Theo Walcott scored twice as Arsenal put in a dominant home display against Basel in the Champions League.

It took the Gunners just six minutes to open the scoring as Walcott headed in from Alexis Sanchez's cutback.
The two Arsenal men linked up again as Englishman Walcott drilled low into the net to complete a swift team move.
Basel goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik made good saves to deny Sanchez and Hector Bellerin, with Birkir Bjarnason coming close for the visitors.
Relive the action from the Emirates Stadium
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Arsenal stunned rivals Chelsea 3-0 in the Premier League at the weekend and impressed again at the Emirates in this Group A encounter.
Arsene Wenger's side are now unbeaten in eight games in all competitions since losing to Liverpool on the opening day of the season.
The sublime skill and movement of attacking trio Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Walcott, who already has five goals this season, was too much for Basel to handle and the margin of victory could have been far more emphatic.
Santi Cazorla controlled the tempo of the game with 94 passes - more than any other player on the pitch - while centre-backs Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi were largely untroubled.
Arsenal often start a season strongly before falling away, but if they can avoid major injuries and maintain a settled side, realistic challenges for the league title and the latter stages of the Champions League are not unthinkable.
Arsene Wenger has been in charge of Arsenal for 20 years - but who would be in the greatest XI to play under the Frenchman?
Manager Wenger has again been linked with the vacant England national team job after Sam Allardyce left the post on Tuesday. The 66-year-old reportedly turned down an offer from the FA before Allardyce's appointment in July and he may receive a call again.
He celebrates 20 years in charge at Arsenal on Saturday, overseeing an era in which the club has won three Premier League titles and six FA Cups.
But he has underachieved in the Champions League, reaching the final in 2006 but going out in the last 16 for the past six seasons.
Wenger's contract runs out at the end of the campaign and should he fancy a crack at the England job, success in Europe's premier club competition would be the perfect way to sign off.
The Xhaka brothers, Granit of Arsenal and Basel's Taulant, faced each other again after crossing paths at Euro 2016.
In a quirk of international eligibility, Granit represents Switzerland while Taulant plays for Albania and it was the Gunners man who came out on top on that occasion.
And it was the younger Xhaka sibling who triumphed again as his side totally outplayed the Swiss league champions.
Midfielder Bjarnason, part of the Iceland side that beat England at the tournament in France, had a long-range effort tipped over by David Ospina, who also saved well from Andraz Sporar late on.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "I would say the game was of quality and the win was comfortable. The only regret was that we did not score enough tonight considering what we created. Overall, some excellent football.
"We need to have the desire to improve and not be happy with what you have. You have to have the urgency and focus high. We have not won anything and the target is to get stronger."
Arsenal will look to keep up their excellent form when they travel to Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday, 2 October (kick-off 16:30 BST).
Match ends, Arsenal 2, FC Basel 0.
Second Half ends, Arsenal 2, FC Basel 0.
Corner,  Arsenal. Conceded by Tomás Vaclik.
Attempt saved. Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Shkodran Mustafi.
Attempt missed. Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Mesut Özil with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Arsenal. Conceded by Tomás Vaclik.
Attempt saved. Andraz Sporar (FC Basel) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Mohammed Elyounoussi with a through ball.
Corner,  Arsenal. Conceded by Eder Balanta.
Attempt blocked. Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Santiago Cazorla.
Attempt blocked. Santiago Cazorla (Arsenal) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Mohammed Elyounoussi (FC Basel) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Mohammed Elyounoussi (FC Basel).
Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Renato Steffen (FC Basel).
Offside, Arsenal. Granit Xhaka tries a through ball, but Mesut Özil is caught offside.
Substitution, FC Basel. Matías Delgado replaces Birkir Bjarnason.
Substitution, Arsenal. Kieran Gibbs replaces Nacho Monreal.
Offside, Arsenal. Santiago Cazorla tries a through ball, but Alexis Sánchez is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left following a corner.
Corner,  Arsenal. Conceded by Renato Steffen.
Substitution, FC Basel. Mohammed Elyounoussi replaces Luca Zuffi.
Substitution, Arsenal. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Theo Walcott.
Substitution, Arsenal. Mohamed Elneny replaces Alex Iwobi.
Santiago Cazorla (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Adama Traoré (FC Basel).
Attempt missed. Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Theo Walcott.
Attempt missed. Andraz Sporar (FC Basel) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Birkir Bjarnason (FC Basel) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is too high. Assisted by Marek Suchy with a headed pass following a corner.
Corner,  FC Basel. Conceded by Nacho Monreal.
Corner,  FC Basel. Conceded by David Ospina.
Attempt saved. Birkir Bjarnason (FC Basel) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Michael Lang.
Corner,  FC Basel. Conceded by David Ospina.
Corner,  FC Basel. Conceded by Laurent Koscielny.
Santiago Cazorla (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Luca Zuffi (FC Basel).
Substitution, FC Basel. Andraz Sporar replaces Seydou Doumbia.
Attempt missed. Alex Iwobi (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Mesut Özil following a fast break.
Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Renato Steffen (FC Basel).


The UK accounting watchdog is to investigate the conduct of individuals working for the Irish unit of RSA Insurance in the run-up to its bailout by its UK parent company.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said the probe was related to "financial irregularities" at the insurer.
It did not identify individuals or say if they still worked at the business.
RSA Insurance was forced to inject Â£200m into its Irish unit in 2013.
The company subsequently tapped shareholders for cash through a rights issue to help bolster its finances.
RSA's Irish unit was bailed out weeks after the resignation of its chief executive Philip Smith and after the insurer informed the market about the accounting irregularities.
Mr Smith was initially suspended after an investigation was launched into issues in the Irish unit's claims and finance functions identified during a internal routine audit.
Last month, he won a â‚¬1.25m compensation payment for a constructive dismissal.
RSA is appealing against the award.
RSA Group's chief executive, Simon Lee, also resigned in the wake of the crisis at the Irish unit. He was eventually replaced by former Royal Bank of Scotland boss Stephen Hester
The FRC said the investigation would cover 2012 "and relevant prior periods as a result of the identification of issues within the claims and accounting functions announced by RSA Insurance Group at the end of 2013".
RSA said the FRC's investigation was not into the company itself but into individuals who were members of accounting, auditing or actuarial professional bodies.
It said in a statement: "We understand that the investigation will therefore cover members of these professions who were employed by RSA at the  time. RSA Group will of course assist with these inquiries if requested to do so."
The FRC said it would co-operate with the Irish authorities as necessary.


A list of the top 10 jobs that contribute to obesity has been compiled by the lead consultant at Wales's only NHS weight management clinic.

The list includes chefs, taxi drivers and office workers, although Prof Nadim Haboubi claims unemployment is more likely to make you fat than any job.
He said more resources were needed to tackle all causes of obesity in Wales.
The Welsh government said it had introduced a number of initiatives to help people make healthier choices.
Prof Haboubi, who runs the clinic in Blaenau Gwent, said he compiled the list based on his clinical experience.
"Where I work in the valleys area, unemployment is a problem and that's where obesity is more prevalent," he said.
"There isn't one cause, it's a combination of a sedentary life and general availability of healthy food.
"If you look into bizarre eating patterns, particularly for those working shifts, their sleep pattern is erratic and their eating pattern becomes unusual. Therefore, the centres in the brain which control metabolism start not to function in an optimal way.
"If you're looking at other occupations such as lorry drivers or office workers, it's very much because people are sedentary.
"Also, a long distance lorry driver will eat whatever there is in a cafe or shop then carry on driving.
"I know from some of my patients that one of the incentives or attractions of a job in takeaway delivery is your food is going to be free, but the type of food provided is not usually low fat."
James Howse, from Aberbargoed, was 29 when he was referred to the clinic, weighing 31 stone.
With a career in the events catering industry, he is used to being surrounded by deep fried food and works unusual and irregular shift patterns.
Mr Howse said he began putting on weight three years ago after a motorbike accident left him in bed for six months, but his job did not help with losing weight.
Constantly on the go all day, he said he would have a big breakfast, then not eat until late at night when the event was over.
That meal would be whatever was left over, but always "something and chips".
"When I realised this was a problem, I started snacking throughout the day on healthy stuff," Mr Howse said.
"I take food with me now, like prepared fruit, which has worked.
"Dr Haboubi was very good at motivating me and made me think. Seeing the psychologist was also a big thing because you've got to get your head right before you do anything.
"I'm eating a lot better and I'm a lot more focused on where I want to be in life."
Dr Haboubi said it was not necessary to change jobs to live a healthier lifestyle.
"None of these is a cause of obesity on its own. None of them are untreatable or uncontrollable," he said.
"You just have to modify your lifestyle towards healthier living and ensure that if you're required to be sitting all the time at work, when you finish you don't continue to sit and rest."
He said: "Some factories and companies that work with computers, they're doing it from a standing position rather than sitting.
"Sometimes healthy food is either not available or it's more costly if it is available. These things need to be subsidised by the employer."
Dr Haboubi stressed it was not a person's work alone that could contribute to weight gain.
Other factors, he said, were the cost of going to a leisure centre, the price of healthier food, poor public transport and the individual's attitude.
Top 10 obesogenic jobs:
Shift workers(especially night shift)
Chefs
Taxi drivers
Long distance lorry drivers
Takeaway delivery personnel
Office workers, such as secretaries and those in IT
Staff working in nursing or care homes
Supermarket employees
Business executives
The unemployed
"It needs to be tackled aggressively by co-ordinating all sectors, health professionals, the media, the supermarket industry, politicians," he said.
"We really need someone to coordinate all these powers and resources.
"We have a fantastic All Wales Obesity Pathway, it's a beautiful flowchart but they produced this fantastic document six years ago and not implemented it or provided any resources for it."
A Welsh government spokesman said: "Health boards are responsible for implementing the All-Wales Obesity Pathway together with local authorities and other partners  - we regularly report on progress.
"No one single action alone will address obesity, which is why we have also introduced a number of initiatives to support the public in Wales to make healthier choices.
"These include the Active Travel Act, campaigns and programmes to support healthy diets and promote physical activity and schemes to encourage healthy practices in settings such as schools and workplaces."
Return to the Welsh Weight Clinic will be on BBC One Wales, on 5 October at 22:35 BST, as part of the Live Longer Wales season.


The sexual abuse of children has left "scars" on victims and society, the chair of an inquiry into historical abuse in England and Wales has said.

Justice Lowell Goddard was speaking as she opened the independent inquiry, which she said could last until 2020.
It will examine how public bodies handled their duty of care to protect children from abuse.
Justice Goddard said there were suggestions that one child out of every 20 in the UK had been sexually abused.
She said many who are sexually abused as a child do not tell adults - and that if they do "their reports may go unheeded".
There may also have been systematic under-recording and mis-recording of child sex abuse by the police and other agencies, she added, meaning that "the true picture may be even worse than the current figures indicate".
Speaking about the scale of the problem, she said: "The need for accurate recording is one of the issues that the inquiry will have to confront."
The inquiry was first announced by Home Secretary Theresa May in July 2014.
It followed claims of a high-level cover-up of historical child sex abuse involving public figures, including politicians.
The New Zealand High Court judge, who led an inquiry into police handling of child abuse cases in her own country, was the third person named to chair the inquiry - her two predecessors resigned over concerns about their links with the establishment.
In her opening remarks, she said the task ahead was daunting, but that it could expose past failures of institutions to defend children.
Justice Goddard said the sexual abuse of children "has left permanent scars not only on successive generations, has left permanent scars not only on victims themselves, but on society as a whole".
But she added: "This inquiry provides a unique opportunity to expose past failures of institutions to protect children, to confront those responsible, to uncover systemic failures... and to make recommendations that will help prevent the sexual abuse and exploitation of children in the future."
Justice Goddard also said it was important to emphasise that this was the largest and most ambitious public inquiry ever established in England and Wales.
Despite the size of the investigation, she was "determined to ensure that it does not become bogged down in the delays that have bedevilled some other public inquiries in this jurisdiction".
In July last year, Labour MP Simon Danczuk called on Leon Brittan to say what he knew about paedophile allegations passed to him when he was home secretary in the 1980s.
The files were given to Lord Brittan, who died in January, by the late Conservative MP Geoffrey Dickens, a long-standing campaigner against child abuse.
Mr Dickens's son has said the files - now missing - contained "explosive" paedophile allegations about powerful and famous figures, including politicians.
Since Mr Danczuk's comments brought the so-called "Dickens dossier" to the fore, the focus has moved to the wider issue of how historical child sex abuse allegations were dealt with by public bodies and other institutions across the country.
Previously there had been calls for an overarching investigation into historical abuse claims in the wake of revelations that TV entertainer Jimmy Savile abused hundreds of victims at hospitals, children's homes and schools.
Read more on the "Dickens dossier" and other ongoing inquiries
The inquiry, which was given statutory powers and a new panel in February, will investigate whether "public bodies and other non-state institutions have taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse in England and Wales".
Justice Goddard has decided abuse victims will not sit on her advisory panel, but there will be a separate Victims and Survivors Consultative Panel.
The advisory panel comprises Prof Alexis Jay of Strathclyde University, Drusilla Sharpling of the police inspectorate, Prof Malcolm Evans of Bristol University, and child protection barrister Ivor Frank.
Justice Goddard said she was determined to put as much information into the public domain as she could, as soon as possible. She also referred to annual reports being published, the first of which would be next year.
As she was giving her statement, the office of Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC confirmed that immunity from prosecution under the Official Secrets Act will be offered to current or former public servants prepared to testify about allegations of child sex abuse.
It will not protect anyone who admits taking part in child sexual abuse.
Justice Goddard ended her statement by issuing a call for anyone with information about sexual abuse cases to come forward.
And she urged institutions responsible for caring for children, which may come under scrutiny, to take a "proactive stance towards the inquiry".
The NSPCC said a team of trained counsellors would operate a free dedicated helpline to offer support on its behalf.
Peter Wanless, the charity's chief executive, said many victims had "harrowing stories to tell", adding that the charity wanted to make "what could be a tortuous journey as easy as possible".
The chairman of the Commons home affairs committee, Keith Vaz, said the inquiry, which he described as a "once in a lifetime opportunity", could last a decade.
"And of course we wish [Justice Goddard] luck in the very difficult job that she's got, which could take up to ten years. I mean, this is going to be a very long inquiry."
In February, it was announced Justice Goddard had been chosen to lead the inquiry because she was "as removed as possible from the organisations and institutions that might become the focus of the inquiry", Mrs May said.
Baroness Butler-Sloss, the first inquiry chairwoman, resigned a week after it was set up.
This followed calls for her to quit because her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, had been attorney general in the 1980s.
Her replacement, the then Lord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf, stood down on 31 October amid concerns over her links to former Home Secretary Lord Brittan.


The Wales Office spent more than £500,000 on temporary agency staff in the past six years, according to government figures.

The figures were released in response to a parliamentary question by shadow Welsh secretary Jo Stevens.
They showed money spent on agency staff in the most expensive year (2014-15) could have paid for 11 full-time positions.
A UK government spokesman said they needed to fill posts at short notice.
Over the past six years, the figures showed staffing levels at the Wales Office were reduced from 57 to 44 permanent staff.
Ms Stevens described the spending as "typical terrible Tory mismanagement".
"It's a complete false economy and puts more pressure on everyone and leaves temporary workers with worse pay and conditions and no job security," she said.
She called on the current Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns to "plan properly" and "build a department that has enough staff for the work it does rather than trying to cut corners".
A UK government spokesman said agency costs increased in 2013-14 and 2014-15 because of the "need to fill at short notice a number of business-critical posts temporarily" while recruitment campaigns were under way.
He added that Wales hosted a Nato conference in late 2014 and a global investment conference in Newport shortly afterwards.


At the age of 13, Susan Pollack - now a retired grandmother living in north London - was taken from her home in rural Hungary, loaded into a cattle truck and transported by rail through German-occupied Poland.

She and her family were told they were going to be resettled. The journey took six days and some in the truck died on the way.
"There was some straw on the floor," she told me. "It was dark, it was cold, it was so hostile. And hardly any space for sitting down. There was a lot of crying, lots of children. And we were trapped. Doors were shut, we knew this was not going to be any resettlement but we had no imagination of course of what was to come."
The doors opened at Auschwitz.
There, on the railway platform, Nazi officers separated those chosen to live and work from those sent immediately to die.
Susan lied about her age. A prisoner on the platform whispered to her that she should say she was 15. It saved her life, but her mother was sent immediately to the gas chamber.
"There were no hugs, no kisses, no embrace. My mum was just pushed away with the other women and children. The dehumanisation began immediately. I didn't cry, it was as though I'd lost all my emotions."
Soviet forces entered Auschwitz on 27 January, 1945.
The Nazis had abandoned the camp days earlier, leaving much of it intact. More than a million people, mostly Jews - but Poles, Roma and political prisoners as well - had been murdered there.
Those railway lines - which can be still seen at Auschwitz today - extended to almost every corner of Europe.
The Holocaust was not a solely German enterprise. It required the active collaboration of Norwegian civil servants, French police, Polish train drivers and Ukrainian paramilitaries. Every occupied country in Europe had its enthusiastic participants.
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After 1945, a great silence fell across the continent.
The Jews who survived found that the world beyond the perimeter wire of the camps did not much want to know their story.
It was only in the 1960s that popular consciousness began to catch up with the crime perpetrated against an entire people.
Holocaust denial persists. The internet is full of claims that the destruction of the Jews never happened.
"Sometimes they want to call themselves revisionist historians," says Pawel Sawicki, who works at the Auschwitz site, which now attracts two million visitors a year. "But they are not. They hate others. This is anti-Semitism."
At the Nuremberg trials after the war, leading Nazis were held accountable for the state-sponsored crimes that had been committed in Germany and German-occupied territories. For the first time, two new terms entered the grim lexicon of wartime atrocity - crimes against humanity and genocide.
This is the Nazis' judicial legacy - that from 1945, sovereign states no longer had legal carte blanche to treat their own citizens as they pleased.
"That's the amazing, revolutionary, remarkable change that happened in 1945," says Philippe Sands, an international human rights lawyer who has worked extensively on war crimes prosecutions.
"Before 1945, if a state wished to kill half its population, or torture or maim or disappear, there was no rule of international law that said you couldn't do that. The change that occurred in 1945 - as we know very sadly - has not prevented horrors from taking place.
"But it does mean that when horrors occur, there is now at least an objective standard that says to governments, to individual states, that as a matter of international law: 'you cannot do what you are doing'."
Near the blockhouses where Auschwitz prisoners were housed, there is a large open trench about the size and shape of a swimming pool.
During the war it was filled with water. Why? It was required by the camp's fire insurance policy.
There is something grotesquely chilling about this - that a camp whose purpose was mass extermination would, at the same time, concern itself with sensible precaution and compliance with insurance law. And the company that insured the camp is still trading. There is a warning in this to posterity - to us, here today.
As the UK marks Holocaust Memorial Day, Mrs Pollack issues a stark warning about the importance of learning the lessons from history.
"We're not talking about barbarians," says Mrs Pollack. "We're not talking about primitive society.
"The Germans were well-advanced, educated, progressive. Maybe civilization is just veneer-thin. We all need to be very careful about any hate-propaganda.
"This is very important. It starts as a small stream, but then it has the potential to erupt  - and when it does, it's too late to stop it."


A teacher in New York has been arrested for flying and crashing a drone into empty seats during a tennis match at the US Open, police say.

Daniel Verley, 26, has been charged with reckless endangerment and operating a drone in a public park outside of a prescribed area.
Tennis officials say no-one was injured, though the drone briefly interrupted a tennis match.
The incident took place at the Louis Armstrong Stadium on Thursday evening.
One of the players in action at the time, 26th-seed Flavia Pennetta, described hearing the drone fly by, not knowing what it was and fearing the worst.
"With everything going on in the world... I thought, 'OK, it's over.' That's how things happen," Ms Pennetta, 33, told the Associated Press news agency.
She said they were never told by the umpire or US Open officials that the object was a drone. It reportedly broke into pieces as it landed, interrupting the match as police and fire emergency personnel investigated.
"If there had been spectators, it would have hit them and done a lot of damage," she added. The 10,000-seat stadium was only partially filled at the time, compared to several hours earlier when it was packed.
In fact it was not the first time the Italian player has had an encounter with a drone mid-match, according to New York Daily News. Another New York man was arrested during last year's US Open for piloting a drone outside the tennis grounds while Ms Pennetta was playing Serena Williams in the quarter-finals.
Ms Pennetta later went on to win against Romanian Monica Niculescu, 27, taking her into the third round of this year's tournament.


George Lwandamina has been appointed as caretaker coach of Zambia just five days before they host Guinea Bissau in 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

He replaces Honour Janza, who led the side at the Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea this year.
The move comes just a day after Janza lead Chipolopolo to a 1-0 win over Ethiopia in an international friendly.
Lwandamina is the current coach of club side Zesco United, who lie second in the Zambian Super League.
Janza has been given a new role in charge of the Football Association of Zambia's (Faz) development programmes.
The football association is continuing its search for a permanent replacement for Janza and said in a statement: "Updates on the announcement of the new head trainer will be given over the coming weeks."
"FAZ wishes to thank Honour Janza for the work undertaken during his time as coach of the Chipolopolo.
"Janza remains a vital cog in the development initiatives the association continues to pursue in augmenting the development programmes that are taking our football forward and believe that his return to the Technical Department will reenergize the programmes that require his expertise and other stakeholders."
In March Janza told BBC sport that he felt "betrayed" by Faz who announced it wanted to employ a foreign coach, however the association refuted his concerns.


A record number of Scottish pupils have gained a university place on exam results day.

The Higher pass rate dipped very slightly by 0.2% but the total number of passes remained above 150,000 for a third successive year.
Almost 137,000 students received results of Nationals and Highers on Tuesday.
University admissions body Ucas said more than 28,700 pupils gained places, 400 more than last year.
It said the figure included a 13% increase in placed applicants from Scotland's most deprived communities.
136,889
candidates
150,010
Higher passes
77% Higher pass rate (A-C)
77.2% Higher pass rate last year
116,032 National 4 entries
122,961 National 4 entries last year
This year's results in National 4 and 5, Highers and Advanced Highers were broadly in line with 2016.
Candidates passed 150,010 Highers although the pass rate (A-C) was marginally down at 77% compared with 77.2% last year.
Advanced Higher passes fell to 19,283, with a pass rate of 80%.
The pass rate for National 4 was 92.8% and 79.5% for the National 5, also very close to last year's figures.
There was, however, a significant drop in the number of pupils taking the internally-assessed National 4 qualification -  116,032, down from 122,961.
Exam passes are high by historic standards, more youngsters are staying on at school and going to college or university.
Is this a good thing in itself? Or is the education system simply having to adapt to the fact that in the modern world there are fewer good jobs for young people, and that unskilled jobs are disappearing?
Read more from Jamie here.
Pass marks can vary each year depending on the difficulty of the exam, but there was no repeat of the situation two years ago when it had to be set at 35% in Higher maths because the paper was harder than expected.
Dr Janet Brown, chief executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, said the figures demonstrated stability in the system.
"One of the things that we absolutely have to ensure is that standards are maintained and we can see that candidates are reaching those standards and attaining as they have done in the past," she said.
In maths, the attainment rate rose to 74% from 73.5% last year at Higher, while in English the attainment rate dropped from 78.8% in 2016 to 77.3% this year.
There was an increase in the number of pupils taking and passing qualifications in skills for work and personal development courses.
Education Secretary John Swinney congratulated pupils during a visit to Bannerman High School in Baillieston, Glasgow
He said: "The whole country should rightly be proud of the excellence and achievement in Scottish education demonstrated by these results.
"We expect to see small variations in pass rates year on year, which demonstrate the high standards, strength and integrity of our national qualifications."
Opposition parties offered their congratulations to students and teachers but said results were achieved "in spite" of education changes.
Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith said: "In some key core subjects - including history and some modern languages - there is a marked drop in the number of entries. And in many subjects, we also see attainment falling, particularly at Advanced Higher level.
"The fundamental problems remain the same. We have too few teachers in classrooms. And, as the Sutton Trust recently declared, we have a school system that doesn't give enough children the opportunity to really excel and push on."
Labour's Iain Gray said: "The reality is that these results have been achieved by pupils and teachers in spite of SNP government cuts to education budgets, teacher numbers and support staff."
Ucas said almost all the Scottish applicants to win university places had chosen to study in Scotland.
The Scottish Funding Council's interim chief executive John Kemp said: "This reflects the strength of the university sector in Scotland.
"I am especially pleased today to see the 13% increase in students from the most deprived areas of Scotland going to a Scottish university. Although there is more work to be done, today's figures indicate that we are taking significant steps in the right direction."
A free helpline is available on 0808 100 8000 for anyone seeking practical advice regarding their exam results.
Operated by Skills Development Scotland, it will be open from 08:00 until 20:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday and between 09:00 and 17:00 until 16 August.
The group's acting director of operations James Russell said: "Our message for those young people and their parents and carers as the results arrive is not to panic.
"Everything might seem overwhelming at that point. Our experienced advisers are there to help and have information on all the options and opportunities young people can consider."


Formula 1 bosses are planning to introduce driver head protection for the 2017 season.

Governing body the FIA has told teams it wants to introduce a device called a 'halo', designed to protect drivers' heads from large airborne debris.
The FIA sees no reason why it cannot be introduced and is working with teams to finalise plans, BBC Sport has learned.
GP Drivers' Association chairman Alexander Wurz said drivers were "happy" a commitment had been made.
Wurz made clear last week, before a meeting of F1's technical chiefs, that the drivers felt it was time for the 'halo' to be introduced.
Wurz told BBC Sport: "Obviously the drivers are happy that the technical team representatives agreed for the additional head protection to come in for 2017 following the drivers' recommendation and the FIA research.
"We will now enter the design phase, where the drivers need to be open to a slightly different visibility spectrum due to the additional structure. I am also curious as to how the teams will make the new solution look cool and fast."
The FIA has focused on the halo after tests of a number of devices revealed it was the best compromise in terms of increasing safety with the fewest side-effects, such as compromised vision or extrication in the event of an accident.
The device is in the shape of an ellipse above the driver, attached to the car on each side of the rear of the cockpit and with a single strut in front of the driver.
Teams are analysing how the device can be incorporated into the car's structure, with all teams using the same design.
The FIA is also investigating the possibility of using a bullet-proof screen as part of the device to further enhance protection, although it remains to be seen whether that is incorporated on the device's introduction in 2017.
Increased driver head protection has been pursued by the FIA ever since the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994.
The Brazilian legend was killed when a suspension arm pierced his helmet after a wheel was torn off in a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix.
Until now, most developments have centred on reducing a driver's vulnerability to side impacts, by raising and strengthening the cockpit sides.
The FIA has been researching ways of protecting drivers from impacts from the front or above and work intensified following two incidents in 2009.
Henry Surtees, son of the 1964 F1 world champion John Surtees, was killed by a loose wheel in a Formula Two race, while Ferrari driver Felipe Massa suffered a fractured skull when hit by a suspension piece from another car at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The halo is unlikely to have prevented the injuries suffered by Frenchman Jules Bianchi, who died last July, nine months after his Marussia collided with a recovery vehicle during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
But it might stop incidents like the one that killed English IndyCar driver Justin Wilson last August. He was struck by debris from an earlier crash.


Action is needed to fight a "quiet epidemic" of oesophageal cancer, which is on the rise in the UK, particularly among men, cancer experts say.

Men are almost three times more likely than women to get the cancer - one of the biggest gender divides in cancer rates, according to new figures.
Early diagnosis is the key to saving lives, says a Cancer Research UK team.
Scientists are working on ways to detect symptoms earlier and to decipher the genetic code of the cancer.
Oesophageal cancer - cancer of the gullet or food pipe - is the ninth most common cancer in the UK.
It is one of the most difficult cancers to detect and treat, with only about one in 10 patients surviving for 10 years or more.
Latest figures show 5,600 UK men (almost 15 out of every 100,000) developed the disease in 2010, compared with 2,800 UK women (about five out of every 100,000).
This equates to a lifetime risk of one in 56 for men and one in 110 for women.
There are two types of oesophageal cancer:
Researchers believe a steady rise in the number of adenocarcinomas in men is behind the gender gap.
Tim Underwood, an oesophageal surgeon and researcher at the University of Southampton, said many questions remained unanswered about the cancer, but urgent action was needed.
"We need a game changer," he told a news conference.
"And we need a game changer relatively urgently. There is an epidemic of this disease and outcomes are poor."
Ian Barclay, 65, from Salisbury, was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in 2009 when he was rushed to hospital bleeding internally.
"I was two and a half hours from dying," he says. "I was lucky to get through that.  If you feel something's not right, go and get it checked, and you could save your own life."
Mr Underwood, who is running the New York Marathon to raise money for research, said diagnosing the disease earlier was key to improving the chances of survival.
"Food getting stuck when you swallow and persistent heart burn are not normal," he said.
"If this is happening to you, you need to see your GP.
"The vast majority of people won't have anything seriously wrong with them, but it's important to get checked out.
"If left untreated acid reflux - often called heartburn - can damage cells of the oesophagus leading to a condition called Barrett's oesophagus which in turn can be a precursor of oesophageal cancer."
Dr Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said the factors behind the rise in oesophageal cancer were unclear.
"We think it may be linked to some changes that we've seen in people's lifestyles, for example increasing levels of obesity," he told BBC News.
"There is a lot more that we need to do to try and understand this disease better, but at this point in time the most important thing is to increase awareness of it and get people to go and see their doctor if they have the symptoms."
Research projects are under way in the UK to understand oesophageal cancer better and develop techniques for earlier diagnosis.
A "sponge-on-a-string" device to collect cells from the gullet for diagnosis could be available on the NHS in five years, said Prof Rebecca Fitzgerald, of the Medical Research Council's Cancer Cell Unit in Cambridge.
The cytosponge test is designed to be swallowed and retrieved to detect pre-cancerous cells.
Clinical trials suggest the test shows promise as a safer and cheaper alternative to endoscopy, a procedure where the inside of the body is examined internally using a long, flexible tube.
"For the patient, this is a five-minute test - it will make your eyes water for two seconds but it is an awful lot simpler, less invasive, safer and cheaper than an endoscopy," said Prof Fitzgerald.
"We're hopeful that in the future this will really transform early diagnosis by making it something much more patient-friendly and affordable."
Prof Fitzgerald said work to decode all of the genes in 500 oesophageal cancer samples, looking for genetic mistakes, was in progress, with about 100 samples completed.
The long-term goal was to develop better drugs for the condition, she said.
Current treatment relies on chemotherapy and radiotherapy, with surgery as an option if the cancer is detected early enough.


TalkTalk chief executive Dido Harding is to leave the telecoms group in May after seven years.

Baroness Harding will be replaced by current managing director Tristia Harrison, the broadband provider said.
But TalkTalk also said that founder Sir Charles Dunstone will become executive chairman after he steps down as chairman of Dixons Carphone in May.
TalkTalk, recently fined over a major hacking breach, also said that revenues fell in the final months of 2016.
News of the shake-up sent TalkTalk shares rising more than 6% in early trading. The shares had fallen more than 20% in the months following the high profile cyber-attack.
Baroness Harding, a Conservative peer and a trustee of digital inclusion charity Doteveryone, said she wanted to focus more on her public service activities.
"Between now and May, we will work together on a handover that maintains focus on this year's performance and enables the new team to prepare for the next financial year and beyond," she added.
Baroness Harding, appointed in October 2010, was chief executive in 2015 when hackers attacked the company's website, stealing confidential customer data.
TalkTalk, for years dogged by a reputation for poor customer service, estimated the cyber-attack, which divulged nearly 157,000 users' financial details, cost it £42m.
The company was fined a record £400,000 in October for poor website security which led to the theft, making it the largest ever fine imposed by The Information Commissioner's Office.
Sir Charles, who created TalkTalk in 2002, said Baroness Harding had "helped transform TalkTalk into a much stronger business".
"I'm excited at the prospect of spending more time on TalkTalk," he added.
Sir Charles, the founder of Carphone Warehouse, will remain as a senior adviser to Dixons Carphone.
He said the firm, which was created via a merger between Dixons and Carphone Warehouse three years ago, remained "a very important part of my life".
"I remain a committed shareholder and, in my new role as a senior advisor, I will continue to take an active interest in the business," he added.
Sir Charles will be replaced as chairman of Dixons Carphone by Lord Ian Livingston, a former chief executive of BT.
Meanwhile, the company announced that revenues had fallen to £435m, from £459m, for the same period a year ago.
TalkTalk blamed the fall on a high level of contract renewals and new price deals, but said the impact of this was "short-term".
George Salmon, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said Sir Charles had to restore the company's reputation.
"His main challenges will be rebuilding trust in the brand and improving relationships with customers," said Mr Salmon.
He added: "For now, though, investors will be relieved that the group says it's on track to meet profit guidance, especially after November's half-year results were less than glowing.
"More customers are now on low-price plans, which isn't exactly what one would want, but the group's hand has been forced by the cyber-attack and defending market share at all costs has had to take priority."


The annual budget for promoting tourism in Wales would be doubled, from £7m to £14m, under a Plaid Cymru Welsh government, the party has announced.

Plaid said boosting Visit Wales' budget recognised tourism's importance for jobs and attracting investment.
Plaid Cymru ministers would designate 2018 a "Year of Welsh Food and Drink" and 2019 a "Celebrate Wales" year.
Plaid leader Leanne Wood said a Welsh tourism academy, with a conference centre and hotel, would also be built.
Ahead of campaigning in Caernarfon for May's assembly election, she said: "A Plaid Cymru government would promote Wales as a world-class, sustainable tourism destination with activities and experiences based on our natural resources, our produce, our unique coast and landscape and our language, culture and heritage."


Ex-Conservative chancellor Ken Clarke has called the Tory leadership contest a "fiasco" and made disparaging remarks about the candidates.

Footage of the veteran MP preparing for an interview was released by Sky News.
He said Andrea Leadsom had said some "extremely stupid things" and predicted Michael Gove would take the UK to war "with three countries at once".
He was talking to ex-foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind. Neither appeared to realise they were being recorded.
Mr Clarke, who has himself lost out when standing for Conservative leader three times, said he would probably end up supporting Home Secretary Theresa May.
He praised her but said she was a "bloody difficult woman", telling Sir Malcolm: "But you and I worked for Margaret Thatcher."
Turning to his assessment of Brexit campaigner and energy minister Mrs Leadsom, the Europhile Conservative MP said: "She's not one of the mindless, tiny band of lunatics, who think we can have a sort of glorious economic future outside the single market.
"So long as she understands that she is not to deliver on some of the extremely stupid things that she's been saying."
Justice Secretary Michael Gove is criticised by both men, with Sir Malcolm saying he does not mind who wins as long as Mr Gove is not in the final two.
Mr Clarke doubts Mr Gove would win the backing of Tory members, adding: "I think with Michael as prime minister we'd go to war with at least three countries at once."
But he did praise the justice secretary for ruining ex-London mayor Boris Johnson's leadership bid.
"He did us all a favour by getting rid of Boris. The idea of Boris as prime minister is ridiculous," Mr Clarke said.
The first round of voting is under way in the Conservative leadership contest, with Stephen Crabb and Liam Fox completing the lineup.
The party's 330 MPs have until 18:00 BST to cast their votes, with the results expected at about 19:00 BST, when the poorest performing candidate will be eliminated.


Motherwell secured progress to the knockout stages of the Scottish League Cup by defeating Edinburgh City 2-1 to finish top of Group F.

The visitors had to come from behind at Ainslie Park after Ashley Grimes put Edinburgh City in front.
The lead lasted only five minutes before Chris Cadden equalised and Elliott Frear scored a late winner.
Motherwell's win moved them two points clear of Queen's Park, who have played all their group games.
Stephen Robinson's side have been in impressive form, winning all three fixtures so far, scoring 11 goals and conceding only two.
Queen's Park did all they could to keep the top spot within reach, eventually seeing off a dogged Berwick Rangers 3-2.
Greg Rutherford opened the scoring for Berwick in the first minute, but Queen's equalised eight minutes later through Ross Millen. By half-time, they were 3-1 in front thanks to Anton Brady and David Galt, although Berwick did pull a goal back in the second half through Steven Thomson.
In Group E, Ayr United climbed above local rivals Kilmarnock to the top after a comprehensive 5-1 defeat of Clyde.
The visitors opened the scoring at Somerset Park through David Goodwillie, but were then swept aside.
Robbie Crawford and Craig Moore put Ayr in front before half time, then Moore, Michael Moffat and Declan McDaid completed the scoring.
The victory leaves Ayr three points clear of Kilmarnock, with both having one game left.
Ian McCall's Ayr side retained their 100% record in Group E and can seal progress to the knockout stages if they equal or better Kilmarnock's result at the weekend. Ayr are away to Annan Athletic and Kilmarnock are at home to Dumbarton.
The Ayrshire rivals will be confident of winning, since Dumbarton and Annan have yet to secure a victory in the competition following their 0-0 draw. Annan secured the bonus point by winning the penalty shoot-out 4-3 to leave Dumbarton bottom of the group.


The organisers of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games are making cutbacks of up to 30% to avoid going over the £2.38bn (US$3.6bn) budget.

Rio 2016 communications director Mario Andrada said the Brazilian public would not tolerate an overspend.
"The days of lavish spending are over," said Andrada. "We need to be creative in the way we find these savings."
Events across 50 Olympic and Paralympic sports featuring about 15,000 athletes will not be affected.
The BBC understands a crisis meeting has been held in the past few days.
The organising committee's budget is privately financed, with separate budgets for stadiums and infrastructure, but the Brazilian government would have to meet the cost of any overspend.
Ticket sales have been slow with only two million of the five million available sold so far.
"People get upset about luxury and excess, we have to tighten our belts," added Andrada.
At the Confederations Cup held in Brazil in 2013, fans protested angrily at the amount of money spent - about £2.57bn ($4bn) on staging the 2014 World Cup.


A new book celebrates one of Britain's best-loved and at risk animals.
The Red Squirrel: A future in the forest features imagery by award-winning wildlife photographer Neil McIntyre.
He has spent the last 20 years documenting the lives of the red squirrels near his home in the Cairngorms National Park.
The Cairngorms and wider Highlands area provide reds with some of their best habitats.
Elsewhere, populations of the squirrels have suffered due to habitat loss and competition for food from non-native grey squirrels. Greys also carry a disease deadly to reds.
The book was written by Polly Pullar and the cost of making it has been paid for through a crowdfunding campaign.
Its publisher, conservation photographer Peter Cairns, said he hoped the book would raise fresh awareness to the plight of reds.
He said "Neil's beautiful images shine a unique light on one of Scotland's best-loved mammals, but squirrels need forests just as much as forests need squirrels.
"I hope this book will ignite fresh conversations about that crucial link."


The US State Department says the number of terrorist attacks around the world rose by a third in 2014 compared with the previous year.

In its annual report on terrorism, the State Department says the number of people killed rose by 80%, to nearly 33,000.
It says the sharp increase was largely due to groups like Islamic State in Iraq and Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Attacks in Pakistan, the Philippines, Nepal and Russia decreased.
The deadliest attack was in the Iraqi city of Mosul, when Islamic State killed 670 Shia prisoners.
"Unprecedented" seizure of territory in Iraq and Syria by ISIS, the flow of foreign terrorists joining the group and "lone" offender extremists in the West were major trends in global terrorism in 2014, according to the report.
ISIS specifically sought out religious minorities like Christians and Yazidis in addition to killing Western journalists.
Al-Qaeda was largely fragmented in 2014, but failed governments in countries like Yemen, Syria, Libya, Nigeria and Iraq enabled extremist radicalism.
Terrorist groups used more aggressive tactics in 2014 than years before, such as beheadings and crucifixions.
Boko Haram, operating in northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon and southeast Niger, used stoning, mass murder attacks and kidnapped children en masse.
The State Department report credits UN Security Council Resolution 2178 as a "major step forward" in efforts to prevent terrorists from travelling to and from conflict zones.
The agency's coordinator for counterterrorism Ambassador Tina Kaidanow said the numbers in the report alone, compiled by the University of Maryland, do not paint an accurate picture of the state of global terrorism.
Ms Kaidanow said the US is "deeply concerned" about ISIS and its affiliates and foreign terrorists exacerbating violence in the Middle East.
The civil war in Syria spurred many worldwide terrorism events as well. The report notes that more than 16,000 foreign terrorist fighters from over 90 countries travelled to Syria in 2014.
The agency is concerned about the Iran Revolutionary Guard Courts and Hezbollah.
"We cannot predict with precision what the landscape will look like one decade or even really a year from now," said Ms Kaidanow. "But we believe strongly we can best protect America's interests and its people over the long run by engaging in robust diplomacy ... and promoting holistic and rule-of-law based approaches to counter terrorism and violent extremism."


League Two side Plymouth Argyle comfortably progressed into round two of the FA Cup as they despatched Conference North outfit AFC Fylde.

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Headers from Peter Hartley and Marvin Morgan proved enough for the Pilgrims.
Reuben Reid should have added to the score, but failed to capitalise on a goalkeeping error when he fired wide.
The Coasters, 44 league places below their hosts, had chances of their own but Richie Allen shot wide and Michael Barnes saw his effort saved.


Sergio Garcia shot a six-under-par 66 to share third place at the BMW International, his first event in Europe since winning the Masters.

The Spaniard, whose opening round in Munich contained six birdies, trails leader Wade Ormsby of Australia by two shots and Belgian Thomas Detry by one.
England's Tommy Fleetwood, who finished fourth at the US Open on Sunday, is tied for sixth, three strokes adrift.
Defending champion Henrik Stenson of Sweden also carded a five-under-par 67.
Fleetwood's compatriots Richard Bland, James Morrison and Matthew Southgate matched Fleetwood and Stenson's score.
"I felt like I played quite well, but not spectacular," said Garcia, whose Masters triumph at Augusta in April was his first major title.
"There's still three more rounds to go, so we're going to keep playing hard and hopefully we'll be up there on Sunday."


Jess Fishlock celebrated her 100th cap in style as she helped Wales to a comfortable win over Northern Ireland with a terrific first-half goal.

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Fishlock, 30, became the first Wales international to win 100 caps.
The Seattle Reign midfielder marked the occasion with an unstoppable strike on 39 minutes to send Wales 2-1 up.
Georgia Evans and Natasha Harding got Wales' other goals while Rachel Furness scored from the spot for Northern Ireland after Kayleigh Green handled.
It was also a special day for Notts County Ladies midfielder Angharad James who won her 50th Wales cap.
Wales are playing Northern Ireland twice in two days in preparation for the upcoming Fifa Women's World Cup Qualifying campaign.
Qualification begins in September for the tournament in France in 2019, with the draw taking place in April.
Wales and Northern Ireland meet again at Ystrad Mynach on Friday, 7 April.


A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a British man "with a spear" in Portugal.

The Policia Judiciaria said the victim, 58, thought to originally be from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, was living in Alcoutim, near Faro, on the Algarve, when he was killed.
A 20-year-old man, from Portugal, was arrested and is being held by police.
The Briton has been named in reports as ex-accountant Simon Carley-Pocock.
He is believed to have moved to Portugal more than 10 years ago.
A police spokesman said: "The victim was 58 years old. He was killed with a stab blow to the abdominal area. A man suspected of the crime of murder was arrested."
It has been reported that a spear was used in the attack which is thought to have happened over the weekend.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in contact with local authorities following the death of a British national in the Algarve and are ready to provide consular assistance."


A 23-year-old man who remains missing more than two weeks after being swept out to sea off the Ceredigion coast has been named.

Luke Morton, from the West Midlands, was washed off rocks at Mwnt on Sunday, 7 August.
Coastguards said Mr Morton and another man had been out walking when they were cut off by the tide and he was caught by the waves.
Extensive searches were called off after three days.
Dyfed-Powys Police said the force and other emergency services had since carried out periodic checks of the coast in the area.


Polish PM Beata Szydlo has accused the French president of trying to blackmail her country, in a row over Thursday's re-election of EU leader Donald Tusk.

At the end of an EU summit, she said it was unacceptable for Francois Hollande to threaten to stop funds because Poland was "not behaving properly".
Poland had tried but failed to stop Mr Tusk's re-election, and refused to endorse the summit's joint statement.
Ms Szydlo also warned partners Poland would not accept a multi-speed Europe.
She said the EU faced new divisions if stronger nations tried to integrate more among themselves at the expense of weaker ones like Poland and fellow ex-communist countries in the east.
Friday's talks in Brussels focused on the future of the post-Brexit EU.
EU members discussed making a joint declaration that should stress EU unity when they meet in Rome on 25 March.
Poland's failure to endorse the summit joint statement reportedly led to a confrontation over dinner on Thursday evening, with Mr Hollande saying that richer Western nations were helping to pay for Poland's development.
"If someone says 'you're not behaving properly so you won't get the money' - that's unacceptable," Ms Szydlo told a news conference on Friday.
She also took a swipe at Mr Hollande's personal popularity.
"Am I supposed to take seriously the blackmail of a president who has a 4% approval rating and who soon won't be president?"
When the idea of an EU celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding Treaty of Rome in the Italian capital was first mooted it must have seemed like a good idea.
Now Brexit casts a long, dark shadow over those proceedings - an organisation that has known nothing but steady expansion is about to lose a member state for the first time.
That is a confidence-sapping thought for an institution which has no firm timetable for planned future expansion in the Balkans.
There is no big idea on offer from the European Commission - just a palette of five vague outlines of how the EU will work in the future. The moment does not feel right for grand visions.
Then there is the Polish government's anger at the re-election of their fellow-countryman Donald Tusk to a top job at the European Council. Poland - a huge beneficiary of EU funding - suddenly feels as though it might take the place in the European awkward squad that the UK is vacating.
Brexit's long shadow over Europe as anniversary nears
Poland is the biggest net recipient of EU funds - in 2015 it got â‚¬13.4bn (Â£11.7bn; $14.2bn) from the EU.
The EU budget will come under huge strain when the UK - one of the biggest net contributors - leaves.
The dispute blew up after Poland failed to block the reappointment of Mr Tusk as European Council president - a key strategic role in the EU.
As a result Poland refused to give its consent for the joint statement at the end of the summit. Controversially, the conclusions - normally an expression of EU unity - came instead from Mr Tusk personally.
A long-running feud between him and Jaroslaw Kaczynski - the nationalist guiding the Polish government - caused the debacle.
Mr Tusk, a former Polish prime minister from a rival party, has been critical of controversial government policies, and has in turn been accused of meddling in Poland's domestic affairs.
There is new momentum behind the idea of EU members moving at different speeds - a way of saying that some member states are more in favour of further integration than others.
France, Germany and Italy back it - but Poland is adamantly against.
Poland and its neighbours fear being left behind if their stronger partners integrate in more areas, especially the eurozone.
But Mr Hollande said it was not about multi-speeds, but about being able "to go faster... and also further without closing the door on anyone".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said different aspects of integration were "open for every member state to take part in".
Over the years, the UK's distance from the EU on many key issues - including the euro, the Schengen passport-free zone and budget spending - has meant that the bloc is already de facto multi-speed.
There is a legal mechanism for smaller groups of countries to forge ahead with a common policy.
That was demonstrated again at this summit with agreement that 17 member states could set up a European Public Prosecutor's Office - seen as a way to combat VAT fraud.


As the fight for domestic honours in Scotland continues, those running the game are warning of impending European doom.

The major footballing powers across the continent are restless and appear to be agitating for change.
But would change, if it arrives, come at the detriment of Scottish clubs playing in Europe and if so, why?
A number of Europe's top clubs have been calling for a review of the Champions League for some time. They believe the current system needs to be freshened up to stop 'stagnation'.
European club football's elite competition has evolved and grown since its inception in the 1950s.
In 1992, Uefa scrapped the straight knock-out European Cup format - a competition consisting solely of the winners of each domestic league. As it stands, 76 teams from 54 associations have the chance to go all the way and lift the trophy through preliminary qualification and a 32-team group stage.
Those lucky enough to be crowned winners could pocket in the region of £100m in the process. Entry to the group stage alone is worth about £15m to clubs like Celtic.
It seems those at the top want more.
Reports suggest there are moves underway to create a breakaway set-up that would step out and away from underneath the Uefa umbrella. Such a set-up could include the top clubs in countries such as England, Spain, Germany and Italy.
The cash, in theory, could come from wealthy investors in places such as the United States, the Middle East or China.
The head of the European Club Association (ECA) Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has recently hinted that a split from Uefa is on the cards. He has already mentioned 20 as a possible number. It's highly unlikely Scotland would be invited to a party of that size.
Uefa says a review is underway and has asked the ECA to come up with proposals by the end of the year.
A complete split seems unlikely. National associations would be very much against it - as would domestic leagues such as England's Premier League and the Bundesliga in Germany.
Divorce would be costly and complicated and those close to the discussions believe it may well be a smokescreen in any case.
Some suggest the threat of a split is being used as leverage by the elite clubs in an effort to get more control. That control could come in the form of guaranteed group places for certain clubs regardless of their domestic finish each season.
The top clubs may also push for more Champions League places for their respective leagues. As it stands, La Liga in Spain have three automatic entries to the group stage plus a further play-off place - England has the same.
It's highly likely that these countries will push to have more automatic places. Of course, if the pot increases and the numbers stay the same then some could be kicked out of the party.
Ultimately, the top Scottish clubs fear their party invite being withdrawn altogether or at the very least, a tougher route to the top table.
Scotland currently has one Champions League place reserved for the winner of the Premiership, but the current co-efficient means they have to negotiate two qualifying rounds and a two-legged play-off. Change could force them to play an extra qualifying round or face tougher teams in existing qualifying.
Celtic and Rangers in recent years have made up to £20m from their forays into the group stage and beyond. Compare that to the £1.5m Celtic received last year for winning the Premiership title and it's obvious to see why it's such a coveted prize.
This scenario isn't just bad news for whoever is crowned Scotland's champions, though. In recent years, when Celtic have qualified for the group stage, other Scottish clubs have shared a "solidarity pot" of about £1.5m.
Those running the Scottish game say the threat of change is real and the outcome potentially disastrous.


Haseeb Hameed again failed to impress the England selectors at Edgbaston on day three of Lancashire's day-night Championship game against Warwickshire.

In his final innings before the squad for the first Test against South Africa is named on Sunday, Hameed, batting at three, was lbw to Rikki Clarke for 23.
Lancashire went on to 178-4, a lead of 130, with Alex Davies making 79.
Warwickshire had been bowled out for 321, Andy Umeed eventually removed for 113 after 494 minutes at the crease.
He shared a stand of exactly 100 with Jeetan Patel, who was stumped by Stephen Parry, the left-arm spinner then trapping opener Umeed leg before in his next over.
Still, Warwickshire, Division One's bottom side, were able to extend their lead to 48 before Jordan Clark (4-81) bowled debutant George Panayi to end a 36-run last-wicket stand with Boyd Rankin.
Hameed had been off the field with a hand injury and, at first, that seemed to be the explanation for Jos Buttler opening the Lancashire second innings with Davies. However, when Buttler clipped Keith Barker's fifth ball to mid-wicket, Hameed emerged to suggest that the England one-day specialist's elevation up the order had been tactical.
Hameed looked increasingly assured until he played around his front pad to be leg before, extending his wait for a first-class half-century this season. Lancashire were then only seven runs ahead and two wickets down.
But Davies added 89 with captain Steven Croft until both fell to former England pace bowler Rankin. Davies first offered a leading edge to mid-on before Croft was brilliantly taken by Umeed at mid-wicket.
The visitors were again in danger of surrendering the initiative, but Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dave Vilas guided them to the close to perhaps give Lancashire a slight advantage in a match that is delicately poised.  With leaders Essex seemingly set for victory against Middlesex, second-placed Lancashire will want to maintain the chase, while Warwickshire will eye the chance for their first win of the season.
Andy Umeed's century was the slowest in County Championship history, breaking an 103-year-old record.
He reached his ton in 429 minutes - nine more than the previous slowest, by Northamptonshire's Billy Denton against Derbyshire in 1914.
Warwickshire all-rounder Rikki Clarke told BBC WM:
"We'll be in a strong position if we can take a couple of early wickets so we've just got to plug away and try to break this partnership with the new ball, which isn't far away.
"The pink ball has gone a little bit soft but sometimes a red ball does that. As bowlers you've just got toil away and try different things to try and get the breakthrough.
"The way Andy Umeed applied himself was brilliant for such a young guy. With someone like Jimmy Anderson coming in at you that's quite a challenge for anyone. But he stuck in there and fully deserved his hundred and Jeets stuck in their alongside him and put on an important partnership.
"There are definitely signs that we are turning things around. It's certainly not through lack of trying. Sometimes things just don't go for you and we have been in a spell like that. It will turn."
Lancashire batsman Alex Davies told BBC Radio Manchester:
"The pink ball is nice to see early on, nice and bright and pink, but it does go soft quite easily so as a batting unit it is quite difficult to get you out if you get in on a good pitch.
"It reverses quite early, similar to the white ball, but goes softer quite early. There are pros and cons but the experiment is still in its early stages so we'll see.
"In the context of the game, Andy Umeed played really well and did exactly what their team needed him to do and just dug in and put his team in a good position.
"I missed quite a lot of last season so having missed the last three-quarters of the season that made me even more hungry. I put a lot of hard hours in in the winter and I think I'm reaping the benefits."


A murderer who shot a man outside a pub in a "bitter feud" has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Kieran McGrath, 26, was attacked after leaving the Sheldon Arms, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester on 4 October 2014.
He managed to drive to a local police station but collapsed and died outside.
Remi Adams, 34, was ordered to serve a minimum of 30 years at Manchester Crown Court. Three other men have received life sentences over the killing.
Adams, of Dartmouth Road, Whitefield, was convicted of murder at a retrial after the jury at the original trial in April was unable to agree on verdicts.
He was put on trial again with Scott Chapman, 28, of Leng Road, Manchester, who was cleared of murder.
The sentences of Anthony Henry, Troy Beckford and Jace Smith, who were all found guilty of murder, as well as Henry's girlfriend Bretony Gallimore, who was convicted of assisting an offender, could only be reported after the conclusion of the re-trial on Wednesday.
Henry, 32, of Kenwyn Street, Miles Platting - who orchestrated the shooting - was ordered to serve a minimum of 33 years by Liverpool Crown Court.
Beckford, 24, of Lowerfields Gardens, Warrington, must serve a minimum of 30 years and Smith, 32, of Charlestown Road, Manchester, at least 31 years.
Henry's girlfriend Bretony Gallimore, 25, of Stanhorne Avenue, Manchester, was sentenced to three years.
Police said Henry bought two mobile phones and Beckford fitted a tracker to Mr McGrath's Audi S3 as part of the murder plot.
On the night of his death Smith and Adams lay in wait on a motorcycle, said police, with Adams pulling the trigger when he left the pub.
Karen Tonge from the Crown Prosecution Service said Henry "orchestrated" the "premeditated murder" of Kieran McGrath and "recruited Adams as the gunman" because of their "longstanding dispute".
She said all the offenders "played an integral role in the murder".
Adams "pulled the trigger" with Smith the driver of the motorcycle and Beckford "assisting" Henry in the plan to kill Mr McGrath.


Forest Green Rovers have offered keeper Sam Russell a new one-year contract and have taken up the option of extending midfielder Keanu Marsh-Brown's deal.

The promoted club have also offered youngster Olly Mehew a further year.
But Sam Wedgbury, Marcus Kelly, Louis McGrory, Mohamed Chemlal and Anthony Jeffrey have all been released.
Kaiyne Woolery, Mark Ellis, Charlie Cooper, Jake Gosling, and Curtis Tilt's loan spells have ended, after Sunday's National League promotion final.
Meanwhile, veteran former Birmingham City midfielder Darren Carter left the Gloucestershire club on 3 May.


Too many lecturers are struggling to make ends meet on casual contracts, says the academics' union UCU.

The University and College Union questioned more than 2,500 of its members on casual employment contracts in further and higher education.
Of these, 42% said they had problems with household bills, 35% with rent or mortgage and 21% struggled to buy food.
But a university employers' body said the study was flawed as not all the contracts would count as casual.
The union's study, Making ends meet: The human cost of casualisation in education, was carried out between January and April this year.
About 2,550 staff on casual contracts at UK universities and colleges responded - 71% were from the higher education sector, the rest from further education.
About a quarter said they were on zero-hours contracts, 45% were on fixed-term contracts and 32% were paid by the hour.
They included lecturers, tutors, trainers, researchers and postgraduate teachers.
The figures varied between sectors, with 55% of the higher education staff on fixed-term contracts and 32% of the further education staff on zero-hours contracts.
Overall, 47% worked up to 30 hours a week and 33% earned less than Â£1,000 a month, the survey found. .
About one in 10 could not say how many hours they worked in a week because their employment was so irregular, says the report.
Many said they worked long hours because of worries about where their next job was coming from or because they knew they would not be paid over the holidays.
Some said their hours were being cut to make way for cheaper staff.
UCU general secretary Sally Hunt described some of the employment contracts in the study as "exploitative" and leaving people "unable to plan their lives month by month or even week by week".
"Ministers and employers must stop trying to defend these practices as flexible. People who want security and a proper contract should be able to get one.
"The high levels of casualisation in further and higher education would shock many students and parents and expose the harsh reality of life in modern universities and colleges."
The union says the most recent official figures show more than a third (36%) of academics in higher education were on fixed-term or temporary contracts in 2013.
But the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) disputed the union's definition of fixed-term employment as casual work, pointing out that fixed-term contracts were primarily used for researchers on externally funded projects, lasting three or four years.
A spokesman said numbers of permanent contracts had risen in recent years and, once research contracts were excluded, the proportion of work done by casual staff was more like 3%.
"Higher education institutions cannot simply provide full-time or open-ended employment to everyone who wants it. Like all employers they will always have variable and temporary needs."
The spokesman said specialist lecturers, who combined teaching with other employment in their profession, often preferred flexible contracts.
The Association of Colleges (AoC) said further education had always needed a flexible workforce and employed people on different types of contracts according to need.
"These needs include the levels of demand for some courses, covering staff absences and delivering short courses," said Marc Whitworth, the AoC's employment and policy director.
Mr Whitworth said the UCU's conclusions were "concerning" but "not representative of the discussions we have had with our college members".
A report on casual and hourly paid staff in higher education is due to be published next month after an eight-month inquiry by a joint working group of unions and employers.


Gatwick Airport has closed its runway and an investigation is under way after claims the surface started to break up.

Earlier, Gatwick tweeted an apology to anyone impacted by the closure.
It said: "Our runway is temporarily closed while we carry out investigations. Apologies if you're impacted. We'll update you shortly."
BBC London Travel tweeted there are reports the surface is breaking up with arrivals being diverted to Stansted and Bournemouth airports.
In a further statement, a spokesman for the airport said the main runway was temporarily closed at 15.48 BST while a reported issue was investigated.
He said: "We have now switched our operation to the Northern Runway and flights are departing and arriving from Gatwick.
"There will, however, be some delays to flights because of this.
"The safety and security of our airport and passengers is our number one priority, but we'd like to apologise to passengers impacted today."


Rangers have launched a £4m legal claim against a number of former directors and Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley.

The club allege Charles Green, Imran Ahmad, Brian Stockbridge and Derek Llambias negotiated commercial deals with Sports Direct below market value.
They also believe Mr Ashley unfairly benefited from the alleged negligence.
The action came to light at the Court of Session where Mr Ashley's legal team succeeded in a bid to get Rangers to disclose documents to them.
Rangers allege that the former directors did not act in the business's best interests when they negotiated commercial deals with Sports Direct.
The deals which the club are objecting to include an October 2012 agreement in which the directors allowed Sports Direct to have the naming rights to Ibrox Stadium.
Rangers believe that the naming rights were given to Sports Direct at a price well below their true market value.
In November 2014, the club also entered into a Partnership Marketing Agreement with Sports Direct which allowed the business advertising space at Ibrox.
The club's current management believe that the deal was also arranged at a price well blow its true market value.
They also believe that Mr Ashley unfairly benefited from the alleged negligence displayed by Mr Green and his colleagues.
Rangers hope to recover a total of £4,106,470.83 from the action.
They also want a judge to declare the Partnership Marketing Agreement void.
The action is concerned with the alleged actions involving the club's former chief executive Charles Green, commercial director Imran Ahmad and its former finance director Brian Stockbridge.
The club is also concerned with the alleged conduct of Mr Green's replacement as chief executive, Derek Llambias.
The case will next call before the court in the near future.


As I swim in the ocean of shiny new tech that surrounds me at CES, I find myself wondering where on earth I would put all this stuff if I had to take it with me.

One firm I met there thinks it has the answer - in the form of a jacket with 42 secret pockets, each tailored for a specific device.
Scotte Vest's $150 (Â£120) sleeveless gilet is an Aladdin's cave of pockets: it includes a laptop-sized space on the back, somewhere to store a tablet in each of the front panels, an inside breast pocket for smartphones made out of touchscreen-friendly material and a channel for headphone cables or chargers.
It also contains a sunglasses pouch with attached cleaning cloth.
However, the firm does not recommend using all 42 pockets at once.
"It is having a pocket for what you need at the moment," said spokesman Luke Lappala.
"If style isn't necessarily your number one priority, you could fit everything you ever need in there."
I can vouch for that, after stashing my 11in (28cm) laptop, charging cable and plug, smartphone, tablet, radio equipment, battery power bar and notebook in a single Scotte Vest garment.
I didn't look or feel particularly elegant, and the weight of the laptop alone almost tipped me over twice - but once the load had settled onto my shoulders I began to feel like I was wearing a backpack rather than a gilet.
It was surprisingly difficult to get everything back out again after this little experiment. I could feel the charger about my person but it took me a while to locate the pocket it was in. Helpfully, each garment comes with a small fabric map setting out the location of all the pockets.
The idea was born in the year 2000 when chief executive Scott Jordan almost damaged his ears in an airport after getting a headphone cable tangled on a doorknob, Mr Lappala told me.
It was inspired by the traditional fisherman's vest.
Scotte Vest claims to have sold more than 10 million garments so far, ranging from trench coats to shorts, all with varying tallies of pockets.
It is great for travellers, said Mr Lappala. And drone pilots.
The firm even has a rival in the form of the J25 made by AyeGear - although as its name suggests, that one has a mere 25 storage areas.
I can't believe I've come to Las Vegas to write about pockets.


Moscow police have detained 16 Nigerian students accused of smashing furniture inside their country's embassy, reportedly in anger over unpaid grants.

The 16 suspects were removed from the embassy building at the request of Nigerian staff, Russia's interior ministry told local media.
All of them are enrolled at colleges of higher education in Russia, it added.
Other African students in Russia have protested in the past over their home countries' failure to pay their grants.
The 16 students arrested in Moscow face administrative charges, the interior ministry said.
Trouble erupted at the embassy on Malaya Nikitskaya Street following a hearing for the students over their financial problems, according to a police source quoted by Ria-Novosti news agency.
Furniture was smashed in the reception room, after which the students reportedly threatened to damage the embassy's other rooms.
Last year, Nigerian students beat up an embassy representative over non-payment of grants, Russia's lenta.ru news website reports.
Thousands of African students have passed through the educational system in Moscow and other Russian cities in a tradition dating back to Soviet times, when the communist government subsidised their studies.


Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga has ruled himself out of the remainder of the World Twenty20 after failing to recover from a knee injury.

Malinga, 32, missed Thursday's win over Afghanistan and will return home.
"He has informed the manager that he can't continue playing," Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Mohan de Silva told BBC Sinhala.
"We received reports he still feels pain while bowling in the nets so he is not in a position to continue playing."
Malinga has been replaced by 26-year-old leg-spinner Jefferey Vandasay, who was the original squad but dropped the day before they left for India.
Malinga, fourth on the all-time list of T20 international wicket-takers, was named captain midway through Sri Lanka's victorious World T20 campaign in 2014, but stood down just before this year's tournament in India and was replaced by Angelo Mathews.
Sri Lanka's next match is against West Indies on Sunday.


A teenager from Leeds has become an overnight internet sensation after singing a duet with singer Jessie J.

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29 May 2015 Last updated at 10:02 BST
Tom Bleasby's performance with the star of "Flashlight" from the movie Pitch Perfect 2  has racked up seven million views on Facebook.


News Corp has said it is in talks with Rebekah Brooks after reports she will return as chief of its UK division.

The former News of the World editor quit as UK chief executive four years ago amid the phone-hacking scandal. She was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
Her re-appointment could be confirmed next month, the Financial Times said.
Campaign group Hacked Off said it was a sign of an "unreformed, unrepentant press", but a former Times executive editor said hacking was in the past.
Mrs Brooks edited both the Sun and the NoW in a long career at Rupert Murdoch's company.
She resigned as UK chief executive in July 2011 in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal at the NoW, which eventually closed the paper.
Royals, celebrities and victims of crime were among those whose phones were hacked by journalists at the Sunday tabloid.
Mrs Brooks had denied any involvement and was cleared of charges relating to phone hacking last year. Andy Coulson, another former NoW editor, was jailed after being convicted of conspiracy to hack phones.
Dr Evan Harris, joint executive director of Hacked Off, said Mrs Brooks's re-appointment would show News Corp was a "dynastic, mafia-type corporation", with no regard for the feelings of the victims of phone hacking.
"Yes she's entitled to her verdict of not guilty - but she achieved that with a defence of incompetence; she didn't know what was happening, and yet she's coming back. It's astonishing."
But Roger Alton, ex-executive editor of the Times, said Mrs Brooks had been an effective chief executive who was held in high esteem by the company.
"The phone-hacking scandal is in the past... She is an extremely effective, talented person, most likeable, extremely good with people," he said.
The move would be a "PR challenge" for Mr Murdoch, but "he values loyalty - she is very loyal, and he's been very loyal to her", he added.
Rebekah Brooks, formerly Wade, started out in journalism as a teenager.
She joined the NoW aged 20, working her way up to become editor in 2000 - at the time the youngest editor of a national newspaper. In 2003 she moved to the Sun, becoming the first woman to edit the title.
Described by friends as charming, clever and persuasive, she forged close ties with politicians from all parties, including David Cameron.
After six years at the Sun, she was appointed chief executive of parent company News International (now called News UK) in 2009.
In 2011, the NoW closed amid the phone-hacking scandal. A week later Mrs Brooks resigned.
In May 2012, she was charged over phone hacking but denied any wrongdoing and was acquitted in June 2014.
The FT's media correspondent Henry Mance said a return could be perceived as a "slight triumph" for Mrs Brooks, but some former colleagues might not welcome it.
"One senior journalist said she was nothing short of a nightmare, as an editor, that she would send 25 angry emails every morning saying the coverage isn't good enough," he said.
Before the phone-hacking scandal, Mrs Brooks gave Rupert Murdoch a "bridge to the British political scene", he said.
"It may well be that that is what he expects to happen again," he said.
The FT also reported that David Dinsmore, the current Sun editor, was to take a senior operational role at News UK and will work alongside Mrs Brooks.
The leading candidate to replace him is Tony Gallagher, deputy editor of the Daily Mail and a former editor of the Daily Telegraph, the FT said.
A News Corp spokeswoman said: "When we have any announcements to make we will let you know."
Meanwhile, UK prosecutors said they were considering a file for possible corporate prosecution over phone hacking at the News of the World.
The file relates to evidence gathered as part of Operation Weeting, which investigated illegal voicemail interceptions at the Sunday tabloid.
The Crown Prosecution Service said: "We have received a full file of evidence for consideration of corporate liability charges relating to the Operation Weeting phone-hacking investigation."


Daniel Craig has said he has not made any decisions about whether he will carry on playing James Bond.

The actor, on his fourth outing as 007 in Spectre, had told Time Out magazine that he would "rather slash [his] wrists" than make a fifth Bond film.
But he told the BBC: "I'm quite straightforward and I say things when I feel it and then I change my mind.
"I'm just like everybody else.  People latch onto things. There's not a lot I can do about that."
Spectre, which is released on Monday, sees Bond battling a criminal syndicate led by Franz Oberhauser, played by Christoph Waltz.
A preview screening in London on Wednesday to film critics and journalists was greeted with applause and cheers.
Among the five-star reviews were the Telegraph's Robbie Collin, who said Spectre combined "hold-your-breath action and ghosts of 007's past".
Speaking to the BBC's Lizo Mzimba on Thursday, Daniel Craig said he and director Sam Mendes had wanted to celebrate Bond but "didn't want to look back and copy what's been done before".
He acknowledged that most Bond fans have a "very particular memory about certain Bond movies" and that it would be "unwise to ignore all of that".
The actor said that having a producing credit on the film was "the high point" of his career.
"I knew when I accepted the role that it would turn my life upside down and it did. There's no getting away from it.
"I'm still enjoying it much more than I ever did because I've been allowed to bring what I know to the role. I've been involved with every aspect of film-making."
Asked if he had made a decision about carrying on as Bond, Craig added: "No - this is what's going on at the moment.  I'm enjoying this."


If you know the films of Sir Kenneth Branagh there is something familiar about Cinderella's ballroom dance scene, when the Prince swirls her round in a glow of colour and light, all captured in bold, sweeping camera movements.

Branagh used a similar visual style in his big-budget 1994 film Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, in which he also starred as the overambitious scientist.
That film performed poorly at the US box office and marked a period in the relative wilderness for the hitherto golden boy of British theatre and film.
The experience may also explain Branagh's return to form as a first-league Hollywood director 21 years later, with his live-action Cinderella now a major box office hit.
He was always on sure ground with critically acclaimed cinematic treatments of classic Shakespeare and more recently opera such as The Magic Flute (2006).
Transferring that depth to mass-market family entertainment has been key to his breakthrough, starting with Thor in 2011.
Branagh went out to LA to pitch to direct Thor, the Marvel film that transformed the fortunes of the comic-book-based studio.
Not an obvious choice, he convinced them to let him inject Shakespearean grandeur and acting into Thor's Norse mythological world.
Like an Elizabethan actor-manager he draws on an evolving "company" of great and diverse stage actors (Anthony Hopkins as Odin in Thor, Derek Jacobi as the ageing King and Nonso Alozie in Cinderella) prepared to put in deep preparation.
Branagh's awards
Twenty-nine wins and 56 nominations, including:
Richard Madden, who plays Prince Charming, said he was made to read Machiavelli's Renaissance text on statecraft, The Prince.
Perhaps most importantly, Branagh emphasises brilliant, damaged villains who win legions of adoring fans.
He has compared Tom Hiddleston's Loki in the Thor films with Cate Blanchett's femme-fatale stepmother.
Branagh is clearly a master, not the slave, of the computer-generated imagery (CGI) effects demanded of both superheroes and Cinderella's impressive transformations.
It is a lesson learnt perhaps from the CGI-mad disaster of Wild, Wild West (1999), in which he played the scenery-chewing villain.
Crucially, Branagh is hungry for mainstream success, making a straight action film Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) to prove it.
As he told The Scotsman recently: "I wanted the chance to do something in a form where more people would see it."
Cinderella, shot on real film stock, looks sumptuous, but Branagh has had to defend it against accusations from some critics that the movie is too old-fashioned and does not do enough to challenge the passive endurance of abuse in the traditional story.
At the Berlin Festival premiere of the film he said Cinderella has "a strength of character that is sort of a form of non-violent resistance".
Disagreement with Disney over the darker version conceived by the original signed director Mark Romanek is reported to be the reason the American left the project in 2013.
Disney's Maleficent (2014), a live-action retelling of the 1959 Sleeping Beauty from the wicked fairy's point of view, suggested a desire to play with darkness, though many critics felt it fell short of its promise.
However, Maleficent did well with audiences and, in the light of Cinderella's similar success, Branagh's upbeat approach appears to be the template for the live-action remake projects ahead.
Cinderella on the big screen
The Jungle Book, starring Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson and Idris Elba, is scheduled for release in 2016.
Like Lily James in Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast will star another Downton Abbey alumnus, Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley) as the Beast alongside Emma Watson as Belle.
By strange coincidence, there is a Frankenstein connection for its director, Bill Condon, who made his Hollywood directorial debut with his own screenplay of Gods and Monsters about the celebrated 1931 Frankenstein horror film.
Tim Burton, best known for his own love of the Gothic, is back with Disney for Dumbo after Alice In Wonderland (2010), which - even more than Maleficient - defied poor reviews to be a huge box-office hit.
Disney now owns both Marvel and the Star Wars franchises and appears to be committed to a major strategy of remaking its back catalogue of animated classics for a modern family audience, and building on the worldwide success of its new animated princesses in Frozen.
Rival Universal studios is thought to be going back to its own classic catalogue for remakes. It has had mixed success with dark fairytale reboots.
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) fared much better than Hansel and Gretel: Witchhunters (2013) or Jack The Giant Slayer (2013).
Universal turns out to have been ahead of the game though, with its remake of The Mummy (1999).
Now it is thought that Dracula and Frankenstein may well be brought back to life.
In a way, it is all thanks to Branagh, who has proved that with courage as a superpower and a little Disney magic anyone can be transformed into Hollywood royalty.


England have won nine matches in a row and leapt from eighth to second in the world rankings, leaving just New Zealand ahead of them.

So what next for Jones and his side as they try and hunt down the world champions?
Head coach Eddie Jones captured the mood of an excited nation after England completed an historic 3-0 whitewash in Australia, just months after sealing a first Grand Slam in 13 years.
"I'm sure that everyone at home who watched the three Tests can't wait to see us play in November," the Australian said. "They must be lining up at Twickenham now trying to get seats."
Next up for England are the autumn Tests against South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia.
Jones says England were too inconsistent across the series, best illustrated by the lax defensive displays in the first and third Test matches. Defence coach Paul Gustard will be tasked with ensuring the heroic rearguard effort in the second Test in Melbourne was not a one-off.
"We've got a lot of hard work ahead of us," Jones told BBC Sport after Saturday's 44-40 victory in Sydney. "We have serious deficiencies in our consistency, but that will come with time and with more detailed practice.
"The All Blacks beat Wales by a big score, which just shows their incredible relentlessness. We don't have that yet but that's where we are aiming to go."
Jones will be aware that the Wallabies were hampered in the series by injury and unavailability, and the players acknowledge there is plenty to work on.
"We are not the finished article by any means," said scrum-half Ben Youngs. "We have got to kick on from where we are."
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Before the Six Nations, Jones said England lacked "world-class players", so have any of his charges elevated themselves to that level since then?
"[Number eight] Billy Vunipola was absolutely outstanding, while his brother Mako really came through on this tour," Jones said.
"I thought Owen [Farrell] and George [Ford] really grew as guys who could control a game, they knew when to run, knew when to kick, and knew when to pass. So they are the guys that really stood out."
Jones also had special praise for prop Dan Cole, who has been another key performer for England after a difficult World Cup, while flankers James Haskell and Chris Robshaw were also outstanding and lock Maro Itoje has continued his staggering development.
Farrell scored an astonishing 66 points in the series, nailing 23 out of his 26 kicks at goal in the process.
At the start of the season the debate was whether  Farrell or Ford should play at fly-half; this tour has shown that there must be a place for Farrell in the starting XV, regardless of the number on his back.
The Saracen has been compared to all-time great Jonny Wilkinson by the Australian media because of his relentless accuracy from the tee and, if he stays fit, chasing down Wilkinson's England points record is not unfeasible.
But while Jones has spoken in the past of his desire for a big ball-carrier at inside-centre - Luther Burrell started the series in Brisbane - it will now be hard to break up the Ford and Farrell combination at 10 and 12, with both players excelling down under.
The two could become "legends of the game" according to skills coach Glen Ella, and it would be a surprise if they both don't start in the autumn.
However, Jones will have options in the midfield: Manu Tuilagi will be drafted back into the squad if he can finally avoid injury, while Northampton's Harry Mallinder caught the eye as he led the England to the World Rugby Under 20 Championship at the weekend.
Then there is Ben Te'o, who didn't feature in the tour down under, but will be playing in the Premiership next season with Worcester.
While urging his players to improve, Jones is looking to do likewise, and will spend time with the Orica GreenEDGE team at next month's Tour de France in the belief he must develop as a coach if England are to the top the world rankings.
"I'm keen to have a look at what they do because I've got to get better," he said. "If the team's not consistent, then our coaching's not good enough. You can never take your foot off the pedal."
England don't play New Zealand until 2017 at the earliest, and while supporters would love to see the side's resurgence tested against the best in the world, the schedule does present England with a genuine chance of going through 2016 unbeaten.
South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia visit Twickenham in the autumn, with all four matches eminently winnable. It may be that England have won 12 from 12 ahead of a rematch with the Wallabies on the first weekend of December.
"Absolutely, there's no reason we can't [win every match]," said Youngs. "But there is a lot of rugby to be played between now and then. It's an exciting time for England rugby, and I feel very privileged to have been a part of this tour party."
"English rugby is in a good place," reflected captain Dylan Hartley. "We were in a dark place maybe six months ago, and I hope we have now given the people something to cheer about."
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