Community leaders in central Nigeria have accused government troops of killing dozens of civilians and burning villages following the deaths of six soldiers at the hands of tribesmen.

Residents of Wase district in Plateau state said troops arrived on Saturday night and opened fire indiscriminately.
The army denies killing civilians but a spokesman said one of its units had engaged a local militia group.
The group is not connected to the Islamist militants Boko Haram.
Last week six soldiers were killed and mutilated by tribesmen - reportedly members of the Tarok tribe - who were allegedly involved in cattle rustling.
Plateau state has witnessed violence blamed on land disputes between semi-nomadic herdsmen and farmers.
Addressing a news conference in the Plateau state capital, Jos, community leader Comrade Jangle Lohbut said he had documented at least 38 deaths at the hands of troops.
"Soldiers stormed some villages in Wase. Villages belonging to Tarok and other tribes were razed and many lives, men, women and children, were lost," he said.
Local traditional ruler Chief Jessie Miri said he believed that up to 80 people had been killed.
Military spokesman Captain Ikedichi Iweha denied soldiers had targeted civilians, saying that troops were battling militiamen in the area.
"Yesterday, contact was made with the militia group and a firefight ensued. It is still going on," he said.
Last year, Amnesty International accused the Nigerian army of committing atrocities in the north-east in its fight against Boko Haram.
The military said it would investigate any alleged attacks on civilians.


A rare 400-year-old Bible worth about £50,000 has been discovered in a Lancashire village church.

Printed in 1611 and known as the "Great She Bible", it is one of the earliest known copies of the King James Version (KJV) of the Christian holy book.
It will be displayed at St Mary's Parish Church in Gisburn on Saturday.
The Reverend Anderson Jeremiah and the Reverend Alexander Baker found the old book following their appointment at the church last August.
It is called a "She Bible" because Chapter 3, Verse 15 of the Book of Ruth mistakenly reads: "She went into the city".
Thought to be typographical mistake, this verse was changed from another KJV edition which said "He".
The Bible has been assessed and authenticated by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association.
Only a handful of the "She Bibles" still exist. Oxford and Cambridge Universities have one, as do Salisbury, Exeter and Durham cathedrals.
The historical significance of the Bible was not highlighted in the parish records so it was stored in a cupboard at the back of the church.
Mr Baker said: "It was a really exciting thing to discover - it looks just like something out of Harry Potter.
"One of the wonderful things about worshipping in a church as old as ours is the sense of history that oozes from its walls and discovering the treasures it has to offer.
"But we were stunned to discover a treasure as rare as this. We knew as soon as we saw the date of the New Testament it was a significant find."
Dr Jeremiah added: "It's amazing to think we are able to hold a book printed as the direct result of the command of King James 400 years ago."
"This English language version of the Bible was created to encourage ordinary people to discover the Good News of Jesus Christ for themselves and it is likely that it was the book that first took God's word into many people's homes in this part of Lancashire.
"Now we hope to encourage the people of Lancashire and elsewhere to visit our church and discover this Bible for themselves."


Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes is the new host of The X Factor spin-off show The Xtra Factor, where she has been partnered with Kiss FM DJ Melvin Odoom.

The pair will be taking over slots once held by Olly Murs and Caroline Flack, who have been promoted to hosts of the main ITV talent show.
This year's X Factor will see wholesale changes, with Louis Walsh, Mel B and Dermot O'Leary departing.
Simon Cowell and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini are the only faces returning.
The judging panel will be completed by newcomers Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora, who was poached from BBC One's The Voice.
Coincidentally, Humes' husband is former JLS singer Marvin Humes, who hosts the BBC's rival talent show.
The couple are regular stand-in presenters together on ITV's This Morning, while Rochelle also fronted ITV's Ninja Warrior UK.
Odoom has worked on Kiss FM's breakfast show, alongside co-host Rickie Haywood-Williams, as well as presenting The Brit Awards for ITV2.
The Xtra Factor is a companion show to the main weekend broadcasts, and follows the backstage action, as well as chatting with judges and contestants.
Humes said: "I have watched The Xtra Factor for years so I am beyond excited about joining such a brilliant team and getting to work with my old friend Melvin makes it even better.
"I also can't wait to meet the contestants and be a part of their X Factor experience."


The amount of money being borrowed by consumers in the run-up to Christmas rose by £1.5bn, the largest rise for nearly eight years.

In November, consumers owed a total of £178.2bn on credit cards and loans, figures from the Bank of England show.
The monthly increase was the largest since February 2008 and compares with a rise of £1.2bn in October.
The rise in consumer credit follows signs of increased spending on the High Street.
Retail sales volumes rose by 5% in November compared with the same month in 2014, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The Bank of England figures mean that the average person in the UK now has borrowings of £2,759, even before mortgages are taken into account.
The Money Advice Trust, the charity which runs National Debtline, said it was concerned by the figures, and expected an increase in personal debt in the months ahead.
"These figures confirm that we do need to keep a watchful eye on the huge growth in consumer credit we are now seeing," said Joanna Elson, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust.
"Increased borrowing is to be expected in an economy that is recovering - but such steep rises in borrowing in recent months are a cause for concern."
£1.5bn
extra consumer credit
£0.4bn on credit cards
£1.1bn loans and overdrafts
It also comes at a time when consumers are saving less.
In the last quarter of 2015, the ONS said households saved 4.4% of their income, the equal lowest ratio for 50 years.
"This will fuel concern that consumers are borrowing more and saving less to finance their spending, which is likely a consequence of relatively high consumer confidence and extended low interest rates," said Howard Archer, the chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight.
However, other experts said that increased consumer borrowing provided a useful boost to economic growth.
"Credit flows are continuing to strengthen gradually, providing much-needed support to the economy as growth is hindered by slowing real income gains, the fiscal squeeze and the strong pound," said Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.


A man was taken to hospital following a fire at a car compound at a former RAF airfield in Norfolk.

Firefighters were called to the West Raynham site at about 17:00 BST on Tuesday.
Crews fought the blaze with compressed air foam as gas cylinders were present at the site.
The East of England Ambulance Service treated the man, aged in his 40s, who suffered minor burns to his hand and face.
He was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, for further care.


Kenny McLean has assured Aberdeen's supporters there will be no repeat of their embarrassing defeat in Luxembourg when they play FK Ventspils in Latvia.

The Dons take a 3-0 lead into Thursday's second leg of their Europa League qualifying tie.
"I can assure you there won't be a repeat of what happened over there, we have talked about that," McLean said.
"There can be no excuses for that performance though and we all feel we have a point to prove in Latvia."
The result at Pittodrie last week should be enough to guarantee progress to a home tie against either Levski Sofia or Maribor next week.
Their preparations for the second leg have been disrupted though. The Dons flight to Latvia has been delayed by several hours following a problem with their plane. Derek McInnes and his squad returned to Pitoddrie to carry out a training session.
"There is no drama," McInnes said.
"We were not going to train at Ventspils stadium anyway due to the logistics with the hotels there.
"Today is just about turning the legs over so the players will get trained at Pittodrie.
"Hopefully we will get away to Latvia this afternoon and will keep our timings exactly as they were as if we were over there.
"If we can get away from here no later than 2.30pm this afternoon there is no real disruption."
McLean is taking anything for granted after a poor performance on their travels in the previous round nearly saw them knocked out of the competition by SC Fola Esch.
The midfielder admits losing the second leg of that tie to the Luxembourg minnows was a real low point in his time at Pittodrie and they owe it to themselves and the Red Army to make amends in the 3,200 capacity Olimpsikais Stadium.
"I think we have a point to prove over there as well as we let the travelling fans down with our performance in Luxembourg" McLean told BBC Radio Scotland.
"This is a chance to put things right from that point of view and with a good first leg performance to build on I think we can do that.
"We're better prepared for this one as we have three competitive games under our belt and are getting fitter and more match sharp all the time."
Aberdeen are looking to make it to the third round of qualifying for the third successive season since McInnes took charge of the club.
However, McLean knows that his manager is far from satisfied with that achievement and is determined to take the Dons through to the lucrative group stages of the competition.
He added: "This team wants to keep improving every year as that has always been the manager's aim and the group stage is an obvious target.
"I think the results prove that we are progressing as we have a really strong squad and it is important to get far in Europe for this club.
"Aberdeen have a great history in these competitions and we need to start getting to the group stages but we take nothing for granted.
"We will make sure we take care of a team that will come at us from the start then think about the third round once we have done that.
"There was a lot of hard work put into the first leg to get the three goal lead but it will be a tough game like the one over in Luxembourg was.
"None of these matches away from home are easy but we know what they can do now and we are confident of getting a good result in the second leg as well."
Ventspils have made it to the group stages in the recent past when they went on to draw with Hertha Berlin, Sporting Lisbon and Heerenveen.
However, their form has been less impressive recently with their only wins coming against teams from Belarus, Luxembourg and the Faroe Islands.
By contrast this is Aberdeen's 126th tie in European football and they have never let a 3-0 first leg lead slip.


A superstitious elderly passenger delayed a flight in Shanghai after throwing coins at the engine for good luck, a Chinese airline has confirmed.

The 80-year-old woman threw her change at the China Southern Airlines flight as she crossed the tarmac to board.
She told police she launched the coins as she "prayed for safety" on Tuesday.
Of the nine coins launched, only one hit its intended target - but this was enough to force the evacuation of 150 passengers for several hours.
Police were called to Shanghai Pudong International Airport after a passenger noticed the woman's bizarre behaviour, apparently aimed at ensuring a safe flight, and alerted authorities.
The woman, who was travelling with her husband, daughter and son-in-law, was then taken away for questioning by officers, local media report.
"In order to make sure the flight is safe, China Southern maintenance has conducted a full examination of the plane's engine," China Southern Airlines said in a statement on the microblogging site Weibo.
Police later shared their findings, which amounted to a single coin with the value of about 1.7 yuan.
"After an investigation the involved passenger, surnamed Qiu, said she threw the coins to pray for safety. According to Qiu's neighbour, Qiu believes in Buddhism," the police said.
The flight was eventually given the all-clear and took off at 17:52 local time (09:52 GMT), more than five hours late.
News of the incident caused a fair amount of turbulence on the social media site Weibo, with one user commenting: "Grandma, this is not a wish fountain with turtles."
China Southern Airlines later urged passengers to comply with civil aviation laws and regulations and avoid behaviour that could prove detrimental to the safety of passengers travelling on its flights.


UK air accident investigators are heading to Norway to help with an inquiry into a helicopter crash, thought to have killed 13.

A team from the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch is heading to the city of Bergen, near the crash site.
It has investigated a number of crashes involving helicopters operating to and from offshore oil and gas fields in recent years.
One of the victims is understood to be from Scotland.
Eleven people are known to have died and two more are presumed dead after the Airbus EC225LP helicopter - or Super Puma - crashed on Friday.
Commercial Super Puma flights in the UK have been grounded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) following the crash.
The helicopter was flying from the Gullfaks oil field to Bergen, a centre for the North Sea oil and gas industry, when it crashed near the small island of Turoey.
A major rescue operation was launched but ended within hours of the crash. In addition to the Briton, 11 Norwegians and an Italian were on the flight.
In 2012, EC225 Super Puma helicopters crashed in two incidents in Scotland - one off Aberdeen and another off Shetland - that were both blamed on gearbox problems.
In both cases, all passengers and crew were rescued. EC225s in the UK were grounded following the crashes but given the go-ahead to resume flying in August 2013.
However that model was again grounded, along with several others, later that same month after a Super Puma (AS332 L2) crashed off Shetland, killing four people.
On Friday, the CAA announced a restriction on all EC225 commercial passenger flights, mirroring action taken by its Norwegian counterpart.
The restriction does not apply to search and rescue flights, it said.
BP and Statoil have also suspended the use of the aircraft model, so it is unable to carry oil and gas workers.
Super Pumas are responsible for many of the 140,000 helicopter passenger flights in the UK each year.


As Theresa May prepares to make her Prime Minister's Questions debut, a look at how previous leaders and opposition leaders fared on their first outing.

Making his debut against Tony Blair in December 2005, David Cameron's famous line was when he said of the prime minister: "He was the future once." Indeed, Mr Cameron went full circle with this, joking at his last ever appearance at Prime Minister's Questions, before handing over to Theresa May, "I was the future once".
Gordon Brown had waited many years to take his bow at Prime Minister's Questions - and the occasion came on 4 July 2007.
Taking place days after attempted suicide bombings in London and Glasgow, the Commons clash with David Cameron was dominated by security issues.
Mr Brown sought to strike a consensual note by saying all parties should "show unity in the face of terror" but the two leaders clashed over the need for identity cards and the banning of extremist groups.
The prime minister announced a number of security-related initiatives but was jeered by the opposition when, in response to one question, he said he had "only been in the job for five days".
Tony Blair has spoken of the nerves he felt as prime minister ahead of the weekly session but when he was leader of the opposition, he often made it look like plain sailing.
Facing John Major for the first time, on 18 October 1994, he attacked what he said were serious divisions at the top of the government over Europe, particularly over the single currency and whether a referendum would be needed before joining the euro.
A "divided government was a weak government", he told MPs.
John Major faced PM's questions on his second day as prime minister on 29 November 1990, having never done it before.
The session got off to a humorous start, when Labour MP Dennis Skinner shouted "resign" as Mr Major rose to answer his first question. Opposition leader Neil Kinnock then offered the new prime minister his "personal congratulations" on his election as leader.
The future of the poll tax dominated exchanges. Mr Kinnock said it would save a lot of "time and money" to just abolish it. Mr Major steered a middle course, saying a thorough review of the controversial tax was the right action to take.
Pundits eagerly awaited the new Labour leader's PMQs debut in September 2015 - his first ever outing at the despatch box, having spent the previous decades watching from the backbenches.
In a departure from the usual format for the Commons clash, he opted to ask the prime minister a series of questions sent to him by members of the public - on housing, mental health, public services.
Mr Corbyn said he wanted "less theatre and more facts" at the weekly parliamentary session.
Ed Miliband gave David Cameron "nought out of two" in answering his questions as the pair had their first squabble at PMQs about benefits, which came after a quieter first exchange about the death of Linda Norgrove, the aid worker killed in Afghanistan.
He said he wanted to "change the tone" of PMQs exchanges, as he demanded "straight answers to straight questions", in the session in October 2010.
The pair also dug into the archives to remind each other and the House about previous pledges by their opponents.
The new Tory leader was always regarded as a tough debater but how would he fare in the bearpit of PMQs?
Taking on Tony Blair, on 12 November 2003, he accused the prime minister of running an incompetent and wasteful government and derided the PM's answers, saying at one point: "Two questions asked, neither answered: not a very good start I'm afraid."
Although the atmosphere was electric, the clash was largely nostalgic in flavour.
After his surprise victory in the Tory leadership contest, Iain Duncan Smith's debut outing on 17 October 2001, was eagerly awaited, although it took place in a sombre atmosphere, just weeks after the 9/11 attacks.
He opted to spread his six questions into two segments: the first on Afghanistan, where he backed the UK-supported military action against the Taliban, and the second on Labour's proposed NHS reforms, which was far more heated.
He raised the case of a constituent who had died after spending nine hours on a hospital trolley, and said Labour's "promises of a better tomorrow" would sound "hollow" to their family and many others.
Mr Blair said such failings were "unacceptable" but hit out at the Tories for not supporting their investment in the NHS.
A youthful William Hague faced an exceedingly tough task, taking on the leadership of a party which had just been battered at the polls and lost many of its big names.
At his first PMQs - now being held once a week - against Tony Blair on 25 June 1997, he seized on reports that a Labour MP had been threatened with expulsion from the party for campaigning against proposals for a Welsh Assembly.
He said it showed the "arrogant behaviour" of a government which could not tolerate "honest and open" debate. Mr Blair said the claims had been proved to be untrue and urged Mr Hague to withdraw them.


The main exhibition at this year's Dubai Design Week, Iconic City: Brilliant Beirut, presents a cleverly conceived display of the Lebanese capital's design evolution from 1950 until the present.

Bringing together the major influences that shaped the city's cultural output Beirut-based curator and designer Rana Salam pinpoints the impact of external wars and civil conflict on design with an insider's eye for detail.
The French mandate ended in 1943, after 23 years of colonial rule, ushering in the new republic. But it was in the 1950s that architecture, interior and product design flourished fusing European and Arab influences. The economic emphasis shifted from agriculture to industry, tourism and trade, creating a new skyline, and growing consumerism encouraged brand advertising.
A 1960s poster (pictured) for Middle East Airlines, Lebanon's national carrier, which began flying the newly wealthy to international destinations. The French-designed poster suggests it's made of mosaic while appearing modern, and designer Jacques Auriac - also responsible for the creating iconic French cigarette packets - conjured up posters to destinations beyond the immediate region.
Opening its doors in late 1967, the boutique L'Artisan du Liban et L'Orient was the response of May El Khoury, the wife of an eminent architect, to the trauma of defeat in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The defeat eroded confidence and left a profound impression on the Arab psyche. Modernising overlooked local crafts and selling them in a chic setting might be interpreted as an act of cultural activism. It softened the humiliation of military defeat for the middle classes, who were attracted to the new Arab aesthetic and to the idea of patriotism through ethical consumerism.
The desire to create a contemporary Islamic architecture marked architect Assem Salam's early career in reaction to the 1967 war. Along with Pierre Khoury he felt the construction of specifically Lebanese-Arab religious buildings would revive spirits crushed by the defeat and designed the Khashoggi Mosque (pictured above). After the civil war he founded an association for the preservation of historic buildings seeking to slow down the rush to reconstruct Beirut at the cost of cultural heritage.
The nightclub known as B 018 was designed by Bernard Khoury in 1998 in the Quarantaine, the Beirut neighbourhood that saw some of the worst atrocities during the conflict. It has its roots in the 1980s in the thick of the civil war when gatherings were held at a semi-secret location code named B 018.
The circular lid covering the subterranean club looks like a helicopter landing pad from above. The lid can also be raised revealing activity below. Khoury claims that in the absence of public spaces above ground his club was designed not for entertainment but to bring people together for therapy.
The Egg, a scarred reminder of the civil war, stands near Martyrs Square. It was originally planned to be a cinema at the heart of the largest leisure and shopping complex in the Middle East, part of a modernist, avant-garde architectural movement, but it was unfinished when the civil war broke out in 1975. Fierce fighting around the building left the edifice pock-marked but still standing. This iconic building occasionally hosts cultural events.
The Basilica of the Cathedral of Harissa, designed by Pierre Khoury, is pictured at the top of the page. It stands on a hill overlooking a bay, next to an important Lebanese Christian pilgrimage site. The remarkable religious building was conceived with the idea of creating a stronger Christian identity after the 1967 war.


Microscopic plastic debris from washing clothes is accumulating in the marine environment and could be entering the food chain, a study has warned.

Researchers traced the "microplastic" back to synthetic clothes, which released up to 1,900 tiny fibres per garment every time they were washed.
Earlier research showed plastic smaller than 1mm were being eaten by animals and getting into the food chain.
The findings appeared in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
"Research we had done before... showed that when we looked at all the bits of plastic in the environment, about 80% was made up from smaller bits of plastic," said co-author Mark Browne, an ecologist now based at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
"This really led us to the idea of what sorts of plastic are there and where did they come from."
Dr Browne, a member of the US-based research network National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, said the tiny plastic was a concern because evidence showed that it was making its way into the food chain.
"Once the plastics had been eaten, it transferred from [the animals'] stomachs to their circulation system and actually accumulated in their cells," he told BBC News.
In order to identify how widespread the presence of microplastic was on shorelines, the team took samples from 18 beaches around the globe, including the UK, India and Singapore.
"We found that there was no sample from around the world that did not contain pieces of microplastic."
Dr Browne added: "Most of the plastic seemed to be fibrous.
"When we looked at the different types of polymers we were finding, we were finding that polyester, acrylic and polyamides (nylon) were the major ones that we were finding."
The data also showed that the concentration of microplastic was greatest in areas near large urban centres.
In order to test the idea that sewerage discharges were the source of the plastic discharges, the team worked with a local authority in New South Wales, Australia.
"We found exactly the same proportion of plastics," Dr Browne revealed, which led the team to conclude that their suspicions had been correct.
As a result, Dr Browne his colleague Professor Richard Thompson from the University of Plymouth, UK carried out a number of experiments to see what fibres were contained in the water discharge from washing machines.
"We were quite surprised. Some polyester garments released more than 1,900 fibres per garment, per wash," Dr Browne observed.
"It may not sound like an awful lot, but if that is from a single item from a single wash, it shows how things can build up.
"It suggests to us that a large proportion of the fibres we were finding in the environment, in the strongest evidence yet, was derived from the sewerage as a consequence from washing clothes."


London's Air Ambulance crew have become the first team in the world to use a balloon device to control catastrophic bleeding at the roadside.

They hope technique will also help prevent deaths and disability from road collisions and falls from height.
The small balloon is inflated inside major blood vessels to stop internal blood loss - a common cause of death after severe injuries.
This may be a "major advance" in trauma care outside hospitals, experts say.
The technique, known as Reboa (resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta), was first used in the UK by the Royal London Hospital.
And after two years of further development, the London's Air Ambulance charity have used it to treat a patient who suffered severe pelvic injuries and bleeding.
Pedestrians or cyclists involved in serious crashes often have internal bleeding due to injury to blood vessels deep inside the body - these cannot be compressed from the outside.
But this technique allows doctors to gain access quickly and control bleeding from within.
When the pelvis is injured - for example - large vessels in that area can be torn, leading to massive blood loss.
And some people will die at the scene or before they can be transferred safely to hospital.
Dr Gareth Davies, medical director at London's Air Ambulance and emergency medicine consultant at Barts Health NHS Trust, said: "We believe the use of Reboa can lead to a reduction in the number of patients who quite simply bleed to death before they have the chance to get to hospital."
The device is made of a thin plastic tube with a balloon at the tip.
Using a series of guide wires, the tube is fed, through a vessel in the leg, into the lower part of the aorta - the major blood vessel in the body.
And once in the correct position it can then be inflated using a small amount of liquid, temporarily cutting off blood supply to the damaged blood vessels.
This can buy doctors and paramedics valuable time to get the patient to the nearest hospital where further surgery may be carried out.
Mr David Nott, a surgeon at St Mary's Hospital, London, who was not involved in this work, said: "This is a fantastic idea.
"Stopping the bleeding as soon as possible has to be the way forward, and this balloon may help stop it almost immediately.
"Obviously this is new for pre-hospital care - it will have to be used by people experienced and trained in trauma care.
"It could be a major advance in the treatment of trauma."
Prof Karim Brohi, at Barts Health NHS Trust ,who was involved in developing the roadside technique, said: "Over 2.5 million people bleed to death from their injuries each year around the world.
"We have to stop people bleeding to death - it's one of the world's biggest killers.
"And while Reboa sounds relatively simple, it is an extremely difficult technology to deliver in an emergency department in hospital, never mind at the roadside."


Falkirk came from behind to move third in the Championship, adding to the misery of bottom club St Mirren, who remain without a league win this term.

Lewis Morgan fired Saints ahead but the visitors had Jack Baird sent off for throwing a punch before the interval.
Lee Miller levelled early in the second half, turning in a low cross from Myles Hippolyte, via the post.
Bob McHugh and Hippolyte then earned the Bairns maximum points with strikes inside the closing 12 minutes.
St Mirren, without a point since October, started in bright fashion and Kyle McAllister had an early effort that drifted wide of Danny Rogers' goal.
And when the breakthrough came, it was a goal of outstanding quality.
John Sutton knocked the ball down into the path of Morgan, who took one touch and blasted the ball high into the net from 18 yards.
The St Mirren defence were coping admirably with all that was being thrown at them before Baird was shown a straight red card after a clash with Falkirk striker Miller.
Within two minutes of the second half Falkirk were back on terms, with Miller applying the finishing touch.
Despite being a man down, St Mirren looked dangerous on the break but they could not find a way through.
Falkirk eventually made their personnel advantage count with McHugh on target from close range after good work by Miller.
And victory was secured when Hippolyte evaded a couple of challenges to create space to crash in a shot from 12 yards and lift his side up two places in the table.
Match ends, Falkirk 3, St. Mirren 1.
Second Half ends, Falkirk 3, St. Mirren 1.
Lee Miller (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Gary Mackenzie (St. Mirren).
Foul by Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk).
Lawrence Shankland (St. Mirren) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, St. Mirren. Calum Gallagher replaces Kyle McAllister.
Attempt missed. Robert McHugh (Falkirk) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is close, but misses the top right corner.
Goal!  Falkirk 3, St. Mirren 1. Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner.
Attempt saved. Gary Mackenzie (St. Mirren) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner,  St. Mirren. Conceded by Luke Leahy.
Goal!  Falkirk 2, St. Mirren 1. Robert McHugh (Falkirk) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Lee Miller.
Corner,  Falkirk. Conceded by Scott Gallacher.
Attempt saved. Robert McHugh (Falkirk) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Substitution, St. Mirren. Lawrence Shankland replaces John Sutton.
Substitution, Falkirk. Scott Shepherd replaces James Craigen.
Substitution, Falkirk. Robert McHugh replaces John Baird.
Attempt saved. Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner,  St. Mirren. Conceded by Luca Gasparotto.
Foul by David McCracken (Falkirk).
John Sutton (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Lee Miller (Falkirk).
Stephen Mallan (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. James Craigen (Falkirk) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Substitution, St. Mirren. Jordan Stewart replaces Rocco Quinn.
Corner,  Falkirk. Conceded by Rocco Quinn.
Attempt missed. Aaron Muirhead (Falkirk) header from the centre of the box is too high following a corner.
Corner,  Falkirk. Conceded by Gary Irvine.
Corner,  St. Mirren. Conceded by Myles Hippolyte.
Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk) has gone down, but that's a dive.
Attempt saved. John Baird (Falkirk) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Goal!  Falkirk 1, St. Mirren 1. Lee Miller (Falkirk) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Myles Hippolyte.
Foul by Kyle Magennis (St. Mirren).
Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Second Half begins Falkirk 0, St. Mirren 1.
Substitution, Falkirk. Craig Sibbald replaces John Rankin.
First Half ends, Falkirk 0, St. Mirren 1.
Attempt blocked. Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by John Sutton (St. Mirren).


Strong sales of plus-size and petite clothes have helped boost profit at online fashion retailer Boohoo.

The company, which is aimed at 16-24 year-olds in particular, said its main womenswear range of dresses and jackets, as well as its new menswear website, also saw strong sales.
Pre-tax profits jumped 129% to Â£14.3m in the six months to August.
It also benefited from successful marketing campaigns, especially on social media.
"We have... stepped up our activity on social media on Facebook Live and on Snapchat and a content drive on Instagram has helped us pass the two-million follower mark in the UK," the company said in its statement.
This has been a large part of the company's success, analysts said.
While it is still much smaller than rival Asos, Boohoo has been particularly savvy about "communicating with its core 16-24 year-old customers," said retail analyst Kate Ormrod from research firm Verdict.
It uses bloggers and "influencers" to showcase its designs.
"As the customers mature, keeping them interested will be a challenge," Ms Ormrod added.
Asos has 12 million active customers, while Boohoo, which started in 2006, now has 4.5 million active shoppers.
The fashion industry as a whole as been trying to attract the lucrative plus-size customers, said Ms Ormrod, and that's something that Boohoo has done well.
"They haven't always been offered the most fashionable styles and it's a strongly growing market."
The joint chief executives, Mahmud Kamani and Carole Kane, said there was "robust growth across all regions and continued momentum in new customer growth".
Revenue rose 38% in the UK, 41% in Europe and 93% in the US.
It plans to introduce a new range of children's clothing, as well as a small maternity range.


The relationship between a homeless person and their dog can be an exceptionally close one but if you are on the streets, looking after your pet can also be challenging.

In an effort to help with that, a group of fourth-year vet students from Glasgow University has set up a clinic service to provide free vaccinations, micro-chipping, clothing, bedding and more.
"My pal bought him for me," says Michael of his three-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Giro. The two are sitting in the doorway of a Glasgow bank, sheltering from the rain.
He was named because Michael got him on what he calls a giro day - the day he receives his benefits money.
"My pal asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said a wee bit of company.
"I know it sounds stupid," he adds with a laugh, "but I just wanted somebody to talk to and the puppy does it for me.
"He just sits there with you and he's dead loyal. I just love him to bits."
Michael has been on the streets on and off since 2005. Sometimes he is able to stay with friends but other times he and Giro end up outdoors. For nights like that they have a routine.
"You just get plenty of cardboard on the ground and a couple of sheets of cardboard over the top of you - a door mat, anything like that, just to put a bit of weight on you and then the dog cuddles up next to me and the two of us are warm as toast."
Michael and Giro have a regular spot where they sit. Passers-by who stop to put money in the cup, often take a moment to give the dog a pat too. Others bring or buy food for Giro.
"He doesn't suffer," says Michael.
"He's better than me, put it that way. He's guaranteed a meal. I'm not."
Giro is also wearing a coat against the winter chill which he got from the Trusty Paws clinic.
It was set up this year by Glasgow University vet students.
"We provide basic preventative health care," says 22 year-old Ruby Shorrock, who came up with idea after seeing a similar scheme in England.
They launched in March and over the summer collected supplies and public donations. In October they held their first clinic.
They provide things such as vaccinations, flea and worming treatment, micro chips and general clinical exams, as well as other things including food and collars to dog owners who are homeless.
"They really care for their dogs even more than they care for themselves," says Ms Shorrock.
"Often the dogs get fed before their owners get fed. So just seeing that dedication and passion from someone who's in that predicament is inspiring."
"The aim is to help these people off the streets, so if they're not worrying about feeding their dog or getting care for their dog, they can look after themselves."
The clinics have been held at the advice and information hub of the Glasgow Simon Community. The organisation, which aims to combat the causes and effects of homelessness, is partnering in the Trusty Paws project.
It has meant that, as well as the dogs being helped, the people too are in a place where they can get the support they need.
"Homelessness is an extremely isolating, lonely and frightening experience," says Lorraine McGrath, chief executive at the Glasgow Simon Community.
In such a situation a dog can become really important.
She says: "Basically they become the one constant, the one positive relationship in their lives.
"They give a sense of purpose, a sense of meaning to each day. It's someone for them to care for and to have responsibility for."
She says dogs can make finding accommodation more difficult. Their services do allow them, but others are not able to take them.
Her organisation has dealt with people who have refused offers of somewhere to stay because they have not been able to take their dog with them.
Certainly Michael says he would not move into anywhere without Giro.
"He's everything to me. I would die for him. He's a great wee pup. He's my wee pal. I've got to look out for him as well."


The partner of a cyclist killed by a drink-driver has been told she will not face legal charges over her son missing school following the death.

Tracey Fidler, from Reading, had been taken to court by Reading Borough Council for the non-attendance of her now 11-year-old son.
Ms Fidler said her son Adam, aged nine at the time his father was killed, was "grieving" and "in a state".
The council said it had dropped the action after a meeting with her.
Tony Jones, the council's lead member for education, said the authority would "work with the family to provide support they need".
Mother-of-five Ms Fidler, who was planning to represent herself in the civil case, denied the offence.
She could potentially have faced a fine of up to Â£2,500, been given a community order or jailed for up to three months.
She previously said being in court for her son not attending Battle Primary Academy enough times was "unbelievable".
She said: "He wasn't going to school basically because he was grieving for his dad. Since the incident he's been suffering big time.
"He wasn't off school because he was truanting, he was off because he was grieving."
Her fiance, Kris Jarvis, 39, who worked for Reading council, died on 13 February 2014 when he and his friend John Morland were hit by Alexander Walters, 31, from Purley-on-Thames.
A petition set up by Mr Jarvis's sister-in-law Amy Parks asking for proceedings to be dropped attracted more than 6,500 signatures.


The prime minister of Japan at the time of the Fukushima nuclear disaster is visiting Anglesey to campaign against the new Wylfa power plant.

Naoto Kan resigned after Fukushima was hit by a tsunami in 2011, causing radiation leaks.
He has since become an anti-nuclear campaigner and will arrive in Wales next Wednesday to speak in the Senedd.
He will then travel to Anglesey to urge residents to fight the planned £8bn Wylfa Newydd nuclear plant.
An Anglesey council spokesman said that as well as hosting a public meeting on Thursday, Mr Kan will be addressing members of the authority.
"During the meeting we will also be informing him about our energy island programme and its aims," the spokesman added.
It is hoped the nuclear project will boost the island's economy.


Chinese police have arrested a man in connection with a high-profile video that appears to show a woman being assaulted in a Beijing hotel.

The 24-year-old male suspect surnamed Li was caught in Henan province on Thursday night, Beijing police said on their Sina Weibo microblog.
The video, taken from the hotel's CCTV footage, was viewed widely online in recent days and sparked public anger.
The hotel's parent company has apologised over the incident.
Read more: China hotel 'assault video' sparks anger and debate
The video was uploaded on Sina Weibo, a popular microblogging network in China, earlier this week and quickly went viral, with posts about the subject attracting more than two billion views.
It shows a woman being approached by a man in a black jacket, who then appears to attack her.
The uploader of the video, who used the screen name "Wanwan" and claimed to be the woman in the video, said she did not know the man, and that a staff member who saw them did not intervene.
The incident took place at the Beijing branch of the Heyi hotel chain, known as Yitel in English.
Homeinns, the parent company of the hotel, has apologised for "insufficient security management and customer service".
Following news of the arrest, "Wanwan" wrote: "The suspect has been arrested, and Homeinns has apologised, so two of my requests have been met."
"The last few days have been exhausting, and the incident has affected my everyday life, and friends have also suggested I seek support from a psychologist."
She added that she hoped her life could go back to normal, and thanked her supporters for their help.
While news of the suspect's arrest was welcomed by many on Sina Weibo, some also expressed disappointment in the authorities.
"When something happens, it seems like taking to social media is more useful than dialling 110 [the police number in China]," one user said.
Another user, VIP-GGG, commented: "I'm still very angry! Your police statement came too late! We forced it out of you! There are thousands of other women like Wanwan whose cases haven't been resolved!"
China has seen several incidents in recent years where bystanders have refused to help those in need.
Many are reluctant to intervene because there have been cases where injured people have subsequently blamed those who came to their aid for causing the injuries - and sued them.


Donald Trump has taken his first steps as president, signing an executive order which targets the signature health care reforms of his predecessor.

His proclamation ordered agencies to ease the economic burden of the laws known as Obamacare.
In Friday's inaugural address he pledged to put "America first" and to end the "American carnage" of abandoned factories and rampant crime.
Later, about 200,000 people are due to join a Women's March in Washington.
Organisers say they want to highlight racial and gender equality and other issues perceived to be under threat from Mr Trump's administration.
Similar marches have taken place in Australia, New Zealand and in Asian cities, and many others are getting under way around the world.
BBC Washington correspondent Barbara Plett-Usher says Mr Trump has vowed to do what he can immediately using executive action, chalking up early victories before he has to turn to the grinding work of getting bills through Congress.
His team quickly overhauled the White House website to include his pledge to roll back Barack Obama's strategy on climate change.
Shortly after taking office as the 45th US president, Mr Trump sent his Cabinet nominations to the Senate.
He signed a waiver to allow retired General James Mattis to serve as defence secretary, even though he left the military less than the required seven years ago.
Gen Mattis, whose appointment has been approved by the Senate, was later sworn in by Vice-President Mike Pence.
Mr Pence also swore in John Kelly as head of Homeland Security.
The revamped White House website replaces Mr Obama's policies with Mr Trump's new agenda.
The new administration lists only six issues on the website - energy, foreign policy, jobs and growth, military, law enforcement and trade deals.
Critics point out that it makes no mention of civil rights, LGBT rights, healthcare or climate change.
One of Mr Trump's key election pledges was to repeal and replace President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act.
Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said President Trump's executive order was for federal departments to "minimise the economic burden"' of the act, but he gave no details.
Mr Trump also signed a proclamation declaring a national day of patriotism.
Asked about his first day, which was capped by a dance with First Lady Melania to My Way, Mr Trump said "it was busy but good  - a beautiful day.''
In his inaugural address, Mr Trump, 70, struck a nationalist, protectionist tone.
"From this moment on, it's going to be America First. We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and hire American," he said.
Mr Trump accused Washington politicians of abandoning citizens to industrial decline and spiralling rates of crime.
"This American carnage stops right here and stops right now," he said.
"Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families."
Following the ceremony, some protesters took to the streets in Washington, smashing windows of businesses and denouncing capitalism and the new president.
Police in riot gear dispersed them using pepper spray.
More than 200 arrests were made and six officers were hurt. At least one vehicle was set on fire, police said.


A memorial to the victims of the "worst recorded accident" in Britain's explosives industry has been upgraded to Grade 2* listed.

The upgrading - coinciding with the 100 year anniversary - offers greater protection and marks its significance.
At least 108 men and boys were killed at the Explosives Loading Company near Faversham in Kent on 2 April 1916.
A fire broke out in a wooden shed, igniting 15 tons of TNT and 150 tons of ammonium nitrate.
The explosions that followed shattered windows 15 miles away and were heard in France, Historic England said.
However, government censorship and a press blackout - for fear of alerting the enemy - meant the disaster was barely-reported at the time.
The majority of the victims, many of whom could not be identified, were buried in a mass grave in Faversham's Love Lane cemetery, where the memorial stands.
All the victims were male as no women worked in the plant at weekends - the oldest was 61 the youngest 17 - Historic England said.
Grade I buildings - only 2.5% - are of "exceptional interest"
Grade II* buildings - 5.5% - are "particularly important buildings of more than special interest"
Grade II buildings are of special interest; 92% of all listed buildings are in this class
Historic England said: "The memorial is an eloquent and poignant reminder of the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it made in World War One. "
It has pledged to list a total of 2,500 war memorials by 2018, marking the centenary of the war.
Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said: "Over a million Britons lost their lives in the First World War. It's important that their sacrifice is not forgotten."


Director of rugby Richard Cockerill insists he is happy with Leicester's start to the Premiership season.

Tigers lost 19-6 to Exeter on Saturday, their first defeat after winning their opening three league matches.
But Cockerill told BBC Radio Leicester: "It's still a good start. We've played some tough sides in Wasps, Quins and Exeter, who will be in the top-six mix.
"There is a lot of rugby still to go. It will be a really intriguing season to see how squads pull through."
Tigers are next in action on Friday night when they play Stade Francais in the European Champions Cup at Welford Road.
Cockerill said a gruelling fixture list meant every team faces tough challenges.
"There is the Six Nations, and there will be injuries," Cockerill added. "Everybody is playing back to back.
"We have some good bodies to come back into the squad and Jean de Villiers and Brendon O'Connor are to arrive."


Europe's top four domestic leagues are to be guaranteed four places each in the group stages of the Champions League from the 2018-19 season.

The current top four according to European governing body Uefa's rankings are Spain, Germany, England and Italy.
Under the present system, England, Germany and Spain have three places each while their fourth-placed teams must win a play-off to qualify.
Italy has only two guaranteed places, plus one in the play-off round.
Uefa, which controls the Champions League, says the Europa League winners will also qualify for the Champions League group stage under the new system.
But it has stopped short of guaranteeing places for named clubs, such as AC Milan, Liverpool, Inter Milan and Manchester United.
They all missed out on this season's group stage after performing poorly in their respective leagues last season.
Uefa has also revealed the financial distribution to clubs will be "increased significantly" for the Champions League and Europa League.
It also said "historical success in the competition" will also be acknowledged to calculate where a league sits in its rankings.
Points will be awarded for previous European titles but weighted towards more recent success in the Champions League and Europa League.
Uefa has called the changes "an evolution not a revolution".
According to Uefa competitions director Giorgio Marchetti, the format for the Champions League will remain the same.
Following a qualifying stage, 32 teams will be drawn in eight groups of four for the right to be one of 16 sides to make it through to the knockout competition.
BBC Radio 5 live sports news correspondent Richard Conway:
Europe's big clubs have lobbied Uefa for changes to the Champions League. They are conscious of a growing financial gap between themselves and English clubs following the Premier League's bumper £9bn television deal.
Uefa says it is evolving the competition by allowing the top four teams in Europe's top four leagues to gain automatic entry to the group stages.
Media playback is not supported on this device
In addition, there will be a significant increase in prize money as Uefa tries to ward off the threat of any breakaway Super League.
The timing of the announcement is significant. One of the frontrunners to be the next Uefa president, Slovenian Alexander Ceferin, has built support from many smaller nations that could well sweep him to power next month.
Those smaller associations are keen to curb what they see as the excesses of the bigger countries and clubs. But this move has pre-empted that and tilted the axis of Uefa's club competitions a little further in favour of the big beasts.


The third London Bridge attacker has been named as 22-year-old Youssef Zaghba, a Moroccan-Italian man.

Pakistan-born Khuram Butt, 27, and  Rachid Redouane, 30, both from Barking were the other two attackers.
Two more victims have been been named - Australian nurse Kirsty Boden, 28, and French national Alexandre Pigeard, 27, died in Saturday night's attack.
They were among seven people killed - 48 were also injured - before the three attackers were shot dead by police.
Zaghba, Butt and Redouane drove a hired van into pedestrians on London Bridge at 21:58 BST before stabbing people in the area around Borough Market.
Armed officers killed all three within eight minutes of receiving a 999 call.
The Metropolitan Police said Butt had been subject to an investigation in 2015, but there had been no suggestion this attack was being planned.
In other developments:
The so-called Islamic State (IS) group has said its "fighters" carried out the attack.
An Italian police source has confirmed to the BBC that Zaghba, who lived in east London, had been placed on a watch list, which is shared with many countries including the UK.
In March 2016, Italian officers stopped Zaghba at Bologna airport and found IS-related materials on his mobile phone. He was then stopped from continuing his journey to Istanbul.
Redouane was a chef who also used the name Rachid Elkhdar and police said he claimed to be Moroccan-Libyan. He married a British woman in Dublin in 2012 and lived in Rathmines in the Irish capital.
Butt featured in a Channel 4 documentary last year about Islamist extremists with links to the jailed preacher Anjem Choudary called The Jihadis Next Door.
The married father-of-two, who worked for London Underground as a trainee customer services assistant for nearly six months last year, could be seen in the programme arguing with police officers in the street, after displaying a flag used by IS in a London park.
Two people in Barking, east London, had also raised concerns about Butt, BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani said.
Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said an investigation into Butt began in 2015, but "there was no intelligence to suggest that this attack was being planned and the investigation had been prioritised accordingly".
At any one time there are about 500 active counter-terrorism investigations concerning 3,000 people of interest.
So far four of those killed in the attack have been named.
Ms Boden worked as a senior staff nurse at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London. Her family have described her in a statement as an "outgoing, kind and generous person".
"We are so proud of Kirsty's brave actions which demonstrate how selfless, caring and heroic she was, not only on that night, but throughout all of her life," they added.
The hospital said that Ms Boden was "an outstanding nurse and a hugely valued member of the staff team in Theatres Recovery, described by her colleagues as 'one in a million' who always went the extra mile for the patients in her care".
Canadian national Chrissy Archibald, 30, was the first victim to be named. Her family said she had died in her fiancÃ©'s arms after being struck by the attackers' speeding van.
The family of 32-year-old James McMullan, from Hackney, east London, say they believe he also died.
Mr McMullan's sister said he was believed to be among those who died, after his bank card was found on a body at the scene.
A French national was also killed in the attack, according to foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, which the BBC understands to be Mr Pigeard.
Manager of the Boro Bistro, Vincent Le Berre told the Brittany news outlet Le Telegramme how his colleague was attacked in a bar near Borough Market.
"I managed to escape him, but my friend Alexandre did not have that chance," he said. "He was hit in the neck with a knife."
The Met have set up a casualty bureau on 0800 096 1233 and 020 7158 0197 for people concerned about friends or relatives.


A man from Manchester has been charged with assaulting a two-year-old girl.

The toddler was taken to hospital on Wednesday with serious head injuries. She remains in a critical condition.
Nisar Ali, 24, of Cheetham Hill, is charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and breaching a non-molestation order.
At Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court he was remanded in custody until 13 February when he'll appear before Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
A 35-year-old woman, arrested on suspicion of the same charge, has been bailed until 16 March.


The World Cup has come to Northern Ireland for the first time.

The famous trophy was brought to Belfast for the gala premiere of a film that heavily features Northern Ireland's match against Brazil in the Mexico 1986 World Cup.
Shooting for Socrates tells the underdog story of a father and son who are Northern Ireland fans, set against the backdrop of the team's World Cup exploits.
One of the driving forces behind the film is footballer David Campbell, who made his international debut in the match in front of 50,000 people in the searing heat of Guadalajara, Mexico.
He said the film has been four years in the making, and having the World Cup trophy in Belfast for the premiere is "a dream come true".
"It's very special that Fifa have allowed this to happen," he says.
The cup, which will be presented to the winning team in Russia in 2018, was brought by Fifa vice president Jim Boyce from Zurich to his home city.
Mr Boyce said Fifa president Sepp Blatter deserves much of the credit for the trophy's visit.
"When David first wrote to Fifa, they turned down the request," he said.
"I went to Sepp Blatter, I explained what was happening and he immediately said 'the World Cup has to come to Belfast'."
Many of the original Northern Ireland 1986 squad attended the Belfast Film Festival event at the Waterfront Hall, including captain Sammy McIlroy who said it was "a fantastic effort to get to where we are tonight".


The police watchdog has highlighted failings in the way police responded to concerns about a vulnerable man who was later found dead in his Edinburgh home.

The body of Andrew Bow, 36, was discovered on 23 March 2016.
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) found officers were not sent to his home on four occasions when concerns were raised.
Police Scotland apologised to Mr Bow's family for "shortcomings" over the events surrounding his death.
Commissioner Kate Frame said it was not possible to say whether he would have been found alive if there had been an earlier response.
The investigation centred on Police Scotland's handling of telephone calls about Mr Bow's welfare in the week before his body was found.
The control room at Bilston Glen had previously been criticised in 2015 following the deaths of John Yuill and Lamara Bell, who lay undiscovered for days after a crash on the M9 near Stirling despite a sighting of their wrecked car being reported to the control room.
Mr Bow, who had Asperger's Syndrome, was last seen by police officers on 12 March last year when they found him in a confused and paranoid state.
The Pirc report said staff at the City of Edinburgh Council had sent a report to Police Scotland on 16 March asking for checks to be carried out following reports that the windows in his flat were broken. However, no action was taken.
Five days later, a local shopkeeper called 999 to report the broken windows and offered to help police find the house, due to the confusing house numbering system in the area.
However, area control room (ACR) staff at Bilston Glen did not send officers to the scene as they did not consider that any police resources were available at that time.
The shopkeeper contacted the control room again the following morning, and again staff decided that no police resources were available to be dispatched.
Later that same day another neighbour contacted the control room to raise concerns for Mr Bow's welfare.
Pirc said: "At this point, ACR staff were aware of the two previous un-actioned 999 calls and of concerns being expressed for the occupant to the effect that he may have 'hurt himself' or 'committed suicide'.
"Again, no officers were sent to Mr Bow's flat at that time."
On 23 March, a police sergeant in the Edinburgh area read details of the incident on the police system and decided to send officers to Mr Bow's flat.
They forced entry and found Mr Bow dead inside. The post-mortem examination was unable to provide an estimated time, date or cause of death.
In her findings, the commissioner said: "It is particularly concerning that despite several members of the public contacting the police to express their concerns, Police Scotland appear to have taken no action in relation to the first approach and thereafter in response to the subsequent calls, failed to dispatch officers who were available, timeously, to investigate.
"Whilst there may have been confusion in identifying the correct address from the original report, the person who contacted the police on the second occasion offered to remain at his premises and point out the flat to officers.
"Had that opportunity been taken, the police would have been able to identify the deceased's flat and investigate matters sooner."
She added: "Since it has not been possible to establish precisely when Andrew Bow died, it is not certain whether an earlier response by police could have led to him being found alive and his life saved.
"I have made a number of recommendations to the chief constable to ensure the handling of calls by staff at Bilston Glen are managed better, within the required timescales and that all available officers are sent to priority calls, especially those of concern about a vulnerable person."
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Nelson Telfer said the force had made "significant changes and improvements" since the incident.
"Even after the passage of time, our thoughts remain with Andrew's family and friends," Mr Telfer said.
"We do, however, note the recommendations within the Pirc report and acknowledge the fact that there were some shortcomings in relation to the events that led to Andrew's death in March 2016. We would like to offer our sincere apologies to Andrew's family and friends for that.
"We must learn from these findings to further improve our call handling and management and deployment of local policing resources."


Rules over how female students wear their hair at a South African high school have been suspended after anti-racism protests from black pupils, a local minister says.

Pupils at Pretoria Girls High say staff often tell them to straighten their hair and they are not allowed afros.
School rules would be suspended while an independent investigation takes place into the allegations, Gauteng province's education minister said.
The school has not commented.
Its code of conduct has a detailed list of rules about hair, but does not specifically mention the afro hairstyle.
Photos of the schoolgirls' protest went viral over the weekend and have sparked a national debate on race, with the hashtag #StopRacismAtPretoriaGirlsHigh used more than 150,000 times on Twitter.
Gauteng Education Minister Panyaza Lesufi, who held emergency talks on Monday with pupils and administrators at the prestigious private school in the capital, criticised its "stone-age rules" on hairstyles during an interview on Talk Radio 702.
During his visit, black pupils told him that some staff at the school "tell them they look like monkeys, or have nests on their heads",  a statement from the Gauteng Department of Education said.
"The mocking of African learners' usage of their mother tongue must stop.
"In fact, the diverse use of languages (especially African languages) must be encouraged for all learners at the school," it added, in response to reports that black pupils had been chastised for speaking their own language in class.
White-minority rule and legalised racism, known as apartheid, ended in South Africa in 1994.
Pretoria Girls High was founded in 1902 as a multi-racial school, according to its website, but was a whites-only institution during the apartheid era.
A petition calling for an end to racism at Pretoria High has gathered 25,000 signatures.


A dog owner is appealing for people to join him on his last walk with his beloved whippet.

Mark Woods has had Walnut since he was a puppy.
Now 18 years old and "on his last legs", the dog is going to be put down on Saturday morning.
But before his best friend's death, Mark wants to take him for a stroll on a beach in Cornwall and he wants company.
Mr Woods who lives in Newquay said he is "flabbergasted" by the response to his social media appeal for people to join him on Walnut's last walk.
More on Walnut's last walk, plus more Devon and Cornwall news.
He said: "Sadly I am having to have Walnut euthanised on Saturday and so we will be having a last walk together on his beloved Porth Beach.
"I would love it if dog lovers or owners and friends would join us for a celebration of Walnut."
He said the reaction has been "incredible" with people from as far afield as Surrey and Derbyshire offering their support.
The event is being shared on social media under #walkwithwalnut.
Mr Woods has three other whippets but said Walnut "has got something about him" and they've been through an "awful lot together".
That includes two marriages, three engagements and a move from London to Cornwall.
He is taking Thursday and Friday off work so he can spend time with his much loved pet and give him the best possible send off.
According to his owner, Porth Beach, which is closed to dogs during the summer months, is Walnut's favourite beach.


The mother and brother of a teenage vlogger who died from a brain tumour are walking 200 miles (321km) to raise funds for research into treatment.

Charlotte Eades, who died in February at the age of 19, was diagnosed with glioblastoma when she was 16.
Her YouTube channel, where she discussed the difficulties of dealing with her illness, has received almost 750,000 views.
Cancer charity CLIC Sargent also  made a short film about Ms Eades.
Her mother, Alex Eades, and her 21-year-old brother Miles have set off from Eastbourne to walk the South Downs Way to Winchester and back in 16 days.
They want to raise money to fund research and clinical trials into glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer in adults.
Mr Eades said the walk was "quite a big task".
"Hopefully we can advance, through our fundraising and subsequent research, the treatment for glioblastoma so it's not quite so traumatic and life-ending," said Mr Eades.
Her mother, from Brighton, said Ms Eades would be "very proud".
"I think just carrying on her memory would mean an awful lot to her," she said.


Everton have warned fans not to wear club colours if they are travelling to Croatia for Thursday's Europa League second leg match against Hajduk Split.

Crowd trouble marred the first leg of the play-off at Goodison Park, causing play to be suspended in the 33rd minute, with Uefa opening disciplinary proceedings against both clubs.
Split police says anti-social behaviour will be "dealt with robustly".
Toffees fans have also been advised not to display flags in any public areas.
Supporters have also been advised to congregate at a specially created fan zone in the city and will be given a police escort to the stadium.
Everton take a 2-0 lead into the match as they aim to reach the Europa League main draw.


In the "theatre of war" that is the House of Commons, gallantry is not always to the fore - particularly during the partisan jousting of Prime Minister's Questions.

But the Chamber was positively awash with it on Monday as MPs debated how they should address their colleagues - especially those who have served in the armed forces.
In recent weeks, Defence Minister Julian Brazier has revived a time-honoured parliamentary practice of referring to colleagues who have served their country as the "right honourable or honourable gallant member".
He has even extended the courtesy to those, such as Crispin Blunt, who have been rather less than complimentary about current changes to the armed forces, which will ultimately see the regular army downsized by a fifth and, if all goes to plan, more than 10,000 new reservists recruited.
Mr Brazier, who himself served as an officer in the Territorial Army for 13 years, has been in the firing line as he has had to defend the level of recruitment to the reserves amid claims that only 20 new members have been signed up in the past year.
As he has faced questions on the subject, the MP for Canterbury has been quick to recognise those with personal experience of the subject at hand.
He was at it again during monthly Defence Questions in Parliament when he offered the sobriquet to a number of fellow MPs.
This prompted Labour MP Barry Sheerman to seek guidance from Commons Speaker John Bercow, in the form of a point of order, as to who qualified for such recognition.
For instance, he wondered whether he, having served in the cadet force at school, should be accorded such status.
"I have tried to find out who is gallant and who is not," he told Mr Bercow. "Could you clear up who is gallant and who is not gallant in this way?"
On a more serious note, he added: "I am told that a non-commissioned soldier, an ordinary soldier who won the Victoria Cross, would still not be able to be called gallant as it only applies to officers."
Mr Bercow, who has rarely been described - even by his critics - as a member of the officer class, was able to reassure Mr Sheerman that the honorific title could be applied to Army, Navy and RAF personnel no matter what their rank.
As for the question of its use, Mr Bercow said this was a matter of "parliamentary taste" and there was no need for a formal ruling from him.
He remarked that one of Mr Brazier's predecessors in the Ministry of Defence, Andrew Robathan, had been "partial" to using the phrase and that MPs should always seek to refer to their colleagues in a "tasteful" manner.
Mr Robathan's own gallantry can certainly not be called into question.
He served in the Army for 15 years and then came out of retirement during the First Gulf War to head a unit guarding prisoners of war in Iraq and Kuwait.
Giving his view on the matter, Mr Robathan said the title should "not be taken too far", and while insisting this was not a dig at Mr Sheerman, added: "I am sure you would agree that we should not extend it to former members of cadet forces."
Veteran Labour MP David Winnick had his own perspective on the matter, saying he had "no wish" to be referred to as gallant despite his two years of national service.
While acknowledging not all parliamentary traditions are respected, Sir Gerald Howarth - a former RAF reservist - said this was one that should be jealously guarded, particularly at a time when the country was commemorating the centenary of the start of World War One.
"Whilst the traditional practice may have fallen into desuetude, surely at this time when the nation has been committed to military operations and there is an enhanced concern for the welfare of our armed forces, there is a purpose served in maintaining the tradition in that it indicates that many members have served," he remarked.
"I think that sends a message to the nation and surely in this case, tradition will serve the house and the nation."
The sheer number of former military personnel in the Commons, on all sides of the House, means that a regular outbreak of gallantry is unlikely to disappear from the green benches when defence matters are discussed.
Nearly 60 members of the House of Commons have either served in the regular army or the reserves, Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois pointed out.
"That is almost one in 10 members of the House of Commons," Mr Francois, himself a member of the club, added.


Virginia Senator Tim Kaine has attended his first rally as Hillary Clinton's vice presidential running mate, saying: "America was not built on fear".

In remarks seen as attacking Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Mr Kaine also said the businessman had left "a trail of broken promises".
The 58-year-old moderate Democrat could appeal to Republicans who have been unsettled by Mr Trump's candidacy.
Mr Trump said Mrs Clinton and Mr Kaine "don't look presidential to me".
At the event in Florida, Mr Kaine recalled his time fighting housing discrimination as a young lawyer, saying: "If you want to be right, be a pessimist, if you want to do right, be an optimist. I like to do right."
Correspondents said Mr Kaine's comments were pitched to appeal to more left-leaning Democrats, who may have supported Mrs Clinton's one-time rival, Senator Bernie Sanders.
The Vermont senator had waged a strong campaign in the Democratic primary, championing liberal causes such as universal health care coverage.
The Trump campaign attacked Mrs Clinton's choice of running mate, dubbing the senator from Virginia "Corrupt Kaine".
As governor of the state, Mr Kaine accepted about $160,000 (Â£122,000) worth of gifts from political supporters, which was legal under the state's lax gift laws.
"If you think Crooked Hillary and Corrupt Kaine are going to change anything in Washington, it's just the opposite," said Jason Miller, spokesman for the Trump campaign.
On Twitter, Mr Trump sought to drive a wedge between the Clinton campaign and voters who had supported Mr Sanders.
Several Republicans senators praised the choice of Mr Kaine, including Arizona Senator Jeff Flake.
"Trying to count the ways I hate @timkaine. Drawing a blank. Congrats to a good man and a good friend," he wrote.
A former mayor as well as governor, Mr Kaine is an experienced politician and has been thoroughly vetted. He was on the short list to be President Barack Obama's running mate in 2008.
His home state of Virginia is seen as a key battleground in the election. Vice-presidential candidates can typically give tickets a slight advantage in their home states.
Mr Kaine embraced the typical role of the running mate, attacking the rival nominee.
He called on Mr Trump to release his tax returns and criticised his business dealings, including his Atlantic City casinos and Trump University.
"Trump leaves a trail of wrecked lives everywhere he goes," Mr Kaine said.
Mr Kaine also speaks fluent Spanish, which could help the Clinton campaign's outreach with Latinos - a key voting bloc.
On Saturday, Mr Kaine frequently spoke to the crowd in Miami in Spanish.
"Bienvenidos a todos en nuestro pais. Porque somos Americanos todos. [Welcome everyone to our country, because we are all Americans]," Mr Kaine said to cheers.
However, left-wing Democrats have questioned his stances on banking reform and abortion rights.
A Catholic, Mr Kaine personally opposes abortion and has favoured restrictions on late-term or "partial birth" abortions.
Also, he was recently among 70 senators who signed a letter urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau not to enact regulations that could harm community banks and credit unions.
The Democratic Party is already pushing back, enlisting President Obama to vouch for Mr Kaine.
"Like Hillary, Tim is an optimist. But like Hillary, he is also a progressive fighter," Mr Obama wrote.
The Democrats' four-day convention starts on Monday in Philadelphia with speeches by First Lady Michelle Obama and Mr Sanders.


Plans to expand Anfield further may not go ahead because Liverpool are worried about fans being angered by the ticket price rises needed to fund it.

In February thousands of fans protested against plans to charge £77 for some tickets in the club's new main stand.
"Ticket prices are an issue in England," said owner John Henry. "That may foreclose further expansion."
A fans' group called the news "disappointing", adding it would like clarification on the situation.
Liverpool's redeveloped main stand has increased Anfield's capacity to 54,074.
That is an increase of about 8,500 seats and plans for the next phase of the redevelopment would see the Anfield Road end extended, adding another 5,000 seats.
But Henry said: "I don't know if there will be a next step."
Last season, Henry's Fenway Sports Group apologised to fans and reversed plans to increase ticket prices after supporters staged a walkout during the 2-2 draw at home to Sunderland.
"These comments are a little surprising and disappointing for some supporters." said James McKenna from the Spirit of Shankly fans' group, who were involved in February's protest.
"There is outline planning for the work and it seems a little disingenuous that we have never been told that ticket prices would impact the decision to redevelop the Anfield Road end.
"At a time when the club has increased revenues, to suggest that making an extra million pounds or so would prevent further expansion going ahead is a little strange; maybe John Henry should clarify what he means."
Meanwhile, Henry says Premier League owners are "not happy" at Uefa's plans to alter the way Champions League prize money is distributed.
Uefa wants to give more money to clubs who have historically performed well in the competition.
That would benefit five-time winners Liverpool and other European giants such as Real Madrid, who hold the record with 11 titles.
However, it would lead to a decrease in cash for sides like Manchester City, who have never won the competition.
The changes were only agreed by a small number of club officials and Uefa prior to them being unveiled in August.
"They unilaterally made changes to the market pool and there should have been I think more discussion," said Henry, whose club did not qualify for European competition this season.
"But I can tell you that the [Premier League] owners were not happy... at least among the clubs that I speak with."
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Plans for a natural burial ground on agricultural land in West Sussex have been turned down after objections from a parish council.

Councillors refused the application for land off Turners Hill Road despite a recommendation by Mid Sussex council officers that it should be granted.
Turners Hill Parish Council chairwoman Thelma Mason said the site was next to Tulley's Farm entertainment complex.
"It wasn't the ideal position for people in mourning," she said.
The parish council and other objectors also complained about the repositioning of an ancient hedgerow and possible contamination of surface water flowing into the River Medway.
The council received five letters of support welcoming the plans as a sustainable asset to the community, which addressed a shortage of burial facilities.


Serious allegations have been made about the deaths of civilians at the hands of Turkish security forces in the overwhelmingly Kurdish town of Cizre in south-eastern Turkey earlier this year.

Local people say Turkish security forces killed up to 160 civilians in the town, according to statements made to the BBC and human rights groups.
The worst single incident ended with the deaths of around 100 people who had been sheltering in three cellars.
The UN human rights chief has expressed his concern in unusually strong terms and wants to send in investigators.
The Turkish foreign ministry dismissed the allegations. It said that the Turkish military took all necessary precautions to protect civilians during military operations.
The killings happened during a 78-day curfew imposed on Cizre between 14 December 2015 and 2 March this year. During the curfew, the town of about 100,000 people was sealed off.
The curfew was part of a military campaign in south-eastern Turkey, which is still going on, targeting the PKK, the armed Kurdish group. Turkey, the European Union and the United States classify it as a terrorist organisation.
Since the long-running conflict resumed last year, the PKK has killed hundreds of Turkish soldiers and police. It has also exploded bombs in Ankara, the Turkish capital, killing many civilians.
Most Turks, and some Kurds, condemn the actions of the PKK. But in the Kurdish villages and towns of south-east Turkey, the PKK is often seen as a protector.
In Cizre, some of the most serious allegations centre on the area around Bostanci Street, where Turkish security forces are accused of killing as many as 100 civilians who were sheltering in three basements.
Until the curfew, Bostanci Street was part of a district of narrow streets and densely-populated blocks of flats. The buildings were shattered by artillery, tank fire and street fighting, according to local people. When the curfew ended and the fighting stopped, Turkish security forces sent in bulldozers to level the ruins.
Now it's hard to see where Bostanci Street ran. I am shown the site of the cellars by 18-year-old Firat Duymak, whose father, Mahmut, was killed there. All that is left is a pile of rubble, indistinguishable from the rest of the wasteland of concrete fragments that was left behind by the war and then the bulldozers.
Firat denies that his father was a member of the PKK. He says he was in the cellars to look after civilians who were there, including students who had come from elsewhere in Turkey just before the curfew was imposed to show solidarity with Cizre.
Firat condemns the actions of the Turkish state and its police and military.
"They are the terrorists; the ones who commit all these atrocities," he says. "Even if those people were from the PKK, why does the state have to destroy and burn their lives? Even war has rules.
"Can you rip the people up when you catch them? You have courts; you have a justice system. In Turkey we have nothing. There is no justice; there is no court."
The areas of Cizre that were targeted by the Turkish military were known to be centres of PKK activity. Since 2014, a militant PKK Kurdish youth organisation had made parts of Cizre effectively a no-go area for the police, digging trenches and blocking roads.
Some local people resented what looked like preparations for war. Kurdish MPs tried to persuade the PKK militants to fill in the trenches, with limited success.
The question is whether the Turkish state's response to an outright challenge to its authority was proportionate to the threat it faced and in line with the laws of war.
Firat Duymak and many other Kurds in Cizre say it was not. He blames Turkey's President Recip Tayyip Erdogan, whose government is increasingly authoritarian, and produces his father's identity card.
"All these things are coming from Erdogan's head. My father was not a terrorist, he was a civilian; he was a citizen," he says.
"The state should look at his ID card. Let the state look at his identity. The Turkish flag is on his ID card, not the flag of the PKK."
Back at the family home, where war damage is still being patched up, Firat's mother Lutfiye sits with the youngest of her five children, a boy of three.
"All my kids have been hurt psychologically," she says. "We were in the firing line for a month. You cannot sleep; you cannot go to the toilet. They call you a terrorist. They behave as if you are not a human being. No human being could do this to anybody.
"My kids will grow up with a grudge. Do you think you can finish Kurds? You cannot."
She says that soldiers smashed up homes of residents, and defecated on the beds.
"How does a person who does that claim to be a human being?"
Lawyers from the local Bar Association told investigators from Mazlumder, a Turkish human rights group, that "following the deaths in the basements in Cizre, there was no crime scene investigation and no judicial authority was allowed to enter the basements."
Mazlumder also heard allegations that civilians, including children, were targeted and shot dead by government snipers.
A 50-something couple, Mehmet and Murside Balcal, sit in the courtyard of a rented house - their own home was destroyed - mourning Ferhat, their 20-year-old son, who died in the cellar.
His father reads out text messages various members of the family received from their son. He had implored them to organise a demonstration to try to persuade the security forces who ringed the cellars to let them out.
(The original text messages have been translated into English.)
Murside, his mother, was turned back and she says they were arrested when they tried to demonstrate. She sits with two portraits of her son in her arms, hugging them and weeping.
But this is a bitter conflict, and the weeping is on both sides.
Pinar Saglam's hands shake as she lights a cigarette. On 13 March, a female PKK suicide bomber in central Ankara killed Kirim, her 21-year-old brother, and 36 others.
Pinar shows me a photograph she found on the web of a poster the size of a building in a Syrian Kurdish town.
It shows the leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, who is held on a Turkish prison island, next to the photograph of the woman who killed her brother and so many others.
Pinar is incredulous at the way the bomber was glorified. "Like a leader, like an angel," she says. "I mean, when I saw this picture I can't believe my eyes, because it can't be true, it can't be true.
"She was a murderer, murderer of my brother. Now her picture is displayed on the streets of Syria.
"I wrote about my feelings on Twitter. A Kurdish woman said to me that I was a Turkish Nazi. She said I shouldn't speak the way I do. She said Kurdish children are often killed in Kurdistan."
Pinar says she wants peace, not revenge. Plenty of other Kurds and Turks feel the same way.
But this is about more than a succession of personal tragedies, and the grief of parents and children.
The violence between Kurds and the Turkish state is the latest instalment of a long-running conflict. An attempt at a peace process collapsed last year. Both sides blamed each other.
The violence is not happening in a vacuum: the Middle East is gripped by violent change. War in Syria and Iraq is changing the region's balance of power.
Turkey is deeply involved in the war in Syria, backing militias fighting the regime. It is also a member of Nato. It is a big player in Europe and the Middle East.
Kurds in Syria are closely allied with the PKK, and have strengthened their position as the Assad regime retreated.
Ironically, the Syrian Kurds are also allies of the West, as they have fought well against the jihadists who call themselves Islamic State. But the Syrian Kurds' allies and patrons in the PKK are regarded as terrorists.
That adds up to a serious complication.
Turkey's President Erdogan is as worried as any of his predecessors about Kurdish ambitions for self-government. Perhaps more so, as the Kurds, despite their internal differences, have been among the winners so far in Syria and Iraq.
President Erdogan is acting to crush Kurdish ambitions, hoping that the tide will not turn in favour of Turkey's Kurds.
The European Union, meanwhile, wants Turkey to be a big part of the solution to the refugee crisis that has been created by war in Syria and Iraq.
On a pile of rubble in Cizre, next to the cellar where his father was killed along with dozens of others, is Firat Duymak. He blames the Turkish state for his father's death, and the European Union and Turkey's other allies for allowing it to happen.
"Europe blatantly watched all these atrocities, and did nothing, because of the refugees," he says.
"What Europeans do any more is not my concern. We don't need anyone's help. We're not interested in what they do or not do.
"The whole world is responsible for what happened in here."


The UK housing market appears to be 'moving sideways' mortgage lenders have said, as latest figures show a drop in borrowing.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has reported a sizeable fall in demand for loans during April.
Mortgages worth £18.4bn were advanced during the month, an 11% drop on the figure for March, it said.
However, monthly mortgage lending figures tend to be volatile, and activity often drops in the spring.
Allowing for such a seasonal factor, the CML said the amount borrowed last month was higher than the average over the past year, and was 4% higher than in April 2016.
The CML's senior economist, Mohammad Jamei, said: "The housing market appears to be, for want of a better phrase, moving sideways."
Nevertheless other factors are pointing to a slowdown in the housing market.
Earlier this week, HM Revenue and Customs reported a 22.5% drop in property transactions in April, compared to March.
One possible reason for the fall is that landlords might have brought forward purchases, to avoid the latest in a series of tax changes.
From 1 April, the amount of tax relief they could claim on mortgage payments was reduced.
The CML also said that the number of first-time buyers taking out mortgages had overtaken the number of people moving house for the first time since 1996.
Its research shows that while the number of home movers and landlords taking out mortgages is falling, the number of first-time buyers is rising.
"First-time buyers and remortgage customers appear to be buoying the market," said Mohammad Jamei.
"Home movers are having less luck. Their activity has been subdued for some time now and the low number of movers means fewer properties for sale. This supply and demand imbalance will continue to underpin house price values, even as the rate of price rises slows."


Several tech firms are urging people to change all their passwords after the discovery of a major security flaw.

The Yahoo blogging platform Tumblr has advised the public to "change your passwords everywhere - especially your high-security services like email, file storage and banking".
Security advisers have given similar warnings about the Heartbleed Bug.
It follows news that a product used to safeguard data could be compromised to allow eavesdropping.
OpenSSL is a popular cryptographic library used to digitally scramble sensitive data as it passes to and from computer servers so that only the service provider and the intended recipients can make sense of it.
If an organisation employs OpenSSL, users see a padlock icon in their web browser - although this can also be triggered by rival products.
Those affected include Canada's tax collecting agency, which halted online services "to safeguard the integrity of the information we hold".
However, experts stress that they have no evidence of cybercriminals having harvested the passwords and that users should check which services have fixed the flaw before changing their login.
Google Security and Codenomicon - a Finnish security company - revealed on Monday that a flaw had existed in OpenSSL for more than two years that could be used to expose the secret keys that identify service providers employing the code.
They said that if attackers made copies of these keys they could steal the names and passwords of people using the services, as well as take copies of their data and set up spoof sites that would appear legitimate because they used the stolen credentials.
The University of Surrey's Prof Alan Woodward is among security experts to have suggested internet users should now update their login details.
He suggests the following rules should be observed when picking a new password.
Don't choose one obviously associated with you
Hackers can find out a lot about you from social media so if they are targeting you specifically and you choose, say, your pet's name you're in trouble.
Choose words that don't appear in a dictionary
Hackers can precalculate the encrypted forms of whole dictionaries and easily reverse engineer your password.
Use a mixture of unusual characters
You can use a word or phrase that you can easily remember but where characters are substituted, eg, Myd0gha2B1g3ars!
Have different passwords for different sites and systems
If hackers compromise one system you do not want them having the key to unlock all your other accounts.
Keep them safely
With multiple passwords it is tempting to write them down and carry them around with you. Better to use some form of secure password vault on your phone.
It is not known whether the exploit had been used before the revelation, since doing so would not leave a trail - unless the hackers published their haul online.
"If people have logged into a service during the window of vulnerability then there is a chance that the password is already harvested," said Ari Takanen, Codenomicon's chief technology officer.
"In that sense it's a good idea to change the passwords on all the updated web portals."
Other security experts have been shocked by the revelation
"Catastrophic is the right word. On the scale of one to 10, this is an 11," blogged Bruce Schneier.
The BBC understands that Google warned a select number of organisations about the issue before making it public, so they could update their equipment to a new version of OpenSSL released at the start of the week.
However, it appears that Yahoo was not included on this list and tech site Cnet has reported that some people were able to obtain usernames and passwords from the company before it was able to apply the fix.
"Our team has successfully made the appropriate corrections across the main Yahoo properties - Yahoo Homepage, Yahoo Search, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Food, Yahoo Tech, Flickr and Tumblr - and we are working to implement the fix across the rest of our sites right now," said a spokeswoman for the company.
New passwords
NCC Group - a cybersecurity company that advises many members of the FTSE 250 - described the situation as "grave".
"The level of knowledge now needed to exploit this vulnerability is substantially less than it was 36 hours ago," the company's associate director Ollie Whitehouse told the BBC.
"Someone with a moderate level of technical skills running their own scripts - the Raspberry Pi generation - would probably be able to launch attacks successfully and gain sensitive information.
"As long as service providers have patched their software it would now be a prudent step for the public to update their passwords."
Several securityfirms andindependent developershave published online tests to help the public discover if the services are still exposed.
However, there is no simple way to find out if they were vulnerable before.
Organisations that used Microsoft's Internet Information Services (IIS) web server software would not have been affected.
But Codenomicon has noted that more than 66% of the net's active sites rely on the open source alternatives Apache and Nginx, which do use OpenSSL.
Even so, some of these sites would have also employed a feature called "perfect forward secrecy" that would have limited the number of their communications that could have been hacked.
A researcher at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory said it would be an overreaction to say everyone should drop what they are doing to reset all their passwords, but that those concerned should still act.
"I think there is a low to medium risk that any given password has been compromised," said Dr Steven Murdoch.
"It's not the same as previous breaches where there's been confirmed password lists posted to the internet. It's not as urgent as that.
"But changing your password is very easy. So it's not a bad idea but it's not something people have to rush out to do unless the service recommends you do so."


The US House of Representatives has voted to scrap regulations that require background checks for gun buyers with mental health issues.

The checks, introduced under the Obama administration, are believed to affect an estimated 75,000 people.
The bill now needs to the approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump.
The House also voted on Thursday on Obama-era rules and regulations on the environment.
The background-check rules were introduced to provide information on the gun-buying history of people receiving benefits for mental disability.
But Republican lawmakers argued that the regulation reinforced negative stereotypes that people with mental disorders are dangerous.
"There is no evidence suggesting that those receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration are a threat to public safety," said Congressman Bob Goodlatte.
"Once an unelected bureaucrat unfairly adds these folks to the federal background check system, they are no longer able to exercise their Second Amendment right," he added.
The House voted 235 to 180 in favour of abandoning the rule.
Barack Obama has previously told the BBC that the failure to tackle gun control had been the greatest frustration of his presidency.
Separately, the Senate gave final approval to a measure eliminating a rule that prevents coal mining debris from being dumped into streams.  Mr Trump is expected to sign the move.
Republicans argued that the coal mining rule threatens thousands of jobs and that other industry regulations were already in place.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell described the law as "an attack against coal miners and their families".
The interior department said the rule, announced in the final days of Barack Obama's presidency in December, was aimed at protecting 6,000 miles (10,000km) of streams.
Democrats said Thursday's vote was an attack on clean water and a clear win for large coal mining companies.
Republicans are expected to take a series of actions in the coming weeks to reverse years of what they consider to be excessive regulation under Mr Obama.
Rules on fracking are also being scrutinised along with a number of other regulations introduced during Mr Obama's final months in office.