Some teachers are altering their accents in class to avoid negative reactions, a small study suggests.

One teacher, from Bristol, told researchers he did not want to be seen as "a village idiot" or "a thick yokel who lives on a farm".
Another, from the Midlands, said she was told to change her accent or to "go back" to where she came from.
But teachers and students felt they should be free to speak in their own accents, the study found.
Nine teachers and 55 students from three Manchester schools, interviewed at length for the study, did not support the idea that a "standard" British accent should be adopted in class.
This might be something similar to received pronunciation, which some see as commanding respect.
Department for Education guidelines require teachers to promote "high standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standard English".
But research author, Dr Alex Baratta of the Manchester Institute of Education, points out that the guidelines do not cover the issue of accents, questioning whether it is an area that is "too controversial" or "too complex" to address.
Two of the nine teachers in his study admitted to "consciously modifying" their accent in preparation for a teaching career.
A teacher from Bristol explained why he changed the way he spoke.
"The Bristolian accent has lots of connotations," he said.
"Normally, things like village idiot, yokel, farmer, you know, friendly, but stupid ... agricultural ... so because of that once I came into contact with people that had softer accents and accents from elsewhere.
"You have these kind of stereotypes that exist and it wasn't doing me any favours."
Another, from Salford, told how she had toned down her accent so as to be "a model for the girls" in the private school in which she worked.
Her change was also based on making her accent more like those of her pupils, which "while regional to Manchester, were certainly not broad" she said.
The author also gave the example of an art teacher with a "quite strong" south London accent, who was asked to write the word "water" with a capital T, to remind her to pronounce it.
And yet nearly all teachers and students involved in the study felt they should be free to speak in their regional accents.
However, Dr Baratta suggested some teachers faced a "potential tug of war" because of the way their particular accent is viewed and felt a pressure to change the way they spoke.
"While there may be a desire to be true to one's linguistic roots," he said, "people might have to consider this desire against the potential for the negative connotations of one's accent, within a profession in which such stereotypes might seem incompatible."


Former Sweden Under-19 international Maja Krantz has joined Women's Super League One side Notts County.

The 28-year-old, capable of playing in defence or midfield, has signed a one-year deal with the option of a second.
Krantz, whose move is subject to international clearance, joins after eight years with Swedish side Linkoping, where she won a league title and played Champions League football.
"She brings with her a lot of experience," said boss Rick Passmoor.


Climate change could have a domino effect on key infrastructure in the UK, government advisers have warned.

In a 2,000-page report, the Climate Change Committee says flooding will destroy bridges - wrecking electricity, gas and IT connections carried on them.
The committee also warns that poor farming means the most fertile soils will be badly degraded by mid-century.
And heat-related deaths among the elderly will triple to 7,000 a year by the 2050s as summer temperatures rise.
The UK is not prepared, the committee says, for the risks posed by climate change from flooding and changing coasts, heatwaves, water shortages, ecosystem damage and shocks to the global food system.
The projections are based on the supposition that governments keep promises made at the Paris climate conference to cut emissions - a pledge that is in doubt.
The committee says if emissions are allowed to spiral, London summer temperatures could hit 48C (118F) in an extreme scenario, although the advisers say they don't expect that to happen.
The report from 80 authors is the most comprehensive yet on the potential impact of climate change on the UK.
It identifies 60 risks and opportunities - many of them happening already as the climate has warmed.
Its conclusions on the inter-linking nature of threats to infrastructure is based on recent research.
The chairman of the committee's adaptation sub-committee, Prof Sir John Krebs, told BBC News: "Infrastructure could be affected in a way that interacts.
"So, if you take electricity supply, the delivery of fuel to power stations might be affected by flooding which would then affect electricity.
"Then look at flooding… if bridges are affected then they carry electricity cables and communications infrastructure, so we have to look not just at how each piece of infrastructure works but how they interact together.
"There could be a cascade of risks."
On food and farming, the committee warns that UK shoppers could face higher food bills as imported crops like soya are harmed by heat or drought.
It says farming in the UK might benefit from more warmth but warns that soils are likely to dry out quicker, and that rain is more likely to arrive in unhelpful downpours.
The committee also says some of the UK's most fertile land - the peat fields of the East Anglia fens - are suffering badly from decades of intensive farming.
Prof Krebs said 85% of the peat had been washed or blown away, and the rest would follow in coming decades unless farmers were more careful.
On over-heating, the committee forecasts a risk to the health of elderly people in homes, hospitals and care homes.
Prof Krebs said he had tried to insert rules in recent housing legislation to oblige builders to ensure adequate ventilation, but the government deemed these onerous to business.
Dr Sari Kovats, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "We are far from prepared to deal with these changes.
"More heatwaves in the UK are also likely, yet there are no comprehensive policies in place aimed at reducing the risk of overheating in new and existing homes."
Among the other risks needing more action the committee mentions:
•        Coastal change risks to communities, businesses and infrastructure
•         Risk of shortages in public water supply with impacts on freshwater ecology, water for agriculture, energy generation and industry
Opportunities for the UK from climate change include:
•         Economic opportunities for UK businesses from an increase in global demand for adaptation-related goods and services, such as engineering and insurance
•         Milder winters should reduce the costs of heating, helping to cut winter cold deaths.
Prof Piers Forster, from the University of Leeds, said: "The UK gets off lighter than many countries but this important report confirms that we are already seeing damage to homes, businesses and livelihoods.
"There are a few opportunities hidden in the mix but the future is clearly one of increased risk that we need to prepare for now."
The report will inform the government's climate change adaptation strategy, due in 2018. Ministers are about to publish their National Flood Resilience Review.
A government spokesman said: "We are committed to making sure the UK is prepared for the challenges of climate change.
"That is why we are investing record amounts in flood defences, developing a long-term plan for the environment and reviewing planning legislation so new construction projects are sustainable and resilient."
Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin


A masseur who sexually assaulted six female clients has been jailed for 15 months.

Malcolm Baker, of Hillary Road, Cheltenham, abused the women during massages they had paid for.
The former accountant - who retrained in massage at Gloucestershire College when he retired - was found guilty of six counts of sexual assault against six different victims.
The 68-year-old denied all counts but was found guilty at an earlier trial.
He was found not guilty of three counts of sexual assault against three different women. Another sexual assault case on a further victim was left to lie on file.
At Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Jamie Tabor QC said Baker had cast aside his training and expanded his repertoire to full body massage researched on the internet.
"I believe you did this for your own sexual gratification," he told Baker during sentencing.
In an interview with the BBC, one of Baker's victims - who cannot be named for legal reasons - recalled an appointment where Baker abused her.
"He pulled my underwear right down and he started to massage my bottom," she said.
"In my head I was thinking 'What do I do? What should I say? Should I object?'.
"I just didn't know what to do, so I thought 'just play it cool'."
Deborah Hughes, head of the Hair and Beauty School at Gloucestershire College, said Baker had completely abused the trust of his clients and disregarded the professional training he'd been given at the college.
She said: "The rules are that you avoid the femoral triangle, which is from the abdomen down to the mid upper thigh, and make sure you ensure modesty by correct towel placement at all times.
"Luckily, it's very rare when one individual does bring any industry or any profession into disrepute."


A marina on the Conwy estuary is being put up for sale for £2.5m by the Crown Estate.

Deganwy Marina includes berths for 165 vessels, boat stands and yacht cradles as well as a workshop and offices.
The marina, which was developed in 2004, is currently operated by Quay Marinas Limited.
Rod Perons, of joint agents Cooke & Arkwright, said the development provided an "exclusive atmosphere" for sailing enthusiasts.
The Crown Estate is owned by the Queen, but its land and assets are managed by an independent board.
This week it announced its annual income, returning £328.8m to HM Treasury, up 8.1% on 2015-16.


Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton set a scintillating pace in first practice at the Austrian Grand Prix as he left title rival Sebastian Vettel trailing.

He was 0.449secs quicker than Ferrari's Vettel despite using the slowest 'soft' tyre and Vettel the faster super-soft.
The German was fourth fastest, behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen and the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas.
Vettel is 14 points ahead of Hamilton as F1 resumes two weeks after their controversial collision in Baku.
The four-time world champion has apologised for deliberately driving into Hamilton and said he regretted the incident, while the Briton has made it clear without saying so that he still believes his rival should have been disqualified from the race.
Media playback is not supported on this device
There was an encouraging performance from McLaren, with Stoffel Vandoorne seventh and Fernando Alonso ninth.
McLaren's engine partner Honda has struggled with reliability and poor performance this year but has introduced an upgraded engine for this race, which Alonso said would provide "a small step, a small different version of what we had until now, but there are not big changes in it".
Insiders suggest the engine improvement is in the region of 25bhp - the Honda was reputed to be just over 90bhp down on the Mercedes before this weekend.
Vettel's margin to Hamilton was 0.449secs, a significant amount on a very short lap that is just over a minute long.
It is only Friday practice, but it is one more small piece of evidence to add to a growing suggestion that Mercedes have made a performance step since their difficult weekend in Monaco and Ferrari are perhaps beginning to struggle to keep up.
Daniel Ricciardo was fifth quickest on the track owned by his Red Bull team's parent company, just ahead of the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, who was one of a number of drivers to spin on the slippery surface.
Vettel also rotated at the Red Bull Ring's first corner, a few minutes after Raikkonen did, while Verstappen had a spin at Turn Three shortly after setting the fastest first sector time of all towards the end of the session.
The Dutchman's session was truncated by an off-track moment at Turn Seven, after which he had to return to the pits for repairs.
Williams drivers Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll, 11th and 15th fastest, were among the other drivers to spin.


Burundi's government has postponed parliamentary and presidential elections that were due this month.

Burundi has been hit been by deadly protests and a failed coup since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his bid for a third term in April.
Mr Nkurunziza has been under pressure from both African and Western governments to postpone elections.
Burundi's Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe told the BBC that elections would be held by 26 August.
This is when the constitutional limit of the government ends, he said.
One of Burundi's main opposition leaders, Agathon Rwasa, told BBC's Newsday programme that Mr Nkurunziza was a "dictator" who should step down.
Elections could not be held until security improved, a neutral electoral commission was appointed and a crackdown on private media ended, he said.
The international community needed to get involved to help "secure conditions for good elections", Mr Rwasa added.
"We are calling for democracy and not for a dictatorship," he said.
The parliamentary elections had been scheduled to take place on Friday and the presidential poll on 26 June.
BBC World Service Africa editor Richard Hamilton says it looks as though Mr Nkurunziza has finally bowed to outside pressure to postpone these controversial elections - certainly from regional leaders if not Western governments.
However, the move is unlikely to stop the protests which have killed more than 20 people, he says.
Last weekend, regional leaders meeting in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam called for both the delay and an end to the violence.
Opposition parties in Burundi said earlier on Wednesday they would be prepared to resume talks with the government on the crisis.
The opposition says the 51-year-old Mr Nkurunziza's bid to extend his 10-year rules contravenes the constitution, which states a president can only serve two terms.
But Mr Nkurunziza argues that he is entitled to another term because he was first elected by parliament in 2005 - not voters. The Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of the president.
Earlier in May, he survived a coup attempt while he was in Dar es Salaam for talks with regional leaders on the crisis.
The coup was launched by Maj Gen Godefroid Niyombare, a former ally of the president.
His whereabouts are unknown.


The UK Independence Party has seen its profile rise dramatically since the last general election, seizing two parliamentary seats in by-elections and coming top in the 2014 European elections.

UKIP formed in 1993, but in its early days was overshadowed by the well-financed Referendum Party, led by Sir James Goldsmith, which was wound up soon after the 1997 election.
Since then it has made gains at successive European elections, winning its first three seats in 1999 and going on to become the UK's biggest party at the European Parliament in 2014.
The party has, as its name implies, one key policy - to leave the European Union.
But it is also a message which meant people often dismissed it as a single-issue party, unlikely to transfer its success to Westminster politics.
It has made an effort to broaden its appeal, championing a British exit from the EU as the answer to a whole range of issues, notably controlling immigration.
They have also outlined plans to cut taxes for middle earners, defended grammar schools, opposed gay marriage and criticised wind turbines.
Before last year, it had only ever had one MP: Bob Spink, who briefly sat as a UKIP MP after a row with his local Conservative Party.
But all that changed when Conservative MP Douglas Carswell defected in August 2014 and stood down, triggering a by-election in his Clacton constituency which he won.
Later, Rochester and Strood MP Mark Reckless followed suit and was re-elected for UKIP in the same way.
Leader Nigel Farage and the party's other elected representatives have at times got into trouble for speaking their minds, which has helped bolster their image as an anti-establishment party.
The leader has sought to "professionalise" the party and pledged to be "utterly ruthless" in dealing with some of the party's candidates who, as he put it, "step over the line".
UKIP will be hoping to hold on to its two seats on 7 May and add to its tally to allow it to play a part in any power-sharing talks in the event of a hung-Parliament.
Mr Farage himself is running in South Thanet in Kent, and has said it will be "curtains" for him if he fails to get elected to Westminster.


Wildlife appear to have had a "lucky escape" after 50,000 litres of fuel leaked into the Grand Union Canal, the Canal and River Trust said.

A criminal probe was launched after a pipe going over the canal at Gayton Marina, Northamptonshire, was drilled into at the weekend.
A charity spokeswoman said the fuel had mostly sat on the surface of the water and had since been sucked out.
The Environment Agency said four fish died but the full impact was not known.
The canal has since reopened to boaters.
The leak happened in the early hours of Saturday in what is believed to be a botched theft. Ten people sleeping on houseboats had to be checked over by paramedics for breathing in fumes.
A Canal and River Trust spokeswoman said when the pipe was pierced the fuel, believed to be used for aviation, spewed out like a "jet washer" due to the high pressure, making it hard for anyone to steal.
She said little wildlife impact had been reported as the fuel mostly sat in pools of a few centimetres in depth on the water's surface, and it appeared it had not seeped significantly down into the river bed.
An Environment Agency spokeswoman said the clean-up was complete and only four fish had washed up dead.
A statement added: "Initial findings suggest that there has been some impact on the invertebrate and further information is limited due to the ongoing investigation on the effect of the pollution."
Northamptonshire Police said its investigation was ongoing.


The government is planning a "dramatic reduction" in the number of people with learning disabilities kept in hospitals in England, care minister Norman Lamb says.

More appropriate care could be found for people closer to home, he said.
It follows the neglect and abuse of patients by staff at the Winterbourne View private hospital, near Bristol, which was uncovered by BBC Panorama.
The NHS funds hospital care for 3,400 people with learning disabilities.
Mr Lamb - announcing the results of a government review into the Winterbourne View scandal in the Commons - said all such hospital placements would be reviewed by 1 June 2013.
Where such care was found to be "inappropriate", patients would be moved to "community-based support" no later than June 2014, he added.
He said he felt "shock, anger, dismay and deep regret" about the treatment of vulnerable people with severe learning disabilities at Winterbourne View.
Many of its patients should not have been there in the first place and the story was "the same across England", he added.
He said hospitals were not places "where people should live" and there were "far too many people with learning disabilities or autism in hospital and they stay there for far too long - sometimes for years".
"We should no more tolerate people being placed in inappropriate care settings than we would people receiving the wrong cancer treatment."
He said that, "with the right support, the vast majority of patients can live happy, fulfilled lives close to their own families in their own communities".
Boards, directors and senior managers who allow abuse to take place will face tougher sanctions which could include criminal prosecutions, he said.
"When you look at Winterbourne View, the people who committed the abuse and the assaults were convicted but what about the people making the money from that company?
"We need to have a situation where people who run care organisations - public or private sector or voluntary - know that they are accountable for the services they provide and there are consequences if they don't."
The proposals were broadly welcomed by Labour but shadow care minister Liz Kendall called for greater clarity on the number of people the government wanted to move out of long-term care.
Mark Goldring, chief executive of the learning disability charity, Mencap, said the report showed the government had "listened to families and campaigners by committing to a national programme of change".
In June 2011, BBC One's Panorama programme showed secret footage recorded by undercover journalist Joseph Casey when he was employed as a care worker at Winterbourne View of the abuse of patients with severe learning disabilities.
The victims were visibly upset and were shown screaming and shaking.
One victim was showered while fully clothed and had mouthwash poured into her eyes while another, who had tried to jump out of a second-floor window, was mocked by staff members.
The hospital, then owned by care provider firm Castlebeck, was closed in the weeks following the BBC expose and has been since bought by another firm.
On Monday, Mr Lamb said Castlebeck should consider helping to cover the costs of inquiries into the criminal behaviour of staff at Winterbourne View.
The 26-bed hospital, which opened in 2006, had a turnover of Â£3.7m by 2010. The average weekly fee for a patient was Â£3,500.
In October, four support workers and two nurses were jailed for between six months and two years for their part in the abuse, while five others were given suspended prison sentences.
After sentencing, the families of former hospital residents called for similar private hospitals to be replaced by more local services.
"Places like Winterbourne View should not exist - they should be closed," they said in a statement.


When US General Joseph Dunford, the senior coalition commander in Afghanistan, addressed the Senate Armed Services Committee on 12 March, he spoke largely to the four walls and empty seats in a room that once used to be packed with journalists, diplomats and academics analysing every twist of US policy in Afghanistan.

The empty room illustrated how Afghanistan has disappeared from the top of the agenda of US and European policy makers and public and media consciousness.
However, in a few weeks, Afghans go to the polls to elect a new president. A fraud-free election and a peaceful political transition from President Hamid Karzai to a new president, accepted by the majority of the people, will ultimately matter far more for the future stability of Afghanistan and the region than speculation about the US troop withdrawal or the machinations of the Taliban.
Yet critically, even after thousands of dead and $1 trillion (Â£602bn) spent, no-one has a clue as to the outcome of the elections or what will happen next.
A series of recent events has left Afghans and the international community even more uncertain as to the outcome of the elections on 5 April and whether they will be free and fair.
The untimely death of Vice-President Marshal Mohammed Fahim has left a huge vacuum in Mr Karzai's plans to get his favoured candidate - the former Pashtun national security adviser Zalmai Rassoul - elected.
As the leader of the powerful Panjsheri Tajiks and the designated leader of the former Shura-e Nezar or what used to be called the Northern Alliance made up of all the non-Pashtun ethnic groups and warlords, Mr Fahim's powers of wheeling and dealing with those groups were vital to Mr Karzai's plans.
Mr Karzai needs to appoint a successor quickly who has to be a Tajik, or the leading opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah - who commands the partial support of the Northern Alliance vote bank and is ahead in the polls - could become the undisputed leader of both the Tajiks and all non-Pashtuns.
The half Tajik, half Pashtun Mr Abdullah viewed Mr Fahim as an incompetent and scheming rival - the two never got on - but Mr Abdullah now has everything to gain from the leadership vacuum that his death has created.
It suits Mr Abdullah that Mr Karzai delays any appointment of a new vice-president, so that Mr Abdullah can consolidate his vote bank in the former Northern Alliance.
Secondly, Mr Karzai's attempts to support Zalmai Rassoul as the leading - and his favoured - Pashtun candidate is not working out.
Mr Karzai's strategy has always been to get all the Pashtun candidates to support his single choice by getting other Pashtun candidates to stand down at the right moment in favour of Mr Rassoul. That would ensure a formidable vote bank against Mr Abdullah.
However, it took Mr Karzai far too long to get his brother Qayuum Karzai to stand down as a candidate and support Mr Rassoul. Now Mr Karzai has left it too late to get other Pashtun candidates, such as the fundamentalist Abdul Rasul Sayyaf and the warlord Gul Agha Sherzai, to do the same.
These candidates may now calculate that they can get a better deal from whoever becomes the next president than from Mr Karzai's candidate who may lose.
Moreover, the leading Mr Pashtun candidate now is not Mr Rassoul, but Ashraf Ghani, a well known technocrat who has been in and out of government since 2001 and is popular with the youth vote, but is someone whom Mr Karzai has never liked nor trusted and is unlikely to endorse.
According to polling undertaken by Tolo TV, Mr Ghani is trailing just behind Mr Abdullah, with Mr Rassoul a distant third. Mr Ghani's strategy is now to muster support and the vote banks from the very same Pashtun candidates that Mr Karzai is trying to swing to his side.
The greatest danger is the fear of rigging by Mr Karzai's supporters, who control the government machinery. Alleged ballot box stuffing by Mr Karzai's supporters in his 2009 re-election nearly led to civil war between Mr Karzai and Mr Abdullah.
Unfortunately, the reasons for rigging then are still present today. Back in 2009, Mr Karzai feared that the Pashtun vote bank would not turn out on election day due to Taliban threats and intimidation.
That proved true, as very few Pashtuns in the south and east actually did turn out. Instead, the government was accused of carrying out massive ballot box stuffing of Pashtun votes that made it appear that millions of Pashtuns had voted and gave Mr Karzai an undisputed advantage against Mr Abdullah.
Today, the Taliban are once again threatening death to anyone who takes part in the elections. They can most safely carry out such threats in the south and the east - the Pashtun belt - rather than in the north and west where Mr Abdullah will carry most votes.
Thus to defeat Ashraf Ghani in the first round and ensure Zalmai Rassoul becomes the leading Pashtun candidate for the second round of polling in June, the Pashtun turnout has to be large and decisive. That can only be assured by more vote rigging by government supporters, Mr Karzai's opponents say.
The hasty departure of Western troops, the major reduction of any electoral role for the United Nations by the international community, the unwillingness of any global body to carry out serious monitoring of the polls and the overall lack of international attention to the polls are likely to help create another constitutional crisis.
Tragically for Afghans, the West is already washing its hands of the polls.
If there is rigging, the losing candidates will unite against the government and Kabul.
Many Afghans are not willing to tolerate another fraudulent election. The need for a free and fair election is paramount for the country and the region.


China's ruling Communist Party meets from 8 November to rubber-stamp sweeping changes that will put in place the country's leaders for the next 10 years.

Here are eight reasons - eight being an auspicious number in China - why the world should pay attention to what happens in the secretive corridors of Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
It is now 35 years since former leader Deng Xiaoping's catchy slogan signalled China's opening to the world and ushered in one of the biggest economic success stories in human history.
Its economy has gone from being rather smaller than Italy's to the world's second largest, and is now home to one million US$ millionaires. By the time the new generation of leaders hands over power to the next in 2022, China could be challenging the US for top spot.
How China is ruled
This transformation has changed the way the world does business. Cheap Chinese labour has helped dampen prices in the West for everything from moccasins to mops to mobile phones. It is now the biggest investor in Africa, promising to shift the continent's focus away from Europe and the US for the first time in two centuries. And China is now the biggest foreign holder of US government debt - a threatening stick, or a foolhardy bet?
The key question now is whether the new leaders can keep the economy growing at the same rate as in the past, and help the rest of the world recover. Most Western analysts expect it to slow from 10% a year to a still impressive 6-7%, but argue that deep reforms are needed if China is to become a rich rather than middle-income country.
Growth should help create the world's biggest middle class, eager to enjoy creature comforts like cars and air conditioning, whatever the environmental cost.
China has been growing so fast it has scarcely stopped to consider the environmental cost.
The results are sobering. Rapid industrialisation and a building boom saw China overtake the US as the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2007. Seven of the world's most polluted cities are in China. Each year it causes 500,000 to 750,000 premature deaths.
The damage is not just inside China. Airborne pollution including mercury and lead is carried across borders into neighbouring countries, and across the Pacific where it falls on the US West Coast.
China's leaders do now appear determined to clean up the worst excesses, but the scale of the task is daunting.
"If you look at the size of the economy and its population, these two factors alone show how complex it's going to be," says Edgar Cua of the Asian Development Bank.
It means China will be central to any future agreements on climate change. It has refused to limit its greenhouse gas emissions, preferring to cut "carbon intensity" - the carbon released per unit of economic output - by 40-45% by 2020. But with the economy growing so fast, and China relying on coal for up to 70% of its energy needs, greenhouse gas emissions will still rise by 60% from their present level, even if the carbon intensity target is met.
China has long fascinated the West, but its emergence as an economic power has seen a new burgeoning of interest in its culture and language.
Thirty years ago, only its inscrutable leaders were recognised in the West. Now people like actress Zhang Ziyi, basketball player Yao Ming and artist Zhang Xiaogang are global figures.
Meanwhile schools across Europe and the US are offering Mandarin classes to children as young as six, and during the Olympics, Chinese script could be seen on adverts on some London buses.
China's government has sought to capture the zeitgeist, helping set up several hundred Confucius Institutes around the world whose overt goal is teaching Chinese, but which also project soft power.
The number of Mandarin speakers is set to grow strongly, especially in Asia, but is it really able to challenge English as a global language? Not any time soon, most experts argue, pointing to its infuriating tones and a script which takes years to master.
China adopted the phrase "peaceful rise" to try and assure nervous neighbours that its new-found economic clout would not turn it into a bully.
But territorial disputes with Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam - and simmering tensions with the US - sometimes give the words a hollow ring.
China's People's Liberation Army is the world's largest, at three million strong, and its official budget is rising fast. Its first aircraft carrier has just gone into service and it is believed to be investing heavily in stealth technology, space warfare and cyber security.
These are natural developments for a country of its size and influence, China argues, and do not signal it has changed tack.
"Every country has to defend its security and territorial interests, but it doesn't mean we have to become aggressive, that way you can alienate even your friends," said Wu Jianmin, former ambassador to France.
But the real question is how China's new leaders pitch policy towards the US. They are younger and have more experience of the outside world, so can they set aside the entrenched suspicions among their rival militaries? History suggests the inevitable frictions between a superpower and its upstart challenger will lead to more tensions than detente.
China's Communist Party paints the century before it came to power in 1949 as one of humiliation by the West. So China's successful space programme is lauded as proof their country has regained its international standing.
But the huge cost is controversial given that 150m Chinese still live on $1 a day or less.
Having already sent an unmanned craft to orbit the moon, China has said it will send its first probe to land there in 2013. It has also spoken of preliminary plans to put humans on the moon, though no date has been set.
If the mission goes ahead, TV pictures beamed into the world's living rooms will also be flagging up China's challenge to the world's predominant space power, the US.
Newly-wealthy Chinese are blamed for fuelling the poaching of endangered species for use as aphrodisiacs, ornaments or to put in their soup.
Thousands of African elephants are killed each year for their ivory, which Chinese carvers prize, and China's government has been criticised for not properly policing its ivory trade.
The problem is that economic reforms which have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty have also created voracious consumers.
Pork consumption gives a good idea of the impact. China now consumes five times more pork than in 1979, and is now home to 460m pigs, half the world's total.
But feeding them is impossible given the shortage of land. So farmers have resorted to importing up to 60% of the world's soyabean exports, pushing up prices for everyone else, and raising real fears over the industry's environmental impact.
In future, the pressures are likely to intensify as China seeks to feed 21% of the world's population with only 9% of its cultivated land. Some experts believe we will all have to get used to higher food prices, and to Chinese farmers buying up more and more overseas land.
As recently as 1995, applying for a passport to leave China was a six-month endurance test of bureaucracy, and most applicants were officials.
Now it can be done in a few days, and millions of Chinese are taking advantage of their government's new openness to travel overseas as tourists or students.
China's tourists are now the world's third biggest spenders, behind those from Germany and the US, and 70m Chinese travelled overseas in 2011, compared to 4.5m in 1995. Most stay close to home, in places like Hong Kong, Macau and Thailand. But increasing numbers are heading for the US or France, as well as less obvious destinations like Trier, the birthplace of Karl Marx. On Paris' Bateaux Mouches river cruises, as the sights are picked out in one language after another, Mandarin now comes ahead of Japanese.
Each year about 300,000 Chinese students are also heading abroad, especially to universities in the US and Australia. They want the kudos of a foreign education to get a better job when they return home. Some also see it as a way to dodge the exhausting entry test for China's own universities.
The wealth that has been created inside China has surged around the world.
Chinese demand has caused spikes in prices for commodities like copper - needed to cable up rapidly growing cities and infrastructure. It has reinvigorated Europe's luxury goods makers like Louis Vuitton and Hermes, whose products are de rigueur in China's status-obsessed and gift-giving culture. And it is transforming prestige wine sales - China now buys more Bordeaux than Germany.
Perhaps the most spectacular impact, some would call it a bubble, is on Chinese art. Three of the 10 most expensive paintings sold in 2011 were by Chinese artists, including the most expensive, a $57.2m work by Qi Baishi.
The next phase is likely to see China's industrial giants starting to look overseas for new markets and new expertise.
That will be controversial because most of them are controlled by the Communist Party. In areas like telecommunications and energy, they could threaten trade rows with the West.


The Welsh NHS needs to make "radical changes" in order to cope with ever increasing demand, said the new boss of the body representing health boards.

Vanessa Young, director of the NHS Confederation in Wales, wants a "shift in focus" with resources moving from hospitals to the community.
Shortages of staff needed to be tackled and the NHS has to be set up to cope with the needs of an ageing population.
She wants the incoming Welsh Government to set out a "10-year vision".
Ms Young took up her post on Monday at the body which represents the seven health boards in Wales.
She wants the public to be fully aware of what lies ahead - as well as taking more responsibility for their own health.
The background to it is that the number of over 65s will increase by 50% in the next 20 years.
"The debate needs to involve patients and the public," she said
"It's very much about engaging the public in understanding the scale of the challenge and the health needs of the population.
"It's about having that debate publicly about what changes are needed - it's going to be difficult, there's no doubt about that."
She said the incoming Welsh Government needed to set out a 10-year strategy and vision for the health service.
The NHS in north Wales in particular has been under intense scrutiny in recent years.
Betsi Cadwladr Health Board remains in so-called "special measures" due to concerns about mental health care, GP-cover and management failings.
And controversial plans to change the way maternity services were delivered across the region were abandoned following a public outcry.
Campaigner Mair Dempster-Jones said proper consultation was important with changes.
"That was a step too far," she said.
"People understand there needs to be a change in the NHS but they have to do it with us - not against us."
Dr Phil White, of the British Medical Association, said: "All the uncertainty and the bad press has probably adversely affected recruitment within the hospital sector and primary care.
"It's about time we undid some of these myths and say north Wales is a wonderful place to work, a wonderful environment and should be actively promoted as a place to come and work."
He said in the past month at his practices in Menai Bridge and Felinheli he had referred half a dozen patients with suspected cancer who had been seen within two weeks - and one within five days.
"The only complaints we have are people being moved around the place or having operations cancelled because beds aren't available," he added.
"If we tackled this hospital-community issue and got people out of hospital as soon as they were ready rather than waiting around for placements, then the whole system would work more efficiently."
Paediatrician Mair Parry said child health needed to be a priority and a long-term plan which went beyond one minister's term.
"One of the biggest challenges in Wales for child health is the prevention of particular illnesses - we have the fattest population of children in the UK, and the highest proportion of children with diabetes and we're spending millions on the management of diabetes in adults.
"If we spent that money in childhood on prevention of obesity and development diabetes, we'd save millions in the long run."
Asking the parties - what would you do for the NHS in north Wales?


An Australian and an Englishman are literally shaking the walls as they vie to produce the world's loudest burp.

Australian Neville Sharp unofficially broke Essex-based Paul Hunn's record on Tuesday with a 110.6 decibel belch.
But unwilling to surrender his crown, Mr Hunn returned fire with a 117.9 decibel burp just one day later.
Neither record has been verified by Guinness World Records, which still lists Mr Hunn's previous champion burp of 109.9 as the world's loudest.
For comparison, a chainsaw or leaf blower emits approximately 110 decibels, while an ambulance emits around 120 decibels.
Mr Sharp, from the Northern Territory town of Humpty Doo, told the BBC on Friday that Mr Hunn's new record would be "a hard challenge to beat" and likened it to the Ashes of burping.
He said he discovered his gift for producing ear-bursting burps when he was six years of age, and boasted that he once belched so loud that it shook the walls of Western Australia's Karratha Tavern.
"My sister taught me how to gulp the air down and I figured out you could store a bit more in there with a can of soft drink," Mr Sharp said.
"I've made constant improvement, but find a nice cold beer followed with an icy cold glass of water as a chaser helps."
Mr Sharp said he had considered challenging for the world title for many years, but was recently inspired after "dropping a few" at the local Humpty Doo tavern.
Despite the challenge laid down by his rival, Mr Sharp says that he will attempt to reclaim the record in late-April, early May.


Five people have been found guilty in relation to the rape and prostitution of five young girls.

Amanda Spencer, Taleb Bapir and brothers Christopher, Shane and Matthew Whiteley were convicted after a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.
Spencer plied one girl with alcohol and threatened violence in order to force her to have sex, while the Whiteley brothers prostituted a 15-year-old girl on the streets of Sheffield.
They will be sentenced on 28 April.
More stories from across Yorkshire
The offences took place between 2006 and 2012.
During a trial, lasting more than six weeks, jurors heard the girls were raped, abused and prostituted after meeting the Whiteley brothers and Spencer at Sheffield's former Castle Market.
Prosecutor Peter Hampton, said Christopher Whitely, 23, who was convicted of eight offences, would appear "charming" at first.
In relation to one victim, he said: "She believed that he was her friend, but over the weeks his attitude to her changed. He became aggressive and forceful. She was frightened of him."
He said a second girl, who was taken to up to 50 properties and forced to have sex with men for money, painted a similar picture of Spencer.
"She was friendly at first but that soon changed. She plied [the girl] with alcohol and began to prostitute her," he said.
"On each occasion she was fearful that Amanda Spencer would be violent towards her."
Bapir, who was convicted of rape, was among the men Spencer forced the girl to have sex with.
Spencer was previously convicted of 16 charges relating to child prostitution and jailed for 12 years.
After the trial Jayne Ludlam, from Sheffield City Council, praised the "bravery" of the victims.
She said: "It sends a clear message to anyone involved in the sexual exploitation of vulnerable young people - you will be identified, pursued and prosecuted."
The convictions:
Christopher Whiteley, 23, of Weakland Crescent in Hackenthorpe, Sheffield: Found guilty of four counts of rape, one child prostitution offence, two counts of sexual assault on a child under 13 and one count of theft. Acquitted of seven counts of rape, one count of conspiracy to rape,  one child prostitution offence. The jury were unable to reach verdicts on two counts of rape, one count of conspiracy to rape. He will face a retrial on one charge of rape.
Shane Whiteley, 30, also of Weakland Crescent: Found guilty of one child prostitution offence. Cleared of one child prostitution offence and one count of conspiracy to rape. The jury were unable to reach verdicts on one child prostitution offence and one count of conspiracy to rape. He will face a retrial on one child prostitution offence.
Matthew Whiteley, 25, also of Weakland Crescent: Convicted of one child prostitution offence. Acquitted of one child prostitution offence, one count of conspiracy to rape and one count of sexual activity with a child. The jury were unable on one count of conspiracy to rape and one count of sexual activity with a child. He will face a retrial on one count of sexual activity with a child.
Amanda Spencer, 26, of Canklow Road, Rotherham: Guilty of four child prostitution offences. Cleared of seven counts of aiding and abetting rape and eight child prostitution offences. The jury were unable to reach a verdict on one count of aiding and abetting rape.
Taleb Bapir, 39, of Verdon Street, Sheffield: Found guilty of one count of rape.


Emily loves comics, but she has a disability and couldn't see any characters in her comics who looked like her.

24 November 2015 Last updated at 06:48 GMT
Her dad decided to do something about it.
He created a comic starring Emily as a superhero called, "The Department of Ability".
Ricky went to meet the girl behind the superhero mask.


Torquay shrugged off surrendering a three-goal lead to snatch a 4-3 victory over third-placed Forest Green in the National League.

After an uneventful first half, the hosts took the lead in the 55th minute when Nathan Blissett poked in Dan Sparkes' cross and they had a two-goal cushion 10 minutes later after David Fitzpatrick slid the ball home.
It appeared as if Torquay had wrapped up the three points on 69 minutes when Sean McGinty found the net with a header but they were stunned by three Forest Green goals in four minutes.
Substitute Christian Doidge's header gave the visitors a lifeline in the 73rd minute before Charlie Clough smashed home a second and Ethan Pinnock nodded in an equaliser.
All the momentum was with Forest Green but Ben Gerring's close-range header eight minutes from time gave Torquay a thrilling win.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Torquay United 4, Forest Green Rovers 3.
Second Half ends, Torquay United 4, Forest Green Rovers 3.
Substitution, Torquay United. Joe Ward replaces Dan Sparkes.
Ethan Pinnock (Forest Green Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Goal!  Torquay United 4, Forest Green Rovers 3. Ben Gerring (Torquay United).
Goal!  Torquay United 3, Forest Green Rovers 3. Ethan Pinnock (Forest Green Rovers).
Goal!  Torquay United 3, Forest Green Rovers 2. Charlie Clough (Forest Green Rovers).
Goal!  Torquay United 3, Forest Green Rovers 1. Christian Doidge (Forest Green Rovers).
Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Keanu Marsh-Brown replaces Charlie Cooper.
Goal!  Torquay United 3, Forest Green Rovers 0. Sean McGinty (Torquay United).
Goal!  Torquay United 2, Forest Green Rovers 0. David Fitzpatrick (Torquay United).
Substitution, Torquay United. Jamie Reid replaces Sam Chaney.
Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Elliott Frear replaces Daniel Wishart.
Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Christian Doidge replaces Drissa Traoré.
Substitution, Torquay United. Paul Rooney replaces Giancarlo Gallifuoco.
Goal!  Torquay United 1, Forest Green Rovers 0. Nathan Blissett (Torquay United).
Second Half begins Torquay United 0, Forest Green Rovers 0.
First Half ends, Torquay United 0, Forest Green Rovers 0.
Shamir Mullings (Forest Green Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damien Wilson will miss the start of pre-season after being hit in the eye by a paintball.

The 23-year-old is expected to be sidelined for the first 10 days of his NFL team's training camp.
Wilson says he took his protective helmet off after being eliminated from a paintball game and was accidentally struck in the eye by a stray missile.
"Damien had a really good spring for us, so it's disappointing," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said.
Dallas open their NFL season against the New York Giants on 11 September.
"It is disappointing," Wilson said. "I'm going to stay in shape so when I do come back I can pick up where I left off."


The NHS has apologised to a Devon woman who was asked the wrong questions when she dialled the non-emergency service NHS 111.

Michelle Perryman rang for help in June 2015 saying she felt violently ill but said she was frustrated by the service.
At one point the non-emergency service call handler is heard to laugh.
South West Ambulance, which lost the service in 2016 after a damning report, said the the call handler selected the wrong "pathway" on the computer.
Click here for more about this story and others from Devon and Cornwall
Mrs Perryman from north Devon complained in July 2015 and in December 2016 she got an apology and a "goodwill" payment of Â£100 from the NHS Litigation Authority.
"I was asked numerous questions, totally the wrong questions," said Mrs Perryman, who was ill after suffering "severe depression".
She was asked if she had developed a headache, or had travelled abroad recently, or being exposed to the Ebola virus recently.
After about 40 questions over a 10 minute call she was advised to see a GP, which she did, and was told an out of hours service had been informed.
South West Ambulance said call handlers have to ask a series of questions known as NHS Pathways which are selected with a computer.
But in a letter to Mrs Perryman it said "the outcome would not have been different" even if the "correct pathway" had been followed.
It added that it was not acceptable that the call handler was heard to laugh, agreed his tone was "inappropriate" and apologised for the "distress and upset".
June 2015 - Inquest hears that Cornwall baby William Mead death from sepsis after the 111 service and GPs failed to spot his condition "could have been avoided" if NHS 111 had referred him to hospital
January 2016 - An NHS England report finds the service "missed chances to save sepsis baby William Mead"
February 2016 - NHS investigates "sleeping 111 medics" at Dorset call centre
February 2016 - Top paediatrician questions safety of NHS 111 helpline for young children
February 2016 - The Royal College of Nursing claims staff are being implicitly pressured not to transfer calls to 999
June 2016 - the South West's "consistently failing" NHS 111 helpline, run by South West Ambulance Service, is rated inadequate in a "damning" report.
October 2016 - South West Ambulance Service hands over NHS 111 service to Devon Doctors


A group of UK aid agencies has launched a joint fund-raising appeal to help more than 10 million people affected by severe drought in the Horn of Africa.

Thousands of families in desperate need of food and water have trekked for days from Somalia to the Dadaab refugee camp in eastern Kenya.
The drought is the worst in East Africa for 60 years and the UN described it as a "humanitarian emergency".
A Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal will be broadcast by the BBC.
Disasters Emergency Committee
Horn of Africa drought: 'A vision of hell'
Horn of Africa tested by severe drought
Somalia's starving pour into violent city
Comedian Lenny Henry will front the BBC TV appeal while broadcaster Kate Adie will voice the radio version.
The British public donated more than £1m to individual charities even before the DEC appeal was launched.
Save the Children had received £560,000, Oxfam £277,000 and the Red Cross £150,000.
DEC chief executive Brendan Gormley said thousands of destitute people were on the move into Kenya and Ethiopia.
More than 1,300 people a day were arriving in the Dadaab camp, already thought to be the world's largest with a population of 350,000.
A similar number are crossing into Ethiopia.
Many of those reaching the camps are severely malnourished children, some of whom have died soon after arriving.
Mr Gormley said: "Slowly but surely, these people have seen their lives fall apart - crops, livestock and now their homes have been taken by the drought," .
"They've been left with no alternative but to seek shelter and life-saving help elsewhere.
"We have a duty to help quickly before the situation spirals out of control."
The UK has pledged £38m ($61m) in food aid to drought-hit Ethiopia - enough to feed 1.3 million people for three months.
The DEC appeal will help people in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and South Sudan, which will officially separate from the Republic of Sudan on 9 July.
Mr Gormley said: "Of course these people need a long-term solution with investment and political will - but right now it's about preventing a tragedy."
Aid agencies, including the Kenyan Red Cross, the Somali Red Crescent and Action Aid, are being helped by local groups to access remote areas with food, water and medical treatment.
UK International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell welcomed the appeal launch.
He said: "Through no fault of its own, the Horn of Africa is experiencing a severe drought caused by the failed rains.
"The British government is already providing vital food to help 1.3 million people - but more needs to be done and we are lobbying other governments to do their bit.
"We welcome the DEC appeal to help the 10 million men, women and children caught up in the crisis.
"British charities and organisations are on the ground and ready to help, but need this additional support to get emergency supplies to those in desperate need."


About 200 Twitter users in Nepal have gathered outside the Indian embassy in Kathmandu to "donate" oil as fuel shortages become more acute.

The protesters blame India for blockading fuel supplies on the India-Nepal border because Delhi is unhappy about Nepal's new constitution.
But India insists that it is not responsible for the blockade.
The demonstrators gathered after the embassy asked the Nepal Oil Corporation to provide fuel for its vehicles.
Shortages have become so pronounced that pharmaceutical companies in Nepal say they will be unable to manufacture essential drugs in the coming weeks because of a shortage of raw materials created by the blockade.
Officials are now reported to be looking into the possibility of flying fuel into the country from nearby Bangladesh.
Steps have already been taken to curtail the sale of petrol to all private vehicles.
Protesters said that their demonstration was "in the spirit of good neighbourliness" which is why they mockingly decided to "donate" oil to the embassy even though many Nepalese people are enduring hardships because of what they say is the Indian-enforced fuel blockade.
The BBC's Sanjaya Dhaka in Kathmandu says that at one point on Wednesday #DonateOilToIndianEmbassy became a top worldwide trend on Twitter.
Nepal's new constitution was promulgated two weeks ago, but sparked protests in the country's southern plains bordering India.
More than 40 people have died in protests related to the new constitution.
The demonstrators - most of whom are ethnic Madeshi people who live in the plains - are angry that it divides Nepal into seven new states, slicing through their ancestral homeland.
The Madeshis - who have close cultural ties with India - and other ethnic groups want the states to be larger with more autonomy.
India argues that insecurity caused by protests has meant that trucks carrying fuel and other essential goods cannot enter Nepal.
But correspondents say that many Nepalese view the Indian move as an unofficial blockade in support of people who live in the plains.
Negotiations between the protesters and the government are due to resume on Friday.
The talks come as concern mounts that the blockade will interfere with Dashain, the highlight of Nepal's religious calendar, which begins in less than two weeks.
Many people who live in Kathmandu come from districts outside the city and its surrounding valley and return home by road for the festival.


"Preparatory work" is to begin at Northern Ireland's Department of Health to reduce the deferral period for gay men to donate blood.

But a final decision on reducing the time will need to be taken by a Stormont minister.
The Westminster government has announced its intention to reduce the deferral based on scientific evidence.
Men who have sex with men will be able to give blood three months after their last sexual activity instead of 12.
That will only apply in England and Scotland, though, as health is a devolved issue in Northern Ireland and a change will require approval from a health minister.
Northern Ireland is without a health minister and a devolved government after its power-sharing executive collapsed in January.
In June 2016 the former health minister Michelle O'Neill lifted the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood and adopted the 12-month rule.
Previous health ministers, including Edwin Poots and Jim Wells of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), kept the ban in place.
A BBC investigation had found that the Department of Health did not have any medical evidence of its own to support a permanent ban on gay men donating blood.
The policy was subject to a number of court challenges.
Experts have now said that the move to reduce the deferral period would give more people the opportunity to donate blood without affecting blood supply safety.
The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO), which advises UK health departments, recommended the changes after concluding that new testing systems were accurate and donors were good at complying with the rules.
All blood that is donated in the UK undergoes a mandatory test for Hepatitis B and C, and HIV, plus a couple of other viruses.
Scientists agree that three months is a comfortably long window for a virus or infection to appear and be picked up in the blood.
Stormont's Department of Health said is was "aware of the recommendations" by SaBTO.
"The department... is aware of the intention to introduce some of the recommended changes in England in early 2018," a spokesman added.
"The department will be guided in this matter by the scientific evidence and is taking forward the necessary preparatory work on that basis."
Gay rights campaigner John O'Doherty, of the Rainbow Project group, said he wants to see the rule change in England and Scotland replicated in Northern Ireland.
"The group of people who are undergoing that [12-month] deferral is limited to men who have sex with men," he told BBC Radio Ulster's The Sunday News programme.
"It doesn't reflect the sex that they're choosing to have, who they're choosing to have sex with, or how many people they're choosing to have sex with.
"It is wholly based on the fact that they are having sex with other men and I believe that is wrong."


The Conservatives have dominated the local, district and borough council elections across Dorset, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Hampshire.

The party took Poole, Winchester City, Basingstoke and Dean and Hart District councils, which had previously been under no overall control.
Despite losing all of their MPs across the South, the Lib Dems held on in Eastleigh, even with a two-seat loss.
Labour has retained control of Reading and Slough borough councils.
The party also managed to hold on to Southampton City Council, despite its majority being cut like in Slough.
At Rushmoor Borough Council the Tories increased their majority by two seats - one from Labour and one from UKIP.
They also increased their hold on New Forest District Council, taking four seats from the Lib Dems and two from UKIP, leaving them with 58 seats on the 60-seat council. The Lib Dems hold the remaining two.
The party has also taken 16 of the 17 available seats on West Oxfordshire District Council, and retained control of Havant Borough Council and Cherwell District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and South Oxfordshire District Council.
Majorities were also increased across Berkshire in Bracknell, Windsor and Maidenhead, West Berkshire and Wokingham.
Portsmouth City Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council remain under no overall control. On both, the Conservatives were five seats short of a majority.
In Bournemouth, the Conservatives increased their control and wiped out any representation from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Three councillors are still to be determined with a recount required on Monday in one ward.
See the full breakdown of local council results.


Ian Bell returned to form with a first hundred in almost a year as England dominated the second day of the third Test against India in Southampton.

Bell made 167, sharing century stands with Gary Ballance and debutant Jos Buttler, who dazzled on the way to 85 from 83 balls.
When Buttler fell, England declared on 569-7, leaving India 14 overs to bat at the end of the day.
In that time, James Anderson removed Shikhar Dhawan to leave the tourists 25-1 and in severe danger of surrendering the 1-0 series lead they earned with victory in the second Test at Lord's.
Bell, like England captain Alastair Cook, was badly in need of a score after passing 50 only four times in his previous 19 Test innings.
That lean spell, going back to his last century in the fourth Test of the 2013 Ashes, had yielded just 476 runs at an average of 26.44.
But, after Cook scored 95 on day one, Bell, who should have been given out lbw to Pankaj Singh on nought, cashed in to deliver a 21st Test ton.
Resuming on 16, the Warwickshire man scored all around the wicket on a good batting surface, showing deft touch to play his trademark late cut and dishing out some heavy treatment to Ravindra Jadeja.
Three times, he danced down the track to loft the left-arm spinner for a straight six, the second of which brought up his century.
Bell's fluency was matched in the morning session by Ballance, who moved his first-day hundred on to 156.
With the left-hander guiding to third man and clipping through the leg side, his dismissal came out of nothing in that it was both a surprise and a poor decision by umpire Rod Tucker.
Ballance was given out caught behind off Rohit Sharma when the ball had missed the bat and hit his back leg, with England gaining some consolation from the fact that the part-time off-spinner was able to find exaggerated turn and bounce.
India, using their pace trio of Pankaj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami in one-over spells, did check England with the wickets of Joe Root and Moeen Ali in the afternoon session.
Root, perhaps frustrated after scoring only three from 43 balls, advanced to edge Kumar behind, while Moeen again fell to the short ball, toe-ending a hook off the same bowler to second slip.
The visitors will also feel that they should have had Buttler without scoring when the wicketkeeper, making his Test bow in place of Matt Prior, prodded Kumar to second slip.
With the ball going low to Ajinkya Rahane, the on-field umpires could not confirm it had carried and Buttler was reprieved when replays proved inconclusive.
He scored his first Test runs from the next delivery and, after tea, took advantage of being dropped on 23 by Dhawan at first slip off Shami, producing the sort of strokeplay that brought him the fastest ever one-day international hundred by an England batsman against Sri Lanka in May.
Following Bell's example by hitting Jadeja straight, Buttler also reverse-swept the spinner for four on the way to a maiden half-century.
After Bell holed out to mid-on off Kumar, Buttler opened his shoulders and received yet another let-off when Mahendra Dhoni missed a simple stumping off Jadeja. Twice Pankaj was belted for six to raise hopes of a debut hundred.
But a slog at Jadeja was edged onto the stumps, immediately prompting Cook to declare and leaving the India openers the task of repelling the new ball in the gathering gloom.
It was one that was beyond them as Anderson, from round the wicket, produced a beauty that had Dhawan fencing to Cook at first slip.


A group of students have occupied an Edinburgh University building in protest against its investment in fossil fuels.

About 20 people are involved in the protest, which is being led by the university's People and Planet group.
A university spokesman said it did not invest in companies involved in the highest carbon-emitting industries.
It said it had "divested millions of pounds from three of the world's biggest fossil fuels producers."
The students said they would end the occupation when the university made a public commitment to never invest in any companies taking over 5% profit from fossil fuel extraction and arms manufacture, and to withdraw its remaining oil and gas investments.
A spokesman for the protesters said: "We are of course happy that the university is moving its money away from fossil fuels and arms, however the aim of our campaign is to break down the institutional power which these toxic institutions hold.
"By publicly committing never to invest in these industries Edinburgh has the chance to help put an end to the influence held by companies which profit off the back of war and climate change."


The UK government will require pornographic sites to verify users are over 18 as part of a raft of measures announced in the Queen's Speech.

As part of its Digital Economy Bill, the government promises more protection for children online.
It also pledged more protection for consumers from spam email and nuisance calls, by ensuring direct consent is obtained for direct marketing.
And it reiterated its plans for driverless cars to be tested in the UK.
The Conservative Party pledged in its manifesto to increase protection for children online.
The forthcoming Digital Economy Bill will propose that all sites containing pornographic material must check that users are over 18.
The details of how this will work are not yet clear, and security expert Dr Gilad Rosner, who is a member of the Cabinet Office Privacy and Consumer Advocacy Group, said the government may struggle to implement the plan on free pornographic sites.
Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said the issue was "a matter of urgency" and that children who had ready access to adult content could develop a "warped" view of sexual relationships.
According to the government, one in five children aged 11-17 had seen pornographic images that had shocked or upset them.
Other plans include:
Last week the government confirmed that the Universal Service Obligation for broadband would be delivered "on request".
O2 chief executive Ronan Dunne said that the bill showed the government's commitment to getting better connectivity for the nation but more needed to be done.
"Whilst it is a step in the right direction for the rural areas not yet benefitting from mobile connectivity, investment in digital infrastructure is not just about reducing these connectivity blackspots."
"Over 23 million people have now signed up to 4G and existing networks but even in major cities these networks will soon be overwhelmed by the demand for data, Solving this issue not only requires a bold, long-term vision, it requires leadership and collective effort by industry, government, local authorities, regulators and the public."
As part of its Modern Transport Bill, the government wants to "ensure the United Kingdom is at the forefront of technology for new forms of transport, including autonomous and electric vehicles".
It will include legislation to make sure drones and autonomous vehicles are safe and to alter the insurance regime to take account of driverless cars.
Trials of automated cars are currently taking place in Bristol, Greenwich, Milton Keynes and Coventry. and there are more than 60,000 electric cars registered in the UK.


Plans to shake up special educational needs funding could see special units in mainstream schools close, a teaching union says.

The National Association of Head Teachers said reducing the per-place funding for such units from £10,000 to £6,000 a year would be "disastrous".
It also said the plans would not address the wide disparity in funding for children with similar needs.
The government says it has boosted high needs funding by £90m this year.
In its report, Getting it right: Funding pupils with complex needs, the NAHT looks at the impact of the proposed changes to the funding for children with high special educational needs.
The changes include basing the way funds are allocated to local authorities on the number of two- to 18-year-olds in the area.
This will then be modified by three factors - the number of children in bad health or on a disability benefit, low attainment and deprivation levels in the area.
But the NAHT says the proposals do not address the so-called "top up" funding for children with very complex needs, where there are big differences in funding.
The variability in funding levels means children with very similar needs could attract £2,000 of education funding in one local authority but £20,000 in another.
"This is clearly unacceptable and the DfE needs to develop parameters and controls to ensure that funding is fairly distributed within local authorities," the NAHT said.
Kim Johnson, president of NAHT and principal of Bradfields Specialist SEN Academy, says: "Those of us who are passionate about the education of children with high and complex needs have been pressing for this review of high needs funding for a long time.
"We desperately need a new approach that creates greater consistency and transparency.
"But we also need to be mindful that local authorities have taken very different approaches and that the transition to such an approach could result in some significant changes."
The NAHT also opposes plans to cut funding for special units within mainstream schools from £10,000 to £6,000 per pupil.
"Such a move would be disastrous for such units, leading to potential closures," the heads' union said.
Heads say basing the funding of the centre on the provision itself, rather than the number of pupils attending, would place provision on a stable basis.
Chris Hill, head teacher at Hounslow Town Primary School, says: "The place funding, rather than pupil-led funding, helps to create stability.
"But if this were to change, as currently proposed in the consultation, it would threaten the viability of our centre as the drop from 20 pupils to 14-15 in any one year would be a very big financial hit."
A Department for Education spokesperson said every child, regardless of their circumstances, deserves an excellent education that allows them to fulfil their potential.
"That is why we've protected the overall school budget and increased the funding for children and young people with high needs by over £90 million this year.
"We have consulted on proposals to make funding fairer for schools and pupils with high needs - this included some changes to the way that schools with special units might be funded.
"We are currently considering the responses to that consultation, so any suggestions are purely speculative."


The touching pictures of British triathlon star Jonny Brownlee being helped across the finish line by his brother Alistair hit headlines around the world this week.

23 September 2016 Last updated at 17:15 BST
So Newsround asked the siblings to remember the times when they helped each other while growing up as kids.
Watch them describe their childhood memories of brotherly love, including injured fingers and broken bikes!


Rangers boss Mark Warburton is upbeat on a swift recovery for Joe Garner as the striker prepares for a shoulder scan on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old suffered a painful dislocation in the Hogmanay loss to Celtic at Ibrox.
Warburton said Garner had "recovered dramatically" while waiting for the swelling to ease but surgery could mean a three-month absence.
"We do what's right for Joe, hopefully it will be good news," he said.
Talking to Rangers TV, he added: "We're very hopeful, in terms of the strength he has shown and the movement in the limb already, means we get good news from the scan and it won't be too long to keep him out.
"He's rugged Joe, he's robust and our obvious concern is that we have to watch Joe and look after him.
"You always look after the health and welfare of any player but also recognise the way Joe plays the game. He's aggressive, he's all out, and he's fearless in the way he plays."


There is "no evidence of a widespread, deliberate attempt" to monitor calls between prisoners and MPs in England and Wales, an inquiry has concluded.

Since 2006, prison staff recorded 3,150 prisoner calls to MPs, and downloaded 280 for playback - but most were listened to "in error", chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick said.
In a "small number" of cases rules were deliberately broken, he found.
Prisoners are entitled to confidential phone calls with their constituency MP.
The inquiry into prison practices was ordered by the former justice secretary, Chris Grayling, after concerns confidential conversations may have been taped and listened to by prison staff.
He said the monitoring may have taken place between 2006 and 2012, and at least 32 current MPs could have been affected.
The report, which concludes the second stage of the inquiry, found that since 2006, prisoners made around 5,600 calls to MPs, of which 3,150 (56%) were recorded.
Of the recordings, 280 (8.8%) were downloaded to a playback system and "probably listened to" on 358 occasions, and 68 calls were listened to live or exported to disc. Most calls were short.
The report said that 35 prisoners, 37 MPs and 38 prisons using a BT phone system were involved.
Nick Hardwick said: "I have not found evidence of a widespread, deliberate attempt to monitor communications with MPs and I believe that the majority of calls were downloaded for listening in error."
He said there was "widespread ignorance about how the system was supposed to operate among both prisoners and staff", and in many cases prisoners did not know they were entitled to call their MP in confidence.
However, he ordered a formal investigation into the small number of cases where there was evidence that rules were deliberately broken by prison staff.
He also made recommendations, including improving understanding of confidential access privileges among prisoners and staff, and consistency of policy and practice between prisons.
The first stage of the inquiry, which reported back in December, found that urgent measures to stop prisoners' phone calls being inappropriately tapped had been "largely" effective.


Partick Thistle striker Kris Doolan believes his 100th and 101st goals for the club could prove his most crucial.

His brace against Ross County took him past the 100-goal mark and left Thistle on the cusp of their first top-six finish since the split was introduced.
That would ensure their best top flight placing since finishing sixth in 1981.
"I've scored a lot of memorable ones, but those, in a big game with what was at stake is something I'll remember forever," Doolan told BBC Scotland.
Media playback is not supported on this device
The striker has been at Firhill since 2009, joining from Junior side Auchinleck Talbot when Thistle were in the First Division.
He knows as well as anyone how impressive an achievement finishing in the top half of the league would be for Thistle.
"It was a huge victory for us," Doolan added after the 2-1 triumph over County at Firhill. "That cements us almost in the top six. We know we're not over the line but it gives us an opportunity to go and cement things over the next three games."
Alan Archibald's side are four points clear of seventh-place Kilmarnock, with three games to play before the split - away to Celtic and Rangers, with a home game against Motherwell in between.
Three points from those fixtures would all but guarantee a top-six place, with Kilmarnock due to play Rangers, Celtic and Hearts.
"It's a huge achievement for the club," added Doolan.
"It's been our aim for a couple of seasons now to get in that top six. We just missed out last year by one goal. It was pretty cruel and we all remember that feeling. As a club we want to be in the top six with the big clubs."
Doolan has made over 300 appearances for Thistle and quipped that his 101st goal is the starting point for another 100.
Now 30, though, the frontman is still relishing his role as Thistle's major goal threat, with 12 to his credit this season.
"A lot of strikers have come and gone. I've fought a lot of them off," he added.
"It's about producing on the pitch. If you're a striker and you come in and you're scoring goals, you can't be taken out the team. I'm just glad I'm at the top end of the pitch, putting the goals away for us."


Hampshire all-rounder Gareth Berg has signed a new contract, which will keep him at the club until the end of the 2017 season.

The 35-year-old joined from Middlesex ahead of the 2015 campaign.
Berg has taken nine wickets in five County Championship games this year and was the club's leading wicket-taker in the One-Day Cup, with 11.
"An extension is great but we need to make sure we stay in Division One," the South African told BBC Radio Solent.


No-one in the Royal Family wants to be king or queen, Prince Harry has told a US magazine, but adds: "We will carry out our duties at the right time."

"Is there any one of the Royal Family who wants to be king or queen? I don't think so," he told Newsweek.
And he said the royals were doing it "for the greater good of the people".
The prince also spoke about walking in the funeral procession for his mother, Princess Diana, when he was 12, saying no child "should be asked to do that".
In 1997, Harry joined his father, the Prince of Wales, grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, 15-year-old brother, the Duke of Cambridge, and uncle, Earl Spencer, in the procession through the streets of London.
Harry, who recently said he had received counselling to cope with the death of his mother in a car crash in Paris, said: "My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television.
"I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don't think it would happen today."
The Prince also talked about the role he and his brother are taking in what he called "modernising the monarchy".
He also paid tribute to his "remarkable" grandmother for letting the younger royals do things their own way.
"The Queen has been fantastic in letting us choose," he says. "She tells us to take our time and really think things through."
By Peter Hunt, BBC royal correspondent
This is an interview that will generate some sympathy - a prince still struggling with the death of his mother - and raise some eyebrows.
Such a reaction will be prompted by Harry's suggestion that the Windsors aren't exactly falling over each other to fill what his mother once called "the top job", when it becomes vacant.
The Queen's heirs, he implies, will take on a position of enormous privilege because they have to, not because they want to.
And despite the prince's important caveat that the royals do what they do for the greater good and not for themselves, his words have generated the Daily Mail headline "Harry: No Royal Wants Throne".
Prince Harry is on marginally safer ground talking about his mother's funeral even though his comments do contain an implied criticism of his immediate family. They could have decided in 1997 that he was too young to walk, so publicly, behind Diana's coffin.
There is one other striking aspect to this lengthy article.  It contains no comments, by Harry, about his father.
Prince Harry told the magazine, which says it was given access to the prince for nearly a year, that he was "involved in modernising the British monarchy".
"It's a tricky balancing act. We don't want to dilute the magic. The British public and the whole world need institutions like it."
Harry praised Princess Diana for playing a part in showing him an ordinary life, saying people would be "amazed" at how ordinary his and Prince William's lives were.
"I do my own shopping. Sometimes... I worry someone will snap me with their phone. But I am determined to have a relatively normal life and if I am lucky enough to have children, they can have one too.
"Even if I was king, I would do my own shopping."
Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning


A third hospital trust in the South East is expected to be put into special measures, the BBC understands.

East Sussex Healthcare Trust which runs the Conquest Hospital in Hastings and Eastbourne District General Hospital is currently rated as "inadequate".
However, BBC South East Today has learned the trust has failed to improve and is likely to be placed into special measures at a meeting on Friday.
The trust said it was awaiting a report to be published and would not comment.
The other trusts currently in special measures include East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Medway NHS Foundation Trust.
Medway's Maritime Hospital was forced to turn away ambulances earlier, and on Wednesday, to help ease the burden on its A&E department.
The East Sussex trust was rated as "inadequate" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in March, after failing to meeting government targets.
In May, it was criticised by Eastbourne Borough Council, which passed a vote of no confidence in its management.
And in July the chief executive resigned while the trust had to apologise after patients' details were found in the street.
Leadership would appear to be the big problem at this trust. In its March report, the CQC described a "disconnect between the trust board and it's staff" and a "culture where staff were afraid to speak out".
The trust's problems have been well documented but what has apparently been lacking is any real progress in putting things right.
It's my understanding the CQC feel very little has improved in the last few months.
Friday's meeting between all the stakeholders will be a chance to discuss the way forward but many people I have spoken to in the wider NHS believe special measures will be imposed on the trust.
A spokesman for the trust refused to comment on whether it would be put into special measures.
He said: "We are waiting for the publication of the CQC report next week and until it is published and they have made any recommendation we are unable to make any further comment."


Huddersfield Giants climbed off the bottom of the Super League table to leave Hull Kingston Rovers as the only winless side in the top flight.

The Giants led 12-0 at the break after tries from on-loan debutant full-back Jordan Tansey and Michael Lawrence.
Rovers then halved the deficit with Thomas Minns' converted touchdown.
But Aaron Murphy's try restored the 12-point cushion and the Giants stretched clear through Jermaine McGilvary, Larne Patrick and Ukuma Ta'ai.
Danny Brough, who tormented the visitors with his tactical kicking, landed all six conversions, one of them after England winger McGillvary's 100th Super League try, as well as a penalty for an individual 14-point haul.
Huddersfield had lost their first four matches in Super League, but the win enabled them to leapfrog over Rovers, who have picked up only one point from their first six games, courtesy of last month's draw with Castleford.
In his first game in charge as interim head coach until the end of the season, former Rovers captain James Webster's side were outplayed from start to finish, despite being boosted by the return from injury of former Huddersfield forwards Shaun Lunt and Graeme Horne, while James Green and John Boudebza were back from suspension.
But captain Terry Campese lasted just 42 minutes before going off with a hamstring injury on his comeback from a nine-month lay-off following a knee reconstruction.
Giants coach Paul Anderson confirmed that prop Daniel Smith will not play again this season after undergoing foot surgery but expects fellow front rower Craig Huby to be the next player back from injury at Easter.
Huddersfield coach Paul Anderson:
"Winning is definitely better than losing. It does relieve some pressure, the boys are happy in there. There was no real sense of panic but we can't rest on that. We have an opportunity to start knocking some points off.
"For 40 to 50 minutes you could tell both teams were a little bit nervous but we settled the quicker and created a lot of opportunities. We stayed patient and came up with some good sets."
"We just need to get people back on the field and training continuously. We've not lost anybody else today which is a positive.
"All the people who came back grew into the game and Jordan Tansey had an impact and is only got to get better as gets to know our structures."
Hull KR interim coach James Webster told BBC Radio Humberside:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"We weren't good enough with the ball at the start. We were second best at the ruck and they ran a bit harder than us. We did a really good job to stay within 12 points at half-time.
"We seemed to rectify a few of the things we spoke about at half-time but the fatigue factor really hurt us towards the end.
"It's going to be hard work but we're a confident club and we think we can turn it around.
"When Terry Campese was on the ground with his hand up in the air, you think 'has he done his knee?' but it's the hamstring in his other leg. While we're obviously disappointed, it's good that it's not his knee."
Huddersfield: Tansey; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Connor, Murphy; Brough, K Wood; Crabtree, Hinchcliffe, Rapira, Wardle, Lawrence, Ta'ai.
Replacements: Patrick, J Johnson, Leeming, Roberts.
Hull KR: Cockayne; Shaw, Thornley, Minns, Sio; Blair, Marsh; Walker, Lunt, Tilse, Clarkson, Horne, Allgood.
Replacements: Green, Greenwood, Campese, Boudebza.
Referee: Robert Hicks.


Scunthorpe gave their League One play-off prospects a boost with victory over second-placed Bolton.

The Iron scored the vital goal in the 11th minute, when Josh Morris curled a free-kick to the back post and defender David Mirfin headed home.
Scunthorpe were good value for their victory, despite a late spell of visiting pressure.
They controlled much of the first period with Bolton's only sight at goal, six minutes before the break, hooked high and wide into the crowd by Conor Wilkinson.
The Iron were unlucky not to double their lead early in the second half when a low strike from Neal Bishop took a slight deflection before striking the foot of a post.
But they had goalkeeper Joe Anyon to thank for a first clean sheet in almost two months as he tipped over a powerful drive from James Henry, before later going down to his left to brilliantly keep out Max Clayton's downward header.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Scunthorpe United 1, Bolton Wanderers 0.
Second Half ends, Scunthorpe United 1, Bolton Wanderers 0.
Attempt saved. Dorian Dervite (Bolton Wanderers) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Scunthorpe United. Craig Davies replaces Stephen Dawson.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by David Mirfin.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Stephen Dawson.
Attempt blocked. Max Clayton (Bolton Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Scott Wiseman (Scunthorpe United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by David Wheater (Bolton Wanderers).
Attempt missed. Ivan Toney (Scunthorpe United) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Attempt blocked. Dean Moxey (Bolton Wanderers) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Ivan Toney (Scunthorpe United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Dorian Dervite (Bolton Wanderers).
Substitution, Scunthorpe United. Sam Mantom replaces Paddy Madden.
Corner,  Scunthorpe United. Conceded by David Wheater.
Murray Wallace (Scunthorpe United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Murray Wallace (Scunthorpe United).
James Henry (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Scott Wiseman.
Ivan Toney (Scunthorpe United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jay Spearing (Bolton Wanderers).
Attempt missed. Ivan Toney (Scunthorpe United) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Attempt saved. Josh Morris (Scunthorpe United) left footed shot from more than 40 yards on the left wing is saved in the bottom left corner.
Attempt missed. Mark Beevers (Bolton Wanderers) header from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Joe Anyon.
Attempt saved. Max Clayton (Bolton Wanderers) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Foul by Conor Townsend (Scunthorpe United).
Adam Le Fondre (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Adam Le Fondre (Bolton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner,  Scunthorpe United. Conceded by David Wheater.
Attempt missed. Adam Le Fondre (Bolton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
David Mirfin (Scunthorpe United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by James Henry (Bolton Wanderers).
Neal Bishop (Scunthorpe United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Joe Anyon.
Attempt saved. James Henry (Bolton Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Substitution, Bolton Wanderers. James Henry replaces Darren Pratley.
Substitution, Bolton Wanderers. Max Clayton replaces Conor Wilkinson.
Attempt missed. Paddy Madden (Scunthorpe United) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Josh Morris.


A fisherman who fell overboard died after unsuccessful attempts to get him back onto the boat, a report has said.

Joshua Aryeetey, 47, from Ghana, was on board the Banff-registered Beryl fishing boat when the incident happened off Shetland in February.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said he was conscious, wearing a lifejacket and was quickly brought alongside the vessel.
However he spent about 49 minutes in the water, and could not be saved.
He had been carried overboard by a net.
Safety recommendations about training drills have been made.
'Practical drill'
The MAIB report said: "The crew's attempts to recover the casualty on board were unsuccessful.
"The crewman was unresponsive when eventually recovered onto a rescue craft launched from a nearby offshore support vessel."
He was then transferred by coastguard helicopter to Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick, but could not be saved.
The report continued: "The accident occurred because the crewman was standing in an unsafe position.
"It is one of a number of recent accidents in which fishermen have died after falling or being carried or swept overboard while trawling when the vessels' crews have been unable to recover them back on board.
"In this case, Beryl's crew had not completed a practical man overboard drill during their time on board and they were unfamiliar with the man overboard recovery system carried."
It concluded: "Recommendations have been made to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Scottish Fishermen's Federation, National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations and the Sea Fish Industry Authority.
"These are aimed at identifying initiatives to encourage fishermen to conduct practical emergency drills and to use risk assessments as a catalyst for behavioural change.
"The recommendations are also intended to improve the likelihood of recovering persons from the water by ensuring that the recovery systems carried by fishing vessels are suitable and that sufficient and realistic man overboard drills are carried out on board.
"A recommendation has also been made to Beryl's owner, which seeks to improve the overall safety of its crews, and their ability to respond to emergencies."


A gold supercar with L-plates was seized by police in west London, leaving its driver by the roadside.

Officers seized the Maserati GranCabrio - a basic model of which can cost up to £100,000 new - on King's Road in Kingston on suspicion of it having no insurance.
The Met said the car was impounded and the owner would be summoned to court.
If found guilty the owner, who has not been named, faces a minimum £300 fine and six points on their licence
A Kingston Police spokesman said the driver was pulled over because officers thought the car seemed very expensive for a learner to be driving.
In March, a "gold fleet" including a Lamborghini Aventador, a Mercedes G63 6x6 and a Bentley Flying Spur were all spotted in Knightsbridge with parking tickets on their windscreens.


A CCTV image of a man police want to trace in connection with a serious assault in Edinburgh city centre has been released.

The incident happened at about 17:30 on Friday 25 November on Princes Street and Regent Road.
A 27-year-old man was on a number 25 Lothian bus travelling east on Princes Street when another passenger started to cause a disturbance.
They both got off near the Apple store where the victim was assaulted.
He was then followed to Regent Road, opposite St Andrews House, where he was attacked again.
The attacker then ran off up the steps towards Calton Hill.
Officers believe the man pictured will be able to help them with their investigation.
Det Sgt Neil Spowart, of Police Scotland, said: "This was a vicious attack that caused considerable alarm to the victim as well as other members of the public.
"Given the central location of this incident and the time of day it occurred I'm hopeful that someone has information that can assist us.
"As part of this inquiry we are keen to identify the man pictured in the CCTV footage and he, or anyone who can assist us in identifying him, should contact police immediately."


A man has been charged with murdering a 27-year-old in a mass street fight in Greater Manchester.

The victim suffered multiple stab wounds in the brawl, which involved a group of men and women, on 14 October in Middleton.
He was taken to hospital but later died following the fight in Cheap Side.
Timothy Deakin, 21, of Lever Street, Heywood, has been charged with murder. He is due to appear at Bolton Magistrates Court on Friday.


The founder of Kids Company has said it will have to "abandon a lot of children" as she confirmed its closure.

Camila Batmanghelidjh told BBC Radio 4's The Report "rumour-mongering civil servants", ministers and the media had "put the nail" in the charity.
The charity, which immediately ended its work with 40 schools in London and Bristol, had been given a Â£3m government grant a week ago.
The government said it was "disappointed" at the outcome.
In a statement, the Cabinet Office said Kids Company had been "unable to move to a sustainable financial position".
It said it was working with local authorities to ensure young people "have access to the services they require".
Ministers are facing questions over the public funding given to the charity.
BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said warnings had been sounded as far back as the Labour government.
"All those reasons, it seems, were put to one side - and the reason, bluntly, is because it appears Kids Company was a charity which enjoyed the protection of Downing Street, under Gordon Brown and David Cameron."
One source said Mr Cameron was "mesmerised" by Ms Batmanghelidjh and over-ruled concerns raised during funding talks, he added.
Meanwhile, former children's minister Tim Loughton told the BBC he too had raised concerns about the charity when he was in office.
Camila Batmanghelidjh profile
Kids Company, which supports deprived young people and their families in London, Bristol and Liverpool, is  facing accusations of financial mismanagement.
Measures are being put in place to protect people using its services.
One Kids Company worker, Claire Cole, told the BBC she was concerned for both the children and employees that the charity worked with, adding: " Who's supporting us, who's supporting them?
"If any young people need us, please give us a call. As long as our phones are still working every single one of us will answer it. And we're here for you."
Ms Batmanghelidjh said she had "vigorously" pursued the government for funding, because "we'd run out of every company and every charitable trust  that we could potentially get money from".
The fact that major banks had backed the charity showed it was not "badly run", she said, adding: "As far as I know I acted responsibly - I asked for help early enough and I feel that government failed to honour its responsibility to these most vulnerable children."
The charity's closure comes after the Â£3m Cabinet Office grant was made on the condition that Ms Batmanghelidjh, its high-profile chief executive, agreed to step down as part of a reorganisation, as revealed by a joint investigation from BBC Newsnight and BuzzFeed News last month.
It was finally paid when Ms Batmanghelidjh agreed to step down to take up a new advocacy and clinical role.
Newsnight policy editor Chris Cook understands attempts are being made to recover the money because the Cabinet Office believes that the conditions attached to its use were not met.
It has also been revealed the Cabinet Office's lead official raised concerns that the grant, intended for a "transformation and downsizing plan", would be poor value for money, but was told by ministers to press ahead.


French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is to visit the site of an avalanche in the Alps that killed five French Foreign Legionnaires.

Another six were injured when the avalanche hit close to Valfrejus, not far from the Italian border.
French President Francois Hollande has expressed "the nation's solidarity" over the deaths.
Only days earlier, two school pupils and a Ukrainian tourist died in another avalanche in the French Alps.
The soldiers killed were among a group of about 50 taking part in an off-piste skiing exercise.
They were at an altitude of 2,200m (7,200ft) when they were caught up in the avalanche shortly before 14:00 (13:00GMT) on Monday.
Search dogs and helicopters immediately began looking for the soldiers.
About 10 were soon found by rescuers - but five died after going into cardiac arrest. One of those found is in intensive care after suffering hypothermia.
Mr Drian is expected to arrive at the scene early on Tuesday.
The nationalities of those killed has not been released. The group was a mixture of veterans and new recruits, lawmaker Julien Aubert told France's BFM television.
The group were said to be well-equipped at the time of the avalanche. Their regiment specialises in mountain warfare.
It is not the first tragedy to strike the French Foreign Legion, which was established to allow foreign nationals to serve in the French armed forces.
In 2012, an avalanche swept away five members of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment, killing one.
French ski resorts see deaths each year from avalanches, but risks have been heightened in recent days following heavy snowfall.