Seeds of exotic plants illegally collected in the Himalayas are being sold in the UK, the BBC has found.

National Himalayan authorities say no permission was obtained to gather and export the plant material.
The activity harms the environment and deprives local people of benefits from the trade of plants, they add.
Some of the suppliers told the BBC that locals had actually helped them collect the flowers; others said they did not know their activities were illegal.
Experts say horticulture societies and clubs across the UK have long raised questions about such practice.
"When people are flouting the regulations, then that impacts us - because the host countries get more cautious about things, and we are helping them develop the protocols for ethical sharing of plant materials and the benefits," said Mark Watson of the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh.
The Rhododendron, Camellia and Magnolia Group (RCMG), a UK gardening organisation associated with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), has admitted that one of its collectors did not have permission.
The group's chairman, David Millais, wrote to the authorities in India's Sikkim state, saying: "We have been informed directly by Timothy Atkinson (one of the seed collectors for the group) that he did in fact not have permission to collect seed in Sikkim in 2012 and 2013, which is deeply regrettable.
"He does, however, confirmâ€¦ that he acted in innocence, unaware he was in violation of local regulations and for which he appears genuinely remorseful."
Mr Mallais wrote to the Sikkim authorities after our investigation prompted the latter to launch an inquiry.
Mr Atkinson's name appeared in the RCMG listings for nearly 250 collections of different varieties of plant seeds in Sikkim and West Bengal states of India.
Some collections even took place in wildlife reserves and sanctuaries.
"Collection of plant specimens is strictly prohibited from wildlife protected areas under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, and even from the other reserved forest areas," said Thomas Chandy, principal secretary with Sikkim's department of forests, in a written response.
Mr Atkinson declined our request to interview him.
The 2015 offer list of the RCMG had nearly 850 collections of plant seeds, with more than half of them sourced from the Himalayas, including in India, China and Myanmar.
The group later wrote to its members to inform them that all wild-collected seeds were being removed from the website.
Ray Brown is the proprietor of another supplier, Plant World Seeds, which put some of Himalayan seeds on its website. Mr Brown refused to comment when asked if he had obtained permits for the seeds' collection.
He was in a team that went to Nepal and collected nearly 60 plant seed varieties in just one trip in 2014.
In a write-up where he has listed all the seeds collected, Mr Brown wrote: "Every one of you will receive a few seeds of this treasure, and also the Meconopsis and Rheum noted above."
The ID numbers Mr Brown's team gave to the seeds collected in Nepal matched those of the seeds offered on his Plant World Seeds website. These numbers have now have been removed from the site.
Authorities in Nepal said Mr Brown's team had no permission to make a collection.
"We checked with our district forest offices where these plants are found in the high-mountain areas. None of the district forest offices reported that those named people were there with any kind of permission," Nepal's forest department chief, Resham Dangi, told BBC News. "It's not in the records."
Some suppliers of seeds say they get them from local collectors and therefore they need no permission from host countries.
One such supplier is Himalayan plant expert Chris Chadwell, who has provided seeds to private and public gardens in the UK.
The Sheffield Botanical Gardens, for example, has a bed where plants from the Himalayas are being grown, and officials at the garden said many seeds were supplied by Mr Chadwell.
"P Kohli and Company (an Indian firm, he says) have a licence, and they have been permitted to export seeds and I am associated with them, and I liaise with them and do my collecting trips with them," he told BBC News.
"But, yes, the rules and regulations are increasing and are stricter... and they are currently checking with authorities whether or not it's going be permissible to receive any seed in 2016."
Mr Chadwell refused to give us contact details for the Indian company and other individuals who he says have legally supplied seeds to him in the past.
Indian authorities have told the BBC that even if seeds are collected by locals, foreigners are not allowed to receive them without authorisation.
"The non-Indian person or entity is required to obtain the prior approval of National Biodiversity Authority (of India) for access to biological resources occurring in India or knowledge associated thereto for research or commercial utilisation or bio-survey and bio-utilization," said KP Raghuram, an official with the NBA.
Mr Dangi, with Nepal's forest department, said something similar: "If they want to get seeds collected and exported to them by locals, they first need to get the permit from the department of forest, and based on our approval the phytosanitary office screens such materials and gives the certification.
"Otherwise it's totally illegal."
The Sheffield Botanical Gardens officials said things were beyond their control.
"We are not the ones that are going out and doing the collection so we have to, to a certain extent, trust they are getting those permits," the garden's acting head, Ian Turner, told BBC News.
"But at any effect there is always an uncertainty because we don't collect the seeds ourselves; we don't acquire the permits and we have to take some of that on trust."
The Nagoya Protocol, an international treaty that came into being in 2014, prohibits the collection of plant materials without an agreement with host countries on the sharing of benefits arising from such resources.
Some authorities in the Himalayan countries have also been criticised for not working in the spirit of that treaty and discouraging foreign seed-collectors who are willing to operate legally.
But experts say the onus is on the recipient countries as well.
"As an EU member state, the UK is subject to new EU regulation which implements the Protocol in the EU," says John Dickie, senior research leader with the Millennium Seed Bank, which is run by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
"Users of genetic resources in the UK will need to show 'due diligence' that the resources were acquired legally."
Mr Watson from the Edinburgh gardens said people growing plants at home should be aware of where their plants are from - and what impact their removal could have on those countries and local people.
"A fair analogy is to compare with the fair trade type of movement: people are getting more aware these days of sourcing their food ethically, and it is about time people should be thinking about the same thing for the plants that they are growing in their garden."


Wydad Casablanca of Morocco travel to face Zesco United of Zambia on Wednesday to decide who tops Group A of the African Champions League.

Both sides have already qualified for the semi-finals the winners of Group A face Zamalek of Egypt while the runners-up will play South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns.
Wydad know they need just a point to top the table and will take encouragement from their comfortable 2-0 win over Zesco in Morocco two months ago.
Coached by former Real Madrid manager and Liverpool striker John Toshack, Wydad top Group A with 10 points despite a mid-group crisis.
After wins over Asec Mimosas of the Ivory Coast and Zesco, the Moroccans only took one point from a possible six off struggling Al Ahly of Egypt.
Wydad then battled to translate dominance over Asec at home into goals until Congo Brazzaville-born Fabrice Ondama scored in the final minute to secure a 2-1 win.
That result, and Zesco holding record eight-time African champions Ahly 2-2 away, eliminated the Egyptian and Ivorian clubs.
Zesco have exceeded expectations by reaching the semi-finals although coach George Lwandamina remains worried about concentration lapses in defence.
"Our defence has a tendency to fall asleep after we score and this allows  opponents back into matches," said Lwandamina, who doubles as the caretaker  national coach.
What Zesco do boast are consistent goal  scorers with Idris Mbombo from the DR Congo scoring five in this Champions League campaign.
Clatous Chama and Kenyan Jesse Were have notched four each and John Ching'andu three.
Failing to reach the semi-finals cost Ahly coach and former Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol his job amid safety concerns.
Assistant coach Ossama Orabi has taken charge for the meaningless midweek  match against 1998 champions ASEC at Stade Robert Champroux in Abidjan.
Another fixture where only pride is at stake involves already-eliminated  Enyimba of Nigeria and Sundowns in Port Harcourt.
Zamalek have a bye as Entente  Setif of Algeria were disqualified.


England's record-breaking one-day centurion Jos Buttler "will play a lot of Test cricket", according to national coach Trevor Bayliss.

Buttler was dropped for Jonny Bairstow during the 2-0 Test series defeat by Pakistan, but hit a 46-ball century as England won the one-day series 3-1.
Both wicketkeepers are in the squad for this winter's tour of South Africa.
"He's such a talent that I'm sure he'll be able to adapt his game to the longer form," said Bayliss of Buttler, 25.
The Lancashire player has a strike-rate of 117.26 runs per 100 balls faced in one-day cricket and has scored England's three fastest one-day centuries.
However, he went 22 international innings without scoring a half-century, between his 66-ball ton against New Zealand in June and his 52-ball 116 against Pakistan on Friday.
Since making his Test debut against India in July 2014, where he hit his highest score of 85, Buttler has compiled five half-centuries in scoring 630 runs at an average of 30.
Against Pakistan, he scored just 34 runs in four innings, after a summer in which he notched 122 in eight knocks against Australia.
Yorkshire's Bairstow, who has a highest score of 95 and averages 26.40, played six successive Tests as a specialist batsman before taking over behind the stumps for the third Test in Sharjah.
Asked whether Buttler may return as first-choice wicketkeeper for the first Test against South Africa in Durban on 26 December, Bayliss said: "It's something for us to think about.
"There's got to be a spot available for him, as well. It'll certainly be spoken about, I'm sure."
Bayliss believes Buttler may benefit from replicating his attacking one-day style in the Test arena, although he concedes it would take significant commitment from both the player and coaching staff.
"He probably could," said Bayliss.
"Whether he would allow himself to actually do it and whether we can get our head around actually playing like a Twenty20 innings in a Test match, I'm not sure."


Shrewsbury Town have signed Hartlepool United defender Aristote Nsiala on a two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

He becomes boss Paul Hurst's first signing at Shrewsbury, having previously played for him at Grimsby.
Nsiala, 24, who left the Mariners to join Pools in June, has made 25 appearances this season.
"I think he's someone who can step up the levels and be a big asset for this football club," said Hurst.
Shrewsbury are waiting for confirmation from the English Football League as to whether Nsiala will be able to make his debut in Monday's League One game against Fleetwood Town.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Anthony Joshua is adamant fame and fortune will not spoil him as he prepares to defend his IBF heavyweight title against Eric Molina on Saturday.

Joshua, 27, will reportedly earn £2m for the second defence of the belt.
A proposed match against Wladimir Klitschko, pencilled in for next April, could earn the Briton as much as £15m.
"Fighters can lose their way after tasting a bit of success but it's not about money, it's about class," said Joshua, who is undefeated in 17 fights.
"It's about morals, how you conduct yourself. Glitz and glamour doesn't come into it. I don't live in luxury, I'm still at home with my mum."
Joshua often shares a gym in Sheffield with Great Britain's amateurs, with whom he shares trainer Rob McCracken.
And Joshua, who came through the same system before winning a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, says training with young, ambitious boxers keeps him grounded.
"These amateurs who train day in, day out and live the life are better than half the pros who are taking the glory," said Joshua, who stays in the same accommodation in Sheffield as when he was in the GB squad.
"It's good to be around that, they don't give me a chance to slack."
Joshua expects to make Molina his 18th victim inside the distance, but is not complacent before the fight at the Manchester Arena.
"People like Molina are unpredictable," he said. "They seem nice but when they come in the ring they come with bad intentions.
"There is a lot of expectation on me, but it's also my expectation to win, win, win. We're singing from the same hymn sheet.
"At the moment it's going well, but there will be bumps along the way. I'd be silly not to think that, so I have to plan for things going wrong."
Molina, 34, lost his first fight as a pro in 2007 but has been beaten only twice in 27 bouts since.
In 2012 he was knocked out in the first round by Chris Arreola, before lasting nine rounds with WBC champion Deontay Wilder. In his most recent fight, in April, Molina caused an upset by beating Tomasz Adamek in Poland.
And the Texan believes he will shock British fans with a knockout victory, just as his mentor Oliver McCall did to Lennox Lewis in London in 1994.
"I have a lot of respect for Anthony Joshua, he's bringing a lot of excitement to the heavyweight division," said Molina.
"But we've yet to see him in a lot of situations. There's more to heavyweight boxing than just beating down the guy in front of you.
"There are other avenues. We're going to try to put him in some spots and surprise him.
"He thinks it's going to be an easy night, the whole world thinks it's going to be an easy night, so my most powerful weapon is the element of surprise."
Starts 17:30 GMT - times subject to late changes
4x3 mins welterweight contest
CONOR BENN (10st 7lbs 3oz)  v STEVE BACKHOUSE (10st 3lbs 9oz)
Followed by 8x3 mins heavyweight contest
LUIZ ORTIZ (17st 3lbs 3oz) v DAVID ALLEN (18st 6lbs 9oz)
Followed by 12x3 mins British light-heavyweight championship
HOSEA BURTON (12st 6lbs 5oz) v FRANK BUGLIONI
Followed by 12x3 mins British super-middleweight championship
CALLUM SMITH (11st 13lbs 7oz) v LUKE BLACKLEDGE (11st 12lbs 9oz)
Followed by 12x3 mins vacant WBA super-flyweight championship
LUIS CONCEPCION (8st 5lbs 7oz*) v KAL YAFAI (8st 2lbs 7oz)
*Concepcion failed the weight, scaled 8st 5lbs 4oz second time - title on the line for Yafai only
Followed by 12x3 mins vacant WBA international featherweight championship
SCOTT QUIGG (8st 13lbs 7oz) v JOSE CAYETANO (9st 1lbs 5oz*)
*Cayetano failed the weight, scaled 9st second time - title on the line for both fighters
Followed by 12x3 mins WBC world heavyweight title eliminator & WBC international championship.
DILLIAN WHYTE (17st 8lbs 5oz)   v DERECK CHISORA (17st 12lbs 6oz)
Followed by 12x3 mins IBF world heavyweight championship
ANTHONY JOSHUA (17st 11lbs 1oz) v ERIC MOLINA (16st 13lbs 8oz)
Live float - not before 20:00 GMT
6x2 mins super-featherweight contest
KATIE TAYLOR (9st 6lbs 2oz) v VIVIANE OBENAUF (9st 5lbs 9oz)


Inspired Munster produced a passionate performance to beat Glasgow soundly in their first match since the death of head coach Anthony Foley.

Despite having Keith Earls red-carded in the 19th minute for a tip tackle, fired-up Munster racked up five tries.
Backs Tyler Bleyendaal, Jaco Taute and Simon Zebo touched down before half-time, followed by a penalty try.
Glasgow responded with Pat MacArthur and Mark Bennett tries but Munster's Rory Scannell grabbed the final score.
Amid the swirling emotion and the eulogies to their fallen hero, Thomond Park fell quiet before kick-off for a minute's silence. The respectful hush gave way to classic Munster thunder soon enough.
Munster's intensity was immense; their power was raw and devastating. Even before Bleyendaal went through a gap and wriggled over for the opening score, there were clear signs Munster were on the most profound mission out there. Bleyendaal sent over the conversion to send a packed stadium into raptures.
The tempo, and the noise level that greeted it, didn't let up. Russell made it 7-3 with the boot, but four minutes later, Taute scored Munster's second. It came despite Munster losing their own lineout ball. They fought like men possessed to win it back and Taute applied the finish.
Bleyendaal's conversion made it 14-3; a pulsating beginning.
An air of utter surreality entered the occasion after 19 minutes when Earls was dramatically, and correctly, red-carded for a dangerous tip tackle on Fraser Brown.
Munster now had another factor to contend with - and contend with it they did. Their scrum became a wrecking ball, and their breakdown work rendered Glasgow impotent as an attacking force. Bleyendaal lobbed over another penalty after a monster scrum laid waste to the visitors.
Then, Munster struck for their third try. Scannell set the wheels in motion when stepping around Henry Pyrgos and when the ball went wide, Zebo took Stuart Hogg's tackle and still managed to get the ball down. Bleyendaal's conversion was good.
After such a nightmarish week, 24-3 at the break was the stuff of dreams for the home support.
The question was whether Munster would hit an emotional and physical wall in the second half. They didn't. They upped the tempo, put in one howitzer scrum after another and eventually got their reward - a penalty try. Glasgow had changed two of their front row by then but the new ones were as beleaguered as the old ones. They could do nothing to stop the Munster surge.
Bleyendaal's conversion made the advantage a towering 31-3. You had to keep reminding yourself that Munster were making all this happen despite having a man sent off.
It was inevitable that Glasgow would get some ball at some point, though, just as it was that 14-man Munster would run out of gas. McArthur rumbled over for a try 15 minutes from the end, then Bennett went through minutes later. That brought the score to 31-17.
The home side dug again into their bottomless pit of passion and scored for a fifth time, as Scannell provided the last act of a profoundly sad but joyous day for the people of Munster.
And at the end, more emotion. Foley's young sons, Tony and Dan, were brought on to the field into a huddle of the players who performed for his father. Together they began their anthem, Stand Up And Fight, and were joined in harmony by the vast Thomond Park support.
The players walked around the pitch later to thank their fans. Their fans sang and applauded and thanked them back: a people united.
Munster: S Zebo; D Sweetnam, J Taute, R Scannell, K Earls; T Bleyendaal, C Murray; D Kilcoyne, N Scannell, J Ryan; D Ryan, B Holland; P O'Mahony (capt), T O'Donnell, CJ Stander.
Replacements: D Casey, B Scott, S Archer, R Copeland, J O'Donoghue, D Williams, I Keatley, R O'Mahony.
Glasgow: S Hogg; S Lamont, A Dunbar, S Johnson, R Hughes; F Russell, H Pyrgos; G Reid, F Brown, Z Fagerson; T Swinson, J Gray; R Harley, R Wilson, J Strauss.
Replacements: P MacArthur, A Allan, S Puafisi, L Wynne, S Favaro, A Price, M Bennett, P Murchie.


The parents of a 15-year-old girl who was raped and murdered say they saw "no signs" she was being groomed.

Kayleigh Haywood was found dead in undergrowth in Leicestershire last November.
Her killer, Stephen Beadman, was jailed for life, while groomer Luke Harlow was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Speaking on the first anniversary of their daughter's death, Stephanie Haywood and Martin Whitby said they felt "heartbroken" every day.
Kayleigh, from Measham, Leicestershire, started exchanging messages with Harlow on Facebook two weeks before she was killed, believing he was her boyfriend.
Mrs Haywood said she had no idea Kayleigh had a boyfriend.
"There were no signs... no mood swings, nothing different about Kayleigh to make us aware that there were messages being sent or she was being groomed," she said.
"[We felt] devastated. We felt like we'd let her down but we didn't know. There were no signs at all."
In an open letter about their grief, Kayleigh's parents said Kayleigh's brothers and sisters shout "we love you Kayleigh" to the sky each time they visit her grave.
"Each time they do it still breaks our hearts," the letter said.
"As the young ones grow up enough to understand, we will tell them about their beautiful big sister who lives in the sky, all about her favourite things, her school days, her holidays and Christmas and how she loved to brush her beautiful long hair."
A church service will be held in Measham later to celebrate Kayleigh's life.
Mrs Haywood said: "The family will never be as one now because there's one missing... but we will live on and we will keep her legacy going."
"We still ask why"
Where do we begin? Here we are, the first anniversary of losing our beautiful daughter Kayleigh.
How we have come this far we will never know. We go day-by-day. We cannot cope with more than that.
Our beautiful princess Kayleigh was tragically taken from us one year ago - a heartache that no parent should have to go through. It was certainly something we never ever thought we would ever have to experience.
We will never ever get over this tragedy. Never.
We still cry so many tears, [and] still ask why?
It is hard to believe we have gone one full year without our beautiful daughter Kayleigh.
It all seems such a blur and now today, on Kayleigh's anniversary, we relive that horrific heartache and pain that hit us one year ago today and have felt ever since.


Voters who might have fallen off the electoral register after changes to the system are being urged to re-apply.

The Electoral Commission has launched a campaign titled "Don't lose it" to encourage would-be voters to check they are on the official list.
Those who want to take part in the 5 May Scottish Parliament election must be registered by the 18 April deadline.
A report showed that 73,000 entries had been wiped from the register following the introduction of a new system
It also found that, while it was not possible to determine how many of these entries accounted for eligible electors, it is likely that some of the removed entries related to electors who were eligible to remain registered to vote.
The Scottish Parliament election will be the first in which 16 and 17-year-olds can vote.
As part of the campaign a voter information guide is to be sent to every household in Scotland targeting young people and those who have either recently moved house or live in rented accommodation.
Adverts will also be carried on TV, radio and social media.
The commission said its campaign to register voters in the months before last year's UK General Election led to more than 1.5 million additions to the electoral register.
Andy O'Neill, head of the Electoral Commission in Scotland, said: "Our research shows that young people, students, and recent home movers are less likely to be registered to vote.
"If you're not registered by the deadline of April 18 then you won't be able to have your say on issues that directly affect everyone's day-to-day lives in Scotland."


George the Poet, a spoken word performer and rapper who wants to use his voice as a force for change in society, has come fifth on the BBC Sound Of 2015 list, which showcases emerging artists for the coming 12 months.

George Mpanga is inspired by the injustice he saw growing up on the Stonebridge Park estate in north west London.
After studying politics, psychology and sociology at Cambridge University and running poetry workshops for children in London, he is now preparing to release his debut album on Island Records and publish his first poetry collection.
The 23-year-old says he wants to inspire others to achieve better things. "I want people to be aware of their power," he says.
He is the first artist to be announced from the BBC Sound Of 2015 top five. One act from the top five is being unveiled every day this week, leading up to the announcement of the winner on Friday.
The list was compiled by asking 139 DJs, critics and broadcasters to name their favourite new acts.
Are you a poet or a rapper first?
Chronologically I was a rapper first, but at this point in time I'm primarily a poet.
When did you discover the power of words?
I was always into music and my mum used to talk me through a lot of lyrics. I remember her sitting me down and talking to me about the Bob Marley song Buffalo Soldier. "Dreadlock Rasta/Taken from Africa/Brought to America/Fighting on arrival/Fighting for survival." It made a big impression.
At the same time, I grew up in church and again my mum used to read the Bible with me. And then I saw the pastor commanding an audience, and thought, I want to do that. I remember watching the film of Malcolm X and seeing what he did with words and thinking, I really want to do that.
When did you move from rap to poetry?
I believe rap to be a specialist form of poetry - specialist only in that it is very strict on time metre, which you can find in traditional forms of poetry. In William Blake's poem London, you find a lot of very regimented thought.
I would argue that I did start off writing in a traditional poetry form but the extension of that was I was performing them. But if you took the music away, the essence was exactly the same as what William Blake was offering.
You say you draw on your early life in the inner city. How does that inform what you do?
It made a profound impact on me. I was exposed to quite a range of life. I saw people lose loved ones, I saw people make a lot of money, make a lot of change.
When I was in year six - I must have been 10, 11 - I took a shine to these kids who were in my primary school. They were lovely kids. Sunshine every time they opened their mouths. I remember them flippantly mentioning that the night before, their dad was beating up their mum and their big sister had to fight him off with a baseball bat. They didn't understand the gravity of what they were saying. But this disturbed me.
I remember trying to fight everything, trying to save everyone from every calamity. At some point I realised that I'm not going to be able to save everyone, but that when I do have the platform I will do everything to enact structural change...
A lot of my frustrations stem from the fact that I can't share my blessings with my family and friends, my community. There are structural things that keep them in place, whether that's the disintegration of their family or their inability to organise themselves financially and sustain their communities financially, or the lack of political influence on the things that affect them.
All of these things make it harder for me to move forward professionally with everyone I grew up with. That needs to change.
How can you make a difference?
I need to be an example of what I think needs to happen. So for example I'm self-employed. I have an enterprising mind. I demonstrate these things and I think it will be beneficial if everyone has a degree of enterprise.
I need to be an example, but at the same time there's the content. My EP, The Chicken and the Egg, is about premature parenthood. Discussing that helps. For one thing, you're giving visibility to the issue. Secondly, you're providing some sort of catharsis for anyone who can relate.
Do you write about yourself or do you create fictional characters?
I draw partially from personal experience and I also draw from observation.
Did the premature parenthood thing happen to you?
No. It didn't happen to me. It happened all around me.
Why try to bring about structural change through entertainment and not politics?
Because the political space is too regulated. And it's already exclusive. Entertainment isn't as exclusive. If I'm known for making sounds that people want to hear, it's much harder to justify stymieing that process.
Is it possible to enact structural change through music and poetry?
Yeah. Apart from the fact that anything's possible, it's very obvious. I speak. You listen. You come to my gig. All we need to do is make decisions. That's it. Job done.
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
I see the manifestation of everything I'm talking about now.
I see myself providing the structures for people to enact and demonstrate of all the things I'm talking about - autonomy, taking control, owning the entertainment space.
If what I'm saying sounds too lofty for you, demonstration's the highest form of argument. First I'm going to show you how to do it, then I'm going to invite you to do it.


Coronation Street leads the shortlist for this year's National Television Awards with four nominations including best serial drama.

Doctor Who, EastEnders and Emmerdale all have three nominations each.
Most categories in the shortlist, whittled down from a longlist announced in September, have four nominees each.
Ant and Dec are hoping to win the entertainment presenter prize for the 11th year running at the audience-voted awards at the O2 Arena on 25 January.
They go up against awards host Dermot O'Leary, comedian Leigh Francis's alter-ego Keith Lemon and Michael McIntyre, whose comedy roadshow is also nominated for best entertainment programme - alongside Dynamo: Magician Impossible, Harry Hill's TV Burp and Take Me Out.
Britain's Got Talent, which featured McIntyre as a judge, is also up for best talent show against Dancing On Ice, Strictly Come Dancing and O'Leary's The X Factor.
Keith Lemon's quiz Celebrity Juice is nominated for best comedy panel show against Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week and QI.
Doctor Who competes against last year's best drama Waterloo Road as well as Downton Abbey and Merlin.
Matt Smith, who plays the Doctor, goes up against Torchwood's John Barrowman, Doc Martin's Martin Clunes and Shameless actor David Threlfall for male drama performance.
Smith's co-star Karen Gillan is up alongside Waterloo Road's Jaye Jacobs, Scott & Bailey's Suranne Jones and Torchwood's Eve Myles for the equivalent female price.
Miranda, Benidorm and Outnumbered are up for best sitcom while The Only Way is Essex, Come Dine With Me, The Apprentice and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! compete for reality show.
For factual programme, An Idiot Abroad, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, This Morning and Top Gear are in the mix while Alan Carr: Chatty Man, Loose Women, The Graham Norton Show and The Jonathan Ross Show are up for best chat show.


Campaigners who want overnight children's care returned to a Pembrokeshire hospital have delivered a 20,000-signature petition to ministers.

The group, who travelled to the Senedd in Cardiff, are calling for Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest to have 24-hour paediatric care reinstated.
The unit was downgraded two years ago to a 12-hour, daytime only service.
Children needing to be admitted are now sent to Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen.
Hywel Dda health board said it acknowledged the petition and had a "significant challenge" in demonstrating the safety of its children's services at Withybush and Glangwili hospitals.


The origins of more than 45,000 surnames have been revealed by a new study.

A four-year project investigating the history and geographical distribution of family names found almost 40,000 were native to Britain and Ireland.
The study's authors said they had explained 8,000 surnames for the first time.
Project leader, Prof Richard Coates, said the list was "more detailed and accurate" than those before it.
Your surnames explained
The team, led by the University of the West of England, analysed sources dating from the 11th to the 19th Century to fully explain the origins of the names.
It found 80% of the most common surnames were native to the UK and Ireland, among them:
"Some surnames have origins that are occupational - obvious examples are Smith and Baker; less obvious ones are Beadle, Rutter, and Baxter," Prof Coates said.
"Other names can be linked to a place, for example Hill or Green, which relates to a village green.
"Surnames which are 'patronymic' are those which originally enshrined the father's name - such as Jackson, or Jenkinson.
"There are also names where the origin describes the original bearer such as Brown, Short, or Thin - though Short may in fact be an ironic 'nickname' surname for a tall person."
45,602
surnames in the dictionary
90%
native to Britain and Ireland
50% of the 20,000 most common names come from places, like Leicester, Sutton and Green
23% are relationship names, like Dawson (son of Daw) and Phelps (son of Philip)
19% are nicknames, like Fox, Longbones and Goodfellow
8% are occupational or status names, like Tanner (tanner of skins) and Webster (weaver)
Prof Coates said the remainder came from a diverse range of cultures and languages of immigrants who settled in the country from the 16th Century onwards.
One of those included for the first time is Farah - a rare English name recorded with just five bearers in the 1881 Census who lived in Middlesex and northern England.
Presenter's labour 'a BBC team effort'
Images of India's huge and controversial wedding
Trump stuns with impromptu night out
The name was derived from the northern pronunciation of the much better known Farrer, based on the occupational name from Middle English, 'ferrour' meaning ironworker or blacksmith.
Ferrour is itself a borrowing of the Old French word, ferreor.
Although it is rare as an English family name, it is more common among Muslim families. The Arabic word of farah means joy, happiness and delight.
Another name identified for the first time was Li, the most common Chinese name in the UK.
There were over 9,000 bearers in 2011, not counting those who spell it Lee, which will multiply the number considerably.
Researchers found it has at least six different origins in a range of Chinese dialects, including 'plum', 'chestnut', 'black', 'fortunate', and 'strict'.
One of the most common Indian surnames, Patel, was a status name from a Hindu and Parsi name for a village herdsman.
The findings have been published in the Oxford English Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland.


Around a dozen men who accused British security forces of colluding in their transfer overseas are to get millions in compensation from the UK government.

Some of the men, who are all British citizens or residents, were detained at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba.
At least six of them alleged UK forces were complicit in their torture before they arrived at Guantanamo.
Foreign Secretary William Hague denied the deal was an admission that security agencies colluded in any mistreatment.
In response to questions, he said the settlement reflected the desire to "move on" and be able to conduct an inquiry.
Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke told the Commons that the settlement was "significant", but had the cases gone to court, it would have cost taxpayers up to Â£50m.
The coalition government made clear in the summer that it wanted to avoid a massive court case which would also have put the British secret intelligence services under the spotlight. Prime Minister David Cameron offered to enter settlement talks with six men seeking damages, an offer that has now been accepted.
Bisher al-Rawi, Jamil el Banna, Richard Belmar, Omar Deghayes, Binyam Mohamed and Martin Mubanga had led a High Court case against five government departments including MI5 and MI6.
They had claimed that officials in London were complicit in their transfer to Guantanamo Bay and should have prevented it and their ill-treatment.
In May, the Court of Appeal ruled that the government could not rely on secret evidence to defend itself against the six cases, saying allegations of wrongdoing had to be heard in public.
By Dominic CascianiBBC News home affairs correspondent
The government has resisted this legal claim tooth and nail. The court hearings became an exhausting battle of legal wits, as massed benches of government lawyers refused to give ground.
So why settle, given critics will inevitably accuse ministers of a cover-up? The decision should come as no surprise.
The Court of Appeal rejected ministers' pleas to hear secret evidence in closed courts and the drip-drip of secret material from MI5 and MI6 vaults could have become a flood.
Settling the case therefore achieves the government's greater aim.
It triggers the launch of a judge-led inquiry into complicity and rendition. That inquiry will now go about its business but the main accusers won't be appearing in public demanding the exposure of a secret paper trail from Afghanistan to government offices in London.
Paying out millions looks bad, but ministers know that exposing state secrets is worse still.
Since then, more than 60 government lawyers and officials have been sifting through some 500,000 documents at a secret location. The case was estimated to cost millions and could have lasted for at least another three years.
The BBC understands that both the Intelligence and Security Committee and the National Audit Office will be briefed in detail about the nature of the payments. But the settlement also paves the way for the government to launch an inquiry headed by former judge Sir Peter Gibson into the claims made against the intelligence and security agencies.
Mr Hague said it would up to the inquiry to determine whether the case had been damaging for MI5 or MI6, but said it was good for Britain's intelligence agencies to be able to "look entirely to the future, and not spend years going through court cases".
Binyam Mohamed's solicitor, Sapna Malik, said: "I can't confirm any details about the settlement package. All I can say is that the claims have been settled and the terms are confidential.
"Our client was horrendously treated over a period of almost seven years, with a significant degree of collusion from the security services in the UK."
The UK security services have always denied any claims that they have used or condoned the use of torture.
Last month, the head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, described torture as "illegal and abhorrent" and defended the service's need for secrecy.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said of the payments: "It's not very palatable but there is a price to be paid for lawlessness and torture in freedom's name. There are torture victims who were entitled to expect protection from their country.
"The government now accepts that torture is never justified and we were all let down - let's learn all the lessons and move on."
Mr Mohamed, from west London, was held in Pakistan in 2002 before US agencies moved him to Morocco, where he was tortured, before he was sent on to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, via Afghanistan.
During court hearings, it emerged that a British intelligence officer visited him in detention in Pakistan and that his interrogators in Morroco asked him questions supplied by MI5. Around a dozen men who accused British security forces of colluding in their rendition overseas are to get millions in compensation from the UK government.
BBC News website readers have been reacting to the news:
The case in the UK will have little effect on the processes relating to the Guantanamo prison facilities. The Obama administration has made decisions based on domestic criteria. Furthermore the US displays concerns relating to the viability of British Intelligence, security and military assets following failures in Iraq and Afghanistan and pending the defence cutbacks. The most that can be said is that US media will report this which will put pressure on the remaining democrats in marginal seats. Marc, London
Sure, let's move forward but what about the torture undergone by the troops serving in places like Iraq or Afghanistan? Where are the millions for that? Roger, Lichfield
With respect to Guantanamo it is a meaningless move on the part of the UK government. George Bush wanted to close it down and failed, Barack Obama also pledged to shut it down and has failed so far. Why? While some innocent people may have been swept up into it, the vast majority are dangerous men who can neither be set free, nor returned to their home countries where they are liable to experience real torture and death. Niall Firinne, London
Guantanamo should never have existed. What is more the UK government should never have been complicit in its existence and should have said so clearly and unequivocally. It should also have demanded that any British citizens "entrapped" in activities which might have led to their being incarcerated in this abomination should have been handed immediately to the UK authorities to undergo the due process of UK law. We must never be a poodle to the US in such matters again. Whether this will lead to Guantanamo closing is a matter for US law. As much of US law is based on UK law it might suggest that the US is in for a mighty big compensation claim! Keith Foord, Battle
How can a government which has no money give it away so easily? We have to put the security of UK citizens first, even if it means sometimes arresting and interrogating some suspects. There is a price to pay for the justice process to work. We are so soft in the head, it is laughable. This is giving in even more to the culture of compensation. Nabil Zakher, Bexhill
Why are these people being allowed to claim against the people of Great Britain when their alleged crimes were committed in other countries, and their arrest and detention happened in other countries? When the alleged torture and abuse happened in other counties? When the supposed collusion in their alleged torture by our security forces is not proven? When their link to this country is in many cases tenuous at best? Michael, Lincoln


Labour MP Dawn Butler has been praised for using sign language to ask a question in the House of Commons about giving it legal status.

She spoke as well as signed when she addressed the Chamber saying it was time British Sign Language (BSL) was given further protection.
The MP, who has completed a signing course, was cheered by fellow MPs.
A Commons spokesman said it was believed to be the first time sign language was used to ask a question.
Ms Butler, MP for Brent Central, signed during the business statement in the Commons, and also said: "I would like to sign my question.
"Will the minister agree the 18 March marks the 14th anniversary since the UK government recognised British Sign Language?
"Will the minister agree it's time to bring and give British Sign Language legal status like other recognised languages?"
It is not the first time an MP has used sign language in the Commons. Labour's Tom Levitt signed, as has liberal democrat Sir Malcolm Bruce.
Ms Butler, who is an ambassador for Brent and Harrow United Deaf Club, was praised by fellow MPs and others on social media.
Twitter user @Jonathan93 said: "From a native user (deaf parents), thank you for using BSL in the HoC and in doing so raising awareness in the UK."
Luke Herwerdine wrote: "Fantastic job signing your question! Glad to see #BSL taken seriously!"
Mark Anthony said he hoped Ms Butler was a "sign of the times", adding "lots of respect for your inclusiveness".
Worsley and Eccles South Labour MP Barbara Keeley said Ms Butler's use of sign language was "excellent" while Labour MP for Tottenham David Lammy called it "wonderful".
BSL was recognised as a minority language by the government in 2003 but it currently does not have any legal protection.
If it was awarded legal status, it would be placed on a par with languages like Welsh - allowing it to be promoted and protected.
Replying to Ms Butler's question, Commons Leader David Lidington said: "You have very eloquently reminded us of the importance of British Sign Language to a number of our fellow citizens who live with deafness or severe hearing impairment."
He said the Department for Work and Pensions had received "hundreds" of submissions as part of a review into the provision of signing services which will publish its conclusions "in due course".
Mr Lidington went on to say that the Department for Education was planning to accept BSL as an alternative qualification to English functional skills for people on apprenticeships.
The British Deaf Association said it was "delighted" Ms Butler had requested for Parliament to give the language legal status.
"We very much hope that the House will take note and consider Ms Butler's early day motion as a priority to ensure that deaf people are part of the UK's determination to be a leader in business and trade," it said.
A House of Commons spokesman said "as far as records indicate" it is the first time sign language has been used to ask a question in the Chamber.


Rafael Nadal failed to reach his 100th ATP final after losing in three sets to unseeded Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas in the Rio Open semi-finals.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion and top seed won a first-set tiebreak and saved two set points in the second, but was beaten 6-7 (6) 7-6 (3) 6-4.
"I lost an opportunity," Nadal said. "I have to accept it and keep working to try to change the dynamic."
World number 45 Cuevas will meet the unseeded Guido Pella in the final.
The Argentine won 6-1 6-4 against Austrian fifth seed Dominic Thiem, who beat world number five Nadal in the last four of the Argentina Open last week.
The consecutive semi-final defeats for Nadal continue a disappointing season, which began with a first-round loss to Fernando Verdasco in the Australian Open.
"I didn't win a title, so it wasn't a positive two tournaments," the 29-year-old Spaniard said. "I had my chances in both but I just have to look forward."


US President Barack Obama faces criticism in China after he said President Xi Jinping had consolidated power at an unprecedented rate.

In remarks to top US executives on Thursday, Mr Obama went on to criticise Mr Xi on human rights and accused him of worrying China's neighbours by tapping into nationalistic sentiment.
China's foreign ministry has said it will study Mr Obama's comments more closely before responding.
Commenting to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, academic Tao Wenzhao, of China's Academy of Sciences, says Mr Obama "should have shown mutual respect and tried to understand China's position, its development path and government", rather than speaking out.
"The president of the US, even with some constraints, has great powers, yet you don't see China giving comments on that issue," he adds.
International relations analyst Jin Canrong agrees that Mr Obama was "careless" but insists the remarks will have little impact on ties.
In fact, he tells the paper, "such careless comments indicate that the two countries' relations are very stable, otherwise he would have been very careful with what he said".
Meanwhile, state media are full of praise for comments by Mr Xi calling for the modernisation of China's military hardware to be accelerated.
Addressing a two-day military conference in Beijing, Mr Xi - who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission - said the People's Liberation Army (PLA) needed to take heed of "changes in both international strategic structure and Chinese national security", according to the official news agency Xinhua.
China's relations with several of its neighbours are strained by territorial disputes, and the US has voiced concern about the country's military build-up. Beijing dismisses these as unfounded.
An editorial in the PLA Daily says the military will "follow through Chairman Xi's important instruction with determination", and would ensure its equipment "matches the country's international status and caters to the needs of national security".
Welcoming the move, military observer Wu Peixin tells China Daily that while China's army already has "very competitive equipment", its navy and air force still "have a long way to go in equipment development".
But he also warns that China must be careful in deciding what equipment it really needs and a strategic plan, without simply "copying" other countries' militaries.
Elsewhere, papers warn Japan to follow through on moves to ease bilateral tension after Premier Li Keqiang hosted a Japanese delegation in Beijing on Thursday, in what is seen a further sign of a thaw in relations.
Both countries reached a "four-point consensus" last month, aimed at resuming dialogue while acknowledging difference on territorial disputes.
In a front-page commentary in People's Daily, a member of the 21st Century Committee for China-Japan Friendship says that though ties have improved, the onus is still on Japan to deliver its promises.
"A great man will not go back on his words," the article reads. "The noble Japanese government is likely to be a great man and not a villain, so it will not treat the agreement as child's play."
"Japan, you have no other choice, you should not break your promise again."
And finally, commentators debate China's decision to stop harvesting organs from executed prisoners without consent by 1 January.
China has been criticised in the past for the practice, but has struggled to encourage voluntary donations as a result of the traditional Chinese belief that the body must remain intact after death.
In an editorial, the Global Times calls for a change in public attitudes to improve the supply of donated organs, while an article in the Beijing News suggests improvements to the legal and insurance systems could encourage donations.
But not all commentators are convinced by the authorities' move. While Liu Changqiu, of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, tells the Global Times that it represents major progress for human rights in China, human rights lawyer Mo Shaoping says completely ending reliance on death row inmates' organs is "too extreme".
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world.  You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.


Opera singer Placido Domingo is taking a leading role the fight against music piracy after becoming chairman of the global body representing record labels.

The 70-year-old Spanish tenor will chair the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
The music world was facing "enormous changes and challenges", he said.
He said he "passionately believed in the importance of respecting talent and in the rights of all those who perform, create, produce and invest in music".
The IFPI has been at the forefront of the campaign to counter illegal music sharing and pursuing the biggest offenders.
IFPI chief executive Frances Moore said Domingo was an artist who "speaks from the heart about the issues that matter to him".
"His forceful advocacy for the intellectual property rights of the music sector comes at a pivotal moment, as governments in many countries consider new legislation to curb piracy and help develop the legitimate digital music business," Moore added.


The Democratic Republic of Congo will not tolerate any foreign interference in the country's electoral process, President Joseph Kabila has said.

He told MPs in the capital, Kinshasa, that he will name an opposition prime minister within the next 48 hours to lead the country to the polls.
He has been under pressure to salvage a political deal after it collapsed last week, leaving the country on edge.
Critics said he delayed the elections on purpose to hang on to power.
Mr Kabila was supposed to step down after his second and final term came to an end last year but the vote to replace him was not held.
The electoral commission cited financial and logistical difficulties.
The failure to organise the polls led to a wave of deadly demonstrations by opposition supporters, with calls from diplomats for the president to respect the constitution.
The Catholic Church stepped in to broker a deal right at the end of last year which outlined the creation of a transitional government that would oversee the elections.
The deal collapsed because the government and the opposition were unable to agree on the power-sharing mechanism under the arrangement.
In response to calls by the Catholic bishops, Mr Kabila told MPs the polls will go ahead as planned.
"I would like to solemnly announce to our people that the elections will be held. That those who are still in doubt we will stick to the electoral calendar," Mr Kabila said.
"This process is the work of the Congolese, financed by the Congolese people themselves, without any foreign interference," he added.
Mr Kabila's address came days after the UN Security council voted to downsize Monusco, its peacekeeping mission in the country.
Before the vote, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Hailey blamed the organisation for partnering with a "corrupt" government in Congo, which she said works against the interests of its people.
Mr Kabila did not refer to the US criticism of his government but he vowed to defend the independence of the DR Congo.
"It is our duty to stand up for our independence and the national sovereignty," he said.
He then announced that he will soon name an opposition prime minister for the transitional government that will lead the country ahead of elections due at the end of the year.
The president set a 48-hour deadline for the opposition to overcome its "internal disagreements" and table a list of names to be considered.


Mozilla is planning to end full support for Adobe's Flash software in its Firefox browser from next month.

In August, it will block the Flash-powered parts of webpages that were "not essential to the user experience".
The browser developer said its action would mean webpages loaded more quickly and made crashes less likely.
In 2017, it said it planned to introduce a system that would mean users must click to activate Flash no matter where it was used on a webpage.
In a blogpost, Firefox developer Benjamin Smedberg said its first step would tackle the Flash-based parts of a webpage that users did not see. This includes files used to help with tracking and following which websites users visit, to aid advertising.
Many of these hidden functions can now be done using HTML - the language of the web - said Mr Smedberg.
This list of blocked files would gradually be expanded to those Flash files used by advertisers to see if their ads were being watched, he said.
Tackling these hidden and ad-related files should cut crashes and page "hangs" by up to 10%, he added.
Statistics gathered by Mozilla showed a steep fall in the number of times webpages crashed when Google and Facebook stopped using Flash for video and replaced it with HTML-based code.
He said the change would also make the Firefox browser more secure and could mean longer battery life on some portable devices.
In 2017, users will have to click to activate Flash for any webpage content. Mr Smedberg urged sites that rely on it to show video or games to adopt HTML-based alternatives as soon as possible.
Mozilla's decision follows similar action by Google, Microsoft and Apple to phase out support for Flash.


A driver in his 60s suffered serious injuries after he was "beaten around the head" in an alleged "road rage" incident.

Avon and Somerset Police said the motorist was "seriously assaulted" after two vehicles stopped on the A303 near the Sparkford roundabout at about 11:20 GMT on Saturday.
The man, who was driving a blue BMW, had to be airlifted to hospital.
His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, the force said.
Police said the suspect - who was driving a grey Vauxhall Vivaro van - drove off towards Yeovil following the incident.
The A303 was closed for an hour as a result.


The UN has condemned the refusal of South-East Asian countries to rescue thousands of migrants adrift at sea.

At least 700 Bangladeshis and Rohingya from Myanmar were rescued off Aceh last week by locals, bringing the numbers in camps there to at least 1,500.
UNHCR spokeswoman Vivian Tan said the lack of rescues over the weekend was a "bad sign".
Aid agencies say a grave humanitarian crisis is in train as countries in the region refuse to accept the migrants.
People on the boats are believed to be severely malnourished. Survivors who have made it to shore say there have been deadly fights on board over food.
Ms Tan warned that "time is running out" to help the migrants.
"We were hoping that more ships would be found, and that more people would be rescued and allowed to come onto shore. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to have happened," she said.
The Indonesian authorities have told fishermen not to help the migrants - unless their boats are sinking or they are in the water.
Military spokesperson Fuad Basya said fishermen could deliver food, fuel and water to the boats, or help with repairs, but that bringing them to shore would constitute an illegal entry into Indonesia.
Some fishermen in Indonesia's Aceh province had told the BBC that they were not allowed to help migrants even if they were drowning.
Thousands of people - mostly Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution and poverty in Myanmar, but also Bangladeshis looking for work - are thought to be stranded out at sea.
Analysis: Jonathan Head, BBC News, southern Thailand
It is hard to imagine any governments taking a more hard-hearted stance than those in South-East Asia towards the migrant boats off their coasts.
Malaysia has blockaded its north-western sea border to stop them entering. Thailand has hurriedly repaired boats' engines and shooed them over its border, despite near starvation and illness on board.  Now fishermen in Indonesia say they have been ordered not to pick up anyone at sea.
Why? They certainly fear a deluge of migrants if they open the floodgates.
They blame Myanmar for causing this crisis through its terrible treatment of Rohingyas. Myanmar refuses to accept responsibility.
But arguing over who is responsible for these migrants should not be the issue right now. Saving lives should be.
Hardline stance on new 'boat people'
Asean media troubled over treatment of migrants
Meanwhile the mayor of Langsa, the Indonesian port where many of the migrants are being cared for, has said the city has no budget for aid on this scale, and that it has received no help from Jakarta.
"In short, yes, we need some help, immediately, from our national government or any other institution, including NGOs, to take care of the Rohingyas who are stranded in our place," said Usman Abdullah.
Why has this crisis erupted?
Why are so many Rohingya stranded at sea?
Myanmar's unwanted people


A theology student who stole almost £10,000 from a vulnerable widow she had befriended has been jailed.

Hannah Wright, 27, from Goldsithney in west Cornwall, took control of Susan Patton's internet banking and secretly transferred money to her own account.
Wright took the cash over a two-year period while studying theology at the University of Birmingham.
She was jailed for 18 months at Truro Crown Court after being found guilty of fraud at a trial in May.
Sentencing, Recorder James Waddington QC said: "You effectively stole just shy of £10,000 from Mrs Patton, whom you had befriended and who in turn trusted you.
"What you did, in short, was take advantage of this vulnerable lady to gain access to her bank account and steal money for your own benefit."
Wright offered to help Mrs Patton with internet banking then transferred around £500 a month from the victim's account to her own from April 2012 to May 2014, totalling £9,881.35.
The judge said Wright was "a student on a student grant" and the money was used to provide "additional spending power".
Mrs Patton lived on her own after her husband took his own life, the court heard.
The theft only came to light when landlords tried to evict Mrs Patton from her Penzance home for non-payment of rent.
Prosecuting, Sally Daulton said Mrs Patton had suffered several brain haemorrhages and was "vulnerable because of her mental capacity".
The court heard Mrs Patton's rent, council tax and water bills went unpaid while Wright was in charge of her affairs.
In a victim impact statement Mrs Patton said she felt a "complete idiot".
Defending, Iain White said Wright "fell into" taking the money and "temptation got the better of her".


Rebel forces in Syria killed as many as 190 civilians and seized more than 200 hostages during a military offensive in August, Human Rights Watch says.

A report by the US-based group says the deaths occurred in villages inhabited predominantly by members of President Bashar al-Assad's minority Alawite sect near the coastal city of Latakia.
It said the findings "strongly suggest" crimes against humanity were committed.
The group has previously documented atrocities by pro-government forces.
The report calls on the UN to impose an arms embargo on all groups where there is credible evidence of their involvement in war crimes.
By James ReynoldsBBC News, Istanbul
The attack documented by Human Rights Watch highlights the clear problem faced by countries which oppose Bashar al-Assad: the rebels whose cause they share are accused of the same kinds of crimes as the president they are trying to bring down. The scale may be different, but the impact is similar.
The West has tried to address this problem by dividing the way it deals with the opposition. It provides support to the mainstream Free Syrian Army. At the same time, it has sought to prevent money and weapons reaching hardline Islamists and jihadists linked to al-Qaeda.
But this appears to do little harm to the Islamist rebels' ability to fight. That is largely because they have their own sources of support - thought to include funding from individuals in the Gulf.
The Syrian government has criticised the work of international human rights organisations. But it may choose to use the testimony collected by Human Rights Watch to reinforce its argument that Syria is facing a fight against foreign-backed terrorism.
Human Rights Watch says it conducted an on-site investigation in September and interviewed more than 30 people, including survivors and combatants on both sides.
Its 105-page report says that in the early hours of 4 August fighters from several different rebel groups attacked and overran army positions in the Sheikh Nabhan area of the Latakia countryside. A soldier told HRW that about 30 of his comrades were killed in the assault.
The rebels then entered the Alawite villages of Barouda, Nbeiteh, al-Hamboushieh, Blouta, Abu Makkeh, Beyt Shakouhi, Aramo, Bremseh, Esterbeh, Obeen, and Kharata.
"Eight survivors and witnesses described how opposition forces executed residents and opened fire on civilians, sometimes killing or attempting to kill entire families who were either in their homes unarmed or fleeing from the attack, and at other times killing adult male family members, and holding the female relatives and children hostage," the report says.
The report names 190 civilians killed by the rebels, including at least 57 women, 18 children and 14 elderly men. The total number of dead is likely higher because many residents remained missing and bodies were buried in mass graves, it adds.
Opposition sources say the women and children taken hostage in the attack are still being held. Relatives said many appeared in the background of a video published online.
HRW says about 20 opposition groups took part in the offensive and that five were involved in the attacks on civilians - the al-Nusra Front, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), Jaysh al-Muhajirin wa al-Ansar, Ahrar al-Sham and Suqour al-Izz.
None are affiliated to the Western-backed Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army, though SMC chief Gen Salim Idris did say at the time that fighters under his command participated in the assault.
The report says ISIS and Jaysh al-Muhajirin are holding the hostages.
The government launched an offensive to retake the Sheikh Nabhan area on 5 August, ultimately regaining full control on 18 August.
Joe Stork, acting Middle East director at HRW, said the abuses were "not the actions of rogue fighters".
"This operation was a co-ordinated, planned attack on the civilian population in these Alawite villages," he said.
The report says evidence including witness statements and a review of hospital records showed rebels executed or unlawfully killed at least 67 of the 190 dead civilians who were identified. For the remainder, further investigations are required.
A doctor at a hospital in Latakia said several of the bodies had multiple gunshot wounds, stab wounds or had been decapitated. Some were burnt or had their feet bound, he added.
The report says the high civilian death toll and the nature of the recorded wounds "indicate that opposition forces either intentionally or indiscriminately killed most of the remaining victims".
"The evidence strongly suggests that the killings, hostage taking, and other abuses committed by opposition forces on and after August 4 rise to the level of crimes against humanity."
HRW says Islamist rebel groups - which include foreign fighters - are financed by individuals in Kuwait and the Gulf. It calls on the UN to impose an arms embargo on all groups credibly accused of war crimes.
The organisation has also accused Syrian government forces of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country's 31-month long conflict, most recently in a chemical weapons attack in several suburbs of the capital, Damascus, on 21 August.
Western nations blamed government forces for the attack, in which hundreds died, but President Assad said rebel fighters were responsible.
Experts from the global chemical weapons watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), are currently overseeing efforts to destroy weapons production equipment in Syria.
Earlier this year, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, called on the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
She said it "would send a clear message to both the government and the opposition that there will be consequences for their actions".
More than 100,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Assad began in March 2011, according to the UN.


Google has gained hundreds of patents from IBM as it continues its intellectual property spending spree.

It has acquired 187 patents and 36 applications, adding to the 1,000 it purchased from IBM last summer.
The latest patents include a system for "using semantic networks to develop a social network".
Google has spent billions building its technology rights portfolio, including a $12.5bn (Â£7.7bn) deal for Motorola Mobility.
The California-based company has been actively bolstering its patent catalogue in the face of lawsuits from key competitors such as Apple and Microsoft.
Among the patents acquired in this latest deal isUS Patent 7,865,592which relates specifically to social networking sites, allowing "identifying common interests between users of a communication network".
Vicki Salmon, the chair of the litigation committee of the UK Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, believed this might be a nod that Google was moving from protecting existing technology and beginning to plan for the future.
"When you start you have to play catch-up," she told the BBC.
"When you've finished playing catch-up and you've got yourself in a stronger position, you then can begin to look forward."
Other patents included a method forusing web-based applications across additional devices, and an intriguingly titledcomputer phone.
Neither Google nor IBM would comment on the deal when approached by the BBC.
Last year, Google accused its competitors of buying up what it called "bogus patents" in order to slow the development of its Android operating system.
However, the company now appears to have succumbed to the same approach as it adds the IBM patents to a portfolio that also includestechnology for driverless cars.
"Although you can object to a lot of cost of inconvenience by virtue of people enforcing their patents, the patent system still exists," Piers Strickland, a lawyer specialising in mobile telephone patent litigation, told the BBC
"In order to engage with that you've either got to take licences from from people's patents, and/or aggressively increase your bartering position by buying patents.
"I think they've realised that they just had to get real, and understand that you can't just ignore the system."
Google's agreement to buy Motorola Mobility,announced in August last year, includes 24,500 patents, many of which could be used to defend the use of features on its Android mobile operating system.
The purchase is currently beingreviewed by competition regulators.
Google's Motorola move came off the back oflosing out on buying the 6,000-strong patent portfolioof bankrupt telecoms firm Nortel. It was outbid by a consortium of companies including Apple, Microsoft and Blackberry manufacturer Research in Motion.
"The reality is that you've got a fairly vicious turf war going on between the different operating systems," explained Ms Salmon.
"People want to be in there, and they want their platform established and people to be using them."
Google is just one of many technology companies involved in patent lawsuits which seek to slow down competition or strike lucrative licensing fee settlements.
On Wednesday, US mobile operator AT&T was forced to pay Tivo - the digital video recorder specialist - $215m plus additional undisclosed monthly licensing fees.
The fee will vary depending on AT&T meeting growth targets for digital video recording customers until 2018.
"No matter which projections you take, they all involve AT&T paying us significantly higher revenue than $215m," Tivo chief executive Tim Rogers said.


Sir Bruce Forsyth says he would cut BBC Three and Four if he were in charge of the BBC at a time of financial strain.

The broadcaster said the BBC should "be with us forever" but that it was in danger from "having to spread too much money out over four channels".
His comments follow the BBC's recent absorption of cost of the TV licence for over-75s and the BBC World Service.
A government green paper is also demanding a full review of BBC finances and services ahead of charter renewal.
Speaking at the Radio Times Festival at Hampton Court on Sunday, Sir Bruce told the audience we should value the corporation's "worldwide appeal".
He also had praise for the BBC's news coverage, but said: "Do without three and four, and concentrate on channels one and two. That's what I'd do if I were Director General."
Also speaking about the BBC at the festival was comedian and writer Barry Cryer.
He said the corporation was "under siege" and needed to be preserved.
Cryer, a regular panellist on Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, talked about the government's review, the future of the licence fee and the BBC's range of services.
He said that while he thought a lot of the corporation's problems were "self-inflicted" he added "if it's at the mercy of the politicians, God help us.
"We've got to hold on to it because it's public service broadcasting.
"I'm an idealist, we need to preserve it."
The government green paper and consultation into the future of the BBC was published in July by the culture secretary John Whittingdale.
It demands full scrutiny of the corporation's services and funding ahead of the renewal of its public service broadcasting charter in 2016.
The green paper came a week after the BBC agreed to take on the cost of free TV licences for the over 75s, a policy which could cost it up to Â£650m.
In 2014 it also took on the full cost of running the World Service, which was previously part-funded by the Foreign Office.
The green paper focuses on key themes, including governance and impartiality.
The culture secretary also wants to look at whether the BBC should do away with "highly commercial" entertainment shows like The Voice.
An examination of other funding models, including a household tax, subscription and a means-tested licence fee are to be considered.
And the size and scope of the BBC's website will also be under scrutiny.


Midfielder Damon Lathrope has agreed terms on a deal to rejoin Torquay United, subject to passing a medical.

The 26-year-old made 122 appearances for the Devon club in his first spell and played in their League Two play-off final defeat against Stevenage in 2011.
He was asked to prove his fitness to earn a new deal at Aldershot, but will join their National League rivals.
"He's an excellent footballer that can play off both feet," said Torquay player-boss Kevin Nicholson.
"I see Damon coming back and filling the role in midfield that Danny Racchi played last season."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Smokers should be offered and encouraged to use e-cigarettes to help them quit, says a leading medical body.

The UK's Royal College of Physicians says there is resounding evidence that e-cigarettes are "much safer" than smoking and aid quitting.
With the right checks and measures, vaping could improve the lives of millions of people, it says in a new, 200-page report.
It says fears that e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking are unfounded.
But, by and large, people who want to use electronic cigarettes will still need to buy them rather than get them on the NHS.
Do e-cigarettes make it harder to stop smoking?
Are e-cigarettes safe?
Should we switch from tobacco to e-cigarettes?
UK doctors can only prescribe e-cigarettes if they have been licensed as a "quit smoking aid" - something that requires strict regulation.
Few manufacturers go down this route and instead sell products to satisfy users' desire for nicotine without the harmful chemicals produced by tobacco.
Sales of e-cigarettes have been rising steadily since the first went on sale in 2007 in the UK.
Since 2012, they have replaced nicotine patches and gum to become the most popular choice of smoking cessation aid in England.
Around one in 20 adults in England uses e-cigarettes, and nearly all of these are ex-smokers or current smokers who are trying to cut down or quit.
E-cigarettes have remained controversial and this year ministers in Wales attempted to ban them from public places.
The Royal College of Physicians says smokers who use e-cigarettes or prescribed medications - with support from their doctor - are more likely to quit permanently.
1. On some e-cigarettes, inhalation activates the battery-powered atomiser. Other types are manually switched on
2. A heating coil inside the atomiser heats liquid nicotine contained in a cartridge
3. The mixture becomes vapour and is inhaled. Many e-cigarettes have an LED light as a cosmetic feature to simulate traditional cigarette glow.
Different brands of e-cigarettes contain different chemical concentrations.
And in terms of long-term health hazards, e-cigarettes are at least 95% safer than regular cigarettes - something Public Health England has also said.
But that does not mean they are entirely risk-free.
Prof Simon Capewell, of the Faculty of Public Health, said there were still many unknown factors.
"We don't know enough yet about the long-term effects of vaping on people's health, which is why we need more research.
"The best thing anyone can do if they want to quit smoking is talk to their GP: there's solid evidence that NHS quit-smoking services help people kick the habit for good."
But Prof John Britton, who co-authored the RCP report, says e-cigarettes are extremely positive for public health and should be "encouraged and endorsed".
He said: "The public need to be reassured this is not a new nicotine epidemic in the making. E-cigarettes have very little downside and a lot of potential benefit."
According to Public Health England, smokers should consider using e-cigarettes alongside NHS quit-smoking services.
Around a third of UK smokers try to quit each year, but only one in every six of those succeeds.
New EU laws are due to come into force in May that will set safety and quality standards for all e-cigarettes and refills. Manufacturers will be required to disclose the purity of their products to consumers.
Dr Tim Ballard, from the Royal College of GPs, said: "Moving forward we would be looking for clear evidence that making e-cigarettes available on prescription as part of a wider smoking cessation scheme is a wise use of both scant NHS funds and GP practice resources, before the College could get behind it.
"It is not just the cost of the product that needs taking into account, but the time and resources that are involved in assessing patients, and monitoring their progress over a prolonged period of time.
"We reiterate our calls for NICE to take a leading role in establishing whether making e-cigarettes available on prescription is the best way forward."
A Department of Health spokesperson said: "The best thing a smoker can do for their health is to quit smoking.
"We know that there are now over a million people who have completely replaced smoking with e-cigarettes and that the evidence indicates that they are significantly less harmful to health than smoking tobacco.
"We want to see a wide range of good quality e-cigarettes on the market including licensed products whose safety, quality and effectiveness are independently assured."
Follow Michelle on Twitter


Work has begun on an £80m expansion at Edinburgh Airport, following predictions of a big rise in passenger numbers.

A new three-storey extension will provide six more gates and more space for shops and customs and immigration when it is finished next summer.
Edinburgh Airport officials are expecting passenger numbers to go up by 16.5 million by 2021.
The expansion is part of the airport's £220m capital investment programme.
The extension will stretch from the existing gate 12 area, covering the old east end service yard, out to the Gogar Burn.
Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh Airport chief executive, said: "This is a major investment for the capital and Scotland and further establishes Edinburgh Airport as one of the most innovative and forward thinking airports in the UK.
"We are Scotland's busiest airport and the fastest growing airport in the UK - and that demand is only going to grow with record numbers of passengers we expect to see passing through the terminal.
"There have been times this summer where we've experienced busy periods that have impacted on our service and this investment in new facilities will ensure we have the infrastructure needed to handle more passengers and provide them with a positive experience whether arriving or departing.
"As Scotland's gateway to the world, it's vital that we have first class infrastructure and we will continue to invest in that, creating more jobs, supporting the economy and opening up Scotland to the world."


Jonny Bairstow will replace injured opening batsman Alex Hales in England's Twenty20 squad to face India.

Bairstow had been due to fly home after the last of three 50-over matches against India in Kolkata on Sunday but will stay for the three T20 games.
Hales suffered a hand fracture as England went 2-0 down in the ODI series with a defeat on Thursday in Cuttack.
The T20 games between the two countries take place on 26 and 29 January, and 1 February.


A man has admitted attempted murder after stabbing one woman and injuring another near Shrewsbury.

The stab victim was injured in the chest on 8 March outside property in Sefton Drive, Bomere Heath, and another woman had head injuries.
Wayne Williams, 54, of Sefton Drive, admitted one count of attempted murder and one of grievous bodily harm with intent.
He will be sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on 10 July.
Read more news for Shropshire


The makers of the i-Que and Cayla smart toys have been accused of subjecting children to "ongoing surveillance" and posing an "imminent and immediate threat" to their safety and security.

The accusations come via a formal complaint in the US by consumer groups.
They, along with several EU bodies, are calling for investigations into the manufacturers.
Genesis Toys, which makes the products, has not responded to a request for comment.
Nuance Communications, the firm that provides speech recognition software for the products, said it takes data privacy seriously.
The firm is a subject of the US complaint, filed with the Federal Trade Commission, but said it had "adhered to our policy with respect to the voice data collected through the toys referred to in the complaint".
"Nuance does not share voice data collected from or on behalf of any of our customers with any of our other customers," spokesman Richard Mack said.
In addition to the data protection concerns, a hack allowing strangers to speak directly to children via the My Friend Cayla doll is still possible.
The Norwegian Consumer Council also assessed the toys and their terms and conditions. They found the products lacking and potentially in breach of advertising regulations.
"It's quite disturbing because the company reserves the right to direct marketing towards kids," said Finn Myrstad, technical director of digital services at the council.
In January 2015, the BBC and security researcher Ken Munro, at Pen Test Partners, revealed the vulnerability in Cayla's software that allowed the doll to be hacked.
And Mr Myrstad said it appeared the problem had not yet been fixed, nearly two years later.
According to the US complaint, the doll prompts children to provide personal data verbally - including their parents' names, the name of their school and the place where they live.
It also says the toys allow unauthorised Bluetooth connections from any phone or tablet within 50ft (15m).
The Norwegian Consumer Council has now filed its own complaints to three authorities in Norway, including the consumer protection ombudsman.
Further complaints from other bodies are to be filed in France, Sweden, Greece, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Mr Myrstad added that he was concerned the manufacturers also reserved the right to change the terms and conditions at any time.
"We think this is particularly worrying because we're dealing with recordings of voice - kids' data," he told the BBC.
"How the data's collected how it's stored and shared - all of that appears to be almost entirely unregulated," said Rik Ferguson, a researcher at security firm Trend Micro.
"And the parents are certainly not made aware in any comprehensible fashion of the extent of data that's collected or how it may be used in the future."


Eight soldiers who fled Turkey after the failed coup attempt have been found guilty of entering Greece illegally and given two-month suspended sentences.

A lawyer for the group said they had not taken part in the uprising, and had fled to Greece by military helicopter after being shot at by Turkish police.
They arrived in Greece the day after the attempted takeover.
The soldiers are applying for asylum and will be interviewed by the Greek authorities next week.
They are to remain in prison until their cases are heard.
Turkey coup attempt: State of emergency announced
Greek dilemma over soldiers who fled
Greek lawyer defends soldiers who fled
Turkey has demanded the immediate extradition of the men - three majors, three captains and two sergeant-majors - who it says are "traitors" and "terrorist elements".
One of the soldiers told the court they were afraid to go back to Turkey because of the "indiscriminate arrests" being carried out in the aftermath of the coup.
Their lawyers said the soldiers had not realised a coup was under way when they followed orders  to collect the wounded.
They decided to escape from Turkey when their Black Hawk helicopter came under fire by police on the ground, the lawyers said.
The BBC's Bethany Bell in Greece says while the helicopter has been returned to Turkey, the fate of the soldiers is much more complicated.
Our correspondent says the case puts Greece in a difficult position.
Diplomatically speaking, extraditing the soldiers would probably be the easiest option for Greece, which does not want to upset relations with Turkey.
But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments about the possibility of reintroducing the death penalty may have changed matters.
The Turkish authorities have launched a major purge of the armed forces, judiciary, civil service and the education system, rounding up thousands, since the abortive coup.


The deadline for paying European subsidies to farmers is to be extended from 30 June to 15 October, a senior EU official has confirmed.

Problems with a new Scottish government computer system have caused delays to many Scottish farmers due the money.
The Scottish government had been facing fines of between £40m and £125m if it did not meet the June deadline.
But the EU's commissioner for agriculture, Phil Hogan, announced the new date.
The move followed a meeting between the commissioner and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh last month.
Mr Hogan stressed that this was "an exceptional measure" which reflected the difficulties some member states and devolved regions had experienced with the first year of payments under the new CAP.
He emphasised that the move should not be used as an "excuse" to slow down the rate of payments.
Any deadline shift must not be used as an excuse by the Scottish government in delaying the payment of outstanding 2015 monies any further."
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said the extended deadline would not detract from efforts to make as many payments as possible by the original June cut-off date.
He added: "This flexibility is welcome but it will not detract from my determination to make full payments to as many Scottish farmers as possible by 30 June. This remains my absolute priority.
"Today's announcement by the EU Commission reflects the challenges being faced by countries across Europe in implementing this CAP reform and making payments, and reduces the potential for financial penalties being imposed on administrations."
NFU Scotland chief executive Scott Walker said: "The shift in the European deadline for making payments is good news for the Scottish taxpayer, as it will significantly lessen the risk of a hefty fine.
"The recent Audit Scotland report estimated that failure to deliver payments by the end of June could have cost the Scottish government between £40m and £125m.
"However, any deadline shift must not be used as an excuse by the Scottish government in delaying the payment of outstanding 2015 monies any further or hold back progress with the 2016 scheme."
This flexibility is welcome but it will not detract from my determination to make full payments to as many Scottish farmers as possible by 30 June
Scottish Conservative rural affairs spokesman Peter Chapman said the Scottish government had been "let off the hook by this decision".
He added: "This should by no means absolve the SNP, or indeed the former rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead, from blame for this debacle.
"Furthermore, this cannot be used as an excuse for any further delays in the distribution of CAP payments to farmers and crofters.
"The government must continue to work urgently to ensure that all payments are issued in full as soon as possible."
Scottish Labour said that given the "complete mess" the SNP had made of CAP payments, the extended date was a "welcome decision".
The party's rural economy spokeswoman, Rhoda Grant, said: "I will be writing to SNP minister Fergus Ewing seeking confirmation that the government's first priority remains ensuring that farmers and crofters receive their money by the end of June as previously stated."
The Scottish Greens said despite the delay to financial sanctions, the 30 June delivery deadline remained and "must be made to get the rural economy back on track again".
The Scottish Liberal Democrats believed there still required an urgency to get money into the bank accounts of farmers.
The party's Mike Rumbles said: "SNP incompetence has blown a hole in the ability of farmers to plan their finances effectively.
"We need to ensure that funds get out of the door and into bank accounts before the end of June."


The Welsh lamb industry could be destroyed by a free trade deal with New Zealand after Brexit, the rural affairs secretary has warned.

Farmers' leaders fear a "perfect storm" of cheap New Zealand imports and the loss of Welsh exports to the EU.
Lesley Griffiths told AMs that UK government ministers felt they had "magic powers" over Welsh agriculture despite it being a devolved matter.
"We have made it very clear there can be no imposition," she said of talks.
Ms Griffiths told the assembly's rural affairs committee she was happy with the current round of talks with ministers at Westminster about the future of UK farming after Brexit, but the prospect of a free trade agreement with New Zealand was a cause for concern.
"If we have this huge influx of New Zealand lamb it will absolutely destroy the Welsh lamb industry," she said.
"I do not want to say 'I told you so' but that was one of the issues we tried to get out there ahead of the referendum."
The committee was told up to 40% of Welsh lamb exports currently go to the EU and, if the UK was unable to strike a trade deal with the EU after Brexit, they would face a 12% tariff under World Trade Organisation rules.
AMs heard that around 5,000 pieces of EU legislation on fisheries and farming would come under the control of the Welsh Government.
Asked if the UK government would seek to take control of some of those matters, Ms Griffiths replied: "I do think they recognise that we are all equal.
"We have made it very clear there can be no imposition, there has to be collaboration.
"I mentioned about them thinking that maybe they have this magic set of powers because they have been the member state, but we have made it very clear that is not the case.
"It is not part of the devolution settlement and we are all equal around the table."
Ms Griffiths is to to meet her UK government counterpart Andrea Leadsom in Cardiff on Thursday.


A shooting in Kansas that killed one Indian man and wounded another was an "act of racially motivated hatred", the White House has said.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla died from his injuries after a man opened fire in a bar last week. Witnesses said the attacker shouted racist abuse.
Hundreds attended 32-year-old Mr Kuchibhotla's cremation in Hyderabad, southern India, on Tuesday.
The FBI is investigating the crime as a hate crime, it has now confirmed.
India mourns 'kind soul' shot in Kansas
"As more facts come to light and it begins to look like this was an act of racially motivated hatred, we want to reiterate that the president condemns these or any other racially or religiously motivated attacks in the strongest terms," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters on Tuesday.
A third man who suffered bullet wounds in the shooting has called on President Donald Trump to raise the subject of hate crime in his speech to Congress on Tuesday night.
"I think it should be addressed because there's a lot of people in mourning," said Ian Grillot.
A man has been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Nearly 200 people turned out for Mr Kuchibhotla's cremation in his native city of Hyderabad, India.
His body arrived in the southern city on Monday and his widow, Sunayana Dumala and brother, Sai Kiran, both returned home for the funeral.
Ms Dumala released a statement on Facebook on Tuesday, saying "the fight must go on towards eradicating hatred from the minds of people".
She also questioned the government's role in thwarting hate crimes and whether immigrants are still safe in the US.
"Is this the same country we dreamed of and is it still secure to raise our families and children here?" she wrote.
Today Srinivas Kutchibhotla made his final journey.
Surrounded by his family and grieving friends, he was cremated in his home city of Hyderabad, in India.
After the service his widow, Sunayana Dumala posted a statement thanking her family and friends for their support during this difficult time.
She paid tribute to her charming soul mate, a brilliant aviation engineer, who was so dedicated to his job he often worked late. Her husband's death has left her with many questions.
"On what basis do we decide whether a person is good or bad," she said, as she made a plea that the conversation around hate crimes doesn't die down in a few weeks.
The question in every immigrant's mind, she asked, is "do we belong here?"
Her words will resonate with many who've come to live in the US. Sunayana hopes that her husband's death isn't in vain, and that her words will promote tolerance of all races and backgrounds.
The suspected attacker, Adam Purinton, 51, was arraigned in court on Monday on charges of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
After the attack at Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe, Kansas, Mr Purinton, who is white, drove 70 miles (112km) to a restaurant in Clinton, Missouri, where he allegedly admitted what he had done to an employee.
A bartender there told a police dispatcher in a 911 call that a man had claimed to have "killed two Iranian people in Olathe".


Morecambe's takeover by businessman Joseph Cala has been delayed, after Diego Lemos obtained a court order preventing the sale.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Cala is waiting for EFL clearance to purchase Abdulrahman Al-Hashemi's stake in the club's owners, G50 Holdings.
Lemos bought a share in G50 in September, but 99% of that share was transferred to tax consultant Graham Burnard on 11 January.
Subsequently, Durham-based Burnard claims he is the club's owner.
Players and staff at the League Two club are yet to be paid. and Burnard says he is looking to oversee payments to staff and players within the next week.
Brazilian Lemos, who bought a controlling stake in the club in September, also claims he owns G50, and says the order means he has to be "engaged with" by the relevant parties before any shares are sold.
His spell at Morecambe, which began in September, has been criticised by the club who claimed he had not been present for 10 weeks and Companies House records show that his shares in G50 Holdings, which were used to purchase the club, had been transferred.
Uncertainty over who owns the club has added to the confusion relating to Lemos' court order, which Shrimps director Rod Taylor says they are yet to fully understand the implications of.
"What they're saying is there's no prospect of an immediate sale of the football club," Taylor told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"We're trying to make sense of this, and we're making representation to the other parties, and to the Football League most importantly, to try to understand what's going on."
Italian businessman Cala hopes to purchase the stake in G50, after the Qatari businessman Al-Hashemi returned to help the club earlier this week.
There are also concerns that Morecambe's next home game against Cambridge United might not go ahead.
However, Cala says he has resolved a problem with access to adjoining land, which was operated by a separate company - PMG Leisure - which is now in administration. The land includes the matchday control area.


India says it now has almost a third more tigers than it did four years ago.

30 January 2015 Last updated at 06:48 GMT
The Indian government has published the latest stats from its tiger census, which showed the tiger population had risen from 1,706 in 2010 to 2,226 in 2014.
Tigers can be found in 13 different countries around the world, but it's thought that India is home to around 70% of the world's tigers.
Although the numbers are on the increase, the tigers are still at risk from illegal poachers, and loss of their habitat.
India's environment minister said that better conservation efforts were helping the tigers and the results are a "huge success story".
Watch Ayshah's report for more.
Read more: Big increase in India's tigers


Great Britain's Callum Hawkins was beaten into second by USA's Leonard Korir in a dramatic sprint finish at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Two-time double Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah struggled on the Holyrood Park course, finishing in seventh.
Turkey's Yasemin Can, representing Europe, won the women's race, while Britain's Harriet Knowles-Jones claimed the junior women's title.
Captain Laura Muir anchored Britain to victory in the 4x1km mixed relay.
The team event was won by USA, with Europe second and Great Britain third.
Hawkins, 24, led for most of the men's race until he was passed in the final 15m by Kenyan-born Korir, who won in a time of 24 minutes three seconds.
"I put everything in to dropping him but he was the stronger man at the end," the Scot told BBC Sport.
Newly knighted Farah, 33, finished 46 seconds adrift of Korir, with 2016 champion Garrett Heath of the United States in sixth.
"It was a hard day at the office," Farah told BBC Sport. "I'm a little bit behind where I would usually be at this stage of the season.
"But I'm not panicking this early on in the year - I've got to get ready for London 2017."
With Farah out of contention early on in the 8km race, Hawkins took the initiative to break clear with Korir and Heath, before the latter faded.
Hawkins, who finished ninth in the marathon at last summer's Olympics in Rio, repeatedly tried to drop Korir on the small rises around the course and appeared to have a winning gap coming into the final straight.
But Korir, who finished 14th in the 10,000m final in Rio, won by Farah, had the greater kick in the final sprint to surge past the Scot and claim the title.
"I was really tired at the end and he just wouldn't leave me alone," joked Hawkins, who will run in the marathon at this summer's World Championships in London.
After breaking the 25-year-old British indoor 5,000m record on Wednesday, Muir produced a stellar final lap to secure Britain victory in the invitational Stewart Cup 4x1km mixed relay.
Muir took the baton from James West level with USA but quickly surged clear as Britain won in a time of 11 minutes, 10 seconds, with the first two legs run by James Bowness and Charlene Thomas respectively.
"In my role as captain I wanted to put out a good job for the team and when I saw the others placing well I had to bring it home for them," Muir told BBC Sport.
"I wasn't used to being the one to watch but I'm there now and it's great - people are recognising that I'm running fast and I want to keep it that way."
Elsewhere, Kenyan-born runner Can dominated the women's 6km event to win in a time of 20 minutes 36 seconds, with Ireland's Fionnuala McCormack, also racing for Europe, 21 seconds adrift in second.
Noah Affolder of the United States won the junior men's race, with Scott Beattie the highest-placed Briton in eighth.