Raghuram Rajan, the governor of India's central bank,  is to step down in early September at the end of his term.

He had been expected to stay on in the role but will return to academia.
Mr Rajan had been "open" to continuing after his initial three-year term, but has made his move after "due reflection and consultation with the government".
The former IMF economist, who was one of the few to predict the 2008 financial crisis, has been praised for his handling of the Indian economy.
It is now the fastest growing major economy in the world.
However he has faced pressure from a faction within Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party for keeping interest rates high.  There has also been criticism that he had begun to stray into politics.
Analysis: Simon Atkinson, India Business Editor, Mumbai
Raghuram Rajan's exit (or Rexit as it has been labelled here) has thrown up more questions than answers. And the biggest of all: did he walk or was he pushed?
Certainly the comment that he'd been open to staying but made his decision "after due reflection and in consultation with the government" is leading many here to conclude he'd been told to go quietly.
The RBI governor has had plenty of public detractors - including one recently from a senior figure in the ruling BJP party that he was "mentally not fully Indian" because he has a US green card.
But while not pleasing all politicians - Mr Rajan's economic track record means he's hugely respected by investors both at home and abroad.
And with India relying heavily on foreign investment to keep its growth going, there is a lingering worry that the country's economic credibility overseas could now be called into question by the decision not to make sure the man nicknamed the "rockstar" banker was talked into staying for another term.
In a letter to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) workers, Mr Rajan remarked that two of his major policy ideas - the creation of a monetary policy committee to set interest rates and reform of the heavily indebted banking sector - had not been completed.
He also made passing reference to the referendum in the UK next week on EU membership.
"Colleagues, we have worked with the government over the last three years to create a platform of macroeconomic and institutional stability," he said.
"I am sure the work we have done will enable us to ride out imminent sources of market volatility like the threat of Brexit."
His term of office ends on 4 September.
It will be the first time in 24 years that an RBI chief has departed after a single three-year term.


Protesters have burnt 13 schools in two areas in South Africa's northern Limpopo province in a violent dispute over district boundaries, police say.

Government officials appealed for an end to the violence, saying it affected the education of hundreds of children.
Protesters say moves to include their neighbourhoods into a new municipality would delay efforts to get them better housing and water.
South Africa is due to hold key local government elections in August.
Opposition parties hope to make gains at the polls, arguing that the governing African National Congress (ANC) has failed to improve basic services during its 22-year rule.
The ANC disputes this, saying most people have a far better standard of living since it took power at the end of minority rule in 1994.
Eight of the 13 schools were torched overnight, bringing to 13 the number of schools targeted since Monday, reports the BBC's Pumza Fihlani from the main city Johannesburg.
On Friday, protesters failed in a court bid to prevent the inclusion of the mainly poor Vuwani and Livubu areas into a new district authority.
The government says the plan is vital to developing the two communities.
South Africa has a history of violent demonstrations, going back to the days when people protested minority rule and it seems that this attitude still remains, our correspondent says.
People are often so frustrated about the lack of basic services like electricity and water that they resort to vandalism, targeting schools, libraries and even clinics, she adds.
The government has often criticised the violence, saying it would leave communities worse off.
Limpopo is one of South Africa's poorest provinces, where the ANC has won previous elections by an overwhelming majority.
The main opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), hope to weaken the ANC's hold in the province in the August elections.


A man is being sought on suspicion of drugs and firearms offences after an armed police raid on a house in Surrey.

One woman was held on suspicion of drug-related offences and two men were detained for allegedly obstructing police during the 06:00 BST operation.
Officers had believed another man with a suspected firearm was inside the house in Careys Wood, Smallfield, but no-one else was found during a search.
Surrey Police later said they were looking for 57-year-old Paul Hodge.
A number of suspected firearms were recovered from the house during the pre-planned operation which saw a police cordon put in place around the property and roads sealed off.
Paramedics were on standby, and local residents reported seeing a drone being sent up.
Det Insp Paul Burrill, senior investigating officer, urged anyone who knew of Mr Hodge's whereabouts not to approach him but to call 999.
Police are currently making enquiries in the wider Redhill area to trace him, they said.
Warrants were also executed at 15 other addresses across east Surrey as part of an operation to dismantle the supply of Class A drugs.
Ten people were arrested.


Detectives have issued a fresh appeal to find a 58-year-old mother-of-three who disappeared four months ago.

Janet McQueen left her dog, mobile phone and money at her flat in Langside Road in the Govanhill area of Glasgow on 18 October last year.
Police said that despite door-to-door inquiries and numerous appeals there had been no trace of her since.
They said the past four months had been a "horrible" and "very distressing" time for her family.
Insp Alex Hutton, who is leading the search for her, said that on the day of her disappearance she was reported to have been acting in a distressed state on a bus.
He said: "This is a horrible time for the family; they just don't know where Janet is or what, if anything, has happened to her.
"The family kept in touch with each other and for Janet to be out of contact for so long is concerning and very, very distressing for them."
Mrs McQueen left her flat at about 21:00 Tuesday 18 October, leaving behind her dog Palsy, phone and money.
Insp Hutton added: "We know that earlier in the day she appeared somewhat distressed whilst travelling on a bus, so much so that the driver called police and she was taken home to family, however, for whatever reason, she headed out around 9pm.
"While there is nothing at this time to indicate any suspicious circumstances or that anything untoward has happened to Janet, it is very unusual for someone to just disappear without any trace.
"Officers have trawled through hours and hours of CCTV looking her, and we've been liaising with her bank in case there has been any activity on her account but so far nothing."
Insp Hutton urged anyone with information about Mrs McQueen's whereabouts to come forward.
She is described as being 5ft tall, of slim build, with short black hair. When last seen she was wearing glasses, a black anorak and dark-coloured trousers.


A judge in Guatemala has suspended the trial of former military ruler Efrain Rios Montt.

He was being tried for a counter-insurgency plan that killed more than 1,700 members of the Ixil indigenous group in 1982.
Judge Carol Patricia Flores said she was following a directive from the country's Supreme Court.
Mr Rios Montt, who ruled Guatemala between 1982-1983, denies the charges.
Judge Flores ordered the legal process to be set back to November 2011, before the retired general was charged with war crimes.
"I am not doing this because I want to, but because it has been ordered by the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court," she said.
The 86-year-old has been on trial since March.
He faces charges of crimes against humanity in connection with the killing of 1,771 indigenous Mayans during his 17-month rule in 1982-1983.
Prosecutors said Gen Rios Montt wanted to wipe out the indigenous group, which he suspected of supporting rebel fighters.
The proceedings were expected to last months, with hundreds of witnesses, since the prosecution admits there is no evidence directly linking Mr Rios Montt to the killings.
The former general abandoned politics in 2012, after serving in Congress for a number of years.
He has been under house arrest since his immunity from prosecution was lifted at the end of his term.
Mr Rios Montt is also facing charges over the forced displacement of 29,000 indigenous Guatemalans as part of what human rights groups have called his "scorched earth" policy.
An estimated 200,000 people were killed or went missing during Guatemala's 36-year civil conflict, which ended in 1996.
Mr Rios Montt's 17 months in power are believed to have been one of the most violent periods of the war.


A total of 109 people were involved in avalanche incidents as members of a group of walkers or climbers last winter, according to a new report.

Three people died following avalanches that occurred in a 10-day period in February, the Scottish Avalanche Information Service said.
SAIS added that two other fatalities during the winter of 2015/16 may also have involved avalanche activity.
The service recorded 205 avalanches between December 2015 and April.
Of the avalanches, SAIS said 159 were released naturally and 46 were incidents triggered by people.
Some of the avalanche occurrences were minor, but others were "more significant" and resulted in people being carried with down by the avalanche, the service said.
A total of 21 people were carried down by an avalanche, it said.
In its report, SAIS, which has not named the three fatalities, said: "Significantly, 21 human triggered avalanche incidents occurred during a 10-day period in February, with three fatalities.
"This period was also during the mid-term holidays and coincided with stormy conditions, poor visibility, snowpack instability and when considerable to high levels of avalanche hazard were issued by the SAIS, notably in the Lochaber and Creag Meagaidh areas."
February saw the deaths of Adrian Bankart, 54, from Derbyshire, following an avalanche on Creag Meagaidh and Rachel Slater, 24, and Tim Newton, 27, from Bradford, who mountain rescuers say were caught by an avalanche before starting a climb on the North Face of Ben Nevis.
SAIS assesses avalanche hazards in six mountain areas.
These are Lochaber, Glen Coe, Creag Meagaidh, Southern Cairngorms, Northern Cairngorms and Torridon.
The service provides information on the stability of snowpack on the mountains from between December and April.
Every winter, hillwalkers and climbers are advised to check SAIS and mountain weather forecasts before planning trips into Scotland's hills.
In its report it said the winter of 2015/16 saw severe storm cycles crossing the Atlantic and bringing "very strong storm force winds" with severe gusts.
Wind speeds reached 140mph on mountain tops and often continual 100mph speeds persisting throughout some days.
Arctic conditions were experienced at the end of January with northerly and easterly bringing colder temperatures and fresh snow "that presented a period of instabilities within the snow pack, and different challenges", said SAIS.
In the winter of 2013/14, the service documented one of its highest numbers of avalanches with 350 snow slides detected during one of the snowiest winters in Scotland's mountains in almost 70 years.
SAIS's newest season is to begin on 17 December.


Tributes have been paid to Leo Brennan, father of musicians Enya and Moya Brennan from Clannad, who has passed away at the age of 90.

He died on Wednesday at his home in Gweedore, County Donegal, surrounded by his family.
His daughter, Moya, tweeted: "We will miss him so much but what a wonderful life."
Mr Brennan spent much of his life playing accordion, saxophone and singing with the Slieve Foy Dance Band.
In 1968 he set up 'Leo's Tavern'. It became synonymous with Irish traditional music attracting many star names.
Cathal Póirtéiron, a writer and presenter with RTÉ, knew Leo Brennan well.
"Anybody who knew Leo at all would have very fond memories of him because he was just a very decent man.
"You couldn't walk through the door of the pub but he'd have a quick look and if you'd ever been fortunate, or unfortunate enough, to have been called to sing a song or play a bit of music 10, 15 or 20 years before that, Leo would remember and the call would come and you really couldn't refuse him. He was really a very generous man.
"I would have started going up to west Donegal in the 70s and 80s and if you went in to Leo's he would be playing and if you went to the Errigal hotel in Gweedore his sister Anne-Marie would be playing."
A statement on Enya Brennan's Facebook said: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Enya's father, Mr Leo Brennan.
"Enya had the opportunity to be with her father during his last days. Leo died peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by his family.
"Our thoughts are with Enya at his time. Enya and her family request privacy during this time, as you will understand."
Five family members, including four of Leo Brennan's children, began their musical career forming the group Clannad.
They achieved worldwide fame with their distinctive brand of Celtic harmony.
Enya left the group and went on to pursue a successful solo career, selling more than 80 million albums around the world.
Moya Brennan has been nominated for two Grammys and won an Emmy Award as part of the team involved in a two-part American documentary on Irish music.
Leo Brennan's funeral will take place in Derrybeg, County Donegal on Friday.


The United States is seeking the extradition of the former vice-president of Guatemala, Roxana Baldetti, Guatemalan officials say.

US officials suspect Ms Baldetti, 55, of drug trafficking.
Ms Baldetti was arrested in 2015 on charges of money laundering an illicit enrichment in Guatemala. She denies all of the allegations against her.
Officials said she would have to face trial in Guatemala first before being extradited to the United States.
Prosecutors in Washington DC accuse Ms Baldetti of conspiring to import cocaine to the US between 2010 and 2015.
She stepped down from office in May 2015 after she came under suspicion of forming part of a customs fraud scandal dubbed La Línea (The Line) which had implicated her personal secretary.
Police arrested her in August 2015 while she was in hospital receiving treatment.
The allegations against her and then-President Otto Pérez Molina triggered mass protests which eventually  forced Mr Pérez Molina to step down in September 2015.
Like Ms Baldetti, Mr Pérez Molina is in jail awaiting trial on corruption charges related to the customs fraud.
Elections held just weeks after Mr Pérez Molina stepped down were won by Jimmy Morales, a former TV comedian with no experience in government who campaigned on a promise to fight graft.


A fresh appeal has been made in a bid to find a man wanted in connection with a fatal crash five years ago.

Ricky Burlton, 20, from Enfield, London, died after he was hit by a car on the A10 exit slip road at Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.
Officers want to question Alexi Shyti, who is thought to have been living under an assumed named at the time.
Mr Shyti, believed to have been driving a Rover involved in the crash, fled the country the next day.
Albania national Mr Shyti sustained serious facial injuries in the crash on 4 June 2010, and was at Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield when police found him.
It is believed Mr Shyti - who told police he was Greek man Georgios Tsoulos - was living in the UK illegally with a fake EU passport.
Det Insp Pushpa Guild urged anyone with information on Mr Shyti's whereabouts to contact police.
"We know Aleksi Shyti had been in Albania and would also ask anyone with connections there and who knows where he may be to call us.
"We believe he may have now travelled to Greece and he also has connections to Italy.
"In the UK, he had connections in Hertfordshire, North London and Loughborough in Leicestershire."
Ricky's mother Dawn said: "Five years is an extremely long time not knowing what truly happened to our precious son and brother.
"However, the one thing Ricky's mother, brothers and sister have is our unity as Ricky's family to continue with our search to find Aleksi Shyti."


A Turner Prize-winning artist has used an axe to attack the wall of a theatre where he has staged a new play to scathing reviews.

Douglas Gordon has directed Neck of the Woods, starring Charlotte Rampling, at the Home theatre in Manchester.
Critics have described it as a "vanity project" and "humourless and sedate".
The show features several axes, and Gordon is thought to have wielded an unused prop to take a chunk out of the wall, which he then signed and dated.
He inflicted the damage on Saturday, the day after Neck of the Woods opened as part of the Manchester International Festival (MIF).
The show begins with the sound of an axe, and the stage has a number of axes screwed to it.
The Daily Telegraph said Neck of the Woods had "the unmistakable whiff of a vanity project", with a script that "simply isn't very good", while "Rampling looks terribly uncomfortable most of the time".
The Guardian, meanwhile, described it as a "humourless and sedate Red Riding Hood retelling" that "takes itself very seriously" and is "so old-fashioned you wonder if Gordon has any familiarity at all with contemporary theatre".
MIF artistic director Alex Poots said: "We understand that one of our artists acted in a wholly inappropriate way on Saturday night, causing slight damage to the fabric of Home's new building.
"This is totally unacceptable, and the artist involved will be paying for repairs.
"MIF and the artist have contacted staff who were present and our co-commissioning partners at Home to apologise."
Mr Poots went on to say that the festival supported artists to make ambitious shows.
He added: "We do not support or condone reckless, inappropriate or intimidating behaviour and will work with our co-commissioning partners and artistic and producing teams to ensure that this doesn't happen again."
Gordon won the Turner Prize in 1996.
Home opened in May after being built at a cost of Â£25m.


A man has pleaded guilty to murdering another man who was stabbed to death at a flat in Brighton on Christmas Day.

Oliver Parsons, 31, admitted murdering Joe Lewis, 24, from Rustington, West Sussex, who died at the scene in Montague Street at about 01:00 GMT.
A post-mortem examination revealed Mr Lewis died from a stab wound to the heart at the flat in Warwick Mount.
Parsons, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody by Lewes Crown Court for sentencing on Tuesday.
He pleaded guilty at the start of a trial which had been expected to last five or six days.


At least 52 people were killed when a lorry plunged 200m (650ft) off a road into a gorge in the Cusco region of south-eastern Peru, officials say.

Most of those on board were travelling home from a religious festival in the Andean district of Santa Teresa, according to a local fire chief.
Investigators say there were no survivors from Friday night's accident.
People often travel by lorry in the Peruvian Andes because of a shortage of public transport.
The mayor of the Santa Teresa district, Ruben Pinto, said the search operation was continuing but that children were among the victims.
"The vehicle remains trapped in a gorge of the River Yanatile, there are no survivors," chief investigator Juan Carlos Valverde told Peruvian radio.
"At the moment we are carrying out the identification, registration and handing over of bodies to the families who are here."
"Regrettably, those who have lost their lives are peasant farmers like us," Mr Pinto said. "The town of Santa Teresa is not prepared for an accident of this scale."


About 200 people carrying rainbow flags descended on an east London supermarket for a mass "kissathon" after they received a complaint about a gay couple holding hands.

Thomas Rees, 32, and Joshua Bradwell, 25, were in Sainsbury's on Hackney Road when a guard told them a woman had complained about their behaviour.
The protestors danced outside the Hackney Road store on Saturday night before kissing in the aisles.
Sainsbury's apologised for the incident and offered the couple a Â£10 voucher.
Mr Rees said he had been holding Mr Bradwell's hand and may have put an arm around his partner's waist as they were buying food on Monday evening.
But after they paid, a security guard beckoned them outside to tell them about the complaint.
Mr Rees said it "knocked me for six" and left him "analysing how I'm perceived", but since the incident they had received messages of support from around the world.
Mr Bradwell said the number of people who turned out to support them was "absolutely insane".
During the event one person was heard to shout at the group to "get off my street", but the protesters carried on undeterred.
A spokesperson for Sainsbury's, which provided biscuits and water for the protesters, said: "It's been a really great event and an important opportunity for the community to show their support.
"We do our best to make sure everyone feels welcome in our stores but occasionally we make mistakes. We are working hard to make sure lessons are learnt."
The supermarket said it was conducting an investigation into the incident.
Two years ago, a "big kiss" protest was held at a Sainsbury's store in Brighton after a lesbian couple were asked to leave when one gave her partner a kiss on the cheek.


Hampshire's Adam Wheater has re-joined Essex on loan for the rest of the County Championship season.

The 26-year-old wicketkeeper, who came through the academy at Chelmsford, joined Hampshire in 2013.
He is the county's leading first-class run scorer in 2016, with 850 runs, two centuries and career-best 204 not out against Warwickshire in July.
Meanwhile all-rounder Ashar Zaidi, 35, has signed a new two-year contract with the Division Two club.
Wheater has only missed one County Championship game for Hampshire this season as they battle to avoid relegation from Division One.
"It is good to have one of our own coming back to the club," said Essex head coach Chris Silverwood.
"Adam has a proven record with the bat and gloves at Division One level so he will be a valuable asset to us as the season reaches its climax."
Zaidi enjoyed a fine season in the T20 Blast, hitting 23 sixes and 59 from 24 balls against Middlesex to help Essex qualify for the quarter-final.
"I am delighted the club have shown trust in me and given me further opportunities to show my capabilities," Zaidi told the club website.
"There is a great bunch of people throughout the club working hard to deliver success. Hopefully we can continue to be in contention for silverware throughout my time with the club."


More than 60 people are reported to have died in Kenya after drinking homemade alcohol believed to have been laced with industrial chemicals.

Dozens of others are said to have been blinded since Sunday after drinking the illicit brew in four counties.
Officials say it may have contained methanol - a toxic substance used to boost the strength of the drink.
Consumption of homemade brew is popular in Kenya, where most people cannot afford to buy standardised alcohol.
In pictures: Kenya's traditional brewers
The deaths were reported in Embu, Kitui, Limuru and Kiambu counties.
The officials say the liquor could have come from the same distributor or the same batch.
In 2005, more than 45 people died after drinking illegal alcohol laced with methanol.
The drink is often known locally as "changaa" or "kumi kumi".
To prevent death from these liquors Kenya's government has tried to force backyard brewers into the open.
A bill was passed in 2010 to regulate production by legalising it, but requiring that it be commercially bottled and sold at licensed premises.


A large item of debris found off the coast of Tanzania belongs to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Australian investigators say.

The fragment, said to be the inboard section of the right, outboard flap of the plane, was recovered in June.
MH370, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, had 239 people on board when it vanished in March 2014.
The Boeing 777 is presumed to have crashed into the southern Indian Ocean after veering off course.
The piece is now being examined for any evidence that may indicate how the flap was operating at the time of separation from the wing, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in a report.
This could help throw light on whether the plane was being flown when it came down in the sea.
The part numbers and a date stamp on the piece, recovered on Pemba island, helped the investigation.
In addition to the Boeing part number, the report said, the identification stamps had an "OL" number, both unique identifiers to part construction.
The Italian part manufacturer then recovered build records for those numbers, confirming that they belonged to the missing plane.
Very slowly, the clues are piling up. All these pieces that keep washing ashore could eventually help to build a picture of the plane's final moments.
Scroll down the Australian investigators' report and you find this, important paragraph:
"At the time of writing, the flap section was being examined for any evidence of interaction with mechanisms, supports and surrounding components (such as the flaperon, which abuts the inboard end of the outboard flap) that may indicate the state of flap operation at the time of separation from the wing."
In plain English, it means that this piece MIGHT just help them work out if the flaps were extended when the plane hit the water. If they were, it COULD indicate that the aircraft was being flown by someone at the end. Flaps never extend automatically. So that starts to suggest a deliberate act.
Equally, if the flaps weren't extended, it points more to an accident. To be clear though, none of this will give anything close to definitive answer. It's just a little clue as to what happened.
A number of other pieces of debris, some confirmed to have come from MH370, have been found in recent months off the coast of neighbouring Mozambique and Madagascar.
They include a section of the wing called a flaperon, found on Reunion Island, and a horizontal stabilizer from the tail section and a stabilizer panel with a "No Step" stencil discovered in Mozambique.
All the debris are believed to have been driven westwards from the presumed crash site on ocean currents.
Australia has been leading the search for the missing aircraft, using underwater drones and sonar equipment deployed from specialist ships.
The search, also involving Malaysia and China, has led to more than 105,000 sq km (40,500 sq miles) of the 120,000 sq km search zone being scoured so far.
But countries have agreed that in the absence of "credible new information" the search is expected to end later this year.


Gloucestershire have signed South African all-rounder Graeme van Buuren on a two-year contract.

The 25-year-old, born in Pretoria, has a first-class batting average of 50.67 from 79 first-class innings.
The former South Africa Under-19 international has also taken 21 wickets in 38 Twenty20 matches and has played for the Northerns and the Titans.
"I'm excited to be here. It's an opportunity of a lifetime," he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
"I qualify to play as a local now. My wife is British - that's the route I can qualify to play for the county team.
"Hopefully if I have a good season I can maybe push to play for England."
Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson told the club website: "It is brilliant to have Graeme join our squad for the next couple of seasons.
"He has a proven track record and will add to the competition for places."


A record-breaking attempt to fly around the world in a solar-powered plane has completed its first leg.

The aircraft - called Solar Impulse-2 - took off from Abu Dhabi, heading east to Muscat in Oman.
With businessman and pilot Andre Borschbeg at the controls, the aircraft touched down in Oman at 16:14 GMT after a 12-hour flight.
Over the next five months, it will skip from continent to continent, crossing both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
"And there we are... confirmation we're down. Solar Impulse has touched the ground," a flight controller said as the plane's wheels touched the tarmac.
The single-seater vehicle took off at 07:12 local time (03:12 GMT).
Mr Borschberg will share the pilot duties in due course with fellow Swiss, Bertrand Piccard.
The plan is to stop off at various locations around the globe, to rest and to carry out maintenance, and also to spread a campaigning message about clean technologies.
Before taking off, Borschberg told BBC News: "I am confident we have a very special aeroplane, and it will have to be to get us across the big oceans.
"We may have to fly for five days and five nights to do that, and it will be a challenge.
"But we have the next two months, as we fly the legs to China, to train and prepare ourselves."
Monday's leg to Oman covered about 400km. Details of the journey are being relayed on the internet.
A solar revolution - by Roger Harrabin, BBC environment analyst
It's a deep-breath moment in the history of technology as Solar Impulse soars to the skies.
Because, pinch yourself, solar power is predicted to become the dominant source of electricity globally by 2050.
The price of solar electric panels fell 70% in recent years and costs are expected to halve again this decade.
And Deutsche Bank forecasts that, based on current fossil fuel prices, solar will produce power as cheaply as gas in two thirds of the world before 2020.
In the UK the solar industry thinks it can compete with wind within 18 months and with gas in the near future. In the USA, solar jobs already outnumber coal jobs.
The solar revolution was sparked by government subsidies, which attracted venture capitalists to fund innovation and created a huge market that Chinese manufacturers are battling to exploit.
The solar boom is a huge help in the battle against climate change, but scientists warn it's not nearly enough. And we must find ways of storing that mighty but capricious power, and making it work with the grid.
BBC iWonder: Is jet travel becoming the dirtiest way to cross the planet?
The Solar Impulse project has already set a number of world records for solar-powered flight, including making a high-profile transit of the US in 2013.
But the round-the-world venture is altogether more dramatic and daunting, and has required the construction of an even bigger plane than the prototype, Solar Impulse-1.
This new model has a wingspan of 72m, which is wider than a 747 jumbo jet. And yet, it weighs only 2.3 tonnes.
Its light weight will be critical to its success.
So, too, will the performance of the 17,000 solar cells that line the top of the wings, and the energy-dense lithium-ion batteries it will use to sustain night-time flying.
Operating through darkness will be particularly important when the men have to cross the Pacific and the Atlantic.
The slow speed of their prop-driven plane means these legs will take several days and nights of non-stop flying to complete.
Piccard and Borschberg - whoever is at the controls - will have to stay alert for nearly all of the time they are airborne.
They will be permitted only catnaps of up to 20 mins - in the same way a single-handed, round-the-world yachtsman would catch small periods of sleep.
They will also have to endure the physical discomfort of being confined in a cockpit that measures just 3.8 cubic metres in volume - not a lot bigger than a public telephone box.
Flight simulators have helped the pilots to prepare, and each man has developed his own regimen to cope.
Borschberg will use yoga to try to stay fresh. Piccard is using self-hypnosis techniques.
"But my passion also will keep me going," said Piccard.
"I had this dream 16 years ago of flying around the world without fuel, just on solar power. Now, we're about to do it. The passion is there and I look forward so much to being in the cockpit."
The support team is well drilled. While the mission will be run out of a control room in Monaco, a group of engineers will follow the plane around the globe. They have a mobile hangar to house the plane when it is not in the air.
It is not at all certain Solar Impulse will succeed. Computer modelling suggests the ocean crossings are feasible, given the right weather conditions.
But that same modelling has shown also that there may be occasions when the team simply has to sit tight on the ground for weeks before a fair window opens.
"Last year, we had a very good exercise. We went around the world virtually, but with actual conditions," explained Raymond Clerc, mission director.
"For the Pacific crossing, it was an easy decision. We had a very good window on 2 May. But when we were on the East Coast of the USA, we had to look to cross the Atlantic and we had to wait 30 days to find a good window. And then it was easy - 3.5 days and we were in Seville, [Spain]," he told BBC News.
If the pilots should come unstuck over the Pacific or the Atlantic, they will bail out and use ocean survival gear until they can be picked up by a ship.
Of the two protagonists, Andre Borschberg perhaps needs a little more introduction.
A trained engineer and former air-force pilot, he has built a career as an entrepreneur in internet technologies.
Bertrand Piccard, on the other hand, is well known for his ballooning exploits.
Along with Brian Jones, he completed the first non-stop, circumnavigation of the world in 1999, using the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon. The Piccard name is synonymous with pushing boundaries.
Bertrand's father, Jacques Piccard, was the first to reach the deepest place in the ocean (a feat achieved with Don Walsh in the Trieste bathyscaphe in 1960). And his grandfather, Auguste Piccard, was the first person to take a balloon into the stratosphere, in 1931.
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos


Bydd cynghorwyr Ceredigion yn cwrdd ddydd Gwener i benderfynu a ddylid dechrau'r broses o gau cartref gofal yn Aberystwyth.

Bu'r cyngor yn ceisio gwerthu cartref Bodlondeb ers dwy flynedd ac mae swyddogion y sir yn argymell ei gau.
Mae'r safle yn costio £400,000 y flwyddyn i'w gynnal ac mae angen gwaith adnewyddu ar yr adeilad yn ôl adroddiad gan swyddogion y sir.
Mae'n cyflogi 33 o staff. Dywed undeb y GMB y bydd cau'r cartref yn creu "gwagle mawr" yn y gofal sy'n cael ei gynnig yng nghanolbarth Cymru.
"Rydym wedi ein siomi gyda'r penderfyniad yma," meddai llefarydd, gan ychwanegu fod yr undebau wedi llwyddo i gadw'r cartref ar agor ar ôl brwydr debyg yn 2011.
Pe bai cynghorwyr yn pleidleisio dros gau byddai'r cartref yn rhoi'r gorau yn syth i dderbyn unrhyw drigolion newydd.
Mae'r adroddiad yn argymell cyfnod ymgynghori o wyth wythnos gyda theuluoedd, gyda'r penderfyniad terfynol i gau yn cael ei wneud gan y cabinet.
Ar hyn o bryd mae 13 o drigolion yno - 11 yn barhaol a dau dros dro. Byddai'n rhaid i'r trigolion presennol symud i gartref preswyl arall.
Mae gwelyau i 44 yn y cartref, ond dim ond 26 sydd wedi eu cofrestru, gan nad yw'r gweddill yn cyd-fynd â'r safonau angenrheidiol.
Mae Bodlondeb hefyd yn gallu cynnig gofal dyddiol i hyd at bump o bobl. Ar hyn o bryd mae un person yn mynd yno dau ddiwrnod bob wythnos.
Dywed Cyngor Ceredigion bod llefydd gwag mewn cartrefi eraill yn y sir a bod hyn yn ei dro yn adlewyrchu'r newid sydd wedi bod yn natur gofal yr henoed.
Yn gyffredinol yn ôl yr adroddiad mae pobl yn hŷn pan yn symud i ofal preswyl, a hynny gyda gofynion mwy cymhleth.
Dywed yr adroddiad fod Bwrdd Iechyd Hywel Dda wedi penderfynu yn erbyn gwneud cais i brynu'r safle.


Worcester Warriors scrum-half JB Bruzulier says the character the team showed in their thrilling, last-gasp Championship play-off final win over Bristol augurs well for next season.

The Welsh number nine, only playing in the absence of Charlie Mulchrone (injured) and Jonny Arr (suspended), was one of the stand-out performers.
"We showed the spirit at this club," he told BBC Hereford & Worcester.
"The character the boys showed says what we can go on and do next year."
Bruzulier's only action this season had been in Warriors' Monday night reserve team, the Worcester Cavaliers, as well as captaining effectively a second-string Warriors side to victory in the British & Irish Cup.
He then found himself thrust into the limelight when Worcester lost both their senior scrum-halves Mulchrone and Arr in the semi-final first-leg win over London Scottish.
But he was quick to pay tribute to the part the pair played in helping him perform to his maximum, both in the second leg and then in the two-leg final against Bristol, to help Worcester win back their place in the Premiership, a year on from being relegated.
"The reason I've not been first or second choice all year is because they've been so fantastic," he added. "But they've been great with me over the last two weeks, helping me out with all the calls.
"When you're playing for the Cavaliers, you can chill out and have fun. It's a more serious business with the first team. But it was great to be part of it all against Bristol and show such spirit.
"Our defence was massive and to then come back from 14 points down with 10 minutes left to win was incredible. We didn't think we'd do it, but we had the character to see it through."
While Bruzulier took his chance well over Warriors' final three play-off matches, the only scrum-half cover they had on the bench was 17-year-old schoolboy Jamie Shillcock, who was in the middle of revision for his 'A' levels at Warwick School.
Shillcock, along with five other players (winger Josh Adams, locks Charlie Hewitt, 20, and Justin Clegg, 18, and props Gareth Milasinovich, 22, and James Page, 17) has now been rewarded with a place in the Academy set-up at Sixways next season.
Current Academy player, lock Andrew Kitchener, has extended his stay at Sixways while continuing his studies at Birmingham University.
Jack Singleton, Huw Taylor and Sam Smith make up the rest of next season's Academy squad, while Tiff Eden, Christian Scotland-Williamson and Mike Daniels, who signed contracts earlier this year, move into the first team squad.
Meanwhile, prop Rob O'Donnell, 29, has joined Yorkshire Carnegie on a two-year contract after three years at Sixways, becoming the ambitious Leeds club's ninth signing ahead of next season.


Scotland held on for an unconvincing victory over Canada in Toronto in the second Test of their summer tour.

The hosts will count themselves unlucky, with Jeff Hassler touching down and James Pritchard kicking the rest of their points.
Scotland struggled to impose themselves in attack after Grant Gilchrist scored his first international try.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Stuart Hogg thumped over a long-range penalty, with Greig Laidlaw's boot providing the remaining points.
Next up for Vern Cotter's charges is a Test against Argentina and the Scots will need to deliver a much improved performance to be competitive in Buenos Aires.
The visitors started brightly and Laidlaw showed great judgement in windy conditions to kick them into the lead with an early penalty after Canada went down in the scrum.
Phil Mack thought he had put the hosts ahead in six minutes when the scrum-half ran over but Hassler had knocked on in the build up.
Laidlaw then had a try ruled out for a knock-on following a messy Canadian scrum, as mistakes littered the early stages.
Former Glasgow Warriors winger Taylor Paris showed his pace with a fine run and Hogg was penalised for going off his feet to stop him, with Pritchard knocking it between the posts to level the scores.
And it was 8-3 to the home side when centre Ciaran Hearn's excellent run and off-load set up Hassler to cross the line, despite the attentions of Tim Visser. Pritchard missed the conversion.
The points kept coming and this time it was the Scots who grabbed a try, as Laidlaw's pass freed Gilchrist to barge his way over. Laidlaw converted.
Alasdair Strokosch left the field on a stretcher with a neck injury after putting his head in where it hurts to help halt a rampaging Canada attack.
Cotter's Scots were finding good positions in the final third but all-too often their handling was below-par as chances came and went.
Laidlaw banged over a simple penalty three minutes from the break following another scrum infringement and it 13-8 as the sides left the field.
Scotland started the second half by conceding a soft penalty after a handling offence, and Pritchard slotted over.
Canada took a deserved 14-13 lead when Scotland were caught offside, allowing Pritchard to knock over another penalty.
The Scots began to build again, though, with Visser and Hogg leading the charge, and the latter banged over a penalty from just inside the Canada half for a 16-14 lead.
Pritchard saw a penalty come back off the post and Laidlaw reacted well to clear, but the Canadians were in the ascendancy and the lively Phil Mack was a real threat.
As the visitors were caught offside again, Pritchard had another look at the posts and this time he made no mistake, giving the hosts a 17-16 lead with 10 minutes to play.
But replacement scrum-half Gordon McRorie's poor kick put Canada in trouble straight from the restart, and an offside decision allowed Laidlaw to fire Scotland ahead.
Canada were forced to play the last few minutes with 14 men after Jebb Sinclair saw red for leading with the elbow on Ruaridh Jackson, and the Scots held on for the win.
Canada: Pritchard, Hassler, Hearn, Blevins, Paris, Jones, Mack, Buydens, Carpenter, Marshall, Hotson, Cudmore, Sinclair, Moonlight, Ardron.
Replacements: van der Merwe for Paris (46), McRorie for Mack (71), Tiedemann for Buydens (55), Barkwill for Carpenter (59). Not Used: Ilnicki, Gilmour, Phelan, Braid. Sent Off: Sinclair (76).
Scotland: Hogg, Maitland, Lamont, Horne, Visser, Russell, Laidlaw, Reid, Lawson, M. Low, Gray, Gilchrist, Strokosch, Brown, Beattie, Jackson.
Replacements: Evans for Visser (76), Jackson for Russell (65), Cross for M. Low (49), Cowan for Strokosch (31), K. Low for Brown (49), Bryce for Beattie (63), Hart for Jackson (77). Not Used: Traynor.
Att: 18,788
Ref: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)


A man has been charged with the murder of a mother and her 13-year-old son who were stabbed to death at their home.

Tracey Wilkinson and her son Pierce were killed in the attack in Stourbridge, West Midlands. The boy's father, Peter, was seriously injured.
Aaron Barley, 23, of no fixed address, has also been charged with the attempted murder of Mr Wilkinson, police said.
He is due to appear before Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Saturday.
The family were discovered by emergency crews at the house in Greyhound Lane, Norton, on Thursday morning.
Mrs Wilkinson was pronounced dead at the scene while her son died in hospital.
Mr Wilkinson, believed to be a company director for local firm Hill & Smith Ltd, was found in the garden of the house.
He remains in hospital with stab wounds to his chest and back.
West Midlands Police said a post-mortem examination and formal identification will take place on Monday.
A neighbour of the victims described seeing two people being carried from the house on stretchers into ambulances.
Asked to describe the family, she said: "We just knew them as neighbours and asked how the kids were when we saw them in the street.
"They were just really, really friendly. They had lived there about seven or eight years and what has happened is just desperately sad."
The executive headteacher of Pierce's school paid tribute to the teenager.
Stephen Dunster, of Redhill School in Stourbridge, said: "Pierce was a loyal, caring and conscientious pupil who will be sadly missed by all members of our school community.
"He always met everyone with a smile and was a kind and thoughtful young man.
"He was passionate about his football team, West Bromwich Albion, and was devoted to his pet greyhound.
"He was a loving son and brother. Our thoughts and prayers remain with his family."
Pupils and staff at the school are being offered professional help and counselling following the deaths.
Stourbridge MP Margot James said she knew of the family through the local Conservative Association and said the community will do all it can to offer its support.
She added: "My reaction is probably the same as everyone else in Stourbridge - absolute shock and horror that anything like this could happen in someone's normal day in my constituency.
"It is a truly tragic and awful event."


Millwall extended their unbeaten streak to six games with a League One stalemate against fellow play-off hopefuls Charlton Athletic in the south London derby at The Valley.

Lee Gregory had the best chance of the first half, but his lobbed effort just crept wide.
Charlton, who had both top scorer Josh Magennis and debutant Lewis Page withdraw during the opening exchanges through injury, responded with a volleyed effort from Nathan Byrne which tested the palms of Jordan Archer.
After a drab start to the second-half, Millwall were the first to force a chance in the shape of substitute Shane Ferguson, who flashed his volley wide.
The Lions then increased the pressure when Steve Morison's goal-bound shot was cleared by Jorge Teixeira before Shaun Hutchinson should have done better with a header that went past the post.
Centre-back Byron Webster failed to get his header from Shaun Williams' corner on target while Gregory somehow saw a header go just wide.
Following the full-time whistle, Teixeira was then red carded for an off-the-ball incident.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Charlton Athletic 0, Millwall 0.
Second yellow card to Jorge Teixeira (Charlton Athletic) for a bad foul.
Second Half ends, Charlton Athletic 0, Millwall 0.
Attempt saved. Patrick Bauer (Charlton Athletic) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Andrew Crofts (Charlton Athletic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Shaun Williams (Millwall).
Lee Gregory (Millwall) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
(Charlton Athletic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lee Gregory (Millwall).
Attempt missed. Lee Gregory (Millwall) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Chris Solly (Charlton Athletic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Chris Solly (Charlton Athletic).
Shane Ferguson (Millwall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Byron Webster (Millwall) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right following a corner.
Corner,  Millwall. Conceded by Ezri Konsa Ngoyo.
Corner,  Millwall. Conceded by Patrick Bauer.
Foul by Ezri Konsa Ngoyo (Charlton Athletic).
Shaun Williams (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Charlton Athletic. Ricky Holmes replaces Jay Dasilva.
Attempt missed. Lee Gregory (Millwall) right footed shot from the right side of the box is just a bit too high.
Byron Webster (Millwall) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Tony Watt (Charlton Athletic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Byron Webster (Millwall).
Attempt missed. Shaun Hutchinson (Millwall) header from the centre of the box misses to the left.
Attempt blocked. Steve Morison (Millwall) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is blocked.
Foul by Chris Solly (Charlton Athletic).
Lee Gregory (Millwall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Shane Ferguson (Millwall) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt missed. Shane Ferguson (Millwall) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left.
Corner,  Millwall. Conceded by Chris Solly.
Substitution, Millwall. David Worrall replaces Fred Onyedinma.
Substitution, Millwall. Shane Ferguson replaces Aiden O'Brien.
Jorge Teixeira (Charlton Athletic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Steve Morison (Millwall).
Attempt blocked. Ezri Konsa Ngoyo (Charlton Athletic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Tony Watt (Charlton Athletic).
Shaun Williams (Millwall) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Patrick Bauer (Charlton Athletic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Steve Morison (Millwall).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.


Police are appealing for witnesses after a man spat in the face of a Spaniard and subjected him to racist abuse.

The incident happened as the Spanish man passed a bus stop beside Marco Polo and Tesco in Hawkhill, Dundee, at about 19:10 on Saturday.
Police said he was spat at by a man standing with two other people at the bus stop.
The suspect was in his early 20s and was wearing a red top.
He was about 5ft 9in tall, of medium build with short, brown hair.
Police described the man's actions in the unprovoked assault as "particularly disgusting".
Officers urged anyone with information to contact police.


Royal Bank of Scotland has drawn up plans to shed about 200 jobs as it cuts back its branch network.

The bank intends to axe clerical roles in Scotland, Wales and south-west England.
It is understood about 20 branches face closure, although the bank has not confirmed details.
RBS, which is 73% owned by the taxpayer, has cut around 1,350 posts out of a workforce of 12,000 staff in its branch network since mid-March.
The move is part of the bank's plans to slim down from a sprawling international bank to a UK-focused lender.
RBS currently operates nearly 1,100 RBS and NatWest branches.
The lender said its strategy reflected the changing nature of how customers use banks.
It said branch counter transactions had fallen by 43% since 2010, while digital usage had jumped by 400% over the same period.
A spokesman for RBS said: "Banking has changed significantly over the last few years and the way people want to interact with us is also changing.
"We have to continually adapt to meet our customers' needs and to  ensure we remain viable and relevant both now and in the future.
"We review our branch network regularly to make sure the services we provide are appropriate for each local community, based on customer usage and other ways to bank in the local area.
"Where we do have to make the difficult decision to close a branch we will always tell our staff and customers first."
He added: "Any reduction in roles is clearly difficult news for staff affected by these changes.
"We are doing everything we can to support them, including seeking redeployment opportunities wherever possible and ensuring that compulsory redundancies are kept to a minimum."
RBS boss Ross McEwan said at the bank's annual meeting last week that the "heaviest restructuring" of the bank will be behind it by the end of the year as it presses ahead with cost-cutting plans.
RBS reported a first-quarter pre-tax loss of Â£968m last month - more than double last year's figure of Â£446m.


A huge blaze has broken out at a recycling centre near Rotherham.

South Yorkshire Fire Service said up to 500 tonnes of plastic could be on fire at Universal Recycling, on Wharf Road near Kilnhurst.
Seven fire engines are attending the blaze and there has been disruption to local transport services.
People have been told to avoid the area, stay indoors and close windows and doors, and get children inside as soon as possible after school.
More on this and other stories from Yorkshire
The fire service, police and ambulance service are in attendance, and a cordon is in place.
Incident Commander Andy Hayter, from South Yorkshire Fire Service, said the fire mostly involves plastics, but some metal is on fire.
No oil or vehicles are ablaze and oxy acetylene canisters, which have not caught fire, are being moved to a safe place.
Mr Hayter said there had been "quite a high number of explosions from aerosols" earlier.
He warned: "Don't come and spectate. It's not a spectator sport and it's not good for your health to be breathing in large quantities of this stuff.
"My concern is around school time. If you are picking your children up from school locally and you do see the plume, make it as brief as you can and get indoors as soon as you possibly can."
BBC reporter Andy Kershaw said he had been told dust masks were being handed out at the two nearest schools to protect children from the smoke.


Some 13,000 men in England could benefit from a laser treatment to manage symptoms from an enlarged prostate, the NHS is being advised.

Most men over the age of 60 have non-cancerous growth of the prostate gland.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says many of these, if they are having symptoms, could have the new therapy rather than conventional surgery.
The treatment delivers a beam of green light to vaporise overgrown tissue.
The standard care currently is to cut away the tissue using a thin, hot loop of wire during a procedure known as TURP.
While TURP is effective, experts say the new laser treatment could be more convenient for patients.
Unlike TURP, it can be done as a day treatment, meaning the patient does not have to stay in hospital overnight.
This should save the NHS money too - up to an estimated Â£3m, says the NICE.
For the laser treatment, a thin length of laser fibre is passed up the urethra (the tube in the penis that carries urine out of the body) until it reaches the target - the prostate gland that sits just below the bladder and enwraps the urethra.
The laser is then turned on to blast the tissue.
This should reverse any blockages and alleviate the patient's symptoms.
Prof Carole Longson, from the NICE, said: "Whilst benign enlarged prostates may not be life-threatening, the condition can impact on men's lives significantly.
"A procedure to reduce the amount of excess prostate tissue can improve the quality of life for men."
Higher risk men with very large prostates (bigger than 100ml) or severe symptoms, however, should still be treated with TURP or stronger lasers.
The prostate gland is part of a man's reproductive system, and its job is to make the fluid to carry and nurture sperm.
An enlarged prostate - known as BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) - is very common, particularly as men get older, and will not always need treating.
Left untreated, it can get in the way of emptying the bladder, meaning you have to go to the toilet more often or need to strain to pass urine.
In the long term, this could potentially cause other problems such as urine infections or damage to the bladder or kidneys.
BPH can sometimes be managed with medication, but a procedure, such as TURP or a laser treatment, may be recommended.


General Motors has said its Venezuelan car plant has been seized by the government as political tension rises in the country.

Long-standing divisions in Venezuela have been brought to the fore by a deepening economic crisis.
GM said its Venezolana plant in the city of Valencia had been "unexpectedly taken by the public authorities".
The US car giant said it would "take all legal actions" to defend its interests.
It said other assets, including vehicles, had been taken from the plant in the industrial hub of Valencia, which is one of country's largest cities.
The car firm added that the seizure would cause irreparable damage to the company, its 2,678 workers, its 79 dealers and to its suppliers.
Venezuela's Information Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
At least three people were killed in protests this week against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.
Venezuela's car industry has been hit by a lack of raw materials due to currency controls and stagnant local production.


A car has crashed into a property beside the road between Londonderry and Strabane.

The red Mercedes C-class could be seen with both rear wheels in the air off the side of the Victoria Road near Bready at about 15:00 BST.
The car's female driver was taken to hospital for a check-up. Her injuries were not thought to be serious.
Three fire engines were called to the scene, as well as the police and ambulance service.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.


Turkey's president has compared German officials to Nazis, in the latest escalation in a war of words.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out after German authorities cancelled rallies designed to woo ethnic Turkish voters in Germany ahead of a key referendum.
"Your practices are not different from the Nazi practices of the past," Mr Erdogan said.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said the comments were "abstruse, malicious and absurd".
About 1.4m Turks in Germany can vote in the April referendum, which could give Mr Erdogan sweeping new powers.
Voters will be asked whether they back a new constitution, which would transform the country from a parliamentary republic into a presidential one.
That would give Mr Erdogan, as president, new powers over the budget and the appointment of ministers and judges, as well as the power to dismiss parliament.
They are Nato allies and major trading partners but that has not stopped Turkey's president from lashing out at Germany in an exchange you might expect from countries at war.
With a referendum soon to take place in Turkey, German local officials cancelled a political rally of the Turkish diaspora in Germany that Turkey's justice minister had planned to address. Mr Erdogan said that showed Germany had "no relation with democracy".
Berlin was infuriated after a German-Turkish journalist for the newspaper Die Welt was imprisoned in Turkey for alleged terrorism propaganda. Deniz Yucel had written about leaked emails that purport to show the influence of Mr Erdogan's son-in-law, who is the country's energy minister. The German government has called for Mr Yucel's release.
Turkey accuses Germany of harbouring terrorist groups. Mr Erdogan has described the journalist as an "agent" of the PKK Kurdish militants that Germany was "sheltering at the German consulate".
Many see in the president's rhetoric an attempt to win the support of Turkish ultranationalists here before the referendum in April. But in the process, a vital relationship between two countries - Nato partners and major trading allies - has reached a new low.
Speaking to German broadcaster ARD, Mr Maas said banning Mr Erdogan from visiting Germany or breaking off diplomatic ties would "play straight into the arms of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, which no one wants".
Russia and Turkey have steadily improved ties as both countries' relations with the EU have cooled.
The deputy leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union party, Julia Kloeckner, said Mr Erdogan was "reacting like a stubborn child who can't get his own way".
Mr Erdogan has come under intense international criticism amid a far-reaching crackdown on his opponents since a failed military coup last year. Dozens of Turkish journalists and writers have been arrested, and a large number of diplomats and soldiers have sought asylum elsewhere.
Against this background, Turkey is targeting the millions of expatriate voters eligible to cast a ballot in the controversial poll - including the 1.4m in Germany.
However, officials have withdrawn permission for rallies in Gaggenau, Cologne and Frechen.
The Gaggenau authorities said there was insufficient space for the rally, while Cologne officials said they had been misled about the purpose of the event.
Addressing the German authorities at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday, Mr Erdogan said: "I thought it's been a long time since Germany left [Nazi practices]. We are mistaken."
His comments were in reference to the German Nazi party, which Adolf Hitler led to power from 1933 and 1945. The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of six million Jews and millions of other people during, World War II.
The cancellations of the rallies in Germany came as a German-Turkish journalist was detained in Turkey, accused of being a member of the outlawed Kurdish militant group PKK.
Mr Erdogan has called the journalist - who works for well-established German newspaper Die Welt - a "German agent" and accused Germany of "aiding and harbouring terror".
German officials said such allegations were absurd.
Separately, the Austrian chancellor called for an EU-wide ban on political campaigning by Turkish politicians.
"A collective EU response to prevent such campaign events would make sense so that individual countries like Germany where appearances are forbidden don't end up being pressured by Turkey,"  Christian Kern told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
He also said the decades-long talks over Turkey joining the EU should be abandoned because the country had been "trampling on human rights and basic democratic rights".
"We can't continue negotiating about membership with a country that has been distancing itself from democratic norms and rule-of-law principles for years."
Austria has previously said Mr Erdogan cannot campaign in the country over the referendum.


A £5,000 reward has been offered for information after a young woman was raped in Aberdeen earlier this year.

The rape investigation was launched after the 21-year-old woman was attacked in Union Terrace Gardens in the early hours of 28 January.
Crimestoppers has offered the reward of up to £5,000 for information that leads to conviction in the case.
The charity stressed the reward would only be paid if information was passed to Crimestoppers directly.
Angela Parker, the Crimestoppers national manager for Scotland, said: "This attack was on a young woman in the heart of Aberdeen.
"We are now offering a substantial reward for anyone with information to contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
"By contacting Crimestoppers, via the phone (0800 555 111) or our anonymous online form, we don't ask for any personal details, you won't have to speak to the police, and you won't have to go to court. Just tell us what you know, not who you are."


Thousands of Thai people have packed the streets of Bangkok to see a convoy carrying the body of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

His body was taken through the capital to the royal palace as mourners wept and held up portraits of the late king.
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has been named as successor, but has asked for a delay in the process.
The death of the world's longest-reigning monarch sparked an outpouring of grief in Thailand.
Official mourning will last a year. The cabinet declared Friday a government holiday, and flags are to fly at half-mast for the next 30 days.
People have been asked to wear black, and avoid "joyful events" during this period. Cinema screenings, concerts and sports events have been cancelled or postponed.
News websites have turned their pages black and white, and all television channels in Thailand are airing programmes about the king's life.
The crown prince travelled in the convoy carrying the king's body, which will lie at a temple in the royal palace while people pay their respects.
It could be months before the late king's cremation.
"This is the worst loss in my life," said one of those lining the streets.
Later on Friday, the Crown Prince conducted the bathing ceremony of the king's body, a traditional Thai Buddhist funeral rite.
The king had been ill for a long time. When news of his death was announced on Thursday evening, many in the large crowds outside the hospital where he died broke down.
King Bhumibol was widely respected across Thailand, and thought of by many as semi-divine.
He earned the devotion of Thais for his efforts to help the rural poor, such as agricultural development projects, and works of charity.
The monarch was also seen as a stabilising figure in a country often wracked by political turmoil.
Thailand remains under military rule following a coup in 2014.
The country has suffered from political violence and upheaval over the past decade, as well as a long-running Muslim separatist insurgency in the southern provinces which sees regular small-scale bomb attacks.
Though a constitutional monarch with limited official powers, many Thais looked to King Bhumibol to intervene in times of high tension. He was seen as a unifying and calming influence through numerous coups and 20 constitutions.
However, his critics argued he had endorsed military takeovers and at times had failed to speak out against human rights abuses.
The crown prince, who is 64, is much less well known to Thais and has not attained his father's widespread popularity. He spends much of his time overseas, especially in Germany.
While the Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has said the crown prince will ascend the throne next, there is uncertainty over when that will happen after the prince asked for a delay in succession.
Profile: Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn
Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda, a 96-year-old former prime minister, has been named regent in line with the constitution.
He remains as regent until the Thai assembly invites the heir to succeed to the throne, the Bangkok Post reported.
Strict lese-majeste laws protect the most senior members of Thailand's royal family from insult or threat. Public discussion of the succession can be punishable by lengthy jail terms.
Given the pivotal role the king has played in maintaining the balance of power in Thailand's volatile political environment, the succession will be a formidable challenge for the government, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.


Rail passengers are facing "major disruption" on the East Coast Main Line due to damage to overhead power lines.

National Rail says the cables are damaged between Retford and Newark North Gate.
It said trains between Doncaster and Grantham were delayed by up to two hours or cancelled.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has tweeted that the disruption means he will not be able to appear on Thursday night's Question Time.
The BBC political discussion programme is being filmed in Sunderland.
Gavin Powers, a commuter from Doncaster, described the scene at stations as "packed and chaotic" on his Twitter feed.
Virgin Trains has advised people not to travel.
Three rail replacement coaches are running between Grantham and Doncaster, a National Rail spokesman said.
A further three coaches are running from Newark but there is no estimate as to when they will arrive as a result of a crash on the A1 near the town, he added.
The following routes have been affected by the problem:
Network Rail said its engineers were working to resolve the problem and apologised for the disruption.
A spokesperson for Virgin Trains said: "We're doing our best to keep customers moving during this disruption.
"Customers who do not wish to travel today can postpone their journey until tomorrow."


Arnold Palmer was a golfing legend, who, more than any other, was largely responsible for the explosion of interest in the game in the 1960s.

He won 91 professional titles, including the Open twice, the US Open, and the Masters four times.
The US PGA eluded him, although he was runner-up three times.
But it was Palmer's aggressive technique, cavalier style, good looks and charisma that made him such a popular figure.
It has been said that people would rather see Arnold Palmer score an 80 than other golfers in the low 60s.
His fans followed him in raucous hordes and became known as Arnie's Army.
Although he hit the ball very hard, he had an easy, friendly disposition.
He greatly helped in the revival of the Open in Britain, in which he first played in 1960. He lost by one stroke, but took the title the following two years.
Arnold Palmer was a classic example of the American dream, an ordinary country boy who became world-famous, but who never lost the common touch.
He was the son of the golf professional at Latrobe, a small industrial town in Pennsylvania, where he was born in 1929. He first began swinging cut-down golf clubs when he was four years old.
Before long, he was beating the older caddies at the club. He became a caddie himself at the age of 11 and worked at virtually every job at the club in the following years.
He recalled that he gained his powerful arm strength from pushing a mower to help his father tend the course.
"In those days, there were no motors on anything except the tractor. The mowers to cut greens with, you pushed," he said.
He was US amateur champion by 1954, before turning professional. It was his double success in the Masters and the US Open in 1960 that really made his reputation.
In the Masters he had birdies at the last three holes to win.
In the US Open he was lying seventh, seven strokes behind the leader after three rounds, but won by two strokes, scoring six birdies in seven holes in the final round.
This coming from behind became known as a Palmer Charge.
In the 1961 Open at Royal Birkdale he played out of a bush so hard that it was uprooted, but the ball finished on the green, and he went on to win.
He could also lose in spectacular fashion. In the 1961 Masters he played into a bunker on the last hole when he seemed almost certain to win, and Gary Player took the title.
He represented the US in the Ryder Cup six times, twice as captain.
He won his last major title in 1964, and Jack Nicklaus took over his mantle.
It was during his heyday that his business interests began to sprout, given impetus by his business manager, Mark McCormack, whose own business empire began with Palmer.
Arnold Palmer Enterprises became a multi-divisional empire involving merchandise, automobiles and aviation.
Another important commercial arm was his course design and management.
He also was heavily involved in charity work. He played a major role in the fund-raising effort that led to the establishment of the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women in Orlando in the 1980s.
Palmer continued to play in tournaments into his seventies, often teaming up with former rivals, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, in the first round of the Masters.
At Augusta, they laid a plaque behind the 16th tee to honour his four wins there.
It was once said of Arnold Palmer that he set standards of sportsmanship and behaviour that were to guide the conduct of his profession.
Beneath all the flash and dash, he had a deep appreciation of the game of golf and its niceties.


Fresh from leading West Indies to victory over England in the World Twenty20 final in India, captain Darren Sammy has been honoured again - this time closer to home.

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The 32-year-old's success has been recognised in his native St Lucia, where the Caribbean island's biggest cricket ground now bears his name.
What used to be the Beausejour Cricket Ground is now the Darren Sammy National Cricket Ground, with a stand to be dedicated to West Indies opener Johnson Charles, also a St Lucian.
The Windies beat England in a thrilling finale in Kolkata on Sunday, becoming the first team to be crowned World T20 champions twice as Carlos Braithwaite scored consecutive sixes from the first four balls of the final over for victory.


Newspapers in Kerala are full of anguish and anger over the explosion and fire at a Hindu temple that killed more than 100 people.

Editorials call the unauthorised fireworks display on Sunday a "manmade disaster" that should never happen again.
Even as papers call for a strict probe, they have asked authorities to focus on those affected by the tragedy.
The priority is to treat the injured and to console families, they say.
'Wounds of separation'
The headline of Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi's editorial reads "Stop this play with fire", calling for temples to reconsider holding similar fireworks displays.
"Kerala is weeping over wounds of separation that will never dry," it says.
"What happened was a manmade disaster that should never have happenedâ€¦ This [investigation] should not be ever allowed to become a farce."
Another prominent Malayalam daily Malayala Manorama calls for a comprehensive investigation into the people responsible for "this accident that was asked for".
"Yesterday's tragedy... [proves] that we have not learned any lessons from the 380 fireworks-related incidents that have destroyed over 500 lives in the last ten years."
'No point in blame game'
Vernacular daily Deshabhimani says in the headline of its editorial: "Should not repeat this".
The paper says there are lots of things to be done before discussions on avoiding similar mishaps.
"We have to reassure families affected by this disaster. We have to console those who have lost closed ones. We have to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured. We have to identify every dead body."
The Deepika newspaper advises against bringing politics into the discussion, especially as the state is set to hold assembly elections next month.
"There is no point of a blame game after an accident has taken place. Politics will mix with this tragedy that happened to take place as Kerala is set to enter election fever."
'Greed to win prizes'
The temple administration have also come under the line of fire of newspapers from the rest of the country.
Prominent English-language The Hindu daily describes the accident as a result of "gross negligence" and a "reckless disregard for the safety of others".
"Such negligence cannot be treated as a mere mistake as we have witnessed many tragedies at religious gatherings previously," adds Hindi daily Jansatta.
Asking for a thorough inquiry and stringent punishment, Hindi daily Dainik Jagran urges religious leaders to teach "patience and discipline" to their followers.
The tragedy is the result of "greed to win prizes" and subsequent "power show off" between two local contractors, says Hindi daily Amar Ujala.
"Political parties must refrain from trying to extract electoral capital from the tragedy in poll-bound Kerala - it is important that the truth is not crowded out by the noise," notes The Hindu.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.


A stem cell donor asked the stranger whose life he saved to be the best man at his wedding.

Brett Dingwall survived life-threatening acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) after he was treated with Paul Rogers's donated cells 10 years ago.
The pair met up after the two-year prescribed anonymity window and struck up a close friendship.
Mr Dingwall said: "When Paul asked if I'd be his best man, he knew I owed him more than that. I owed him my life."
LIVE: Updates on this and other Hertfordshire news
The 67-year-old joined Mr Rogers and his wife Laura as the pair were married at St Paul's Walden, near Hitchin.
Retired boat-builder Mr Dingwall, from Bricket Wood, was diagnosed with AML while on holiday in Monaco in October 2006.
He began treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital and was told his last chance of survival would be a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor.
Mr Rogers, 51, was found to be a perfect match.
After a transplant, donors and recipients must remain anonymous for two years, but are allowed to exchange correspondence anonymously through Anthony Nolan.
Mr Dingwall sent Mr Rogers a thank you letter and a Christmas card, and received replies.
After the two years were up, the men realised they lived close to one another and met up.
Mr Rogers, 51, whose dad died from leukaemia, said meeting Mr Dingwall was "pretty emotional".
They enjoyed days out on Mr Dingwall's boat and kept in touch on-and-off over the years.
"Six months ago I thought, oh my word, who's going to be my best man?
"Then I thought, wouldn't it be amazing to have Brett as my best man? I'm so proud to be his friend," said Mr Rogers.
Mr and Mrs Rogers married on 13 May.


Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip committed serious human rights abuses including abductions, torture and extra-judicial killings of Palestinian civilians in 2014, a report says.

Most of the victims were accused of collaborating with Israel, Amnesty International investigators report.
The report says no-one had been brought to account for the abuses, suggesting they were officially sanctioned.
Hamas said the report was biased and had relied on dubious sources.
The report, entitled Strangling Necks, covered the period of last summer's 50-day war between Israel and militants in Gaza.
It says while "Israeli forces were inflicting destruction and death on the people in Gaza, Hamas forces took the opportunity to ruthlessly settle scores".
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told BBC Arabic the report was "highly politicised and lacks professionalism and credibility.
"It wasn't based on accounts from all parties nor did it listen to Hamas or even the police force in the Gaza Strip. It was just based on accounts from some sources, which is not enough to write a report of such calibre from such an international rights organisation."
The fighting between Israel and the militants left at least 2,189 Palestinians dead, including more than 1,486 civilians, and 11,000 injured, according to the United Nations. On the Israeli side, 67 soldiers and six civilians were killed, with scores more wounded.
Amnesty has been deeply critical of the actions of both Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza in recent reports, accusing both sides of abuses during the conflict. Israel and the Palestinians have rejected the allegations.
In the latest report, Amnesty says Hamas forces committed the abuses during Israel's military offensive, which began on 8 July and ended on 26 August 2014.
According to the report, at least 23 Palestinians were subjected to summary, extra-judicial executions. Most were already in prison, accused of acting for Israel, it says.
In addition, "perceived political opponents" of Hamas were abducted, tortured or assaulted - "particularly members of the rival Fatah party and former members of the Palestinian Authority security forces in Gaza".
"These abuses too were committed with impunity," the report says.
BBC Middle East correspondent Kevin Connelly says Hamas exercises undisputed authority within Gaza, and Amnesty's powerful report depicts an organisation responding to the relentless pressure of Israeli military operations with a brutal campaign against its own enemies within.
In one incident, six men were shot dead outside a mosque as they knelt in hoods in front of a crowd of men, women, and children, the report says.
The killings were among a series of "spine-chilling actions, some of which amounted to war crimes, [and] were designed to exact revenge and spread fear across the Gaza Strip," Amnesty regional director Philip Luther said.
Amnesty called on the Palestinian authorities to "impartially and independently" investigate the allegations, and bring the perpetrators to justice.


An aggressive swan nicknamed Mr Asbo has finally been moved from a Cambridge river after his aggressive behaviour had begun to escalate.

In the latest of many reported attacks on River Cam rowers, the swan mounted a scull and capsized the boat.
Attempts to move him and his mate earlier this year were halted amid concerns they may have started nesting.
However, river managers discovered this had not happened and the pair have been moved to a sanctuary out of the county.
The swan had become infamous for attacking not just rowers but larger vessels on stretches of the River Cam near his nest site, at Fen Ditton.
Rowers had been calling for his removal since the attacks began in 2009.
In the past, volunteers had safely penned in Mr Asbo, his mate and their cygnets to protect them, as well as rowers, during summer races on the Cam.
Attempts had also been made to move him further up river, away from traffic, however he always found his way back.
Although the RSPCA said his territorial behaviour was natural, the Conservators of the River Cam - the organisation that manages the river - agreed the swan's behaviour was getting "out of control" and he should be moved.
A licence was granted by Natural England allowing them to relocate him to a suitable site outside the county.
However, attempts to move him and his mate in mid-April were thwarted when inspectors were unable to determine whether or not the pair had begun to nest.
Once swans are nesting, it is illegal to move them.
Dr Philippa Noon, of the conservators, said that during the latter half of the month, she had received an increase in complaints about attacks by Mr Asbo.
"His behaviour had definitely worsened, including capsizing a scull," she said.
"We noticed he was going for bigger boats as well. He was actually flying straight towards our outboard motors, feet first, and we were becoming very concerned he could cut his legs off."
A further inspection of the swans' usual nesting site showed the pair had not yet started to sit on the nest.
Volunteers have now moved them to a sanctuary about 60 miles (95km) away.
"We are sad to see him go, because he had become a bit of a river character," Mrs Noon said.
"Unfortunately, once that sort of behaviour is embedded, it isn't going to go away.
"Since he left we've noticed more pairs of swans going back to his old stretch of the river, and they look like they may start to nest there.
"The cycle goes on."
A spokesman for Natural England confirmed Mr Asbo and his mate had been safely removed to a suitable receptor site.


Disabled people in the UK are "left behind in society" and have "very poor" life chances, a report has found.

The study by the Equality and Human Rights Commission said progress towards equality in the past 20 years was "littered with missed opportunities."
Chantal Chaervey, from Suffolk, said she was left "almost destitute" by the costs of caring for her disabled son.
The government said it spends about Â£50bn a year to support disabled people.
The report, "Being disabled in Britain: A journey less equal", covers six "key areas" - education, work, standard of living, health and care, justice and detention, and participation and identity.
It found that disabled people in the UK were experiencing disadvantages in all of them.
The report found a lack of equal opportunities in education and employment and barriers to access to transport, health services and housing.
It highlighted a "persistent and widening" disability pay gap and deteriorating access to justice.
Ms Chaervey, a single mother, feels she is not receiving enough support to make life better for her son Harry.
The 14-year-old, who has multiple life-limiting conditions, needs round-the-clock care.
Ms Chaervey cashed in the last of her pension pot five years ago to pay for essential equipment including a wheelchair, specialist buggy and stair lift.
"I did have my own business, unfortunately I lost everything overnight because I had to care for Harry full time while he was in hospital for nearly 18 months," she said.
"[It] left us almost destitute.
"I now have debts, which I'll never be able to clear and I feel ashamed to say that."
The report also found:
David Isaac, EHRC chairman, said: "Everybody assumed the disability discrimination act moved things forward, but there's been a missed opportunity in relation to making progress since that period 20 years ago.
"That's a huge period of time.
"And, I think, progress has either stalled, or in some cases has gone backwards."
He added: "Whilst at face value we have travelled far, in reality disabled people are being left behind in society, their life chances remain very poor, and public attitudes have changed very little."
Andrew McDonald, chairman of disability charity Scope, said it was "shameful" that disabled people continued to face "such high levels of inequality".
Liz Sayce, chief executive of Disability Rights UK, said the report made "sombre and disappointing" reading.
A government spokesman said: "We are committed to building a fairer society, and ensuring equality of opportunity for disabled people is an important part of this.
"In the last year alone almost 300,000 disabled people have moved into work, and we plan to go even further by providing more tailored employment help, increasing the number of disability employment advisors in jobcentres, and working even more closely with businesses through our Disability Confident scheme."


Surrey squeezed through to the One-Day Cup quarter-finals with a five-wicket win at Lord's which put Middlesex out.

Rain meant the match was reduced to 18 overs when play got under way at 18:30 BST, with the hosts asked to bat.
Another disruption saw Middlesex lose a further two overs and post 101-8 with fast bowler Tom Curran claiming 3-26.
Surrey slumped to 35-4, but wicketkeeper Ben Foakes (45) and Zafar Ansari (29 not out) helped them to 105-5 with four balls to spare.
The victory pushed Gareth Batty's men above Hampshire and Middlesex into fourth in the South Group to set up a trip to Northants in the last eight.
Middlesex's innings was played in near constant drizzle, but with both sides needing a win to be in with a chance of going through to the knockout stages, the players were reluctant to come off.
However, the hosts could not find any momentum on a slow pitch as John Simpson top scored with 29.
Surrey's chase got off to the worst possible start when Jason Roy nicked the first ball from Toby Roland-Jones behind and Steve Davies followed at the start of James Harris' next over.
Aaron Finch finally got the visitors going with three sixes before he played across the line to Ollie Rayner, but Foakes and Ansari played sensibly with a stand of 66.
Foakes chipped James Franklin to Neil Sowter with one run required, but the hard work had already been done.


A pilot was killed after his aircraft broke into "multiple pieces" when it fell from the sky at an event in Cheshire, an inquest has heard.

Kevin Whyman, 39, was killed when his Folland Gnat aircraft crashed during an aerial display at the CarFest event at Oulton Park on 1 August.
Ch Supt Philip Jones also told the hearing there had been a risk of explosions from ejector seat debris.
Mr Whyman's body was recovered the next day when the site had been made safe.
Cheshire coroner Nicholas Rheinberg released Mr Whyman's body for burial as he adjourned the inquest.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is carrying out an investigation.


Head teachers are warning that schools are having to act like "mini-welfare states" in having to provide food, spare uniform and even to wash clothes and provide showers for some pupils.

The National Association of Head Teachers says such welfare support is costing £43.5m from school budgets.
Heads' leader Russell Hobby said it was a "hidden national scandal".
A Conservative spokesman said "the number of children living in poverty has fallen by 300,000".
The warning from members of the NAHT, as they gather for their annual conference in Liverpool, is that schools are having to step in with welfare support for pupils, either because of poverty or dysfunctional families.
The union's report, based on responses from more than 2,000 head teachers in England, found examples of schools supplying food, clothes, PE kit, headlice treatment, transport costs and equipment for lessons.
There were schools which now had facilities for washing clothes and providing showers for pupils.
This was not a representative survey, but NAHT leader Mr Hobby said the responses from so many schools revealed the rising pressure on heads to deliver many different kinds of non-educational support.
"Schools have held families together and kept children out of the criminal justice system," he said.
Mr Hobby warned that the financial cost of this extra support was not recognised, with estimates that it cost schools an average of £2,000 to £3,000 per year.
Individual heads and teachers were also bringing in their own food for pupils, but without any this cost being recorded.
Mr Hobby said that head teachers wanted "a level of honesty around what we expect from schools".
"Schools are starting to provide mini-welfare states to fill in the gaps that are emerging," Mr Hobby said.
"Regardless of the promise to protect education spending in the next parliament, cuts to other public services will come home to roost at the school gates."
A Conservative party spokesman said that their education budget plans would provide more spending on schools than Labour's proposals and defended their record in government.
"Under the Conservatives, the number of children living in poverty has fallen by 300,000. By introducing the pupil premium, we are specifically targeting an extra £2.5bn toward the education of the most disadvantaged every year, which is helping close the attainment gap with their peers."
But Labour's Tristram Hunt said: "David Cameron's plan for extreme cuts - double the cuts next year than this - plus his refusal to match Labour's plan to protect the entire education budget in real terms, means a perfect storm is brewing for children and young people.
"Labour has a better plan - protecting early years education, school spending and post-16 education in real terms."


Liverpool have revealed plans to increase Anfield's capacity from 45,500 to almost 59,000.

The Main Stand would be expanded to three tiers, while work on the Anfield Road Stand is also proposed.
In October 2012, the club said they would redevelop the ground rather than build a new one on nearby Stanley Park.
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said: "Good progress has been made so far and we are proud to be able to unveil our plans."
Part of the proposed redevelopment would result in the memorial to the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster of 1989 moved into the rebuilt Main Stand.
If the proposals to expand both stands go ahead, the ground's capacity would increase to 58,800.
Local residents raised concerns about any expansion in 2012 because it would involve the demolition of some houses near the ground.
The club said that discussions with local property owners were "progressing well" and all parties are close to agreement but added details were still to be finalised.
Following a consultation process, the club expects to present its finalised plans and submit a planning application to the city council this summer.
If successful, they expect construction to begin early next year with work completed by the start of the 2016-17 season.
See the future plans for Anfield.


It has been the big Solar System mystery of 2015 - what are the bright spots on Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter?

Scientists think they now have some answers.
They are places where impacts have excavated a briny layer of water-ice under the dwarf planet's surface, the researchers tell the journal Nature.
And the very brightest features are the youngest, freshest exposures.
The framing camera on the US space agency's Dawn probe has catalogued some 130 spots on the 950km-wide world. But by far the most impressive collection is to be found in a crater dubbed Occator in Ceres' northern hemisphere.
When the probe arrived at the dwarf, the camera settings were programmed to take account of what is generally a very dark surface - as black as asphalt. But this meant the super-bright depressions within Occator completely overwhelmed the instrument's sensor.
"We said, 'Wow! What's that? We didn't expect this,'" recalls Andreas Nathues, the camera's principal investigator.
"The reflectivity is in the order of 0.25, which means about 25% of the light is reflected; and in the inner core centre [of the Occator spot collection] it's even more - up to 50-60% of the light is reflected; while the remaining surface is rather dark - the average is about 9%," said the scientist from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Goettingen, Germany.
Subsequent investigation now indicates that there is likely a global layer of ice and salt under the rocky rubble that coats Ceres.
When a space impactor digs into this layer and exposes it, the ice starts to sublime (to turn directly from a solid to a gas).  The released vapour then escapes away from the surface, lifting ice and dust particles in the process, to produce a kind of haze.
Dawn has observed this haze during "day times", as it has looked across Occator at very oblique angles.
The judgement is that Occator's spots will fade over time as most of the ice is driven off, leaving only salts behind.
Dawn sees a signature for hydrated magnesium sulphate - what we would call "Epsom salts" - dominating at other spot locations.
Salts are not quite so reflective as the relatively fresh ice at Occator.
The water emission - which incidentally chimes now with some observations of Ceres made by the Herschel space telescope in 2013 - is reminiscent of comets, which engage in this sublimation behaviour whenever they get near the sun.
"It's a bit like a comet, but you need to understand that Ceres is a partially differentiated body. So, it has a shell structure," Dr Nathues told me in an interview for this week's Science In Action programme on the BBC World Service.
"There is very likely an ice shell below the crust. And this is completely different from comets. Comets are primitive objects, having original material that is only very, very slightly changed."
In a separate report to Nature, Maria Cristina De Sanctis raises the possibility that Ceres did not form in the position it now finds itself (about 415 million km from the Sun), but much further out in the Solar System.
She has been looking at the results from Dawn's Visible-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer.
It sees what are interpreted to be ammoniated phyllosilicates across large parts of the dwarf's surface.
Phyllosilicates are clay minerals, which are produced when other rock materials are altered by water over a prolonged period.
However, it is the ammonia signal that is very interesting in this instance.
"These are phyllosilicates that have some ammonia in their structure. But to have this kind of structure means the ammonia must have been available at some point. And the only way we can see this as being possible is to have a colder origin for the material," said Dr De Sanctis from the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome, Italy.
This thinking follows from the recognition that ammonia ices would not be stable at Ceres' current orbit around the Sun. Such ices are rapidly lost above about 100 kelvin (-173C).
So, for Ceres to have retained a lot of ammonia or nitrogen-rich ices, for long enough to be incorporated into the clays, it probably had to occupy a much colder location sometime in its past, argues the Dawn researcher.
"It's an amazing suggestion but there are dynamical models for the evolution of the Solar System that foresee bodies migrating inwards," she told BBC News.
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos


Leeds Rhinos second-row Jimmy Keinhorst has signed a new three-year contract with the Super League champions.

The 25-year-old made 17 appearances for the Rhinos last season as they completed the treble.
The Germany international said: "Last season was an incredible season for the club and everyone is excited about the future.
"I am pleased to have my future sorted now and can look forward to the next three years with confidence."