At least 23 people have died from eating contaminated sweets in central Pakistan, police say.

The deaths began last week after a man in Punjab province bought the treats to celebrate the birth of his son.
He and 11 other relatives are among the dead - in all 77 people were affected. Five remain in a serious condition.
Police have arrested two owners of a local sweetshop and one of their employees while the source of the contamination is investigated.
Officials suspect pesticide from a store next to the shop may accidentally have found its way into the laddoos - ball-shaped sweets popular at special occasions.
Laboratory tests are being carried out after police reportedly found sachets of pesticide inside the sweet shop.
The sweets were bought by Sajjad Hussain, a villager in Layyah district near Multan, after the birth of his son on 19 April, police spokesman Irfan Faiz told the BBC.
On 20 April, Mr Hussain bought 4.5kg of laddoos to celebrate. Five people died immediately, Mr Faiz said.
By the weekend many more lives had been claimed. Mr Hussain, one of his sisters, all of his seven brothers, two of his nieces and a nephew are among the dead.
Only five people now remain seriously ill in Nishtar hospital in Multan - most of the others who were being treated have recovered.
Police have charged the sweet shop owners under food control and poisonous substances laws.
"There was a pesticide shop close by which was being renovated, and the owner had left his pesticides at the bakery for safe keeping," senior police official Rameez Bukhari told AFP news agency.
Food safety standards are often lax in Pakistan but tainted products rarely end in more than cases of sickness, the BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says.
There have, however, been a number of fatal incidents involving contaminated alcohol and cough medicine in recent years.
In neighbouring India, in 2013, more than 20 children died after consuming contaminated free school meals in Bihar state.


As Southampton prepares for its first marathon in over 30 years, motorists are being warned of road closures.

Southampton City Council Council said numerous roads would be shut from 08:00 BST on Sunday with diversions in place.
The run starts at 09:00 at Palmerston Park and finishes at the Guildhall Square.
Two of the city's three bridges, Itchen Bridge and Cobden Bridge, will be closed, although Northam Bridge will remain open into the city centre.
The route passes many of the city's landmarks, including the Bargate and St Mary's Stadium.
Road closures map
The event also includes a half marathon, 10k, and one-mile family run - all roads are expected to reopen by 16:00.
Dee Caffari, Helena Lucas and Sarah Ayton, will be among the 10,000 runners taking part.
About 30,000 people are expected to line the streets to watch the event.


A new Scottish mentoring programme has been launched for women-led businesses.

The initiative, set up by Scottish Chambers of Commerce and Women's Enterprise Scotland, will see leading female entrepreneurs act as mentors.
They include Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief Liz Cameron, Carolyn Currie of Women's Enterprise Scotland, Marie Macklin of Macklin Partnerships and Petra Wetzel of West Brewery.
Jeanette Forbes of PCL Group and Poonam Gupta of PG Paper are also on board.
The Women's Business Mentoring initiative aims to tackle challenges faced by women in business.
Those challenges include accessing finance, overcoming gender bias or managing family responsibilities alongside a business.
A dedicated website has been set up to help prospective businesses find a mentor, attend events and access resources.
Women in business can also sign up as mentors.
According to the website, only 20% of Scottish small and medium enterprises are majority-owned by women.
Ms Macklin said: "Young talent is the lifeblood of any business and it's critical that as senior business leaders, we shine a torch on the path ahead and guide this talent to future success.
"It can be a long, hard road to the top.
"We've all had someone who supported us when we needed it most and showed us the way.
"It's only right that we find time to give back and help the leaders of the future fulfil their true potential."
Ms Cameron said: "Our approach is innovative and fresh and is all about tapping into the talents and experience of successful women entrepreneurs and matching them with ambitious, driven and aspiring women in business."


A man accused of murdering a pensioner in a pet shop more than 20 years ago, admitted the killing to a friend at the time, a court has heard.

Stuart Jenkins, 41, of Ossett in West Yorkshire, denies murdering Arthur Brumhill, 76, in Northampton in 1993.
Mr Brumhill was found dead in the basement of Denton's pet and garden shop. He had 26 injuries and his body had been covered in straw.
Mr Jenkins was arrested at the time but released because of a lack of evidence.
He was rearrested and charged in May 2015 after Northamptonshire Police reviewed the case.
Northampton Crown Court heard Mr Brumhill, a "gentle, timid" man was "brutally beaten to death" during a robbery at the shop where he worked on Wellingborough Road on 21 January 1993.
He died from multiple injuries including skull fractures, and his body was found coated in straw the following morning by another member of staff.
Mr Jenkins, who was 17 at the time of the alleged killing, was questioned in connection with the murder in 1993 but jurors were told police took no further action as there was no forensic evidence linking him to the scene.
However, the former army sergeant was rearrested after his fingerprints were identified on a bag of straw found in the shop after the murder.
The court heard he had worked there for six weeks, but left as he "failed to impress his employer".
James House QC, prosecuting, told the jury Mr Jenkins admitted to a friend at the time that he had been involved in the killing but when he was re-arrested, told police it was "said in jest".
He also told his now ex-wife he had been responsible, but she dismissed it as a "foolish joke", Mr House said.
The trial continues.


(Close): US stocks closed lower on Thursday as investors sought safe havens amid fresh fears about the state of the global economy.

Wall Street followed European and Asian markets, which plunged after US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen warned growth in the US could be hit by global economic turmoil.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down 254.56 points to 15,660.18.
The S&P 500 fell 1.2% to 1,829.08 and the Nasdaq lost 0.4% to 4,266.84.
Ms Yellen testified before a senate hearing for a second day on Thursday, saying she had no intention to follow European central banks and impose a negative interest rates.
The Swedish central bank's move to further lower negative interest rates to -0.5% on Thursday added to fears over the banking sector.
On Wednesday, Ms Yellen said the economic situation in the US was not as clear as it was in December, when the Fed raised interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade.
Goldman Sachs  and JP Morgan shares both fell 4.4%, while Bank of America shares were nearly 7% lower.
Morgan Stanley shares were down 4.5%. The Wall Street bank announced it had reached a final $3.2bn deal with US regulators over mortgage backed bonds it sold in the lead up to the financial crisis.
Airplane maker Boeing saw its share price fall 6.8% on reports that the company was under investigation over accounting manoeuvres that may have overstated its profitability outlook.


The new operator of the ScotRail franchise has promised "immediate" improvements in passenger information by issuing thousands of smartphones and tablets to front-line staff.

The technology will allow faster communication with customers, while a national smart-card system is to be brought in to simplify ticketing.
Dutch firm Abellio has taken over the franchise from FirstGroup.
It aims to increase passenger numbers to 110 million within 10 years.
Dominic Booth, managing director of Abellio UK, said: "We'll be changing things right away. We'll be rolling out 4,900 smartphones and tablets to all front-line staff so that they are able to get information on the train services immediately, as soon as we make a decision in the control room, and pass that on to passengers.
"Staff have told us it's needed and that will be happening in the first two to three months."
Mr Booth added: "To simplify ticketing we'll be rolling out a smart card across Scotland, starting this year. We know from our operations in Europe that it's a real way to make travel simpler.
"We expect to carry millions more passengers. We're currently carrying just under 90 million per annum, and expect that to have risen to 110 million or so by the end of the franchise.
"We are determined that ScotRail will now go beyond A-to-B and play a truly strategic role in the long-term success of the country.
"We will do so by providing jobs and support for small businesses in towns and cities across the country; by supporting and boosting Scotland's leisure and tourism industries; by working with local schools and supporting community programmes. And by connecting businesses and people through improved journey times and increased capacity on Scotland's rail network."
Jeff Hoogesteger, chief executive officer of Abellio Group, said it was "a privilege" for the company to be serving Scotland.
He added: "Today begins a new chapter in the long story of Scotland's railways. As the new stewards of a vital part of Scotland's society and economy, we understand the responsibility given to us and will work every day to earn the faith that has been shown in us.
"The ball is now very firmly in Abellio's court and we have no higher priority than to bring our vision for ScotRail to life."
Abellio's 10-year franchise has a break clause allowing it or the Scottish government to end the contract in 2022.
The firm is spending Â£370m on 70 new, longer electric trains to run on the main line between Edinburgh and Glasgow from the end of 2017.
It will also spend Â£60m a year later to refurbish 30 to 40-year-old diesel high speed trains to provide more seats on other major city routes.


People have been using Your Questions to ask us what they want to know about the West Midlands.

While out and about in Hereford where we were asked what impact the Old Market complex had on historic High Town.
You were curious to know what the red doors in canal bridges were for.
And you had lots of questions about the West Midlands first 'metro' mayor. Here is a look at how we have been getting on answering your questions.
When England's last surviving inner-city cattle market was ripped down and replaced with shops, restaurants and a cinema, opinion was divided.
Some feared the new complex would be the death of the historic high street. Others hoped it would bring a new lease of life.
As the third anniversary of the transformation approaches we take a look at its impact on Hereford.
Have you ever wondered why some bridges have little red doors in them?
They can be spotted in the walls of canal bridges and sometimes over rivers in the West Midlands.
We went to Kings Norton in Birmingham for a demonstration on why they are there.
All this week we have been asking for your questions on the West Midlands 'metro' mayor.
You asked us which areas would be voting in the elections on 4 May and what would happen to Lord and borough mayors.
You wanted to know budgetary powers the successful candidate would have and how much the new role would cost.
Find out how we answered your questions here.


Police have been asked to investigate claims letters sent in David Cameron's name led to a breach of election law.

The former Liberal Democrat MP Adrian Sanders has demanded police take action.
He said the general election mailshots last year meant the Conservatives had broken local spending limits.
A Conservative Party spokesman said they did not fall under constituency spending restrictions because they did not name the party's local candidate.
The letters repeatedly referred to Torbay, telling voters how important it was for them to back the Tories in that constituency.
One concluded: "The only way you can stop Ed Miliband and the SNP taking us back to square one is to vote Conservative here in Torbay."
The BBC has been shown similar correspondence sent to voters in another seat.
Mr Sanders, who lost his Torbay seat to Conservative Kevin Foster in the 2015 general election, said: "It is a specific targeted mailshot to a voter in a given constituency saying vote for our candidate in that constituency.
"That has to be a local cost, not a national expense."
A Conservative spokesman said: "Simply referring to the location where the elector lives does not promote any named candidate.
"The literature only promoted the national Conservative Party.
"Such literature was not a local election expense under the RPA [Representation of the People Act] regime, as it was not connected with promoting the election of any candidate."
Gavin Millar QC from Matrix Chambers said Mr Sanders had a strong case and claims about election literature could lead to by-elections.
He said: "The law says if you're convicted of  the offence of making a false declaration you attract automatically a five-year incapacity for holding public office and that means you must relinquish your seat in Parliament if you're an elected MP."
But Mr Millar, a former Labour councillor, added that other national parties also tended to think they could record similar expenses in their national return.
The Conservative agent in Torbay at the general election responsible for reporting local expenses, Alison Hernandez, has since been elected as the local police and crime commissioner.
Devon and Cornwall Police have asked West Mercia Police to investigate earlier allegations of undeclared spending - made after an investigation by Channel 4 News into visits by a Conservative Party campaigning "battle bus".
The Conservative Party has acknowledged that, owing to an "administrative error", some accommodation costs for the activists may not have been properly registered.
Ms Hernandez has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. She denies any wrongdoing.
The law which governs local election spending - the Representation of the People Act - defines election expenses as those incurred "with a view to, or otherwise in connection with, promoting or procuring the candidate's election at the election".
The Electoral Commission has previously said such letters are "generally reportable" under national spending limits, but the final position depends on specific "facts and context".


Afghanistan's government has signed a draft peace agreement with the Hezb-e-Islami militant group.

The rebel group is led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a veteran of Afghan conflicts in recent decades and one of the country's most notorious militants.
There are hopes the deal will lead to a peace agreement with the Hezb-e-Islami.
The group has been linked to al-Qaeda and is accused of widespread civil rights abuses. Mr Hekmatyar has been designated a terrorist by the US.
Hezb-e-Islami has played a minor role in the Taliban insurgency in recent years and so the deal is not expected to improve security in the country.
Mohammad Khan, deputy to the Afghan government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, hailed the draft agreement as a positive step.
"We are optimistic about this agreement and we strongly support it," he told reporters in Kabul.
But he added: "This doesn't mean it's finalised."
Sayed Zafar Hashemi, deputy spokesman for President Asraf Ghani, said the agreement was at the "endorsement and verification phases" but had not yet been signed by the president.
Under the terms of the deal, the government would grant members of Hezb-e-Islami amnesty, and lobby the UN to have the group removed from a blacklist.
The group would not join the government but would be recognised as an official political party.
Human rights groups have criticised the move towards a deal with Mr Hekmatyar, who was briefly prime minister of Afghanistan in the early 1990s.


Spain made history in magical fashion as they outclassed Italy and claimed a successive European crown to add to their 2010 World Cup triumph.

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Vicente del Bosque's side staged a compelling claim to be the greatest international side of all time as the Euro 2012 final was transformed into an exhibition with Italy - who performed creditably for long periods - passed brutally into submission.
David Silva's header was reward for Spain's early supremacy and new Barcelona recruit Jordi Alba doubled the lead just before half-time with a blistering run and finish.
"We've seen a masterclass today. Spain have been the best team in the world for the last four or five years. They deserved it tonight again, even with 11 v 11. Italy gave a lot of effort, but unfortunately they'd played too many hard games. They felt the pace and Spain, with that superior technique and movement and talent on the ball have run out easy winners. The Spanish have been criticised but they are the best team in the world without a shadow of a doubt."
The scoreline was emphatic at the conclusion but Italy performed with great resolve. Once they were reduced to 10 men after losing third substitute Thiago Motta to injury, however, they were ruthlessly exposed by masters of the passing art.
Fernando Torres emerged as a late substitute to make a powerful impact; steering home Spain's third then setting up Chelsea team-mate Juan Mata to inflict the final wound on a bedraggled Italy.
Spain's virtuoso performance was a decisive answer to a growing band of critics who had forced coach Del Bosque and his players to defend themselves against allegations that they had been "boring" throughout Euro 2012 at the pre-match media conference.
And even Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, in an ill-timed contribution, wrote that Spain "have betrayed their philosophy and turned it into something more negative".
Not on this night.
Every quality that has led to them dominating world football since they won Euro 2008 and the World Cup in South Africa two years later was brought to bear.
It was a heartbreaking night for Italy and coach Cesare Prandelli but there was no shame in being beaten by a team of such quality. They can reflect with satisfaction on their work before this chastening evening.
Spain, perhaps stung by the words of criticism aimed in their direction, started with a pace and tempo of passing that the Italians found impossible to live with.
The warning signs were posted for Italy when a long spell of possession ended with Xavi shooting just over - but it was not long before they were ahead.
Cesc Fabregas was employed in the so-called "False Nine" role as Del Bosque played without a conventional striker. The former Arsenal star proved the tactic is a positive force rather than a negative one.
He collected the masterly Andres Iniesta's pass and outflanked Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini before delivering perfectly for Silva to head beyond keeper Gianluigi Buffon.
It was Chiellini's final contribution as he swiftly succumbed to the thigh injury that has been troubling him in the later stages of the tournament and was replaced by Federico Balzaretti.
Italy's response to Silva's goal and the early Spanish onslaught was commendable as Antonio Cassano twice had shots saved by keeper Iker Casillas but a goal of brilliance in creation and execution made their task mountainous.
Alba demonstrated exactly why Barcelona were so keen to bring the graduate of their famous La Masia youth academy back to the Nou Camp from Valencia when he finished a blurring run on to Xavi's perfect pass with a composed finish past Buffon.
Prandelli acted during the interval, sending on Antonio Di Natale for Cassano. Twice he almost got the goal that could have halted Spain, heading just over before bringing a fine save out of Casillas.
Italy's third and final change came when Motta replaced Riccardo Montolivo but Italy's luck was summed up when he suffered a hamstring injury within minutes and the Azzurri were reduced to 10 men.
Spain were now winning with something to spare and Del Bosque took the opportunity to remove the outstanding Fabregas and introduce Chelsea striker Torres for the closing stages.
It was an opportunity he took, adding the final flourishes by steering home Spain's third and unselfishly setting up Mata's finish to round off a spectacular performance.


Ken Hursey was 16 when two 250kg bombs were dropped on a munitions factory, killing several members of his family.

The second bomb, which dropped 70 years ago during World War II, hit the Herefordshire home of his father, Ernest Hursey, who was in charge of security at the Rotherwas factory at the time.
Mr Hursey said it was "fate" he was in the back of the house in the early hours because the family had visitors and the front bedrooms were taken.
He said: "While [time has] healed, it hasn't really stopped the picture of the aircraft coming over and dropping its bombs.
"What's in the bomb bounced out of the factory area along the ground into our house... It will always remain very prominent in my mind."
Thousands of women worked at the Royal Ordnance Factory during the two world wars, said Herefordshire Lore, which publishes local memories in a newsletter and online.
It was believed 17 people died in the factory in the incident on 27 July 1942, the group added.
Mr Hursey said: "About 6 o'clock in the morning - a lovely sunny morning, beautiful - and the sirens went and of course in Hereford nobody took any notice of the sirens.
"I saw the bomb bays were open and two bombs dropped out.
"One landed sort of in the middle of a row of sheds and exploded and the other one went into the end shed nearest our house, which was probably about 200, 300 yards away."
Mr Hursey said he did not know if he was knocked unconscious, but "over a period of time... everything was so quiet".
He added: "I couldn't understand why [there was] no noise, nothing was happening and then eventually I heard somebody running down the road and shouting 'is there anybody about?'
"They came and gradually dug me out of all the debris."
His father Ernest and French mother Bertha - both in their late 50s - died along with his 22-year-old brother Ron, who was on leave from the Army, and his brother Ernest's wife and mother-in-law.
Ernest junior, an RAF pilot, was killed in action in his mid 20s about a year after the Rotherwas tragedy.
The family house was demolished after the Rotherwas factory incident, but Ken Hursey - the youngest brother - "just had a couple of little scratches".
After the bombing the apprentice electrician, who had left school at 14, lived with his uncle, Bob Hursey, and his wife before later joining the Fleet Air Arm and the police in 1949.
Now aged 86, Ken Hursey has been married to Margaret for 67 years and has three children and four grandchildren.
But he clearly remembers his "great" parents who met in France while his father was serving in the Army during World War I.
He said: "We had a wonderful upbringing... I wouldn't have changed anything.
"Something happens and it causes a lot of upset, terrible strife, but you've just got to get on with it and get over it."
Asked if he ever thought about the pilot, Mr Hursey said: "I can't bear any animosity against them. They were only doing their job, the same as my brother who was in the RAF."


People in the Channel Islands have been celebrating the day their islands were freed from Nazi rule - 72 years ago.

10 May 2017 Last updated at 09:29 BST
The Channel Islands are made up of five small islands: Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Herm and Sark.
They sit in the English Channel between England and France, and were taken over by the Germans during World War Two.
Each year on 9 May islanders take part in special Liberation Day parades through the streets, and share memories of what life was like at that time.
Children who live in the islands have been talking about why it matters to them.


London's mayor has challenged ministers to publish advice they received over possibly devolving suburban rail services to Transport for London (TfL).

It comes as City Hall published figures it said showed Southern rail services were the worst in the UK.
Sadiq Khan also repeated his call for the government to give him emergency control of Southern services.
The government said it did not "routinely publish" official advice given by civil servants.
Earlier this month Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the government would not devolve control of suburban rail services to TfL but that he wanted it to be "closely involved" in developing services.
That went against indications from his predecessor Patrick McLoughlin, who had earlier this year appeared to suggest services operated by Southern, Southeastern and South West trains could be devolved to TfL once their current franchises ended.
A spokesman for the mayor told the BBC: "Londoners deserve to know why the government has backtracked on their promise to give London control of services which would have led to fewer delays, a better service and passenger fares frozen.
"If the government really believes they have made the right decision, they should have no problem with publishing the advice as soon as possible."
On Tuesday, transport minister Lord Ahmad told the House of Lords the government would not publish the advice it received after seeing an advance copy of TfL's business plan in October.
He added the government's analysis "highlighted a number of uncertainties in the business case, particularly around the operational risks associated with splitting the franchise and around the benefits being claimed [by City Hall]".
But on Thursday the mayor repeated his demand that City Hall be given emergency control of the Southern Rail franchise as he published train punctuality figures he said both the government and Govia  - the owner of the Southern Rail franchise - should be "utterly ashamed" by.
The figures showed 57% of trains on Southern Rail's Mainline and Coast line arrived at their destination on time in the five weeks to 10 December.
The figures also showed 62% of trains across all Govia's franchises, which include Govia Thameslink train services and the Gatwick Express, arrived at their destination on time in the same five weeks.
That was the worst period of performance for any train operator since 2005, City Hall said.
It added not all of Govia's rail franchises had been affected by strike action and yet it ran five out of six of the least reliable train lines in the whole country and was missing its reliability target by 28%.
But a spokesperson for Govia said the punctuality figures reflected "the significant impact" of "wholly unjustified industrial action being taken by Aslef and the RMT".
They added ongoing additional knock-on delays were the result of continued work at London Bridge.
The spokesman said: "We're sorry - our passengers deserve better and, together with Network Rail, we're working hard to improve performance."
The DfT has previously said it is not within Mr Grayling's powers to strip Southern of its franchise.
Mick Cash, leader of the RMT union, which will stage another 48-hour strike on Southern Rail services beginning on New Year's Eve called the latest performance figures: "shocking and abysmal" and called for "the immediate sacking of Southern Rail".
"The fact that they still hold the contract despite plunging Britain's biggest rail franchise into total meltdown proves that they are being propped up by the government for political and ideological reasons. It is a national disgrace," he added.


A self-styled "community do-gooder" who sexually abused teenage girls and forced them to work as escorts has been jailed.

Steven Mcallister made his victims "carry out appalling acts through fear", police said.
The 52-year-old was found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court of controlling prostitution for gain and controlling sexual exploitation of a child.
Mcallister, of Cowles Croft in Yardley, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years
He was also be placed on the sex offenders register for life.
Read more on this story and more from across Birmingham and Black Country
West Midlands Police said Mcallister had targeted several girls and women aged between 17 and 21.
He tried to ingratiate himself with local community groups in an effort to disguise his activities.
But he was arrested in 2013 after some of the women spoke out.
After the sentencing, Det Con Katrina Sands praised Mcallister's victims' "incredible bravery" for reporting the crimes.
"This so-called community do-gooder controlled the girls by threatening to harm their families if they didn't do as he ordered," she said.
"He subjected them to physical abuse, including punching and head-butting them, but worse was the shocking degrading sexual acts he made them perform on him."


Miley Cyrus has had her home burgled for a second time in less than a year - with the most recent break-in taking place just before Christmas.

The man accused of burgling her Los Angeles home on 16 December has now pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.
Rusty Sellner, who was arrested on Monday, is accused of burglary, theft and receiving stolen property.
He faces up to seven years and eight months in prison if convicted.
According to the prosecution, Sellner broke into Miley's home in Toluca Lake, an area known for its celebrity inhabitants, and stole things belonging to the singer and her brother.
Back in May her home in San Fernando Valley was broken into and thieves took clothes, bags, jewellery and a car that was later found abandoned.
A couple from Arizona were sent to prison for that burglary.
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I am expecting a lot of transfer activity from last season's top six before the window shuts at the end of August but, as things stands, I would say the title is between the Manchester clubs.

Alan Shearer joins Gary Lineker and Ian Wright on Match of the Day at 22:30 BST on Saturday night on BBC One and the BBC Sport website for highlights of eight Premier League games.
Manchester City hired Pep Guardiola to win the Champions League and the Premier League and, despite spending a lot of money, his first year in England was a big disappointment.
Guardiola has spent a fortune on full-backs and a new goalkeeper to try to rectify some of the defensive issues City had in the first trophyless campaign of his managerial career and, if he fails again, there are no more excuses for him.
I think City will be there or thereabouts but, at the moment, I would go with Manchester United - just - to be champions.
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Whatever you think of United manager Jose Mourinho, he won two trophies last season and got them back into the Champions League, and he has strengthened them again significantly this summer.
By buying Romelu Lukaku from Everton, United have signed a centre-forward who, at the age of 24, should be coming into his prime.
Lukaku has scored on a regular basis in the Premier League for the past five seasons, for West Brom and Everton.
He is only going to get better and, if United give him the amount of chances you would expect them to, he will score a lot of goals for them too.
Nemanja Matic is another excellent signing. I was amazed Chelsea let him join one of their rivals, a team that are trying to catch them up.
From what he has been saying this week, Blues boss Antonio Conte was surprised it was allowed to happen too - especially because Tiemoue Bakayoko is still not fit.
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I know Matic is 29 and cost £40m, but he has got at least another two or three good years left in him, and he is exactly what United needed in midfield.
Having him in the team will give Paul Pogba more freedom to get forward and I am expecting to see an improvement from him.
We will see more from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford too.
We will have to wait and see whether Rashford gets the chance to lead the line or has to play to one side of Lukaku, but this should still be a big season for him before next summer's World Cup.
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And then there is Mourinho himself. More often than not, he finds a way to win, which is another reason I make United slight favourites.
In Lukaku, Matic and centre-half Victor Lindelof, he has bought three more players to turn United into the team he wants them to be, and he is not finished yet - I think he is after one or two more this month as well.
The big question marks over City are how will they do defensively and, as part of that, can they keep Vincent Kompany fit?
John Stones will have to do a lot better because, for a £47.5m centre-half, he had a pretty poor start to his time at City.
He made some mistakes but even when he had a good game he was in and out of the team. It was a really stop-start season for him and I did not think he ever really got going.
He is a year older now and he will have learned from those experiences, but to make progress he has to form a proper partnership at the back and, the more he plays with Kompany, the better he will become.
They only started two league games together in 2016-17, when it would have done Stones a lot of good to have his captain alongside him.
Chelsea are the defending champions and when you go through their strongest XI, they are still as good as anyone else.
But their issue is they need more players because they have Champions League football to deal with this season too.
They have let a lot of squad players go, so even after signing Bakayoko, Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Morata as like-for-like replacements for Matic, John Terry and Diego Costa, who looks like leaving too, they are still down numbers-wise.
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Chelsea have to go out and make two or three signings in the next couple of weeks, and Tottenham are in the same boat because they also need to bolster their squad.
Having to play at Wembley already makes things more difficult for Mauricio Pochettino's side, because the opposition will raise their game there.
Spurs have just fallen short in the league in the past couple of seasons and not signing anyone to try to push on now would be a huge error on their part.
Spurs are at the stage where they will need to start winning things soon if they want to keep hold of their best players. It really needs to happen for them this season.
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The Premier League season always starts before the summer transfer window shuts but, this year in particular, it feels like some big deals could be done that would change things at the top of the table.
Two of them involve Liverpool. Firstly, will Philippe Coutinho go to Barcelona? If he leaves Anfield, Liverpool can forget about challenging for the title.
On the other hand, the Reds want Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk and, if they were to get him and keep Coutinho, they will not be too far away.
Alexis Sanchez's future at Arsenal has not been resolved yet either and there still seems to be a lot of uncertainty around the Gunners, even after Arsene Wenger signed a new two-year contract.
At the moment they have got Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all entering the final year of their contracts. My guess is that is about £100m of talent at least.
If all three leave for free in 12 months' time, you miss out on that money and also have to splash out on replacing them.
Altogether we are talking about the best part of £200m and, I don't care how rich their owner Stan Kroenke is, that is still a heck of a lot of money whether you are a billionaire or not.
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I liked the look of Alexandre Lacazette's link-up play in the Community Shield and he adds something different to the Gunners' attack but, at the moment, it does not seem that much else about Arsenal has changed.
Even if they keep all three of those players for this season, I still don't see them having enough to challenge for the title.
My old team Newcastle are back in the Premier League and, for them, this season is all about staying there.
Magpies boss Rafael Benitez has already said as much - I spoke to him this week for Football Focus and he was open and honest about their situation and how it will be a battle to stay up.
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Benitez compared what Newcastle have spent - which is about £30m on four players - to the £20m or £25m that Bournemouth and Leicester have paid for just one.
That shows where Newcastle are at, and what they are up against. They have not been able to get in the players they want and he is slightly frustrated.
It will be difficult for them but it is a huge boost that Benitez says he is staying. With him in charge, they will be tough to beat and they have a chance.
I know he is trying to get more players in before the window shuts. If they can get two or three, they might just have enough to stay up.
I am on Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 on Saturday and Sunday and I can't wait - it feels like it has been a long summer waiting for the season to start again.
It is 25 years since the Premier League began and, when you consider where it is now - what has changed and by how much - then the difference is staggering.
When you look at everything from transfer fees to the stadiums the teams play in, it is just incredible.
In 1996, when I left Blackburn to join Newcastle for a world record fee of £15m, I said that there will never be a better time to be a footballer.
How wrong I was - every year it just gets better and better.
When I'm asked how the Premier League compares to everywhere else, I always try to consider the whole package - entertainment, excitement, stadiums, the managers and the players and their ability.
So, although we might be lacking in comparison to, say, La Liga when it comes to the quality in our very top teams, if you put all of those above factors together, then the Premier League is the best.
Alan Shearer was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.


Aberdeen City Council officials are warning that the amount of fruit and vegetables served in school meals might have to be cut if budgets are not increased.

They say price rises are putting increasing pressure on catering.
Plans for a new fruit and vegetables supply contract covering Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will be discussed by the city's finance committee next week.
Running for up to four years, it would be worth up to Â£1.1m.
Members are being urged to approve the start of a tendering exercise in collaboration with Aberdeenshire.
The report says that while the current provider has maintained its prices since 2013, market forces including the declining pound against the Euro, bad weather in Europe and an increased appetites for fruit and vegetables have all contributed to price rises for crops which have to be imported.
It warns that if budget funding is not enough to meet increasing costs, the amount of fruit and vegetables offered in school menus and other catering services will need to be reduced.
A report last month said eating 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day may give a longer life.
The study, by Imperial College London, calculated such eating habits could prevent 7.8 million premature deaths each year.


A man who broke into a pensioner's home, tortured her for her PIN number and battered her to death with a rolling pin has been convicted of her murder.

Matthew Hamlen had initially been cleared of the crime in 2012 but was found guilty after fresh DNA evidence came to light.
Georgina Edmonds' son found her battered body in her cottage by the banks of the River Itchen, in Hampshire, in 2008.
The 77-year-old widow, who lived alone, had been stabbed several times with a knife and tortured for her bank card Pin code before being battered with a marble rolling pin.
Following a two-year manhunt, during which almost 2,000 people were DNA tested, Hamlen was eventually charged with murder. The DNA profile was incomplete, however, and he was acquitted at Winchester Crown Court in 2012.
With no other suspects, the case was about to be effectively shelved in 2013 when Det Insp Martin Chudley, of Hampshire Constabulary, led a final review of the evidence.
"I always felt it was impossible that he left nothing behind," he said.
"It was a long, prolonged attack, he was there for quite some considerable time - I just couldn't conceive there wasn't a part of him there somewhere."
Forensic samples taken from Mrs Edmonds' trousers and the rolling pin had been thought to be the most likely to yield the killer's DNA as those were items which had clearly been touched.
Hamlen's DNA had been found on the rolling pin but had been mixed with that of Mrs Edmonds. This meant a full profile may have been there but was masked by their shared characteristics.
After the acquittal, Det Insp Chudley asked scientists to re-examine samples taken from the original murder scene.
He was told it was "unlikely to work", but the team decided to examine some of the fibres from the back left sleeve of Ms Edmond's blouse. It proved crucial and in February 2014, a full profile of Hamlen's DNA was identified.
The Court of Appeal subsequently quashed the original not guilty verdict, paving the way for Hamlen, 36, to be put on trial for murder for a second time.
This time the DNA evidence was strong enough, along with mobile phone evidence, for the prosecution to place him at the murder scene.
His mobile phone had been used nearby, close to the time of the murder, and again near to where Mrs Edmonds' mobile had been switched on and then discarded.
Forensic scientist Geraldine Davidson told jurors the material found on the blouse was 26 million times more likely to have come from Hamlen than someone else.
The prosecution alleged he had targeted her for her money. Hamlen had a history of domestic violence and cocaine use, was suspected of dealing drugs and was thought to be considerably in debt.
However, he flatly denied any involvement in the killing.
"I know I didn't do this, I could not do something like this," he told the court. "As far as the DNA goes, I'm not an expert. All I can tell you is, it didn't get there at the time, if it is mine."
For Mrs Edmonds' family, who were left without the closure of a conviction in 2012, the guilty verdict marks the end of what her daughter Doddie described as a "long road".
"I try not to dwell on the details of the actual murder - she was hurt so badly and how terrified she must have been. I always thought of her as safe in her little cottage by the river.
"She was the heart of the family - she brought us all together, she was the warmth of the family.
"I think it will bring some kind of closure, some kind of justice which she deserves. But it will never bring my mother back."


Investors have responded to Mario Draghi's plan to stoke the eurozone's economic engine by selling the euro.

The single currency took a 24-hour slide against the dollar starting at lunchtime on Thursday after the president of the European Central Bank said that it would pump â‚¬60bn a month into the region's economy.
The pound reached a seven-year high against the euro of â‚¬1.34.
However, the action could prove a mixed blessing for the UK.
Against the US dollar the euro hit an 11-year low of  $1.1115 before recovering some ground.
The weakening euro raises the prospect of cheaper foreign holidays for Britons, but a tougher climate for the UK's exporters.
Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, called the ECB's action a "welcome step" and "absolutely necessary to preserve the prospects of medium-term prosperity in Europe".
But not everyone agrees.
One sceptic of the plan is Roger Bootle, executive chairman of Capital Economics. "By and large for Britain it is a net negative," he said.
"Only if it succeeds in reviving the European economy is it an overall good."
In the meantime, Mr Bootle thinks it will make life tougher for British business.
"The pound going up against the euro means it's going to be even more of a struggle for British firms exporting to Europe and European firms that export to the UK will be even more effective," he said.
"Of course it brings cheaper holidays, but if it's people going on holiday who have lost their jobs because of the rise in the exchange rate, they won't be going on holiday abroad much longer."
The euro has been steadily falling in value for several months in anticipation of the ECB's measures.
The currency has lost about 9% of its value against sterling over the last year.
The 1.1 trillion euro stimulus plan was launched to tackle lacklustre growth and the spectre of deflation in the 19 nation currency zone. By making more euros available, it reduces their value in the market.
An increased supply of euros should make borrowing cheaper and encourage businesses and consumers to spend more.
Share markets responded positively with indexes in London, Frankfurt, Milan, Madrid and Paris all rising on Friday following gains on Thursday. Shares in Athens leapt more than 5%.
Jeremy Stretch, head of foreign exchange strategy at CIBC, took a more optimistic view, believing that by boosting the eurozone economy the ECB's measures were likely to "float all boats", including Britain's.
"They should be quite pleased with the way the plan is working," he said of the euro's slide.
Mr Stretch added: "Clearly, as the euro-sterling rate comes down, it will make it more difficult in terms of export markets. But the other side of the coin is that if the actions of the ECB make the European growth story a little firmer, that is a better scenario."
"Competitive issues are tough but in the end demand is more important."
He did not believe that the euro had much further to fall as markets had largely priced in Thursday's move - unless the ECB was forced to increase the amount of money it was printing.
Bridget Roswell, senior advisor at Volterra Consulting, said if the ECB had not acted it, the euro might have ended up even weaker in the long run.
"If there were no European quantitative easing, the eurozone would see slower growth," she said. "There'd be a risk of deflation and general misery, which can be catching. You might then have seen a collapse of the euro."


An explosion that caused serious injuries to a man in County Armagh on Wednesday is believed to have been caused by a pipe bomb.

Francis McCabe Jr was injured and there are concerns he may lose an eye. He is in a stable condition in hospital.
It is reported a device exploded as he tried to remove a poster from a lamppost outside Crossmaglen.
It is thought the poster claimed that a second individual was a security forces informer, or "tout".
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the attack followed a campaign of intimidation against people "who have taken huge personal risks advocating accountable policing".
Police set up a cordon at the scene on Thursday while the site of the explosion was examined.
Parts of what is believed to have been an exploded pipe bomb have been taken away for further examination, a PSNI spokesman said.
The Blaney Road and Corliss Road, which were closed for several hours, have now reopened.
Insp Lorraine Dobson said: "I would like to again thank the public for their co-operation and I would reiterate that if anyone notices any suspicious objects in the area, they should not touch them.
"Rather, report it to police immediately."


A series of disturbing revelations in China's state media about the sexual abuse of school children has exposed the dark side of life in rural areas where parents leave their homes to earn money as migrant workers.

On 8 August, a 62- year-old man was detained by police in the city of Ruichang, Jiangxi province, for sexually abusing seven girls.  The details of the case are horrifying.
The man was working as a school teacher in a remote mountainous region and between September 2012 and May 2013, he molested seven pupils aged eight or nine in a room at the back of the class, saying that he was just checking homework.
The girls were left with sexually transmitted diseases. Their parents were all migrant workers, Chinese media reports say.
The man has admitted the crimes and police are still investigating the case. It emerged just days after another primary school teacher was arrested in Shanxi Province, in central China, on suspicion of molesting several pupils.
Analysts monitoring such cases of abuse say these reports are probably just the tip of an iceberg.
In May this year, no fewer than eight cases of sex abuse in schools were exposed within a span of 20 days, causing alarm among parents, disgust and anger on social media and in many editorials on official media.
"Behind every reported sex abuse case, there might be six hidden cases unreported," says Wang Dawei, a well-known criminologist in the People's Public Security University of China. He believes that many children might not realize that a sex crime has been committed against them and therefore might not even tell their parents.
One such case emerged in May when a teacher was detained in the city of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, for molesting four girls. But this case only surfaced when one of the victims told her father in passing that she had massaged her teacher's back at school.
Analysts have identified some key trends.  According to Han Jingjing, director of a Beijing-based legal centre for young people, 60% of the sex abuse cases happen in rural areas and 70% happen at schools; the victims tend to come from single families, families that went through divorces and re-marriages, or where mothers are in prison.
National figures on such crimes are difficult to come by, but according to Ms Wang Xingjuan, founder of The Maple Women's Psychological Counselling Centre in Beijing, Guangdong province alone dealt with more than 1,700 sex abuse cases involving children from 2008 to 2011.
But what has angered many is the involvement of the most responsible carers outside of the home, school teachers, in these cases
In June a primary school principal in Hainan Province was sentenced to 13.5 years in prison for raping six female pupils in a local hotel. Among the cases reported in May was that of a 56-year-old man in Henan province detained for molesting several pupils in his charge and threatening them and in Hunan, another teacher was detained for abusing several girls.
These cases have shocked the nation and Chinese social media is simmering with anger, frustration and questions.
"Are they animals"? "Don't they have daughters?" That's the view of one netizen on Tencent Weibo - the Chinese micro-blogging website.
Mother 0315 posts on Sina Weibo: "I always thought of teaching as a noble vocation, but now I feel a teacher is worse than animals.  As a mother, I can feel the pain of the victims and their families."
Zuoxingzhan laments the general moral decline of the nation: "Nowadays, teachers are sex abusers, doctors sell babies, judges fool around with prostitutes…… since when did moral standards slip from these once-respected occupations?"
But there is also another facet to these cases that is less commented on.
School children in rural areas are particularly vulnerable if their parents happen to be migrant workers who spend a long time working away from home. They often don't get to visit regularly and the children are left to be looked after by relatives, such as grandparents.
A recent report by the All China Women's Federation, the official union for Chinese women, suggests that 37% of children in the rural area belong to this category of so-called "left behind children", and sexual abuse is a major threat.
At a July conference held in Beijing in response to the spate of sexual abuse cases reported in the official media, experts point out that the increase in cases can also be blamed on the poor quality of sex education and inadequate guidelines for children on how to respond to such situations.
"Some children are molested when they are about seven or eight, but they don't realise that they have been abused", observes Wang Xingjuan, founder of the Maple Women's Psychological Counselling Centre. "They are not comfortable with the situation; they are afraid and they know there is something wrong, but they put up with it".
"Children should be educated enough to know that in such situations, they can say no, they can cry, they can shout, and they can leave - all these are self-protection methods", says lawyer Liu Liwen.
A recent survey carried out by the Maple centre reveals that many schools don't educate pupils about sexual offences, and even sex education classes made mandatory by the Ministry of Education are not carried out properly, with many schools simply going through the motions and some even asking the students to read the textbooks themselves at home.
But things are no better at home, as traditionally, adults don't talk about sex with their children. The "absent mothers" situation makes this even worse.
How the legal system should protect vulnerable children and punish the culprits is another area for debate.  According to the criminal code, people who have committed multiple acts of sexual abuse of underage children should get 10 years or longer in prison.
Recently a school principal accused of sexually abusing four girls had his sentenced increased by six months to three years.  The victim's family still thinks it is too lenient and are looking for a sentence of at least five years in prison.
There will be a further hearing later this year. After this latest spate of cases, people will be watching.


Southampton's Europa League fate will go down to the final group game after losing away to Sparta Prague.

Costa Nhamoinesu's early close-range volley from a tight angle after Borek Dockal's free-kick sealed a deserved win for the hosts.
Southampton, who made seven changes to the side that started the goalless draw with Liverpool last weekend, were lacklustre throughout and it required two fine saves from Fraser Forster to deny Dockal.
Saints skipper Virgil van Dijk headed a great chance to equalise over the bar in the closing stages as Sparta advanced as group winners to the last 32 with one game to spare.
Southampton will join Sparta if they manage a goalless draw or a win against Hapoel Be'er Sheva in their final group game at St Mary's on 8 December.
Southampton have not scored in any of their three away games in the group, and rarely looked like doing so in the Czech Republic.
Despite the changes, Saints manager Claude Puel named an attacking line-up, with Jay Rodriguez, Nathan Redmond and Shane Long all starting.
Though their presence provided plenty of pace, there was little cutting edge and the Premier League club's build-up play was too slow.
Southampton had 71% possession - their highest figure in a game in any competition this season - and 12 attempts on goal but had nothing to show for it.
There will also be questions asked after defender Costa scored Sparta's winner unchallenged.
It came after a well-worked set-piece but Saints players Cuco Martina and Jordy Clasie both failed to react when the ball was delivered into the area.
Southampton's final group game is against Israeli side Hapoel Be'er-Sheva, who came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Inter Milan, a result which sends the three-time European champions out.
The Saints and Hapoel are tied on seven points meaning whoever wins will take them through.
Head-to-head is used to decide which side advances when teams are on the same number of points.
Southampton managed a goalless draw when the teams met in Israel on 29 September so goal difference will be used if there is a repeat of that result in two weeks.
Puel's side have a superior goal difference over Hapoel so will advance if it ends 0-0.
However, if Hapoel manage a score draw at St Mary's then they will progress due to the fact they managed to score away from home against their opponents.
Southampton boss Claude Puel: "It's a bad result. We made a good start in the game, but then on the first free-kick we take a goal against us and this is hard to accept.
"I think we played a good first half without a clinical edge, but after we lost the structure in the second half to keep our calm. It was not enough to win this game.
"Now it's important to keep our concentration. It's a final game in front of our fans. We have to play a very good game for the next game at home to make sure we qualify, for the players and fans."
Southampton entertain former boss Ronald Koeman and his Everton team at St Mary's Stadium on Sunday (16:30 GMT).
Match ends, Sparta Prague 1, Southampton 0.
Second Half ends, Sparta Prague 1, Southampton 0.
Foul by Shane Long (Southampton).
Michal Kadlec (Sparta Prague) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Charlie Austin (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Shane Long with a headed pass.
Sam McQueen (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Filip Havelka (Sparta Prague).
Foul by Cuco Martina (Southampton).
Costa Nhamoinesu (Sparta Prague) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution, Sparta Prague. Daniel Köstl replaces Lukas Julis.
Offside, Southampton. James Ward-Prowse tries a through ball, but Maya Yoshida is caught offside.
Charlie Austin (Southampton) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Filip Havelka (Sparta Prague).
Substitution, Sparta Prague. Vaclav Dudl replaces Daniel Holzer.
Foul by Sofiane Boufal (Southampton).
Borek Dockal (Sparta Prague) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Sparta Prague. Filip Havelka replaces David Lafata.
James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by David Lafata (Sparta Prague).
Foul by Maya Yoshida (Southampton).
David Lafata (Sparta Prague) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Shane Long (Southampton).
Michal Kadlec (Sparta Prague) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Cuco Martina (Southampton).
Costa Nhamoinesu (Sparta Prague) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, Southampton. Maya Yoshida tries a through ball, but Charlie Austin is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) header from the right side of the six yard box is too high. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Southampton. Conceded by Ondrej Mazuch.
Attempt missed. Shane Long (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Virgil van Dijk.
Hand ball by Charlie Austin (Southampton).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Tomas Koubek (Sparta Prague) because of an injury.
Foul by Shane Long (Southampton).
Tomas Koubek (Sparta Prague) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Shane Long (Southampton) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Ondrej Mazuch (Sparta Prague).
Substitution, Southampton. Charlie Austin replaces Jordy Clasie.
Corner,  Southampton. Conceded by Mario Holek.
Shane Long (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Borek Dockal (Sparta Prague).


The leaders of the UK's main political parties are using the last weekend of the election campaign to try to win over wavering voters.

David Cameron urged people to choose their "preferred PM" rather than vote tactically for the Lib Dems or UKIP.
Labour leader Ed Miliband said the election was a clash of two visions "about how our country succeeds".
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg argued that it was unlikely either Labour or the Conservatives would win outright.
£7,000-a-year basic pension
Mr Cameron said people needed to vote Conservative if they wanted to stop Ed Miliband entering Downing Street on 8 May.
"In the end only one of two people can walk back through that door in Number 10 and be the prime minister on Friday," he told BBC's Breakfast programme.
"If you want your preferred prime minister, vote for your preferred prime minister.
"Don't take a risk thinking 'I'll vote Liberal Democrat and hope I get the prime minister I want' or UKIP and hope somehow it emerges."
In other election news:
Mr Cameron made his appeal ahead of a visit to Didsbury, Greater Manchester, to promote the party's "pensioners' manifesto".
He met a group of pensioners and highlighted his party's commitment to the "triple lock" on state pensions, which means they rise by whichever is higher out of inflation, average wages, or 2.5%.
He said the triple lock - which Labour says it is also committed to - would take the annual basic state pension to £7,000 a year by 2020.
He also outlined other previously-announced proposals, including the protection of benefits such as free bus passes and TV licences, and giving people more freedom to invest and spend their pensions.
He earlier insisted there would be no cuts to child benefits as part of his pledge to make £12bn in welfare savings.
Meanwhile, on a visit to the marginal seat of Hastings on Saturday, Mr Miliband hit back at Conservative claims that the only way Labour could get a majority was with the SNP.
Instead he accused the Conservatives of using the SNP to distract voters from their own record.
"What this election really comes down to is not a clash of two nations but a clash of two visions," he said.
"Two different plans ideas about how our country succeeds."
He said the Conservatives offer "huge tax cuts" for the "rich and powerful", whereas Labour thinks "Britain succeeds when working people succeed".
What are the top issues for each political party at the 2015 general election?
Policy guide: Where the parties stand
But Labour former Scottish first minister Henry McLeish said Mr Miliband may have little choice but to negotiate with the Scottish Nationalists.
"At the end of the day, Ed is not going to exclude himself from being prime minister by not talking to anyone," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme
Mr Miliband also used the East Sussex hustings to outline his party's plans to introduce bills for 10 of his manifesto proposals by the end of May.
These would include a "strong economic foundation bill" which would implement a mansion tax and tobacco levy; freezing energy prices until 2017; banning recruitment agencies from hiring only from overseas, and cutting university tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000 in England.
Addressing party activists in his Sheffield Hallam constituency, Mr Clegg set out plans to bring down youth unemployment "to its lowest level ever" by doubling the number of businesses that offer apprenticeships and creating 100,000 new work experience places.
He also said either Ed Miliband or David Cameron would walk into Number 10 after the election, but the question was "who is going to be there alongside" as neither of them would win outright.
Only the Liberal Democrats stood between UKIP's Nigel Farage, the SNP's Alex Salmond "and the door to Number 10", he said,
Later, he told reporters he would not enter "any arrangements, any pacts, any deals" with either UKIP or the SNP.
This was "for the simple reason that we fundamentally disagree with Nigel Farage's view that he wants to pull one union apart - the European Union - as we also fundamentally disagree with the SNP's will to pull another union - the United Kingdom - apart," he said.
He added: "In an election where no one wins a majority, it's really pretty simple: give the party which has nonetheless got more wind in its sails, a greater mandate from the British people, the opportunity to try and form a government.
"If they fail to do so, or choose not to do so, then alternative arrangements might need to be arrived at."
The best of BBC News' Election 2015 specials


Laurent Blanc has left his position as manager of Paris St-Germain after three years at the French league champions.

Blanc, who signed a new two-year deal in February, led PSG to the Ligue 1 title in each of his three seasons in charge, but lost in the Champions League quarter-finals each year.
Sevilla boss Umai Emery has been linked with the vacant post.
Emery, 44, won the Europa League with the La Liga side in each of his three full seasons in charge.
Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi had hinted at changes earlier this month.
"I've been here for five years and this is the first time we have had this sense of failure," he had said.
In a statement on the club's website, he thanked Blanc for his service but said he was "opening a new chapter in the development of the club".
PSG, who have won consecutive domestic quadruples, lost to Manchester City in last season's Champions League quarter-finals.
Blanc, 50, had previously had a spell as manager of France but stepped down after losing in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 to eventual winners Spain.
A cultured centre-half, he made 97 appearances for his country and also played for Barcelona, Inter Milan and Manchester United.


Particles of debris from car tyres are ending up in the ocean as "plastic soup", conservationists warn.

Microplastics from tyres and textiles are a bigger source of marine pollution than the breakdown of larger plastic waste in some areas, says the IUCN.
Up to 30% of plastic released into the oceans each year comes from primary microplastics, not the disintegration of larger pieces, a report found.
Debris from tyre abrasion and synthetic fabrics are the main sources, they say.
The IUCN reviewed data from seven global regions to look at how much of the estimated 9.5 million tonnes of new plastic waste released into the oceans each year comes from primary microplastics.
These are tiny plastic particles from the likes of consumer products rather than the degradation of larger bits of plastic in the oceans.
The report found between 15% and 31% of plastic pollution came from primary microplastics, of which the biggest contributors (almost two-thirds) were abrasion of synthetic textiles, while washing, and abrasion of tyres, while driving.
Synthetic rubber, made from a variant of plastic, makes up around 60% of the rubber used in tyres.
Other sources included microbeads in cosmetics, which contributed about 2% of the releases to the ocean globally.
FranÃ§ois Simard, deputy director of IUCN's marine programme, said the findings came as a surprise.
"We discovered that most of the microplastics are coming from either the clothes or from the tyres," he told BBC News. "Microplastics are going everywhere in the sea and into the food chain, let's close the plastic tap."
IUCN director general Inger Andersen said the report was "a real eye-opener".
"Our daily activities, such as washing clothes and driving, significantly contribute to the pollution choking our oceans, with potentially disastrous effects on the rich diversity of life within them, and on human health," she said.
The release of microbeads from cosmetic products has received widespread publicity, resulting in action from manufacturers.
However, solving plastic pollution from tyres and synthetic clothes will be harder to address.
Joao de Sousa, marine project manager for the IUCN's global marine programme, said solutions must include product and infrastructure design as well as consumer behaviour.
For example, synthetic clothes could be designed to shed fewer fibres and consumers can act by choosing natural fabrics.
In parts of the world, such as North America, primary microplastics are a bigger source of marine plastic pollution than plastic waste, according to the report.
Meanwhile, synthetic textiles are the main source of primary microplastics in Asia and tyres dominate in the Americas, Europe and Central Asia.
Last month, a separate report by a scientific body that advises the UN on marine environmental protection highlighted concerns about debris from vehicle tyres.
Report co-editor Peter Kershaw called for further investigation and partnerships with industry to tackle the problem.
Follow Helen on Twitter.


Students at Cardiff University are being breathalysed before they are allowed into union bars.

The trial is part of an effort to cut down on binge drinking, but the students' union said it cannot be the only reason to refuse entry to someone.
A spokesman said the union was "happy to support any campaign that promotes and encourages responsible drinking".
Random breathalyser tests are carried out on night-time events and the scheme is being run with South Wales Police.
A Students' Union spokeswoman said: "Commercial impact, either positive or negative, had no bearing whatsoever on the Students' Union's decision to be involved in this trial scheme."


A former primary school head teacher has been found not guilty of abusing two boys during the 1970s.

Clifford Stott, 69, of Rise Road, Skirlaugh, East Yorkshire, was cleared of eight historical sexual offences by a jury at Hull Crown Court.
He had denied indecently assaulting former pupils of Paull Primary School and Sproatley Endowed School.
Mr Stott left the court with his family, who cheered and cried as the jury delivered its verdict.
During the trial, several character witnesses paid tribute to Mr Stott describing him as "an excellent teacher", "an inspiration" and "a Christian in the true sense".
Mr Stott previously said the three years since his arrest had been "the most difficult of my life" and that "huge parts" of his life had changed.
The court heard he was made head teacher at the age of 28 and was one of the youngest heads in the country at the time.


India and tennis may not be two words you would automatically put together, but the excitement and razzmatazz here in Delhi have shown the sport is ready to launch a challenge to other attractions such as cricket and football.

From beating the dhol (traditional Indian drums) to ear-splitting music with a DJ, there was plenty of off-court entertainment for tennis fans attending the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).
But this is not a regular championship.
With brightly coloured uniforms, laser light shows, Bollywood dance numbers and, more importantly, a quick-fire format, the five-set match ends in roughly three hours.
Watching legends Roger Federer and Pete Sampras live was a first for Indian fans. The country is not in the Grand Slam network. But the organisers are hoping it will win millions of new fans to the game of tennis.
Indeed, there's no lack of support. A recent Facebook study revealed that after the US, India has the second highest number of tennis fans in the world.
And on the ground, with more than 10,000 spectators in the stadium, there was a strong show of support for the first IPTL. Tickets sold out online within minutes.
The big selling point of this new format game is that it's a franchise-based tournament with a mix of celebrity team owners, offering a chance to see current and former international stars play together.
But what do players make of it? Roger Federer says it's not going to replace how current big names play the tour.
"But it definitely has a place in our sport," says the Swiss star. "To have more interaction, more fun, different rules, you know you bend it, customise it, so it works for everybody involved."
He says while it's a very interesting concept, he likes "the idea of it being in a part of the world where you don't see that many tournaments after all".
He adds: "It's a really fascinating part of the world, for us to come here and those who want to play in the off-season can do it, and those who don't want to do it don't have to."
Back at the stadium, pundits say they expect watching Federer in action to inspire a generation of young tennis players.
Unlike in cricket - where Indians are fiercely nationalistic - sports like tennis are popular irrespective of the player's nationality. So Roger Federer is treated like a rock star here.
But away from the stars, it's a different story.
Tennis, like most other sports, has to vie for attention in cricket-obsessed India.
Aspiring players face huge challenges from finding good courts to the right coaches. And even when parents find academies, they can start at as little as $10 (6.65) to participate but some cost up to $100 an hour for private coaching.
To make it a career, parents have to be ready to spend serious money, including on travel and hotel expenses.
Delhi resident Jahnavi Mehra says her 12-year-old son Rohan plays tennis at a national level. So she spends a lot of time and effort making sure he is sent to the right tennis camps and is able to travel to various championships around the country.
Her younger son Dhruv is six and also plays.
It's getting increasingly tough to make sure both boys get enough opportunities, she says.
But the bigger problem is for parents who don't have this kind of money or access to events. So in a way, it is an elite sport in India.
While there are sports scholarships, they are limited to very few cities and not everyone can get them. But Gayatri Singh, whose son Ishaan plays, feels things are beginning to change for the better.
"Things have drastically changed in India," she says.
"If you want to play tennis here, there is now enough in terms of infrastructure, courts, coaches. There are so many children playing, so you don't feel like you're the only one. You can make it big - if you pursue it the sky is the limit."
But the bigger picture is less rosy. The country's tennis authorities have been embroiled in numerous controversies over recent years, including player selection issues and accusations of favouritism.
So consistent international success has been elusive and the best performances have been largely restricted to doubles events.
But for top Indian players, the launch of three private leagues is great economic news as its offers them a chance to earn a lot more money.
Rohan Bopanna started young and has done well in various ATP World Tour events in doubles competitions. The 34-year-old thinks the leagues provide an opportunity for players like him to play with imported talent and improve their own skill levels.
So with things improving for the sport, can tennis be financially feasible as a career for young Indians?
Bopanna agrees that the situation has improved compared to when he started playing, but says that India still has "a long way to go to catch Europe or the US".
The difficulty for youngsters choosing tennis as a fledgling career is that India does not have enough entry-level tournaments that offer substantial cash prizes.
So financing for a full-time tennis player is hard. Bopanna says he is grateful for the support of his parents, whom he acknowledges had a tough time helping him pay his way.
"Without them I wouldn't even have gotten here. They made a lot of sacrifices," he says. "So we definitely need a lot of corporates to come out and help sportsmen in India, that's the only way sports will grow in India."
Critics often say players in India make it big because of their individual effort, and that there is no system in place to produce champions.
However, the government is taking notice of the increased interest in sports like tennis, and has increased the budget allocation to develop sports by nearly 50%.
If sport federations and business corporations get behind the sport in the same way as the glitzy private leagues, then it will definitely be advantage tennis in India.


"We heard a massive noise from the forest," Amilcar Ferreira remembers.

To emphasise, he blows out his cheeks.
"And then we saw the flames."
"We'd never seen anything like it before," says Waldemar de Jesus Lopez. "It all happened in just a few seconds."
In the moments after the forest fire started on Saturday afternoon, the people of Varzeas knew they had to act quickly.
Their village stands on a hillside, surrounded by woodland. Should they stay at home and risk getting caught by the flames? Or drive away in search of safety?
Mario Pinhal and his family fled in two cars. He took his parents and godmother in one car. His wife Suzana drove ahead with their daughters Joana and Margarida.
The family drove a short distance towards the nearest main road - the N236-1. The road is lined on either side by forest. On Saturday afternoon, fires quickly engulfed the trees and then, horrifyingly, the road itself.
Smoke and flames caught and killed dozens of people escaping in their cars, including Suzana, Joana and Margarida. Mario Pinhal and his parents, travelling behind, managed to escape.
"I regret leaving home," Mario Pinhal told Portuguese TV. "Regardless of everyone's kind efforts, all I want is to have my wife and daughters back."
"We should have died instead," Mario's mother cried to a relief worker. "Nobody would miss us. How can I explain that I will go to my granddaughters' funerals?"
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The family's neighbour, Elisa Ferreira, stands in shock outside her own house. Like many older people in Varzeas, she stayed in the village during the fire. The decision saved her life.
"We were lucky," she says on the edge of tears. "Thank God we were lucky. But 14 people in this village died."
Nearby, a burnt-out car and trailer have been abandoned in the middle of the road. Smoke still rises from woodland next to the village.
Varzeas lies less than 2km (one mile) north of Nodeirinho, another stricken village in the path of the inferno that spread from Pedrógão Grande.
Survivors are trying to count which of their neighbours they've lost in Varzeas. In the main square, Sisaltina puts her hand to her head and takes a deep breath before she begins the toll.
"Two from here," she points across the road, "three, four, five…"
Towards the edge of the village, Mario Pinhal's home remains standing. There's soot around the flowerbeds. But the house itself appears undamaged.
It is a shattering monument to his family's decision to flee. If they had simply stayed put, they would all have survived.


Police are hunting for a missing junior doctor who has not been seen for almost two weeks.

Dr Lauren Phillips, who works for North Bristol NHS Trust, was last seen on Thursday 23 February.
The 26-year-old's car was found in Woolacombe, Devon, on 28 February but no other traces of her have been found, police said.
Monica Baird, deputy medical director, described Dr Phillips as a "valued member of our medical staff".
Dr Phillips, who now lives in Bristol, worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust during her foundation year.
One of her former colleagues, who wanted to remain anonymous, described her as "a very sweet doctor".
He said: "She makes sure everything is OK and stays three hours late to get everything done.
"She works crazily hard. On Facebook she was getting increasingly depressed with the state of the NHS."
He said she had ambitions to become an anaesthetist, or work in critical care.
Det Insp Mark Langdon of Avon and Somerset Police, who is leading the hunt, said: "We continue to do everything we can to find Lauren and we're making sure her family are regularly updated about our investigation.
"As Lauren's car was found in Woolacombe our focus has been on the North Devon area, so we're directing our appeal at any surfers or ramblers who may have passed through the area in the past fortnight."
He added: "Lauren hasn't been seen for some days now and we're growing increasingly concerned. We really need the public's help in finding her.
"We're particularly keen for bed and breakfast owners or hoteliers in and around the Woolacombe area to check whether she has booked in with them."
Searches have been carried out by Devon and Cornwall Police assisted by HM Coastguard, the RNLI and the National Police Air Service.
Dr Phillips is described as white, 5ft 5ins tall, of slim build with brown eyes and long, dark brown hair.
It is thought she may be wearing a dark brown waxed cotton mid-length coat with cream wool-lined hood and a long cream woollen cardigan which has orange and blue detail.
She could also be wearing Converse trainers and a beige woollen hat which has a purple flower on the side.


A residential flat in southern Poland has collapsed, killing at least three people, officials say.

Four people are reportedly injured, and firefighters fear more people are buried under the rubble.
Eighteen people are registered as living at the building in the town of Swiebodzice, Radio Poland reports.
Two of the building's floors may have caved in due to a gas explosion, a spokesman for the fire department told AFP news agency.


Former Labour MP Kevin McNamara, who served his Hull constituency for nearly 40 years, has died aged 82.

The former shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer after falling ill while on holiday in Spain.
Mr McNamara, who represented Hull North from 1966 to 2005, had no previous symptoms and died at his home in Formby, Merseyside, his family said.
Tributes have been paid tribute to the "widely respected" politician.
Mr McNamara's family said he was staying in Carboneras and was "pain-free" before becoming suddenly unwell last month.
He was taken out of the Spanish town by air ambulance and admitted to Southport and Formby District General Hospital on 28 July.
In a statement, his family said: "He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, following a short and unexpected illness."
They also thanked medical staff in Carboneras and Almeria, and NHS staff and an insurance company who helped Mr McNamara return home.
Tributes have been paid to the politician on social media.
Labour MP for Hull East Karl Turner tweeted: "Sorry to hear that former MP for Hull North Kevin McNamara passed away earlier today.
"He was widely respected and will be missed greatly."
End of Twitter post  by @KarlTurnerMP
Mr McNamara, who was born in Liverpool in 1934, graduated in law at the then University College Hull before meeting his wife, Nora, who he married in 1960.
He became head of history at Hull's St Mary's Grammar School before becoming a law lecturer.
In 1966 he won the Hull North seat for the Labour Party, two years after unsuccessfully contesting Bridlington in 1964.
Mr McNamara held a range of positions during his parliamentary career, including shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland between 1987 and 1995, followed by shadow minister for the civil service between 1995 and 1996. He was a backbencher under Tony Blair before he stood down from his seat in 2005.
Mr McNamara leaves behind his wife Nora, three sons and a daughter. Another of his sons died before him.


Another major cyber-attack could be imminent after Friday's global hit that infected more than 125,000 computer systems, security experts have warned.

UK security researcher "MalwareTech", who helped to limit the ransomware attack, predicted "another one coming... quite likely on Monday".
The virus, which took control of users' files, spread to 100 countries, including Spain, France and Russia.
In England, 48 NHS trusts fell victim, as did 13 NHS bodies in Scotland.
Some hospitals were forced to cancel procedures and appointments, as ambulances were directed to neighbouring hospitals free from the computer virus.
UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd said on Saturday that the problem was largely resolved but that "there's always more" that could be done to protect against computer viruses.
NHS trusts that appear to still be experiencing IT difficulties are:
After taking computers over, the virus displayed messages demanding a payment of $300 (Â£230) in virtual currency Bitcoin to unlock files and return them to the user.
BBC analysis of three accounts linked with the global attack suggests the hackers have already been paid the equivalent of Â£22,080.
MalwareTech, who wants to remain anonymous, was hailed as an "accidental hero" after registering a domain name to track the spread of the virus, which actually ended up halting it.
The 22-year-old told the BBC: "It's very important that people patch their systems now.
"We have stopped this one, but there will be another one coming and it will not be stoppable by us.
"There's a lot of money in this. There's no reason for them to stop. It's not really much effort for them to change the code and then start over.
"So there's a good chance they are going to do it... maybe not this weekend, but quite likely on Monday morning."
On Sunday he warned hackers could upgrade the virus to remove the "kill switch" that helped to stop it.
"Version 1 of WannaCrypt was stoppable but version 2.0 will likely remove the flaw. You're only safe if you patch ASAP," he tweeted.
Fellow security researcher Darien Huss, from tech firm Proofpoint, echoed MalwareTech's view.
"I highly suspect that, with the amount of coverage that this incident is getting, there are probably already people that are working to incorporate the exploit that was used for spreading," he said.
He said his research experience on targeted attacks made him doubt a nation state was involved here.
"This attack was so simple and unsophisticated, that leads me to believe the people or person involved, even though they are quite capable, they're more along the lines of an amateur," he said.
Investigators are working to track down those responsible for the ransomware used on Friday, known as Wanna Decryptor or WannaCry.
The virus exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows software, first identified by the US National Security Agency, experts have said.
Europol described the cyber-attack as "unprecedented" and said its cyber-crime team was working with affected countries to "mitigate the threat and assist victims".
Oliver Gower, of the UK's National Crime Agency, added: "Cyber criminals may believe they are anonymous, but we will use all the tools at our disposal to bring them to justice."
In the UK, critics said the government had known about the threat of a cyber-attack for some time, but hospitals had not made the right upgrades to protect themselves.
A security update - or patch - was released by Microsoft in March to protect against the virus, but it appears many NHS organisations had not applied it or were using an older version of the operating system no longer supported - namely Windows XP.
NHS Digital said that 4.7% of devices within the NHS use Windows XP, with the figure continuing to decrease.
But Kingsley Manning, a former chairman of NHS Digital, said several hundred thousand computers were still running the out-of-date operating system.
Mr Manning told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: "Some trusts took the advice that was offered to them very seriously and acted on it and some of them may not have done.
"If you're sitting in a hard-pressed hospital in the middle of England, it is difficult to see that as a greater priority than dealing with outpatients or A&E."
The Liberal Democrats and Labour have both demanded an inquiry into the cyber-attack.
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An Andy Murray super-fan has said he impulsively booked tickets to Rio to watch the Olympic final after seeing the tennis ace get through the semis.

Alistair Panton told BBC Radio Five Live: "I missed seeing Andy win in London and I think that's why I came out here to see him win in Rio."
He flew back to Aberdeen just hours after Murray's victory over Juan Martin del Potro.
Murray became the first tennis player to win two Olympic singles titles.
The 29-year-old secured a 7-5 4-6 6-2 7-5 victory to make it GB's most successful day at an overseas Games with five gold medals.
The see-saw match at the Rio 2016 Olympics featured 14 breaks of serve.
The day before the final, Mr Panton said he had gone to watch Aberdeen play Hearts while keeping an eye on the result of Murray's semi-final with Japanese fourth seed Kei Nishikori.
"Of course Andy progressed, by which time I was making my way to the airport from Aberdeen, down to London and constantly trying to book my trip as I went along - from London to Sao Paulo and then down to Rio," he said.
Mr Panton, who lives in Aberdeen, said he had made a similar trip to Melbourne for the Australian Open in January, when Murray was defeated in three sets by Novak Djokovic.
But he said he was not the only fan to go to such lengths to follow one of his favourite sports stars around the globe.
"There are a couple of others. There's a guy from New Zealand who travels over as well," he told the BBC.
"I love being there for the big moments. I've missed a couple in the past and you think, I wish I was there as life's so short - just go for it."
Speaking at the match, Mr Panton said he had no plans to stay on in Rio to watch other events.
"The last flight out of here is back to Portugal tonight so I've got to be on that," he said.


The Jersey resident and co-founder of Moneysupermarket.com, Simon Nixon, has become a billionaire according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

Mr Nixon joined the billionaire list after selling the last of his shares for the price comparison website.
The Channel Islands have five billionaires, with the Barclay brothers still the wealthiest.
Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay are valued at £7bn, which has risen by £500m.
The 81-year-old brothers last year sold their stake in a group of luxury London hotels.
They are based in Monaco, and own the island of Brecqhou near to Sark, as well as owning the Ritz in London.
Sir David and Sir Frederick have closed their Sark hotels for the foreseeable future but continue to maintain interests in the islands.
They also own the Telegraph Media Group, which made £54m profit last year.
Retail magnates Sir Philip and Lady Green, in second place, appear in the Channel Island list because their Taveta business, which owns Arcadia, is based in Jersey.
The couple's wealth is down £280m to £3.22bn.
There are two other Channel Island billionaires whose wealth has increased over the past year.
Specsavers founders, Douglas and Dame Mary Perkins, who are based in Guernsey, saw their fortune go up by £100m.
Guernsey-based Steve Lansdown, whose wealth comes from financial services, has seen his wealth rise by £107m to £1.4bn.
1. Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay (Brecqhou) - £7bn
2. Sir Philip and Lady Green (Jersey) - £3.22bn
3. Douglas and Dame Mary Perkins and family (Guernsey) - £1.55bn
4. Steve Lansdown (Guernsey) - £1.4bn
5. Simon Nixon (Jersey) - £1.026bn
6. Douw Steyn and family (Guernsey) - £700m
7. The Clarke family (Jersey) - £500m
8. Tony Buckingham (Jersey) - £425m
9. Graham Tuckwell (Jersey) - £273m
10. Guy and Julia Hands (Guernsey) - £260m
11. James Vernon (Jersey) - £250m
12. David Crossland and family (Jersey) - £200m
13. Derek Coates (Guernsey) - £190m
14. Ronnie Frost (Guernsey) - £160m
15. Gordon Crawford (Jersey) - £122m
16 = Brian de Zille and family (Jersey) - £120m
16 = Con Folkes and family (Jersey) - £120m
18 = Roger Baines and family (Guernsey) - £110m
18 = Nigel Jagger and family (Jersey) - £110m


A warrant has been issued for the arrest of an 88-year-old Gwynedd woman who failed to attend court on Friday accused of six motoring offences.

Ada Cook, from Ffestiniog, is charged with taking a car without consent and driving without a licence or insurance in Towyn on 27 January - and the same offences in Rhyl two days later.
She also failed to appear in Prestatyn magistrates court on 12 June.
District Judge Gwyn Jones said he issued the warrant "with regret".


A man and a woman have been taken to hospital with serious injuries after a crash in Aberdeenshire.

The pair had to be cut free from the wreckage.
The crash happened near Midmar just before midday.


In the last two weeks Owen Smith has gone from someone who one MP described as "just playing games" to being the official challenger to Jeremy Corbyn.

Can he pull off a far bigger ask of actually beating him, and demolishing Mr Corbyn's mountain of membership support?
On his side is, finally perhaps, unity among the vast majority of Labour MPs and MEPs.
Angela Eagle dropped out with dignity so that there would be only one candidate. Owen Smith was warm in his tribute to her tonight and dropped heavy hints about campaigning side by side with her in the next two months to smooth the way for senior MPs to work together.
It's understood that he has promised her the position of shadow chancellor if he wins the post. And despite some disquiet inside the party about not fielding a female candidate, in most quarters there is relief and a new focus now there is only one candidate and the race is under way.
Yet if the contest were held tomorrow it's highly likely that Mr Corbyn would win again, setting off an unpredictable chain of events that might lead to the party's end. MPs have withdrawn their support, made it clear that they don't think he is up to the job, former ministers, former party leaders, some of his former supporters have made it abundantly clear they don't think he is up to the job.
Yet still he has hung on, and his team are as determined to battle on through a long, hot summer.
As I write, they feel sure the core of the membership is on their side.
There is however from MPs and even from some union sources, anecdotal evidence that his party support is shakier than it once was. One union boss told me "it has to be Owen".
But last summer Mr Corbyn and his team set off something not seen for many years, a political excitement among some people on the left that propelled him into office.
Turning that around, not least without causing resentment and disillusionment, is a massive task. But by manoeuvring himself onto the ballot Mr Smith has shown he has the energy and ambition to give it a damn good try.


More than three-quarters of shows at this year's Celtic Connections were sold out, according to organisers.

As the 18-day festival of traditional and roots music came to a close in Glasgow, they said 176 out of 222 ticketed events were sold out.
More than 110,000 people attended festival events which saw 2,375 musicians from 50 countries perform.
Artistic director Donald Shaw said: "The past 18 days have been exhilarating and unforgettable."
He said: "From the intimate intensity of Laura Marling accompanied for the first time by a full orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, to a Ceilidh led by Aidan Moffat.
"From the stunning virtuosity of an evening of maestros of stringed instruments from Brazil, India and the US dazzling the audience with their skills, to Tryst which saw 10 specially-commissioned new pieces for pipes.
"One of the many true joys of Celtic Connections is that within our tradition of Celtic music and international collaborations, we do not think about creative boundaries.
"Instead, we present on our stages some of the most brilliant musicians working today and explore the richness and diversity of the music we are celebrating."
He added: "The journey we have been on through Celtic Connections 2017 has shown the power of live music to connect with individual lives and to resonate with the wider world in which we all live, and we are already looking forward to presenting Celtic Connections in 2018, in what is going to be a very special 25th anniversary year."