Pupils at isolated schools do worse at GCSE than teenagers in areas with a choice of schools, suggests research.

Poorer pupils are particularly badly affected, says the head teacher training charity Future Leaders Trust.
Researchers plotted the distance between state schools in England against the proportion of pupils achieving five good GCSEs.
The steepness of the drop in poorer pupils' grades was "quite astounding", said report author Katy Theobald.
Looking at average GCSE attainment over three years to 2014, all students did worse in schools that were further apart - but the impact was greater on students eligible for free school meals, the researchers found.
Schools less than 1km (0.6 miles) apart saw almost 68% of pupils overall achieving five A* to C GCSE grades. Among pupils eligible for free school meals, the figure was 49%.
But even a slight increase in the distance between schools saw a sharp drop in grades for poorer pupils, according to the study.
A 1-2km gap between schools saw less than 42% of poorer pupils achieving good results, falling to less than 37% for poorer pupils at schools with a 3-4km gap.
Nationally, some 65% of pupils overall achieved five good GCSEs over the three-year period, while the figure for pupils eligible for free school meals was 42.6%.
So pupils at schools less than 1km from their nearest neighbour perform better than average on both counts, say the researchers.
They calculate that for each additional kilometre between schools, the attainment of free school meals students declines by an average of 1.06 percentage points.
However, the average attainment of free school meals students was not lowest in the most geographically isolated schools - more than 15km from their nearest neighbours, according to the researchers, although it was still poorer than in the most highly populated areas.
Some of the success of urban schools stemmed from the fact it was so much easier for teachers collaborate, said Ms Theobald.
"If you are in London you can just pop into another school to observe good practice - if you are in an isolated school, it's a whole day away," she said.
It is also harder for isolated schools to recruit staff at all levels, according to Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.
And all too often they were in areas of high unemployment, "which makes the job of raising pupils' aspirations that little bit more difficult", said Mr Trobe.


The greatest tragedy of Rana Plaza is that no-one should have died.

Cracks had appeared the day before the eight-storey building outside the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, collapsed.
The building had been evacuated, but the next morning managers at garment factories there demanded workers go back in.
That led to one of the worst industrial accidents of modern times.
Just after 09:00 local time on 24 April 2013, Rana Plaza came crashing down, killing more than 1,100 people and injuring more than 2,500.
The fact that workers didn't feel able to stand up to pressure from their managers to go back into the doomed building led to one of the key recommendations in the wake of the tragedy.
Even US President Barack Obama joined the calls to strengthen workers' rights.
Bangladesh "is not taking steps to afford internationally recognised worker rights to workers in the country," he told Congress three months after the tragedy.
Rana Plaza revealed in horrific fashion how we all play a part, albeit indirectly, in what happens in the garment factories of Bangladesh.
The factories in the building were making shirts, trousers and leggings for nearly 30 Western retailers and brands including Benetton, Primark, Matalan, Walmart and Mango.
They were part of the incredible boom the country's garment industry has experienced over the past 40 years.
From almost nothing it has grown to become the world's second biggest exporter of clothes after China.
Garment makers in Bangladesh now employ four million workers, who create exports worth $25bn a year - 80% of the country's total.
There is no question the industry's growth has helped to lift millions of Bangladeshis out of poverty but the price has been low wages, poor conditions and shoddy buildings.
There have been improvements in the wake of the disaster. The minimum wage has been increased and international brands have got together to finance fire and building safety improvements in the factories they use in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has also changed the law to make it easier for workers to set up unions. The number of unions has increased but, two years on, some factory owners in Bangladesh are still trying to stop workers organising.
"You want to do union activities? Then we will shower you with blood," one garment factory worker told Human Rights Watch researchers his assailants had said as they beat him with iron bars.
The quote is from the pressure group's new report on labour rights in Bangladesh.
It confirms evidence the BBC has gathered, which shows intimidation, dismissal and assault are common when garment workers attempt to form unions.
We spoke to a garment factory worker who said he received threats after he became a union leader at his workplace in Dhaka. He is so afraid of repercussions he didn't want his face shown in our reports.
"I was told 'you might get abducted or go missing, someone could shoot at you'", he said, clearly still terrified.
"I have two young daughters - if something happens to me, what will happen to my family?"
Another union leader played me an anonymous call he had received on his mobile phone.
"I am calling you as a well-wisher," the caller told him ominously.
"You need to act quickly. Your boss is planning a bad game against you. You have been accused of sexual harassment.
"You are a trade union leader and you know what you need to do."
Kalpona Akhter, who worked in garment factories as a child and now runs one of the biggest labour rights organisations in Bangladesh, says workers come to her group for help every day.
"And every day we get at least one or two complaints that they are trying to organise and are facing harassment and intimidation from factory owners."
The government says unions exaggerate the scale of the problem.
"Cases of union members being harassed do exist, but the number is very small," says Labour Minister Mohammed Haque.
He says his ministry takes such complaints seriously.
"If we come to know about it we send our labour inspector there immediately and take action."
Yet fewer than 10% of Bangladesh's 4,500 garment factories have unions.
Freedom of association - the right to set up unions - is a basic human right. Intimidation denies workers that right and - as Rana Plaza showed - that can have deadly consequences.
Human Rights Watch concludes that the government, factory owners and the international brands that buy from them all need to do more to ensure workers rights are protected.
And we need to play our part too, recognising the real costs of the cheap clothes we buy.


The man who stepped in to save Edinburgh's festive ice rink from being axed can be revealed for the first time.

Norman Springford, who owns four Apex hotels in the capital, said he stumped up the cash after hearing it was about to be cut from the winter festival.
He told the BBC Scotland news website he has pledged to pay up to Â£25,000 of any losses it makes this year.
It comes as the Christmas and New Year celebrations kick off in the city.
The ice rink's operator made "significant" losses in 2010.
Edinburgh City Council said it was down to Mr Springford's pledge that the ice rink was able to be held this year in Princes Street Gardens.
Mr Springford said people came from all over the world to stay in Edinburgh's hotels for the city's winter festive celebrations.
He said: "I believe every hotelier in the city should contribute to the winter festivities because it is essential for our trade.
"When I contacted Edinburgh City Council about the ice rink they said there were only two or three days to make a decision, so I didn't have time to go round all the hoteliers.
"So I decided I was happy to be involved because of the council's cash constraints.
"The ice rink is an integral part of the city's winter festivities. I haven't done this for personal glory."
Tram works have now been suspended to make way for the winter festival.
The tram works, to fix crumbling tarmac around the lines, are due to resume on 9 January.
The full project is due for completion by summer 2014, at a cost of Â£776m.
Christmas celebrations begin later with Light Night, including street theatre, live music, a 14m-high Frost Fairy and a fireworks display.
The pyrotechnic display starts at 17:15 at The Mound and lasts until 18:00.
The lights on The Mound's Christmas tree, Ferris Wheel and street lights will also be switched on.
Then a pipe band will travel to St Andrew Square for a show starting at 18:15 which includes Britain's Got Talent star, Edward Reid, who turns nursery rhymes into pop songs.
During the winter festivals revellers can travel by horse and carriage along Princes Street as well on the Santa train, both of which run Thursday to Sundays.
Santa will also arrive on Saturday 3 December at 16:00 to pull a huge sleigh down Princes Street before telling stories in the National Galleries.
There will also be reindeer in Princes Street.
Steve Cardownie, Edinburgh City Council's festivals and events champion, said: "It was touch and go whether there would be an ice rink included in this year's programme - I'm pleased that we've managed to reach an agreement that will allow it to go ahead and we are grateful to Essential Edinburgh and, of course, to one very philanthropic individual, for their support."


The Democratic Unionist Party has raised the prospect of Sinn Féin being excluded from the Stormont executive following an ex-IRA man's murder.

It comes after police said they believe Provisional IRA members were involved in Kevin McGuigan's murder last week.
That was rejected by Sinn Féin who said the IRA "had left the stage".
On Friday, the police said a 60-year-old man had been arrested in east Belfast in connection with the murder.
DUP leader Peter Robinson said he would have discussions with other Northern Ireland parties "about tabling the necessary exclusion motion in the assembly and asking the secretary of state to intervene in circumstances where the evidence points to the IRA being involved".
He said he had had an initial discussion with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable George Hamilton.
Mr Robinson said that before the return of the assembly from recess, his party would seek a further update from Mr Hamilton "to establish his conclusion regarding those responsible and the role of those in the republican movement who are associated with Sinn Féin".
Analysis: Political Editor Mark Devenport
The power of exclusion that First Minister Peter Robinson wants to talk to other parties about is contained in the 1998 law that put the Good Friday Agreement into effect.
The power is designed to be used if the assembly or the Northern Ireland Secretary thinks a Stormont party or one of its ministers is in breach of their commitments to non-violence, peace and democracy.
Politicians found to be in breach can be excluded from office for periods between three and 12 months. Read more.
"As I indicated in my press briefing last week there can be no place for terror and murderous activity on our streets and republicans cannot be in the executive in circumstances where this murder was the work of the Provisional IRA," he added.
DUP MP Gregory Campbell said that independent assessment was needed on the IRA's status and that the party would also be seeking a meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers.
DUP Finance Minister Arlene Foster said it was a "very serious time for power-sharing in Northern Ireland".
She said what was needed was to establish "reality and fact" to determine if the Provisional IRA was still operating behind the scenes.
"It is very concerning to think that so-called units may still be in existence or may be stood up at a time when they're needed to deal with so-called internal matters," she said.
"Murder is murder and it cannot be in any way at the heart of what we do in Northern Ireland."
Police said on Thursday that an organisation called Action Against Drugs, whose members include members of the Provisional IRA, were responsible for Mr McGuigan's killing.
Sinn Féin North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly said the IRA no longer existed and asked for a meeting with Mr Hamilton.
He described the PSNI's statement as "contradictory".
"The IRA has gone, it has left the stage, it made a statement in July 2005, saying it was gone," Mr Kelly added.
He said the police assessment that members of the Provisional IRA were involved in Mr McGuigan's murder was wrong.
"In that same statement the chief inspector said that the AAD, the Action Against Drugs was the organisation he believed was involved," he said.
"I am a republican. I am saying this is a criminal gang. I think I may have the credibility to be able to know the difference."
Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, who is Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister, said those who killed Mr McGuigan and Gerard 'Jock' Davison were criminals and "must be brought to justice".
UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said he thought it was a "stark statement" from the PSNI that could not be "allowed to linger in the public domain without further investigation and further explanation".
SDLP leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell said he welcomed the assessment by the PSNI and would be seeking an urgent meeting with the chief constable.
Alliance leader and Justice Minister David Ford said police comments that members of the Provisional IRA were involved in the murder had the "potential to be extremely serious", but urged caution before people started "jumping to conclusions".
"This is at the very early stage of an inquiry into an absolutely appalling murder with a family still grieving just a day or two after they buried their loved one," he said.
"What we need is information, proper intelligence, so the facts can be established by the police and then the political implications will need to be considered if there are links to the IRA."
Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister said it was "time for unionists who work the Belfast Agreement to face up to reality".
He said it was time to show Sinn Féin the "exit door from government".
"I accept the reality that a senior police officer has said that it is his belief that current IRA members were involved in this heinous murder," he said.
"Now if there are current IRA members, then there's a current IRA.
"If the IRA exists then Sinn Féin has a paramilitary wing, and what place in government is there for a party with a paramilitary wing, that's how elementary this is."
UKIP leader in Northern Ireland, David McNarry, said the PSNI's assessment left "no room for Sinn Féin to manoeuvre politically".
The Northern Ireland Office said as the murder was currently under investigation by the PSNI "it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage".
The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) said the PSNI assessment over who was responsible for murdering Mr McGuigan was a cause of "great concern" to officers.
In a statement, PFNI chairman, Mark Lindsay, said: "This was a deliberate and measured assessment by the PSNI, conscious that every syllable would be placed under the microscope and weighed and analysed.
"It is a very worrying development if a command structure can be activated at will. Our members view developments with great and justifiable concern."
In a statement, the Irish government said: "What is important now is that the PSNI be allowed to complete their investigation and obtain evidence that would enable the persons involved be brought to justice. (It is not helpful to speculate on any other potential issues until that process is complete)."


A landmark legal challenge against Brexit has been rejected at the High Court in Belfast.

Two separate proceedings, one by a cross-party group of MLAs and another from victims' campaigner Raymond McCord, were heard earlier this month.
A judge ruled there was nothing in the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement to prevent the government triggering Article 50, the formal legal process for leaving the EU.
The UK government welcomed the ruling.
Mr McCord said that "without a doubt" he would be taking his case to the Supreme Court.
"The judge has left the door open," he said.
"We're right in what we're doing for the people of this country."
The challenge by politicians from Sinn FÃ©in, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), the Alliance Party and the Green Party suggested the UK government could not trigger Article 50 without a parliamentary vote.
They said the Brexit decision should be examined and voted on by parliament or, failing that, by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Earlier this month, the High Court in London heard that the need for parliament to give its approval before the Brexit process starts is of huge "constitutional importance".
Mr McCord, whose son was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries and who now campaigns for victims of violence during Northern Ireland's Troubles, brought Friday's other legal bid.
His challenge came amid worries that the Brexit vote could mean an end to EU funding for peace projects that help Troubles victims.
His lawyer argued that the Good Friday Agreement meant Westminster had given sovereignty of Northern Ireland over to its people, and that leaving the EU would have a "catastrophic effect" for the peace process.
Major constitutional changes such as leaving the EU could not therefore be imposed by a Westminster government, Mr McCord's barrister said.
But the judge ruled that prerogative power could still be used, arguing that triggering Article 50 is merely the start of a legislative process in which acts of parliament will be necessary.
"While the wind of change may be about to blow, the precise direction in which it will blows cannot be determined," he said.
He concluded that discussing the use of prerogative power to enact the EU referendum result was not suitable for a judicial review.
It had also been argued that the Good Friday Agreement gave the power of sovereignty to the people of Northern Ireland and that the Westminster government could not therefore make the region leave the EU.
But the judge rejected that argument as well, saying he could not see anything in the agreement or the relevant legislation that confirmed that view.
All of the issues raised by the applicants were rejected by the court.
The pound dropped in the wake of the ruling, with analysts speculating that it had weighed on the currency.
Sinn FÃ©in's John O'Down said Remain-supporting politicians would "continue to explore every legal and political option open to us" to ensure that citizens' rights are "protected and upheld".
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood acknowledged that the cost of taking the case to the Supreme Court could be an issue.
But he added: "We believe very, very strongly that Brexit would have a hugely detrimental effect on people here," he said.
"It would be a huge constitutional shock to people and to the political process here."
Remaining within the EU would give Troubles victims a better chance of getting justice, Mr McCord said.
"The British government have no interest in victims," he added.
Mr McCord's barrister Ciaran O'Hare said the judgement was "no surprise" and they welcomed the ruling.
"It is a very important constitutional case and it will have to dealt with in the Supreme Court," he said.
Welcoming the ruling, a government spokesman said: "As we have always made clear, we stand by our commitments under the Belfast Agreement and the outcome of the EU referendum doesn't change this."
The case has been closely watched by Westminster, especially as similar hearings are due for judgement in the near future.


An experiment to see whether computers can identify criminals based on their faces has been conducted in China.

Researchers trained an algorithm using more than 1,500 photos of Chinese citizens, hundreds of them convicts.
They said the program was then able to correctly identify criminals in further photos 89% of the time.
But the research, which has not been peer reviewed, has been criticised by criminology experts who say the AI may reflect bias in the justice system.
"This article is not looking at people's behaviour, it is looking at criminal conviction," said Prof Susan McVie, professor of quantitative criminology at the University of Edinburgh.
"The criminal justice system consists of a series of decision-making stages, by the police, prosecution and the courts. At each of those stages, people's decision making is affected by factors that are not related to offending behaviour - such as stereotypes about who is most likely to be guilty.
"Research shows jurors are more likely to convict people who look or dress a certain way. What this research may be picking up on is stereotypes that lead to people being picked up by the criminal justice system, rather than the likelihood of somebody offending."
The researchers took 1,856 ID photographs of Chinese citizens that fitted strict criteria of males aged between 18 and 55 with no facial hair or markings.  The collection contained 730 ID pictures - not police mugshots - of convicted criminals or "wanted suspects by the ministry of public security".
After using 90% of the images to train their algorithm, the researchers used the remaining photos to see whether the computer could correctly identify the convicts.  It did so correctly about nine times out of 10.
The researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University said their algorithm had identified key facial features, such as the curvature of the upper lip and distance between eyes, that were common among the convicts.
But Prof McVie said the algorithm may simply have identified patterns in the type of people who are convicted by human juries.
"This is an example of statistics-led research with no theoretical underpinning," said Prof McVie, who is also the director of the Applied Quantitative Methods Network research centre.
"What would be the reason that somebody's face would lead them to be criminal or not? There is no theoretical reason that the way somebody looks should make them a criminal.
"There is a huge margin of error around this sort of work and if you were trying to use the algorithm to predict who might commit a crime, you wouldn't find a high success rate," she told the BBC.
"Going back over 100 years ago, Cesare Lombroso was a 19th Century criminologist who used phrenology - feeling people's heads - with a theory that there were lumps and bumps associated with certain personality traits.
"But it is now considered to be very old and flawed science - criminologists have not believed in it for decades."
Prof McVie also warned that an algorithm used to spot potential criminals based on their appearance - such as passport scanning at an airport, or ID scanning at a night club - could have dangerous consequences.
"Using a system like this based on looks rather than behaviour could lead to eugenics-based policy-making," she said.
"What worries me the most is that we might be judging who is a criminal based on their looks. That sort of approach went badly wrong in our not-too distant history."


Cancer, chemotherapy and discovering Clonard - it's been an extraordinary year for County Antrim woman Lynette McKendry.

In February, Lynette had a double mastectomy. In an unusual case, inflammatory breast cancer was found in one breast while a different form of cancer was in the other.
Lynette was dealt a triple blow in August when secondary cancer was found in her brain. A tumour was removed and further treatment followed.
Lynette said intends to enjoy Christmas - especially the food and drink.
"We are having lots of family round from early morning. Cava will be flowing and lots of lemonade for the children, mince pies, and a feast for dinner.
"Last year, my mouth was covered in sores from the chemotherapy treatment. I actually couldn't eat."
Lynette first appeared on the BBC in February just weeks before both her breasts were removed.
"It's been such a tough year. Cancer turns your life upside down. I honestly believe I am not the same person that in was in July 2015," she said.
Lynette is not alone. There are currently more than 20,000 people aged 15-64 in Northern Ireland, living with cancer.
Each person deals with the disease in their own way.
On Lynette's journey, she stumbled across Clonard Monastery in west Belfast.
A member of the Church of Ireland walking through the doors of a Catholic church in August was both a daunting and enlightening experience.
"I can understand why some would question if there is a God whenever they have been thrown so many hand grenades, like I have been thrown this year," she said.
"I think, at the start, I probably did question that. But I got over it and I definitely have found peace just being able to spend time on my own. Praying has helped me get through."
A friend introduced her to Clonard and it was to become a place of solace for her in the heart of west Belfast.
"I have found great comfort here. Yes, I am Church of Ireland but this place is so welcoming to everyone, no matter what your denomination," she said.
"So just being here and just spending time praying and having time to myself has really helped me."
Throughout the year Lynette has been raising awareness about inflammatory breast cancer.
It is a rare and very aggressive disease - rather than a lump appearing, the breast looks swollen, red or inflamed.
Lynette said when she was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in her brain she thought her time was up.
"I thought that when you are given that type of news, it was curtains down for me. Coming to Clonard has given me the strength to just turn it around and instead raise awareness."
Now, Lynette is looking to the future.
"Family are everything especially my boys and husband. We have lots of family trips planned," she said.
"I also intend to continue to fundraise to raise awareness."
That's next year - before then Lynette intends to celebrate Christmas.


An "intelligent" toilet that opens when you approach it and self-cleans with every flush is on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

It also cleans the user with an aerated wand, which delivers warm water and warm air "from a seated position", a spokeswoman said.
Despite a $9,800 (Â£6,704) price tag, more than 40 million earlier versions of the Neorest toilets have been sold.
Bathroom firm Toto said the new prototype was still in development.
Its self-cleaning process uses a combination of a disinfectant and a glaze - made out of zirconium and titanium dioxide - which coats the bowl.
"Once it flushes it sprays the interior of the bowl with electrolysed water," explained Toto spokeswoman Lenora Campos.
She said the "proprietary process" essentially turns the water into a weak bleach.
"This bleaches the interior, killing anything in the bowl," said Ms Campos.
Meanwhile an ultraviolet light in the lid charges the surface.
That makes it super-hydrophilic - or water-loving, so nothing can stick to it - and also photocatalytic, enabling oxygen ions to break down bacteria and viruses.
"You don't have to clean the toilet bowl for over a year," said Ms Campos.
The BBC asked several of Las Vegas' hotels if they might be interested in such a product, but all declined to comment.
However, one smart home expert said the device proved there was still space for innovation beyond hooking things up to the internet.
"It illustrates the notion that tech breakthroughs involve rethinking things," said Frank Gillett from the tech consultancy Forrester Research.
"It's not necessarily about adding anything new."
Potential purchasers should be warned, however, that the device does not totally absolve them of toilet cleaning duties since its cleansing techniques do not extend to spills outside of the bowl.
Read and watch more from CES and follow the BBC team covering the event on Twitter.


Nottinghamshire have held initial talks about signing West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell to play in the 2016 T20 Blast, reports BBC Radio Nottingham.

Notts have already signed Dan Christian and want another overseas signing for the shortest form of the game.
Director of cricket Mick Newell said the club have had discussions with several agents, including Russell's.
The 27-year-old has won 86 one-day international caps and played Twenty20 cricket for Worcestershire in 2013.
But he has only played one Test - against Sri Lanka in November 2015.


A man is to appear in court accused of "causing fear and alarm" by sparking a ricin scare at a block of flats.

Stuart Innes is alleged to have caused the incident at Dundee's Dallfield Court on 3 May.
Prosecutors say he left a notice on an internal living room door "warning of the presence of the poison ricin and the health hazard presented".
Mr Innes, 51, is also accused of possessing cannabis on the same date.
Sheriff Simon Collins QC continued the case without plea until 6 January.


Police investigating the attempted murder of a police officer on the Crumlin Road on Sunday have arrested two more men aged 30 and 39.

On Sunday, a 36-year-old man was arrested and police have said their main line of inquiry is "violent dissident republicans".
It brings the total number of people in custody to three.
Automatic gunfire was sprayed across a garage forecourt in Belfast, leaving a police officer injured.
PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton said a bullet-proof vest may have saved the injured officer's life.
He was shot at least twice in his right arm in the attack on the Crumlin Road on Sunday and had surgery overnight.
The PSNI is treating the attack as attempted murder and has released a photo of the suspected getaway car.
The red Audi was found burnt out in Culmore Gardens at about 20:00 GMT on Sunday.
A 36-year-old man has been arrested and police have said their main line of inquiry is "violent dissident republicans".
The injured officer is said to be "recovering well in hospital" but faces further surgery.
The chief constable said people were filling their cars with fuel at the garage when the shots were fired and there were "multiple strike marks on the forecourt".
He added that police now believe the attack was not a drive-by shooting but that a gunman fired shots from behind a fence, across the road from the petrol station.
"This is an attack on the entire community, people walking from the forecourt to their cars with bullets whizzing round them and striking the garage forecourt - completely reckless," he said.
"Whatever people's motivation for doing this, it is just crazy."
He added that the officer was "wearing ballistic body armour which may have helped".
Mr Hamilton said such incidents "don't happen on ad hoc or opportunistic way. So we'd be pretty convinced that this is a planned operation"
The chief constable added: "The use of violence for any sort of political objective hasn't worked in the past and it's certainly not going to work in the future."
The PSNI detective leading the investigation, Det Supt Kevin Geddes, said: "We have recovered bullets from a number of locations on the forecourt and in several cars."
He added that his officers were trying to trace the movements of a red Audi A4, registration number KNZ 2862.
He appealed for sightings of the getaway car on Flax Street and Crumlin Road at about 19:30 GMT on Sunday.
It was found burnt out in Culmore Gardens about 30 minutes later.
"I'd also like to hear from anyone who noticed this car and its movements during December 2016 up to last night's shooting," Mr Geddis added.
Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire and the NI Justice Minister Claire Sugden have described the attack as "sickening".
Ms Sugden said there remained a significant terrorist threat in Northern Ireland "particularly against PSNI officers and indeed prison officers and that threat hasn't gone away with political instability, if anything it has been heightened.
"I had voiced my concerns at the outset of all the political instability that we need to be vigilant against this type of attack because I do think there will be people who will take that opportunity."
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said the attack was "reckless madness" and warned that there could have been "multiple deaths".
"This was a very concerted attack on our officers - a very concerted attempt to murder them," he added.
Mark Lindsay, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, said it was "an appalling act".
"This attack on the life of an officer is a stark reminder of the determination on the part of terrorists to murder and maim police officers," he said.
"They believe that by causing great grief to a family they are somehow advancing their warped and outdated plan. The wider community will be outraged by this attack on one of their police officers.
"This attempted murder underlines the fragility of our peace."
DUP leader Arlene Foster condemned the shooting and said it was "the work of cowards".
Sinn FÃ©in's Gerry Kelly said those responsible had "absolutely nothing to offer society and need to call a halt to these activities immediately".
The Social Democratic and Labour Party's Nichola Mallon said those involved in the attack were "calculating criminals intent on destabilising a community which continues to make strides toward reconciliation".
Alliance Leader Naomi Long said she believed they "intended to kill" and that "using guns in a residential area shows a callous disregard for the entire community".
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said: "We must find a way to end this."
The leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), Jim Allister, said the incident was a "reminder of the wickedness and criminality of all terrorism".


No orders to protect young girls and women at risk of female genital mutilation have been made in Wales, new figures have shown.

FGM protection orders (FGMPO) ban those at risk of the practice from being taken outside the UK.
While 77 of the orders were granted by courts in England between July 2015 and June 2016, not one was imposed in Wales.
The NSPCC, who obtained the data, said FGM had "no place in any society".
Charity Welsh Women's Aid added: "The lack of prosecutions and FGM protection orders in Wales highlights that, despite legislation, there is still a need for a stronger commitment to changing attitudes as well as a commitment to support provision of specialist services for girls and women affected by FGM."
It called for national and local support for community-based interventions to "challenge attitudes and identify girls at risk", and for professionals, such as school staff and health visitors, to be specially trained.
It has been illegal to carry out FGM in the UK since 1985, which is done for cultural and religious reasons in certain communities.
Introduced in July 2015, anyone can apply for an FGMPO, which can allow a court to confiscate passports and travel documents to stop a girl being taken abroad.
Breaching the order is a criminal offence, with a maximum prison term of five years.
Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the NSPCC show no orders have been issued by courts in Wales or Northern Ireland.
Of the 77 applications granted in England, 15 were made by police forces, 13 by a solicitor, friend or guardian, 11 by the person wanting to be protected and eight by family members.
The rest were made by other third parties.
Gwent Police said it had not applied for any as the safeguarding measures put into place by police and partners "have meant that the protection orders were not required".
North Wales Police said an application is usually made by the individual concerned or a "relevant third party" and not police.
The Dyfed-Powys and South Wales forces were also asked to comment.
John Cameron, Head of NSPCC Helplines, said FGM was "child abuse" and against the law.
He said: "Some families who subject their children to female genital mutilation may do so because of cultural norms or that they believe it will help their child improve their life.
"It's vital that everyone realises FGM serves no purpose, and leaves long-lasting physical and emotional scars on the victims.
"For far too long female genital cutting has been cloaked in secrecy so we need more people in communities to join forces to ensure this dangerous practice is ended. "
A Home Office spokeswoman said the UK government was taking world-leading action.
"FGM is a horrific act of violence that no woman or girl should ever have to suffer," she said.
"We have significantly strengthened the law on FGM, including introducing a new offence of failing to protect a girl from FGM, extending the reach of extra territorial offences, and creating civil FGM Protection Orders to ensure we are able to protect women and girls at the earliest opportunity.
"We are carrying out an ongoing programme of outreach work to raise awareness of FGM and the available legal measures to tackle the issue, such as FGM Protection Orders. This includes engaging with the police and community organisations in Wales."
FGM, sometimes called female circumcision, refers to procedures including the partial or total removal of external female genital organs for non-medical reasons.


Asian markets were mostly lower after comments from US Federal Reserve head Janet Yellen reinforced expectations of a US rate rise this month.

Ms Yellen said the US economy had "recovered substantially" and consumer spending was "particularly solid".
After falling at first, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index recovered to close flat at 19,939.90.
Oil prices recovered some ground overnight, having fallen by more than 4% on Wednesday.
US crude had fallen below $40 a barrel at one point, with prices being hit by news of rising stockpiles and the strong dollar.
However, crude prices gained in Asian trade after a report suggested that Saudi Arabia would propose a deal to balance oil markets.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) is due to meet on Friday. The group of countries set oil production levels, which have a significant impact on the price of the commodity.
Chinese shares reversed earlier losses to head higher in afternoon trade, with the Shanghai Composite index closing up 1.35% at 3,584.82.
Analysts said one factor driving the market could be that some of the $313bn (Â£209bn) locked in Tuesday's initial public offerings had started to flow back into the market.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closed down 0.28% at 22,417.01 in line with the rest of the region.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index ended 0.6% lower at 5,227.7 on the weakness in commodity prices.
Government data also showed that the value of exports fell by a seasonally-adjusted 3% in October, mainly due to lower demand for commodities such as gold.
In South Korea, the benchmark Kospi index finished down 0.8% at 1,994.07 despite a revision to third quarter growth figures, which indicated the economy was growing faster than anticipated.
The economy grew 1.3% in the three months to September from the previous quarter. That was up from the original estimate of 1.2% and the fastest pace since mid-2010.
On an annual basis, growth rose 2.7%, compared with the initial forecast of 2.6%.


Young people who have spent part of their childhood in care have been invited to special Christmas dinners by Manchester poet Lemn Sissay.

The Christmas Day meals will take place in Manchester, Leeds and London after Mr Sissay, who is Chancellor of Manchester University, raised Â£38,000.
The poet, who was in a Wigan children's home from the age of 12 to 18, said he wanted to create happy memories.
A group of volunteers has sourced the venues, transport, food and presents.
The dinners are being provided for care leavers in the three cities who are aged between 18 and 30.
"At its most simple the Christmas dinner offers a memory so next year the person can look back and think I was worth something then," Mr Sissay said.
"Christmas Day actually exposes the inadequacies of a system which treats children as if they are a problem because that day the child stands alone thinking 'I must be a problem, I'm obviously not worth anything because there is nobody here'."
The 48-year-old said his own early Christmas memories were "without family in virtually empty children's homes with staff who didn't want to be there".
"You have this secret room inside yourself and as Christmas approaches you draw back to that room. Each time you hear or feel the nature of family you are reminded of what you just do not have."
Mr Sissay said he believes people continue to feel isolated at Christmas after leaving care.
The first Christmas dinner took place in Manchester in 2013 and was extended to a second city, London, in 2014.
The money has been raised through crowd funding.


Leyton Orient boss Russell Slade will work with a sporting director next season after a restructure in the wake of Francesco Becchetti's takeover.

Slade said the precise details of the new structure were still to be agreed.
"There's a slight change in structure. It's about getting on, nothing will ever be bigger than the club," he told BBC London 94.9.
"My responsibility is for the football. If I can get help from the owner and sporting director, I'll be delighted."
Becchetti took control of former owner Barry Hearn's 90% stake in the club earlier this month, with the Italian indicating he is willing to back Slade with funds to strengthen his squad.
We came within a penalty shot of going into the Championship and now we need to go a bit better
"In terms of the roles and responsibilities - its early days but they need to be sorted out and structured better than they are at the moment," added Slade, who has been at Orient since April 2010.
"The owner's never had a football club so he's learning and we're learning too."
Slade took Leyton Orient to the play-off final last season, where they lost 4-3 on penalties to Rotherham, and is having to deal with greater expectations from supporters following the takeover.
"We want to improve and move forward," said Slade. "We came within a penalty shot of going into the Championship and now we need to go a bit better than last season and it's not going to be easy.
"The mood's always good because we've got good people in the changing room but  we won't know until we start the season how that will affect us.
"But I think they'll dust themselves down, they're a great group and if we can strengthen the squad that will lift us as well.
"We haven't spent too much money so far but we hope that we can attract some quality players.
"In the past I've had to make up the squad with loanees or inexpensive squad players, but this season I'm hoping my whole group are all capable of going in at any stage. If we can add two or three more players then that will help in terms of depth."


Her Facebook page is overflowing with messages complimenting her for her new job.

Congratulations, you have hit the headlines, writes a student, attaching a newspaper story headlined "Bengal college to have India's first transgender principal". "We salute your courage," writes a friend.
"Yes, it has taken some courage. It's been a struggle to be accepted as a transgender professional," says Manobi Bandyopadhyay, 51, shouting over the din of heavy traffic down a telephone line from Kolkata (Calcutta).
Born into a lower-middle class family - her father was a factory worker, while her mother is a homemaker - Ms Bandyopadhyay went to school on the outskirts of Kolkata before heading off to a prominent city college to study Bengali. She wrote a paper on women's rights and joined a college in a remote village in a Maoist-affected region in West Bengal to teach Bengali.
In 2003, she says, she decided to go in for hormone replacement and surgery to change her sex. At work, she completed a dissertation on the role of transgenders in West Bengal, where their population exceeds 30,000.
She says her troubles began when she changed her gender and her name in 2006. Authorities refused to recognise the change, and she was denied pay rises at college "because they could not come to terms with my altered gender".
"There were taunts at work about my sex change. At home, my parents and siblings were worried sick whether my body would be able to cope with the changes." Her life - and identity - went into limbo.
It took five years and a new government in West Bengal - led by a feisty woman politician herself - to "recognise my status and give me my identity", Ms Bandyopadhyay says. "I have always been popular with my students, but my colleagues and peers were not always so favourably disposed after I changed my gender."
Most of India's estimated two million transgendered people face discrimination, live on the fringes and often languish in poverty. Many are forced into sex work and suffer ostracisation because of their gender.
Things have been getting better though.
In 2009, India's election authorities allowed transgenders to choose their gender as "other" on ballot forms. Last year, the Supreme Court declared the transgender community as a third gender and ordered the government to provide transgender people with quotas in jobs and education in line with other minorities, as well as key amenities.
India now has a transgender anchor on a TV news show and a popular talk show host. Earlier this year, a transgender woman became the country's first to win municipal elections and be declared a mayor. At least two states - Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra - have government-mandated transgender welfare organisations for their social inclusion.
Authorities in West Bengal have also had a welcome change of heart.
A government minister has welcomed Ms Bandyopadhyay's appointment. The vice-chancellor of the university to which the college is affiliated  has described her as a "fine human being, a good academician and an able administrator". A newspaper wrote about her visit to the college on Tuesday "sporting Raybans glasses, curly hair done up in a careless coiffure".
It's been a long, strange trip for Ms Bandyopadhyay: a life-altering sex change in the middle of a teaching career, broken relationships,  adopting a favourite student as her son, writing an exhaustive account of her life, a fun gig on a Bengali version of the popular reality show Big Brother. She loves going to the movies, and lists Michael Jackson as one of her likes on Facebook. Now she wants to run a women's college, and look after her 92-year-old father, who lives close to her new workplace.
"This is a new chapter in her life," Debashish Gupta, her adopted son, tells me. "We are happy and we are tense. People can be very cruel, and want to trip her. Life as a transgender can be an eternal challenge."


The Syrian town of Kobane, near the border with Turkey, was the first city from which Kurdish troops expelled Syrian government forces and established self-rule in July 2012.

Now the city risks falling to the hands of Islamic State (IS), which launched an offensive to capture the town on 15 September.
Kurdish forces are heavily outgunned by IS, which has tanks and other heavy weapons. They have managed to slow down IS's advance, but militant fighters have now reached the south-west corner of the town.
Kurdish fighters who have been defending the hills around the city have pulled back to the streets of Kobane, and their commanders say the fight to control the town is entering a new phase.
"Our forces have been preparing for a street battle," says Salih Muslim, the co-leader of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the main Kurdish party in Syria.
"They will defend the city to the very end. Kobane will never fall to IS," he says.
Kurdish commanders believe that IS may not be able to use its heavy weaponry, such as artillery and tanks, as effectively when the fighting turns into a street battle. They hope this will mean Kurdish fighters can put up a strong fight.
In picking its battles, IS seems to be selecting soft targets, usually taking over towns that don't put up much of a fight.
Kobane is surrounded by two IS-controlled towns to the east and west, faces the Turkish border to the north and lies some 140km north of Raqqa - the heart of IS-controlled territory - so it is easy to understand why jihadist fighters might choose to stage an all-out attack there.
But fighters in Kobane have been resisting takeovers by Islamist militants for over two years.
Locals say this is because of the town's symbolic importance.
"Kobane might be our soft spot, if you look at it from a geopolitical point of view. But Kobane is where the will of our people and Kurdish cause is strongest," says Polat Can, spokesperson for the Kurdish People's Protection Unit (YPG).
"They are of the same tribe of Kurds that produced leaders and fighters like Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan and top PKK leader Murat Karayilan," he adds.
However, fighting a heavily armed IS without any sophisticated weapons is proving to be difficult for fighters in Kobane - IS is moving closer, and coalition air strikes have done very little to stop the jihadist advance.
According to Salih Muslim, the coalition has yet to effectively bomb IS positions near Kobane. "That is why the IS thinks it is safer to deploy most of its forces near Kobane in order to protect them from air strikes," he says.
Most coalition air strikes have targeted areas near Mosul and Irbil in Iraq, and Raqqa in Syria.
While co-operating closely with the Kurds in Iraq, who are allied to Turkey, Washington is wary of empowering and encouraging Kurds in Syria, who are allied to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought against the Turkish army for three decades, although it has observed a ceasefire since 2013.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says his country will do what it can to prevent Kobane from falling to IS, but stopped short of committing to military intervention.
His words followed a statement by the imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, who said the peace process between Ankara and the Kurdish rebels would collapse if IS militants seized Kobane.
Kurdish officials in Syria have repeatedly said that they don't want Turkey to intervene in the conflict, but have called for an easing of border controls to allow in other Kurds to supply arms to the fighters in Kobane.
They also believe that Turkey is in league with IS in a bid to prevent the Syrian Kurds from becoming more powerful - a claim strongly denied by Turkey.


Physicists have drawn up construction plans for a large-scale quantum computer.

These super-fast machines promise to revolutionise computing, harnessing the world of quantum mechanics to solve problems that are beyond reach for even the most advanced "classical" ones.
But the challenges of building practical, large-scale models have kept quantum computers confined to the lab.
The new blueprint, based on a modular design appears in Science Advances.
"We have produced a construction plan - a real blueprint to actually build a large-scale quantum computer," Winfried Hensinger, from the University of Sussex, told BBC News.
In classical computers, the unit of information is called a "bit" and can have a value of either 1 or 0. But its equivalent in a quantum system - the qubit (quantum bit) - can be both 1 and 0 at the same time.
This phenomenon opens the door for multiple calculations to be performed simultaneously. But the qubits need to be synchronised using a quantum effect known as entanglement, which Albert Einstein termed "spooky action at a distance".
But scientists have struggled to build devices with more than 10 or 15 qubits. Lab machines suffer from a kind of drop-out called decoherence, where qubits lose their ambiguity and become straightforward 1s and 0s - a technical obstacle to building practical quantum computers.
"With our concept we include a method to correct these errors allowing the possibility to build a large scale device," said Prof Hensinger.
The University of Sussex professor led an international collaboration consisting of scientists from Google, Denmark's Aarhus University, the Riken research institute in Japan and the University of Siegen in Germany.
"If you go back in time to the first computers, they started with tens of bits. This is where the full field of quantum computing is right now," said Winfried Hensinger.
He added: "For some of the really exciting applications of quantum computers, such as inventing new drugs, or understanding the fabric of reality itself, understanding the Universe, designing new materials, instead of 10 or 15 quantum bits, I need a lot more qubits, maybe up to 10 billion quantum bits eventually."
The researchers started with a question: using only existing technology, how would you go about building a large-scale quantum computer?
Their latest work provides an answer, drawing on a variety of applied science approaches to assemble the blueprint for a "universal" quantum computer - one that can tackle a comprehensive array of complex problems.
The plan uses charged atoms (ions), confined in a trap to function as qubits. This approach allows the computer to operate at room temperature, unlike an alternative "superconducting" model, which requires the whole system to be cooled to very low temperatures.
Logic gates are the building blocks of circuits, and are used to perform the computations in this quantum computer. One way to achieve this is with lasers, but this would require aligning an individual laser beam onto each ion - an extremely challenging prospect when dealing with a large number of qubits.
The latest proposal uses microwaves and the application of voltages to make the gate system work - a much simplified solution.
In addition, other modular designs have proposed the use of fibre optics to connect individual computer modules and to encode quantum information.
However, this solution is slower and more complicated than the scientists would like, so they instead advocate the use of electric fields to push the ions from one module to another. Prof Hensinger explained: "A modular design is absolutely critical in order to realize a quantum computer with truly phenomenal processing power".
As their next step, the team plans to build a prototype quantum computer at the University of Sussex, based on this design.
This machine will cost Â£1-2m to build, although Prof Hensinger estimates that a practical device for real-world applications would cost tens of millions by comparison, maybe more.
There are several continuing efforts to build large-scale quantum computers for practical applications.
D-Wave, a company headquartered in Burnaby, Canada, has recently released a quantum computer with a 2,000 qubit processor. It has several longstanding customers, including Nasa, Google and defence giant Lockheed Martin, and recently added a fourth - US cybersecurity firm Temporal Defense Systems.
However, there is a continuing debate on whether D-Wave's machines are achieving speeds beyond those possible with classical computers.
Google is also working on devices that employ superconductivity, while Microsoft is exploring a form known as topological quantum computing. Meanwhile, start-ups such as IonQ are focusing their efforts on the trapped ion approach favoured by Prof Hensinger and his colleagues.
Follow Paul on Twitter.


Shaun Maloney and Steven Whittaker have been called up for Scotland home friendly with Denmark on Tuesday.

Gordon Strachan had named separate squads for the 1-0 win over the Czech Republic and the game with the Danes, with Whittaker pulling out of the former with his wife due to give birth.
Full-back Paul Caddis, who made his debut in Prague, and uncapped keeper Scott Bain have been retained as cover.
But goalkeeper David Marshall misses out as he is suffering from pneumonia.
Steven Fletcher was named in both squads and, though he missed Thursday's win1-0 win over the Czech Republic in Prague, he is available for Tuesday's encounter at Hampden.
Goalkeepers: Scott Bain, Craig Gordon
Defenders: Ikechi Anya, Paul Caddis, Liam Cooper, Gordon Greer, Grant Hanley, Charlie Mulgrew, Kieran Tierney, Steven Whittaker
Midfielders: Liam Bridcutt, Scott Brown, Oliver Burke, James Forrest, Shaun Maloney, John McGinn, Jamie Murphy, Matt Ritchie
Forwards: Steven Fletcher, Leigh Griffiths, Chris Martin


Part of New York's JFK airport was closed on Sunday night after reports of gunfire, which turned out to be false.

Cheering and banging while people watched the Olympics may have been mistaken for the sound of shots, one official said.
Two of the airport's six terminals were shut and a road approaching the airport was closed while the New York Police Department (NYPD) were called in, and many flights were delayed.
No-one was injured or arrested.
Reports of shooting in Terminal Eight came in at 21:30 local time (01:30 GMT). Some 45 minutes later, similar reports came in from Terminal One, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
The terminals were evacuated and flights were halted for more than an hour.
One passenger, Demetrius Pipkin, said Terminal One was a "madhouse", where people were told to "get on the floor and take cover behind any and everything we could find" - but passengers eventually bolted for the exits.
Joe Pentangelo, from the Port Authority's police department, said the search through the terminals had found "no firearm, rounds or shell casings or other evidence of shots fired".


Jury selection has begun in the first trial over the death of Freddie Gray, a Baltimore man whose death in police custody set off days of protests.

Officer William Porter is charged with manslaughter, accused of failing to give medical help to Gray despite complaints and warning signs.
Gray sustained a severe spinal cord injury while riding in a police van and died a week later.
The case became a lightning rod in the US movement against police brutality.
Mr Porter is one of six police officers charged over Gray's death. All have pleaded not guilty. They will be tried separately and prosecutors hope to use Mr Porter as a witness in the other trials.
The case has already shaken Baltimore. After the riots, some police union police officials said the Gray case made officers "hesitant" to stop crime.
In a media campaign, police officials publically criticised the mayor and the city council, saying the force lacked their support.
City Police Commissioner Anthony Batts has been fired and the once-popular Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has agreed not to run for election in the ensuing fallout. The city recently surpassed 300 murders within a year for the first time since 1999.
"Everything is at stake. The future of the city is at stake," Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said.
Finding an impartial jury is expected to be difficult given how Gray's death affected the city. A Baltimore judge denied a defence request for a change of venue in September.


An Indian woman has been granted permission to divorce her husband because he would not build a toilet in their home.

The woman in her 20s had been married for five years, but had been forced to relieve herself in nearby fields.
Indian law only allows divorce in limited circumstances such as domestic violence or proven cruelty.
The woman's lawyer told the AFP news agency that the judge said forced open defecation was a form of torture.
The court, in the state of Rajasthan, said that women are often forced to wait until dark to travel to the open fields used instead of toilets.
A report carried by the Times of India quoted the court's judgement as saying: "We spend money on buying tobacco, liquor and mobile phones, but are unwilling to construct toilets to protect the dignity of our family.
"In villages, women have to wait until sunset to answer nature's call. This is not only physical cruelty but also outraging the modesty of a woman."
Indian media said the woman had filed for divorce in 2015.
Urination and defecation in open fields is common in parts of rural India. The government has set a goal to provide every household with a toilet by 2019, but the work has been met with some resistance.
Women's safety and discomfort is a key reason for the investment, as many are forced to travel to the fields during the hours of darkness.
Even where toilets have been built, many do not use them, despite the spread of diseases associated with faeces.
Last year, Unicef estimated that about half the population of India do not use toilets.


South Africa's President Jacob Zuma is walking further into a long, dark tunnel as he clings to his presidency.

South Africans are angry and embarrassed by accusations that the president's friends are effectively running the country from their posh suburban mansion by appointing ministers.
The statement by deputy Minister of Finance Mcebisi Jonas that he was offered a cabinet ministerial job by a member of the controversial Gupta family is more bad news for President Zuma.
While he is known to be one of the greatest political survivors, from a distance it looks like this latest scandal could finally cost him the presidency.
Mr Zuma denies that he has outsourced his constitutional duties of appointing cabinet ministers to his friends.
He told a raucous parliament: "I am in charge of the government, I appoint in terms of the constitution."
"There is no minister who is here who was ever appointed by the Guptas or by anybody else."
The governing African National Congress (ANC), which until very recently vehemently defended its president, is beginning to change its tune.
The party's Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said: "The threat of corporate capture is a real threat. When you corrupt individual politicians to actually act as your proxies in the ANC to become agents of business interests then that's corporate capture."
He described the Gupta family's rebuttal, saying the issue is not their undue influence but internal party political factions jostling for positions, as arrogance gone too far.
Speaking to local TV channel ENCA he said: "It's arrogance to the superlative degree."
The Gupta family, who arrived from India in 1993, have responded to the latest allegations with a double-page advert entitled "Gupta Family, The Inconvenient Truth" in The New Age newspaper, which the family owns.
The family, through their holding company Oakbay Investments said it was releasing details of a meeting it held with ANC officials last month.
Several accusations were addressed line by line but the advert did not mention the reports of ministerial job offers, which the family has previously denied.
"Like any other South African businesses, we interact with the government," the family said.
"In fact, friendship with the previous president was as strong."
Several ANC officials have joined in the attack on the Guptas.
ANC MP Vytjie Mentor claimed on Facebook that she too was offered a cabinet job by the Gupta family, but she said she too refused.
Soon after Mr Jonas spoke about the controversial meeting at the Gupta home called by Duduzane Zuma, the president's son, senior MPs took to social media to support him.
Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom stated on his Twitter account: "Mcebisi Jonas is a person of great integrity and there no reason to doubt his version of events."
He was followed the former ANC's spokesman MP Jackson Mthembu who said: "I fully agree that comrade Jonas is a person of integrity whose commitment to our democracy is unquestionable."
Who are the Guptas?
The expression of disgust gained momentum when ANC heavyweight and former cabinet minister Barbara Hogan said that the party needed to clear the "rot."
Ms Hogan, who was once the minister of public enterprise responsible for state companies such as South African Airways, electricity giant Eskom and many others did not mince her words: "This is a defining moment. This cannot be swept under the carpet."
But the question on everybody's mind is whether these condemnations will gain enough critical mass within the troubled ANC for it to recall President Zuma, as it did with his predecessor Thabo Mbeki.
In the past many voices within the ANC were too scared to raise their heads in case they got chopped off.
Many people said anonymously that they were disappointed about what was going on in the party of Nelson Mandela.
It does feels like the winds of change are blowing through the party structures.
However, the critical voices may not be enough for the ANC to take the decision to sack its leader.
But that may change.
There is a lot of behind the scenes manoeuvring within Africa's oldest liberation movement.
There are those who are hoping that the current deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa can move into the driving seat immediately.
Others wish that the African Union chairperson and former wife of President Zuma, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, can take over the reins of power from her seemingly stumbling ex-husband.
But when you look closely, instead of a speedy recovery, the paralysis that has beset the ANC will probably intensify. It will just be business as usual.
Ralph Mathekga, a political analyst at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (Mistra) told me that the state had not been captured.
"It is the ANC that is captured and therefore those who are supposed to rein in the 73-year-old president and hold him to account will not act against their own interests. Even in this latest fiasco."
He said: "It's just going to blow over. Then the ANC will come out blaming the media and corporate capture by special interests."
So as President Zuma emerges from yet another supposedly cataclysmic political drama, he looks set to remain party president until his term expires in December 2017.
Unless his comrades decide to pull the rug from under his feet after this year's crucial local government election.
It seems there will be no capture of the president's seat, for now at least.


A statue of Arctic explorer Dr John Rae has been unveiled in Orkney.

Born on the island in 1813, Rae followed in the footsteps of many other Orkney men of his generation, and travelled to Canada to work for the Hudson's Bay Company - a major player in the Canadian fur trade.
Although employed initially as a doctor, his abilities as an outdoorsman who was able to travel huge distances on foot were soon recognised, and he was set to work mapping vast areas of uncharted territory.
While searching for traces of Sir John Franklin's ill-fated expedition of 1845, Rae discovered the final link in the north west passage.
But his achievement was overshadowed by the fact that Rae also recorded eyewitness accounts from local Inuit who told how Franklin's last surviving crew had resorted to cannibalism in a desperate attempt to save themselves.
Rae reported the findings discreetly to the British Admiralty, but was horrified when they were passed onto a British newspaper.
Lord Franklin's widow was enraged, and along with her friend Charles Dickens she set about ridiculing Rae for accepting the word of the Inuit.
Dr John Rae died, relatively unknown, in 1893.
The statue, which stands on the Stromness harbour front, has been created by local artist Ian Scott, and has been funded by a donation from businessman Alan Twatt.
Mr Twatt, who was born in Stromness, is now a successful potato merchant in Aberdeenshire. He said he was keen to see greater recognition for Rae's "incredible achievements".
A series of events are taking place in Orkney this weekend to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth.


Gillingham owner Paul Scally says Ady Pennock deserved another chance to lead the League One club, despite admitting to disappointment with recent results.

The Gills finished 20th in the table this season, having been 17th when Pennock was made head coach in January.
But Pennock, 46, was handed a 12-month deal to stay on as head coach for next season, with former Gills boss Peter Taylor appointed director of football.
"My decision is based on having watched the way he's worked," Scally said.
"I understand that many may say that results haven't been as we would have hoped. We all accept that, but he has worked exceedingly hard in some very difficult circumstances, in circumstances that in my 22 years I've never seen the likes of.
"I felt that he deserved a chance to see what he could do given a pre-season, given his own players coming in and given that he'd have a fresh start, but I only wanted to do that if I was able to bring in someone experienced to work above him."
Former England Under-21 boss Taylor, 64, was sacked by Scally in December 2014 after a phone call between the pair.
"I've always kept very close to Peter," Scally told BBC Radio Kent. "Peter's a very experienced person, very experienced in the contacts he has and the players he knows.
"I just feel that it's going to be absolutely essential going forward this season that our recruitment's a lot better than it was last season and the season before."


Middlesex will need to win their final match against Yorkshire to guarantee a first County Championship title since 1993 after drawing with Lancashire.

Set 309 from 44 overs, Lancashire ended the chase after makeshift opener Jos Buttler was out for a 14-ball 26 and closed on 80-1 at Old Trafford.
Middlesex earlier declared on 240-8, Dawid Malan top-scoring with 87.
Lancashire will need 11 points from their final match against Warwickshire to ensure relegation is avoided.
Middlesex hold a nine-point advantage over second-placed Yorkshire, who visit Lord's next week.
A draw, or a Yorkshire win, could let in Somerset, who play bottom club Nottinghamshire at Taunton.
That neither side was able to force victory was down in part to an increasingly flat pitch and two moments involving Lancashire's Buttler.
The first came when John Simpson, on eight, edged Tom Bailey to offer a very difficult chance, one that the wicketkeeper could not take in his left hand.
Simpson (74) and Malan went on to share 151, taking Middlesex from their third-evening position of 55-4 to relative safety.
Malan eventually edged Simon Kerrigan behind, one of six wickets for the left-arm spinner, before Middlesex declared to leave Lancashire a fanciful target.
Buttler's promotion to the top of the order showed that the hosts briefly entertained chasing the victory that would have guaranteed their safety, the England wicketkeeper going through his whole repertoire of strokes.
But, after he got a leading edge off Steven Finn to be caught at cover, Rob Jones and Haseeb Hameed saw Lancashire through.
By the time hands were shaken, first-innings centurion Jones had passed 500 minutes at the crease in the match without being dismissed.
Lancashire cricket director Ashley Giles told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"It was a good fightback. We didn't bowl well on the first day, or field well. We showed a lot of character from there.
"Had Middlesex not been in such a tight position maybe they would have given themselves a bit more time to bowl us out.
"I'm delighted with some of the individual performances, but this was the story of the season. We need to start better, and get into games quicker."
Middlesex captain James Franklin told BBC Radio London:
"It's dangerous to want and need a draw. We want to beat Yorkshire. Nothing changes just because it's the last game.
"There is potential of nice rewards at the end of it. We have one more hurdle to get over. We have a huge week ahead. We need to be clear with our thought processes and go again.
"We had a tricky morning this morning to contend with, and Malan and Simpson did a great job. It was a team effort. That's why we are in the position we are in."


Young people often lack the chance to help in their local communities as volunteers, suggests research for the Scout Association.

More than four-fifths (82%) of 1,000 12- to 24-year-olds questioned said it was important for young people to help tackle social issues.
But only a third (35%) believed this opportunity was open to them locally.
Chief Scout Bear Grylls urged more young people to join the Scouts to support a new volunteering campaign.
Overall, the figures from the representative sample suggest the UK could be losing out on 15.4 million hours of youth volunteering time every month, say the Scouts.
Some 37% of the young people polled by ComRes said they currently took part in some form of social action every week.
This is defined as volunteering their free time to help others in activities such as improving local open spaces or mentoring.
By contrast, ComRes also interviewed more than 1,000 Scouts in the same age group and found almost three-quarters (73%) did voluntary work at least once a week.
The Scouting Association carried out the research to mark the launch of a programme to enlist half a million scouts to volunteer for a range of charities.
A Million Hands aims to encourage scouts to improve the lives of people affected by disability and dementia, improving the mental wellbeing and resilience of families and ensuring global access to clean water and sanitation.
The six charities nominated by young scouts are:
Bear Grylls said he was excited to be launching the campaign.
"The Scout Association is today pledging one million hands to supporting four of the biggest social issues currently facing the UK and the wider world, but we can't do it on our own.
"We want all young people to come and give scouting a try and to get involved. This is how we can all play a vital role in shaping tomorrow's world for the better."
Campaign leader Jack Abrey called it "a chance to remove the wholly unfair negative perception of young people".
"It's a way to demonstrate that scouts can create meaningful and impactful change in their communities in a way that also develops the young people taking part, giving them the confidence, resilience and belief that change is possible," he said.


Six British soldiers have been killed in southern Afghanistan when their vehicle was hit by an explosion.

Five from 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment and one from 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment had been on patrol in Kandahar province on Tuesday. Their families have been told.
It is the biggest single loss of UK life at one time in Afghanistan since a Nimrod crash killed 14 in 2006.
The explosion is thought to have been caused by a very large Taliban bomb.
The number of British military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001 is now 404.
By Caroline WyattDefence correspondent, BBC News
This is the worst single loss of life in one incident due to enemy action for UK troops in Afghanistan since the start of the war in 2001.
The last time a similar number of UK casualties was caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was in the summer of 2009, when five British soldiers died in an IED blast.
The device remains the deadliest weapon in the Taliban's arsenal. It is effective on a psychological level, as well as causing deaths and severe injury, and is relatively cheap and simple to manufacture.
The level of suspected casualties suggests a large amount of explosives were used.
More from Caroline Wyatt
Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a "desperately sad day for our country".
"Every death and every injury reminds us of the human cost paid by our armed forces to keep our country safe," he said, at the start of Prime Minister's Questions.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence (MoD)said the six soldiers were on a security patrol in a Warrior armoured fighting vehicle when it was caught in an explosion in Kandahar province.
Brig Patrick Sanders, commander of Task Force Helmand, said it suffered "catastrophic damage".
They had been travelling as part of a two Warrior patrol when the vehicle was hit at the junction of a road travelling east from Gereshk and another heading north to Lashkar Gah, the MoD said.
The BBC's Orla Guerin, in the Afghan capital Kabul, said there must have been a "massive explosion" to damage such a robust and heavily protected vehicle.
The area, she said, was sparsely populated and particularly unstable, according to Afghan officials, and insurgents were known to have planted roadside bombs there.
The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul said a police official in Lashkar Gah named IEDs as the biggest threat to his forces and told him insurgents were now planting them on key roads in a clear change of tactics.
Meanwhile, BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the six soldiers had been in the country for less than a month, having flown out of the UK on Valentine's Day.
She added that the ongoing operation to recover the bodies would have been slowed down as rescuers would have faced the risk of being injured themselves by further bombs.
News emerged earlier on Wednesday that the six were missing, presumed dead. It is understood the MoD has not formally identified them.
Most of the 9,500 UK troops in Afghanistan are expected to be withdrawn by the end of 2014, when 13 years of combat operations in the country are set to cease.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the timetable for withdrawal remained on track despite this "cowardly attack".
"This will not shake our resolve to see through the mission - I believe we owe that to all the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives and put themselves at risk over the last few years," he told the BBC.
In the Commons, Mr Cameron told MPs "every possible support" had to be given to a political settlement in Afghanistan.
He said a clear message had to be sent to the Taliban that - whether UK troops or Afghan troops were there - they "will not win on the battlefield - they never win on the battlefield".
Mr Cameron said he had spoken to the UK's leading military officers, who had stressed the commitment of troops to "getting the job done".
He also said he would discuss the Afghanistan situation with President Barack Obama on his visit to the US next week to ensure they were "in lock step" about the importance of training up the Afghan army and police, and making sure all Nato partners had a properly co-ordinated process for transition.
Labour leader Ed Miliband expressed his "profound sadness" over the latest deaths and said the UK owed those who put themselves in harm's way for our benefit "an immense debt of gratitude".
Chief of Defence Staff General Sir David Richards said he was "deeply saddened" by the news.
"The courage, fortitude and determination of those servicemen and women currently in Helmand is inspirational," he said.
The Archbishop of York John Sentamu said his heart went out to those affected, and we owed a debt of gratitude to our "brave soldiers".
The last British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan was Senior Aircraftman Ryan Tomlin, of 2 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment, who died from gunshot wounds in Helmand on 13 February.


An investigation into a coach crash in eastern France which left two teenagers seriously injured will not be completed before September, it is understood.

The Penygroes-based Express Motors coach went into a ditch on the A39 motorway at Lons-le-Saunier, near the Swiss border, on 23 July.
Its two drivers have been quizzed by French police and another probe is taking place in the UK.
The Gwynedd coach was carrying students from a school in Gloucestershire.
The driver behind the wheel at the time of the crash told investigators he came off the road while looking for his sunglasses.
But prosecutors said his explanation was not very convincing and believe the driver, who is now being formally investigated, fell asleep at the wheel.
Police said no other vehicles were involved. No charges have been brought.
There were 42 students on board - aged between 14 and 18 - and six staff from Bournside School in Cheltenham for their camping trip to Italy.


The founder of MtGox - once the world's biggest Bitcoin exchange - has been formally charged by prosecutors in Japan with embezzlement amid an investigation into losses of nearly $400m.

Japanese police arrested Mr Karpeles in Tokyo, where he lives, on 1 August.
His arrest was connected to the MtGox loss of 850,000 Bitcoins in February 2014.
At the time, the losses were worth nearly $400m (about Â£240m).
It was claimed the Bitcoin losses were caused by a bug - but the Tokyo-based exchange later filed for bankruptcy.
MtGox then said it had found some 200,000 of the lost bitcoins.
Mr Karpeles has also been accused of falsifying data and improperly transferring MtGox funds.
The French-born former chief executive of the exchange had been held in detention for six weeks without being formally charged, which is allowed under Japanese law.
It was not clear if the embezzlement charge was related to all or some of the missing money.
Japan's Kyodo News said in August that a lawyer acting on Mr Karpeles' behalf denied his client had done anything illegal.
Bitcoin is money that is completely virtual and is regarded as an online version of cash. It can be used to buy products and services.
Bitcoin developer Mike Hearn told the BBC last month there was still much confusion over the legal status of Bitcoins in many nations.


At least 17 people have died in India in the latest deadly earthquake to hit Nepal and the surrounding region.

Sixteen people died in the northern state of Bihar and one person in Uttar Pradesh in Tuesday's 7.3 magnitude quake.
At least 65 people died in Nepal and nearly 2,000 were injured, with fears the figures could rise.
The massive 7.8 magnitude quake in April killed more than 8,000 people in Nepal and least 66 people in India.
Most of the fatalities and injuries were then also reported from Bihar, one of India's poorest states.
Wednesday's quake left people dead, mainly in wall and house collapses, in at least six districts of Bihar.
A school building caved in and a dozen students were hurt, a report said.
Fearing aftershocks, many people in the affected districts slept in the parks and open spaces on Tuesday night.
"It was the same feeling that we experienced a fortnight ago. It was very scary... I'm not sure what will happen next," one woman, Anita Devi, told The Hindu newspaper.
Officials in the eastern state of West Bengal said eight people received minor injuries.
In north-eastern Assam state, buildings developed cracks and train traffic was disrupted after the tremors.
People ran out of their homes and offices in the capital, Delhi, and West Bengal, Assam and Orissa states after Tuesday's quake.
Tuesday's earthquake was centred about 76km (47 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, near the town of Namche Bazaar.
A second tremor of 6.3-magnitude hit Nepal 30 minutes later and numerous other aftershocks continued into Wednesday morning.
The main quake was felt in northern India, Tibet and Bangladesh.


Former TV weatherman Fred Talbot has been jailed for four years for historical sex offences against boys he took on school trips to Scotland.

Talbot, 67, was convicted at Lanark Sheriff Court of seven charges of indecent assault.
The offences, against boys aged 15 to 17, took place between 1978 and 1981.
They happened during separate trips to two locations - one near Moffat in southern Scotland, and one on the Caledonian Canal in Inverness.
The four-year sentence will start on 14 August, at the end of the punishment part of a five-year jail term Talbot is already serving for previous sex offences.
Sheriff Nikola Stewart said the former This Morning presenter had taken advantage of the innocence of his victims.
She told Talbot the boys "all trusted and all liked you".
Sheriff Stewart added: "They were keen to go on the camping trips and sailing trips that you organised, both informally and as official school trips.
"That trust and affection was grossly abused by you on repeated occasions as you preyed upon these young boys - some away from home and away from parental care for the first time, and all utterly unsuspecting of the sexual threat you posed to them."
Talbot was a regular on the floating weather map in Liverpool's Albert Dock for ITV's This Morning show during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
At the time of the attacks, he was a biology teacher at a school in the Manchester area and took boys away on camping and boating trips.
During the trial, a succession of witnesses, now men in their 50s who cannot be named for legal reasons, told how Talbot abused his position of trust.
One man told the court he was indecently assaulted as a teenage boy after a visit to a pub on a camping trip left him "very much the worse for wear".
A further witness said he was left "petrified" when Talbot indecently assaulted him on a trip to the Caledonian Canal in 1979.
Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown, 54, who was not an alleged victim, also gave evidence at the trial and said he had never forgotten the moment Talbot invited one of his young friends to sleep in his tent on a school camping trip.
Talbot was previously jailed for five years at Manchester Crown Court in 2015 for the indecent assault of two 14-year-old boys.
NSPCC Scotland described Talbot as "a prolific abuser who carried out a series of attacks on children in his care".
A spokesman for the charity said: "Thanks to the bravery of his victims, he has again been brought to justice.
"Abuse ruins childhoods. Talbot used his position of trust as a teacher to prey on his victims and the attacks he carried out will have had long-lasting effects on them into adulthood.
"We hope the sentence imposed on him will help his victims finally overcome what happened to them.
"This case shows once again how important it is that those who have suffered abuse are able to come forward and see justice done."


A woman in Nairn has lost £26,000 to a bank scam, police have said.

The woman was contacted by a caller claiming to be from the Royal Bank of Scotland fraud department.
She was told there was suspicious activity on her account and advised to transfer the money to another account.
The woman was told to contact the number on her bank card, but police said the fraudsters had kept the line open, resulting in her still talking to them.
Police Scotland is investigating the fraud.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, believed she was doing the right thing by dialling the number on her card. She did not know the fraudsters had been able to stay on her line.
Ch Insp Brian Mackay said: "Extremely convincing in their scamming techniques, these despicable individuals have the potential to harm any member of the community who is unfortunate enough to be targeted.
"Our advice is never engage with anyone cold calling you, especially when it relates to supposed account security.
"If you have concerns regarding financial or bank-related issues pay a visit to your local branch, who will always be happy to assist you."


Rebels in the Central African Republic (CAR) killed 32 civilians last December after clashes with a rival faction, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.

The Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC) is said to have rounded victims up and executed them.
HRW says it is concerned UN peacekeepers could not stop the atrocities.
UPC is a splinter group formed from the Seleka movement which briefly seized power in March 2013 after a coup.
The Seleka group was itself then ousted, leading to a wave of violent reprisals against the Muslim population by the Christian anti-Balaka militia.
UPC fighters killed 25 people in the central town of Bakala on 12 December after calling them to a school for a meeting, HRW said.
They had earlier killed seven men who were returning from a nearby gold mine, it added.
"These executions are brazen war crimes by UPC fighters who feel free to kill at will," said HRW's Lewis Mudge.
"The group is carrying out its killing sprees with no fear of punishment, despite the presence of United Nations peacekeepers."
Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the CAR since 2013.
More than 12,000 UN peacekeepers are deployed in the country.
Their presence is credited with helping to reduce violence that at its peak in 2014 had led to fears of possible genocide.
However the country remains plagued by insecurity and has seen a resurgence of rebel factions.
UN troops have been accused of sexually abusing children and some central Africans have called for them to withdraw, saying they are failing to protect civilians.


Repair work has begun on Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro after lightning strikes damaged two fingers and the statue's head.

On Tuesday, workers examined the 38m (125ft) statue, which is prominently located on top of a mountain.
Officials later said it would take about four months to repair. The statue will remain open throughout the work.
The statue is visited by nearly two million tourists a year and underwent a $4m (Â£2.7m) restoration in 2010.
The right thumb of the statue was damaged during a violent storm last week, and its right middle finger and part of its head were hit last month.
Officials say they will place more lightning rods on the statue to try to prevent future damage.
Thursday's storm had one of the highest numbers of lightning strikes recorded in Brazil since the country began monitoring storms in 1999.
The statue is struck by lightning on average between three and five times a year, the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) told O Globo.
The monument was inaugurated on 12 October 1931 on top of Rio's Mt Corcovado and is considered the largest Art Deco-style sculpture in the world.


A number of major supermarkets have recalled some products advertised as gluten-free, saying they may actually contain gluten.

Asda, Sainsbury's and Waitrose issued alerts, covering products including pitta breads, pizza bases and pancakes.
Genius, the specialist food company, has also recalled some of its gluten-free range.
But it said the risk to consumers was very low according to the industry standard.
In a post on its website, Asda said customers who had bought gluten-free pizza bases, garlic and coriander naan breads or white pitta breads with certain best before codes should return them for a refund.
"We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused and will ensure this doesn't happen again", it added.
The Sainsbury's alert applies to pizza bases, multiseeded and white pitta breads, sultana scones, garlic and coriander naan breads and syrup pancakes with certain best before dates.
Asda
Sainsbury's
Waitrose
The supermarket wrote: "As a precautionary measure, we are asking all customers who have bought these products to return them to their nearest Sainsbury's store, where they will receive a full refund.
"No other Sainsbury's products are affected by this issue, and we apologise for the inconvenience this may cause."
Waitrose said customers should return its own-brand gluten-free pancakes, pitta and scones with certain best before dates for a refund.
It said: "Any customers who have a reaction to gluten should not consume these products".
Genius said those allergic or intolerant to gluten should not consume its crumpets, Livwell Garlic Naan or Livwell Gluten Free Crumpets.
The company said the affected products had tested between 5-80 parts per million, the measurement used to test the amount of gluten in food.
Products which test between 21ppm and 100ppm are considered "very low risk, although not officially gluten free", it said.
It added: "If you are Coeliac or suffer from a wheat/gluten allergy and are showing signs of being unwell or a family member is showing signs of being unwell, please contact your local doctor for immediate advice.
"If you do not have Coeliac Disease or an allergy to wheat/gluten these products are safe for consumption."


A Japanese pensioner accused of killing three partners and attempting to murder a fourth has told a court that she fatally poisoned her husband.

Chisako Kakehi was arrested in 2014 and went on trial in Kyoto late last month.
Her lawyers have pleaded not guilty on her behalf, and when her trial began she said only that she would "leave everything" to her defence team.
But in court, asked if she killed her husband, she said there was "no mistake", the Mainichi reported.
The 70-year-old said she committed the crime because her husband was not treating her well financially, and that she obtained the cyanide from a business associate.
"I wasn't given any money after I married him," the Japan Times quoted Ms Kakehi as telling the court on Monday. "I have no intention of hiding the guilt. I will laugh it off and die if I am sentenced to death tomorrow."
Prosecutors say Ms Kakehi targeted the men for their money and poisoned them all with cyanide.
The investigation began when Isao Kakehi, her fourth husband who she reportedly met via a match-making site, died on 28 December 2013, a month after they got married.
A post mortem examination subsequently found traces of cyanide in his body, and investigators then began examining the deaths of other men linked to the pensioner.
She is now on trial for murdering him and two other boyfriends, and the attempted murder and robbery of another boyfriend who later died of cancer.
The men were all aged between 70 and 80 when the alleged crimes took place between 2007-2013.
Ms Kakehi's three other husbands also all died, but she has not been charged in connection with their deaths.
Lawyers for Ms Kakehi say her testimony cannot be trusted, because she has mild dementia.
"Since she is suffering from dementia, she barely remembers things that happened recently let alone the incidents," her team was quoted as saying at the start of the trial, which is expected to continue until November.
Japanese press have dubbed Ms Kakehi a "black widow" - a term derived from the female spider that eats its partner after mating.
In April another Japanese woman, Kanae Kajima, who was convicted of killing three lovers, lost a final appeal against her death sentence at the Supreme Court.


The crew of an Italian cargo ship stranded at Newport docks for more than three months can now return home.

The Sunflower E has been stuck since 10 March, after legal claims worth £5m were made against the ship in the UK courts.
Eleven Indonesian nationals, one Filipino and a Romanian are on board.
The crew can now go home after liquidators agreed to pursue an £82,000 unpaid wages claim on their behalf.
The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) said the crew had been left without running water or a fridge while awaiting a decision.
ITF inspector Darren Procter said: "Obviously, the crew want to get home, to return to their families and they want the money they have worked for."
He added: "Obviously, their families have got no money, there are school fees to be paid and there have been personal tragedies, which have happened while they have been on board the vessel."
The ship was held in Newport by the UK Admiralty Marshal after claims were lodged against it in the UK Admiralty and Commercial Court.
An order for the ship's sale - made to pay mortgage and utility bill debts against it - was made in the UK court on 8 April.
The ITF confirmed on Tuesday a legal block it had sought against the ship's sale was lifted, after it secured a deal with Italian liquidators to pursue the crew's claim for unpaid wages.
The union said it was now "assisting the crew home", with their departure expected on Wednesday.


Striker James Collins scored a hat-trick on his debut as Luton produced a scintillating display to rip apart Yeovil.

The Glovers had actually gone ahead on seven minutes when Otis Khan curled a superb 22-yard free-kick into the net, but Luton were level just five minutes later as Olly Lee volleyed home Isaac Vassell's cross.
Luton had their second through Collins on 20 minutes, the striker sent clear by Andrew Shinnie to dink over Artur Krysiak, before the Hatters were in dreamland just four minutes later as Alan McCormack's stunning 25-yard volley flew in.
Town then turned on the style as Vassell added a clinical quickfire double on 36 and 38 minutes, before Yeovil won a penalty only for Marek Stech to save Khan's effort.
In the second half, Town's keeper made a stunning stop to deny Francois Zoko before Collins thumped in Luton's sixth and completed his treble from 25 yards on 66 minutes.
Yeovil immediately pulled one back, Zoko nodding in Ryan Dickson's cross, but in stoppage time home substitute Elliot Lee headed in brother Olly's free-kick for the eighth.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Luton Town 8, Yeovil Town 2.
Second Half ends, Luton Town 8, Yeovil Town 2.
Goal!  Luton Town 8, Yeovil Town 2. Elliot Lee (Luton Town) header from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Olly Lee with a cross following a set piece situation.
Daniel Alfei (Yeovil Town) is shown the yellow card.
Isaac Vassell (Luton Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Daniel Alfei (Yeovil Town).
Alan Sheehan (Luton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Francois Zoko (Yeovil Town).
Corner,  Yeovil Town. Conceded by Marek Stech.
Attempt saved. Jake Gray (Yeovil Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Glen Rea (Luton Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Glen Rea (Luton Town).
Otis Khan (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu (Luton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Jake Gray (Yeovil Town).
Dan Potts (Luton Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by James Bailey (Yeovil Town).
Attempt missed. Isaac Vassell (Luton Town) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
(Luton Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Omar Sowunmi (Yeovil Town).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Marek Stech (Luton Town) because of an injury.
Substitution, Luton Town. Johnny Mullins replaces Andrew Shinnie.
Corner,  Yeovil Town. Conceded by Olly Lee.
Attempt missed. Glen Rea (Luton Town) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Corner,  Yeovil Town. Conceded by Alan Sheehan.
Substitution, Yeovil Town. Sam Surridge replaces Olufela Olomola.
Corner,  Yeovil Town. Conceded by Dan Potts.
Foul by Elliot Lee (Luton Town).
Omar Sowunmi (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Luton Town. Elliot Lee replaces James Collins.
Foul by Isaac Vassell (Luton Town).
Daniel Alfei (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by James Collins (Luton Town).
James Bailey (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal!  Luton Town 7, Yeovil Town 2. Francois Zoko (Yeovil Town) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Ryan Dickson.
Goal!  Luton Town 7, Yeovil Town 1. James Collins (Luton Town) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner.
Substitution, Luton Town. Glen Rea replaces Alan McCormack.
Substitution, Yeovil Town. Alefe Santos replaces Connor Smith.
Olufela Olomola (Yeovil Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.


A jogger who was knocked down by a cyclist on a Livingston footpath has died.

Peter Craig, 49, sustained a head injury following the incident at about 09:00 on Saturday on the Loan Footpath, at its junction with Fergus Avenue.
He was taken to the Western General but later died.
Police Scotland are trying to trace the cyclist, who did not swap details with the jogger at the time.