Commonwealth Games silver medallist Stephanie Inglis has held her father's hand for the first time since waking from a coma.

The 27-year-old judo player from Inverness was placed in an induced coma after suffering head injuries in a motorbike accident on 10 May.
On Monday, she opened an eye for the first time as she recovered at a hospital in Thailand.
Her friends and relatives are now celebrating another "milestone".
When her parents, Robert and Alison, arrived at the hospital on Tuesday morning, her mother asked Stephanie to blink if she could hear them.
She did so, before reaching out for her father's hand.
A post on the SaveSteph Facebook page said: "Today has been filled with extremes of emotion for Stephanie, her parents and family.
"Upon arrival at the hospital this morning they found Stephanie with her left eye fully open and watching what was going on, when she saw Robert and Alison she started to move her face.
"Alison asked her: 'Stephanie, if you can hear us and know we are here, blink', and she did.
"Alison told Robert to hold her hand and as he went to do so Stephanie lifted her hand for Robert to take it.
"And then Stephanie began to cry, I can't comprehend what this must of done to her parents on one hand the joy they felt was extreme, on the other they have never felt such sadness.
"They wanted to know if she was in pain, and had so many other questions to ask but instead they just told her she was ok, she was going to make it, they were there for her and so are many other people who are fighting this fight with her."
Ms Inglis' childhood friend and judo competitor Khalid Gehlan added: "This is incredible. A girl who was written off for dead three weeks ago has now been given hope, her doctors are starting to whisper that there's potential for a full recovery."
The Glasgow 2014 silver medallist suffered head injuries when her skirt caught in the wheel of a motorcycle taxi and pulled her off the bike.
She was travelling to work teaching English in Ha Long in Vietnam when the accident happened on 12 May.
Doctors in Vietnam initially gave her a 1% chance of survival but she has since been transferred to hospital in Bangkok where she is gradually being brought round from her medically-induced coma.
More than 7,000 people had donated more than Â£288,000 to a fundraising campaign set up by Mr Gehlan to help pay for her medical bills as her travel insurance had been deemed invalid and her hospital stay was costing Â£2,000 a day.
He urged supporters to continue donating.


Four people have been killed during protests against the UN peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic.

Peacekeepers opened fire when demonstrators tried to force their way into the UN headquarters, says a BBC reporter, who saw bodies being taken away in a police vehicle.
The UN denies using live bullets and says its soldiers only used tear gas.
A group of Central Africans wants the UN mission to withdraw, saying it is failing to protect people.
The peacekeepers were deployed after civil war broke out in 2013 when then-President Francois Bozize was ousted by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.
But the UN has been hit by several allegations that its troops have been sexually abusing children.
Africa Live: Updates on this and other news stories
A coalition of civil society organisations called on residents of the capital, Bangui, to stay at home in protest at the UN mission in CAR, known by its French acronym, Minusca.
The coalition says Minusca is supposed to protect civilians and tackle armed groups in the city.
"But wherever the UN forces go there is violence," protest organiser Gervais Lakosso told AFP news agency.
As well as the four civilians killed, 14 people were injured in the clashes on Monday, with five peacekeepers among those hurt, according to a Minusca statement.
The BBC's Max Allaroum in Bangui says the deadly shooting took place at the main square in Bangui, not far from the UN headquarters.
The UN soldiers tried first to disperse the protesters by shooting in the air. They then shot at the crowd when it became more agitated and advanced on the building.
Minusca spokesman Vladimir Monteiro told our reporter the UN had only fired of tear gas to disperse the demonstration.
Numerous armed group still operate across the country - both Seleka and Christian self-defence forces set up to tackle them, known as anti-Balaka.


Sir Bruce Forsyth has called for a change in the law on assisted dying so that people can choose to die with "a bit of dignity left".

He said watching his first wife Penny Calvert spend her last years in a care home with dementia had convinced him people should not be "left to suffer".
Sir Bruce visited regularly to help with her care until she died last year.
He told the Mail on Sunday it could often be "more cruel to do nothing" than to let someone die.
"It's a terrible illness, awful to see and awful for everyone close to the person suffering," he said of his first wife's dementia.
"It's a very difficult situation. She didn't remember me. It's just so awful to have your mind and your memories taken away from you."
Sir Bruce, 87, continued: "It bothers me an awful lot that people are just left to suffer. If I had Alzheimer's or dementia I would do something about it.
"The law should be changed and if people want to die with a bit of dignity left they should be able to do so.
"If it is what the person wants and it can be proved they are living a life of suffering it can be more cruel to do nothing. I'd like that right for myself."
The Alzheimer's Society said: "Everyone experiences dementia differently and it can be extremely difficult and painful to find yourself losing your memories and abilities. It is important that people with dementia know there is information and support out there so they don't have to struggle.
"The Alzheimer's Society is not calling for a change in the law on assisted dying or euthanasia. We believe that people with dementia are entitled to good end of the life care. Improving staff training and awareness is vital to make people's final days as comfortable as possible.
"This must include the maintenence of dignity of each person and their loved ones."
Sir Bruce married Ms Calvert in 1953 and they had three children before they split up 20 years later. However the pair remained on good terms and he helped nurse her through her illness after she went in to a home in 2008.
The veteran presenter, who quit as the host of Strictly Come Dancing last year, has been married to third wife Wilnelia Merced since 1983.
Other names who have spoken out in support of assisted dying include late author Terry Pratchett, Sir Richard Branson and Professor Stephen Hawking.
Labour peer Lord Falconer has tabled a bill asking that patients with less than six months to live be allowed to take their own life with the help of a doctor.
However Judge Baroness Butler-Sloss is against the bill, which she says would "cross a line" towards euthanasia.
Alistair Thompson from Care Not Killing told the BBC: "Clearly comments like these are disappointing, but what we need to do is look at the level of care.
"There are cases where people have not received the right level of care and that is what we should be looking at or assessing - rather than making such a huge step in the law and saying, 'you are not entitled to the same levels of protection as the young and able bodied'. Rather than putting people at risk."
He added: "When you look at the detailed polling on this issue, there is a huge amount of concern among the general population about how people might feel pressured into ending their lives - because they may feel like a care burden or a financial burden.
"It sends a very bad message."


A police officer who bombarded a former lover with 42,000 text messages and voicemails has been sentenced to nine months in prison.

PC Allan Smith, from Bovington in Dorset, admitted charges of harassment and disclosing police information when he appeared in court last month.
The 54-year-old has already been sacked from Dorset Police for gross misconduct following a force disciplinary hearing.
Dorchester Crown Court heard he had been receiving psychiatric treatment.
Smith, who also admitted a charge of using the police national computer for personal reasons, was suspended from duty after being charged in September.
He has been issued with an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim.
The court heard he bombarded her with threatening text messages and phone calls between January 2013 and September 2014.
Supt Peter Windle, of Dorset Police's professional standards department, said: "Our thoughts and sympathies are with the victim in this case.
"We would like to thank her for her bravery in coming forward and reporting these offences and supporting the prosecution.
"Allan Smith was working in a position of trust as a frontline officer. He betrayed that trust and let down his colleagues and the police service.
"His arrest and prosecution reinforces the fact that Dorset Police expects the highest standards of professionalism and integrity from its staff."


Ireland's forwards coach Simon Easterby has urged the country's Six Nations squad to ignore criticism from England boss Eddie Jones.

Ahead of Saturday's game at Twickenham, new England coach Jones criticised Ireland's tactics, specifically the kicking away of possession.
"Someone like Eddie is going to throw things out there," said Easterby, 40, holder of 65 Ireland caps at flanker.
"We have just got to focus on what we're doing."
Easterby says Ireland must laugh off the barbs from England's new boss, who has already freely admitted he will chase any available edge, including the use of mind games.
"It is what it is," added Easterby. "Characters like that are good for the game, and we'll see come Saturday night how much of that rings true."
On Monday, Jones said that he was preparing his England side for an aerial bombardment from the two-time defending Six Nations champions.
"They kick 70% of their ball away. If they want to do that, good luck to them," said the England coach.
"It has worked for them. It is not the way I think you should play rugby, but it has been successful for them, so good luck."
Prior to the England coach's comments on Monday, Irish boss Joe Schmidt had reacted to a previous Jones' jibe that Ireland play safety-first rugby, insisting: "Ireland have kicked less than a quarter of the possession we have had."
The Six Nations' own stats support Schmidt's view, with Ireland recorded as kicking away 23% and 24% of possession respectively in their first two matches of the 2016 tournament.
The injury-ravaged Irish will chase their first win at Twickenham since 2010 after drawing their opener against Wales and  losing narrowly to France on 13 February.


Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are among the top five earners in Major League Soccer, with ex-Real Madrid star Kaka the league's highest-paid player.

Former Liverpool and England captain Gerrard, 35, is paid a total of $6,132,500 (£4,199,393) by LA Galaxy.
Fellow midfielder Lampard, 37, who joined New York City last year, earns $6,000,000 (£4,108,660).
Former world player of the year Kaka, 34, earns a league-record $7,167,500 (£4,908,204) at Orlando City.
The lowest-paid player in the league, according to the figures released by MLS Players' Union, is Montreal's Belizean forward Michael Salazar.
The 23-year-old collects $51,492 (£35,260) a year - a sum Kaka can earn in less than three days.
MLS top five earners
1. Kaka (Orlanda City) Salary: $7,167,500 (£4,908,204)
2. Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto) Salary: $7,115,556 (£4,872,633)
3. Michael Bradley (Toronto) Salary: $6,500,000 (£4,451,109)
4. Steven Gerrard (LA Galaxy) Salary: $6,132,500 (£4,199,450)
5. Frank Lampard (New York City) Salary: $6,000,000 (£4,108,66)
MLS Players' Union full list


Pakistan have been fined for a slow over rate during their final-Test win against England at The Oval.

Match referee Richie Richardson ruled that Misbah-ul-Haq's team were one over short of their target figure, despite time allowances being considered.
Misbah was fined 20% of his match fee and if a further over rate offence occurs within 12 months under his captaincy he will face a suspension.
His team-mates were each fined 10% of their match fees.
Pakistan won the match by 10 wickets to draw the series 2-2.


A public meeting about a controversial new road bridge project in Aberdeen is to be held.

The so-called third Don crossing will link the Bridge of Don and Tillydrone, the aim being to improve access in the north of Aberdeen.
The meeting will take place in Bridge of Don Academy from 19:00 to 21:00.
The council said the meeting is open to members of the Bridge of Don and Danestone communities who want to know more about the scheme.
Balfour Beatty has been appointed to construct the new bridge.
Construction will start later this year and the new bridge is due to be open to the public by late 2015.
The total cost is expected to be about Â£18m.
The bridge was given the go-ahead last year after the council's ruling Labour party - which had long been against the bridge - dropped its opposition.


Leaders from the group of leading industrial nations, the G7, have called on internet giants to crack down on extremist content.

They warned internet service providers and social media companies to "substantially increase" their efforts.
But the summit in Taormina, Sicily, failed to agree on climate change.
US President Donald Trump, attending his first such summit, held off from endorsing the 2015 deal on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Separately, Mr Trump and UK Prime Minister Theresa May reaffirmed plans to boost trade, including a post-Brexit trade deal.
Mr Trump has welcomed the UK's vote to leave the European Union (EU).
Mrs May was also attending her first G7 summit, as were Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, while the EU also has representatives present.
"We showed our united commitment and our determination to continue and to strengthen our fight against terrorism," said Mr Gentiloni.
The leaders signed a document saying more should be done by internet companies to identify and remove extremist material.
The leaders also voiced solidarity with the UK after Monday's bombing in Manchester in which 22 people, including children, were killed.
"We agreed the threat from Daesh [the Islamic State group] is evolving rather than disappearing," Mrs May said.
"As they lose ground in Iraq and Syria, foreign fighters are returning and the group's hateful ideology is spreading online. Make no mistake, the fight is moving from the battlefield to the internet."
"The question of the Paris climate accord is still hanging," said Mr Gentiloni.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the discussions with Mr Trump had been "intensive".
"The United States made clear that it has not yet made its decision and will not do so here, but rather will continue to work on this," she said.
President Trump, who once dismissed global warming as a "hoax", has previously threatened to pull out of the Paris agreement.
According to the French news agency AFP, President Macron "snubbed" the British prime minister when they held their first official talks on the sidelines of the summit.
Mrs May told him that the UK and the 27 EU member states should be discussing their future relationship at the same time as discussing the terms of the UK's withdrawal, a Downing Street spokesman said.
However, a source in the French delegation said Mr Macron had repeated the EU's position that the terms of the divorce must be agreed first.
Mrs May later told reporters she had had a "very good and productive discussion" with Mr Macron.
Mr Gentiloni said progress had been made but the wording of the final communique still needed to be worked out.
"But it seems to me the direct discussions today have produced common positions that we can work on," he added.
There has been concern that the US president might promote a protectionist agenda.
German weekly Der Spiegel quoted Mr Trump as saying in a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Thursday that Germans were "very bad" regarding car exports to the US.
During his election campaign last year, Mr Trump threatened customs duties in retaliation for Germany's trade surplus with the US, saying it owed "vast sums of money" to the US and Nato.
There has been uncertainty over Mr Trump's position on sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine.
However, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn said at the summit on Friday: "We're not lowering our sanctions on Russia. If anything we would look to get tougher on Russia."
The US president and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the nuclear and missile threat from North Korea.
They agreed to "enhance sanctions on North Korea, including by identifying and sanctioning entities that support North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programmes", the White House said.
On Saturday, the second and final day, the leaders are expected to discuss human mobility, food security and gender equality.
Thousands of people are expected to join a protest march against the summit near Taormina.
Melania Trump and other spouses toured Sicily by helicopter, taking in Mount Etna and visiting the nearby town of Catania.
According to the Spanish news agency Efe, Mrs Trump flew separately from the others for security reasons.
Making his first foreign trip as president, he came to Sicily from Brussels where he had held talks with EU and Nato leaders.
At Nato headquarters, he complained that many Nato member states were not spending enough on defence, expecting America to bear the burden.
Before that, he visited Pope Francis in Rome and toured the Middle East - first Saudi Arabia, then Israel and the Palestinian territories.


Franck Moussa's second-half strike earned Walsall a draw at Gillingham, who are now without a win in five games.

Cody McDonald headed the Gills into a half-time lead, but Moussa converted from close range after 59 minutes to leave the home side still awaiting their first clean sheet of the season.
Defender Max Elmer forced a fine double save from Walsall keeper Neil Etheridge in the 18th minute.
Seven minutes later Gillingham went in front when a long pass forward from centre-back Deji Oshilaja found Scott Wagstaff, whose cross to the back post was met by McDonald to plant a header home.
Having offered little threat going forwards, the visitors then grabbed an equaliser against the run of play.
Paul Konchesky was robbed of possession and, after Jonathan Bond had spilt the eye-catching Erhun Oztumer's long-range strike, Moussa scored the simplest of rebounds.
With 10 minutes remaining, Gills went close to a winner when a curling Bradley Dack free-kick from 25 yards brought an acrobatic save from Etheridge who tipped onto the crossbar.
Reports supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Gillingham 1, Walsall 1.
Second Half ends, Gillingham 1, Walsall 1.
Billy Knott (Gillingham) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Billy Knott (Gillingham).
Kieron Morris (Walsall) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Walsall. Josh Ginnelly replaces Franck Moussa.
Corner,  Gillingham. Conceded by Jason McCarthy.
Adedeji Oshilaja (Gillingham) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Adedeji Oshilaja (Gillingham).
Andreas Makris (Walsall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Bradley Dack (Gillingham) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the top right corner.
James O'Connor (Walsall) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Cody McDonald (Gillingham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by James O'Connor (Walsall).
Bradley Dack (Gillingham) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Joe Edwards (Walsall).
Attempt missed. Jake Hessenthaler (Gillingham) right footed shot from the left side of the box is just a bit too high.
Attempt blocked. Joe Edwards (Walsall) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner,  Gillingham. Conceded by James O'Connor.
Corner,  Gillingham. Conceded by Neil Etheridge.
Attempt saved. Cody McDonald (Gillingham) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the centre of the goal.
Ryan Jackson (Gillingham) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Franck Moussa (Walsall).
Attempt missed. Kieron Morris (Walsall) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Attempt missed. Adedeji Oshilaja (Gillingham) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Foul by Max Ehmer (Gillingham).
Erhun Oztumer (Walsall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Gillingham. Billy Knott replaces Chris Herd.
Ryan Jackson (Gillingham) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Adam Chambers (Walsall).
Attempt saved. Scott Laird (Walsall) header from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the centre of the goal.
Goal!  Gillingham 1, Walsall 1. Franck Moussa (Walsall) right footed shot from very close range to the high centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Erhun Oztumer (Walsall) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Andreas Makris (Walsall) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Foul by Chris Herd (Gillingham).
Joe Edwards (Walsall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Bradley Dack (Gillingham).
Adam Chambers (Walsall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Cody McDonald (Gillingham) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Second Half begins Gillingham 1, Walsall 0.


The Irish government is to hold a referendum to allow Irish citizens living outside of the Republic of Ireland, including in Northern Ireland, the right to vote in Irish presidential elections.

Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Enda Kenny told a gathering in Philadelphia on Sunday that the decision had been taken at a cabinet meeting last week.
He said it was a "clear recognition of the importance that Ireland attached to her citizens wherever they were".
The move was recommended by a Constitutional Convention in 2013.
Last July, the Diaspora Minister Joe McHugh said there was a commitment to hold a referendum.
An options paper will be published later this month outlining arrangements on how to register citizens abroad, and how to facilitate voting outside of the Republic of Ireland.
This will then be discussed during the Global Irish Civic Forum in Dublin in May.
The referendum is unlikely to be held this year, and if it passes, would come into effect for the presidential election after the one set for 2018.
During his visit to Philadelphia, at the beginning of the taoiseach's annual St Patrick's Day trip, Mr Kenny told a separate gathering that the "plight" of thousands of illegal Irish immigrants living in the United States would be an "absolute priority" during his visit.
He has vowed to raise the issue with President Donald Trump and said that undocumented Irish immigrants wanted to remain and contribute in the US.


A house with a famous Banksy mural painted on it has been put up for sale.

The property in Cheltenham, with the Spy Booth artwork on it, has a guide price of £210,000.
The mural, on the Fairview Road house, has been the target of thieves, been fought over and vandalised since it appeared in 2014.
Before the property was placed on the open market, Cheltenham Borough Council said a deal was being negotiated to buy the Grade II listed building.
The Peter Ball & Co. estate agent's website describes it as "a rare opportunity to acquire a Grade II listed, Victorian, three bedroom end terrace property with a genuine 'Banksy' on the gable wall."
The mural, located about three miles from government listening post GCHQ, has been daubed with white paint, sprayed with silver and red graffiti, and had people trying to steal it.
Businesses and communities have also fought over its ownership.
In a bid to protect it under the property's Grade II listed status, the "unauthorised" work was granted retrospective planning consent last February.
Since then, the council has served notice on the property's owner David Possee demanding he fix the damage, "apparently" done in an "abortive attempt" to remove it, by April this year.
An urgent works letter to repair the rendering on the wall with the Banksy on it, was also served.


A fight between Enzo Maccarinelli and Roy Jones Jr will go ahead in Moscow despite no title being at stake.

Originally billed as being for the WBA cruiserweight belt, the governing body's vice president Gilberto Mendoza said it is not a title bout.
That had cast doubt over the meeting, but it will will go ahead on 12 December with Maccarinelli's manager Gary Lockett confident
"He and I are very confident about this fight," said Lockett.
"Even though he is 35, I think technically he is better than he was four or five years ago."
Welshman Maccarinelli, 35, a former WBO cruiserweight champion and Jones, a four-weight former world champion, will fight over 12 rounds.
Welsh boxers Zack Davies and Alex Hughes are also included on the bill at the VTB Ice Palace.
Neither Welshman Maccarinelli or Jones was included in the WBA's latest cruiserweight rankings released earlier this month.
Jones's last defeat was by Russian Denis Lebedev in 2011, while Maccarinelli has competed at light-heavyweight in recent years.
American Jones is one of the greatest fighters of the modern era and in 2003 became the first former middleweight to win a heavyweight world title for 106 years.
However, he has not held a world title since 2004, when he lost his light-heavyweight title to compatriot Antonio Tarver.
Maccarinelli, meanwhile, has not been a world champion since losing his WBO cruiserweight title to David Haye in 2008.
Jones, who is originally from Florida, officially became a Russian citizen after he was presented with his Russian passport in Moscow in October, 2015.
Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a decree to grant citizenship to Jones in September after meeting the boxer in Crimea in August.


Hundreds of people have gathered in protest at the St Helier lifeboat station over the sacking of Jersey's volunteer RNLI lifeboat coxswain.

The charity said the decision to remove Andy Hibbs was made due to a "serious risk to its ability to run a safe and effective lifesaving service".
Mr Hibbs denies the RNLI's claim he broke the volunteers' code of conduct.
The protest was organised by one of the 25 volunteer crew who all stood down in a show of support for their coxswain.
"It's really important to me that this lifeboat goes back to sea for the safety of all the people in the community," organiser Paul Batrick said.
An RNLI spokesperson said the sacking had been made due to a "serious breakdown in communication" and the charity understood it was causing "a huge amount of concern".
"We're doing all we can and are appealing to the crew at St Helier who have chosen to step down to help us find a resolution as quickly as possible," the spokesperson added.
"We only take decisions to stand down volunteers where we feel there is a serious risk to our ability to run a safe and effective lifesaving service."
Jersey is currently receiving lifeboat cover from the other Channel Islands stations - St Catherine's, St Peter Port and Alderney.


The body of Philippine Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo has been recovered from the sea after a plane he was travelling in crashed.

His body was retrieved from wreckage of the light aircraft about 55m (180ft) underwater, Transport Secretary Mar Roxas told reporters.
He was described as a "most honourable" leader by the spokesman of President Benigno Aquino.
Three others were also on the plane when it crashed on Saturday.
Flags at government institutions and police stations are being flown at half-mast.
"The nation is united in grief and gratitude to one of her finest and most honourable servant-leaders," Mr Aquino's spokesman said in a statement.
The small plane was travelling from Cebu City in central Philippines to Mr Robredo's hometown of Naga City, in Camarines Sur province, when it encountered engine problems.
The pilots sought permission for an emergency landing at Masbate province, but did not manage to make it there. Witnesses saw the aircraft crash into the sea less than a kilometre from the runway.
The bodies of the two pilots have also been found in the wreckage, the government said, but it is not clear if they have been retrieved.
A fourth person, Mr Robredo's aide, managed to get out of the aircraft on Saturday. He was rescued by local fishermen and taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Mr Aquino flew to Masbate on Sunday to oversee the search and rescue operation for Mr Robredo, local media report.
The president was also with Mr Robredo's family on Tuesday as they received his remains in Naga City.
Mr Robredo, 54, was in charge of the national police force and provincial governments. He was a close ally of Mr Aquino and helped his election campaign in 2010.
He was a long-time mayor of Naga City before his appointment to Mr Aquino's cabinet.
A graduate of Harvard University's John F Kennedy School of Government, Mr Robredo received numerous awards for good governance.
One of these was the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award, known as Asia's version of the Nobel prize, in 2000.
Various officials have described him as an "exceptional" and "inspirational" public servant.
"His unflagging sense of integrity and diligence served as an example to many of his colleagues in and outside government, and these same qualities have made him a most valuable and highly regarded member of President Aquino's cabinet," said Florencio Abad, budget secretary, in a statement.


Zayn Malik has said having anxiety is seen as being "like a weakness".

The former One Direction singer pulled out of several live performances earlier this year because of what he called "extreme anxiety".
Malik told ES magazine: "Anxiety is something people don't necessarily want to advertise because it's seen, in a way, like a weakness."
The 23-year-old added: "For me to pretend that I didn't have anxiety would be fake."
The singer had been due to perform at the Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium in June and a concert in Dubai in September, but cancelled both appearances.
"I speak about it so that people understand that it doesn't matter what level of success you have, where you're from, who you are, what sex you are, what you do - you can still experience these things," Malik said.
"I want people to see the good side to me and, yeah, the emotional stress of maybe not fulfilling that is a lot sometimes."
In the same interview, Malik was asked whether he would have signed his record deal with One Direction knowing the pressures of fame.
The singer replied: "I probably wouldn't have - I would've waited a couple more extra years.
"Just so I had that time to just get my head around being a famous person. I've never been able to have, what's the word? Anonymity.
"If I could go back, I'd have a few more years of anonymity."
He added that he was "very ignorant at 17 - blind beyond my years".
The singer launched a solo career after quitting One Direction last year. His debut solo single, Pillowtalk, debuted at number one.
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(Close): Share and currency markets were calm on Friday as the Prime Minister concludes his talks about the UK's future in Europe.

The FTSE 100 closed down 21.72 points, or 0.36%, at 5,950.23.
Standard Chartered shares turned from being biggest riser to lose 1.7% after its results.
Tullow Oil extended Thursday's losses , with its shares falling by 5.7% following an update on its Ghanian activities.
The oil producer had revealed that there could be an issue with a storage vessel at its flagship Jubilee field in Ghana.
On the currency markets, the pound ticked 0.03% higher against the dollar to $1.4344 while against the euro, it was down 0.2% at â‚¬1.2883.


The Roman Catholic Church in El Salvador has suspended a well-known priest for paedophilia.

Father Jesus Delgado sexually abused a young girl over an eight-year period during the 1980s, the Church said in statement.
He is willing to meet woman, who is now 42, and ask for forgiveness, reads the statement.
The Church was forced to act after the government of El Salvador warned that it would name the priest.
Secretary of Social Inclusion Vanda Pignato informed the Catholic Church in October of the results of the government's findings, La Prensa Grafica newspaper reported.
"He likes to celebrates mass for the children but he is a paedophile," said Ms Pignato.
After conducting an internal investigation, the Church decided to suspend the bishop of all his priestly functions.
The girl was abused from the aged of nine until she was 17.
Bishop Delgado, 77, was a respected figure in the Central American nation.
He was an aide and biographer of Archbishop Oscar Romero.
Monsignor Romero was murdered by a death squad in 1980, in the early days of El Salvador's brutal civil war.
Pope Francis declared Monsignor Romero a martyr and unblocked the process for his beatification, which was being overseen by Father Delgado.


Emirates Team New Zealand moved into a 4-1 lead over Oracle Team USA as racing resumed at the America's Cup.

The Kiwis won all of last weekend's four races and went 4-0 up with victory in race five on Saturday.
But defending champions the USA replied with their first win of the best-of-13 series in race six in Bermuda.
The American team began with a one-point advantage after winning the earlier qualifying regatta, which was erased by New Zealand's race-one win.
The final is a repeat of the last time the trophy was contested in 2013, when Team USA came from 8-1 down to win 9-8.
Four years ago, New Zealand were eventually overhauled by an Oracle team that featured Britain's Ben Ainslie as tactician in what is regarded as one of sport's great comebacks.
Ainslie's British team were knocked out at the semi-final stage this year, losing 5-2 to the Kiwis.
The America's Cup, the oldest competition in international sport, was first raced in 1851 around the Isle of Wight and has only been won by four nations.


Sheffield United kept their slim play-off hopes alive as they beat League One title-chasers Walsall.

Chris Basham gave the Blades the lead when he headed Matt Done's cross past Walsall goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
United quickly doubled their advantage through a superb Billy Sharp volley after good work from Basham.
Tom Bradshaw came closest for the Saddlers, but George Long was quickly off his line to smother as the Blades ended Walsall's three-game winning run.
Walsall are now nine points behind League One leaders Wigan, but have two games in hand, while Sheffield United are eight points off the play-offs with six games remaining.
Interim Walsall boss Jon Whitney told BBC WM 95.6:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"I'm a bit frustrated, but win or lose we don't over analyse straight after the game because emotions are quite raw so we always try and think a bit more logically.
"I can't fault our effort or our application. Of course there are decisions that we think we could have made better. Individually, we'll look at each goal as well.
"What we have to do now is make ourselves hard to beat next week and see if we can get the three points at Oldham."


An exhibition about death and the human experience has attracted thousands of visitors despite only opening at the weekend.

Entitled death: the human experience, it houses items showing how death is treated by cultures around the world.
In the opening weekend, the show attracted 1,600 visitors and some 700 are now visiting every day at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.
The exhibits include a Ghanaian fantasy coffin and a hospital mortuary table.


There are still "serious concerns" about teaching quality at a Birmingham school placed in special measures in the wake of the alleged "Trojan Horse" plot, a report has found.

An interim Ofsted inspection at Park View School found staffing issues were "adversely affecting" students.
The watchdog said staff absences and a reliance on supply teachers were hampering pupils' progress.
Park View said the majority of absences were outside its control.
It was one of five Birmingham schools placed in special measures after an investigation was launched into an anonymous letter outlining an alleged Islamist takeover plot.
Inspectors said they had witnessed "unacceptable" disruptive pupil behaviour during a November monitoring visit to the academy in Alum Rock.
Students and parents told Ofsted frequent changes of staff meant teaching was not sufficiently challenging and homework was rarely handed out, according to the report.
"The academy is unable to improve quickly enough because there are insufficient leaders and permanent teachers working there," it concluded.
They said one third of the staff who responded to a questionnaire felt the school was "not well-led and managed and staff morale is low".
However, Ofsted, which previously criticised the school for failing to alert pupils to the risks of extremism, said religious teaching had improved.
Inspectors also found "a renewed focus on developing students' understanding of British values and what it means to be British".
But the curriculum "remained narrow", it said, and there was particular concern that music lessons were only timetabled for year 7 and 8 students.
In a letter to parents, acting principal Adrian Packer said Park View faced "complex recruitment issues" but was working to overcome them.
He said the school was introducing "quality assurance checks" for all supply staff and was interviewing candidates for permanent senior leadership posts.


Education Secretary Nicky Morgan is to force through the appointment of her nomination for the next head of Ofsted, despite a cross-party committee of MPs saying they had "significant concerns".

The Education Select Committee, scrutinising the appointment, rejected the choice of Amanda Spielman.
But Mrs Morgan is to override their finding and press ahead with her selection for the independent watchdog.
Mrs Morgan said Ms Spielman "will not shy away from challenging government".
The education secretary said she was "disappointed that the committee underestimated Amanda's vision, focus and leadership style. Her objectivity and openness are important strengths".
Mrs Morgan said she was "100% confident" in her decision - and that "I am not seeking what one committee member described as a 'crusader'."
In a message on Twitter, Ms Spielman said: "I am really pleased that the Secretary of State is confirming my nomination as HMCI today - thank you to everyone who has expressed support."
The ASCL head teachers' union welcomed her appointment - but the National Union of Teachers has criticised the choice of a chief inspector of schools who has never had experience of teaching.
The Liberal Democrats' education spokesman, John Pugh, said Mrs Morgan showed "arrogance and complacency".
The Education Select Committee had taken the unusual step of not accepting the nomination put forward for the next head of Ofsted.
They said that she had failed to show "passion" or an understanding of the "complex role", MPs on the committee said.
But the committee cannot veto the appointment - and Mrs Morgan says that she is going to proceed with her selection for the next head of the education watchdog.
The current Ofsted boss, Sir Michael Wilshaw, steps down at the end of the year.
Amanda Spielman, born in 1961, left Clare College Cambridge in 1982 with an upper-second-class degree in mathematics and law.
She qualified as a chartered accountant in 1985 and went on to work for leading City firms as an accountant, market analyst and investment adviser.
By the late 1990s, she was working for Nomura International, making equity investments worth between Â£250m and Â£500m.
After the birth of her first child in 2001 she focused on part-time study, consultancy and voluntary work.
Her portfolio included:
In 2004, she became research and policy director for the Ark academy chain.
From 2011, she chaired exams regulator Ofqual three days a week, working with then chief executive Glenys Stacey.
She also continued with her consultancy work, giving development advice on public-private education partnerships in Uganda, India and Pakistan for Ark, and as an external reviewer for the TeachFirst education charity, though she has since resigned from these positions.
Last week, Ms Spielman, who is currently chairwoman of the exams regulator Ofqual, appeared before the committee for pre-appointment questioning.
She was grilled by MPs, who were visibly frustrated by her answers on a range of issues on several occasions throughout the hour and 40 minute hearing.
Their report said:
Conservative committee chairman Neil Carmichael said he and his colleagues were "unconvinced" that Ms Spielman was the right person to lead Ofsted, to raise standards and improve the lives of children.
"Ms Spielman's responses on child protection were particularly troubling and did not inspire confidence that she grasped the importance of Ofsted's inspections in preventing children being held at risk through service failure.
"As a committee, we did not leave the session with the view that Amanda Spielman was prepared for the vast scope and complexity of this important role."
He added: "It is unusual for a select committee to find itself unable to support the government's preferred candidate for a public appointment.
"However, it is our responsibility to hold government to account and the seriousness of our concerns regarding this appointment has led us to produce this report to the House of Commons.
"We call on the secretary of state not to proceed with Ms Spielman's appointment."
But on Thursday, Mrs Morgan said: "I chose Amanda Spielman as my preferred candidate for chief inspector of Ofsted because I was impressed by her leadership, and absolute determination to raise standards to ensure every child gets the excellent education they deserve."
She told MPs: "I am sure that Amanda will generate fewer headlines than her predecessor, but I also know that she will not shy away from challenging government, nor offering frank assessments of the performance of our educational institutions.
"I have absolutely no doubt that under her watch Ofsted will play a central - and highly effective - role in supporting and driving improvement in childcare, schools, children's services and adult learning."


A Hillsborough survivor whose brother died with his girlfriend said being blamed for their deaths was "almost as bad" as the bereavement.

Stephanie Conning was giving evidence about the deaths of her 25-year-old brother Rick Jones, and Tracey Cox, 23.
The inquests jury heard the three got into the ground on 15 April 1989 when an exit gate opened on police orders.
Mrs Conning said she believed fans have been blamed for causing the terrace crush in which 96 were fatally injured.
She said: "Something that I have found very difficult over the [last] 26 years, that's been almost as bad as the bereavement, is about the people that went through Gate C... we have often been blamed for causing the deaths."
The disaster happened in Sheffield at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Mrs Conning, who was 18 at the time, said they had "no choice" but to do so as they were "getting crushed" outside the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end of the stadium.
The gate led to a concourse, from where many fans headed down a tunnel leading to terrace enclosures.
More than 2,000 Liverpool fans went through the gate in about five minutes, the inquests have been told.
Ch Supt David Duckenfield, the police match commander, has admitted at the inquests that his failure to order officers to close the tunnel "was the direct cause" of the 96 deaths.
Mrs Conning, Mr Jones and Ms Cox went through the exit gate at 14:53 BST, the jury heard.
By 14:56 they were seen on footage among the crowd in pen three.
The jury heard that "very quickly" after entering the enclosure they were "shoved" by a surge.
Mrs Conning said it "threw" her forward and down the terraces and she stumbled but managed to stay on her feet. Ms Cox fell over and lost her shoe.
Liverpool fans around Ms Cox helped her back up and returned her shoe, but Mrs Conning said that "within seconds" another surge pushed her further forward.
She told the jury that after the second surge she was facing the back of the pen and looked for her brother unsuccessfully.
She said: "I wanted my big brother to help me. I was scared."
Mrs Conning never saw her brother or Ms Cox alive again. She escaped from the terraces through a gate in the fencing at the front of the terrace, but does not know how she got there.
Mrs Conning thanked Liverpool fans for their help that day.
The inquests, sitting in Warrington, Cheshire, are due to resume on Thursday.
BBC News: Profiles of all those who died


St Helens began the Super League season with a five-try home win over Huddersfield Giants at Langtree Park.

Centre Mark Percival crossed twice for the 2014 champions, who were beaten in the semi-finals of both Super League and the Challenge Cup last season.
Atelea Vea, Jordan Turner and Luke Thompson also went over for the hosts, with former Hull FC player Turner scoring the 100th try of his career.
Huddersfield replied through Aaron Murphy, Ukuma Ta'ai and Jake Connor.
In tricky wet conditions, Saints avoided a repeat of the 40-4 humbling by the Giants on the opening day of the 2013 season.
But their win was tempered by the loss of influential hooker James Roby to a shoulder problem midway through the second half.
Huddersfield also lost key players to injury, with captain Danny Brough and full-back Scott Grix both failing to complete the match.
Giants coach Paul Anderson had been unable to select Joe Wardle, Craig Huby, Kyle Wood and Luke Robinson because of injuries.
St Helens head coach Keiron Cunningham: "The halves were brilliant and Luke Thompson changed the game when he came on. He was phenomenal.
"Atelea Vea also played the full 80 minutes straight and I'm pleased all over. Defensively we were very good and we played the conditions really well.
"We looked comfortable for a large part of the game."
Huddersfield head coach Paul Anderson: "The effort and endeavour was very good, considering the youth out there.
"We were masters of our own downfall with penalties and errors, but Sam Rapira was outstanding and caused a lot of problems.
"The difference was Luke Walsh's kicking game and he played as though he was in a dinner jacket. The first half was very even, although the scoreline may show otherwise."
St Helens: Owens; Makinson, Peyroux, Percival, Swift; Turner, Walsh; Amor, Roby, Tasi, Wilkin, Vea, McCarthy-Scarsbrook.
Replacements: Walmsley, Richards, Savelio, Thompson.
Huddersfield: Grix; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Connor, Murphy; Brough, Ellis; Rapira, Hinchcliffe, Crabtree, Ta'ai, Lawrence, Patrick.
Replacements: Smith, J. Johnson, Leeming, Roberts.
Referee: Robert Hicks


Crystal Palace midfielder Lee Chung-yong will be fined by the Premier League club after reportedly criticising boss Alan Pardew.

Lee, 27, has made 16 appearances this season and made his comments in a publication in his native South Korea.
"He has made an error," said Pardew. "He said it got lost in translation, and that can happen. I have had it before.
"But some of it is not lost in translation and he will get a fine."


More than 75,000 people have signed a petition by an international LGBT group calling on a Chinese university to apologise to two lesbian students.

Xiaoyu Wang, whose girlfriend publicly proposed to her at their graduation ceremony, was refused her diploma.
The Guangdong University of Foreign Studies reportedly told the couple their act had "violated regulations".
Ms Wang has since received her diploma, but said the couple were told to "keep our homosexuality to ourselves".
Jean Ouyang, who proposed to Ms Wang, told Chinese media the "mental and emotional harm" caused by the actions could not be erased.
"The most romantic day of my life turned into a nightmare", said Ms Wang. "I'm devastated and humiliated, but I'm fighting back and need your help," she wrote on social media.
The university has declined to comment to media about the case.
Chinese lesbian sues ministry over gay 'disorder' textbook
Chinese couple lose fight for gay marriage recognition
China human rights: Trailblazing in the LGBT community
Officials with the on-campus Communist Party had reportedly told the couple that they would "face punishment", after pictures of them kissing went viral on Chinese social media.
Ms Wang says that one official accused her of spreading vulgar content and misbehaving in public despite warning from the university.
"We decided to propose to each other on campus because it's a way to express our feelings, and raise awareness of LGBT issues," the 23-year old translation student told the BBC.
Ms Wang says that university officials also outed her to her parents by asking them to come and collect the diploma together with their daughter.
An official also sent the video of the marriage proposal to Ms Wang's mother, she said.
"My biggest headache now is how I mend my relations with my parents," Ms Wang told the BBC. "Last week, my mother called me and said I hurt her badly."
The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender group (LGBT) All Out has called on the university to "apologise publicly to the two students".
It added that "comprehensive measures to prevent discrimination and homophobic harassment on campus", should also be taken.
Some supporters delivered the All Out statement to the university headmaster, who said he would take a look at it, reports said.
A 2012 poll by an LGBT organisation, Aibai Centre, said that in a survey of 421 students, most of whom identified as gay, 77% of them said they had been subjected to bullying on campus because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Ms Wang said the couple's case was not an isolated one and that discrimination should end.
"I'm sick of staying silent," she wrote. "No school should intimidate students for who they are or who they love. My case is just one in many, but it could spark a change."


Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has written a letter to his top security chiefs warning against the use of torture.

He described it as "unnecessary and wrong and must not be used again".
It follows media reports alleging that several people suspected to be connected to the murder of a senior police officer had been tortured.
Ugandan security officials have been accused by human rights groups of using torture to get confessions.
Mr Museveni said torture was wrong because it was sometimes employed on innocent people, which was unfair, and could lead them to admitting guilt to stop the pain.
He also said that good investigators could obtain convictions without using torture.
Assistant Inspector General of Police Andrew Felix Kaweesi, the third most senior police officer in the country, was shot dead outside his house in March.
Ugandan newspapers have shown suspects charged in the murder of Mr Kaweesi with visible signs of injuries when they appeared in court.
On Sunday, Maria Burnett from Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for police to take suspects' allegations of torture seriously. She also said the officers allegedly involved should be investigated "for torture and mistreatment".
She added that HRW has spoken to hundreds of witnesses over the last 15 years who have complained of being tortured.
Uganda ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture in 1986, which means that torture should be outlawed in the country.


A road route dubbed Scotland's answer to the USA's historic Route 66 can now be travelled using an electric car, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

The North Coast 500 involves travelling 500 miles (804km) round the coast of the Highlands.
The trust has been driving the route in fully electric and also hybrid cars using charging points along the way.
Rebecca Fretwell, of the trust, said such a trip would not have been possible a year ago.
The trust has been visiting communities along the way, including Tongue, Wick, Lybster and Brora, to raise awareness about electric cars.
Cars made by Tesla, BMW, Nissan and Renault are involved.
There are 11 rapid charging points, which recharge batteries to 80% in about 30 minutes, on the NC 500, and others available in Inverness and Dingwall.
Ms Fretwell told BBC Alba: "We could not have undertaken this journey last year. There were just not enough charge points.
"Highland Council, the Energy Saving Trust and Transport Scotland have been investing in the rapid charge points network.
"There is now a rapid charge point within many communities within the Highlands."
The NC 500 is promoted as a tourist route to holidaymakers in the UK and abroad.
It involves long stretches of single track road and also several challenging ascents and descents, including the Bealach-na-Ba at Applecross.
The unclassified road rises to about 626m (2,053ft) over about four miles (8km).
Last month, seven women cyclists set a time of 36 hours to complete the NC 500 in a non-stop team time trial.
Their time set a new record for cycling the route.
Scottish endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont previously completed the NC 500 solo in 37 hours 58 minutes.
Route 66 was one of America's original highways and was built in the 1920s. Today it continues to be promoted as a tourist route between Chicago and the west coast.


Scientists are getting a much clearer picture of the retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet over thousands of years, and of the forces driving it.

New research indicates that warm waters pulled up from the deep by strong winds sharply undercut glaciers from about 11,000 years ago to 7,500 years ago.
This incursion then stopped until it got under way again in the 1940s.
The findings are important because they inform our understanding about how the ice may respond in the future.
Today, the big glaciers that enter the ocean in a key sector called the Amundsen Sea Embayment are in a rapid withdrawal.
These ice streams, such as Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, are colossal in scale - and their melting has become a significant contributor to global sea-level rise at around 1mm per decade.
The glaciers’ grounding lines - the places where they enter the ocean and become buoyant - are heading inland; as are the floating segments, or shelves, they push out in front themselves.
Dr Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, a senior marine geologist at the British Antarctic Survey, explained: "We know today that the ice sheet in the Amundsen Sea is mainly influenced by this warm deep-water upwelling, which is very effectively melting the undersides of the ice shelves and weakening them, and because these shelves buttress the glaciers we therefore get the thinning of the glaciers, the acceleration in the flow speed of the glaciers and the retreat of their grounding lines."
Dr Hillenbrand and colleagues have been examining the shells of tiny marine organisms called foraminifera recovered from ocean-floor sediments in the Amundsen Sea Embayment.
These shells have chemical "fingerprints" that record the nature of the water in which they were formed.
For example, the ratio of different trace metals in the shells says something about how cold or warm the water was. And the different types of carbon incorporated into the shells reveal information about the age of the water.
In Antarctica, the surface waters are "young" and cold; young in the sense that they are in contact with the atmosphere.
The deep waters, on the other hand, have not seen the surface in a long time and are therefore considered "old" - but they are relatively warm.
Piecing together the distribution and fingerprint pattern of the shells, Dr Hillenbrand's team has been able to show that the warm deep-water would have welled up and spilled across the continental shelf in front of the glaciers to melt their fronts at the end of the last ice age - about 11,000 years ago.
This retreat operated until about 7,500 years ago.
Independent data has already indicated a coupling between the position of strong westerly winds and upwelling. The further north is the belt of westerlies, the weaker is the upwelling; the further south, the bigger the upwelling.
"We can detect the weakening of the circumpolar deep-water at 7,500 years," said Dr Hillenbrand.
"It has been documented through other data that there was a northern shift of these winds then. And around the 1940s, also independent data shows there must have been a southward shift of the belt. So we demonstrate that the circumpolar deep-water upwelling is indeed coupled to the wind system."
Some scientists have made the argument that the strengthening westerlies in recent decades can be linked to the ozone hole and the rise in greenhouse gases.
The sediments examined in the study are very modern in the geological context, but researchers are also engaged in drilling much deeper materials in the Amundsen Sea Embayment to get a much longer time perspective.
For example, scientists would like to get a detailed description of conditions during the last interglacial - the last major warm period on Earth - about 120,000 years ago.
Researchers suspect the West Antarctic Ice Sheet at that time became extremely denuded.
The big question is whether it could experience a similar withdrawal as the Earth warms as a consequence of rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
"As you know there are some computer models which say a West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse has potentially already begun," Dr Hillenbrand told BBC News.
His team’s study has been published in the journal Nature.
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos


A former showband singer who died in a flood in County Monaghan has been described by a friend as one of "life's true gentlemen".

Irish police believe Ivan Vaughan, whose stage name was Simon Scott, was swept away by flood water after getting out of his car as he returned from Glaslough on Sunday evening.
The victim was 70 and from Caledon in County Tyrone.
He was found at about 11:25 local time at Corraghdown, Glaslough.
Mr Vaughan's body was found about 10 metres from his car.
Vinny O'Donnell was a lifelong friend of Mr Vaughan.
"He was a good friend of mine and a great entertainer and it's a very, very, very sad loss. especially for his loving family who must be feeling it now just tragically coming up to Christmas," he said.
Mr O'Donnell heard about his friend's death from a fellow musician.
"My first thought was pure and utter shock, I couldn't take it in," he said.
"You try to put in your mind what was going through his head hitting that flood at night, we're never going to know.
"It's just another tragic, very tragic accident and for him to be taken from us in such a way. It's just very hard to take in."
He said that in his heyday, Mr Vaughan was "very debonair and very good looking".
"All the women just adored him but he was a very, very talented singer and performer. His one man shows were brilliant, very professional.
"There will be a lot of fans who will be very sad to hear such tragic news.
"Apart from the music, he'll be remembered as a very warm-hearted, very genuine, very warm, well-manned person. He was a pure gentleman, sadly he's gone."
Irish police said Mr Vaughan's death did not appear to be suspicious.
He had been reported missing earlier on Monday morning.
Mr Vaughan performed with the group the Plattermen in the 1960s and 70s and recently worked as a solo artist.


Chris Ramsey will leave Portadown at the end of the season after signing a pre-contract deal with Cliftonville.

Ramsey, 25, will join the Solitude outfit on a three-year contract.
The defender will link up with his former Ports team-mate Darren Murray who moved to Cliftonville from the Shamrock Park club in January.
Michael Gault will also leave Portadown at the end of this season after signing a pre-contract deal with current champions Crusaders.
Ramsey, who represented Northern Ireland and youth and under-21 level, joined Portadown from Ballymena United six years ago.
Portadown manager Ronnie McFall is expected to step down at the end of this season after almost 30 years in charge of the club.
The Ports are a disappointing seventh in the Premiership table after losing 16 of their 29 games.


National League side Forest Green Rovers have signed goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley until the end of the season.

The 32-year-old had been playing in the Isthmian Premier Division with Leatherhead following his release by Newport at the end of last season.
Pidgeley has made 260 appearances in spells with nine clubs, including Chelsea, Watford and Millwall.
Forest Green are currently second in the National League table, one point behind leaders Cheltenham Town.
Pidgeley could make his Rovers debut when they host Aldershot on Friday.


Plans to introduce a new law setting a minimum price for alcohol in Wales could be revived by the Welsh Government.

Under the plans, the cost of alcohol would be determined by a formula based on its strength and volume.
The proposal depends on the result of a Supreme Court challenge against similar plans by the Scottish Government.
It is one of five laws included in Welsh ministers' legislative programme for the year ahead.
The minimum pricing plans are expected to be policed by local councils, if implemented.
The Welsh Government said it is confident that the legislation would be within the powers of the assembly.
Plans to regulate the price of alcohol in Wales were first introduced in July 2015 but were put on hold because of the assembly election in 2016 and a decision by judges in Scotland to refer the government in Edinburgh's alcohol cost plans to the Supreme Court.
A spokesman for UKIP in the assembly said the plan was "another example of nanny-statism" and accused the Welsh Government of invading people's lives by increasing the cost of one of their favourite activities.
"The Welsh Government opts for price controls which hit the poorest and fail to tackle the underlying social issues which create alcoholism and overconsumption," he said.
The Scotch Whisky Association's appeal against a minimum price in Scotland is expected to be heard by Britain's highest court next month.
Research suggested a charge of 50p per unit in Wales would save nearly Â£900m over 20 years by cutting crime and illness, with 50 fewer deaths a year.
But when the Welsh Government first introduced its plans, a drinks industry spokesman said they would "ramp up" prices while "doing nothing" to tackle alcohol harm.
Other proposals in the Welsh Government's legislative programme include scrapping letting agents' fees, which have already been banned in Scotland, while the UK government has consulted on doing the same in England.
Over the next 12 months, the Welsh Government will also legislate to introduce its offer of 30 hours of free childcare for 48 weeks of the year for working parents of three to four-year-olds.
Six councils will test the childcare scheme from September 2017 before a wider roll-out at a later date.
Ministers also intend to put local government reform on the statute book and consult on introducing a ban on smacking children next year.
The Welsh Government proposes the following assembly bills for the next 12 months:
First Minister Carwyn Jones has also said ministers could introduce a so-called Continuity Bill - proposed by Plaid Cymru AM Steffan Lewis as a measure to enshrine all existing EU regulations in Welsh law - if the UK government does not respect the devolution settlement post-Brexit.
Mr Jones said: "The bills we intend to introduce during the second year of this assembly will support our efforts to build a Wales that is healthy and active, prosperous and secure, ambitious and learning and united and connected."
"As I have repeatedly made clear, the UK government must respect the devolution settlement," he added.
"If this does not happen, we will consider other options, such as a Continuity Bill, to protect Wales' interests."
Plaid leader Leanne Wood said: "Minimum pricing and banning letting agents fees are Plaid policies which the Labour government has been very slow to act upon.
"I am also very concerned that it will take in effect almost an entire assembly term to get a new system of childcare up and running."


A 16-year-old girl thrown out of Dundee Sheriff Court for misbehaving returned to the building and attacked a police officer.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, headbutted and punched PC Gwen Louden in the court's foyer on Thursday.
It is understood that the officer had facial injuries X-rayed at Dundee's Ninewells Hosptal.
The girl admitted a charge of assault to injury at a hearing on Friday.
The teenager had been thrown out of the building's main courtroom as a result of her behaviour while other cases were being heard.
She was then asked to leave the court entirely before confronting PC Loudon and another officer.
David Duncan, defending, said: "The only question here is her status between now and sentencing."
Sheriff Alistair Carmichael granted bail and deferred sentence until February for social work background reports and an update on an existing community payback order


The mid-air hunting strategy of a tiny fly the size of a grain of rice has been revealed by an international team of scientists.

Holcocephala, a species of robber fly, is able to intercept and "lock on" to its prey in less than a second.
Researchers used high-speed cameras to show exactly how the fly positioned itself to capture a moving target in mid-air.
The results are published in the journal Current Biology.
Paloma Gonzalez-Bellido from Cambridge University explained that, normally, "when we think of hunting animals we think of excellent vision and speed, but when you're so very tiny, you have a very small brain and limited sensory capacity".
She added: "We wanted to know how [this fly manages] this predatory behaviour."
Dr Gonzalez-Bellido and her colleagues created a miniature outdoor studio - filming the fly from two angles to capture its movement in 3D.
They discovered that the fly maintained what they described as a "constant bearing angle" - keeping its prey in the centre of its field of vision.
PhD student Sam Fabian explained: "They're not sticking to a trajectory; if the target changes direction, they compensate, so this is reactive."
In doing this, the insects are essentially using a very old navigation rule employed by sailors, Dr Gonzalez-Bellido explained.
"If another vessel is not moving within your field of view, and it's getting bigger and closer, you're on a collision course," she said.
The team also studied the fly's eyes, revealing that part of its hunting secret was contained in its highly adapted vision. Larger lenses and a high density of extremely tiny sensors at the centre of its eyes allow it to see its prey from a distance and to accurately "lock on" as it approaches.
"This gives this fly a resolution in this area that's the same as much larger dragonflies," explained Dr Gonzalez-Bellido. "It's an extreme adaptation."
The next step for scientists is to find out exactly how Holcocephala's brain takes this visual information and turns it into a stealth hunting manoeuvre in the blink of an eye.
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The Philippines' Supreme Court has voted to allow the body of former leader Ferdinand Marcos to be moved to the Heroes' Cemetery in Manila.

The decision follows months of protests, with many saying that Marcos' record of corruption and rights abuses meant he should not be interred there.
Nine judges voted in favour of the burial, with five against the decision.
President Rodrigo Duterte had announced plans for the move shortly after his election in May.
In August, he gave the initial go-ahead for the body to be buried in the National Heroes' Cemetery in Manila, calling Marcos a "Filipino soldier".
Critics had argued it was inappropriate to provide an honourable burial to a president blamed for thousands of killings, tortures and military abductions, many of which remain unresolved.
Marcos and his wife, Imelda, ruled the Philippines for 20 years before more than a million people took to the streets to overthrow them in what became known as the People Power Revolution of 1986.
His embalmed body is currently on display in his home city of Batac.


About 200 people - some from as far as Wales - turned up to help in the hunt for missing south London girl Tia Sharp.

Tia, 12, disappeared after leaving her grandmother's home in Croydon, to go shopping at about midday on Friday.
Earlier, a police dog was taken into the house at the Lindens, New Addington, where she was last seen.
Police dog handlers will also conduct a search of the area and alleyway behind the house.
Det Ch Insp Nick Scola also visited the home and met members of the family.
He said: "This morning I have been in to see the family and update them with details of the investigation."
Meanwhile people gathered at Croydon Rugby Club on Tuesday to search nearby woodland.
Club secretary Sue Randall said: "People are coming from everywhere, from Swanley, even a couple from Wales because they thought they might be able to help and wanted to be involved.
"It's worrying. I've got four children and five grandchildren and I would be frantic if they went missing."
She added volunteers were being accompanied by police officers in searches to avoid "contaminating evidence".
Earlier, police began searching the local wood, Birchwood, less than a mile from Tia's grandmother Christine Sharp's home in New Addington.
Alex Benham, of the rugby club, said several social networking pages had been set up appealing for information, adding: "It has been a real community thing."
One woman has posted a message saying: "I printed 2,000 flyers at work last night."
A poster created by Karon March, a supermarket worker, has been displayed alongside official police flyers.
Her husband, Steven March, said: "We've been standing in the middle of roads handing leaflets to drivers and going door-to-door.
"The community's really pulling together."
Gavin Barwell, the Conservative MP for Croydon Central praised the community, saying the response from people had been "absolutely magnificent".
Meanwhile The Sun newspaper has offered a Â£25,000 reward for information that will help police find Tia.
On Tuesday Tia's stepfather said the family was "in bits" and urged people to find "my little girl".
David Niles, 29, said Tia's mother Natalie was distraught and he had not slept for four days.
Wearing a T-shirt bearing Tia's image, Mr Niles said: "I just want to find my little girl.
"We're in bits, the whole country has helped us and is supporting us.
"I haven't slept in four days. Natalie (Tia's mother) is in bits."
He said he last saw Tia on Thursday morning at the family home in Mitcham before he headed to work.
"She was good as gold," Mr Niles said.
"I know I am not her real dad, but I have been there since day dot.
"When she left the house she shouted: 'Bye' and 'see you by six'."
Tia's grandmother said she was pinning her hopes on new CCTV stills of Tia taken outside the Co-op in Featherbed Lane near her house at about 16:15 BST on the day before she went missing.
Police have scoured hours of CCTV footage but have not found any trace of Tia, who has never gone missing before.
She had been on her way to the Whitgift shopping centre, in Croydon, when she went missing.
Officers are particularly keen to hear from anyone in the Lindens area of New Addington who has information and appealed for any bus or tram drivers in the Croydon area who recognise Tia's description to contact them.
She is known to frequent the Croydon, Mitcham and Wimbledon areas.
Tia is described as white, 4ft 5in tall and slim, and was wearing FCUK glasses.


Jordan Preston scored twice as Ayr United claimed the initiative in the Championship play-off semi-final against Peterhead.

Michael Donald put the visitors in front before Leighton McIntosh levelled matters with his 14th goal this season.
Blackburn loanee Preston put Ayr back in front just before the break.
Patrick Boyle set up Preston for his second and Robbie Crawford made it four to give Peterhead a tough ask in Saturday's second leg.


Saturday's League One match between Albion Rovers and East Fife has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Cliftonhill.

Cowdenbeath v Arbroath goes ahead in League Two following an early morning inspection at Central Park.


League Two club Crawley Town have cancelled the contract of Alper Tursun just one month after signing the defender on a one-year deal.

The London-born 23-year-old joined the Reds after spending two years with Turkish Premier League side Alanyaspor.
Tursun was one of 17 new arrivals at the West Sussex club this summer.
"Alper has had a good offer to play in Turkey and it's been mutually agreed he can leave," Reds head coach Dermot Drummy told the club website.


David Moyes has pulled out of the running to become the new Aston Villa manager, BBC Sport understands.

Moyes, 53, was on a three-man shortlist to replace Remi Garde and was tipped to be the new manager after impressing prospective new owner Dr Tony Xia.
However the Scotsman, without a club since being sacked by Real Sociedad in 2015, has now ruled himself out.
Nigel Pearson - the preferred choice of outgoing chairman Steve Hollis - and Roberto Di Matteo remain in the frame.
The fundamental issue for Moyes is believed to be the drop down to the Championship, where Villa will play next season following their relegation from the Premier League.
The former Manchester United and Everton manager also had reservations about Villa's wish for a swift decision over the role, as a result of the hectic summer that lies ahead for the club's football department.
One of the attractions of the Villa job for Moyes was the prospect of working again with Keith Wyness, who is soon to be appointed as the club's chief executive.
He held the same role at Everton for five years, during which time he worked harmoniously with the former Preston manager.
Villa hope to confirm their new manager by the end of this week, with Pearson and Di Matteo - both of whom are without a club - having been interviewed by Hollis and the recruitment team put together by Xia.
The owner-in-waiting will sanction the appointment although Hollis will seal the deal as Dr Xia will not technically own Villa until his takeover is approved by the Football League.


"Catastrophic consequences" await the Bulgarian armed forces if they are not weaned soon from dependence on old Russian equipment and repairs, according to outgoing Defence Minister Velizar Shalamanov.

He was speaking in a BBC interview amid a war of words that has broken out between Bulgaria and Russia over Russian involvement in Ukraine and Russian pressure to speed up work on the South Stream gas pipeline, which will cross Bulgaria.
As an EU and Nato member with strong traditional links to Russia, Bulgaria is walking a tightrope between East and West.
Bulgaria was said to have frozen work on the Russian gas pipeline project in August, under EU and US pressure. According to Russia, work on the ground continues.
Tensions between Bulgaria and Russia grew when President Rosen Plevneliev described Russia as "a nationalist and aggressive state" for its involvement in Ukraine.
Suggestions from outgoing Defence Minister Shalamanov that Bulgaria might buy used F-16s from Italy or Greece, or Eurofighters from Portugal, prompted Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin to tweet: "News from Bulgaria: a certain Shalamanov has convinced Prime Minister Bliznashki to once again betray Russia... in favour of second-hand eagles."
That comment sparked a reaction from Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov who said such comments were "extremely unworthy, contrary to good manners and showâ€¦ a lack of respect for Bulgarian institutions".
Mr Shalamanov told the BBC that reliance on outdated Soviet-era equipment, which still needs spare parts and maintenance in Russia, was the result of 10-15 years of mismanagement of the Bulgarian armed forces.
As a result, he said, in the current Nato standoff with Russia over its role in the conflict in Ukraine, Bulgaria was having to depend on its neighbours, Greece and Romania, to help police its own Black Sea borders.
Following the 5 October elections, a new government is to be formed in Bulgaria, leaving Mr Shalamanov unusually free to speak his mind over the state of the armed forces.
"The critical area is especially air defence. Because all the radars, all the surface-to-air missile complexes and fighters were produced in the Soviet Union," he said. "And maintenance, especially of the fighters, depends very much on overhaul of the engines and other equipment in Russia."
He highlighted in particular Bulgaria's ageing fleet of MiG-29 fighters.
Bulgaria currently spends only 1.3% of its annual budget on defence, compared with a Nato target of at least 2%, re-inforced at its recent summit in Wales. The size of Bulgaria's armed forces has fallen below 30,000, down from 110,000 in 1999. The target figure was 45,000.
The outgoing defence minister spoke of Bulgaria's "high vulnerability" because of the conflict in Ukraine, although he said the situation facing its land forces was "not so dramatic" as its military industry could largely service its Soviet-era equipment such as the T-72 tank.
But he expressed concern over pro-Russian sentiment in Bulgaria.
In last week's elections "several partiesâ€¦ gave a higher priority to co-operation with Russia and joining a Eurasian Union, than improving our level of integration in Nato and the EU", he said.
"This creates tension andâ€¦ misunderstandings, including inside the armed forces."
Asked to respond to Mr Shalamanov's comments, Volen Siderov, leader of the pro-Russian Ataka party, described the defence minister as "an American agent".
Other former Warsaw Pact armies have devised various strategies for ending their dependence on Soviet-era equipment.
In 2013 Poland launched the biggest military procurement of any Nato member, and its defence budget reached 1.95% of GDP. Hungary replaced its MiGs with Gripen fighters in 2009.
After Bulgaria, Slovakia is the most vulnerable Nato force in terms of outdated military hardware.
Around 70% of the Slovak army's land vehicles and 90% of its ammunition are past their shelf life, according to the Central European Policy Institute (CEPI) in Bratislava.


A union is to ballot its members over industrial action in a row with Virgin Trains East Coast over possible job losses.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will start voting next week.
It has accused the company of trying to "bulldoze through" cost-cutting measures which would "decimate" jobs.
Virgin Trains said it was "puzzled" at the union's ballot.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "RMT is aware that Virgin management are putting out regular propaganda messages to their employees to justify the company's attempts to attack job security, terms and conditions of employment and current working practices."
Earlier another union, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA), had also warned of industrial action.
The TSSA said the company was planning to axe up to 46 jobs at travel centres and train stations along the East Coast Main Line route.
In a statement, Virgin Trains East Coast said the changes were "aimed at making the customer experience the best it can be".
The firm added: "We are puzzled by the RMT's decision to ballot as we have ruled out compulsory redundancies.
"A strike would also cost our people pay for no reason, and we have well prepared contingency plans which mean we expect to run a full timetable with customers travelling as normal.
"We would welcome the RMT reopening discussions at any point."
The result of the RMT vote is expected by 9 August.


Plans to create up to 600 jobs and invest £120m at the site of the UK's last remaining aluminium smelter yard at Fort William have been announced.

It follows a £330m deal announced last month involving Liberty House and Simec to take over the Rio Tinto site.
Their plans include creating an aluminium wheel manufacturing facility, and a further 300 jobs directly, with another 300 in the supply chain.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited the site on Monday.
Liberty said it aimed to protect the existing 170 jobs in Lochaber and expand metal manufacturing and downstream engineering there.
The purchase by Liberty and Simec - both members of the GFG Alliance - includes the hydro power plants at Fort William and Kinlochleven and more than 100,000 acres of land hosting the water catchment area, including Ben Nevis' foothills.
The Scottish government is supporting the plans by guaranteeing the power purchases of the aluminium smelter.
Ms Sturgeon said the proposals reinforced the link between the smelter and the hydro station at Fort William.
She described it as a "historic day" for the smelter and said she looked forward to hundreds of new jobs in the area in the coming years.
She added: "Today is the start of an exciting new chapter in Scotland's manufacturing story and the Scottish government and its agencies will keep working with Sanjeev Gupta and the GFG Alliance to help them realise their enterprising vision for Lochaber."
Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman of Liberty House Group and of the GFG Alliance strategic board, said: "We hope this day will come to be recognised as the start of a bright new future for Highland industry.
"It puts Lochaber right at the heart of our vision for sustainable and integrated local production that can revitalise British manufacturing."
Mr Gupta and Ms Sturgeon were among those who attended the announcement who wore a bindi, a symbol of Mr Gupta's Hindu faith.
Jay Hambro, chief investment officer of the GFG Alliance, and chief executive of Simec energy & mining divisions said: "These hydro-power stations have enough capacity to power around 83,000 homes.
"Today Lochaber provides the power required to produce 47,000 tonnes of aluminium. We have already identified investment programmes to significantly increase power generation from the existing assets and are studying how to create further capacity locally."
The purchase of Lochaber represents a major escalation of the GFG Alliance's investment in Scotland, following Liberty's acquisition of the Dalzell and Clydebridge Steel plants earlier this year.
Dalzell formally restarted in September after being mothballed by its previous owners.


More than 600 bank branches have closed in the UK in the past year, according to a BBC report.

People in remote areas have been worst affected, but BBC website users from across the UK, have spoken about how recent closures have affected them.
Lynda Dellar keeps the books for her husband Roger's art business in Surrey. They changed bank for local branch access.
"Our Barclays Bank in Haslemere closed last November and as I use the bank for paying in cheques regularly, we moved our account to Lloyds. It is very difficult if you are self-employed and still have people who pay you this way.
"My husband is an artist. Picture sales go through the bank, but he teaches and we have classes - and pupils and the Art Society pay by cheque. I'm paying in cheques twice a week. My husband will always work and I will always keep the books.
"I'm with NatWest, who closed in Grayshott recently. Now there are lots of people in the Haslemere branch complaining about coming here."
James Couling lives in Portsmouth and is medically retired after suffering a brain haemorrhage in 2001. He has no access to a local bank branch.
"Our Lloyds, the only bank in Eastney in Portsmouth, closed this month, leaving our area with no banks at all, just the ones in Portsmouth city centre miles away.
"The bank provided banking for a large area of Eastney, Milton, parts of Southsea and Fratton and all the shops and businesses. Now we all have to cram in a post office the size of a very small front room, it's an absolute joke. The queues are so bad and always out of the door.
"I was due to go to my local bank to discuss taking out life insurance face-to-face with my local staff. I simply don't want to do it online or over the phone. Now the bank is closed I can't be bothered to go all the way over town. I don't drive so have to get a lift.
"With traffic congestion in Portsmouth it takes about 40 minutes to drive into the city centre and then walk down Commercial Road, which is pedestrian-only, then queue, then drive home."
Wendy Warner is 52 and suffers from arthritis, diabetes and fibromyalgia but worries how her friends cope with a lack of local bank branches on the coast of Kent.
"Birchington-on-Sea has lost Barclays, NatWest and HSBC in the last year. I banked with Woolwich, which I lost a few years ago.
"One's now a domestic appliance shop, one's a coffee shop and the other two are empty.
"Birchington is semi-urban, one of the largest villages in the country. The number of cashpoints has been drastically cut. Co-op and Sainsburys had to have cashpoint machines put in.
"Birchington is a retirement area full of elderly, disabled and retired people - a lot of my friends from the local church - who do not have laptops, PCs, iPads or mobile phones or the capacity to travel all the way to Margate or Canterbury on infrequent, crowded buses.
"I have a mobile and a computer but if there is a problem you have to go to the bank and, being disabled, this is not very easy.
"The banks need to listen to the majority of their customers in that particular area and cater for them, which was not what was done. Most of the banks here were well-used and you always had to queue. What about a bank-share facility? I know NatWest have a mobile branch, but that was not advertised locally.
"There is a reduced size post office in the Co-op. Of course, elderly and/or disabled people do not have the capacity to wait long with no seating area in the middle of a shop."
Keith Dunderland is a retired engineer in the farming community of Cerrigydrudion in Conwy, Wales.
"HSBC has closed our branch in the village where I live in rural Wales. The cash machine was taken out of the wall and bricked up the day the bank closed.
"We have rubbish broadband speed, 2Mbps if you are lucky and have been told via a customer letter to use the internet for banking.
"It was that or go on a round trip of 25 miles to use the cash machine at the nearest branch. We don't have a mobile signal where we are.
"Lots of old and retired people around here, that generation, has a bit of mistrust of having a banking system on a computer. And they are put off by the cost of running a computer on a limited income just to do their banking.
"We now have a cash machine from HSBC in the wall of a roadside cafe in a dangerous place on the other side of a main trunk road.
"It is often out of cash as visitors use it as well as locals. The last time it ran out, it was a week before the security van arrived to fill it up! This is not an isolated occurrence.
"Like rural broadband, all services in rural areas all over the UK are now at a low point of no investment and understanding of the overall situation that now exists for our communities."


Reigning champions Etoile du Sahel took a step towards reaching the group stage of the Confederation Cup with a 2-0 win over Gabon's Mounana.

Tunisia Defender Zied Boughattas opened the scoring for the hosts on the stroke of half-time and Ihab Msakni added the second in the 65th minute.
The second leg of that tie is on 18 May in Gabon, with the overall winners progressing to group stage of the tournament.
Earlier on Friday it ended 0-0 between Al Ahly Tripoli and Misr Elmaqasah of Egypt, that games was played in Tunis because of the ongoing security concerns in Libya.
The tie will now be decided on 17 May in Egypt.
Etoile and Al Ahly Tripoli had begun the 2016 season in the African Champions League, the most prestigious and richest club event on the African calendar alongside TP Mazembe of the DR Congo.
Reigning African champions Mazembe fell by two goals away to Wydad Casablanca and were held at home with the Moroccans equalising in stoppage time.
Etoile and Mazembe have won nine Confederation of African Football titles each, achievements surpassed only by Al Ahly of Egypt with 18 triumphs.
The silver lining for Etoile is demotion to the Confederation Cup gives them a chance to win the competition twice in a row after beating Orlando Pirates of South Africa in the final last year.
Brazilian striker Diogo Acosta has been in good form for the Red Devils from Mediterranean resort Sousse.
If Etoile can close the gaps exposed by Enyimba in Nigeria they should build a lead at home to surprise qualifiers Mounana of Gabon.
Recently-appointed Mazembe coach Hubert Velud has appealed for patience from supporters disenchanted by failure to reach the Champions League group stage.
"I just got here," he said, referring to his arrival this year after the contract of fellow French coach Patrice Carteron was not renewed.
"Mazembe want to win trophies every year and we have the Confederation Cup in our sights now."
The club from Congolese mining city Lubumbashi have been goal shy lately, sorely missing Tanzanian striker Mbwana Aly Samatta, who moved to Belgium.
Ghanaian Daniel Nii Adjei showed signs of inheriting the leading scorer role, but has lacked consistency.
Mazembe host Stade Gabesien, a Tunisian outfit competing in Africa for the first time and unbeaten in qualifying tor the play-offs with two victories and four draws.
Hichem Essifi, the striker Tunisians call 'The Hulk' because of his imposing physique, will warrant special attention from the Congolese.
Three days after winning the South African title a record-extending seventh time, Mamelodi Sundowns face Medeama of Ghana near Pretoria.
Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango told BBC Sport: "We have to switch our minds to a new focus and concentrate, we know we want the club wants which is to conquer Africa and that's what we have to think about.
"First we have to get to the group stage. But is a dream for the club and the players to conquer Africa and to make history - we know we have an opportunity to do it.
"We know we are playing a good team and we must give our best. We are taking it very seriously. If we can win 3-0 at home that would be fantastic."
Young Africans must shackle leading Confederation Cup scorer Arsenio 'Love' Cabungula from Angolan club Esperanca Sagrada in Dar es Salaam if they hope to become the first Tanzanian team to reach the group stage.
The match between Stade Malien of Mali and FUS Rabat of Morocco pits former Confederation Cup title-holders against each other in Bamako.
Mouloudia Bejaia of Algeria against Esperance of Tunisia and Al Merrikh of Sudan against Kawkab Marrakech of Morocco complete the first-leg schedule.


The funeral of a four-year-old who died in a house fire in Neath Port Talbot has taken place.

Jac Davies died following the blaze at his family's home in Alltwen, near Pontardawe, on 27 July.
His mother Jennifer Davies, 28, managed to escape with her 11-month-old baby and daughter Kelsey, six, while son Riley, three, was rescued.
An inquest into Jac's death was opened and adjourned earlier this month.


Leigh Griffiths grabbed a double as Celtic kicked off their Premiership title defence with a rout of Hearts.

The Scotland striker opened the scoring with a neat right-foot finish following a simple through ball from Nir Bitton.
Scott Sinclair capitalised on dreadful defending from Aaron Hughes to tap in the second before Griffiths headed home to finish an excellent move.
Callum McGregor drilled in the fourth before Isma Goncalves smashed in Hearts' consolation at the near post.
The visitors, with Jon Daly in interim charge following the sacking of head coach Ian Cathro, showed positive signs in the early stages.
They showed a whole lot more aggression than they did in the limp League Cup performances against Peterhead and Dunfermline that sealed Cathro's fate, but hard work guarantees you nothing when you come to the home of the champions.
For 20 minutes, the visitors looked at ease. They were defending well, had loads of bite in midfield and in the young winger Lewis Moore they had a player who looked like he could create something given the chance.
Celtic turned the heat up thereafter, though. Jack Hamilton had to parry away a Griffiths shot and only smart defending from Christophe Berra stopped McGregor from turning in the loose ball. Griffiths had another chance soon after. And then another.
This time he put it away after a ball from the back from Bitton was seized on by the striker. Hearts tried to play offside but Rafal Grzelak was caught out, not for the first time. Griffiths went through and scored at the second attempt.
The rest of it was easy for Celtic and a bit of a grind for Hearts. Kyle Lafferty went in the book, so did Michael Smith. Lafferty was fortunate not to get a second yellow later on. He was replaced with 20 minutes to go.
Celtic created more chances with Griffiths being denied by Berra, Forrest being frustrated by Hamilton and, the best opportunity of all, McGregor pulling a shot across the goal and wide after a cheeky Scott Brown back-heel opened up the Hearts defence.
The visitors had a brief flurry at the start of the new half. Berra should have done better with a close-range header from a corner.
Once that chance went begging, Celtic took ownership again, kicking on to build their lead. Sinclair tapped in from a few yards out after Hughes failed to deal with a Celtic corner.
The third arrived soon after. Brown put the excellent McGregor away down the right and he crossed for Griffiths. The striker's diving header increased Hearts' woes. The fact that McGregor looked marginally offside when he took Brown's pass would not have done much to lift their mood either.
McGregor got the fourth - just reward for a Celtic player who does not get the attention of some others around him in that midfield. Sinclair drove hard at a retreating Hearts defence and slipped a pass to McGregor, who promptly thumped a shot straight and true, right over Hamilton's head and into his net.
The competition for places in that Celtic midfield is cut-throat now. Stuart Armstrong, Tom Rogic and Jonny Hayes all started on the bench as Brendan Rodgers' team sent out a crystal-clear message to those living in hope of being the first team to beat them domestically.
That is going to be as difficult this season as it was last season. For Hearts, in their most turbulent week since exiting administration, it proved impossible.
Goncalves' late strike, as he brushed off Jozo Simunovic and beat Craig Gordon at his near post, was all they had to show for their toil.
Match ends, Celtic 4, Heart of Midlothian 1.
Second Half ends, Celtic 4, Heart of Midlothian 1.
Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Jamie Brandon (Heart of Midlothian).
Tomas Rogic (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Aaron Hughes (Heart of Midlothian).
Foul by Jonny Hayes (Celtic).
Arnaud Sutchuin-Djoum (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Craig Gordon.
Attempt saved. Arnaud Sutchuin-Djoum (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner.
Foul by Scott Sinclair (Celtic).
Jamie Brandon (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Christophe Berra (Heart of Midlothian).
Foul by Stuart Armstrong (Celtic).
Arnaud Sutchuin-Djoum (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Celtic. Stuart Armstrong replaces Olivier Ntcham.
Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Don Cowie (Heart of Midlothian).
Goal!  Celtic 4, Heart of Midlothian 1. Esmael Gonçalves (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Arnaud Sutchuin-Djoum.
Don Cowie (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
Corner,  Celtic. Conceded by Aaron Hughes.
Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Christophe Berra (Heart of Midlothian).
Foul by Jozo Simunovic (Celtic).
Esmael Gonçalves (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Celtic. Tomas Rogic replaces Callum McGregor.
Attempt missed. Olivier Ntcham (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Goal!  Celtic 4, Heart of Midlothian 0. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Scott Sinclair.
Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Conor Sammon replaces Kyle Lafferty.
Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Kyle Lafferty (Heart of Midlothian).
Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Esmael Gonçalves replaces Rafal Grzelak.
Rafal Grzelak (Heart of Midlothian) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Jonny Hayes (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Rafal Grzelak (Heart of Midlothian).
Substitution, Celtic. Jonny Hayes replaces Leigh Griffiths.
Goal!  Celtic 3, Heart of Midlothian 0. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) header from very close range to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Callum McGregor.
Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Connor Randall replaces Prince Buaben.


Strike action by bus drivers in Cardiff has been called off after an improved pay offer was accepted.

Cardiff Bus said 90% of its 540 Unite union members backed the offer after a ballot took place.
Drivers have staged a number of strikes in recent weeks, causing disruption on days the city hosted Rugby World Cup matches.
The walkouts ranged from 24 to hour 48 hours but last Sunday's action was suspended due to the ballot.


A man has appeared before court charged with the murder of an 87-year-old woman at a care home near Bristol.

Police were called to Oaktree House, Yate, on Wednesday after Una Dorney was found dead.
Ryan Guest, 33, of Birkdale appeared before North Avon Magistrates' Court earlier to answer charges relating to the death of Una Dorney.
His case was transferred to Bristol Crown Court and he has been remanded in custody until 23 June.
A spokeswoman for Oaktree House said it was supporting the family during this "deeply distressing time".
Avon and Somerset Police described the death as "tragic".
Guest is not an employee of the care home.