One Russian and one American plane have carried out a "planned communications test" in the skies over Syria, US officials say.

The Pentagon said the test lasted around three minutes and was designed to "validate the safety protocols" agreed last month.
Last month both countries' planes entered the same "battle space" and came within miles of each other.
After this a deal was signed to avoid clashes between the two air forces.
The test was conducted in "south central Syria" and "assured that the first time this mode of communication was used would not be during an unplanned encounter," a Pentagon statement said.
A senior Russian military official said the test was designed to "to train crews and ground services for incidents of dangerous proximity of aircraft".
In September, Russia started carrying out air strikes against rebels in Syria, after Damascus suffered a string of defeats at the hands of both rebel forces and the Islamic State (IS) group.
Should there be a Syria no-fly zone?
High-stakes gamble over Syria
If not Assad, then who?
Where key countries stand
Earlier on Tuesday the Russian foreign ministry said it was not crucial for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to stay in power, saying it was up to the Syrian people to decide.
However, a spokeswoman for the ministry said that this did not represent a change of position.
When asked if saving the Syrian leader was a matter of principle for Russia, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "Absolutely not, we never said that."
Russia is supporting the Syrian government with air strikes on rebels.
Russia is seen as one of Mr Assad's strongest backers. His future is seen as a key sticking point between those backing rival sides in the conflict.
The US has said Mr Assad can have no part in Syria's political future.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that Moscow was aiming to host a round of talks between Syrian government officials and members of the country's opposition in Moscow next week.
Last week world powers - including key Assad ally Iran for the first time - met in Vienna and agreed to renew efforts to end the conflict.
The ministers agreed to ask the United Nations to start a process that could lead to a ceasefire and new elections. New talks are due in two weeks.
Why is there a war in Syria?
Anti-government protests developed into a civil war that, four years on, has ground to a stalemate, with the Assad government, Islamic State, an array of Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters all holding territory.
Who is fighting whom?
Government forces concentrated in Damascus and the centre and west of Syria are fighting the jihadists of Islamic State and al-Nusra Front, as well as less numerous so-called "moderate" rebel groups, who are strongest in the north and east. These groups are also battling each other.
What's the human cost?
More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed and a million injured. Some 11 million others have been forced from their homes, of whom four million have fled abroad - including growing numbers who are making the dangerous journey to Europe.
How has the world reacted?
Iran, Russia and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement are propping up the Alawite-led Assad government, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar back the more moderate Sunni-dominated opposition, along with the US, UK and France. Hezbollah and Iran are believed to have troops and officers on the ground, while a Western-led coalition and Russia are carrying out air strikes.


World number one Andy Murray says Grand Slams face a "different decision" from smaller tournaments when it comes to giving Maria Sharapova a wildcard.

Sharapova, 30, needs an invitation to compete at this month's French Open after defeat in the Stuttgart Open semi-finals at the weekend.
The tournament was the Russian's first since serving a 15-month doping ban.
"Loads and loads of press went there to cover the event - whereas the Slams don't need that coverage," said Murray.
"It probably doesn't change their event much either way, so they have a different decision to make."
There is something to be said for working your way back up the rankings
Upcoming events in Madrid and Rome have also taken the decision to award wildcards to Sharapova, who was suspended in 2016 after testing positive for meldonium.
The five-time Grand Slam winner needed to reach the final in Germany to make the world's top 200 and be eligible for French Open qualifying. But defeat to Kristina Mladenovic in the last four pegged her ranking at 262.
She requires a wildcard to compete in qualifying or the main draw at the tournament in Paris, which starts on 28 May.
The French tennis federation is set to announce its decision on 16 May.
Briton Murray, 29, said the French Open and Wimbledon can do "whatever they want" regarding wildcards but added "there is something to be said for working your way back up" the rankings.
"[Sharapova's] playing at a level where she's capable of winning a tournament like Stuttgart already - it would be a three-, four-week period before she'd be competing at the biggest events again," he said.
"To reach the semis in the first tournament back shows that very soon she's going to be back up at the top of the game. It will be a matter of months."
Murray added, however, that he "wouldn't imagine" Sharapova's form would have any bearing on a Grand Slam tournament's decision to issue a wildcard.
The decision to assist Sharapova's return to the WTA Tour has been criticised by rival players, with 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard branding the former world number one "a cheat" who should not have been allowed to play again.
Having missed Great Britain's Davis Cup quarter-final defeat to France with an elbow injury before returning in Monte Carlo, Murray continued his comeback at the Barcelona Open where he was beaten by Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals.
He will next compete on clay at the Madrid Open, starting on Monday, followed by the Italian Open on 15 May.
"My elbow is always sore, so that's nothing to do with the injury - for the last three or four years, it's always been a bit stiff," said Murray, speaking at The Queen's Club, where he will defend his Aegon Championship title next month.
"It was great in Barcelona for the amount of tennis I played - I pushed it, playing three hours and then having to come back the next day and play again, and the elbow felt really good.
"I just need to start serving better which hopefully will happen over the next few weeks."


Virgin Money has reported a strong performance for its first full financial year since listing on the stock market.

It reported a 53% rise in underlying profits for 2015 to £160.3m.
The Edinburgh-based bank said its gross mortgage lending was £7.5bn, up 29% on the previous year, giving it a market share of 3.4%.
Virgin said its funding position was strong with record deposit balances.
Shares jumped 8% to 367.6p in morning trading. The shares have risen just over 30% since it listed in November 2014, meaning the company is worth £1.6bn.
Balances rose by 12% to £25.1bn, giving the bank a 1.5% share of the savings account market.
The savings market had grown strongly, helped by a positive economic backdrop and "supportive" government policy on Isas, Virgin said.
It also highlighted "improving consumer confidence in the UK", which it said was responsible for the rise in demand for unsecured borrowing.
Virgin said credit card balances were 44% higher at £1.6bn, giving the bank a 2.5% market share.
It expected to increase credit card balances to at least £3bn by the end of 2017 - ahead of target.
Its growth in mortgage lending, deposit balances and credit card balances outstripped the market, according to the company.
Statutory pre-tax profit leapt from £34m to £138m last year.
Looking to 2016 the bank said it was aware of the risks related to the UK referendum on EU membership, as well as market turbulence caused by the slowdown in emerging markets and falling commodity prices.
"All of these have the potential to adversely impact the UK economy," Virgin Money said.
Virgin said its mortgage and savings business remained the key profit driver, contributing 69% of total income last year.
The mortgage business was dominated by residential lending (83%), with buy-to-let accounting for 17%.
In December, the Bank of England's Financial Stability Report raised concerns over the growth in buy-to-let lending and the impact that a shift to the private rental sector could have on market stability.
Virgin said tax and regulatory changes may make buy-to-let less attractive to investors: "These changes have added uncertainty to the outlook of buy-to-let for both landlords and lenders, particularly over the medium to long-term."


An Irish university has expressed "heartbreak" at the deaths of six young people who died after a balcony collapsed at a US apartment block.

It happened at a 21st birthday party in the apartment in Berkeley, California.
Five of the victims were from Ireland, and some of them were students at University College Dublin (UCD).
UCD President Andrew Deeks expressed condolences to their families saying "we are heartbroken at their suffering and loss".
Those who were killed have been named as:
Several others have been injured, some of them very seriously.
Ms Donohoe, who had dual US-Irish citizenship, lived in California while the other five who died all had home addresses in Ireland.
Mr Culligan and Mr Schuster were both past-pupils of St Mary's College in Rathmines, Dublin.
The majority of the victims were in the US on work visas, on the J1 USA summer work and travel programme.
The families of some of the students who died have arrived in the United States from Ireland.
In a statement, the UCD president said: "It is with deepest sadness that I speak of the tragic accident involving UCD students and their friends in San Francisco.
"On behalf of the entire university community, I wish to extend our condolences to the families and friends of those who died and to those who were injured.
"We cannot comprehend the desperate shock and grief they are feeling and we are heartbroken at their suffering and loss."
UCD is opening an online Book of Condolence on its website and is offering its counselling and student support services to the bereaved in the US and Dublin.
"Our students, like thousands of others across Ireland, head to the US each summer on J1 visas to enjoy the experience," Mr Deeks said.
"It is heart-breaking to imagine that such a tragedy would strike these wonderful students when their lives are opening up to discover the world."
In a statement on Tuesday night, St Mary's College paid tribute to its past pupils.
"The thoughts and prayers of everybody in the St Mary's community are with the families of Niccolai and Eoghan, as well as the other Irish youngsters named by the US authorities this evening," the school statement said.
"We also pray particularly for those injured, and their families."
Ireland's Consul General in San Francisco Philip Grant said it had been a very traumatic time for everyone involved.
"To have this happen at the start of this season is something that has left us all frozen in shock and disbelief," he said.
"It touches every single family in Ireland."
Mr Grant will lay a wreath at a ceremony near the site of the balcony collapse later.
Fr Aidan McAleenan from St Columba's Church in Oakland near Berkeley, and who is originally from Banbridge, County Down, spent several hours with the injured and their friends.
"It was very emotional driving out and getting to the hospital and then having to tell some of them that another friend had died," he told the BBC.
"It was really hard to know what to say or what to do. We prayed with them.  Other people from the Irish community arrived. They are really devastated. That sense you have when you are totally shocked."
Fr McAleenan and members of the Irish Pastoral Centre will be working closely with the families of the victims, and there will be a special Mass on Thursday.
The national flag with be flown at half-mast at Irish Government Buildings as a mark of respect for those who died.
A Book of Condolence will be opened at the Mansion House in Dublin later.


A high-speed TGV train has derailed near the eastern French city of Strasbourg, killing at least 10 people, officials say.

The crash happened during a test run in the town of Eckwersheim, on a new Paris-Strasbourg line.
The train was carrying 49 railway technicians when it derailed, caught fire, and plunged into a canal. Eleven people suffered serious injuries.
The derailment was due to "excessive speed", officials say.
Pictures showed the locomotive partly submerged. Wreckage was also scattered in a field beside the track.
Reports say the Paris-Strasbourg high-speed line is scheduled to open next year.
Junior transport minister Alain Vidalies and Ecology Minister Segolene Royal will visit the scene, French media reported.


Dairy farmers in Wales have been urged to club together to help negotiate a better price for their milk.

Union leaders are hoping the formation of a first so-called Dairy Producer Organisation (DPO) could help put the industry on a stronger footing.
It would involve small family farms across Wales linking up to talk with milk processors as one legal entity.
The hope is that streamlining the way farmers deal with creameries could attract more of them to Wales.
But a report has warned that persuading farmers to join up could be a challenge, and there would be no guarantee that processors would agree to strike a deal with them.
The main purpose of a DPO is to negotiate terms and conditions of supply, including price, with one or more milk processors. As such, they are exempted from some aspects of competition law.
There is currently one DPO in operation in England, and one in Scotland - but they are commonplace throughout Europe, especially in Germany.
A working group, involving figures from both farming unions, is investigating what role DPOs could play in securing the industry's future in Wales.
Aled Jones, chairman of NFU Cymru's dairy board told BBC Wales that "farmers coming together" could lead to "a far more professional means of operating".
"At the moment we deal on an individual basis with the processor but I think long term we are far stronger if we speak with one voice and have that cooperation and attitude of mind."
Recent years have seen farmers protesting outside creameries over milk prices but Mr Jones said the focus should now be on "building better relationships".
"Nearly half of Welsh milk is carted out of Wales to be processed and that puts us in a weak position.  We saw that last year when there was an oversupply of milk and farmers in West Wales were in danger of not having a buyer for their milk."
"Looking forward we must try and attract new investment or increased processing in Wales.  And obviously, to do that you need to work in a professional manner."
Mr Jones, who farms in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, explained that the idea offers security and added value to both producers and processors, but that setting one up could take years.
A report commissioned on behalf of the working group warned that persuading farmers to take part could be far from easy.
Plan needed for rural economy - Labour AM
Farming collaborations have a relatively poor track record in Britain and many producers would be wary of getting their fingers burnt, said report authors Promar International.
However the consultants concluded that farmers in Wales should seriously consider DPOs or live with "the insanity of accepting the status quo".
UK government ministers have indicated that they see a role for them - so farming leaders claim the concept - a product of EU law - will be unaffected by Brexit.
The position of many dairy producers in Wales is fragile after a tumultuous few years, during which the price of milk fell sharply.
At one point in 2016 it was below 20p per litre at farm gate prices - the average price paid to all producers for milk sold to dairies.
Figures show the number of dairy farms here has nearly halved during the last 15 years, with an average of three farmers a month leaving the industry.
Farming leaders say that though the price of milk has recovered somewhat in recent months, many producers are still struggling and are now shouldering heavy debts.
A new three part series, starting on BBC One Wales on Monday, takes an in-depth look at the industry's problems.
Gareth Wyn Jones - Milk Man is on at 20:30 GMT, BBC One Wales on Monday 6 February 2017 and later on BBC iPlayer.


A Hull company that designs panic rooms for sailors has won a second Queen's Award for Enterprise.

Crewshield produces the "safe haven", which they disguise as shipping containers, for crews on ships to hide in the event of a terrorist or pirate attack.
The award is the highest official accolade for businesses within the UK.
It won the International Trade category after first winning in the Innovation title in 2016.
Live updates on this story and others from the Humber region
Managing director Mike Samways said the company was "delighted to receive this recognition at the very highest level".
"It is humbling to be recognised again by Her Majesty the Queen," he said. "The last year has been exceptionally challenging and very busy but it is clear that the hard work is beginning to pay off."
The fire resistant containers can withstand small explosions and grenade attacks, as well as gunfire, the company said.
Mr Samways said they also designed the rooms to be used on land and had exported to countries such as Algeria, Libya, Mali and South Sudan.
"The 2013 attack on a gas plant in Algeria by terrorists linked to al-Qaeda, which ended with the deaths of about 40 foreigners including six British citizens, proved to be the catalyst for a substantial rise in demand for a land-based application of the refuge," he said.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the firm was one of a number of businesses that were being recognised for its "outstanding achievements".
The company started in 2011 and employs five staff.


Gambling rules in Scottish football are "not working", says a fans' group spokesman, who is calling for a summit to examine the problem.

Paul Goodwin, Scottish Football Supporters Association co-founder, thinks a new approach is required.
"It's time to step back and ask if self-regulation is the right way to tackle this problem," he said.
"We know that there is a zero-tolerance to gambling but that's obviously just not working."
The Scottish FA has a policy which prohibits players, coaches, club officials and referees from betting on matches anywhere in the world.
Annan Athletic chairman Henry McClelland is the latest figure within the game to be punished for breaching those regulations.
On Thursday he was fined £3,000, two thirds of which is suspended, for making more than 4,000 bets.
Of those wagers, 430 involved his own club, with four placed on the League Two club to lose.
"The fine is surprising," added Goodwin.
"Most fans, the line that they would draw, would be anyone from a club betting against their own team."
Last month, Inverness Caley Thistle defender Lewis Horner received a suspended eight-match ban for betting on the grounds that he receives help for his addiction.
That followed the assertion that gambling is "rife" throughout Scottish football, made by PFA Scotland chairman John Rankin.
On the current SFA approach, Goodwin added: "We don't know what's going on. Is there a clear pathway? Do the same rules apply to everyone?
"The fines and suspensions just seem to be so arbitrary.
"And that's only one part of it.
"Then there is the amount of sponsorship that comes into the game (from the gambling industry).
"Can someone independent from the confines of the offices at Hampden Park look at this and come up with some other solutions?"
SFA chief executive Stewart Regan was unavailable for comment.


A lone seal has been visiting a stretch of beach off the Dorset coast, to the delight of staff and customers at a seafront pub.

Brian the seal was first spotted shimmying his way up the pebble beach at Seatown, near Bridport, on Tuesday afternoon and returned on Wednesday.
Ross Diaper, bartender at the Anchor Inn, said it was the first time he had seen a seal on the beach.
He added: "He seems to be OK. He doesn't seem injured, he seems happy."
The hamlet, part of the Jurassic Coast, is popular with tourists and fossil collectors.
Mr Diaper said: "Our head chef decided his name was Brian and it stuck, so we started 'Brian Watch'.
"We got about 6ft (1.83m) away just to check he wasn't hurt, and from then onwards we were just informing people, telling them not to get too close because we didn't want to distress him."
The RSPCA has advised locals to keep an eye on Brian, who is about about 3.5ft (1.06m), but that he is likely to be fine.
However, they warned people to keep dogs away and not to get too near as seals do bite.


Chris Beardsley rescued a point for play-off chasers Stevenage in the final minute against 10-man Accrington.

Nicky Hunt was dismissed in the first minute for Accrington before the home side went ahead through Sean Maguire.
Stevenage equalised when Simon Walton converted from the spot after Lloyd Jones handled in the area.
Maguire fired in his second to give Stanley the lead again, but it was heartbreak for Accrington as Beardsley hooked in to level late on.
Accrington sit in 17th, with their place in League Two safe with only two games remaining.
Stevenage are in sixth position, and look likely for a play-off place as eighth-placed Luton are four points behind.
Stevenage boss Graham Westley told BBC Three Counties Radio:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"I think our front six were better than their back six. I think their front three were better than our back four, which was a disappointment. It's a team game, it's a team performance. Everyone takes their responsibility.
"We know that teams with 10 can often react by producing steely, determined, gritty performances. It was an afternoon where they played very well with 10 men. We struggled, we persevered and we showed determination.
"Our focus won't change, our focus will just be on ourselves. We've got to keep winning points and keep winning games to push ourselves into the promotion situation.
"You get nothing for nothing in football. We didn't do enough to win the three today, we did do enough to get one."


The handler of a police dog stabbed while apprehending a suspect has spoken of the animal's brave recovery.

PC Dave Wardell was stabbed in the hand and his German shepherd Finn was stabbed in the head and chest in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, on 5 October.
They had been called in to apprehend a man suspected of robbing a taxi driver at gunpoint.
"Finn was stabbed trying to protect me," PC Wardell said. "He got it first."
"He was taking down an offender as he has done hundreds of times, and in the blink of an eye everything changed."
He rushed Finn to a vet who performed surgery to save the dog's life.
"I stayed until they made me go to hospital then I came back," PC Wardell said.
"The bond between a handler and his dogs is second to none. Seeing my partner stabbed was one of the worst days of my life."
Four days later Finn returned to the home he shares with the Wardell family and sniffer dog Pearl, a spaniel.
A week later Finn is doing well and "being very cheeky", PC Wardell said.
"He found some treats, ripped open the packet and ate the lot."
Pearl, with whom Finn shares a kennel "has been missing him lots".
"Finn's allowed for short walks and goes to the kennel then shows off a bit because he's allowed back inside the house.
"He can't understand why he can't go out and work."
His stitches should be removed next week but it could be several weeks before vets know whether he will be fit enough to work.
A 16-year-old boy from Lewisham, south-east London, has been charged with assaulting an officer and with criminal damage.
Following the charge, a petition was set up on the UK government's petition site, proposing that police animals "be given protection that reflects their status if assaulted in the line of duty".
Since 9 October, 57,000 people have signed "Finn's Law".


A surprise lottery grant of £40,500 for a Flintshire project led to a tearful discovery for an ex-miner.

The Point of Ayr project received the Heritage Lottery funding to help preserve the legacy of the last deep coal mine in north Wales.
A lottery player who announced the grant while visiting the project helped retired miner Glyn "Patch" Hughes discover a faded photograph of a miner.
Mr Hughes, 78, realised it showed his father who had died 50 years ago.
"I welled up when I heard we'd got the funding - now we'll be able to keep these memories alive," he said.
Vicky Peterson, 46, posed as a volunteer to find out more about the project as part of the National Lottery's Thank You Wales campaign.
It allows players to find out more about the projects that benefit when they buy a ticket.
The photograph showed Mr Hughes' father William "Patch" Hughes driving a Welsh cob, moving coal to be graded on the surface of the old Point of Ayr Colliery.
Mr Hughes, of Gronant, near Prestatyn, who started down the mine at 16 and worked for 40 years, said it was the first time he had seen the photograph before.
"As young boys we knew nothing else but when it's gone it's gone," he explained.
"My grandchildren ask me about what life was like and whether or not I'd recommend it if the pit was still open.
"It's a difficult question to answer, because it was hard, dangerous work, but we all worked together and looked out for each other.
"Now this project will help explain what life was like to the next generations."
John Wiltshire, chairman of Point of Ayr Community Heritage, was presented with the cheque.
He said: "We are all really excited to bring the mine back to life and to educate both local people and visitors about the mine's importance, not just locally, but also to the heritage of Wales as a whole.
"When Vicky revealed that she wasn't with us to volunteer and presented me with the cheque I was completely overwhelmed."
The Point of Ayr Then and Now project, led by Flintshire council's countryside service, will invest the grant into a miners trail and circular walk using the Wales coast path between Ffynnongroyw and Talacre.


Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards hopes to be among the coaches who take the 2017 British and Irish Lions to New Zealand.

He was an assistant to Ian McGeechan on the 2009 2-1 series defeat to South Africa.
Four years later his Wales boss Warren Gatland hired then-England defence coach Andy Farrell for the 2-1 Lions win against Australia.
"I would be interested in going on another Lions tour," said Edwards.
"Every Lions tour is special, but when you are playing the world champions, it is doubly so."
After leaving his England role following their 2015 World Cup flop, Farrell has become Ireland and Munster defence coach.
New England coach Eddie Jones has backed Gatland to again be in charge of the Lions with Ireland's Joe Schmidt seen as his biggest rival for thr post.
Edwards has recently committed his future to Wales until after the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
The former Great Britain rugby league star said: "If anyone offers you a contract, then they are showing faith in you.
"To offer a four-year deal as well, it shows a lot of faith in me to do the job.
"I am very happy here. I like the way we work, and I like the people I work with. I respect the players I coach - they are very coachable."
Wales travel to Dublin to face Ireland in their 2015 Six Nations opener on Sunday 7 February.
Edwards hopes Wales can immediately regain the sort of form that saw them run South Africa close in the World Cup quarter-finals.
"The first thing we have got to do is try to get back to the level we finished at the World Cup [in October], when we were within a few points of South Africa," said Edwards.
"If we can get back to that, then we are in with a chance."


Every night, during the month of Ramadan, when most of Indian-administered Kashmir remains in deep slumber, Mohammad Rafiq Wani, a sahar-khan (drummer), begins walking the streets of Pampore to awaken Muslims for pre-dawn meals.

Sahar-khwani or calling for pre-dawn meals, is a centuries old Kashmiri tradition during the holy month of Ramadan. Many Muslims do not eat or drink water during daylight in this period.
Although announcements are made on loudspeakers to awaken people for the pre-dawn meals, and many use mobile phones and digital clocks to wake up in time, the tradition of sahar-khwani still remains relevant in large parts of the Muslim-dominated valley.
Most of the drummers are poor. Mr Wani, 39, lives in a two-room-building in the congested locality of Pampore with his wife and children, his elder brother and ailing mother.
He took up this job seven years ago, after the death of the previous drummer in his locality. Mr Wani, along with his cousin, starts walking the streets of his locality at two in the morning to wake up believers.
"These streets are deserted in the night. The political situation of Kashmir is so fragile. Sometimes fear consumes me; but then I think about my children. I just can't afford to miss the opportunity of earning some money for them," he says.
"People are usually quite generous during this time, and pay us good money. I made 15,000 rupees ($221;£165) during Ramadan last year," says Mr Wani.
Mr Wani is among hundreds of drummers who perform this service during Ramadan, usually in their respective localities.
Abdul Samad Lone, 45, from the downtown area of Srinagar city, has been waking-up believers during Ramadan for almost two decades.
Mr Lone, who originally hails from Lolab, a border area near the Line of Control - the de-facto border that divides the region in two, with one part administered by India and one by Pakistan - resides in a rented house along with his wife and three daughters.
"I was very young when I took up this job," Mr Lone says. "I have grown up in this city. Local people have supported me through thick and thin."
During the early 1990s, Mr Lone's elder brother became a militant. "He was killed in an encounter with the Indian army. My father was killed and even our house got destroyed in the encounter. We had to flee."
During the earlier years of militancy in Kashmir, the tradition of Ramadan drummers was badly hit.
Most drummers quit owing to security reasons. "I have been detained and frisked by Indian security forces several times during those years. But the situation has improved a lot now," says Mr Lone.
Mr Lone, who works as labourer or a caretaker of a mosque during the rest of the year, says that he gets rewarded in "cash and kind".
"Some people offer us rice and sugar also. Last year I collected six quintals of rice. Ramadan brings a lot of hope," he says with a smile.


The phenomenon of internet cat videos is having its own festival in the UK City of Culture.

Family felines acting cute, funny, clumsy and just plain odd is being celebrated as part of CultureTECH, a week-long celebration of digital technology, media and music.
The Internet Cat Video Festival in Londonderry features a programme of internet clips submitted by fans.
Event organiser, Scott Stulen, said: "It's about embracing the phenomenon."
Internet cat videos, added Mr Stulen, are doing "all of the things compelling art should".
"They raise questions, challenge assumptions, anger people and create emotional connections," he said.
"The Internet Cat Video Festival is a platform to use this popular content to create an un-ironic and genuine experience."
Some of the videos, which have received millions of YouTube hits, include Maru the cat jumping in and out of boxes, Fatso playing the keyboard and the Nyan cat singing.
Mr Stulen added: "This is more than a collection of cute cat videos, but rather an experiment to transform a solitary online viewing experience into a real world social event.
"It's not about watching cat videos, it's about watching cat videos together."
CultureTECH festival director Mark Nagurski said: 'I'm sure there are some really interesting debates to be had about the nature of art or the online/offline nature of internet communities.
"The whole festival is about celebrating how technology and the web are changing arts and culture.
"If I'm completely honest though, we just think that this is going to be huge fun."
Organisers suggested that people arrive in fancy dress and furry friends were equally welcome.
The event, which will celebrate clips submitted by cat fans online, was held in Derry city centre at 20:00 BST.
The first cat video festival was held in Minnesota in 2012 and attracted thousands of people.


UK public sector net borrowing was £14.4bn in August, the Office for National Statistics has said, the biggest deficit for the month since records began.

The figure was marginally higher than for the same month last year.
Corporation tax receipts fell by 2.1% and benefits payments rose 4.9%.
The figures make it more likely that the government will fail to achieve its aim of wiping out the structural budget deficit by 2015.
The borrowing figures differ depending on whether the temporary effects of one-off financial transactions are included or excluded.
The April 2012 net borrowing figures included two one-off transactions to the government - £28bn from the transfer of the Royal Mail Pension Plan and £2.3bn following the closure of the Special Liquidity Scheme.
The ONS says that for the period April to August 2012, public sector net borrowing, excluding financial interventions such as bail-outs to the banks, was £31bn, £17.4bn lower than in the same period last year.
By Stephanie FlandersEconomics editor
But if the effect of this Royal Mail and other transactions are stripped out, then public sector net borrowing for April to August 2012 actually increased 22% to £61.3bn, £12.9bn higher than in the same period last year.
The ONS also reported that public sector net borrowing for the fiscal year 2011/2012 was £119.3bn, £6.7bn lower than the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast of £126bn.
David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said: "Today's figures show the government borrowed almost £7bn less last year than previously estimated.
"This is further evidence that we are dealing with our debts and getting the deficit down."
By Hugh PymChief economics correspondent, BBC News
There was gloomy news and slightly less gloomy news for George Osborne in these borrowing figures.
Excluding the one-off benefits of the Royal Mail pension assets transfer, government borrowing was up nearly 22% in the financial year to date compared to the same period last year.
That is hard to explain for a chancellor who has made a priority of deficit reduction, though he can point to some disruption to tax revenues because of North Sea production problems.
The consolation for the Treasury in the figures was the reduction in the estimate of borrowing last year. The government was £119bn in the red instead of the £125bn previously thought.
But the markets and Mr Osborne will be looking ahead rather than back and wondering how much more debt the government will rack up before the end of this year.
But Labour Treasury spokesman Chris Leslie said: "These figures show that the deficit is rising because the government's economic plan is failing.
"We have the highest ever borrowing for any August and borrowing is up by 22% so far this year compared to the same period last year."
Chancellor George Osborne's aim to balance the government's books by 2015 is "in tatters", he added.
David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: "Unless present trends are reversed in the next few months, we now expect total borrowing in 2012/13 as a whole to exceed the total predicted by the OBR at the time of the Budget by more than £20bn."
He said the situation was "worrying".
With public sector net debt standing at £1.04 trillion at the end of August 2012, equivalent to 66.1% of gross domestic product (GDP), the pressure on the Chancellor George Osborne remains intense.
But on Thursday night, the chancellor received some support from Sir Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England.
In an interview with Channel 4 News, Sir Mervyn said it would be "acceptable" if the government missed its deficit reduction target, as long as this was the result of slower global economic growth.
However, the BCC's Mr Kern warned that "if persistently weak growth causes borrowing to overshoot, the UK's credit rating may be endangered".
He argued that public spending cuts should be supplemented with policies to boost growth, including infrastructure spending, support for business lending, and a reduction in National Insurance Contributions.


Leicester Riders are looking to cap off a sensational sporting week for the city by completing a domestic treble.

Riders have already won this season's BBL Trophy and the league title.
They meet Sheffield Sharks in Sunday's BBL play-off final at the O2 Arena at 15:30 BST, with live coverage on the BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website.
Riders coach Rob Paternostro told BBC Radio Leicester: "We feel good. There are some bumps and bruises from a long season, but everybody is fired up."
Monday saw Leicester City win the Premier League title just minutes after snooker player Mark Selby won his second World Championship title at the Crucible in Sheffield.
League winners Riders have played Sheffield six times in the three competitions this season, losing just once.
Paternostro added: "We have a group that has been here and done that. Four of the last five finals we have been to, so it is not just about the day, but the guys understand what it takes in preparation and we are familiar with that.
"It's strange to not be playing Newcastle in the final. But it is not a surprise because when we went through the league this year all of us totally understood how good this Sheffield team is.
"They finished third and have a lot of talent - it is not a surprise to us, or to anyone in this league that they are in the final.
"Whatever competition we have been in, Sheffield have been there. We know they are a really good team."
Sheffield coach Atiba Lyons is comfortable with his side going into the final as underdogs.
The Riders finished 18 points ahead of third-placed Sheffield in the regular season.
"They're favourites for many reasons, and rightly so, but anything can happen," Lyons told BBC Radio Sheffield. "As long as we are focused then I believe in our team.
"We've played them and we know what they can do and they know what we can do so we just have to go out there and try to get the outcome in our favour."
The game will be followed by the WBBL final between Nottingham Wildcats and Team Northumbria, tip off 18:00 BST.
Like the Riders, Nottingham Wildcats are looking to add the play-off trophy to their league title win.
The Wildcats lost just once in the regular season as they finished four points clear of Team Northumbria.
Amber Stokes, who was voted the league's MVP this week, told the WBBL website: "Making it to the finals was one of our goals and, if we win, it would be the icing on the cake.
"It's truly an honour for me to be named MVP and I will remain focused on doing the necessary things to help my team win the Championship.
"It's going to be very exciting to be able to play in an arena like The O2 and I'm definitely looking forward to playing in front of a great atmosphere."
Team Northumbria, who beat defending champions Sheffield Hatters in overtime last week, are in their first WBBL final.
Guard Chloe Bully said: "We have worked very hard this season and I believe the fact that we have made it this far, is proof of our hard work, talent and togetherness.
"We were confident we could beat Sheffield again and after last weekend, we will continue with the same confidence against Nottingham."


Plymouth Argyle have signed former Southend United defender Jakub Sokolik.

The 23-year-old was a free agent after leaving the Shrimpers in December.
The Czech started his professional career with Liverpool before joining Yeovil in June 2014, making 45 league appearances for the Glovers.
He will be unable to play for the Pilgrims, who have not disclosed the length of his deal, against the Reds in the FA Cup third round, having already played for Southend in the competition.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


A stream "choked by plastic" on the southern coast of the Isle of Man has been cleaned up by charity volunteers.

Manx organisation Beach Buddies tackled the problem at Fleshwick Bay following concerns from the public.
Coordinator Bill Dale said one of the coves near the beach was found to be "jammed with plastic".
He added: "Amongst the find were a number of plastic bands which became infamous when a basking shark was photographed with one around its nose."
About 30 people joined forces with the Beach Buddies volunteers on Saturday morning.
"The area was in serious need of a clear-up," said Mr Dale.
"It was the first trip to Fleshwick for a team of our volunteers this year and it was a really big job".


West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says the club's record signing Andy Carroll could return in "two to three weeks".

The £15m striker, 25, has yet to play this season after  tearing ankle ligaments on the Hammers' pre-season tour of New Zealand.
Carroll has started only 12 Premier League matches during an injury-hit 16-month spell at Upton Park.
"It's been a long, hard road again for Andy and one he's been too familiar with recently, sadly," Allardyce said.
"Hopefully he'll have a major impact when he comes back again."
The striker has returned to training and Allardyce expects the England forward to feature in Under-18 and Under-21 games before a possible return to first-team action in mid-November.
"It'll be another two to three weeks, if he has no niggles or problems, before we talk about playing him in the team at any level," he said.
"We'll try to get him through three or four behind-closed-doors games and if that goes all right then we would hope to have him back."
Allardyce says that the former Newcastle and Liverpool forward returned too soon from the foot injury that kept him sidelined for the first five months of last season.
"Last time we got him back he did his ankle but carried on playing, so this time round we don't want to rush him," he said.
Summer signings Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia have impressed up front in Carroll's absence, and, with West Ham lying fourth in the Premier League table, Allardyce says the club can afford to take extra care over his return.
"We're hopefully going to get him back as quick as we can but we're not going to rush him back because, touch wood, there's no desperate need at the moment." he said.


Talk to anyone affected by Alzheimer's and the need for a drug to slow the progression of the disease is clear.

Jeremy Cox is looking after his wife Roz who has been diagnosed with dementia.
"I think one of the things you've got to be aware of is, without a drug like this, what the situation is, it's desperate.
"You just go on into the final stage of being spoon-fed baby-food in a care home."
The statistics back up the human stories too.
Alzheimer's Research UK estimates that a treatment that could slow dementia progression by 25% would halve the number of people who reach the most debilitating severe form of the disease.
At the moment there is simply nothing to stop that happening.
Current medication, such as Aricept, can manage only the symptoms of dementia by helping the dying brain cells function.
The modern history of dementia research has been unbelievably bleak. More than 100 trials in the past three decades have produced just a handful of drugs that manage symptoms and nothing to stop the death of the brain.
Compare that to the phenomenal progress that had been made in heart disease or cancer.
That is why even the slightest hint of progress - for those in the mildest stage of Alzheimer's - is creating excitement.
Provisional data suggests that the drug solanezumab may slow the progression of the disease by 34%.
The implication is that the amount of cognitive decline normally seen in 18 months would take 24 months with the drug - allowing patients to spend longer in the mild phase of the degenerative disease.
Be in no doubt that it would be a hugely significant moment if such as drug was available.
However, today is not the day to jump up and down proclaiming a breakthrough in slowing the pace of Alzheimer's.
The limited data which has been released is the scientific equivalent of a poll before a general election or a trailer ahead of a movie.
It provides captivating clues, hints and teases, but nothing definitive.
Next year, when further trial results are due, we will know for certain whether solanezumab is the breakthrough everyone hopes it could be.
But even if everything goes perfectly it could take years to reach patients as the drug is licensed and approved.
It means people with Alzheimer's today are unlikely to benefit as the effect is seen only in those with the mildest stage of the disease.


Tributes have been paid to US actress Debbie Reynolds, who has died aged 84 after a suspected stroke.

"This is too hard to comprehend," wrote entertainer Bette Midler, who said Reynolds had been "beautiful, talented [and] devoted to her craft."
Dame Joan Collins said she was "truly heartbroken", describing Reynolds as "a wonderfully warm friend and colleague".
Reynolds' death followed that of her daughter Carrie Fisher, who died two days ago aged 60.
"I can't imagine what Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds' family are going through this week," tweeted chat show host Ellen DeGeneres. "I send all of my love."
Star Trek's William Shatner called her "Hollywood Royalty", adding: "It breaks my heart that she is gone. I'd hoped that my grieving was done for 2016."
Talk show host Larry King said she was "pure class... talented, beautiful, unsinkable," while Madonna advised her Twitter followers to "Hug Your mother today! Then Hug your daughter!"
"Debbie went to be with Carrie," wrote Debra Messing, who played Reynolds' on-screen daughter in Will and Grace.
"She always worried about her. Carrie left too soon and now they are together again."
Will and Grace star Sean Hayes added his condolences, saying: "It is beyond astonishing that both @carrieffisher & @DebbieReynolds1 have left this earth. I overwhelmingly adored & admired them both."
Co-star Eric McCormack added: "The combination of the loss of @carrieffisher & then her mom @DebbieReynolds1 is too much. I'm really at a loss here..."
Veteran comic actress Carol Channing, 95, called Reynolds "beautiful and generous".
"It seems like only yesterday she was having lunch here at the house and we were discussing the possibility of working together in a new show," she added.
Reynolds was also remembered by actor Albert Brooks, who played her on-screen son in 1996 film Mother.
"I can't believe this happened one day after Carrie," he tweeted, describing Reynolds as "a legend and my movie mom".
"There is nothing harder than having to bury a child," wrote Shatner's Star Trek co-star George Takei.
"Debbie died of a broken heart, but she's with her daughter now."
Others to pay tribute included actress Mia Farrow, who said she hoped Reynolds and Fisher were "somewhere having fun".
British comedian Stephen Fry, who earlier tweeted that it had been a "crushing blow to lose Carrie Fisher", offered his "deepest sympathy" to the family at "this new blow".
Actor Rip Torn said he had been "blessed" to work with Reynolds in her Las Vegas stage show, calling her "generous to a fault".
The Screen Actors Guild, who gave the Singin' in the Rain star a lifetime achievement award in 2015, has also paid homage.
"We have lost a unique talent and a national treasure," said its president, Gabrielle Carteris.
"Coming so close to the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher, this is truly a double tragedy."
Candles and flowers have been left on Reynolds' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Some people talk about "broken heart syndrome", known more formally as stress cardiomyopathy or takotsubo cardiomyopathy. According to the British Heart Foundation, it is a "temporary condition where your heart muscle becomes suddenly weakened or stunned. The left ventricle, one of the heart's chambers, changes shape."
It can be brought on by a shock. "About three quarters of people diagnosed with takotsubo cardiomyopathy have experienced significant emotional or physical stress prior to becoming unwell," the charity says.
This stress might be bereavement but it could be a shock of another kind. There are documented cases of people suffering the condition after being frightened by colleagues pulling a prank, or suffering the stress of speaking to a large group of people. It's speculated that the sudden release of hormones - in particular, adrenaline - causes the stunning of the heart muscle.
This is different from a heart attack, which is a stopping of the heart because the blood supply is constricted, perhaps by clogged arteries.
Read more here
How does grief cause physical pain?
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


The Argentine war cemetery in the Falklands, where the bodies of more than 200 soldiers are buried, has been vandalised.

The glass that protects a figure of the Virgin Mary at the cemetery has been smashed and shattered.
The Falkland Islands government has condemned the action and has said the police are investigating.
Families of the Argentine war dead have described the attack as an "act of sacrilege".
The Virgin figure has been removed until the shrine is repaired.
Falklands legislator Dick Sawle appealed for anyone on the islands with any information to contact the police.
"Clearly we condemn any action of this sort and very much regret that this might have happened," he said in a statement.
The commission representing the relatives of Argentina's fallen in the 1982 conflict sent a note to the British ambassador in Buenos Aires, John Freeman, and Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman.
"We believe this act reflects escalating hostility by certain British sectors who are influential locally," the note said.
The Argentine foreign ministry issued a statement demanding that the UK government mount an immediate and impartial investigation.
The statement also called on Britain to "end its continuous display of arms, submarines and nuclear capabilities, in violation of international treaties".
The cemetery, which lies on a hilltop near Darwin, was the renewed focus of attention earlier this year when ceremonies were held to mark the 30th anniversary of the war.
Two hundred and fifty-five UK servicemen and three Falklands civilians died in the war.
An estimated 650 Argentines were also killed.
Argentina claims sovereignty of the islands which it calls the Malvinas, accusing Britain of colonialism.
Britain says Argentina should respect the wishes of the local population.
"As long as they wish to remain a British territory, that is the way it will stay," Prime Minister David Cameron said earlier this year.


A priest abducted in the Mexican state of Veracruz has been found alive after three days, but with signs of torture, Church officials say.

The disappearance of Fr Jose Luis Sanchez Ruiz had sparked two days of unrest in the town of Catemaco.
He is the third Roman Catholic priest abducted in the eastern Mexican state since September. The other two were found shot dead by a roadside.
Clerics said Fr Sanchez Ruiz had been targeted because he fought corruption.
"He had received threats in recent days because he is a defender of human rights," said Fr Aaron Reyes, a spokesman for the diocese.  "He has criticised the system of corruption and the crime problem in Catemaco."
Bishop Fidencio Lopez said Fr Sanchez Ruiz "had been dumped, with notable signs of torture'' at an undisclosed location.
About 30 priests have been killed in Mexico in the last decade, most of them in areas heavily affected by drug violence.
In addition to the two priests killed in Veracruz in September, another was found dead after disappearing in the state of Michoacan.
Mexico's Catholic Media Centre says the country is the most dangerous in the world to be a priest.
At least 15 priests have been murdered in the country since President Enrique Pena Nieto took office in 2012.
Veracruz and Michoacan have been plagued by years of violence from drug cartels and other organised crime.


Every state school in England will see budget cuts before 2020, even after new funding plans are put into place, research suggests.

The Education Policy Institute analysis looks at the impact of the new national funding formula against the backdrop of financial pressures in schools.
It finds even schools benefiting from the funding shake-up will see their gains wiped out by budget pressures.
The government insists schools funding is at a record £40bn level.
'Shocking cut could cost us a teacher'
But the EPI estimates that average losses will reach £74,000 for primary schools and £291,000 for secondary schools by 2019-20.
This is because schools are bearing the brunt of unfunded rises in pay, pension and National Insurance contributions, which will account for between 6% and 11% of their budgets by 2019-20.
EPI chairman David Laws said a new funding formula was long overdue.
But he added: "As our analysis shows, however, the government may receive little credit from schools for these reforms - as even the schools benefiting from the new formula have their gains completely wiped out by other funding pressures."
The report says: "There are unlikely to be any schools in England which will avoid a real terms cut in per pupil funding by 2019-20, even in areas benefiting from the new formula."
The Conservatives promised, in their 2015 manifesto, a real-terms increase in the schools budget during this Parliament.
The manifesto also said: "Under a future Conservative government, the amount of money following your child into school will be protected.
"As the number of pupils increases, so will the amount of money in our schools."
However, there is no requirement for the funding formula to be debated in Parliament - the secretary of state has the power to push through the funding formula.
Despite widespread concern over funding pressures, there was no extra money earmarked for school revenue budgets in the Budget last week.
Two days later, Education Secretary Justine Greening was heckled by head teachers at a conference in Birmingham.
The Department for Education maintains the EPI report underlines that the government was right to introduce school funding reforms and said it was consulting on the factors that will make up the formula.
According to a DfE spokeswoman, funding is set to rise over the next two years to £42bn as pupil numbers increase.
She added: "Schools will be funded according to their pupils' needs, rather than by their postcode, with more than half set to receive a cash boost.
"Of course we recognise that schools are facing cost pressures, which is why we will continue to provide support to help them use their funding in cost effective ways."
She said a recent report from the National Audit Office recognised that schools should be able to make savings without affecting educational outcomes.
In its assessment of the new formula itself, which was brought in to address historical inequalities between areas in schools funding, the EPI said the plans were unlikely to satisfy many lower funded areas.
The EPI also finds that pupils who live in the least deprived areas will experience the highest relative gains.
The parent-led Fair Funding for All Schools campaign urged the government to stick to its election promise to protect school funding.
"As parents, we see the damage being done to our schools and our children's futures," said the group in a statement.
"There is now enormous political pressure on the government to alter course.
"But tinkering with the National Funding Formula while leaving the overall budget unchanged will help no-one.
"You can't achieve fairness by slicing up a shrinking pot of money.
"Furthermore, we will not accept a situation where the government merely readjusts the formula to appease its own backbenchers at the expense of others."
Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the government deserved credit for committing to a new funding formula because the current system was unfair and needed to be reformed.
"But the overall pot of money is too small and is not sufficient to meet rising costs," he said.
Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner said head teachers were being forced to choose between cutting subjects or cutting the school week.
She added: "Less than two years ago, the Tories promised millions of parents that they would protect the money that is spent per pupil on their children's education. This report shows that it is yet another manifesto promise they are breaking."
Liberal Democrat education spokesman John Pugh said these proposals made schools scramble for the same pot of money.
"Schools in my own area have already written to me warning that they will have to cut staff numbers in order to avoid untenable budget deficits."


Ivory Coast beat Cameroon 3-0 after extra-time in their African Nations Championship quarter-final in Rwanda.

The first 90 minutes of the game produced very little in the way of quality football and ended goalless.
Koffi Boua, Atcho Djobo and Serge N'Guessan scored the goals for coach Michel Dussuyer's (pictured) side.
The Ivorians will now play the winners of Sunday's Tunisia against Mali quarter-final in Thursday's semi-final.
Boua headed in a cross from Krahire Zakri five minutes into extra-time.
The second was also a header this time from Djobo as he connected with a corner taken by captain Serge N'Guessan on 102 minutes.
The third goal was a spectacular strike from N'Guessan, who shot from just over the half-way line in the 112th minute, having spotted the keeper off his line.


A Labour MSP has called on the first minister to support the introduction of her organ donation bill later.

Anne McTaggart's Organ Donation (Scotland) Bill has secured cross-party support, and is backed by 22 Labour MSPs, four SNP, two Lib Dems and one each from the Conservatives and Greens.
The Bill proposes to change the current "opt-in" system of organ donation.
It would mean people would have to opt out or their name would be added to the NHS Organ Donation Register.
Ms McTaggart said: "I would encourage those MSPs who have previously indicated that they support a change - including Nicola Sturgeon - to back us and change the lives of those people on organ waiting lists.
"With three people dying every day across the UK, we simply cannot afford to wait any longer on this issue."
She added: "Promoting organ donation is vital but on its own it will not deliver the much-needed increase in organs that we need just now and that's why my Bill is essential.
"It represents a shift to a more positive, proactive approach which will save people's lives."
A Scottish government spokesman said: "This government is committed to continuing to increase donation and transplantation rates in Scotland and continue the success that the Donation and Transplantation Plan for Scotland 2013-2020 is already delivering.
"Thanks to these efforts, the numbers of donors in Scotland have increased significantly and the number of people waiting for a transplant has fallen by 25% in the last seven years.
"Whilst we welcome any debate in relation to the important issues of organ donation and transplant, we do need to examine the evaluation of the impact of opt-out on organ donation on Wales before making a decision on any changes within Scotland.
"This is because there is not, as yet, a consensus amongst experts as to whether opt-out will make a significant difference, and the international evidence is not clear."


A second council boss facing the sack over the handling of a safeguarding case has resigned.

Mark Carriline, the executive director of children, young people and culture at Bury Council, has quit weeks after chief executive Mike Owen.
A disciplinary panel found him guilty of serious misconduct and recommended he be dismissed without notice.
It related to reports councillor Simon Carter made indecent images of children which he later admitted in court.
Carter, who represented Tottington ward from 2012, was given a three-year community sentence at Bolton Crown Court in October 2015.
Bury Council said its human resources panel had recommended Mr Carriline, who was understood by the BBC to be on more than Â£100,000 a year, be dismissed without notice last month.
The recommendation was due to go to a full council meeting before he quit.
Bury Council said in a statement: "Mark Carriline, the council's executive director for children, young people and culture, tendered his resignation this week which takes place with immediate effect.
"No payment has been made to Mr Carriline on his departure except that relating to outstanding holidays."
It added that Karen Dolton will continue in the statutory role of interim director of children's services.


Police have paid compensation to the parents of a man who was set alight after being struck by a Taser.

Andrew Pimlott, 32, had doused himself in fuel and was holding a lit match when the weapon was fired at him outside his parents' house in Plymouth.
He died a few days later in April 2013 from severe burns. An inquest found the Taser was the most likely cause of the fuel igniting.
Lawyers representing his parents said an undisclosed sum had been agreed.
Devon and Cornwall Police do not accept any liability for Mr Pimlott's death.
A police spokesman said: "Whilst the outcome of the inquest in 2015 did indicate that the Taser was the most likely cause of the ignition, no criticism was levied at the force or the officer, and confirmed the officer had used his Taser in accordance with national training."
The spokesman added: "The force have tried to avoid any further distress for Mr Pimlott's family which included making a decision to settle the civil claim in light of the fact they have already endured a series of legal and regulatory processes which examined their son's death."
Mr and Mrs Pimlott, who have both been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, will receive ongoing counselling as part of the settlement.
Ali Cloak, of law firm Withy King, said: "While no amount of compensation will ever make up for the loss of their son, I hope the settlement will provide some sort of closure and allow them to rebuild their lives."
Mr Pimlott's father, Kelvin, said: "My boy was unarmed and posed no threat to anyone. He poured petrol over himself to get attention. He didn't want to die. If the police had used any other method then my son would still be alive today.
"Time and time again, Tasers are proving lethal and they clearly require much more stringent regulation and training to prevent further unnecessary deaths."
The jury at the 2015 inquest into Mr Pimlott's death found the Taser fired by a police officer was the most likely cause of a fire which killed him. However,  they could not be sure whether Mr Pimlott started the fire by striking the match.
The jury said the officer had acted in line with his training before firing.


A woman has been convicted of murdering a toddler who had suffered more than 150 injuries.

Kandyce Downer, 34, killed 18-month-old Keegan Downer, less than a year after she was appointed her legal guardian.
Keegan was subjected to what police described as "barbaric and evil" treatment, suffering brain and spinal injuries and had 153 scars and bruises.
On the day she died, Downer delayed calling 999 to dump her blood-spotted mattress, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
The short, sad life of Keegan Downer
The jury took just under three hours to reach its verdict. Downer will be sentenced on Wednesday.
Forensic testing at the house revealed traces of the girl's blood in her cot and on the bedroom wall.
Downer had been appointed sole legal carer for Keegan, who died on 5 September last year, and has four other children, the jury was told.
The court was told that on finding the toddler "unwell" in her cot, she drove off to dump the child's old mattress near a skip before alerting emergency services.
Born in March 2014 to a mother who was a heroin addict, Keegan was otherwise healthy but was put with a foster carer by social services.
Keegan, a member of Downer's extended family, was put under her guardianship around nine months before her death last September.
Also known as Shi-Anne, Keegan was described in court as a "happy baby" and had lived at Downer's family home in Beckbury Road, Weoley Castle.
Downer had told the court most of the "day-to-day" care of Keegan was down to her son and three younger children and claimed her eldest son may have been to blame for the fatal injuries.
The trial heard a leg fracture inflicted on the child would have left her in excruciating pain, making it inconceivable that someone looking after her would have been unaware of the injury.
West Midlands Police said Downer appeared to provide a loving and stable home for Keegan but she was "cunning and devious in her systemic abuse of the child".
Det Insp Harry Harrison said: "We believe the abuse started when her relationship began to go wrong. This was an extremely disturbing and harrowing case to investigate.
"What Downer subjected Keegan to was barbaric, inhuman and evil."
He added he was "astounded by the lack of emotion" shown by Downer throughout this investigation.
"She has not shown a shred of remorse or sorrow," he said.
Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board said it set up a Serious Case Review following the toddler's death "to establish what lessons could be learned by the agencies involved in this sad case".
Penny Thompson, chair of the board, said the review, which will reflect on information disclosed during the trial, could now be completed and its findings would be published in the summer.
An NSPCC spokesman said: "It defies belief that this abuse could happen at the hands of a woman who was entrusted with bringing up Keegan.
"Having already been placed in foster care as a baby, Keegan's legal guardian should have given her a stable and loving family life to grow up in.
"But instead she killed this defenceless little girl by subjecting her to the most brutal violence."


British American Tobacco has agreed a $49.4bn (Â£40bn) deal to take control of US rival Reynolds, creating the world's largest listed tobacco firm.

The UK company has been in talks with Reynolds for months about buying the 57.8% stake it does not already own.
The merger would bring together some of the tobacco industry's best-known brands, including Lucky Strike, Rothmans, Dunhill and Camel cigarettes.
A merger "creates a stronger, truly global tobacco" business, BAT said.
BAT, a shareholder in Reynolds since 2004, said last year that the merger was "the logical progression in our relationship".
However, the UK company's initial approaches were rebuffed by Reynolds, and a $47bn offer was rejected last November.
BAT estimates that it can make $400m worth of cost-savings through the merger.
Reynolds has been operating since 1875 and is the second largest tobacco company in the US after Altria, which owns Philip Morris USA.
Last year, Reynolds completed its $25bn takeover of US rival Lorillard. The combined company was forced to sell off a number of brands, including Kool, Salem and Winston, to satisfy regulators. They were eventually bought by Britain's Imperial Tobacco for $7.1bn.
BAT products include Rothmans, Kool and Kent, while Reynolds' brands include Newport, Camel, Pall Mall, Doral, Misty and Capri.
The UK company has more than 200 brands, and is a big player in the market for e-cigarettes. The takeover will give it a further foothold in the US, and give the combined business a significant presence in high-growth markets including South America, the Middle East and Africa.
The offer comprises $25bn worth of BAT shares and $24.4bn in cash, valuing the whole Reynolds business at more than $85bn. The sweetened deal represents a 26% premium against the closing price of Reynolds' shares on 20 October, when news of BAT's interest in taking full control of Reynolds emerged.
Nicandro Durante, BAT's chief executive, said: "We have been shareholders in Reynolds since 2004 and we have benefited from the success of the present management team's strategy, including its acquisition of Lorillard, which we supported with our own investment in 2015.
"Our combination with Reynolds will benefit from utilising the best talent from both organisations. It will create a stronger, global tobacco and NGP [new-generation products] business with direct access for our products across the most attractive markets in the world."
Steve Clayton, fund manager at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the takeover was a "big move" for BAT, but made "a lot of sense".
However, he added: "We can't ignore the debts that BAT are taking on to fund the deal, and in the short term, the stock has become a bit more risky as a result. But tobacco is a very cash generative business and we expect the enlarged group to be able to pay the debts down quite quickly.
"The sheer scale of the enlarged BAT raises the pressure on the remaining players to bulk up too, and attention is likely to turn to Imperial Brands, who look more and more like a minnow swimming in a tank of big, hungry fish."


Former Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville suspected his late mother was a spy for MI6, he has told the BBC.

Revealing his Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4, the actor, who also starred in BBC comedy W1A, said she never talked about her three decades of work for the security service.
When he asked her outright, she denied being a spy, he told the programme.
He also confesses to having felt intimidated acting with his on-screen mother in Downton, Dame Maggie Smith.
He told Kirsty Young his parents met when his father was training as a doctor and his mother as a nurse. She followed him to Singapore and worked for the Foreign Office there
When he was about 10 years old and the family were living in London, his mother took a job for three days a week.
But he did not ask her about it until much later on.
He said: "We used to drop her off at her office sometimes at Lambeth North.
"I opened the newspaper one day and it said 'Century House MI6 building to be sold' and I looked at the photograph and said, 'Mum, that's your office.'
"And she said 'Mmm, yes dear.' I said, 'You're a spy?'.
"She said 'No, I'm not a spy dear.'"
Bonneville said his mother died just over a year ago. When he asked his father if she ever said anything about her work: "He said, 'Never, she just went to the office.'"
"All I know is she didn't have special umbrellas or knives coming out of her toe caps or anything like that, she did just work in the office.
"But I am extremely proud, not only that she found fulfilment in that work, as well as bringing up us kids, but that she never spoke about it."
Her nickname in the valley where his parents retired, he said, was "the Colonel", as she was "a do-er".
Speaking about the Dowager Countess, his character Lord Grantham's mother, played by Maggie Smith, in ITV's Downton Abbey, he said he was "terrified" by her high-calibre acting.
He said: "I can remember the very first scene I did with her and I was absolutely terrified, and I think I can remember the last scene with her and I was absolutely terrified.
"She is the most astonishing actress. Her wit is legendary, as you say, and she doesn't suffer fools. And you raise your game, you have to.
"It's great acting opposite her because she's got extremely high standards for herself and expects them of others."
Downton Abbey ran for six series, with the last episode screened in the UK on Christmas Day 2015.


A father and son have pleaded not guilty to murdering a man in Scarborough.

Shaun Atkinson, 49, was found dead at a house in St John's Avenue in the North Yorkshire town on 27 December.
Barry Rewcroft, 51, and Ruben Rewcroft, 20, both of Raincliffe Avenue, Scarborough, denied the charge during a hearing at Leeds Crown Court.
Both men were remanded in custody and they will appear again before the same court on 19 June.


A cross-party committee of MSPs believes the Scotland Bill cannot be given the go-ahead until the funding package linked to it is fully known.

The plea for clarity was contained in a letter sent to Scottish Secretary David Mundell from Holyrood's devolution committee convener Bruce Crawford.
It highlighted that an agreement on the fiscal framework was likely to be delayed until "at least December".
Earlier this week, MPs voted in the House of Commons to back the bill.
In its letter, the committee said: "We are pleased to see the improvements you have made to the bill as many of these are in direct response to the recommendations we made (carers, new benefits and top-up benefits)."
It also said that progress was being made to reach an "acceptable resolution" in a number of areas, including some on welfare.
However, it added that there were other areas where the bill "still falls short", including on employment provisions, definitions of disability and the Crown Estate.
The committee said: "The definition of disability contained in the bill is overly restrictive and would not provide a future Scottish Government with the power to develop its own approach to disability benefits in the future."
It added: "You will note that we are not yet in a position to make any comments on many of the financial provisions in the Bill (such as on income tax, borrowing, assignment of VAT etc). This is because these will be part of the fiscal framework on which agreement has not yet been reached and looks like being delayed until at least December 2015.
"We reaffirm our view that an agreement to the non-legislative fiscal framework is vital and of equal importance as agreement on the provisions in the bill itself.
"That is why it is critical that this committee and others are provided with a copy of the final draft agreed between the two governments in sufficient time to enable adequate scrutiny to take place before the question of the legislative consent to the bill is put to the Scottish Parliament next year."


Three relatives of prominent Lurgan dissident republican Colin Duffy have been acquitted of terror charges.

They are Paul John Duffy, 50, of Ailsbury Gardens, Damien Duffy, 45, of Campbell Walk, and Shane Duffy, 44, whose address cannot be published due to reporting restrictions.
Belfast Crown Court was told the prosecution was "offering no further evidence against any of the accused".
The men were due to face trial later this year. They denied all charges.
The charges included conspiracy to murder police or prison officers.
After the prosecution said no further evidence was being offered against the men, a defence barrister asked for all three to be acquitted of the charges.
The judge returned not guilty verdicts for all charges and told the men they were formally discharged.


At the Conservative Party conference, David Cameron pledged to build more affordable homes across the UK.

Under the "starter homes" programme, originally announced a year ago, 200,000 first-time buyers will be able to purchase new houses or flats at a 20% discount.
The quid pro quo of this arrangement is that developers will be relieved of their obligations to provide affordable homes for rent, or having to pay for general local infrastructure such as roads, or indeed schools.
While this may be good news for Britain's aspiring homeowners, the worry is that there will be fewer homes for poorer families to rent.
And local authorities fear they will have billions of pounds less to spend on infrastructure.
When, eventually, the first building bricks are laid, the government's starter homes initiative will offer first-time buyers a much better deal than they currently get on the Help to Buy programme.
Buyers will need to be under 40, and cannot have owned their own home previously.
They will get at least a 20% discount on the purchase price, but they will not be allowed to sell or rent the properties for their full market value for five years.
According to the plans published so far, the discounts will apply to properties worth up to £250,000 outside London, or £450,000 in the capital.
Permission will only be granted where land is scheduled as under-used, or as an unviable commercial or industrial site.
Housing associations fear that even fewer affordable homes will now be provided for people to rent. The trend is already going down.
Five years ago, 60,480 affordable homes were built in England.
By 2013-14 that had fallen to 42,920, according to government figures.
Social rents - the cheapest - have declined significantly, while "affordable rents", introduced in 2011, have largely replaced them. They offer rent at 80% of market value.
Intermediate affordable housing - mostly homes in shared ownership schemes - has also declined.
The housing charity Shelter has called the starter homes scheme a "non-starter". It has calculated that outside London, the houses will cost up to nine times the average salary, and 11.5 times the average wage in the capital.
It claims that they will only be affordable to those on average incomes in 58% of local authorities.
"There's nothing wrong with helping people on to the property ladder, but the government has to invest in genuinely affordable homes to buy and rent for all of those on ordinary incomes who are bearing the brunt of this crisis," said Campbell Robb, Shelter's chief executive.
The charity Crisis has called the plans "disastrous".
Local authorities are anxious about the money they will lose under so-called section 106 payments. These are the obligations that developers have to meet to benefit the community, in return for getting planning permission.
They consist of providing a certain percentage of affordable homes in any development, as well as payments for general local infrastructure.
The Local Government Association (LGA) says that typically developers pay about £15,000 per home.
If developers are no longer required to make such payments, cash-strapped local councils will lose a further £3bn, according to LGA estimates.
At the start of the financial crisis, in 2007, some 177,650 homes were completed in England. This plunged to 106,720 three years later. Since then the industry has recovered significantly, building 131,060 in the year to June.
But, as the chart above shows, it is the private sector that is responsible for most house building, and it is the private sector which has suffered most.
As a result, many people feel the relaxations on planning rules are the most effective way to encourage developers to build more.
Banks who lend money to buyers also support the plans.
"The announcement of a new relaxation of strict planning regulations to encourage house builders to develop affordable homes is a positive development for both first-time buyers who are struggling to get on the ladder, as well as to the housing market as a whole," said Charles Haresnape, group managing director of mortgages at Aldermore Bank.
But the bigger question remains affordability.
If, by building more houses, prices fall, and more people can afford to buy them, then the government will be able to claim success.
But if prices continue to rise, and it is only the wealthy middle classes who are able to take advantage of an extra leg-up from the government, the starter homes scheme is unlikely to prove popular with those destined to remain renters rather than owners.
And when these homes eventually come back on the market, they will be sold at full price.
They will - in effect - be affordable just once.


League One side Wimbledon have signed Millwall midfielder Jimmy Abdou on a season-long loan deal.

Abdou, who joined Millwall from Plymouth in 2008, signed a new one-year deal to stay with Lions until the end of next season on Thursday.
The 33-year-old made 22 appearances for Millwall last season, helping them win promotion from League One.
Abdou is Dons manager Neal Ardley's fifth signing since the end of last season.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Rare reptiles and birds are set to benefit from the clearance of invasive scrub at heathland in Dorset.

Upton Heath nature reserve, in Poole, is home to all six British species of reptiles, including rare sand lizards and smooth snakes.
The 506-acre (205-hectare) site's rare birds include Dartford warblers, stonechats and nightjars.
Dorset Wildlife Trust is clearing birch and pine tree saplings from the reserve in order to maintain the heathland.
Heathlands are supposed to have a "low density" of trees, according to the trust, which manages the site.
"We want to make it clear that established trees are not being cut down and the site will not look any different as a result of the clearance," said Nicky Hoar, communications officer for the trust.
"The trees also provide important habitats and nests of hobby falcons have been found in some of the mature trees."
Two British white cattle and three Shetland cattle have also been taken on to Upton Heath in recent months to help restore the heathland, with three more British whites expected to arrive this winter.
A third of Upton Heath, which is also home to common lizards, slow worms, grass snakes and adders, was devastated by a fire in June last year.
It was Dorset's largest heath fire for 35 years and destroyed nesting habitats of Dartford warblers and nightjars.
The trust said a full recovery of the land could take 10 years, while the wildlife may not recover for a further 15.


Residents have objected to plans for a whisky distillery in Devon because the design is too Scottish.

One resident of the village of Princetown said the "design is deemed to be Scottish, Dartmoor is not".
The plans from Princetown Distillers Ltd, which include a visitors centre and cafe, have brought in 46 letters of objection and four letters of support.
Residents are concerned the distillery is to be rendered brown when the village is mainly white with slate.
More on the distillery plans, and other news
Villagers are also concerned about the height of the building and whether the business is too big for Princetown.
Local resident Alison Geen wrote: "The pagoda whilst typical to Scottish distilleries is not typical here and inappropriate to a building in Princetown or anywhere on Dartmoor."
One villager, who gave their name as D Spence, wrote that they would be more supportive of the idea if it made "less of an impact to the area".
"Even the architect for the distillery said the design of the high tower and general appearance of the property is purely cosmetic and in keeping to a traditional Scottish distillery," they said.
"Well Princetown is not Scotland and the looks are not in keeping to the local area."
However, some residents support the plans, recognising the potential boost to jobs, investment and visitors to the area.
Stuart Ross wrote that it was a "great idea" for the village.
About 120 members of the public raised a number of points both for and against the distillery at a Dartmoor Forest Parish Council meeting on Friday.


Reading have appointed Brian McDermott as their new boss on a two-and-a-half year deal, just under three years after he was sacked by the Championship club.

The 54-year-old, who led the Royals to promotion to the Premier League in 2012, succeeds Steve Clarke.
"My gut feel was really important for coming back. It just felt right and I'll do everything I can to be successful," McDermott said.
He left Reading in March 2013 after just over three years in charge.
He rejoins the Royals, who are 13th in the Championship table and seven points outside the play-off places. Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Hull was the club's fourth in a row.
At the time of McDermott's departure, the club were in the top flight relegation zone. He then spent 13 months as Leeds manager before scouting for Arsenal.
McDermott admitted he spoke to Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe about football's "never go back" philosophy.
"I rang Eddie about it, look what he's done back at Bournemouth," he added. "I haven't come back (to Reading) for sentimental reasons, it's professional.
"We've got some really strong players and there's a great squad out there who will all work together.
"We need to get some momentum, that's the most important thing. This league is all about momentum.
"If you can get a result on Saturday, you can roll on and get one on Tuesday."
Former AFC Wimbledon manager Terry Burton will join Reading as McDermott's assistant manager.
Chairman Sir John Madejski described McDermott's return as "the best Christmas present the club could have wished for".
"I'm proud we've got Brian back," he said. "He will get a great reaction from the fans on Sunday (against Blackburn)."
Media playback is not supported on this device
McDermott first joined Reading as chief scout during Alan Pardew's spell in charge in 2000, having previously managed non-league sides Slough and Woking.
He first took charge as caretaker manager in December 2009, replacing Brendan Rodgers, with the club languishing just above the Championship relegation zone.
The former Arsenal midfielder was given the job on a full-time basis a month later, before steering the Royals to a ninth-placed finish.
A year later, Reading lost out in the Championship play-off final to Rodgers' Swansea side, before gaining promotion to the top flight in 2012.
Reading also enjoyed considerable cup success under McDermott, reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2010 and 2011.
McDermott's first game back as Royals boss will be Sunday's visit of Blackburn.


Dundee United secured a Scottish Cup final place with an opportunist, but ultimately comfortable, victory over Rangers.

Stuart Armstrong finished decisively for the opening goal, which came after the Ibrox side spurned a clear chance.
Gary Mackay-Steven's second came via a deflection and the Rangers goalkeeper Steve Simonsen made an error for Nadir Ciftci's third.
The Ibrox side had made it 2-1 with a first-half Steven Smith free-kick.
But they were unable to truly threaten United's passage to a final meeting with either Aberdeen or St Johnstone on 17 May.
Whoever Jackie McNamara's side face, the occasion is likely to lack the relentless intensity of this contest.
Media playback is not supported on this device
The game initially had to accept second billing, since the competition was between the two sets of supporters and their goading of each other. The noise spilled from the Ibrox stands as if oblivious to events on the pitch.
There was soon a hectic urgency to the play, though, and composure was an early victim of the heightened atmosphere. There were pent-up emotions to be released, and the quality of the game suffered from the raucous surroundings.
There was excitement and zeal as the two sets of players hared around the Ibrox pitch, but not enough self-control to bring some poise to the proceedings.
Rangers had the most cause to rue that lack of restraint, since they should have opened the scoring when Dean Shiels was sent through on goal. The forward hurried his finish, though, and scuffed the ball wide.
It became a galling miss for Rangers, because minutes later a hopeful Gavin Gunning header sent Armstrong clear.
Nadir Ciftci was returning from an offside position but was deemed not to be interfering with play and Armstrong took advantage of the confusion to clip a shot past Simonsen that kissed a post before nestling in the net.
A pattern was established, since Rangers had the better patches of play, but could not influence the outcome.
When Fraser Aird was free in the area, he laid the ball back to Jon Daly, only for the striker to direct a shot rashly over the bar.
Moments later, Richard Foster failed to clear his lines and allowed Ryan Gauld to burrow into the Rangers penalty area before shunting into the path of Armstrong. He could not connect cleanly and neither, subsequently, could Mackay-Steven, but the ball looped off Bilel Mohsni, over Simonsen, and into the net.
Smith restored some hope for Rangers with a free-kick that squeezed between Radoslaw Cierzniak and the base of his left-hand post.
That goal came just before half-time and, athough Rangers continued to enjoy greater possession after the interval, their frailties could not be disguised.
Mohsni was often hapless in possession, attacks were intermittent and haphazard in nature, and there was not enough link-up play between the midfield and the forwards.
United's midfield struggled to retain possession, and their defence often sat too deep, but their four front players were a constant threat, not least because of the calamities that the Rangers defence were capable of.
When Foster broke up one move and passed back to Simonsen, the goalkeeper hesitated before stubbing the ball straight at Ciftci. The striker rounded the stricken goalkeeper and was celebrating even before he rolled the ball into the empty net.
Rangers restored something of their reputation with this display, but United were the more clinical side.


Huddersfield Giants academy player Ronan Costello has died at the age of 17 after being injured during a game against Salford on Saturday.

He was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary after the incident during an under-19s match.
His family said they acknowledged "that this was a tragic accident".
"We are absolutely devastated to lose Ronan so tragically and suddenly. He was a loving and caring 17-year-old lad," they added in a statement.
"He was dedicated to his family and friends and was a credit to all of his family. We are so proud of him and his achievements.
"We are all truly heartbroken and Ronan will be missed and forever in our hearts."
Rugby Football League (RFL) chief executive Nigel Wood said: "We are all incredibly saddened by news of the death of Huddersfield Giants academy player Ronan Costello.
"It is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with Ronan's family and friends at this time.
"We will work with both clubs involved in the game to ensure that the players, their families and friends are fully supported by the RFL Benevolent Fund and through Sporting Chance."
The Huddersfield Examiner reported it was believed the young player "sustained a serious head or neck injury during an unremarkable challenge".
The Giants have not disclosed how the teenager was injured but said in a statement: "It is with regret that Huddersfield Giants wish to inform everyone of the passing of 17-year-old academy player Ronan Costello.
"The club have been asked by the family to send their thanks for the messages of support they have received to date and have requested that all well-wishers now allow them to grieve and respect their privacy.
"The Huddersfield Giants are collating all messages, cards and tweets that they receive to pass to the family at the appropriate time."
Salford Red Devils posted this statement on their website: "The players, staff and fans of Salford Red Devils wish to extend their deepest sympathy to the family of Huddersfield Giants academy player Ronan Costello who passed away today after being injured in the under-19s game against us on Saturday.
"Our thoughts are with his family, friends and team-mates at this tragic time."
England internationals Sam Tomkins and Josh Charnley, plus Castleford's New Zealand international Denny Solomona were among those to pay tribute.
Huddersfield's Super League rivals sent messages of support to friends and family of the young player, who had yet to feature in a first-team game.
Warrington Wolves tweeted: "All at the Wolves send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Ronan Costello."
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, who beat Huddersfield 10-2 on Sunday, said: "Our sincere condolences go out to Ronan's family, friends and team-mates at Huddersfield Giants."
Wigan Warriors posted this message on Twitter: "Our thoughts go out to the family, team-mates and friends of Huddersfield Giants under-19s player Ronan Costello."


A woman's body has been found on a beach in south Wales.

Police said a member of the public found it on Aberavon Beach, Port Talbot, at about 13:00 GMT on Saturday.
Officers are making inquiries to establish the identity of the woman and the circumstances leading to her death.


Liberia's telecoms authority has denied reports that the country's internet access has been disrupted by a large-scale hack attack.

Reports last week said that cyber-attacks had repeatedly overwhelmed this link making net access intermittent.
The authority said there was "no data to substantiate" the claim.
But it said one telecommunications company serving half the nation's mobile users did suffer attacks that repeatedly limited access.
Security experts who monitor networks of hijacked devices used to carry out attacks, called botnets, noticed last week that Liberian net addresses were among targets being deluged with data.
Media reports quoted network security firms outside the country and telecoms staff in Liberia who said internet access in the country was affected.
The attacks were mounted using the massive Mirai botnet that in late October was used to cause the web-wide disruption that left Reddit, Spotify, Twitter and other popular sites hard to reach.
Jarsea Burphy, a spokewoman for the Liberia Telecommunication Authority, said monitoring systems on the nation's internet exchange point, where domestic traffic joins the global network, showed no evidence that the link had been overwhelmed.
The monitoring systems showed "no downtime in the last three weeks" she told the BBC.
Ms Burphy said a single local operator, believed to be the Lonestar Cell mobile network, had been subject to intermittent web attacks that had affected its ability to provide net access.
Lonestar, which has a 50% market share, told news site All Africa that it had been hit by so-called Distributed Denial of Service attacks that sought to overwhelm its network.
"We have continued to react and restore service to each incident as it happens," it said.