A Hindu religious leader's comment that allowing women into a shrine devoted to Lord Shani (Saturn) will increase rapes has drawn criticism.

Shankaracharya Swaroopanand's comments came two days after the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra state let women into the inner sanctum.
For centuries, the temple had been open only to men.
Last month, the Mumbai high court affirmed the right of women to enter and pray inside all temples.
Women's activists had led protests demanding entry specifically to the Lord Shani shrine.
"Women entered Shani temple's inner sanctum," news agency ANI quoted the 94-year-old as saying on Monday.
"The women are worshipping Shani in the temple. By doing so, Shani's eyes would fall on women and this would result in increase of rape incidents."
Women were kept out of the Shani Shingnapur temple for nearly 400 years and temple officials, in the past, had claimed that the ban was actually "to protect women since Shani emits radiation which can harm them and cause deformity in a foetus if a pregnant woman enters the temple".
Last year, temple priests carried out an elaborate ritual cleansing after a woman managed to gain entry inside and offer prayers.
The temple authorities relented after last month's Mumbai high court ruling that women had a fundamental right to enter temples, and said those trying to prevent them would be handed a six-month jail term.
Several temples in India preserve the tradition of barring entry to women and in recent months, courts have been considering legal challenges to the policy.
Shankaracharya Swaroopanand's statement has caused outrage in India with many taking to social media to criticise him:
There were a few messages of support too:


A man who died following a hit-and-run in Gravesend had travelled from Lithuania to visit his son in hospital.

Rimantas Karvelis, 56, was hit by a black Vauxhall Astra that failed to stop just before 18:45 BST on 24 October in London Road.
He was taken to a London hospital with serious injuries but died on 3 November, Kent Police said.
His family described him as a "magnificent dad" and "an amazing person".
Mr Karvelis had been on a one-month holiday to visit one of his two sons in hospital in Dartford.
His other son, Audrius Karvelis, who has travelled back from the US, said: "I can't believe he's gone, my magnificent dad, who came here to visit my brother and encourage him to fight Guillain-Barre syndrome at Darenth Valley Hospital.
"Our life has changed irrevocably - we are shocked and deeply saddened.
"He was an amazing person, a real example to others."
The Vauxhall Astra was later found abandoned in Grange Road.
Three people have been arrested and released on bail, Kent Police said.


A man who stole nearly £50,000 worth of meat, fish and cheese from the lorries he drove has been jailed.

Timothy Noel Green, from Sheffield, admitted stealing quantities of fish worth about £13,000 from a lorry he was driving in September 2013.
He also admitted stealing almost £6.000 worth of chicken drumsticks in October the same year and £29,000 worth of cheese a month later.
He was given an 18-month sentence at Sheffield Crown Court.
Green, of Rosemary Road, Beighton, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.
The court heard that on each occasion, Green took the items while transporting the goods to and from businesses and ports or freight terminals. Each shipping container was checked before it left one location and upon arrival at its destination. However, substantial quantities were found to be missing.
Investigating officer Det Con Thomas Ryan, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "This has been a three-year investigation into substantial thefts of goods from a number of locations and businesses across the country.
"Theft is not a victimless crime and Green stole significant quantities of popular items, which could have had a devastating impact on the businesses that were expecting these shipments."
The stolen goods have never been recovered, the force said.


Ecuador presents a hostile environment for journalists and the media, international media freedom organisations say.

Relations between the media and political leaders have been strained
Journalists convicted in Correa libel case
Ecuador media moves create waves
It is characterised by "self-censorship, intimidation, and legal sanctions", US-based Freedom House reports. The NGO says President Correa and other officials have targeted journalists and media outlets with aggressive rhetoric.
Defamation is a criminal offence. A 2013 Communications Law provides for regulation of editorial content and gives officials the power to sanction media outlets.
Most media outlets are privately-run. Ownership is highly concentrated.
Radio is a key medium; there are hundreds of stations, some broadcasting in indigenous languages. Soap operas and US series are staple fare on TV.
There were 7 million internet users by 2016 (Internetlivestats.com). The government has attempted to force the removal of critical social media content on copyright grounds, says Freedom House.


Bill Gates has given away $4.6bn (Â£3.6bn) to charity in his largest donation since 2000.

He remains the world's richest person, despite giving away 64 million shares in Microsoft.
The shares are equivalent to 5% of his total fortune, currently estimated to be $89.9bn.
Since 1994 Mr Gates, 61, and his wife Melinda have given away a total of $35bn in cash and stocks to a range of charitable causes.
The donation was made in June but became public on Monday following the filing of a document with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Mr Gates' share in Microsoft is now just 1.3%. Prior to this, Mr Gates gave away $16bn in Microsoft shares in 1999 and $5.1bn in 2000.
The majority of all previous donations have been made to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is primarily focused on reducing world poverty, combating infectious diseases and providing universal access to computers.
It is not known who the recipient of this latest donation is, however when federal documents are filed, it usually means new money is being given to a foundation, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports.
In 2010, Mr and Mrs Gates and the well-known investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett created the Giving Pledge, and as of May 2017, 158 individuals or couples have agreed to contribute at least half of their wealth to charity.
This latest donation is the biggest charitable gift to have been made anywhere in the world so far this year.
The second largest was made by Mr Buffett, who donated almost $3.2bn to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation last month.
And the third biggest came from Dell Computer Corporation founder Michael Dell and his wife Susan.
In May the couple gave more than $1bn to their foundation, which focuses on children's issues and community initiatives.


The government has begun its sell-off of shares in part-nationalised lender Royal Bank of Scotland, raising £2.1bn, a third below the price it paid.

It sold a 5.4% stake at 330p a share, a 7.6p discount on Monday's closing price.
Chancellor George Osborne is facing criticism for selling the shares at well below the price of about 500p the then Labour government paid for them.
The 170p difference represents a loss of about £1.07bn on the shares sold.
The government's sale cuts the government's stake in RBS to 73%.
RBS shares closed on Tuesday at 339p, up 1.4p, or 0.4%, valuing the bank at £39.2bn.
The UK bailed out RBS in 2008 and 2009 by buying shares for £45bn and supplying it with cheap funds.
Ian Gordon, a banking analyst at Investec, told the BBC's Today programme: "The taxpayer is being short-changed."
The shares could have been sold for a higher price in February, when they were changing hands for more than 400p, he said.
However, James Bevan, chief investment officer at money manager CCLA Investment Management, said the loss was "relatively small".
The point of the UK's rescue of the bank was to prevent further damage to the economy, rather than to turn a profit on the shares, he told BBC Radio 5 live.
RBS chief executive Ross McEwan said: "I'm pleased the government has started to sell down its stake.
"It's an important moment and reflects the progress we are making to become a stronger, simpler and fairer bank. There is more work to be done but we're determined to build a bank the country can be proud of."
RBS reported a half-year loss of £153m last week after setting aside more money for repaying customers and potential legal settlements.
However, for the three months to the end of June, the bank posted a profit of £293m.
Harriett Baldwin, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said Mr Osborne was following Bank of England Governor Mark Carney's advice that a sale should now commence.
Mr Carney said in June the phased sell-off "would promote financial stability" and benefit the wider economy. As governor, Mr Carney is also chairman of the board of the Financial Policy Committee, which is tasked with protecting the stability of the financial system.
UK Financial Investments (UKFI), the company through which the Treasury owns shares in banks like RBS, "has taken the view that there is a window of opportunity to start this process," she told the Today programme.
UKFI owns the UK's stakes in Lloyds Banking Group, RBS, and the remains of the fully-nationalised lenders; Bradford & Bingley and the more-toxic parts of Northern Rock. It is run by a board who manage the investments "commercially" and report to Mr Osborne as chancellor.
But Barbara Keeley, the shadow treasury minister,  accused the government of "casually" losing £1bn.
"The most important question for the tax-payer - are we getting good value for our money? This used to be something the chancellor used to care about, he said he would only sell these RBS shares when we get good value - clearly that's not now," she told Today.
The question on everyone's lips is whether the taxpayer will get value for money from its investment in RBS.
The complexity of the investment, and the chaotic time during which the UK bailed out the bank, means you can choose any answer you wish.
UK Financial Investments argues that fees the government charged RBS mean that the break-even price is 441 pence per share. And the government could very well sell further batches of shares at a value closer to that amount.
But that 441 pence price ignores the interest the Treasury would have had to pay to borrow the £45bn to buy the shares. Interest it has been paying for more than five years while no dividend has been paid by the bank in return.
It also ignores the value of cheap money offered to the banks, including RBS, in the wake of the crisis.
Finally, the reason the shares were bought in the first place must be remembered: to keep the doors of one of the world's largest banks open. Nobody can say how much would have been lost if the company had been put to the wall.


British Cycling will contact Jess Varnish about claims by the sprinter that she was the subject of sexist comments by the technical director.

Varnish, recently dropped from the GB team after missing out on the 2016 Olympics, said in the Daily Mail that British Cycling chief Shane Sutton told her to "go have a baby".
Sutton, 58, has denied any wrongdoing.
British Cycling said it wanted to give Varnish, 25, the chance to discuss her concerns in full.
"We are fully committed to the principles and active promotion of equality of opportunity," read a statement from the governing body.
"As such, we treat any such allegations with the utmost seriousness."
Australian Sutton added: "I wholeheartedly deny that I said or did anything other than act with complete professionalism in my dealings with Jess."
Varnish claimed in the Daily Mail interview that when she questioned the decision to drop her she was told that she was "too old". She also alleges that she had to listen to a "long list" of comments about her figure.
"I was told that 'with an ass like mine I couldn't change position within the team sprint'," Varnish said.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Varnish, a world, European and Commonwealth Games medal-winner, missed out on a place in Rio after she and Katy Marchant finished fifth at last month's World Championships.
Afterwards she appeared to criticise decisions made by British Cycling, telling BBC Sport the team "had been playing catch-up for two years after decisions that were [made] above us".
Sutton said the decision not to renew her contract "was based on a projection of medal competitiveness at Olympic level".


Sheridan Smith says it would be her "dream" to play her latest stage role on Broadway.

The actress plays real-life comedian and singer Fanny Brice in Funny Girl - the role that made Barbra Streisand famous in the 1960s.
The musical opened at London's Menier Chocolate Factory on Wednesday night to a standing ovation and rave reviews.
Smith said she she'd instantly said yes when she was approached about the role.
"It's a dream role," she said. "I'd have kicked myself for the rest of my life had I not done it."
Funny Girl, directed by Michael Mayer, has a sold-out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory until March before it transfers to the West End's Savoy Theatre for a 12-week season.
It has not been seen in the West End since Streisand played Fanny Brice in the original London production in 1966.
Smith, who has two Olivier awards for her stage roles in Legally Blonde and Flare Path, told the BBC she wouldn't turn down the opportunity to star in Funny Girl to Broadway.
"I'd be daft if I said no. I would love to, that's my dream.  But would they take a Lincolnshire girl to do a New York-Brooklyn girl?
"There's so many American girls who could play this part, so I'm just grateful to be doing it here. Who knows how long this journey will last, but I will love every second of it."
She admitted she'd had "a few wobbles" about taking on a role so closely associated with Streisand, whose role in the 1968 film adaptation won her an Oscar.
"There is only one Barbra Streisand, so the key to it is putting your own stamp on it and to remember that the story is about Fanny Brice.
"It's her biography - and not Barbra Streisand's - which people get confused about."
Smith, who was made an OBE this year, said the role of Fanny Brice resonated with her own experience.
"Sometimes in your life a role comes along at a specific time when you need it and feel ready for it and this is it for me. I can pour all my emotion into it."
Funny Girl is at the Menier Chocolate Factory to 5 March and then at the Savoy Theatre 9 April - 2 July 2016.


Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan from Springwatch were live from Minsmere, an RSPB nature reserve in Suffolk this morning.

8 June 2016 Last updated at 09:07 BST
They were chatting to Martin who was putting your questions to the Springwatch presenters.
They told Newsround all about the Hobby, a type of small falcon.
The team are trying to spot the bird of prey as it migrates back to the UK for Summer.
Watch the video to find out more.


An inquiry has heard that Edinburgh City council met its obligations on maintenance at the school where a wall collapsed and killed a pupil.

Keane Wallis-Bennett, 12, was fatally injured at Edinburgh's Liberton High School in April 2014.
Garry Stimpson, of the Health and Safety Executive, said it was not obvious the wall would cause a problem.
He described his investigation into the death as "one of the most difficult cases I have ever dealt with".
Mr Stimpson co-ordinated the HSE's inspection of the wall after the incident in which Keane died.
He told the fatal accident inquiry the structure had been built along with the rest of the original building in 1959, and there were no obvious defects in construction, although there was a crack in it.
Mr Stimpson said the council had an effective system for reporting faults in their buildings, but nothing about this particular wall had been recorded.
He added that the council had met requirements on maintenance and inspections at the school, and did what any reasonable local authority would be expected to do.
Mr Stimpson told the inquiry that, following the accident, the HSE had been "very keen" to ensure that free-standing masonry walls across the whole of the UK were checked and councils throughout the country were alerted.
"Edinburgh City Councill" he said "had done everything possible to comply with regulations".
The inquiry also heard that no criminal proceedings can be brought against anyone in connection with Keane's death, because the regulations concern employees and pupils are not employees.
Mr Stimpson said there had been "considerable discussion" between him and the Crown Office regarding the "freak accident".
He said the decision not to take criminal proceedings against anyone was taken by the Crown Office.
The present law applies to employees and Keane was a pupil, not an employee.
Asked why the regulations did not apply to non-employees, Mr Stimpson replied: "That lies with Parliament".
The inquiry at Edinburgh Sheriff Court continues.


A Christian magistrate is planning to take legal action after he was sacked over comments he made on television against same-sex adoption.

Richard Page, 69, who served as a magistrate in Kent, told the BBC last year it would be better for a man and a woman to be the adopted parents.
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office deemed this serious misconduct.
His lawyers say they will bring an employment tribunal for discrimination over his religious beliefs.
Mr Page, who served in Sevenoaks and Maidstone, sat on the Kent Central family panel and was a magistrate for 15 years. He was sacked earlier this month.
This followed a BBC interview in March 2015 in which he had said that it was his duty as a magistrate to act on the evidence alone, and that there had not yet been a proper analysis of the effects that placing children with same-sex couples had on the child's well-being.
Mr Page had been reprimanded in 2014 after he was found to have been influenced in an adoption case by his religious beliefs as a Christian. He had disagreed with his fellow magistrates over placing a child into the care of a same-sex couple.
As part of a debate over challenges to freedom of religion and belief in the UK, he spoke to the BBC's religious affairs correspondent Carolyn Wyatt.
Mr Page said: "My responsibility as a magistrate, as I saw it, was to do what I considered best for the child.
"My feeling was therefore that it would be better if it was a man and woman who were the adopted parents."
The Lord Chancellor Michael Gove and the Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas decided Mr Page had "brought the judiciary into disrepute," and would have caused a reasonable person to conclude that he was "prejudiced against single sex adopters".
The Adoption and Children Act of 2002, which came into force three years later, gave unmarried gay people, as well as same-sex couples, the right to adopt a child.
The UK is one of only 14 countries where same-sex couples can legally adopt children.


A 20-year-old man has been stabbed to death in a shopping centre car park in east London.

Four men were arrested on suspicion of murder not far from the scene, at the Brewery shopping centre car park in Romford.
Police and an air ambulance found the man at 16:30 BST on Thursday. He went to hospital but died an hour later.
Detectives believe there could be a large number of witnesses given the attack happened at a busy time of day.
Det Insp Jason Prendergast said: "The victim was found in the car park at [the] end of the shopping centre next to the cinema and restaurants, and we are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident."
The man has not been formally identified but his next of kin have been informed, Scotland Yard said.
The four men arrested are being questioned by police.
Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


A Northern Ireland councillor has said she was "shocked and saddened" over a delay in sending a letter of condolence to victims of the Orlando massacre.

Forty-nine people were killed in a mass shooting at a gay nightclub on Sunday.
Josephine Deehan walked out of a meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council in protest over the delay, according to the Impartial Reporter.
Ulster Unionist councillor Victor Warrington said the council needed to check "protocols" before it was agreed.
At a further council meeting, held 24 hours later, councillors discussed the matter again and this time they gave their consent for an official letter of condolence to be sent.
However, Ms Deehan said she was "disappointed" by the deferral and added the council had sent a message of sympathy to the victims of the Paris attacks last year without delay.
Speaking on the BBC's Talkback programme, she said: "In making this proposal I certainly had no idea that it would be a contentious matter.
"I really felt in my heart that we had to respond in a human way because of the scale of the event, because of the brutality of it.
"And I felt that the natural, human response would be to immediately and without delay, let the people of Orlando, the bereaved families and the injured people know that we are with them in their grief and that we wanted to express our outrage.
"And I felt shocked, disappointed and very saddened that we had to defer the matter," the Independent councillor added.
Mr Warrington told the same programme that "all councillors expressed their sadness and revulsion at this act" during a meeting of the council's Regeneration and Community Committee on Tuesday night.
"It was resolved to refer the item to the following day to the Policy and Resources Committee, so we could look at the policies and protocols of such letters.
"So it wasn't a situation that we weren't in favour of sending a letter. At the Policy and Resources Committer the next day, it was decided to send the letter to Orlando."
Mr Warrington told Talkback he had no personal objections to the sympathy letter, but because it was his first time chairing the committee he "wanted to be sure that we weren't contravening any of the policies or protocol of the council".
Ms Deehan said she "vehemently" opposed a later motion which said that no further letters of condolence would be sent until "the council had drafted a policy which indicated which atrocities we could respond to".
"I don't think there should be a hierarchy of atrocities," she added.
A number of cities around the world paid immediate tributes to the Orlando victims, including Belfast, where the council illuminated its headquarters in the colours of the rainbow flag and the US flag on Monday.


As 11 US states cast their vote for presidential nominees, BBC Rewind looks back on Super Tuesdays of the past.

1 March 2016 Last updated at 17:24 GMT
The simultaneous voting across a number of states became known as Super Tuesday in 1984.
In the majority of cases, candidates who have fared well in Super Tuesdays have traditionally gone on to contest the presidential election for their party.
Video produced by BBC Rewind


A school in Swindon has won jazz musician Jamie Cullum's grand piano after writing a song about it.

The Commonweal School in Old Town will receive the instrument after beating competition from almost 150 entries, to win a public vote on the musician's website.
Pupils and staff made a video and sung the song which contains the lyric "Come on Jamie, give us your old piano".
Cullum said he was "thrilled" it had gone to the school.
The Yamaha piano has been used by the singer-songwriter for the past 10 years.
He said: "I have written songs on it. I have recorded albums with it. I have toured the world with it.
"It may have fallen in the mud at Glastonbury, it may have been used as a drinks table on numerous occasions, but it has also been on stage at the Royal Albert Hall and was the piano I wrote Gran Torino on.
"I am thrilled to be able to give it to a worthy home."
He said people "would think the competition had been fixed" because of his links to Wiltshire where he grew up, "but it came down to a public vote".
"I watched it [Commonweal School's video] and I was singing the song straight after. It was so much fun to watch and listen to.
"It's going to a good home that will benefit the community. It will really inspire more people to play."
The song was written by the school's music technician, Nick Weaver.
Head teacher Keith Defter said it was a "great Christmas present" for the school and the piano would take "pride of place" in the new sixth form at the performing arts academy.


England's Under-20 World Cup winners have been a revelation, sparking a fresh debate on youth development.

Media playback is not supported on this device
A 1-0 win over Venezuela in Sunday's final in South Korea gave England their biggest international title since 1966.
So can the nation dare to dream that some of these players could go on to help revive the full senior side, perhaps even in time to help the FA achieve its stated aim of a World Cup victory in 2022?
Having not won a single match in the U20 tournament since 1997 - and failed to even qualify on four occasions over the past 20 years - manager Paul Simpson's side have confounded the theory that English youngsters are not as technically proficient as their European or South American rivals.
Yet as well as pride and excitement, their success has also been met with scepticism about the inevitable talk of a new 'golden generation', and concern that this proves another false dawn.
What does bode well for the future is that this squad appears to have been the result of a long-term plan, testament to the FA's National Football Centre at St George's Park, and its adherence to the sometimes derided 'England DNA' philosophy, in which consistency of tactics through the various development teams - both male and female - is paramount.
The FA may not have anywhere near as much control over youth coaching at the clubs as their counterparts in Germany - the DFB - but their vision does at least set a template for coaches, and now has a tangible example of what can be achieved.
Certainly St George's Park has become familiar territory for the U20s, the core of which won the U17 Euros in 2014 under John Peacock, and then reached the semi-finals of the U19 Euros last year under Aidy Boothroyd.
The Staffordshire site's location and cost has not been without controversy. And after England's abject humiliation at the hands of Iceland at Euro 2016, a solution to a generation of under-achievement seemed further away than ever. Several coaches, meanwhile, have left to join club set-ups.
But five years after St George's Park opened, there are signs the FA's investment is paying dividends, and that it finally has players who can handle the pressure of tournament football.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"It is enormous what the FA have done" Simpson told BBC Sport before the final.
"We want to develop the players into a certain style of play. Everything you see from the top national teams, we want to recreate that.
"This is the first group to come right through that pathway. We have eight teams qualified for tournaments this summer, both men and women, that is an unprecedented summer for English football teams."
He pointed to the "massive financial investment" in the facilities at St George's Park, the support staff, and the tournaments they have put the players through.
"I have been working with the U16s and we put the players on a trip to Brazil so they could experience South American opposition, the travelling, different climates," he said.
"This U20 group, we sent to South Korea last year so they experienced playing with an eight-hour time difference, and the humidity and temperature."
He said the FA had been trying to get its players accumulating caps at youth level in a way that players from countries like Germany and Spain do.
"There has been a level of consistency for selection, and they are now battle-hardened for tournament football," he said.
"We are trying to get our players to that level where they have played in major tournaments, played in Uefa competitions."
Simpson is quick to highlight the role of the clubs too, not only for the work done at their academies where most of the players' development is conducted, but for what he sees as a refreshing new attitude when it comes to the release of players.
FA technical director Dan Ashworth appears to have improved relations with managers, with Everton boss Ronald Koeman for instance allowing five players to miss the last two weeks of the season to prepare for the U20 World Cup.
Brought in to raise youth development standards, the Premier League's Elite Player Performance Plan - or EPPP - has seen significant investment in club academies, but is contentious.
There are concerns that the replacement of the old tribunal system with a fixed-price compensation scheme has led to smaller clubs being short-changed, the stockpiling of young talent at the richest clubs, and even the closure of some lower-league academies.
However, the Premier League believes the success of the U20s also suggests the EPPP is working, five years after it was established.
But the clubs of course, can also be a problem.
With the Premier League's record broadcast rights deals making it easier than ever for them to buy the best overseas talent, and the financial imperative of staying in the top flight often dissuading managers from taking a longer-term view, the task of breaking into first teams has never been tougher.
A 2015 study found the percentage of club-trained players in Premier League squads had reached a new low, with just 11.7% graduated from their club's academy.
A report released by Uefa in January found that 62% of players in England's top tier were foreign — the highest in Europe.
Analysis by football365.com has revealed that 41 English players under the age of 22 played at least one Premier League game last season, totalling 16,532 minutes at an average of 403 minutes per player.
In France it was 98 players, with 79,062 minutes of action, at an average of 806 minutes per player. Four Premier League sides - Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Stoke and Sunderland - did not give a single game to an English player currently under the age of 22.
Despite the efforts of the FA's former chairman Greg Dyke, and calls for quotas in starting XIs, the Premier League has resisted pressure to further restrict foreign imports, sticking with the rule that eight places in 25-man squads must be 'home-grown players'.
While 16 members of the U20s played first-team football last season, half of them had to go on loan to do so, with some - like goalkeeper Freddie Woodman (on loan at Kilmarnock from Newcastle) and forward Adam Armstrong (on loan at Barnsley from Newcastle) - enjoying highly successful spells at their adopted clubs.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Midfielder Kieran Dowell - one of the most impressive performers in South Korea - made no senior league appearances for Everton but stayed at Goodison, captaining coach David Unsworth's academy team to the title in the inaugural Under-23 competition - dubbed 'Premier League 2'.
Some clubs - with Chelsea and their army of loanees the most obvious example - prefer to farm out their young players so they gain first-team experience.
They say the pressure of matchday crowds and the intensity of competition is better for development than the more sheltered environment of the Under-23 league. Others question this strategy however, and prefer to keep their best young talent in-house.
"It is not for me to tell the clubs how to do their business, they have their own pathways lined up" says Simpson diplomatically when asked which approach he prefers.
"We want to see as many of our players playing first-team football as possible. There are certainly some very good players in the Under-23 league involved in our teams.
"The money that is available to clubs is brilliant for our game, and we will not complain about that. But it also means there is more money to bring foreign players in.
"What we have to do is keep working with our English players and try and get them to a level where clubs can trust them to go in and play. This tournament has really put players on the map."
With Tottenham's core of English youngsters proof of what is possible, the Premier League is encouraged that last season there was a 20% increase in the number of minutes (716) played by home-grown debutants.
But the danger for the FA is that players who struggle to get first-team football - and remain uncapped in a competitive fixture at senior England level - could be tempted to switch allegiance.
Six of the U20 squad qualify to play for Nigeria for instance, and with the FA having recently seen Wilfried Zaha and Alex Iwobi play for England's youth teams - but then slip through their fingers (to Ivory Coast and Nigeria respectively), Simpson admits it is a worry.
"It is the reality of it, and we always share a concern about that. If we do things properly, if we have the right facilities and treat the players properly then we have a feeling they will want to come back," he said.
"There will be the odd case like Wilfried where we will lose them, but we have to do everything we can and make an effort to build relations with the clubs and the positive relationship with the players so they are happy to come and represent England."
Simpson points out how impressive England's depth of talent is, with the likes of Patrick Roberts, Izzy Brown, Tammy Abraham, Marcus Rashford and Tom Davies all young enough to play at U20 level.
When asked how many of his squad he hopes will go on to play for Gareth Southgate's full senior side, Simpson laughs.
"If I am going to be greedy, I would love to see them all of them do it, but that is living in a bit of a dream world," he said.
"There are no guarantees. But if we can just get a real core of them through. If we can keep them involved in first-team football then the future is really bright. That is what everyone inside the walls at the FA are keeping their fingers crossed for."
With former U21 manager Southgate as England manager, the sense is that players who come through the FA's age-group system will have more chance than ever to break into the senior squad.
Whether they get sufficient opportunities at their clubs remains in doubt. But at least the U20s' exploits in South Korea may have made some managers pause and think whether they really need to look elsewhere.


A Welsh rock star has taken his bone marrow donor drive to Washington DC.

Mike Peters, lead singer of The Alarm, is encouraging US congressmen and senators to 'Get On The List' on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
Three-time cancer survivor Mr Peters co-founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation in 2007 to encourage more people to sign up as potential lifesavers.
The US visit follows a similar recruitment drive in Westminster.
Ahead of the event, Mr Peters encouraged people in the USA to write to their local representative asking them to attend the donor drive at Capitol Visitor Centre.
Potential donors fill out a consent form and have their cheeks swabbed. Their details are then stored anonymously on an international bone marrow registry until they are 61-years-old.
It is hoped the event will grow the number of US donors and improve the chances of finding matches for patients suffering from a blood borne cancer or illness.
Mr Peters said the foundation has been campaigning for this day for many years.
"It is so exciting to feel that all the hard work and effort, made possible with the support of DKMS - We Delete Blood Cancer, and so many others, is finally coming to fruition," he said.
"People are realising that one day it could be someone that they know who needs a bone marrow donor, and the more people that are on the list, the better everyone's chances of finding an unrelated donor area."
The event in the House of Commons in 2013 registered more than 100 MPs and staff members, and MP John Glen became a lifesaving match a few months later.


Caerphilly Labour MP Wayne David, who left the Labour front bench in protest at Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, is to return - as a shadow defence minister.

Mr David said he has agreed to go back if he can continue to support multilateral disarmament and the renewal of the Trident nuclear system.
It was important to provide an effective opposition and "take the fight to the Tories", he added.
In July, he warned Labour was not an effective opposition under Mr Corbyn.
Explaining his decision to resign at the time he said: "Jeremy's position is completely untenable and I really think that what he should do is look at the likely scenarios over the next few months and years and recognise that, though a decent man he is, his position as leader of the Labour Party has effectively come to an end."
In his new role Mr David will work under Llanelli MP Nia Griffith, who was named as shadow defence secretary last week.
Meanwhile recently elected MP Chris Elmore has joined the Labour whip's office.
Mr Elmore, who became an MP following a by-election in May, said on Twitter that he was "following in footsteps of several of my predecessors who served as MP for Ogmore".
Cardiff Central MP Jo Stevens has also re-joined Mr Corbyn's team as shadow Welsh secretary , whilst Torfaen MP Nick Thomas-Symonds was appointed shadow solicitor-general and Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan shadow arts minister.


A man died when the car he was in was hit by a train at a level crossing.

British Transport Police said officers were called by paramedics to Marston Road level crossing near Lidlington, Bedfordshire, at 10:00 GMT.
The car had been hit by the Bedford to Bletchley London Midland Service. Eleven passengers and two members of staff were on board but no-one was injured.
Disruption on the line was expected until 15:00 GMT, Network Rail said.
Police said the death of the man, who was believed to be middle-aged, was not being treated as suspicious "at present".
"However officers continue to examine exactly how the car came to be on the tracks," a spokesman said.
Live: Follow updates on this story as they happen
One of the passengers on board the train, Kieran Sargent, said he "heard this sound that wasn't right".
"I was standing up next to the train driver," he said. "All of a sudden there was an almighty bang. The driver tried to brake but there was nothing she could do".
He said he saw the car and it was "absolutely obliterated".
"There was nothing left," he added.
Mr Sargent said the other passengers and the driver were all "shocked" by the incident.
"I've been shaking since I got off."
Bedfordshire Police advised drivers to avoid the area, while London Midland said taxis and minibuses replaced cancelled services between Bedford and Bletchley.
BBC Three Counties Radio reporter Usman Azad said the driver of the Bedford to Bletchley London Midland train looked "visibly distraught".
The crossing features what Network Rail described as a "half barrier", where only part of the road is blocked off.
A nearby resident, who did not wish to be named, said "people try to dodge the barriers".
"People always try to jump it because they can't wait for the train to come through," he said.
The crossing is used by about 36 trains and 1,200 vehicles each day. Trains can pass through at up to 60mph (96kmph).


Some 300,000 people in eastern China have fled their homes as Typhoon Soulik moves inland amid warnings of floods and landslides, state media report.

Winds of 119 km/hour (74 mph) lashed the coastal Fujian Province, said China's National Meteorological Centre.
Emergency response plans were being implemented, said Xinhua state media, after recent torrential rain reportedly left 200 people dead or missing.
The typhoon earlier led to extensive flooding on the island of Taiwan.
So far one person is reported to have been killed on the island, while more than 8,500 people were evacuated from mountainous and other areas prone to landslides.
In Fujian and Zhejiang, another Chinese coastal province, flights and train services were cancelled and fishing boats called back to shore.
In Taiwan, a police officer was killed by falling bricks but other people suffered mostly light injuries, including from fallen trees or being blown off their scooters.
The strong winds and heavy rain have caused electricity disruptions, a run on food and essential supplies in supermarkets, and uprooted trees and signs in some areas.
Soulik was the first typhoon to hit Taiwan this year and there had been fears of major damage because the island was the first place it made landfall, reports the BBC's Cindy Sui in the capital Taipei: Nearly 50,000 soldiers were put on standby.
Typhoons are common during the summer in parts of East Asia, where the warm moist air and low pressure conditions enable tropical cyclones to form.


A couple whose baby had recently died have suffered the twin blow of having treasured mementoes stolen.

A blue, grey and black-striped blanket the baby had been wrapped in, a red toy dinosaur and a blue baby mirror were in their black Ford Fiesta that was stolen in Dartford on Wednesday, police said.
All the possessions were alongside a blue Stokke iZi Go BeSafe car seat.
The baby's father - who wants to remain anonymous - said: "It's that heartbreak feeling again... It's destroyed me."
He told the Press Association: "I've got his birthday coming up. I can't sleep.  I'm all over the place at the moment, my partner's in absolute pieces.
"They [the thieves] might make a few pounds out of them but it's the memories for us, the sentimental value of it all that no-one can replace."
A Maxi-Cosi car seat and a blue buggy were also in the vehicle, which was stolen from Mead Road.
The buggy had a distinctive leather-coloured handle grip, police said.
Sgt Becky Jones of Kent Police said: "This has caused a great deal of upset and distress for the whole family.
"These items are of huge sentimental value to the victim and the family would desperately like them back."
Kent Police said the Fiesta had a licence plate beginning X389, but it was possible this could have been removed.
The car had recently been undergoing repairs, but still has a faulty bonnet that does not close properly.
Police are appealing for information.


The top of a man's finger was chopped off with a meat cleaver in a racially aggravated attack outside a petrol station, police have said.

The 31-year-old Asian man was attacked by two men as he used the cash point at the BP garage on Herringthorpe Valley Road in Rotherham, police said.
He was also punched several times in the face during the attack, which happened at 06:00 GMT on Saturday.
The victim is hospital in a stable condition.
South Yorkshire Police said the first man was white and of tall, slim build. The victim could not provide a description of the second man.
Det Insp Richard Partridge said detectives were treating the incident as a "racially aggravated" assault.
The first man is reported to have punched the victim several times in the face before the second man used what has been described as a meat cleaver to slice off the top of his left hand forefinger.
The two men then left the scene in a dark coloured vehicle.
Mr Partridge said the victim did not know his attackers and the incident appeared to be unprovoked.
"A full investigation is underway and as well as reviewing CCTV, we have a team of detectives in the area and officers are supporting the victim," he said.


The transfer window closed on Monday, 2 September but clubs can still sign free agents (so long as they left their previous club before the deadline).

The loan window for Football League clubs opened on Tuesday, 10 September.
To read the day's transfer rumours, visit our gossip column.
For all the latest breaking transfer news, follow Sportsday Live each day.
James Alabi [Stoke - Mansfield]
[Preston - Bristol Rovers] Loan
[West Brom - Bournemouth] Loan
[Unattached - Birmingham]
Kane Ferdinand [Peterborough - Northampton] Loan
[Nottingham Forest - Bristol City] Loan
Karleigh Osborne [Millwall - Bristol City]
Adedeji Oshilaja [Cardiff - Newport] Loan
[Sunderland - Nottingham Forest] Loan
Marc Albrighton [Aston Villa - Wigan] Loan
Paul Gallagher [Leicester - Preston] Loan
Aidy White [Leeds - Sheffield United] Loan
George Evans [Manchester City - Crewe] Loan
Seyi Olofinjana [Unattached - Sheffield Wednesday]
Marius Zaliukas [Unattached - Leeds]
Kyle Bennett [Doncaster - Crawley] Loan
Yun Suk-Young [QPR - Doncaster] Loan
Nicky Wroe [Preston - Shrewsbury] Loan
Dexter Blackstock [Nottingham Forest - Leeds] Loan
Cian Bolger [Bolton - Colchester] Loan
[Unattached - St Mirren]
Arran Lee-Barrett [Unattached - Bolton]
[Norwich - Coventry] Loan
Jordan Spence [West Ham - MK Dons] Loan
Sebastian Svard [Unattached - Wycombe]
Daniel Ayala [Norwich - Middlesbrough] Loan
Matt Macey [Bristol Rovers - Arsenal] Compensation
[Unattached - QPR]
Prince Buaben [Unattached - Carlisle]
[Unattached - Tranmere]
Elliott Lee [West Ham - Colchester] Loan
Paul McCallum [West Ham - Torquay] Loan
Damien Mozika [Unattached - Torquay]
Andre Wisdom [Liverpool - Derby] Loan
George Bowerman [Unattached - Accrington]
[QPR - Leyton Orient] Loan
Jack Blake [Nottingham Forest - Mansfield] Loan
Pascal Chimbonda [Unattached - Carlisle]
Simon Dawkins [Tottenham - Derby] Loan
Matt Gill [Bristol Rovers - Exeter] Loan
Kadeem Harris [Cardiff City - Brentford] loan
Luke Norris [Brentford - Northampton] Loan
Fraser Fyvie [Wigan - Yeovil] Loan
Alex Henshall [Manchester City - Bristol Rovers] Loan
Will Packwood [Birmingham - Bristol Rovers] Loan
Dean Parrett [Unattached - Stevenage]
[Swansea - Brighton] Loan
Shaun Jeffers [Unattached - Peterborough]
Danny Hylton [Rotherham - Bury] Loan
Damian Martinez [Arsenal - Sheffield Wednesday] Loan
Charlie Taylor [Leeds - Fleetwood] Loan
Carlton Cole [Unattached - West Ham] Free
[Wigan - Southend] Loan
Liam McAlinden [Wolves - Shrewsbury] Loan
Jak McCourt [Leicester - Torquay] Loan
[Aston Villa - Tranmere] Loan
Cristian Lopez [Huddersfield - Shrewsbury] Loan
[Brentford - Northampton] Loan
[Doncaster - Scunthorpe] Loan
Bruno Andrade [QPR - Stevenage] Loan
[Brighton - Bristol City] Loan
Nathan Eccleston [Blackpool - Carlisle] Loan
Dan Gosling [Newcastle - Blackpool] Loan
[Brentford - Plymouth] Loan
Simon Lappin [Cardiff - Sheffield United] Loan
Gavin Mahon [Unattached - Portsmouth]
Luke O'Neill [Burnley - York] Loan
[Sheffield United - Chesterfield] Loan
Francois Zoko [Unattached - Stevenage]
[Bury - Portsmouth] Loan
James Caton [Blackpool - Accrington] Loan
Chris Dickson [Unattached - Dagenham]
Stephen Henderson [West Ham - Bournemouth] Loan
Jim McNulty [Barnsley - Tranmere] Loan
Therry Racon [Unattached - Portsmouth]
Jack Collison [West Ham - Bournemouth] Loan
James Henry [Millwall - Wolves] Loan
Jordan Mustoe [Wigan - Bury] Loan
[Blackburn - Torquay] Loan


England Netball have named Australia World Cup winner Chelsea Locke in their squad for three internationals - including one against Australia.

The 28-year-old from Sydney qualifies through her Yorkshire-born father.
Locke, nee Pitman, won the World Cup with Australia in 2011 and plays for the Adelaide Thunderbirds, having had a spell with Manchester Thunder in 2015.
England will face South Africa, New Zealand and Australia in the Netball Quad Series in January and February.
The first half of the series will be played in South Africa before the second half of the competition moves to England.
England squad: Ama Agbeze (captain), Eleanor Cardwell, Jade Clarke (vice captain), Beth Cobden, Kadeen Corbin, Jodie Gibson (Subject to fitness), Natalie Haythornthwaite, Helen Housby, Chelsea Locke, Geva Mentor, Natalie Panagarry, Rachel Shaw, Summer Artman. Reserves: Amy Clinton, George Fisher, Hannah Joseph, Leah Kennedy, Laura Malcolm, Chiara Semple
Schedule
Saturday 28 January, Durban
Australian Diamonds v New Zealand Silver Ferns
South Africa Proteas v England Roses
Tuesday 31 January, Durban
South Africa Proteas v Australian Diamonds
Thursday 2 February, Echo Arena, Liverpool
England Roses v New Zealand Silver Ferns
Sunday 5 February, SSE Arena Wembley, London
England Roses v Australian Diamonds
New Zealand Silver Ferns v South Africa Proteas


The UN has confirmed that peace talks it is brokering between Yemen's Houthi rebels and the government will take place in Geneva on 14 June.

The announcement came as the conflict escalated on the ground throughout Saturday with rebels stepping up their attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon called on all parties to enter the talks in good faith and without pre-conditions.
Several months of war in Yemen have claimed more than 2,000 lives.
Saudi Arabia on Saturday shot down a Scud missile fired from across the border by Houthi rebels and their allies, the state Saudi Press Agency said.
It was intercepted by a Patriot missile battery near the south-western city of Khamis Mushait in the morning.
The attack follows on from fighting on the border on Friday, in which four Saudi soldiers and a number of Yemeni rebels died.
BBC Middle East Editor Sebastian Usher says that both the government - now mostly in exile in Saudi Arabia - and the rebels have confirmed that they will attend the peace negotiations and each seems to be trying to strengthen its hand before the talking begins.
Our correspondent says that the call by Mr Ban for all parties to meet in good faith will be easier said than done, as the Houthis and their allies launch ever bolder attacks inside Saudi Arabia to show they have withstood two months of air bombardment - while the Saudis only pound them more.
A pro-Houthi military spokesman told Yemen's rebel-controlled Saba news agency that the target of Saturday's Scud attack was the Prince Khaled air base in Khamis Mushait.
Correspondents say that while there has been cross-border artillery and rocket fire into Saudi Arabia, there have been few if any missile attacks since the air war began.
The rebels "aimed to penetrate our borders", and were eventually repelled, a Saudi statement said.
Destroying the missile capabilities of the Houthis and their allies is a top priority of their 10-week bombing campaign, officials say.
But they say that the task is not easy because the rebels are hiding about 300 missiles in caves.
The bombing campaign was launched to support Yemeni President Abedrabbo Manour Hadi, who escaped to Riyadh when the Houthis advanced on his southern Aden stronghold.
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen has been described as "catastrophic" by the UN with 20 million civilians - 80% of the population - in need of aid.


Police in the US state of Arizona say a man arrested last month is responsible for a series of deadly shootings in Phoenix last year.

Aaron Saucedo, 23, had already been charged with murder in connection with a killing in August 2015, police say.
Now he has been linked to the deaths of eight other people, between January and July 2016.
Police say they have not identified a motive but believe he acted alone. His lawyer has not commented.
The 2015 victim was a 61-year-old man who had dated the suspect's mother, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said.
The other victims, including a 12-year-old girl and a 55-year-old woman, seem to have been targeted at random.
"Today is a good day in the city of Phoenix," Mayor Greg Stanton said.
Police gave few details on how they linked the man to the killings, which stopped last July amid extensive media coverage.
But they said the evidence included surveillance video, witness statements and ballistics material.
He faces 26 additional felony counts, including multiple counts of homicide, aggravated assault and drive-by shootings.
The Maricopa County attorney has not yet decided which charges to formally bring against him.


Championship newcomers Brentford have signed Leyton Orient winger Moses Odubajo on a three-year deal.

The fee has not been publicly disclosed but BBC London 94.9 understands the figure to be £1m, which is a club record for the Bees.
The 20-year-old was an ever-present for Orient last season, scoring 12 goals in 57 appearances.
"We have been very impressed with his quality and his consistency," Bees boss Mark Warburton told the club website.
"Moses is a young player with a lot of development potential. I am sure he will prove to be an exciting addition."
Odubajo came through Orient's youth system and made his debut for the League One club in September 2011.
The Greenwich-born wide man broke into Russell Slade's side at right-back but progressed to playing on the wing.
Odubajo impressed for the O's last season, winning the Football League Young Player of the Month award for April and scoring in the League One play-off final.
In total he scored 16 goals in 116 games for Orient, who lost on penalties to Rotherham in the play-off final in May after finishing the season in third place in the table.
"He has excellent physical abilities and a real desire to move forward in the game," added Warburton.
BBC London understands Odubajo attracted interest from a number of clubs, with Brentford's bid the highest received by the east Londoners.
The fee for Obudajo surpasses the £750,000 Brentford paid to Crystal Palace for defender Hermann Hreidarsson in 1998.


Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon admits he will not be watching many games from the Euro 2016 finals - because it still hurts that Scotland missed out.

Media playback is not supported on this device
The tournament kicks off on Friday, when hosts France face Romania.
Asked if he will be watching any of the television coverage, Gordon, 33, said: "Not all of it. Bits and pieces.
"It is annoying not to be there. I don't think I'll watch every match, but I'll probably take in a few now and again."
Scotland had been in a three-way tussle at the top of their qualifying group until a defeat in Georgia disrupted their momentum.
Gordon Strachan's side finished fourth behind Germany, Poland and the Republic of Ireland, the latter qualifying through a play-off.
"It is difficult when the games are on TV over the summer and you won't be able to escape it whether you want to watch it or not," Gordon told BBC Scotland.
"It is disappointing - we had an opportunity and we weren't able to take it.
"We did put ourselves in a decent position, but we just failed to get over the line and, to be fair to the other teams in the group, they came up with big performances and big results right at the end when it really mattered.
"As a player, you've got to try to move on and look to the next campaign."
Gordon was left out of Strachan's squad for this month's friendly defeats by Italy and France, with the goalkeeper and his Celtic team-mates having an early start to the season.
"Personally, having been left behind to rest was probably good for me and hopefully it'll stand us in good stead going into the Champions League qualifiers," he said.
"Hopefully, if I can do well, I can force myself back into the Scotland team as well."
Gordon admitted that Scotland's displays against the Italians and French were "disappointing".
"But you are playing against teams preparing for championship matches, so it was always going to be a difficult task and a hard time to play those teams," he stressed.
"Unfortunately, we probably didn't do as well as we could have done."
Gordon did not take offence to Strachan's suggestion that Scotland's current crop of players lack the technique to compete at the top level.
"I think he is being honest," he added. "He has said it a few times that we don't have a superstar and it's a long time since we have had and it's about grinding out results.
"The previous two games were 1-0 wins against two good teams [Czech Republic and Denmark] and it seems the way we can win games is by doing that."


Good news for Frozen fans, there is going to be a new musical of the film.

11 February 2016 Last updated at 07:33 GMT
It will feature brand new songs as well as the favourites from the film.
It will open in America in 2017.
The film was a huge success with 'Let it go' the standout tune.
Jenny has look at the film's list of awards and even has a little sing along.


Women have seen only "marginal improvements" in the world of work in the past 20 years, according to a global study.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) said the difference in the employment rate between men and women had decreased by 0.6% since 1995.
In countries where women access work more easily, the quality of their jobs "remains a matter of concern".
The findings come as events take place to mark International Women's Day.
International Women's Day has been held on 8 March every year since 1913, and has been recognised by the United Nations since 1975.
The UN says it's a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.
The theme of this year's day is "Planet 50-50 by 2030" - aiming to achieve global equality in areas such as education and end all forms of discrimination.
Five images that reveal how women are treated
BBC Trending: Are Saudi women really that oppressed?
In pictures: Women making technology work for them
Why women can thrive in science-fiction
What will be Michelle Obama's legacy?
Launching the report, ILO chief Guy Ryder said it showed "the enormous challenges women continue to face in finding and keeping decent jobs".
"Throughout their working lives, women continue to face significant obstacles in gaining access to decent jobs," the UN agency said.
"Only marginal improvements have been achieved since... 1995."
The report looked at data from 178 countries and found that rate of women's participation in the workforce was 25.5% lower than men's participation in 2015 - a gap only 0.6% smaller than 20 years earlier.
In many regions of the world, women were more likely to stay unemployed - 6.2% of women are jobless across the world compared to 5.5% of men - and often had to accept lower quality jobs.
The distribution of unpaid care and household work remains unequal in both high and lower income countries, the report said, although this gap has reduced.
Women, however, continue to work longer hours per day than men when both paid work and unpaid work are taken into consideration.
"Progress in surmounting these obstacles has been slow and is limited to a few regions across the world," the authors said.
The report is one of a number of studies released ahead of International Women's Day, which highlights gender inequalities around the world.
Research by US-based audit and tax firm Grant Thornton found the rate of women in senior roles around the world had risen 3% in the past five years, to stand at 24%.
Russia once again topped the ranking of countries with the highest percentage of women in senior business roles, followed by the Philippines and Lithuania, the report said.
Japan, where only 7% of senior leadership roles are held by women, remained at the bottom of the list.


The High Court is hearing a legal challenge to the government's emergency surveillance law, brought by two MPs.

The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act was fast-tracked through Parliament in three days last July.
It allows Britain's intelligence agencies to gather people's phone and internet communications data.
But former Conservative minister David Davis and Labour's Tom Watson will argue that the legislation is incompatible with human rights.
Individuals or organisations have the power to seek a judicial review of any decision by a public body that they believe has been made unlawfully.
The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act was rushed through Parliament in July 2014, after a ruling by the European Union's Court of Justice rendered existing powers illegal.
A bill's passage through the Commons usually takes a matter of weeks or months but there are well-established procedures for fast-tracking legislation when MPs believe it is necessary to do so.
The government said at the time that without the new law the UK's ability to fight crime and protect the country against terrorism would be seriously impeded.
Ministers said the act would simply maintain existing powers, which required communications companies to retain data for 12 months for possible investigation.
They said it would not allow police or security agencies to access the content of calls or emails without a warrant.
The plans were supported by the three main parties, but opposed by civil liberties campaigners.
However, Mr Watson and Mr Davis say the legislation was rushed and lacked adequate safeguards, and needs to be re-thought.
They argue that the legislation is incompatible with the right to a private and family life, and data protection, under both the Human Rights Act and the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The MPs aim is to get the legislation sent back to Parliament for further consideration, under the terms of the Human Rights Act, or struck down under the terms of the European charter.
The legislation relates to the harvesting and retention of data only - the power to access stored data is governed by separate laws.
Mr Watson said in a statement: "The government's decision to use emergency powers to enable it to spy on citizens shows the rights of the individual need to be strengthened to ensure the state can't act with impunity.
"Even MPs are powerless to prevent such powers being enacted.
"The Human Rights Act allows us to challenge those powers in the courts but the Tory government is intent on tearing up the Act and doing away with the limited legal protection it affords.
"It is vital that we fight for it to be retained."
Mr Davis, who has also criticised the government's intention to scrap the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights, said: "This Act of Parliament was driven through the House of Commons with ridiculous and unnecessary haste to meet a completely artificial emergency."
Emma Norton, a legal officer for campaign group Liberty, which is bringing the case on behalf of the two MPs, said: "People need to understand just how personal this information is that will be taken and retained and what an intimate portrait of their lives it will create.
"And there was very little evidence to suggest that by giving police even greater banks of information about people who they don't even suspect of committing crimes it is going to make their jobs easier - it isn't."
The Home Office said it does not comment on on-going legal proceedings. The High Court hearing is expected to last two days but the verdict is not expected for some months.
The MPs' legal challenge comes as Home Secretary Theresa May draws up proposals to give police and spies new powers to monitor internet and phone use.
Downing Street said the measures, announced in last month's Queen's Speech, would "address gaps" in intelligence gathering and access to communications data that are putting "lives at risk".
However, civil liberties campaigners claim they will pave the way for mass surveillance of UK citizens.
Mrs May's efforts to introduce a similar bill in 2012, dubbed the "snooper's charter" by critics, were blocked by their coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats.


For months after Perumal Murugan declared himself "dead" as a writer following vicious protests against his novel by Hindu and caste-based groups last year, he couldn't read or write.

"I became a walking corpse," says Murugan, who is considered to be one of the most accomplished writers in the Tamil language.
Then something happened. Murugan went to see his daughter in the temple town of Madurai, and spent a few days in a friend's house. There were two rooms on the first floor: one stacked with books, and the other had a bed.
"With nothing to do I lay dazed night and day," he told a gathering in Delhi on Monday evening.
"I wallowed in a dark hole without the urge to see or talk to anybody. But as I ruminated over my existence, there came a certain instant when the sluice gates were breached.
"I began to write."
Murugan says he wrote whenever anything struck him.
"As I started to write, I began to revive little by little, from my finger nails to my hair."
He began writing poems. After all, his first piece of writing when he was "eight or nine" was a ditty on a pet cat. Although he later became famous for his novels and short stories, poetry had always been his first love. Not many know that he has four published volumes of poetry. Poems come easily to him: his third novel, for example, took him seven years to write, but he never stopped writing poetry.
Poetry has now saved him again.
In July, a court threw out a slew of petitions demanding that Murugan be prosecuted for his writings.
"Let the author be resurrected to what he is best at: write," said the judges.
Murugan says the judges' "order" sounded both like a "command and a benediction".
Earlier this week, Murugan, 50, returned with a collection of 200 poems he had written in exile.
It is called Oru Kozhaiyin Paadalkal - A Coward's Song - many of the poems are dark and brooding, possibly reflecting his state of mind during his exile.
One of them goes:
All that is left/is to die, flesh torn/and ravaged, like a chicken/caught among crows.
I ask for nothing, sir/let me just live by the side/as a spectator/as a mere spectator.
"A writer has returned to life," rhapsodised well-known Hindi poet Ashok Vajpeyi. "His new poems are full of courage and imagination".
But the wounds of a painful exile haven't healed.
His novel Madhorubhagan (One Part Woman) that whipped up a storm is a gripping fictional account of a poor, childless couple, and how the wife, who wants to conceive, takes part in an ancient Hindu chariot festival where, on one night, consensual sex between any man and woman is allowed.
Set about a century ago near the author's home town of Tiruchengode in southern India, Murugan explores the tyranny of caste and pathologies of a community in tearing the couple apart and destroying their marriage.
Local groups led protests against the book, saying the "fictitious" extramarital sex ritual at the centre of the plot insulted the town, its temple and its women. Copies of the novel were burnt, residents shut down shops and a petition sought the arrest of the author.
Now Murugan, a quiet and self-effacing man who is evidently uncomfortable with the limelight, says a "censor is seated inside me now".
"He is testing every word that is born within me. His constant caution that a word may be misunderstood so, or it may be interpreted thus, is a real bother. But I'm unable to shake him off. If this is wrong let the Indian intellectual world forgive me."
The author of five novels who has spent 17 years as a teacher of Tamil says he is even mulling over the re-publication of his earlier writings: he will soon "begin the weary task of reviewing my books" and if required, "I will revise the text".
"I'm not sure if this is right. However, when so many things that are not quite right are happening all over, why not this? What am I to do?"
Rooted in the western region of Tamil Nadu where he was born, Murugan's stories are peopled by characters caught up in change, struggling peasants, a child bonded to work in an upper caste home to repay the loan taken by his father.
He is outspoken about the evil practice of caste discrimination which, he says, "is ubiquitous and subtly present at the same time". His writing, according to his translator Aniruddhan Vasudevan, is filled with "rich details of life, landscape, ecology and social life of a region".
"I come from a peasant family," Murugan says. "At the age of 20, I saw a house as a place to live. Before that I had lived in the open and in cow sheds.
"I have an undying passion for open spaces to this day. So my descriptions of landscape come from this experience."
So will Murugan be now reborn as a different author?
"There's a conflict in my mind. Most of my writings have been in the realist mode. I doubt whether I will write in that mode again. I may resort to other techniques [of story telling]. Only time will tell."
When Murugan quit writing last year, he said he would not resurrect himself. He has. He once told his children that he would love to write 15 books, of which 10 would be novels. Now, he promises to speak again, through his words.


A photo by British astronaut Tim Peake showing Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man from space has received more than 40,000 likes on Facebook.

The 44-year-old from Sussex captured the image from the International Space Station on Monday.
On Twitter and Facebook, he said: "Scotland, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man looking good this morning!"
Peake, who became the first British man to complete a space walk in January, is spending six months on the ISS.
The former British Army officer is the sixth person born in the UK to go on board the station.


About 115 members of staff at Bangor University are facing compulsory redundancy.

The university, which announced 170 jobs were at risk in June, said the figure has been partly reduced by a voluntary severance scheme.
It said it needs to save £8.5m to address "significant financial challenges" and plan for "changes to income and expenditure".
A formal consultation period is under way and will close in September.
Vice-chancellor Prof John G Hughes said: "Whilst the number of posts at risk has reduced, it is still a significant number and we will continue to seek ways in which we can further reduce the need for compulsory redundancies."
In May, Aberystwyth University said up to 150 jobs "could be at risk" as it tried to make cuts of £11.4m and University of Wales Trinity Saint David has asked staff to consider voluntary redundancy.


A man who tried to join the fighting in Syria has been jailed for more than five years for a terrorism offence.

Mudassir Hussain of Gladstone Street, Derby, pleaded guilty to preparing acts of terrorism.
Sheffield Crown Court heard the 31-year-old made it to Turkey before his family alerted police, who then had him returned to England.
Police said the actions of Hussain's family may well have saved lives, including his own.
Hussain left the UK on 6 January and police were notified shortly after.
Within days, the Turkish authorities deported Hussain back to the UK where he was arrested and charged.
Det Ch Supt Clive Wain, head of the North East Counter Terrorism Unit which led the operation, said: "By pleading guilty Hussain has admitted his intention was to take part in the conflict in Syria and was aware that he may be killed.
"We were not aware of Hussain's intentions prior to him travelling and therefore by the time we intervened he had already committed an offence. However by reporting their concerns Hussain's family may well have saved lives, including his own."
Hussain was sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment and one year on licence.


The coach of Qatar's World Championship handball squad has faced questions about the high number of foreign players in his team.

The squad reached the semi-finals of the men's championship on Wednesday.
But at a press conference, coach Valero Rivera declined to answer questions about the foreign players, saying it was better to talk about handball.
Qatar is only the third non-European team to play for a medal in the history of the event.
However, questions have been raised about the relative lack of home-grown players.
When asked about the high number of foreign-born players after beating Germany in the quarter-finals in Qatar's capital Doha on Wednesday, Mr Rivera said he would only talk about the game.
With a 26-24 win over the Germans, his team secured its place among the last four, an unprecedented success for a country that until very recently did not feature on the world handball map at all.
Foreign-born players who now hold Qatari citizenship make up more than two thirds of the country's 16-man squad.
Responding to questions at a press conference about what some have described as Qatar's "foreign legion", Mr Rivera said: "It's better to talk about handball, OK?"
Pressed further on whether the success of the handball team could serve as a basis for other national teams in the tiny Gulf state, he refused to be drawn.
Unlike other sports, such as football, handball still allows players to play for different countries throughout their career provided there is a sufficient gap between their appearances.
While Qatar's team selection is perfectly within the rules of the game, not everyone is convinced it is in the spirit of the competition.
"I think it is not the sense of a world championship," Austrian goalkeeper Thomas Bauer said after his country's previous round defeat to the Qataris.
"It feels  like playing against a world selection team."


Three of Brazil's leading clubs have said they will offer players to Chapecoense, after the majority of their squad died in a plane crash.

Chapecoense players and officials died when their plane crashed on its approach to Medellin, Colombia.
They were travelling to play in the Copa Sudamericana final first leg, and opponents Atletico Nacional have asked for Chapecoense to be awarded the cup.
Flamengo, Palmeiras and Sao Paulo are the clubs to have offered help.
Sao Paulo, who have won six national titles, also said Chapecoense should be exempt from relegation to Brazilian football's second tier for the next three seasons as they attempt to rebuild the club.
Six of the 77 people aboard the plane survived the crash, which was blamed on an electrical fault.
Three of the six survivors are footballers:
A statement by Fox Sports Latin America said that six employees from its Brazil operation died in the crash.
In the aftermath of the 1958 Munich air disaster, both Liverpool and Nottingham Forest offered to loan players to Manchester United, and players from non-league Bishop Auckland featured for the Red Devils.


Relatives, guides and mountaineers have marked the first anniversary of an avalanche that killed 16 sherpas on Mount Everest.

The guides died in an area just above Base Camp at 5,800m (19,000ft).
The avalanche was the worst accident in modern history on the world's highest peak.
As a mark of respect, climbing was suspended for the day on Saturday. Services were also held at Base Camp and in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.
Monks held prayers with relatives of those who died.
One of the victims was Ang Kaji Sherpa, a single father of five. His daughter, Chhechi Sherpa, said: "There is a vacuum in our family, no-one to guide or scold us. We are on our own."
At Base Camp, members of the British Army's Gurkha brigade, which is made up of Nepalese soldiers, took part in a commemoration ceremony on Saturday.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of the brigade, and the British Army is aiming to help a serving Gurkha soldier to reach Everest's summit.
The accident took place in the Khumbu icefall, a portion of ragged glacial ice that can flow at more than a metre (3ft) a day.
It is one of the first major obstacles that Everest climbers encounter.
After the tragedy, Mt Everest's 2014 climbing season ground to a halt, and there were calls for greater compensation for sherpas.
Nepal's mountaineering association says sherpas' pay and welfare have since improved and weather forecasts are now more detailed.
The route up Everest has also been altered.
But sherpas are demanding that helicopters be allowed to carry equipment part of the way up the mountain to limit the number of dangerous trips they must undertake.
It is a move Nepalese climbing operators have so far resisted.
A BBC reporter at Base Camp says there are 300 climbers there waiting to launch a bid for the summit.


One of Pakistan's most famous singers, Amjad Sabri, has been shot dead in the southern city of Karachi.

Two gunmen fired on his car in the busy Liaqatabad area, police said. Sabri died on his way to hospital.
A faction of the Pakistani Taliban has told the BBC it carried out the attack.
Sabri was a leading exponent of Sufi devotional music, known as Qawwali. Sufism, a tolerant, mystical practice of Islam, has millions of followers in Pakistan but is opposed by extremists.
The Pakistan Taliban, who view Sufism as heretical, have been blamed for previous assaults on targets linked to Sufi Islam.
But there have been no such attacks in the past couple of years, the BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad reports.
Sabri, who was among the sub-continent's top Qawwali singers, was hit by five bullets, police said. Another person, thought to be a relative, was wounded in the shooting and is said to be in a critical condition.
"It was a targeted killing and an act of terrorism," a senior police officer, Muqaddas Haider, was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.
There have been the usual calls to identify and arrest the killers, but also voices of despair over the continued failure to end militancy in Pakistan.
Karachi has been under a military operation for more than three years, but the gunmen have shown they can still hit their targets at will.
Amjad Sabri came from a family which traces its musical links to the 17th Century court of India's Mughal empire. The family adheres to the Sabiriyah branch of Sufi Islam, hence the name Sabri. It migrated to Pakistan when India was divided in 1947, and has been based since then in Karachi.
The band led by Amjad's father, Ghulam Farid Sabri, dominated the Qawwali scene in India and Pakistan during the 1970s and 80s. Amjad himself was considered a great performer who produced both traditional and commercial music and also sang for movie soundtracks in India and Pakistan.
He apparently presented a soft target with a wider shock value.
A blasphemy case was filed against Sabri last year after he mentioned members of the Prophet Muhammad's family in a song.
It is not known if the shooting is related to that incident.
As news of the attack spread, a large crowd gathered outside Sabri's home to express their sorrow and comfort relatives.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the killing and said the singer would be immensely missed.
"Totally shocked to hear the news of @AmjadSabri. May Allah bless him with Jannah (heaven) for he praised Him & His Prophet beautifully all his life," Ayaz Sadiq, the speaker of Pakistan's parliament, wrote on Twitter.
"Terrible loss of Amjad Sabri. His voice touched so many hearts & souls across the globe. Let's not be numbed by these murderous terrorists," tweeted journalist and publisher Najam Sethi.
Journalist Amir Mateen, who formerly worked for the BBC Urdu service, tweeted his dismay at a familiar "pattern" of events. "Politicians cry; public huffs & puffs; then back to normal until next tragedy. Shame," he said.


Singer Katy Perry is to headline the NFL Super Bowl half-time show next February.

The 30-year-old tweeted she had "already started testing out ideas" for the show on 1 February in Arizona.
The show is the most-watched musical event of the year, with a record 115 million viewers in the US watching this year's half-time show.
Perry joins the likes of Bruno Mars, Beyonce and Madonna who have previously performed.
The announcement of Perry's upcoming performance was made at half-time during the Cowboys-Giants game on Sunday night.
It was accompanied by a video featuring the singer at a "half-time show testing facility" apparently trying out ideas for her show.
It includes a glitter-filled stadium, unicorns, giant sharks breathing fire, kittens and the suggestion Perry could be wrapped in bacon.
Perry's performance will be the NFL's fourth consecutive show to include younger acts after previous performers Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones, and The Who.
Paparazzi problems
Perry is currently on her Prismatic world tour in Australia.
On the Friday, the singer blasted Australian paparazzi, calling them "perverted and disgusting".
She tweeted: "Your paparazzi have no respect, no integrity, no character, no humanity."
"I was stalked by many grown men today as I tried to take a quiet walk to the beach. These men would not stop as I pleaded over and over to let me have my space.
"This is perverted and disgusting behaviour that should never be tolerated.
The singer then posted images of some of the photographers and singled out notorious Australian paparazzo Jamie Fawcett.


The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has approved Charter Communications purchase of cable operators Time Warner Cable and Bright House networks.

The deal will create the second largest cable broadband provider in the US.
Charter had to agree to not stop its content providers from separately selling shows online, as part of the approval.
The deal also still needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) before it can go ahead.
But the head of the FCC Tom Wheeler said he was seeking approval for the deal, noting the merger conditions "will directly benefit consumers by bringing and protecting competition to the video marketplace and increasing broadband deployment."
The DoJ said it would work with other regulators to ensure the merger did not "choke off" access to online videos.
"The settlement forbids the merged company, referred to as "New Charter," from entering into or enforcing agreements that could make it more difficult for online video distributors (OVDs) to obtain video content from programmers," the DOJ added.
US cable companies are facing stiff competition from online service providers such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, as customers increasingly choose to stream films and television shows over the internet often for a lower price.
Charter will pay $78bn (Â£54bn) for Time Warner and $10.8bn for Bright House.
The combined three firms will serve cable television and broadband to 23.9 million customers in 41 states.
The deal was announced last year after Comcast abandoned its $45bn plan to buy Time Warner Cable fearing pressure from regulators.


Member states of the European Space Agency have reaffirmed their commitment to launch a rover to Mars in 2020.

Meeting in Paris, delegations agreed to put the project, which has experienced serial delays, on to a fresh schedule.
They also injected an immediate extra sum of €77m (£59m), which will keep the ExoMars robot in development while a full and final solution to its financial problems is sought.
The aim is to have all matters resolved for a meeting of ministers in December.
Dr David Parker is the agency's director of human spaceflight and robotic exploration.
He told BBC News: "The challenges were set out to member states, and in the council meeting [on Wednesday] they were asked the fundamental questions: how important is this project; do you want to continue? And the very, very clear message came back that this remains a high priority for scientific and technological reasons."
ExoMars is actually a two-part programme that is being implemented jointly with the Russians.
The first phase is a satellite to study the Red Planet's atmosphere, and this was launched successfully in March.
But the second phase - a rover that can drill 2m into the surface of Mars to search for signs of life - has had a roller-coaster of a ride since it was first approved as a concept back in 2005.
Planned launch dates have repeatedly been missed, with yet another slip, from 2018 to 2020, announced in May.
The inability of teams to meet hardware delivery deadlines was cited as the reason for this latest delay.
Delegations to Wednesday's council meeting at Esa HQ were briefed on the details and the actions that would make the new target date of 2020 achievable.
"The first critical step has been to re-establish a realistic technical schedule and contingency, both on the European side and with Russian colleagues at Roscosmos (Russian space agency) and their contractor Lavochkin. That's very good news," explained Dr Parker.
But, equally, the continuing financial uncertainty facing the project had to be brought to a close, he added.
To this end, the "big four" in Esa - France, Germany, Italy and the UK - have agreed to the immediate injection of €77m.
Italy (€34m) and the UK (€19m) committed the most as their industries (Thales Alenia in Turin and Airbus in Stevenage) are the prime contractors.
This quick cash ensures development work taking place in labs and factories can continue uninterrupted.
The more vexing issue is the overall shortfall in the ExoMars programme budget.
Dr Parker declined to specify the exact scale of this money gap because he said there were still some sensitivities around the negotiation of a final manufacturing price with industry.
What is known is that the full end price of ExoMars - for both the satellite and rover - is going to be around €1.56bn. And that is a good deal higher than the €1.25bn member states were expecting to have to pay back in 2012.
"There will now be a set of steps to demonstrate progress on the rover mission, and we will propose to member states thereafter a complete financial package to finish the job for when they meet in Lucerne (at the Council of Ministers) in December. These will be subscriptions within the exploration programme," said Dr Parker.
"In the meantime, it's full speed ahead on the technical side and I have to say, from what I've seen, the teams are working very hard; they're very dedicated. All the trips they make back and forth to Russia and to speak with their suppliers - it's an impressive machine."
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos


Colombia's Farc rebels have handed over a further 30% of its weapons to United Nations inspectors as part of last year's historic peace accord.

President Juan Manuel Santos said the gesture showed that the agreement with the rebels was going ahead as planned.
The Farc have now decommissioned 60% of the weapons they had registered with the UN.
Under the terms of the accord, the rebels have agreed to give up more than five decades of armed struggle.
"This is a historic day. Peace will be built little by little, like a cathedral, which you build brick by brick," said Mr Santos.
It was not exactly the photograph many Colombians were expecting to see - but it is at least a photograph.
Up until now the story of the disarmament of the Farc had been only told with words: words from the rebel group, from the government and from the UN, who confirmed the weapons had been handed over and put in safe containers.
But now, finally, images of rifles, RPGs and pistols being checked and stored by a UN observer have been seen.
Some might still think that that is not enough, that the Farc should explicitly show how they renounce their weapons: they want photographs of fighters handing their rifles to the UN.
But the Farc insist that would be an image of defeat, one they do not want to convey. They insist they have reached a deal, not surrendered.
And many in Colombia believe today's image is more than enough.
He was due to attend the decommissioning ceremony in south-western Cauca region, but could not reach the area because of bad weather.
It went ahead with Farc leaders and UN officials at La Elvira, one of several transition zones where Farc rebels have been gathering before they are allowed to rejoin civilian life.
"We are totally committed to peace and will do all we can to help build this country we dream of," said a Farc leader at the event, Pablo Catatumbo.
The weapons are to be stored at 26 locations around the country.
Thousands of rifles and pistols need to be handed over before the Farc - the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - can become a political party.
Farc rebels have until 20 June to hand over the remaining weapons - a deadline that was extended from an original date of 30 May.
The peace deal was signed after four years of negotiations, held in Cuba.
It was initially rejected in a referendum last October, then reworked a month later and approved by Congress before beginning to be implemented.
For his efforts to reach peace with the Farc, Mr Santos was awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize.


To those who think this year's European Championship is Spain's to lose, here is a tale from a past tournament that might make you re-assess.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Twenty years ago, Denmark were given just over a week's notice to get a squad prepared for the Euro '92. Less than a month later, the underdogs were champions.
Their surprise inclusion came after Yugoslavia, in a state of civil war, were not allowed to participate in the tournament.
The Danes had missed out on qualification having finished as runners-up to Yugoslavia, but they now found themselves thrown into the eight-team tournament and placed in a group featuring hosts Sweden, England and France.
Kim Vilfort proved to be one of the unlikely heroes for Denmark during the fortnight and he told BBC Sport that his team-mates were better prepared than some had initially thought.
"There were those who didn't believe we would be included, but we were aware of small talk that this could be the situation," said the 49-year-old former midfielder.
"Then we got the news. There was no discussion. Denmark had to participate in the tournament. It wasn't possible to say 'no' because it would not have helped the relationship between Uefa and the Danish Football Association.
"But we had a good team. We'd beaten Yugoslavia in the group stages and had been scheduled to play the CIS [team of former Soviet Union states] the week before the start of the competition."
With the minds of the players hastily focused, it was time for the tournament and Vilfort reckons Denmark were in a no-lose situation.
"We couldn't fail because there were no expectations. If we lost 5-0 three times then that would not have mattered," he continued.
But the story unfolded like this: A 0-0 draw against England, followed by defeat by Sweden. Going into the crunch match against France, the Danes still had a chance of qualification.
Vilfort said of the France game: "We played without nerves because we thought we'd be going home."
Coach Richard Moller Nielsen's men won the match 2-1, with goals from Henrik Larsen and Lars Elstrup.
Vilfort himself missed the match against France as he was visiting his seven-year-old daughter Line, who was fighting leukaemia. Sadly, she lost her battle after the tournament.
Heavyweights England and France were now out of the tournament, but next up for Danes were holders Netherlands, who were outstanding favourites to brush aside their opponents.
However, the Danes battled valiantly and it was 2-2 after 90 minutes, with Larsen grabbing two more goals. A scoreless extra-time followed, so penalties loomed.
The Netherlands hero of 1988, Marco van Basten, had his saved by Peter Schmeichel. It was the only spot-kick failure and defender Kim Christofte eventually sealed Denmark's berth in the final.
Vilfort described the contest as "one of the best matches for the national team" he had played, but admitted his defensive-minded side then had "some luck in the final" against Germany.
The world champions had beaten the hosts 3-2 in a thrilling semi-final having qualified from Group B along with the Dutch.
They dominated the opening quarter of the final and Schmeichel, who had signed for Manchester United the previous year, was again the hero for the Danes, saving from Karl-Heinz Riedle, Stefan Reuter and Guido Buchwald.
The next chance fell to Denmark, and to John Jensen.
The Brondby central midfielder had only scored one goal in his first 48 internationals, but grabbed his second with a spectacular strike from the right-hand corner of the area.
It rocked Germany. With 11 minutes remaining, the emotion turned to shock.
Vilfort surged to the edge of the area, eluded the challenge of two defenders before drilling in Denmark's second goal via the foot of the post.
His team-mates piled on top of the midfielder and the fairytale was complete.
Vilfort pointed to the strong bond in the squad as to why they had triumphed against expectations.
"Ten of the players we had in the squad either played for or had previously played for Brondby. A year before the Euros, Brondby had got to the semi-finals of the Uefa Cup - that was a big thing for a Danish club.
"Quite a few members of the squad had also been played for the Under 21s and the Olympic team, who had qualified for South Korea in 1988.
"We had fantastic spirit. The team wanted to win and that's a very good thing when you're at the highest level. When we were under pressure against Germany, it was the spirit that helped us.
"We didn't have the best players, but we had the best team."


Ben Stokes hit the fastest double century for England, the second fastest in history, on day two of the second Test with South Africa in Cape Town.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Stokes, in his 21st Test, resumed on 74 and raced to 200 in 163 balls to beat Ian Botham's 220-ball record.
Jonny Bairstow (150) struck his maiden Test century and shared in a stand of 399, a sixth-wicket world record.
Stokes made 258 as England added 312 within 39 overs and declared on 629-6, South Africa reaching 141-2 in reply.
Only New Zealand's Nathan Astle has reached a Test double hundred more quickly than Stokes, off 153 balls against England in 2002.
Listen - Jonathan Agnew descibes the moment Stokes reaches his double century
Listen - "Stokes batted like Gilchrist and Sobers"
England, 1-0 up in the four-match series and resuming on 317-5, added 196 in 25 overs in a thrilling morning session.
Driving the ball fluently when given width outside the off stump and ruthlessly pulling anything short, 24-year-old Stokes hit five fours in the opening two overs of the day and smashed spinner Dane Piedt for 16 in three balls.
He plundered 130 in the morning, the most by any batsman in a pre-lunch session, moving from 150 to his double century in just 28 deliveries, before beating Virender Sehwag's landmark for the fastest Test 250.
Attempting a third successive six to equal Wasim Akram's record of 12 for the highest number of maximums in a Test innings, Stokes lofted to AB de Villiers at mid-on, who fumbled the catch but ran out the left-hander with a direct hit.
Bairstow would have dominated the headlines on any other day, displaying impressively powerful hitting of his own.
The 26-year-old Yorkshire wicketkeeper hit five fours and a six in the space of nine balls and now averages 104 in three matches against South Africa.
Having made six half-centuries, the wicketkeeper recorded his maiden Test hundred in his 37th innings.
Standing tall at the crease and dispatching the ball to all quarters with a high backlift, he reached 150 from 191 balls and with that the declaration came.
As so often happens after a team replies to a mammoth total, South Africa lost an early wicket, Stiaan van Zyl run out by Nick Compton after being sent back by Dean Elgar as he went in search of a single.
The current number one Test side, who have lost four of their past five matches, rallied before Stokes returned to the action and had Durban centurion Elgar superbly caught for 44 by a diving Compton at point.
De Villiers (25 not out) was dropped on five by Joe Root at second slip off James Anderson and began to look more assured in favourable batting conditions at a cloudless Newlands, sharing an unbroken 56 with Hashim Amla, who ended a run of 11 innings without a fifty in reaching 64 not out.
Two of the three wickets to fall on a day when 453 runs were scored - a record in South Africa - were run-outs, so a straightforward second successive victory for England is by no means guaranteed.
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: "What an astonishing innings. This man has played an innings that no-one here will ever forget.
"They are all standing and applauding something that has been absolutely magnificent."
Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott on Test Match Special: "That was phenomenal. You've seen something special. You don't get 200s like that very often - very rare. It's been a memorable day."
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith: "Even as a South African you have to enjoy this. It's been both gut-wrenching and electric to watch.
"You've got a appreciate this. Everyone is witnessing something special."
As Stokes blasted boundaries at will, we asked you to compare him to some comic-book heroes...


A minute's silence has been held before all Premier and Football league matches to mark the 30th anniversary of the Bradford City fire.

Fifty-six fans died in the blaze at Valley Parade on 11 May 1985.
It is thought the fire started accidentally after a spectator dropped a lit cigarette under a wooden stand.
England manager Roy Hodgson and FA chairman Greg Dyke laid a floral tribute at the ground before Bradford's League One win over Barnsley.
A new book claims the fire was just one of at least nine blazes at businesses owned or associated with former club chairman Stafford Heginbotham.
The judge who led the inquiry into the fire said claims it may have been started deliberately were "nonsense".
The book has been written by Bradford fan Martin Fletcher, who lost his brother, father, uncle and grandfather in the fire, which broke out during Bradford's match against Lincoln City.
Mr Dyke said he found the allegations "very hard to believe".
The silence was held before the date of the 30th anniversary in order to coincide with Bradford City's last home game of the season.