ready to co-operate with law enforcement agencies in the framework of the official investigation.''
However, almost a week later, Jihadist accounts on Ask.fm are still active.
Other social media sites, notably Facebook and YouTube, have been more successful in removing extreme content.
When asked about its policy towards extreme content, YouTube owner's Google said it removed videos "when flagged by our users".
A spokesperson added that it also terminated any account registered by a member of a foreign terrorist organisation - as designated by the US secretary of state - and used in an official capacity to further its interests.
"We allow videos posted with a clear news or documentary purpose to remain on YouTube, applying warnings and age-restrictions as appropriate."
The BBC understands that Facebook, whose rules ban terrorist organisations and those promoting extremism from posting on the site, removes content when reported by users.
BBC journalist Thomas Martienssen, who was been monitoring militants on social media, says all the Facebook accounts with which he was in contact were taken down earlier in the week.
However many accounts which are closed by social media companies soon return under a different name, with militants publicising the change on various platforms.


American football team the Pittsburgh Steelers are using robots in their training sessions.

24 May 2016 Last updated at 09:30 BST
The robotic dummies are controlled by another team member from the sidelines.
It's claimed the high-tech robots can accurately copy the movements of an opposing player on the field.
This means the team can practise their tackles and touchdowns, whilst legging it away from a robot dummy!


Thousands of Polish opposition supporters have been marching in Warsaw to protest against what they see as curbs on democracy imposed by the governing party.

The opposition Civic Platform (PO) has accused the Law and Justice Party (PiS) of trying to stack the constitutional tribunal with sympathetic judges.
It also says the PiS manipulates TV coverage.
The European Commission (EC) has asked the Polish government for changes.
Demonstrators, many from other parts of the country, waved Polish and European Union (EU) flags and sang the national anthem as they gathered in Warsaw's Bank Square.
"We are for a democratic Poland, for a European Poland, for a Poland that is proud, that seeks friends and partners, not enemies in Europe as it is today," PO leader Grzegorz Schetyna, told protesters waving Polish and European Union flags.
However PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski denied freedom was at risk in Poland.
"Today we do have freedom and by taking part in this march and claiming that today freedom is at stake, as a matter of fact, you are marching in the name of the opposite," he said during a visit to the city of Szczecin.
The EC is due to present its report on the situation in Poland later this month.
It wants the Polish government to reverse curbs on the constitutional tribunal, which it said endangered the rule of law.
It has also said new government powers to appoint the heads of public TV and radio may jeopardise EU values.
However, BBC correspondents say there is little support in the bloc for punitive measures against Poland.
PiS officials, meanwhile, have denied Civic Platform accusations that they want to take Poland out of the EU.
In March divisions between the Polish government and the EU deepened over the EU's re-election of former Polish prime minister and Civic Platform leader Donald Tusk as EC president.
Mr Kaczynski holds Mr Tusk "politically" responsible for the 2010 plane crash in Russia which killed his twin Lech Kaczynski, then Poland's president, and all other 95 people on board.
Many Poles believe Mr Tusk's government did not do enough to explain the causes of the crash, which took place in dense fog.
Poland is due to hold municipal elections next year. Recent polls showing the PO ahead of the PiS for the first time since 2015.


Chelsea captain John Terry said he could retire at the end of the season, after leading the champions in their 4-3 win over Watford at Stamford Bridge.

The 36-year-old, who will leave the Blues in the summer, scored the opening goal on a night of celebration for the Premier League title winners.
Chelsea host Sunderland on Sunday in their final league game of the season.
"I've not ruled out Sunday being my last game and retiring from football," he told Sky Sports.
"If the right offer comes along I will sit down and consider it with my family - whether that's here or abroad.
"Genuinely I haven't made any decisions yet and I'm evaluating all my options at the moment."
Former England captain Terry announced last month he will leave Stamford Bridge after more than two decades at the club.
The central defender is the Blues' most decorated player, with this season's title triumph earning him a fifth Premier League winners' medal.
He has also helped them win five FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League.
The Londoner has made 716 appearances since his debut in 1998 - 579 of them as captain.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who restricted Terry to a bit-part role on the pitch this season, paid tribute to the player's influence.
"He is a great man. He helped me a lot in my first season. He had a fantastic role on and off the pitch," said the Italian.
"I think against Watford he showed he can continue to play. I'm pleased for him, he scored a great goal.
"I'm looking forward to seeing him lift the cup on Sunday. He deserves this."
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Chelsea wrapped up their sixth English title with a win at West Brom on Friday, and the home fans were in a celebratory mood as they welcomed the champions back to Stamford Bridge.
Terry, in what may be his final playing appearance at the stadium, lifted the atmosphere even more when he opened the scoring after 22 minutes.
Watford threatened to dampen the occasion with a gutsy fightback before substitute Cesc Fabregas earned a thrilling win for a much-changed home side.
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The Spaniard's scuffed strike sparked joyous scenes among the home fans, while a fireworks display outside the stadium followed the final whistle.
The Blues will be presented with the Premier League trophy when they host relegated Sunderland on Sunday.
"If I could have written my story, this is how it would panned out - to go having been crowned champions, and to leave the club in great hands with the manager, the owner and the players we have here," added Terry.
"It is going to be sad and emotional for me on Sunday because I've been here 22 years.
"But I'm delighted for the experiences and opportunities I have been given."


Bournemouth defender Steve Cook has signed a new four-year contract with the Premier League club.

The 26-year-old centre-back played every minute of the Cherries' league campaign this season.
"It has always been my plan to stay here as long as possible, so to be given the chance to do that is really pleasing," he said.
Cook has made 231 appearances for the club since joining from Brighton in the summer of 2011.
"Myself and Bournemouth have been the perfect match," Cook added. "Since the manager came in, things have been forever moving upwards and that has matched my own ambitions."


Former UFC fighter Tim Hague has died aged 34 after being knocked out in a boxing bout in Canada on Friday.

The Canadian, who fought in UFC from 2009 to 2011, was knocked down five times in the first two rounds against Adam Braidwood before it was stopped.
He walked out of the ring but was then taken to hospital and fell into a coma.
"It is with incredible sadness, sorrow and heartbreak to report that Tim has passed away," his family said in a statement on Sunday.
"He was surrounded by family, listening to his favourite songs," they added. "We will miss him so greatly. We ask for privacy during this difficult time."
Hague beat Pat Barry on his UFC debut but went on to lose his other four fights.
He held a similar record after moving to boxing, starting with victory over Patrick Graham, then losing the following three bouts, including two knockouts against fellow Canadians Mladen Miljas and Braidwood.


For the first time, astronomers have managed a direct measurement of the gases present on a "super-Earth" planet orbiting an alien star.

They found evidence for hydrogen and helium in its atmosphere, but no water.
Called 55 Cancri e, the world is twice the size of Earth and eight times the mass - but orbits unusually close to its host star, with an 18-hour year and surface temperatures above 2,000C.
The UK team published their findings in the Astrophysical Journal.
"This is a very exciting result because it's the first time that we have been able to find the spectral fingerprints that show the gases present in the atmosphere of a super-Earth," said Angelos Tsiaras, a PhD student at University College London and the first author of the paper.
"Our analysis of 55 Cancri e's atmosphere suggests that the planet has managed to cling on to a significant amount of hydrogen and helium from the nebula from which it formed."
Astronomers believe super-Earths are the most abundant planets in our galaxy. The term describes any world heavier than Earth but not as massive as gas giants like Saturn and Jupiter.
With its very close orbit, 55 Cancri e is a particularly exotic example.
As with all extrasolar planets, or "exoplanets", the evidence for its existence comes from tell-tale, regular dips in the brightness of its host sun, 55 Cancri. This star is 40 light-years away and extremely bright; it is also known as Copernicus and forms part of the Cancer constellation.
When a planet like 55 Cancri e makes a transit in front of its star, it typically blocks about 1% of the star's light - and this happens across all the colours of light.
"The entire planet has a signal that doesn't depend on wavelength; it's just a solid body that is blocking the light," explained Prof Giovanna Tinetti, a study co-author also from UCL.
But if the planet has an atmosphere, its "fingerprint" can be detected in how the transit affects different wavelengths, as the gases filter the star's light. These signals are much smaller, dimming the star by as little as 0.001%.
Researchers studying super-Earths have never detected such a fingerprint before.
"There are just two other observations of super-Earths," Prof Tinetti told the BBC. "They found a signal that was very flat."
One of those other examples, GJ 1214b, has been studied in some detail. Its "flat" signal could indicate that it is shrouded in clouds, Prof Tinetti said, or its atmosphere might contain heavier molecules like water - as a previous study has suggested.
"A flat spectrum can be interpreted in many waysâ€¦ It's hard to get more information out of it."
Consequently, a direct measurement of a super-Earth's atmosphere has never been made, and Prof Tinetti said the team is "very excited".
They based their study on publicly available data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Using a special analysis "pipeline" developed by Mr Tsiaras and two colleagues, they tested how repeated, rapid scans of the star from Hubble's wide-field camera varied across different wavelengths, during the planet's transits.
The pattern was characteristic of an atmosphere rich in light elements like hydrogen and helium.
"It's the first time that we have a direct measurement of these components," said Prof Tinetti.
There were also hints in the data of hydrogen cyanide, a chemical used as a marker for atmospheres that are rich in carbon, relative to oxygen.
This fits with previous research, based on the 55 Cancri e's mass and radius, that suggested an abundance of carbon in its interior - earning it the label of "diamond planet".
"If the presence of hydrogen cyanide and other molecules is confirmed in a few years time by the next generation of infrared telescopes, it would support the theory that this planet is indeed carbon rich and a very exotic place," said Prof Jonathan Tennyson, another co-author from UCL.
"Although, hydrogen cyanide or prussic acid is highly poisonous, so it is perhaps not a planet I would like to live on!"
Follow Jonathan on Twitter


Mo Farah is set to compete in the World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff as he prepares to defend his Olympic titles in Rio this summer.

The 32-year-old, who won gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m at London 2012, has made himself available for the British team for the race, on 26 March.
"It will be a good chance to try to claim another world title," said Farah.
Organisers said Farah's appearance was a "major coup" for the event, which hopes to attract 25,000 runners.
British Athletics will name its team on 7 March, with Farah hoping to race at the championships for the first time in his glittering career.
"I know the standard is incredibly high with athletes who really target and train specifically for the event, so I know it will be a hard race," said Farah, the British and European half marathon record holder.
"I always get amazing support whenever I race in the UK and I hope this will help me along the way."
Farah began the Olympic year by competing at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country, where he was beaten by American Garrett Heath over the 8km course.
Organisers of the World Half Marathon have long lobbied Farah to make himself available, and he believes the course in Cardiff will help his ambition to become the first man since Finland's Lasse Viren in 1976 to win successive 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic titles.
"My primary aim for 2016 is the Olympic Games in Rio in August but this race will be a good way to build my endurance before I return to the track in the summer," he said.
"I hear the course in Cardiff is very fast and it may take a personal best to win the race but I'm up for the challenge."
The IAAF Half Marathon Championships are being hosted in Britain for the first time since 2009, and for the first time in Wales.
As well as the world-class athletes who will compete in the elite races over 13.1 miles (21km), the event will also be open to amateur runners of all ages.
"Mo's appearance has always been a key ambition for us and this news will give a huge boost in the final nine weeks of preparation," said Matt Newman, chief executive of race organisers Run 4 Wales.
"The Welsh public will get a rare chance to witness one of athletics' global stars competing around their capital city."


Sir John Madejski has accepted a new title as vice-chairman of Reading.

Madejski, who became chairman in December 1990, helped the club move from its former Elm Park home to the stadium which bears his name in 1998.
As vice-chairman, the 76-year-old will step away from the football side of business, but remain a club ambassador.
Madejski sold his majority stake in the club in May 2012 to Russian tycoon Anton Zingarevich shortly before they were promoted to the Premier League.
He has stayed closely involved with the now Championship club through two subsequent takeovers.
The first came from a Thai consortium in September 2014 and, more recently, when Chinese brother and sister Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li became majority shareholders in May.


The Duke of Cambridge surprised pupils at a Hertfordshire school by stopping for a chicken dinner in their canteen during a break on a helicopter mission.

14 January 2016 Last updated at 01:16 GMT
Prince William flew in to the playing field at John Henry Newman School in Stevenage, after transporting doctors from nearby Lister Hospital for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
The moment he stepped off the helicopter was captured by pupils at the school who were excited to see him, according to headmaster Clive Matthew.


Barclays investment bank is to pay more than $13.75m (£9.3m) over accusations it let US customers make unsuitable mutual fund deals over five years.

The US Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra) said Barclays Capital will pay more than $10m in compensation to the customers affected.
The bank will also pay a fine of $3.75m.
Barclays has not admitted wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlement, which includes a censure.
The regulator said that between January 2010 and June 2015, Barclays failed to supervise adequately procedures that saw many customers swap one mutual fund for another.
In many instances, the benefits of switching funds may have been undermined by the transaction costs, it added. More than 6,100 fund switches took place during the five-year period
A total of $8.63m was lost by customers in this way during the five years and most customers were not warned by the bank of the cost of switching before doing so, the regulator said.
Finra added that from March to August 2014, Barclays processed 1,723 fund transactions, or 39% of those it reviewed, that were inconsistent with its customers' investment aims, risk appetite or other investments.
The fine comes two months after Barclays appointed former JP Morgan senior executive James "Jes" Staley to the role of chief executive and signalled its renewed focus on investment banking.
Mr Staley is in the process of cutting costs within the bank and disposing of assets that are not seen as core to the business.
In November, Barclays was fined £72m in the UK for failing to conduct proper checks on very rich clients because it did not want to inconvenience them.
The City regulator said Barclays arranged a deal worth £1.88bn for wealthy clients in 2011 and 2012, which it kept quiet.
It did not conduct the proper checks on clients who should have been considered politically high risk.


Cheshire's Chief Constable Simon Byrne is being investigated by the county's police and crime commissioner (PCC) over an allegation about his conduct.

PCC David Keane referred the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which handed it back.
Mr Byrne, the chief constable since 2014, said he could not comment as he did not know the detail of the claim.
The BBC understands that the complaint originated from an officer with the Cheshire force.
Mr Keane said he referred the allegation to IPCC in the "interest of openness and transparency".
The IPCC returned the investigation for a "local investigation".
Mr Keane said: "This investigation will be conducted independently of Cheshire Constabulary in accordance with the statutory police complaints process."
Father-of-two Mr Byrne, who is a holder of the Queen's Police Medal, previously served as an assistant commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, deputy chief constable of Greater Manchester Police and assistant chief constable with Merseyside Police.


Police are appealing for witnesses after an eight-year-old girl was seriously hurt after being hit by a car in West Lothian.

The child was struck by a red Honda Civic in Lower Bathville, near the junction with Station Road, Armadale, at about 15:50 on Friday.
She suffered a serious leg injury and was taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.
Police Scotland are appealing for witnesses.
Insp Richard Latto said: "A child has suffered a serious injury as a result of this collision and I'm keen to hear from anyone who saw it.
"I would like to remind everyone of the potential road safety risks to children during the school holidays when they are out and about playing with friends.
"I would remind parents to ensure their children always use the Green Cross Code and encourage them to wear approved safety helmets when out on bikes."


Check out the views from this very special zip wire!

5 June 2017 Last updated at 13:55 BST
It's been rigged up on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, and those taking the plunge start off 115 metres above the ground.
It's all because the French Open tennis competition is currently going on in the country.
So the idea is that anyone trying out the zip wire will get an idea of just how fast a tennis ball can move through the air.
It travels at 90 kilometres per hour (about 55 miles per hour), which is the speed of a tennis ball being smashed.
But it's still not as quick of the world's fastest zip line in north Wales, which reaches speeds of around 191 kilometres per hour (119 miles per hour)!


Ten Friday afternoon race meetings will be covered on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.

Racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght will present coverage, expert analysis and interviews from the fixtures.
You can listen via DAB radio, the BBC iPlayer radio app and online, plus stay up-to-date with all latest news on the BBC Sport website.
*All times listed are BST. Fixtures and event start times are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes.
Chester
14:00-16:00 - BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
York
14:00-16:00 - BBC Radio 5 live sports extra


Whatever your own particular "shade" of politics, it's impossible not to be impressed or beguiled by Jose "Pepe" Mujica.

There are idealistic, hard-working and honest politicians the world over - although cynics might argue they're a small minority - but none of them surely comes anywhere close to the outgoing Uruguayan president when it comes to living by one's principles.
It's not just for show. Mr Mujica's beat-up old VW Beetle is probably one of the most famous cars in the world and his decision to forgo the luxury of the Presidential Palace is not unique - his successor, Tabare Vazquez, will also probably elect to live at home.
But when you visit "Pepe" at his tiny, one-storey home on the outskirts of Montevideo you realise that the man is as good as his word.
Wearing what could best be described as "casual" clothes - I don't think he's ever been seen wearing a tie - Mr Mujica seats himself down on a simple wooden stool in front of a bookshelf that seems on the verge of collapsing under the weight of biographies and mementoes from his political adversaries and allies.
Books are important to the former guerrilla fighter who spent a total of 13 years in jail, two of them lying at the bottom of an old horse trough. It was an experience that almost broke him mentally and which shaped his transformation from fighter to politician.
"I was imprisoned in solitary [confinement] so the day they put me on a sofa I felt comfortable!" Mr Mujica jokes.
"I've no doubt that had I not lived through that I would not be who I am today. Prison, solitary confinement had a huge influence on me. I had to find an inner strength. I couldn't even read a book for seven, eight years - imagine that!"
Given his past, it's perhaps understandable why Mr Mujica gives away about 90% of his salary to charity, simply because he "has no need for it".
A little bit grumpy to begin with, Mr Mujica warms to his task as he describes being perplexed by those who question his lifestyle.
"This world is crazy, crazy! People are amazed by normal things and that obsession worries me!"
Not afraid to take a swipe at his fellow leaders, he adds: "All I do is live like the majority of my people, not the minority. I'm living a normal life and Italian, Spanish leaders should also live as their people do. They shouldn't be aspiring to or copying a rich minority."
Jose Mujica is outspoken and sometimes brusque, but he can afford to be so.
Uruguay is often referred to as the most liberal country in South America. As economic and political turmoil threaten to engulf the neighbouring giants of Brazil and Argentina, this country of just three million people certainly feels like a refuge.
Mr Mujica leaves office with a relatively healthy economy and with social stability those bigger neighbours could only dream of.
Mr Mujica's underlying principles are still socialist but he's a man who has mellowed with age. Some of the most controversial political initiatives from his five years as president - like the legalisation of abortion and cannabis - were done for pragmatic as much as ideological reasons.
"Marijuana is another plague, another addiction. Some say its good but no, that's rubbish. Not marijuana, tobacco or alcohol - the only good addiction is love!" says the man who in 2005 married his long-term partner and former co-revolutionary, Lucia Topolansky.
"But 150,000 people smoke [marijuana] here and I couldn't leave them at the mercy of drugs traffickers," he says. "It's easier to control something if it's legal and that's why we've done this."
Mr Mujica, who is sometimes described as the "president every other country would like to have," dismisses all the adulation and attention with a waft of his hand but he is not leaving the stage just yet.
"I have no intention of being an old pensioner, sitting in a corner writing my memoirs - no way!" he barks at me with a grin.
"I'm tired of course, but I'm not ready to stop. My journey's ending and every day I'm a little closer to the grave."
Maybe so, but this enigmatic leader remains an inspiration to many and is a reminder that politics is meant to be a humble and honourable profession.


Glamorgan's Chris Cooke and Colin Ingram notched centuries in successive overs before shaking hands on a draw with Gloucestershire.

Cooke (102 not out) waited until the final day for his first Championship ton of the season as the visitors moved from an overnight 88-0 to 365-3.
He put on an unbeaten 180 with Ingram (101 not out), as only David Payne (1-32) and Tom Smith (1-79) took wickets.
Hamish Marshall ran out Aneurin Donald (35), the day's only other dismissal.
Cooke raced to his century from 135 balls and hit 12 fours and two sixes, while ex-South Africa batsman Ingram's innings was a more patient one, reaching three figures from 220 balls, having struck 11 boundaries and one maximum.
Glamorgan finished fourth in the Division Two table, while Gloucestershire were sixth.
Glamorgan batsman Colin Ingram told BBC Wales Sport:
"It's always nice to end on a high note, fourth is probably a fair representation of where we've been this season, we've fought hard.
"We've had a poor back end to the season, but there are still a lot of good signs with younger guys coming into the squad, that we can really use and build on for next season.
"It was nice to really start putting some of my plans together, and that's what I want to bring back for next year.
"It's been very frustrating getting a lot of starts in the season especially early on, but I've had to work hard on my technique and I definitely feel that I'm starting to find a formula that can be more consistent next year."


In our series of letters from African journalists, Nigerian writer and novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani looks at the clamour for assistance that accompanies a politician's rise to office.

The political party primaries in Nigeria have drawn to a close and voters now have a clearer picture of whose turn it might be to divide up the national cake after the elections in February 2015.
But the winning candidates won't be the only ones taking their share of the country's riches.
In Nigeria, news of a person's success in an election often travels at the speed of lightning, over rivers and mountains and past fields and forests, to his kindred in all corners of the globe.
Those with no jobs believe their days of unemployment are coming to an end; those with no education think it will soon pose no barrier to climbing the corporate ladder; those in faraway lands begin plans to return home.
Soon, these kith and kin launch their pilgrimage towards the successful candidate.
They ring his phone; they send text messages; they knock at his gate.
They offer to help his campaign in any way they can; they organise prayer sessions for his victory, usually late at night in his living room.
A friend of mine who lives in Lagos told me last week that he was travelling to Benin city.
His friend had just "picked up" a spot in the House of Assembly there. Another person he knew was set for another top position.
"He's a good friend of my elder brother in Florida," he said. "I've already told my brother: 'You'd better come down and rub minds with him and introduce us to him.'"
Another friend whose husband is a close associate of a winning candidate in one of Nigeria's choicest states told me her phone did not stop ringing after his victory was announced.
People had been calling to offer congratulations. Indeed, even I had called for that very reason.
In Nigeria, the culture has always been that anyone who gets into power, who suddenly finds himself holding a knife with which to cut the national cake, must invite his clan to both slice and eat it with him.
The most unforgivable sin a politician can commit is to forget "his people" after he assumes office.
He must "remember" his sisters, brothers, cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws, friends, schoolmates, and so on.
Preferably through contracts, appointments and jobs.
Failure to do so will lead to taunts and ostracism and on the day his tenure expires, he will find himself completely alone.
Long after his funeral, the bitter tongues will continue wagging.
Local history will forever record him as having denied his kindred their turn.
I have heard several amusing stories regarding the influx of people from the Niger Delta region into Abuja, the Nigerian capital, after their kinsman, Goodluck Jonathan, was elected president in 2011.
One of my favourite tales was told by my British-Nigerian friend who teaches in one of those Abuja schools where the children pay stupendous fees in dollars and make fun of their teachers' cheap mobile phones.
She was shocked when a particular pupil, during a science lesson, seemed to know more about crustaceans than you would expect of a child his age in the city.
This child stood before the class and described in great detail how the creatures are caught, cleaned and cooked.
At the end, my friend called the boy aside and asked how he knew so much about the topic.
The child explained that he had grown up in the creeks, where his family petty-traded crustaceans for a living.
That is why the news of a candidate's potential ascension into political office stirs such joy.
In many parts of the world, it requires years of steady progress for one's economic circumstances to radically transform.
Here in Nigeria, all it takes is an election, and a new political appointment. Suddenly, a child goes from capturing crustaceans in the creeks to an exclusive school in Abuja.
Voracious kith and kin are the main force behind Nigeria's corruption problem.
Imagine the thousands lined up with outstretched palms behind each political office holder.
Try telling them that you intend to reform the system now that it is finally their turn to eat.
If you would like to comment on Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani's column, please do so below.


The Scottish Open has been estimated to be worth £1.8m for East Lothian.

More than 50,000 people are expected to flock to this year's Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, which starts on Wednesday.
Council officials said the event would allow hundreds of millions of people to see Gullane from around the world.
There will be no public parking at the course. A free park and ride will get people to the event and a free bus from North Berwick Railway Station.
Jonathan Brown, East Lothian Council's tourism projects officer, said: "It's massive for us. We spend a lot of money and effort promoting East Lothian as a golf destination but when something of this size comes, its massively important for us.
"Not only are we looking at £1.8m spent by the visitors but also the fact that hundreds of millions of people across the world will see this on TV and especially in America where it will go out live on NBC.
"The four days are obviously massively important to us in bringing those 50,000 people to East Lothian but we look at it as a far longer term investment for us in that there is a massive legacy from an event like this."
Robert Dick, captain of Gullane Golf Club, said: "It's a fantastic opportunity to impress. We are delighted and thrilled to have the event coming here.
"We want to make this week the best possible week for everybody, for the players, spectators and the members."


Passengers and freight firms could face higher fares as a result of Eurotunnel running its own ferry services between Dover and Calais, a watchdog has said.

The Competition Commission has warned the Channel tunnel operator's ownership of MyFerryLink may be anti-competitive.
Eurotunnel bought three ships from operator SeaFrance after it went into liquidation to run the service.
The company said it would challenge the provisional findings of the Competition Commission.
P&O Ferries and DFDS also run ferries on the Dover to Calais route, but the commission said it believed it would be better if there were two independent ferry companies competing with the tunnel.
SeaFrance, which was owned by French state-owned rail firm SNCF, went into liquidation in November 2011. Eurotunnel bought three of its four ferries for Â£52m last year.
The commission claimed Eurotunnel, which now runs 16 ferry crossings a day, bought the boats to prevent Danish rival DFDS from picking them up cheaply and driving down prices.
The commission said Eurotunnel may have to sell or dispose of the business to address its concerns.
Conservative MP for Dover and Deal, Charlie Elphicke, welcomed the report.
"Clearly (Eurotunnel) should sell the ships," he said. "They should go back to running the tunnel, which they do very well.
"They should get out of the ferry market and they should allow open competition without them trying to get too much market share."
Eurotunnel accused existing operators of using the commission process to protect their own interests.
It said its new brand, MyFerryLink, increased competition and brought more choice for customers.
"Eurotunnel intends to continue to work with the Competition Commission to allay the concerns raised by existing ferry operators and to demonstrate that the creation of MyFerryLink is a good thing for the market as it is both pro-customer and pro-competition," said chief executive Jacques Gounon.
The Competition Commission is expected to publish its final report on 14 April.


The pound sank against the dollar on Thursday as banking shares lifted the FTSE 100 higher.

The pound fell 1.45% against the dollar to $1.2383 as the US currency benefited from Thursday's Federal Reserve meeting, which pointed to three rate rises next year, rather than two.
On the stock market, bank stocks, which stand to benefit from higher rates, rose
The FTSE 100 closed up 50 points, or 0.72%, at 6,999.
Royal Bank of Scotland closed up 4.7% and Barclays closed up 2.4%, helped by Wednesday's rate rise in the US.
Against the euro, sterling was little changed at â‚¬1.1938.
"The market is whole-heartedly embracing Trumpenomics and the idea that the US economy will be on fiscal steroids in the next few years. Rates will rise  and the dollar will surge," said City Index analyst Kathleen Brooks.
"In contrast, the eurozone is mired in problems including slow growth, low inflation and multiple political risks in Italy and France."
Overall, the biggest riser on the FTSE was Centrica, which maintained its earlier gains sparked by the news that it was raising its profit forecast for the year. It closed 5.5% higher.
The biggest fallers were all mining companies: Randgold was down 7.8%, Antofagasta down 5.2%, Fresnillo down 5%, Anglo American down 4% and Polymetal International down 3.4%.
They have been hit by a fall in the price of gold, which fell after the US Federal Reserve indicated more interest rate increases next year.
Rising interest rates are generally bad for gold which looks less attractive when savings rates are on the increase.


A new group charged with considering how Air Passenger Duty (APD) could be replaced in Scotland has been set up by ministers.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney and Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown jointly chaired the first meeting of the new Scottish APD stakeholder forum.
It includes representatives of the aviation industry, environmental groups and tax practitioners.
The move comes ahead of a consultation on the levy planned for the autumn.
Powers over APD are to be devolved to Holyrood as part of the new Scotland Bill.
The Smith Commission on further powers recommended the change.
The Scottish government has committed to halving the levy paid by air passengers within the lifetime of the next parliament, with a view to abolishing it completely when "public finances permit".
Research for Edinburgh Airport has already suggested that cutting APD in half would result in 700,000 more passengers going through Scotland's airports in the first year alone.
Mr Swinney said: "Scotland's airports are busier than ever and the Scottish government wants to see that success grow further to the benefit of passengers, business, tourism and our wider economy.
"The forum and this autumn's policy consultation allow us to take the next step and begin the process of designing and developing a Scottish APD to help deliver our objective of sustainable economic growth."
Mr Swinney made the comments as he and Mr Brown visited Edinburgh Airport, where they met chairman Sir John Elvidge.
Sir John said:  "Our report earlier in the year showed very clearly that APD is placing a drag on Scotland's economic growth, costing jobs and millions of pounds in lost revenue.
"We've long supported its devolution and are keen to work with the Scottish government to ensure that the process is as smooth and as quick as possible."
Environmental group WWF Scotland, who have cautioned against moves to scrap APD, argued that any conclusions of the Scottish government and the forum must take into account the impact on the climate.
Director Lang Banks said: "The Scottish government's own analysis shows that cutting APD by half would increase Scotland's climate emissions from flying.
"If ministers insist on going ahead with its plans to increase climate emissions from flying, then it will have to explain which other sectors of society will pick up the shortfall and at what cost.".


Members of Australia's Olympic swimming team said they used the sleeping medication Stilnox during a "bonding" session before the Games last year.

The six male athletes also said they engaged in disruptive behaviour.
The admission follows a report that assessed Australia's poor swimming performance at the London 2012 Games which pointed to a "toxic" team culture.
Swimming Australia said the swimmers will face an inquiry panel.
Stilnox, used to treat insomnia, is not considered a performance enhancer and is not a banned substance, but the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) put it on the prohibited list ahead of the Games.
In their statement, the six members of the men's 4x100 freestyle relay team said the prescriptions "were filled in Australia before their departure to their staging camp in Spain and prior to the AOC's announcement the drug was (prohibited)".
But they "acknowledge that at the time Stilnox was consumed it had been recently prohibited for use".
"We stand here collectively to confirm that we did take part in a bonding exercise during which members of the relay team took Stilnox," the six swimmers said.
"We acknowledge by our recent action in continuing a recent tradition in the Australia swim team, we have let ourselves down and the people who have supported us."
All but one team member took the medication, they said. Then they engaged in pranks they described as "childish" and "stupid", such as knocking on the doors of other athletes and making phone calls. They said they were asleep by 22:30.
"I think one of the reasons I agreed to go along with it was all the pressure I was under," one of the swimmers, James Magnussen, said. "Completely inappropriate in hindsight."
The relay team, nicknamed Weapons of Mass Destruction before the Olympics, came in fourth in the event, in which they had been expected to deliver a medal.
Magnussen, a favourite to win the men's 100 metres freestyle, won a silver.
Their admission follows the release of a review of the sport after the country's worst Olympic swimming performance in two decades.
It found that amid a lack of leadership a "toxic" team culture developed that led to bullying and misuse of prescription drugs, and that standards and discipline were "too loose".
Australia's swimmers won just one gold medal at London 2012, far short of previous medal hauls at other recent Olympics.


It is a date etched into millions of minds, a day which could prove to be one of the greatest in Welsh sporting history.

On Saturday, 10 October, Wales' football team travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina in search of the point which will see them qualify for Euro 2016 and end their 57-year absence from major tournaments.
Just hours earlier, the national rugby side will be at Twickenham for their World Cup Pool A decider against Australia.
Although Wales have already qualified for the quarter-finals, the Wallabies clash will determine who Warren Gatland's side face in the last eight and potentially later in the tournament.
For the footballers, the equation is simple. Draw or win against Bosnia - or Andorra three days later - and they qualify for Euro 2016.
Even if they were to lose both games - unthinkable as Andorra have claimed only one competitive away draw in their history - Chris Coleman's men would still progress if Israel fail to beat Cyprus or group favourites Belgium.
But they will want keep their destiny in their own hands and consign half a century of heartache to history on Saturday.
While the footballers have the safety net of the Andorra fixture, the rugby players are already assured of their quarter-final berth.
They will, however, be eager to to beat Australia in order to top Pool A and avoid two-time champions South Africa in the last eight, as well as a likely semi-final meeting with holders New Zealand.
Win at Twickenham and Wales could instead be presented with a more appealing route to the final, with Scotland (or, less likely, Japan) in the quarter-finals and potentially Ireland in the last four.
Welsh football history has been defined by failure; sometimes abject, often agonisingly narrow.
There have been several near misses. Paul Bodin's penalty against Romania in 1993 hit the bar and saw Wales fall just short of the 1994 World Cup, while a play-off defeat at home to Russia a decade later cost them a place at Euro 2004.
It is those false dawns which would make qualifying for Euro 2016 all the sweeter, a momentous celebration for generations starved of success.
Wales' rugby team have not been immune to crushing lows, falling foul of shock defeats to Western Samoa and Fiji at the 1991 and 2007 World Cups and having captain Sam Warburton sent off in their 2011 semi-final loss to France.
But under Gatland, Wales have largely prospered.
There have been two Grand Slams, a Six Nations title and that run to the last four of the 2011 World Cup, but a similar display at this year's tournament might be the crowning moment of the New Zealander's reign.
Wales started the competition without key players such as Leigh Halfpenny, Rhys Webb and Jonathan Davies, and their injury crisis has worsened as the tournament has progressed, losing Cory Allen, Hallam Amos and Scott Williams.
If beating England with a patched-up team at Twickenham was a triumph in adversity, overcoming Australia and going beyond the quarter-finals would be an achievement spectacularly against the odds.
Where the football team are concerned, very much so. Fans can start planning their trips to France.
It is essentially a matter of when - not if - Wales qualify and, although the Andorra match is the ultimate insurance, they have a strong chance of claiming the clinching point against a Bosnian side shorn of suspended Everton midfielder Muhamed Besic and potentially captain and top-scorer Edin Dzeko, who is recovering from a knee injury.
Although the rugby side are already through to the quarter-finals, Saturday will pose more potential pitfalls.
Australia were imperious in their 33-13 dismantling of England and they were victorious against New Zealand 27-19 on their way to winning this year's Rugby Championship.
Wales have lost their last 10 matches against the Wallabies but, with the last five of those defeats by a margin of five points or fewer, there is a sense that - like the football team's fortunes - the tide could be about to turn.
High: Wales 22-21 Australia, 1987. Australia were the overwhelming favourites to win this third-place play-off, but Wales claimed a dramatic 22-21 win â thanks to Adrian Hadleyâs late try and Paul Thorburnâs conversion â to seal their highest World Cup finish.
Low: Wales 13-16 Western Samoa, 1991. One of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, this result meant Wales, who finished third at the previous tournament, failed to make it out of the group. It prompted the famous quip: âThank heavens Wales werenât playing the whole of Samoa.â
High: Wales 2-0 Israel, 1958. Having won the first leg 2-0 in Tel Aviv, Wales cruised to another comfortable victory to seal their passage to the 1958 World Cup, which is still their only appearance at a major tournament.
Low: Wales 1-2 Romania, 1993. Drawing 1-1 at home to Romania and needing a win to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, Wales had a golden chance when they were awarded a penalty. But Paul Bodin blasted his spot-kick against the bar and Wales slipped to an agonising defeat.


Wales defender Jazz Richards says he is yet to reach his "full potential" at Cardiff City.

Richards, a member of Chris Coleman's Euro 2016 squad, joined from Fulham in a three-year deal in July 2016.
The 25-year-old endured a difficult start to his Bluebirds career, but has returned to action after injury problems.
"The beginning of the season was up and down and I got injured, but I'm back in the game now," Richards said.
"I've still got a lot more to show. I think I'm nowhere near my full potential."
Richards returned from a 15-week injury layoff against former club Fulham in the FA Cup in January and has featured in 10 of Cardiff's 12 games since then.
He was signed by former Bluebirds boss Paul Trollope, who was replaced by Neil Warnock in October 2016 while the defender was out with injury.
After Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Blackburn, Warnock said Richards and his fellow full-back were "fantastic".
In December Warnock admitted "disappointment" at Richards' rehabilitation, saying he had seen players return faster from broken legs but the player himself has no problem with his manager's honesty.
"It wasn't so much worrying. I know what I'm capable of and I know if I could go out and show that then I'd be given a chance," Richards added.
"It wasn't so much worry, but more frustration that I was injured when he came in.
"He's truthful. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He'll tell you how it is.
"If you're doing well he'll tell you. If you're not he'll make sure he'll tell you you're not.
"He didn't see me train until I came back from injury. I came back in and he put me straight in the team so he must have seen something.
"So obviously I've stayed in the team and hopefully I can stay in it until the end of the season."
Richards' move to Cardiff was met with scepticism by a section of Bluebirds fans unhappy with his association with Welsh rivals Swansea City.
He came through the Swansea youth system and made 51 appearances for the club, but now feels accepted at Cardiff.
"There was a bit at the beginning of the season, but I think that's all gone now," Richards added
"I think the fans are quite happy with me and I'm just concentrating on my football and trying to get better with every game.
"When I was at Swansea I didn't have anything against Cardiff so I didn't see any point in taking it to heart.
"I just brushed it to the side and got on with it. It was more off people are on me, asking me questions about it. I just didn't want to know.
"I've come in, I feel comfortable and they've accepted me so that's a positive."


Former wardens at a youth detention centre have been interviewed by police investigating claims a paedophile ring operated there.

Allegations of abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre near Consett are being investigated by Durham Police.
More than 900 former inmates have come forward to say they were sexually or physically abused in the 1970s and 80s.
The detective leading the operation said the force would be contacting "a number" of other former employees.
"There is still a huge amount of work which has to be done and we are in close contact with the Crown Prosecution Service, who ultimately will decide if there are grounds to charge individuals with criminal offences," Det Supt Paul Goundry said.
The four prison officers, who worked at Medomsley at different times between the 1970s and 1980s, have been formally but voluntarily interviewed by detectives. They have not been arrested.
When a grown man tells you he would have killed himself if he could, during his time at Medomsley, you know that any legal case won't make a huge difference to many of their daily lives.
Things went badly wrong behind the high security fences on a County Durham hilltop decades ago. Unspeakable things were done to some of those young men - often there for things you would never be jailed for today.
After locking away those painful memories for so long they are now speaking out, hoping for justice.
The investigation was triggered after former prison officer Neville Husband was jailed for eight years in 2003 for abusing five youths.
The publicity surrounding the trial led to others coming forward and he was subsequently jailed for a further two years for other attacks.
He died in 2010, after being released from prison.
His former colleague Leslie Johnson, who was jailed for six years in 2005 for sexual offences, has also since died.
Police no longer believe the pair were operating alone.
One alleged victim, Stephen Branley, described how the experience had made him suicidal.
"They would punch you in the ribs and in the head, bending your fingers back. I wanted to kill myself," he said.
"If I'd had the chance to get hold of a razor blade I would've done it."
Another alleged victim, who spoke anonymously, previously told the BBC: "Some of the boys would lay at the bottom of the stairs and ask another boy to jump off the stairs on to their legs so they could break a leg and be removed from Medomsley Detention Centre in order to not be subjected to any more beatings."
Another, Ray Poar, has waived his right to anonymity. He was 17 when he was sent there for stealing biscuits from a factory and said the experience "ruined my life".
He said he was woken up after wetting his bed and was forced to bunny hop naked to the showers. When he couldn't make it to the showers he was kicked, he said.


Sandringham School in St Albans has made history by making the first amateur radio call from the UK to a British astronaut on the space station.

The children contacted Major Tim Peake as he flew overhead on Friday morning.
Pupil Jessica, who has recently passed her radio exams, led the conversation.
It took a few minutes for the crackle and hiss to die down and allow the students to put some questions to the astronaut, before the ISS then went over the horizon and out of range.
Jessica called it an "amazing experience" to be talking to someone 400km above them, but said the significance of the day's event had yet to sink in: "When I get home, I'll be completely in shock."
Her head teacher, Alan Gray, said it had been an extraordinary opportunity for the school.
"It's a way of inspiring young people into science and technology - seeing the opportunities that may be available to them," he told BBC School Report.
"What you're seeing is that space has an awful lot to offer. It's not just about talking to Tim Peake on the space station. There are many other things that are useful for young people and will help with their learning."
For a short period, it looked like the connection would not be made.
The radio equipment set up in the school hall was using a local dish and the famous Earth station at Goonhilly in Cornwall.
Jessica put out repeated calls with no response:  "Golf Bravo One Sierra Sierra, GB1SS - this is Golf Bravo One Sierra Alpha November calling and standing by, over!"
But then through the crackle, Major Peake's voice could just about be heard. A bit of channel-switching soon improved matters, and the pupils raced to the microphone to put their questions to "Britain's man in space".
Imogen asked if liquid hydrocarbons would form balls in microgravity; Jess wanted to know how the astronauts studied alloys on the space station; and Jamie was puzzled about the behaviour of a helium balloon on the ISS.  Major Peake just had time to tell the students that the balloon would not rise up like on Earth before he was again drowned out by the static.
The connection was all too short, but that did not dull the pupils' enthusiasm. "I want to be a spaceman when I grow up like Tim; it would be amazing!" said Philip.
The European Space Agency astronaut launched to the orbiting platform on 15 December and is due to stay aboard until June.
Other schools across the UK will get a similar opportunity to Sandringham in due course.
Major Peake has a big highlight coming next week when he will perform a spacewalk.
He and crewmate Tim Kopra will venture outside the ISS to replace a failed voltage regulator and restore the station to full power.
It has been operating without one of its eight power channels for a number of weeks.


Bury have signed midfielder Neil Danns on a two-year deal after his release by Bolton Wanderers.

The 33-year-old former Blackburn trainee has played for 10 different clubs including Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Birmingham City.
Danns had been on trial with the Shakers during pre-season.
He is the ninth new signing made by the League One side this summer as Bury prepare for a second successive season in the third tier.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


A rapist who attacked a 25-year-old man in Dumfries threatened him with a weapon before carrying out the assault.

Police have revealed more details of the incident as they continue the hunt for the attacker who struck in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Det Insp Scott Young said the assault had lasted "several minutes" and had been a "horrendous attack".
He said extra patrols were under way in the area in order to provide reassurance to the public.
"At about one o'clock on Sunday morning the victim was returning from an evening socialising with friends in Dumfries town centre," he said.
"As he approached the area of Millburn Avenue and Brooms Road an unidentified offender has approached him, presented a weapon and taken him to a secluded area out of public view.
"He has then been subjected to a terrifying attack and was raped."
The attacker headed off in the direction of the nearby Morrisons supermarket after the assault.
Police have described him as about 6ft 1in tall and of stocky, muscular build. He was wearing dark clothing and possibly had a foreign accent.
"Extensive inquiries are under way, specialist officers have been deployed to conduct the investigation and provide support to the victim," said the senior investigating officer.
"I would also like to take this opportunity to reassure members of the community that this is a highly unusual crime to happen in Dumfries.
"We have increased patrols in the area to provide that community reassurance and keep people safe."
Anyone with information about the incident or who was in the area at the time has been asked to contact the police.


Cyber-thieves are preparing malware and spam campaigns in a bid to catch out retailers and shoppers during the run-up to Christmas, experts say.

One gang had updated the sophisticated malware it used to target tills in stores, security company iSight said.
There had also been an increase in spam and phishing emails crafted to catch out people seeking bargains.
And some crime groups had made fakes copies of popular shopping apps in a bid to steal payment-card data.
The warnings are being given just prior to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which bracket the weekend following the US Thanksgiving holiday, when many online and offline stores offer special deals.
The 50 biggest retail brands in the US were now hunting through their internal corporate networks to see if they had been infected by the "highly sophisticated" Modpos malware, said iSight senior director Stephen Ward.
The modular malware could lurk unseen on point-of-sale equipment, said Mr Ward, and sought to scoop up payment-card data during the few moments this information was passed around unencrypted in the memory of computerised tills.
"It's a Swiss-army knife of sorts that can be used for any type of nefarious activity," he said.
The Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center, a US government-backed organisation set up to pass on information about threats aimed at retailers, has sent out advice about the "2015 hacking season".
"Downtime is expensive, but especially so at this time of year," it said.
"Retail staff is motivated and focused on sales, at the risk of possibly allowing fraudulent transactions or other types of breaches."
Reacting quickly to threats could be tricky at this time of year, it said, because systems were often "frozen" to limit downtime.
Mr Ward said iSight had been tracking the gang behind Modpos for some time, but it had now been revamped for the run-up to Christmas.
And traditional anti-virus systems were unlikely to catch the stealthy malware because of the clever way it was built.
"The guys behind this seem to have an incredible level of knowledge related to the way that security technology works and the industry operates," said Mr Ward.
But iSight had passed on information about telltale signs that would reveal a retailer had been compromised by Modpos.
"We are stealing Christmas from these bad guys," he said. "Here, we are being the Grinch."
Anti-fraud company ThreatMetrix  said online retailers were also coming under sustained assault from many different hi-tech crime groups.
It said it had seen signs of an increase in fraud campaigns before the main shopping season got under way and expected a "major spike" in such activity in the run-up to Christmas.
In a report, it said attacks against online retailers had already jumped 25% over earlier in the year and it expected the trend to continue.
"Generally, the third quarter is a slower time for businesses as consumers anticipate spending money during the Christmas and New Year shopping season, but this year it yielded record numbers in attack attempts," said Vanita Pandey, strategy director at ThreatMetrix.
The vast majority of the attacks were attempts to defraud companies by using fake logins or stolen credentials, said Ms Pandey.
And ThreatMetrix had seen evidence of crime groups using botnets, networks of hijacked computers, to batter away at login screens searching for loopholes and bugs.
Michael Owen, head of security at payments processor Sage Pay, said criminals could also target online stores in other ways during busy shopping days.
"Criminals know that merchants need their websites to be live and accessible this weekend," he said, "which makes them an appealing target for blackmail."
"If a criminal can take down a website and demand funds to let the merchant get back to trading, they'll want to do it this weekend."
Paul Ducklin, a senior security advisor at Sophos, said spammers were gearing up for the Christmas shopping season too.
He urged people to be vigilant and exercise common sense when browsing offers sent via email or other messaging services.
No-one should ever buy anything offered via unsolicited email, he said.
"If it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true," he said.
"Even if you think that the crooks will take every care with your payment details and your identity, and even if the goods you are buying turn out to be the genuine article, why give these guys your business?
"Instead, ask yourself, 'Do I consider a spam campaign to be the basis of a business relationship founded on mutual trust?'"


An MP criticised over a £10.25m loan to redevelop a football stadium will have to "consider his position", his local party chairman has said.

Northampton South Tory David Mackintosh was criticised in a report over the loan to Northampton Town from the borough council when he was leader.
Constituency chairman Suresh Patel said Mr Mackintosh should answer to local members at a meeting on 9 December.
Mr Mackintosh said he was "happy" to answer questions about the loan.
Northampton Town was given the money to redevelop Sixfields stadium, with much of it being passed to a company called 1st Land Ltd.
The company is now in liquidation while the work on Sixfields was not completed.
Mr Mackintosh benefited from "hidden" donations to his general election fighting fund from 1st Land, a BBC investigation found.
Mr Mackintosh previously said he had "no reason to believe" that the donations were from anyone other than the named donors.
This is currently subject to a separate police investigation.
An audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers found the borough council cabinet lacked full information on the risks when it approved the transaction in 2013.
The report said Mr Mackintosh, who was leader of the authority for four years before becoming an MP in 2015, wanted to "conclude the transaction promptly".
Speaking about Mr Mackintosh's role, Mr Patel said: "He needs to consider his position. He has a duty to the party and to its membership."
Mr Mackintosh said: "I am happy to answer any questions the local party might have about the loan."
A motion expressing Northampton South Conservative Association's "disappointment" will be put to its executive committee on 9 December.


A former resident at St Joseph's Catholic home, Termonbacca, has told the Historical Abuse Inquiry how he was punished for being left-handed.

Jon McCourt, a high profile campaigner to get the inquiry set up, has waived his right to anonymity.
He also told the inquiry that he did not realise two other boys in a photograph were his brothers.
The inquiry is investigating abuse claims against children's residential institutions in NI from 1922 to 1995.
Termonbacca and another Derry home, Nazareth House, were run by the Sisters of Nazareth.
He told the inquiry on Thursday: "I remember, when I was about five years old, being constantly beaten by one particular nun, to get me to stop writing with my left hand."
He said this was a common practice at the time before adding: "They were messing up with how we were wired."
A photograph was shown of 40 young boys from the home on a day trip at the Guildhall in Londonderry.
He pointed out himself and his two brothers in the photograph, but said he did not know they were his brothers at the time.
When counsel for the inquiry said some of the institutions dispute claims about a lack of family contact at the homes, Mr McCourt replied: "I can't talk about their truth, I know mine".
McCourt also told the inquiry he blamed unionist domination in Londonderry in the 1950s for him ending up in Termonbacca.
He said he spent 10 years in the home "not because my mother didn't love me", but because unionist leaders would not build homes for Catholics in the city.
The inquiry, being held in Banbridge, County Down, is chaired by retired judge Sir Anthony Hart and is considering cases in 13 residential institutions.
Public hearings are due to finish in June 2015, with the inquiry team to report to the Northern Ireland Executive by the start of 2016.


Jordan Spieth will begin the final round of The Open with a three-shot lead over his American compatriot Matt Kuchar and six shots over the rest of the field as he once again stormed Royal Birkdale's defences.

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On a day when Branden Grace became the first man in history to card a 62 at a major championship, Spieth strengthened his overnight grip on the championship with a bogey-free 65 to move to 11 under par as his big-name rivals struggled to stay in touch.
Canadian debutant Austin Connelly, 20, sits in a tie for third with US Open champion Brooks Koepka at five under, while Grace and Japan's world number two Hideki Matsuyama, who shot a fine 66, are a shot further back.
But it was a disappointing afternoon for home favourites Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter, McIlroy's chances effectively over after a messy 69 left him two under, nine shots off Spieth and tied for 11th with his Ryder Cup team-mate.
Texan Spieth, 23, blew a five-shot lead going into back nine at The Masters 15 months ago, but with this links course in far less punitive mood than the Augusta National he is odds-on to add the oldest major to his Masters and US Open titles from 2015.
Kuchar, 39, has never finished in the top five at an Open and has only one top-10 finish in 12 previous attempts, and he will rue the three putts on the 16th green that cost him critical momentum this time around.
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This was a relentless Spieth rather than spectacular, his birdie on the 18th green giving him a lead that so few will expect him to relinquish.
After a cautious opening, his 15-foot putt for birdie on the seventh re-established the two-shot lead he had held over playing partner Kuchar overnight.
But Kuchar closed in, birdieing the 14th and 15th, only for Spieth to drop a seven-foot putt for a birdie of his own on the latter hole to take back the lead 30 seconds later at 10 under.
When Kuchar three-putted the 16th his deficit was three, and while the elder man birdied 17 to stay in touch, Spieth's nerveless 15-foot putt on the last stretched that lead back out.
Grace had earlier made history on a day of baking temperatures and minimal wind, the links stripped of its usual defences.
In an extraordinary few hours he made birdies on the first, fourth, fifth, eighth, ninth, 14th, 16th and 17th holes, which left him requiring just a par on the par-four 18th to set the record.
His tee-shot found light rough and his second flew 45 feet beyond the pin, but a marvellous putt to within three feet set up the finish to rewrite the record books.
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McIlroy, champion down the coast at Hoylake three years ago, charged out of the blocks, easing in a five-foot birdie on the first, flighting and rolling in a 30-foot chip from short of the green on the fourth and driving the green on the 346-yard par-four fifth before leaving his eagle putt just shy.
The subsequent birdie left him four under and within touching distance of Spieth, only for the inconsistencies that have dogged his game over the past year resurfacing once again.
A hooked tee-shot cost him a bogey on the par-three seventh, and worse was to follow as he bogeyed the eighth and then dropped two more shots on the 10th, going from tee to bunker to bunker to rough.
He had chances to salvage shots down the stretch but little would drop for him, and his three-year wait for his next major goes on.
Poulter, looking to become the first man since Paul Lawrie 18 years ago to come through qualifying and win the claret jug, mixed three birdies with three bogeys in his first 11 holes.
He then missed a six-footer for par on the 12th and dropped another shot on the 13th, the energy going out of him as his hopes slipped away.
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Connelly has never before played an Open but showed a precocious talent as he raced round the links in 66, picking up birdies on his last two holes to secure his place in the penultimate pairing come Sunday afternoon.
Koepka dropped a shot on the first but then birdied three, four and five before a birdie and bogey on the back nine left him five under.
World number one Dustin Johnson looked as if he might match Grace when he stood on the 16th tee six under par, and while three successive pars ended that dream, his 64 still left him three under and in a tie for seventh.
Last year's champion Stenson fired an equally impressive 65 to sit alongside Johnson.


The Scottish government has set out where £45m of funding to tackle the attainment gap in schools will be allocated over the coming year.

The latest round of funding will go to the nine councils with the highest concentrations of deprivation, along with 72 schools in other poorer areas.
Education Secretary John Swinney said boosting schools was the Scottish government's "defining mission".
Opposition parties said the funding did not go far enough to tackle problems.
The Scottish Attainment Challenge fund will distribute £750m to primary and secondary schools over the course of the current parliament, aimed at cutting the poverty-related divide in attainment.
Funding packages ranging from £1.5m to £7.7m will go to local authorities in Clackmannanshire, Dundee, East Ayrshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire.
Funding is also being sent directly to 72 schools in other local authority areas, with more than £2m being distributed in South Lanarkshire and almost £1m in the Highland council area.
Announcing the allocation for 2017/18 during a visit to Newark Primary School's holiday club in Port Glasgow, Mr Swinney said the cash was providing a "very real benefit" for children and young people, their families and the wider community.
He said: "Today's announcement ensures local authorities and individual schools where the need is greatest have substantial additional funding for the coming year to tailor their plans based on their own circumstances.
"Improving the education and life chances of our children and young people is the defining mission of this government.
"Central to this is the Scottish Attainment Challenge, which is providing £750m during the course of this parliament to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap by supporting hundreds of schools develop approaches to improve literacy, numeracy and health and well-being."
Opposition parties welcomed the funding, but said it did not go far enough.
Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith said money should "follow the pupil" instead of being targeted at schools.
She said: "Schools often have a considerable mix of pupil background and attainment level - hence the reason why we have argued the money should follow the child.
"It is clear that deprived pupils in local authorities such as Aberdeenshire and Perth and Kinross, will not benefit from this next wave of funding. This is worrying, as it appears that a postcode lottery problem is emerging, and deprived children will missing out."
Meanwhile, Scottish Greens education spokesman Ross Greer said the funding was not enough to reverse "the decade of cuts to teachers, support staff and resources", arguing that significant investment was also needed in "better paid jobs, warmer and more affordable homes and strong public services".
The announcement comes on the same day as the Scotsman newspaper reported a study of youth literacy across the UK by Keith Topping, a professor at Dundee University.
Prof Topping found Northern Irish students making the most improvement in reading, with pupils in England also outperforming those in Scotland and Wales. He said that "the current evidence is that Northern Ireland and England are moving significantly ahead of Scotland in terms of literacy performance".
Scottish Labour's education spokesman Iain Gray said: "For all Nicola Sturgeon's claims that education is her 'defining mission', we are trailing behind other parts of the UK in addressing the issue.
"This is the legacy of a government which claims to care about schools, but has cut teacher numbers by 4,000, and continues to cut spending on each pupil's education."
In response to the study, a Scottish government spokeswoman highlighted the attainment funding as well as the First Minister's Reading Challenge, a dedicated programme aimed at encouraging young Scots to read, which she said had proved to be "hugely successful".


David Cameron has said more needs to be done to "smash the criminal gangs" who are exploiting the migrant crisis.

He was speaking in Malta at the start of a two-day summit on how to deal with the humanitarian problem.
The prime minister said there was a need to "break the link between getting on a boat and getting the chance to settle in Europe".
He vowed that Britain would play a "huge and historic role" in tackling the crisis engulfing Europe.
Government sources said the UK would use £200m of aid money to help African countries deal with the migration problem.
It will also give £2.1m to a trust fund for Africa being set up by the European Commission.
And the UK is to announce an additional £275m for Turkey over the next two years, to help it cope with the migrant crisis.
As EU and African leaders gathered in the Maltese capital, Valletta to discuss ways to stem the flow of people to the continent 14 migrants drowned in the latest boat sinking.
Europe has been struggling to cope with the influx of migrants reaching its borders throughout 2015.
The UN says nearly 800,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea so far, and some 3,440 have died or gone missing making the journey.
Some 150,000 people from African countries such as Eritrea, Nigeria and Somalia have made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean from Africa, arriving mainly in Italy and Malta.
But this has been dwarfed by the arrival of some 650,000 people - mostly Syrians - via Turkey and Greece.
Mr Cameron called for a new "resolve" to tackle the problem, warning that "saving lives is not going to be enough".
"We need to do much more to smash the criminal gangs that are fuelling this terrible trade in people and also to break the link between getting on a boat and the chance to settle in Europe."
"If we do those two things, alongside the saving lives and the vital humanitarian work - then we can make real progress," he said.
The prime minister said a "real partnership" was needed "with the countries from which these people are coming" to try to stem the flow of migrants trying to reach Europe.
The UK's £200m funding for African countries will be used to help tackle the root causes of the problem, as well as to provide humanitarian support for refugees.
Ethiopia, which has seen its refugee population soar from 90,000 in 2011 to 700,000 in 2015, will be given £125m.
Some £5m will go towards life-saving humanitarian assistance in the Sahel countries, such as Mali and Burkina Faso, and a £13m programme will create 9,000 jobs in Somalia.
In addition to the extra funding, the UK government will also urge the countries to do more to accept the return of migrants who have tried to enter the EU illegally.
International Development Secretary Justine Greening said: "If we are to stop people risking their lives by making dangerous journeys to Europe, we need to tackle the root causes of problems such as instability and lack of opportunity that drive people to move in the first place."
The UK has also said it will accept up to 20,000 Syrian refugees living in the camps bordering the war-torn country, by 2020.
The first charter flight of Syrian refugees will arrive in the UK next week, according to the Home Office's most senior civil servant has said.


Five wards at Wrexham Maelor Hospital have been closed to the public following an outbreak of norovirus.

Two other wards also have some restrictions in place in a bid to stop it spreading.
The move comes after 21 patients showed symptoms of the winter vomiting bug.
A Betsi Cadwaladr health board spokesman urged any visitors with symptoms to stay away from the hospital.