Highland Reel showed his class to win the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot for trainer Aidan O'Brien.

The 9-4 shot, ridden by Ryan Moore, fought past runner-up Decorated Knight, with Ulysses in third.
Highland Reel prevailed by one and a quarter lengths for the sixth Group One victory of his career and the 300th top-level triumph for his trainer.
Coming 19 days after his Coronation Cup win at Epsom, it was O'Brien's first success of the 2017 Royal meeting.
There were two French victories earlier in the day with Qemah winning the Duke of Cambridge Stakes after Le Brivido took the Jersey Stakes.
Highland Reel showed his toughness once again as he secured a victory which took his career prize money to just short of the £6m mark.
The five-year-old sat on the heels of early leader Scottish but was briefly passed by Ulysses and Decorated Knight before battling back.
"He's an incredible horse. He has pace, courage, tactical speed," said O'Brien.
Highland Reel won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot last year and later in 2016 landed the Breeders' Cup Turf in the United States.
Moore said: "This lad has been everywhere but he keeps coming back. He's so tough, he's got a marvellous attitude."
Jack Hobbs, the 2-1 favourite, looked to be in contention but faded to finish last.
BBC racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght:
I won't be the only person kicking myself for not having a few quid on Highland Reel.
Not only were there doubts over the good to firm going and the mile and a quarter distance for Jack Hobbs, but Highland Reel is almost always simply magnificent.
Whatever the continent (he's won in the US and Hong Kong too) and whatever the drama (he arrived at Epsom with just minutes to spare before taking the Coronation Cup), this horse can be relied upon practically always to perform.
That's nearly £6m in prize money, thus making him Aidan O'Brien's biggest earner.
The Queen travelled from the State Opening of Parliament to Ascot and witnessed an afternoon sprinkled with international victories.
Qemah ran out a second French winner of the day when landing the Duke of Cambridge Stakes following the earlier success of Le Brivido.
The 5-2 favourite, ridden by Gregory Benoist for Jean-Claude Rouget, held off the fast-finishing outsider Aljazzi by three quarters of a length.
It was a second Royal Ascot win for the four-year-old Qemah, owned by Al Shaqab Racing, after victory in the Coronation Stakes last year.
Compatriot Usherette, successful in 2016, struggled for room before closing to finish another neck away.
Le Brivido was well backed for the Jersey Stakes and justified the confidence.
The 2-1 favourite, trained by Andre Fabre, held on under Pierre-Charles Boudot to deny O'Brien's 66-1 outsider Spirit Of Valor.
Happy Like A Fool, the odds-on favourite trained in the United States by Wesley Ward, had to settle for second as Heartache (5-1) won the Queen Mary Stakes.
Winning trainer Clive Cox once again showed his aptitude for handling sprinters, with jockey Adam Kirby making use of his mount's high draw.
"She's got a big future, she's very special," said Cox.
There were jubilant scenes in the winner's enclosure for owners the Hot To Trot Syndicate, which boasts 75 members.
Jockey Martin Dwyer guided Zhui Feng to a front-running victory in the Royal Hunt Cup.
The four-year-old colt gave trainer Amanda Perrett her first Royal Ascot victory for 17 years.
American trainer Ward, successful with Lad Aurelia on Tuesday, celebrated a second win of the 2017 Royal Ascot meeting as Con Te Partiro caused an upset in the Sandringham Handicap.
The 20-1 chance, given a typically patient ride by Irish jockey Jamie Spencer, came home ahead of the Ryan Moore-ridden Rain Goddess.
Josephine Gordon was 15th on favourite Gymnaste having earlier finished fifth in the Jersey Stakes aboard Dream Castle.
She was bidding to become only the second female jockey to ride a winner at Royal Ascot - 30 years on from Gay Kelleway.
Thursday is Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot with a crowd of about 65,000 expected at the Berkshire course.
The Gold Cup (16:20 BST) is the feature race where last year's winner Order Of St George will bid to follow up for trainer Aidan O'Brien.
O'Brien is seeking his eighth win in 12 years in the two-and-a-half mile contest.
Opposition includes dual Goodwood Cup winner Big Orange, trained by Michael Bell, and Ralph Beckett's 2015 St Leger winner Simple Verse.
The legendary racehorse Frankel could have his first Royal Ascot winner as a stallion on Thursday.
Mori, a daughter of Frankel and the brilliant mare Midday, runs for Sir Michael Stoute in the Ribblesdale Stakes (15:40).
The day begins with sprinters in the five-furlong Norfolk Stakes, including Ward's runner Mcerin.
14:30: Norfolk Stakes (Group 2) 5f
15:05: Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3) 1 1/4m
15:40: Ribblesdale Stakes (Group 2) 1½m
16:20: Gold Cup (Group 1) 2 1/2m
17:00: Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap) 1m
17:35: King George V Stakes 1½m


"This is the first time I've been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it."

On Monday night, Travis Kalanick, Uber's boss, was obliged to grovel over his behaviour towards his driver.
And, as we all know, recognising you have a problem is the first step to recovery.
So we've put together an eight-step programme to help him turn around his management style.
Mr Kalanick does at least recognise there's a problem - something that also became clearer to the world at large on Monday when a dashcam video was released showing the boss apparently being argumentative, short-tempered and dismissive towards his driver.
But he already knew he had that in him.
"Look, I'm a passionate entrepreneur. I'm like fire and brimstone sometimes. And so there are times when I'll go - I'll get too into the weeds and too into the debate, because I'm so passionate about it,"  he told Vanity Fair in 2014, with the admission that it "can rub some people the wrong way".
He's waited until now to accept it's time to change, but better late than never.
He did that.
But only once the altercation had turned into a car-crash on social media. He could have said something a month ago when the incident happened.
"If he'd have apologised afterwards to that driver and said, 'you caught me at a bad moment and I want to apologise', I'd guess this story would not be out there," says John Blakey, executive coach and author of The Trusted Executive.
"Saying sorry is not a habit a lot of CEOs have got."
"The other mistake he made was he didn't seem to realise the whole world is watching. Leaders should assume any interaction they have will end up in the news," says New York-based executive coach, Ben Dattner.
Serious chief executive officers never completely let their hair down, he says, even if they are on their way to a Super Bowl party.
"Assume anything can, and will, be broadcast against you. Use it as an opportunity to end up in a heart-warming clip 'CEO of Uber gives ride to kid' instead of 'CEO of Uber has negative encounter with driver'."
One thing he did right was using his own company's services. That at least shows commitment, and he definitely shouldn't start taking the bus.
But maybe he could do more?
"As a matter of course take one Uber ride a week. It's just an opportunity to hear from drivers and answer their questions and hear their concerns so there isn't a disgruntled outburst - to ensure [he's] listening on an ongoing basis," says Mr Dattner.
If in the past he's taken some pride in his confrontational approach, it could now be time to move on.
"We characterise him as aggressive, dog-eat-dog, and he's obviously an extremely driven individual, that's how he's achieved what he's achieved," says Mr Blakey.
"[But] what got you here, won't get you there. Those attributes - the challenge, the boldness, the brashness - to get to the next stage of the game, he has to recognise he needs new qualities."
Even so, he may prove resistant to taking advice, says Leila Bulling Towne.
She's advised executives both in Silicon Valley and around he world. She thinks the public humiliation he's just been through is likely to make him feel like a child who has been spanked for misbehaviour.
The pain and embarrassment may have been enough to prompt him to seek help. But the negative feelings may make it harder for him to embrace change.
"This is a driver, one of hundreds, thousands, however many drivers. He could have said 'Tell me more. What do I need to know?'", suggests Ms Bulling Towne.
"If that had been filmed, we'd have seen him as someone accepting feedback, asking for new ideas, showing [the characteristics] we elevate leaders for."
Ben Dattner agrees Mr Kalanick could definitely have handled the situation better.
"He could have explained: 'Here's the policy that we changed'. Or he could have been empathic and said: 'I'm sorry to hear your income has gone down'."
"He should convey: 'I'm concerned about how much you're making and how satisfied you are as a driver for Uber'."
"Each of us has triggers, things that bother us: people running late, people interrupting, traffic," says Ms Bulling Towne.
"We need to understand what our triggers are and when that happens not have an emotional hijacking as a result.
"It would be good for him to understand those hot buttons."
In Mr Kalanick's case, it could be the negative publicity swirling around his company in recent weeks - the legal battles to keep Uber operating in cities around the world, the stress of running a rapidly expanding tech giant. Or it could just be that he was really tired.
As Mr Kalanick himself admits, he used to think you had to burn the candle at both ends to be the real deal as head of a Silicon Valley start-up.
But now Arianna Huffington is on Uber's board he seems to have changed his mind.
She co-founded the Huffington Post, but her big thing now is that everyone, and especially executives, should sleep more.
Mr Kalanick says it's "fricking obvious" that she's right. More time under the duvet equals "more wisdom, more emotional intelligence, more productivity, a happier life", he reckons.
So maybe he just hasn't been sleeping well lately.


An alleged attempt by children to set fire to an eight-year-old boy's clothing in Aberdeen is being investigated by police.

No-one was injured in the incident in the Bucksburn area of the city on Saturday evening.
A Police Scotland spokesman said the children involved had been identified.


The excavation of a rare, intact Viking boat burial in western Scotland has been set out in detail for the first time.

Artefacts buried alongside the Viking in his boat found in Ardnamurchan suggest he was a high-ranking warrior.
In a report published by Antiquity, archaeologists describe the finds including a sword, spearhead and 213 of the boat's rivets.
The weapons indicate the burial of "a warrior of high status".
Archaeologists, including Dr Oliver Harris of the University of Leicester, first revealed the discovery at Swordle Bay in 2011.
Since then experts have been studying the burial site and its "rich assemblage of grave goods".
Among them were a single copper alloy ringed pin, thought to have been used to fasten a burial cloak or shroud, a broad bladed axe, a shield boss and whetstone made from rock found in Norway.
Also found were mineralised remains of textiles and wood.
The burial, close to a Neolithic burial cairn, dates back to the 10th Century.
In the report, the archaeologists said: "The Ardnamurchan boat burial represents the first excavation of an intact Viking boat burial by archaeologists on the UK mainland, and it makes a significant addition to our knowledge of burial practices from this period."


The first long-haul flights from the UK using the troubled 787 Dreamliner aircraft have taken off.

Thomson Airways flights from Manchester to Florida, USA, and from Glasgow to Cancun in Mexico, took off as scheduled at 09:40 BST.
Boeing, which produces the planes made of carbon fibre and plastic, claims it is the world's most efficient aircraft.
Thomson had planned to use the 787s from May, but all 50 were grounded in January over faulty batteries.
Singer Alesha Dixon greeted passengers arriving at Manchester Airport on Monday.
Chris Browne, managing director of Thomson Airways said the introduction of the "revolutionary" aircraft was a "major milestone" for operators.
Each aircraft can carry up to 291 passengers and fly as high as 38,000ft (11,500m).
Boeing claims the combination of lightweight materials and new engines from General Electric and Rolls Royce means that the Dreamliner is 20% more fuel efficient than equivalent aircrafts in use and also 60% quieter.
The firm had originally hoped the plane would go into commercial service in 2008, but it has been dogged by production difficulties.
Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways operated the first commercial flight in October 2011.
Boeing's worldwide fleet of Dreamliners were grounded and deliveries halted for three months, however, after a battery on an All Nippon Airlines 787 caught fire and a malfunction forced another flight to make an emergency landing.
Flights using the aircrafts were reintroduced in April after new batteries were fitted.
Thomson Airways are planning to take delivery of eight 787s in total.
British Airways has taken delivery of the first two of 42 Dreamliners ordered over the next 10 years and Virgin Atlantic is scheduled to get the first of its 16 Dreamliners in September 2014.


A woman is recovering after she was airlifted to Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, following a horse riding accident on Sunday.

Mourne Mountain Rescue Team were called at 13:35 GMT after emergency services were unable to locate the woman in Tollymore Forest, near Newcastle.
An Irish coastguard helicopter was called in due to the nature of the woman's injuries and her location.
She was treated for head, neck and back injuries.
More than 20 people from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, the police and coastguard and forest service staff assisted in the rescue operation.
Mourne Mountain Rescue Team posted details of the rescue on its Facebook page on Sunday.
Nine-year-old Matthew McArdle from Newry took photos of the rescue operation.


If election manifesto claims are all about smoke and mirrors, should we now add swings and roundabouts to the political metaphor?

There's an intriguing aspect to the general election results in the Midlands that puzzled me.
It's the striking contrast in the swings between Labour and the Conservatives.
David Cameron and his campaign strategists knew they were home and dry when Nuneaton was the first Midlands marginal to declare.
It was not only a Tory hold but a swing to the Conservatives from Labour of 3%.
I was in the Nottingham suburb of Beeston awaiting the result of the Broxtowe count. Would its high profile Conservative MP Anna Soubry survive a red surge?
Nuneaton set the pattern.
Across the Midlands, both east and west, there was a uniform swing of between three and four per cent to the Tories - Warwickshire North 3%, Amber Valley 4%, Derbyshire South 4% and Sherwood 4%.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan topped the Tory swingometer in the Midlands marginals with 5% in Loughborough.
Yet in the big cities, it was a very different story.
The swing went to Labour.
So in Nottingham East they enjoyed a 6% swing, Nottingham South 5.8%, Leicester South 7.3%, Leicester West 5%, Birmingham Hall Green 12%, Birmingham Hodge Hill 8%.
If swings to Labour on this scale had gone beyond the city ring road roundabouts and into the suburbs, Ed Miliband would have become prime minister by now.
In confidence, one senior Labour insider in Nottingham told me its success in the city wards was down to organisation, experience and its teams of activists.
"We won the ground war. If Nottingham's city boundaries were extended into Sherwood and Broxtowe, we would have won those constituencies as well," he told me.
Labour leadership candidate, Leicester West's Liz Kendall has identified her party's problem beyond the ring road roundabout.
It's about reaching out to Middle England.
"We need to show people that we understand their aspirations and ambitions for the future," she told the Sunday Times.
The problem for Labour was that Middle England was not interested in what the party offeredâ€¦and still isn't.
The Cameron brand worked its magic in those Midlands marginals... it'll take something or someone special to break up that ballot box relationship.


An Australian court has found two women guilty of carrying out female genital mutilation (FGM) on two young girls, in the country's first such conviction.

The incidents took place in separate incidents in 2009 and 2012 in Wollongong, New South Wales when the girls were each about seven years old.
A man, Shabbir Mohammedbhai Vaziri, was found guilty of covering up the acts.
FGM is when a girl's genitals are partly or wholly removed for non-medical reasons.
It usually carried out for a number of cultural, religious and social reasons, and is associated with ideals of femininity and modesty in some societies.
The women, who cannot been named, belong to a Muslim sect. One is the girls' mother, the other a 72-year-old former nurse.
The court heard they had cut the genitals of the two young girls in ceremonies known as "khatna".
Vaziri, a leader of the sect, was accused of ordering members to tell police they did not practice FGM.
The three were released ahead of sentencing in February. They could face up to seven years in jail.
FGM has been illegal in Australia for 20 years, but the case marked the first time such offences had come to trial, according to the Australian Associated Press.


Jo Butterfield claimed Britain's fifth gold medal at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, winning her first global title in the T51 club throw discipline.

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The 36-year-old, who only took up the sport 18 months ago, took European gold last year in Swansea.
And this time, her championship record throw of 21.44 metes was enough to beat her rivals by over two metres.
"I was a bit nervy, but I knew I had a big throw in me," she told BBC Sport.
Butterfield, who was born in Yorkshire but is now based in Scotland, was left paralysed as a result of a tumour on her spinal cord and has been in good form this year with an unofficial world record of 22.19m.
"My first couple of throws out there were a bit dodgy but then I nailed the big one and that made me relax a little bit," she added.
"I have a great team supporting me and I'm now a full-time athlete, which makes a big difference and I can put everything into it.
"I'm improving all the time and I'm excited about what I can achieve."
Meanwhile, David Weir marked his return to the track for GB for the first time since London 2012 with silver in the T54 1500m.
The 36-year-old six-time Paralympic champion opted out of the 2013 Worlds before injury forced him to miss Swansea.
But Weir got boxed in late on and was unable to get past Thailand's Rawat Tana who controlled the race from the start.
"It is amazing to be back on the podium," said Weir. "I have had an up and down season so to pull it out of the bag when it matters, I am happy with silver.
"I executed the race how I wanted. Rawat has been the fastest man all year and I knew he would be on form but I gave it my best shot.
"I'm not far from where I was at 2012 but to get Rio right will be tough so I just have to be injury and illness free and get ready for next year."
Pre-race favourite Marcel Hug, who won five golds in Weir's absence in Lyon two years ago, could only finish fifth.
Northern Ireland pair Jason Smyth and Michael McKillop won Ireland's first golds of the meeting and kept up their long unbeaten records in Paralympic competition.
Visually impaired sprinter Smyth, whose wife Elise is due to give birth to their first child, stormed to victory in the T13 100m, while McKillop triumphed in the T38 800m.
Scottish 15-year-old Maria Lyle had to be content with silver in the battle of the teenagers with Australia's Isis Holt in the T35 200m, after the 14-year-old pulled clear in the final 50m to improve her own world record to 28.57 seconds.
But Lyle also beat her old European record with a new time of 29.32 and is targeting her rival in the 100m which takes place on Thursday.
"It is good to have Isis here because it has made me train even harder and I'm now excited for the 100m," said Lyle.
"Coming around the bend we were both together and I am confident in my 100m so I am looking forward to it."


The government will make a decision on airport expansion by the end of the year, David Cameron has said.

The PM was speaking after the Airports Commission recommended a third runway at Heathrow as its chosen solution.
Several high-profile Conservatives are opposed to Heathrow expansion, including London mayor Boris Johnson, who predicted it "won't happen".
Labour said it favoured a new Heathrow runway and claimed Mr Cameron was being "bullied by Boris".
In its final report, the commission, set up under the previous coalition government, said it would add Â£147bn to the economy and 70,000 jobs by 2050.
During Prime Minister's Questions, Labour's acting leader Harriet Harman said Mr Cameron had been "overruled" by Mr Johnson.
"Will he stand up for Britain's interests or will he just be bullied by Boris", she asked.
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Mr Cameron, who ruled out Heathrow expansion "no ifs, no buts" in 2009, told Ms Harman there were legal reasons why the government could not announce its decision before fully digesting the report.
"If you make some precipitate decision or rule out one particular option you will actually make the decision you would like to make impossible to achieve because of judicial review," he added in a response to Conservative MP and likely 2016 mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith.
Mr Johnson was asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme about his pledge to lie in front of bulldozers if Heathrow expansion was approved.
He replied: "As it happens, I don't think my services as a bulldozer blocker will be required for decades, if ever."
He said a third runway would be a "precursor" for a fourth runway in the future, saying the commission's call for a law to rule a fourth one out was a "fiction".
"This is the sort of thing you could have got away with in China in the 1950s," he said, adding that the impact in terms of the environment and noise would be "so huge" that it was "not deliverable".
Mr Johnson repeated his view that an airport in the Thames estuary was the best solution.
He told BBC News the "discomfort being endured" by Londoners on the hottest day of the year "would be nothing compared to the noise pollution that will be visited on hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of innocent people and the vehicular pollution as a result of a catastrophic decision to increase runway capacity in the west of the city. That will not happen."
International Development Secretary Justine Greening said her Putney constituents would be "extremely disappointed" by the commission's recommendation of an expanded Heathrow.
On her website, she raised concerns about noise pollution, traffic, cost and the opposition from "millions of residents under the flight path".
Mr Goldsmith, the MP for Richmond Park, said he stood by his pledge to resign and trigger a by-election if Heathrow expansion was backed by the Conservative Party, but said he did not think this would happen.
"A decision in favour of Heathrow expansion is really just a decision in favour of delay and fudge," he added.
It's cost millions of pounds and runs to hundreds of pages. But do the maps, graphs and paragraphs in the Airports Commission's final report get us any closer to diggers rolling up somewhere in the south east of England, with a few lorries full of tarmac trundling along behind?
The honest answer is a bit closer, but not much. Because whilst the commission offers weighty analysis, it's a knotty political decision in the end. And whilst the commission says Heathrow, the prime minister's "no ifs, not buts" promise not to sanction expansion there would take one heck of a lot of wriggling out of.
Just think Nick Clegg and tuition fees and what broken promises can do to you.
But here's another thought: David Cameron won't be prime minister forever. He'll be gone in less than five years. And it takes longer than that to build a runway.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin told MPs the government would look at the best way to achieve planning permission "quickly and fairly" if expansion is to go ahead.
He added that ministers would report back to Parliament in the autumn "to provide a clear direction on the government's plans".
In 2009, Mr Cameron said the Conservatives' pledge on Heathrow was made with "no ifs, no buts".
But John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow's chief executive, said the latest proposals were "an entirely different plan to the one the prime minister rejected".
"We have changed" he said, adding: "We have u-turned so that the prime minister does not need to."
BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said Conservative MPs who favoured Heathrow had demanded cabinet ministers opposed to a third runway for constituency reasons be barred from any say in the final decision.
There are about five cabinet ministers who would be affected by a third runway, including Ms Greening, Home Secretary Theresa May, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers.
Conservative MPs who live close to Gatwick have written to the cabinet secretary urging him to rule those cabinet ministers with a constituency interest should not be allowed a vote on the third runway.
Labour London mayoral hopeful David Lammy said the backing for Heathrow was "good news for our city", adding: "We urgently need new runway capacity."
But his rival Sadiq Khan used a New Statesman article to say expanding Heathrow would be "the wrong decision for London and for Britain", saying he would do everything in his power to prevent it if he became mayor.
But Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said his party was "vehemently opposed to any expansion at Heathrow, as well as at Stansted or Gatwick".
Labour MP Louise Ellman, who chairs the Commons Transport Select Committee - which has also backed Heathrow expansion - welcomed the report and said the government should not "seek excuses for further delay".
Sir Howard Davies's report said that the new runway should come with severe restrictions to reduce the environmental and noise effects.
Night flights should be banned and the government should make a Parliamentary pledge not to build a fourth runway.
"Heathrow offers the kind of long-haul connectivity - flights to emerging markets which are very important to the future of the British economy - and expanding it would allow Heathrow to offer more of those flights," Sir Howard told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
But Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said the airport was "still very much in the race".
"The commission's report makes clear that expansion at Gatwick is deliverable," he added.
A third option for extending the present runways at Heathrow was rejected.
The government has said that it will give its official response to the Commission in the autumn and it is estimated that, if given the go-ahead, any new runway would take more than a decade to build.


Nigeria's army has sacked at least 200 soldiers for cowardice and failure to fight against Boko Haram militants, several soldiers have told the BBC.

Up to 4,500 other rank and file soldiers could be dismissed, they say.
A Nigerian military source confirmed the dismissals to the BBC, but would not give an exact figure.
The army was widely criticised when the Islamist group Boko Haram captured vast areas in the country's north-east last year, despite a military emergency.
The Nigerian army, with military backing from Chad, Cameroon and Niger, has now recaptured most of the area in the north-east which the group had seized, but sporadic attacks and violence have continued.
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Many of the dismissals are thought to be connected to the fall of Mubi, the second largest town in Adamawa state, one of three states under the state of emergency.
Boko Haram insurgents captured the town in October after clashes with government forces.
One of the soldiers who has been dismissed, and was present at the fall of Mubi, told the BBC Hausa service that soldiers were simply following orders from their commanders, who had told them to retreat from the town because they lacked adequate weapons to take on the militants.
"We weren't given an opportunity to defend ourselves. I've spent 20 years in the service of the Nigerian army, I've never been accused of any offence," said the soldier, who did not want to be named.
It is expected that the soldiers who have been dismissed will not receive any extra payment or pensions because of their low rank and are not entitled to defend themselves in a military court, the BBC Hausa's Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi reports from the capital, Abuja.
A military official, who did not want to be named, told the BBC that video footage taken during the fall of Mubi showed soldiers fleeing Boko Haram, providing proof of their cowardice.
Nigeria's incoming President Muhammadu Buhari may review the death sentences of 66 soldiers separately convicted for refusing to fight Boko Haram, according to their lawyer.
About 1.5 million people have been displaced and hundreds more abducted since the group launched their violent uprising in 2009. More than 15,500 people have been killed in the fighting.
The group is still holding many women, girls and children captives including 219 schools girls it kidnapped from a school in Chibok in April last year.


Clyde have appointed Annan Athletic boss Jim Chapman manager on a two-year deal.

Peter MacDonald and JP McGovern had been in interim charge at Broadwood since March, following the resignation of Barry Ferguson.
The pair kept the struggling Bully Wee in Scottish League Two.
But while both applied to manage Clyde on a permanent basis, ex-Albion Rovers striker Chapman, 51, was chosen to lead the club forward.
The new boss won numerous domestic honours with Kilmarnock Ladies in his first managerial role, and later guided Dumbarton to the League Two title.
Chapman leaves fellow League Two side Annan after a third-placed finish this season, and a play-off semi-final defeat by Forfar Athletic.
He also led the club to a famous Scottish Cup victory over Premiership side Hamilton Academical in January 2016.
"The board has just completed a rigorous appointment process and Jim was one of a most impressive list of candidates interested in the post," Clyde chairman Norrie Innes said in a statement.
"Over the years, Jim has contributed a lot to the game and sport in general and this has largely been within the environment of the very demanding lower leagues. He now has the appetite for a fresh challenge.
"Jim has left Annan Athletic - and the many good people at a fine club - to help Clyde progress to a higher level. He demonstrated a very strong desire to join Clyde and this was very important to us.
"I would also like to thank all those who applied for the position, especially Peter MacDonald and Jon Paul McGovern who both have very real qualities that will serve them well in the future."


Hundreds of people will lose their jobs if insurance company Legal and General goes ahead with plans to close its Surrey office, a union claims.

The company has said the Kingswood campus, which employs 1,700 people, could close in 2017 - years before the lease runs out in 2025.
It said the "vast majority" of the jobs will be transferred to its Hove and Cardiff offices.
But the Unite union said it would not be possible for members to relocate.
"There will be a minimum of 250 job losses, but we think it will be much higher than that," said regional officer Ian Methven.
"Their partners will have jobs and their children will be going to local schools so the idea that these people can just relocate to other parts of the country is a bit ridiculous.
"There is not enough space at the Hove site to transfer hundreds of jobs and it is highly unlikely that several hundred people are going to uproot and go to Cardiff."
The Kingswood campus is set in 50 acres of countryside and has a sports hall, staff gym, swimming pool and tennis courts.
Mr Methven said it was unclear which jobs would go first, but some staff would be affected within six months.
"A lot of these people are highly skilled," he said.
"They are key people within the pensions industry and those skills are going to be lost.
"This could have a knock-on effect on the ability of L&G to provide services for their customers."
The company said it had started consultations with Unite.
"The Kingswood office lease is up for renewal, and therefore it is sensible to see if the work cannot be done in our other offices, in a way that could benefit our customers," it said in a statement.


More women are needed in science jobs as a "critical shortage" is hampering Wales' future economic growth, a report has said.

The report for the Welsh government is seeking ways to get more women into Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) roles.
Research found a shortfall of 600 Stem academic roles could be filled by having more women in relevant careers.
Across the UK, extra female scientists could be worth Â£2bn to the economy.
The report has been released on International Women's Day.
Entitled Talented Women for a Successful Wales, it identified the need to change attitudes across society to create the workforce necessary for future economic growth.
Relatively few girls were found to study Stem subjects at post-16 level and the report suggested recruiting more women into the workforce as graduates, through apprenticeships and other routes.
It also found women with a Stem degree were less likely to pursue a career in their area of expertise than men.
Recommendations included:
Prof Julie Williams, chief scientific advisor to the Welsh government, said: "The lack of women in Stem professions matters for their individual life chances as they are missing out on many well-paid and rewarding jobs.
"More broadly, however, it limits the talent available to our science base and businesses and is therefore a constraint on Wales' future economic prosperity."
She said she would review the report and work with the government on a formal response over the summer.
Report co-author Prof Karen Holford, pro-vice chancellor of Cardiff University, added: "Women are outperforming men in education overall yet, still, more of them work in jobs requiring skills below their educational level.
"They are significantly under-represented in the Stem workforce; this is a waste of knowledge and talent."
Lorraine McIlree assumed she would follow family members into accounting owing to her love of maths and chose the subject as well as chemistry and physics to study at A-level.
But a visit by members of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers to her college made her reconsider which course she would pursue at university.
"They said if I was thinking of maths, why not engineering? If I studied engineering I would have all the same options as if I studied maths, but it would keep my options open," she said.
Ms McIlree duly took a degree in mechanical engineering at Bristol University, and on graduating applied for jobs in that field as well as in finance.
"I choose the engineering route, and I haven't looked back," she said.
She started working on actuators [motors] for military aircraft before moving to Airbus in 2001, where over the years she has worked on landing gear systems, airworthiness and now is part of the chief engineer's team, working on the A380 aircraft, whose wings are made at Broughton in Flintshire.
International Women's Day has been held on 8 March every year since 1913, and has been recognised by the United Nations since 1975.
The UN says it's a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.
The theme of this year's day is "Planet 50-50 by 2030" - aiming to achieve global equality in areas such as education and end all forms of discrimination.
Five images that reveal how women are treated
BBC Trending: Are Saudi women really that oppressed?
In pictures: Women making technology work for them
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The UK will "probably" begin formal negotiations to leave the European Union early in 2017, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has told the BBC.

The foreign secretary said it was still "subject for discussion" but the "Article 50 letter" would be produced "probably in the early part" of 2017.
But Number 10 said the government's position had not changed and Article 50 would not be triggered in 2016.
PM Theresa May has not yet given a clear statement on when it will begin.
Asked about Mr Johnson's comments, a spokeswoman for the prime minister said the government position on when it would trigger Article 50 was "not before the end of this year".
"The decision is hers [Mrs May's] and she will do that at a time which is most likely to get the best deal for Britain," the spokeswoman added.
Speaking in New York to the BBC and Sky News on Thursday, Mr Johnson appeared to go further when he suggested the Article 50 process could begin early in 2017.
Sir Alan Duncan: Johnson didn't want Brexit win
He told the BBC: "The government is working towards an Article 50 letter which as you know will be produced, probably, in the early part of next year.
"That's still subject for discussion but what is clear I think to our friends and partners in the EU is two broad principles: we are not leaving Europe;
"Although we are leaving the EU treaties, we do want to have the closest possible trading relationship and it's very much in their interests to achieve that... it's very much in their interests to do a great free trade deal with us, and I think that will happen."
He also told Sky:  "We are talking to our European friends and partners in the expectation that by the early part of next year you will see an Article 50 letter. We will invoke that.
"In that letter I am sure we will be setting out some parameters for how we propose to take this forward. I don't think we will actually necessarily need to spend a full two years but let's see how we go."
Formal negotiations over the UK's withdrawal from the European Union cannot begin until the UK triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
Mrs May earlier welcomed European Parliament President Martin Schulz to Downing Street, on a two-day visit to Britain.
In a statement ahead of the visit, Mr Schulz said: "The future deal between the EU and the UK must be good for all sides and must be one which allows the UK and the EU to keep working closely together on various aspects."
He added: "In London I will also stress why the European Parliament favours the earliest possible triggering of Article 50, which is a pre-condition to opening negotiations."
On arrival at Downing Street, Mr Schulz admitted the European Parliament was "not the easiest" partner to work with - with 750 members from 28 countries representing 300 parties - but said he was in Britain "to listen and to learn".
Mrs May said she was looking forward to working with the European Parliament and acknowledged the "understanding" shown by European partners that the Article 50 process would not be triggered before the end of 2016.
"I think this period of preparation is valuable for all concerned and while we are going to leave the European Union, we are not leaving Europe," she said.
Mr Schulz, a member of Germany's centre-left Social Democrats, will also meet Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on his visit.


UK house price growth eased in the year to April, partly due to a slowdown in London, official figures have shown.

Prices rose by 5.5% - compared with a 9.6% rise in the year to March - the slowest annual price growth since December 2013, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
"The pace of annual house price growth fell across the majority of the UK in April 2015," the ONS said.
Prices in London rose 4.3%, the lowest growth rate in two-and-a-half years.
"If, as this report suggests, the extent of the drop-off in annual prices between March and April is due to the price slowdown in London, this underlines quite powerfully the extent to which the capital can skew the UK average," said Jonathan Samuels, chief executive of Dragonfly Property Finance.
"But while annual London prices fell below the UK average for the first time in nine years in April, I wouldn't expect them to stay there for long."
Last week, a survey published by property services group LSL suggested that house prices in the smartest parts of London have fallen by up to 22% since last autumn.
In the year to April, Northern Ireland saw house prices increase at the fastest pace in the UK, rising 8.8%. Prices in England were up 5.8%, in Scotland 2.2% and in Wales 1.3%.
On a monthly basis, UK prices fell by 1.3% from March, with the average house price standing at Â£271,000.


Few finals in the Challenge Cup's 116-year history have been as dramatic, sensational and unexpected as Sheffield Eagles' victory against Wigan in 1998.

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It was a classic 'David and Goliath' tale; Wigan the dominant force of the late 80s and early 90s against an Eagles side in only their third season in the top flight.
Yet John Kear's group brought glory to South Yorkshire on a sunny May afternoon at Wembley, toppling the eventual Super League champions 17-8 to lift the trophy for the first time.
One of the key figures that afternoon was Lance Todd Trophy winner Mark Aston, who is now charged with repeating that success as Eagles head coach.
"We had a lot of preparation, visualisation, psychology, even when we got to Wembley the day before, we walked up the steps and pretended to pick up the cup," Mark Aston said.
"We had Barry Johnson down, who was one of the Castleford players the last time they won, and he talked to us about coming out of the changing rooms, lining up in the tunnel, keep focused, crossing onto the grass and everything that is going on around us.
"The fireworks, balloons, party atmosphere - you've got two choices, you either get involved or stay focused.
"If you get involved you'll go on and lose the game, if you stay focused and concentrate on what you want to do instead of looking for friends or family, just stay focused, and we did.
"People say to me 'what was the music that was blurting out?' and I've got no idea, I was so focused on the job in hand."
"It's was a massive achievement that still fetches a smile to my face, you get a glint in your eye knowing we achieved something against massive odds," Aston told BBC Sport.
"It's something nobody can ever take away from us, you have dreams of playing professional rugby league, playing for your country and you want to play at Wembley, and that group of 1998 certainly did that."
The road to Wembley saw Sheffield overcome Leigh, Egremont, Castleford and Salford, fuelled by Kear's optimism at the start of the campaign.
Not even a Wigan side containing Andy Farrell, Henry Paul and Jason Robinson among its star-studded line-up held any fear.
"No-one ever gave us a chance, we thought John was mad when he came into our first pre-season training camp and said 'we're going to Wembley and we'll win it'," Aston added.
"No-one was going to beat us on that day without a fight. We were outstanding. I remember standing in the tunnel with Johnny Lawless, the hooker from Siddal, in the background shouting '1998, the year of the Eagles' and you looked at the Wigan players glancing at us thinking 'are they kidding themselves?'.
"That was the journey we had, John planted the seed and said we can achieve it, let's just believe it and we then did. The rounds went by, but I remember the semi-final vividly as we were 18-0 down [against Salford] after 20 minutes, and we thought 'this wasn't in the script', but we never stopped believing.
"Dale Laughton scored the try to win the game 22-18, it showed we would do whatever we needed to do to win, be it the final, the semi-final or the rounds before.
"People would have needed to shoot us down dead to beat us that day, and Wigan threw everything at us, but we were just resilient, we had the desire and the commitment, togetherness to make sure we did whatever it would take.
"And that was something of a bond that players, the group and the coaching staff all bought into in the early days leading up to the final. It was a mental strength that we had built over that period."
Aston received the Lance Todd Trophy for his performance at scrum-half in 1998, but admitted it took time for the award to feel like a special achievement.
"It does now, only certain amount of people win it and it's the man of the match of the Challenge Cup and my name will be etched on it forever.
"I didn't even hear them announce it, but it could have been any one of the 17 on the day, it's special because it keeps my name and Sheffield Eagles in the history of the Challenge Cup."
Aston's hopes of replicating his success as a player with the current incarnation of the Eagles rest on Friday's fifth round tie against Halifax.
His opposite number Karl Harrison has a similar emotional attachment to his club, having spent nine years at the old Thrum Hall ground before returning to coach Fax in 2012.
Coincidentally the former Great Britain prop was there to witness his former international team-mate Aston's finest hour under the twin towers.
"I was there in 1998, we had a big overseas contingent at Halifax and we all went down on the train to watch the game," Harrison told BBC Radio Leeds.
"We went to see people like Michael Jackson who had just left Halifax to join the Eagles and what a good day out it was.
"It was a red hot day and what a great achievement that is for the Sheffield club and put them on the map."
While Harrison set foot on the Wembley turf as an international, and at Old Trafford in the Premiership final, the Challenge Cup has always proved elusive.
"I've never ever been past the quarter-finals, as a player or a coach," he added.
"To get there would be a great achievement, I've played in good teams and coached good teams.
"When I was at Halifax, we lost 19-18 to Wigan at Thrum Hall with a 75-yard drop goal into the snow in a blizzard and Joe Lydon was the only one who was going to do that.
"We were the best team that day, and we were one of the only teams that could have stopped Wigan's consecutive runs when they had a great team."
With the carrot of a place in the last eight at stake, Friday's tie promises to be a showcase for the Championship division.
"We're a couple of the best teams in the Championship and two of the most successful - they won the Northern Rail Cup and  Aston continued.
"It's one of those games that people will want to watch I would imagine, the Championship competition is of a high standard, and we're all striving and challenging ourselves to be the best.
"One day ultimately one of these two teams will be putting their hands up and hopefully being in Super League. It's a mouth-watering tie, a tough tie and one we're really looking forward to."
Karl Harrison was speaking to BBC Radio Leeds's James Deighton.


German police are taking legal action against theatre staff in Mainz for disrupting an anti-migrant rally by singing Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

About 300 people gathered over the weekend near the theatre in the south-western city to protest against the government's "chaotic" asylum policy.
But speakers were interrupted by the theatre staff singing "All people will be brothers" from the symphony.
Police say the right to free assembly is guaranteed by the constitution.
They argue that it is therefore a criminal offence to disrupt such events.
Saturday's rally was organised by the country's right-wing Alternative for Germany party.
A counter-demonstration was also staged in the city.
The number of people seeking asylum in Germany this year may be as high as 1.5 million, German media have reported.
The government in Berlin has not confirmed such estimates.
Many of those arriving are refugees fleeing the wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, but there are also many economic migrants from the Balkans, Asia and Africa.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.


Two Northern Ireland construction firms have announced expansion plans that could create almost 100 jobs.

Dowds group which specialises in mechanical and electrical services is creating 46 jobs.
The Ballymoney-based firm is being assisted with a Â£192,000 grant from Invest NI.
Thornton Roofing, a Toome-based firm, plans to add 50 jobs as part of an Â£8m expansion.
As part of the growth programme, Thorntons plans to expand its facilities at Toomebridge with the addition of a new 1,000 sq m building.
Both firm are targeting growth in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
Dowds managing director James Dowds, said: "In addition to Invest NI's contribution, we have committed around Â£1m to expand our presence in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.
"We have secured contracts which will see our turnover increase by 35% for 2016 and we will continue our investment in new talent to build a stronger company and further develop our customer base."
Thornton managing director Stephen Thornton said his company was benefitting from the recovery of the UK's construction sector.
"Whilst we do work in the Republic of Ireland and Britain, from time to time, our core business over the last five decades has been drawn from Northern Ireland latterly in the form of projects like the Waterfront Hall.
"A key element in our growth programme, however, will be securing contracts in England and Scotland."
Official figures suggest the Northern Ireland construction sector finally began to recover in 2015 after a long depression.
Most firms which are growing have done so by winning contracts in England and Scotland.


A festival celebrating older people's crafts has taken place in Cardiff in a bid to ensure the skills are not lost.

GrandFest at St Fagans National Museum of History included workshops on quilting, embroidery, bread making and international dance.
It was hosted by "grandmakers", all aged over 70, and aimed to inspire younger people to discover and learn new skills.
The event was organised by the Royal Voluntary Service.
John Gates, 76, from Maesteg, shared his knowledge of embroidery.
He said: "Growing up in Maesteg all the women in our street were skilled needlewomen; everyone knew how to mend and make-do and I remember being fascinated watching at my mother's knee.
"In the 1970s as a collier my interest was renewed when I needed something to fill my time. Fifty years later I have researched and learnt different needlework techniques from around the world."
Dian Carol Smith, 70, a master quilter from Morriston, Swansea, said: "Quilting is very useful and once you understand the techniques, you can create beautiful gifts for anyone."
David McCullough, chief executive of Royal Voluntary Service, said its volunteers and the older people it supports "have a wealth of experiences and skills worth sharing which is why GrandFest was conceived".


French President Emmanuel Macron will break with tradition and not give a news conference on Bastille Day because his "complex thoughts" may prove too much for journalists, reports say.

A presidential source said Mr Macron's thinking did not "lend itself" to a question and answer session.
The comments, quoted by Le Monde, are likely to be seized on by Mr Macron's critics who portray him as arrogant.
Mr Macron had never stood for election before the presidential race.
The former investment banker has enjoyed a meteoric political rise and his new party, La RÃ©publique en Marche (Republic on the Move), is set to dominate parliament.
Bastille Day, on 14 July, marks the date in 1789 when a mob stormed a prison in Paris, helping to start the French Revolution.
It is a long-standing tradition that the president will be interviewed by the press during the day, but it seems Mr Macron has other ideas.
Le Monde quotes the source as saying that the president did not "baulk" at speaking to the media.
However, "his 'complex thought process' lends itself badly to the game of question-and-answer with journalists", the paper notes.
It is not clear exactly on which subjects Mr Macron felt his thoughts might bamboozle journalists.
Needless to say, the reported remarks brought a strong response on social media.
"Not-making-this-up dept: Macron doesn't do Q&A w/ journalists because his thoughts are much 'too complex'," tweeted Politico writer Pierre BrianÃ§on.
"Infatuation with Macron is showing cracks," tweeted Paris-based writer Matthew Fraser.
This year's Bastille Day has already attracted international attention after US President Donald Trump accepted an invitation to attend.
Mr Macron has sharply criticised his US counterpart over his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord.
Their first meeting on 25 May in Brussels was notable for a handshake which saw them grip each other's hand so firmly that their knuckles turned white.
Mr Macron later said the handshake was "not innocent".


It's the ambitious aim of a small women's theatre group from Newcastle which works with women on the margins of society.
Its play Key Change was hatched behind prison walls in 2013 and has reached the heights of Broadway. Now it could even influence government policy.
"It was a very small project but it has turned into an epic story," said Catrina McHugh, the co-founder and playwright of Open Clasp.
Originally a small commission from Dilly Arts in 2014 with modest ambitions, the brief was to work with women in Durham's Low Newton Prison, to write and produce a play, perform that play to male prisoners, and do one public show.
But the tiny production soon grew wings, took flight and soared high above the razor wire.
This week it starts a national tour of 16 venues, and even includes a special performance for MPs and policymakers at the Houses of Parliament.
But it started with a single character, Lucy, dreamed up by women taking part in a prison workshop.
"We asked the women what they wanted to say to a captive audience of men," explained McHugh.
"We started to explore who Lucy was, and the women pulled on their own experiences to make that character, like getting kicked out of home at 16, getting pregnant, losing children, having post-natal depression, experiencing domestic violence, and somewhere in that was childhood sexual abuse.
"But then there came a point in the workshops where that character wasn't holding all of the women, it didn't represent the women who'd had a heroin addiction prior to coming to prison, so a new character was created, Angie."
McHugh is originally from Liverpool but "fell in love with a Geordie" and moved to north-east England where she set up Open Clasp in 1998. As well as prisoners, the company has previously worked with the homeless, the elderly, and those affected by sexual violence.
In Key Change, Angie and Lucy share a stage with Kelly and the older Kim. Alternating between past and present, the audiences learn about their lives before prison and behind bars. They tackle several roles, playing abusive parents and partners and terrified children, among others.
"As a playwright it was my job was to listen to everything that had been said, the characters they had created, and then create a script which held that story," McHugh explained.
After developing the play at Low Newton, the all-female cast and crew took it for a week-long tour in male prisons, It was, McHugh said, "like Alcatraz", all cloying life sentences and concrete walls.
"It is something I'll never forget," she said.
"We look at hard things, but Key Change is beautiful, and it's funny. And you have a captive audience of 100 men thinking 'I don't know why I am sitting here', then they see this piece of theatre and it moves them."
Actress Jessica Johnson, who plays the drug-addicted serial offender Angie, said she had found taking the women's stories of domestic abuse and post-natal depression inside the men's prison walls to be a "very moving" experience.
"In one of the prisons, one of the men - and there is a scene featuring domestic violence - said afterwards 'I see myself… I see myself there, that's what I do.'  It's that power of theatre where you are one removed, and you can look in on a situation and it changes your perception of things. "
McHugh added: "We shared with the women how the men had responded and they knew then they were part of something that absolutely was going to change things, but none of us knew how far that reach was going to go.
"We had no idea that we had a hit on our hands, that we had this gem, until we went to Live Theatre and had a sell-out performance. They came in the doors and said: 'Oh my God, this is amazing!'
"We knew then it needed need to go further afield, which is why we ended up in Edinburgh.
"And It just snowballed from there. We had an audience of 40, then 50, 60, then by the end of it we were sold out. Then we got the phone call from America saying we had been shortlisted for an award and if we won it we would be going to Broadway for three weeks."
The accolade was the prestigious Carol Tambor Award, which is given annually at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to a play which receives a four- or five-star review in The Scotsman newspaper. Open Clasp won, and Key Change enjoyed rave reviews during their New York run earlier this year.
Johnson said the theatre group was "gobsmacked" to win.
"We went to the awards ceremony in costume, and we had to jump straight in a taxi to the theatre and we were on stage straightaway. That was a really energised show! What we've always kept in mind is that Key Change is about the women's voices, and it was the excitement of carrying those voices all the way to New York."
But the bright lights of Broadway did not dazzle. Just as they had in Scotland, the women took their show into a local women's prison, this time York Correctional Institute in Connecticut.
"The story is international, whether it is women in prison in New York, or in prison here," explained Johnson. "The same issues exist, The response in York prison was amazing. We had women shouting 'Amen!' and 'Respect!' and we got a standing ovation."
McHugh said the prison performance was an important part of the process while they were in the US.
"It grounded us and connected us back to the women at Low Newton. And being inside that prison, knowing that this was connecting all of those women and feeling their voices are being heard across the world, was empowering."
Open Clasp will perform at the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday in front of more than 50 MPs and key policymakers, before continuing its national tour.
It is part of a campaign for alternative sentences for women who commit non-violent crimes backed by the Prison Reform Trust, rehabilitation charity Clinks and the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance.
The play, McHugh explained, "showcases" the arguments for non-custodial punishments in a unique and effective way.
"Key Change tells you this is what life is like before prison and this is why we need to consider alternatives for women," she said. "This is why we need to make sure we fund women's services. Support with housing, domestic violence, and having their aspirations supported.
"What the theatre can do is create empathy. It enables the audience to step into the shoes of the women they have seen on stage and walk in them, and see it from their point of view, and feel, and think, and consider, rather than them have a stereotype in their head. You think: 'OK, this is why we need to think differently.'
"We've always felt our job is to make change happen personally, politically, and socially, but to be sitting there in the House of Parliament and be contributing at that level to alternatives for women to prison is hard to put into words.
"We really are changing the world one play at a time because look, here we are, right at the top."
•24-26 October: Battersea Arts Centre
•28 October: Gala Theatre, Durham
•31 October: The Bay Theatre, Weymouth
•3 November: The Quarry Theatre, Bedford
•9 November: Mumford Theatre, Cambridge
•10 November: Theatre Royal, Margate
•15 November: Canterbury Gulbenkian
•16 November: Norden Farm, Maidenhead
•17 November: Farnham Maltings
•18 November: Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead
•19 November: ArtsDepot, London
•22-24 November: Contact Theatre, Manchester
•26 November: Arts Centre, Washington
•8-10 December: Live Theatre, Newcastle


A group of Tesla shareholders has questioned the independence of the electric carmaker's board, warning it is too close to boss and co-founder Elon Musk.

In a letter, they said the board was "largely unchanged" since the firm went public and at risk of "groupthink".
They urged it to re-elect members annually and to add two new independent directors to the board.
In a tweet Mr Musk said the investors "should buy Ford stock" instead.
The shareholders include the California State Teachers Retirement System, Hermes Equity Ownership Services and CtW Investment Group, among others, and collectively manage assets worth $721bn (Â£547.5bn).
In a letter to Tesla lead independent director Antonio Gracias, they called for action before the firm launched its Model 3 sedan later this year - its first vehicle aimed at the mass market.
"While meeting the technical definition of independence, five of the six current non-executive directors have professional or personal ties to Mr Musk that could put at risk their ability to exercise independent judgment," the letter said.
"A thoroughly independent board would provide a critical check on possible dysfunctional group dynamics, such as groupthink."
With an almost Trumpian flair, Elon Musk has regularly used Twitter to sound off about his frustrations with Tesla's investors.
With stock surging, he gloated that there was "stormy weather in ShortsVille" - a dig at those who shorted - sold - their Tesla stock believing its value was about to fall.
On Wednesday, Mr Musk tweeted that the investment group should buy into Ford if they wanted a different corporate culture, a comment that has more weight now that Tesla is, according to market cap, worth more money.
I don't see this demand gaining much traction. The concerned group thinks there are too many personal ties between board members at Tesla, potentially clouding judgement. But there are other investors who support Tesla precisely for that reason: it's Mr Musk's team, vision and ambition. And so far he's doing very well.
Tesla board members include Mr Gracias, a shareholder and board member of SpaceX, another company controlled by Elon Musk; as well as Brad Buss, a former chief financial officer at solar power business SolarCity, which was founded by Mr Musk and later bought by Tesla.
The $2bn deal was widely criticised on Wall Street and led to a 13% fall in Tesla's share price when it was announced last June.
A Tesla spokesman said it regularly engaged with shareholders and valued their feedback.
"We are actively engaged in a search process for independent board members, which is something we committed to do several months ago, and expect to announce new additions fairly soon."
However, Mr Musk tweeted: "This investor group should buy Ford stock. Their governance is amazing..."
This month Tesla became most valuable US car company, beating General Motors for the top spot.
Last year it sold 76,230 vehicles, missing its target of at least 80,000 cars sold. In comparison, GM sold 10 million cars and Ford sold 6.7 million.


A robber who threatened a post office worker during a raid in North Ayrshire made off with at least £10,000 in cash.

Police said a man entered the Glasgow Street post office in Ardrossan at about 19:00 on Saturday.
He threatened a 44-year-old female member of staff and demanded money.
The woman was slightly injured but did not require hospital treatment. Police Scotland is appealing for anyone with  information to get in touch.
The man is described as around 5ft 8in tall, and wearing a black jacket with the hood up and black workman style boots. He was also carrying a black holdall.
Det Sgt John Deans from Saltcoats CID said: "This was a terrifying experience for the woman working in the post office and enquiries are ongoing to trace the person responsible.
"Glasgow Street would have been busy around the time of the incident and I would like to speak to anyone who saw a man matching the above description or anything else suspicious."


A man walking his dog has discovered a royal python on the banks of a canal in Doncaster.

The RSPCA said the three-feet-long (1m) female snake was probably abandoned by its owner.
Kim Greaves, who is a reptile expert for the animal welfare charity, said the snake would not be able to survive in the wild.
She said the RSPCA would prosecute the person who dumped the snake if they were found.
Ms Greaves said the problem of abandoned animals in the area was "getting absolutely out of hand."
"This is a happy ending for this particular snake," she said.
"But more and more of my colleagues are faced with abandoned animals, not just snakes and reptiles, but rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets and cats and dogs.
"It is a sign of the times, I'm afraid,"
The non-venomous royal python is found in Africa and survives on a diet of rodents.


New England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves says he did not mislead Kevin Pietersen over a potential recall to the England side.

Graves suggested in March that the batsman, sacked by England in 2014, could return with good county form.
But new ECB director of cricket Andrew Strauss said he would not be selected over "trust" issues, with Pietersen describing the decision as "deceitful".
Graves insists he "did not make any promises" to the 34-year-old.
He added in a statement: "Kevin was told on Monday and I completely support the decision that was taken. He may not have liked what he heard but it allowed him to look at his opportunities.
"Despite everything, he can work with us to rebuild the relationship and make a further contribution to English cricket. It was important he knew where he stood."
In the statement, Graves also said:
Strauss offered Pietersen a role as an advisor on a board to improve the one-day side, which was turned down.
Pietersen's omission has divided opinion, particularly after he scored an unbeaten 355 for Surrey against Leicestershire earlier this week.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Pietersen said he had been "misled" by the ECB.
"I just find it incredibly deceitful what has happened to me," he said. "I am angry and hurt but right now there is nothing I can do about it."
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek programme in early March, Graves refused to rule out a recall for Pietersen but said selectors and coaches would make any final decision.
Graves later told the Telegraph that the selectors "can't ignore" Pietersen if he "scores a lot of runs" for a county side.
"Forget personalities," he added. "Selectors pick the best players in form, taking wickets and scoring runs. That is their job."
Meanwhile, Angus Porter, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, said he has had no recent contact with Pietersen or his advisors.
He hopes England's players will be allowed to ignore the saga and focus on the upcoming series against New Zealand and Australia.
"The policy on Pietersen is a matter for the ECB board," Porter told BBC Sport. "The current England players are getting put in a really difficult position every time they are asked for their views.
"It is nothing to do with the players. Managers manage and the players play. You just hope that the team will be given every support during what will be a very challenging summer ahead."


Rail passengers face significant disruption during the Christmas break as 200 sets of Network Rail engineering works are planned.

Some rail works begin on Christmas Eve, which falls on a Saturday, and are set to continue for four days.
London, Manchester and Cardiff are among the cities hit and the Heathrow Express will be suspended for six days.
Rail bosses recommend people plan their journeys using the National Rail Enquiries website.
It said major works take place during official holidays as up to 50% fewer passengers travel then.
More than 95% of the network would open as usual, National Rail's England and Wales managing director Phil Hufton said.
"There's never a good time to impact on journeys and I'd like to thank passengers in advance for their patience, " he said.
Among the works:


Derek McInnes has admitted defeat in his attempt to sign former Scotland attacker Shaun Maloney, who is set to retire following persistent injuries.

Maloney had been on the verge of signing a two-year-deal last month but his hernia trouble put that on hold.
Now the former Celtic player is ready to concentrate on coaching the Hoops' under-20 side.
"Shaun has indicated he may look at other options, and that will probably mean not playing again," McInnes said.
"I'm reluctant to speak too much about it, but we have had indications based on what Shaun feels his physical situation is at the minute that he would probably retire.
"We were well aware of that and it's not a huge surprise to us.
"We've got good attacking options and whether we add before the window closes will be determined on performance, results and availability of certain players.
"I would not rule out bringing in another player but that's not to say we definitely will either."
McInnes may well add to his squad if they overcome Apollon Limassol to progress to the Europa League play-off round.
They take a 2-1 lead into the second leg in the AEK Arena and will have over 700 travelling supporters in the 7,400 sell-out crowd.
McInnes is determined to make it fourth time lucky by progressing beyond the third qualifying round for the first time after some narrow misses in the past.
"I don't want us to be an unlucky story," McInnes said. "We missed a penalty early in the first half in Maribor which was the defining moment last season.
"Then we got Jayden Stockley sent off, which for me was very harsh.
"Our performances were very good, but it counts for nothing in domestic cups or European football if you are knocked out.
"We just want to find a way to stay in the tournament and hopefully we can do that in what will be a tough match against a good team.
"That's something we have to deal with but we will be confident that we can qualify by showing that we are better.
"We view this like a semi-final and we want to get to the final to give ourselves a chance of taking part in the play-off round."
Leading scorer Adam Rooney was left behind in Scotland to continue his rehabilitation from a thigh injury and faces a race to be fit for the Premiership and League Cup double header against Hamilton Accies on Sunday and Wednesday.


Oxford United striker Danny Hylton says the club's appearance in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final at Wembley will be "a day to remember".

The U's booked their place in April's final despite losing Tuesday's area final second leg against Millwall.
Oxford beat their League One opponents 2-1 on aggregate to book their third-ever visit to Wembley.
"I've never played at Wembley before and I'm just over the moon to get the chance," Hylton told BBC Radio Oxford.
Michael Appleton's side lost 1-0 to Millwall at a sold-out Kassam Stadium after Lee Gregory gave the Lions hope of overturning the two-goal deficit from the first leg.
But the visitors had defender Lee Beevers sent off for a second yellow card after he brought down Hylton on the break.
"We're having a season to remember," added Hylton. "We know what we want to do this year and we're not going to get carried away.
"This is a little bonus for us and a distraction from the league."
Oxford, currently third in League Two, will face League One opposition in the final in either Fleetwood or Barnsley on 3 April.
"It's often a competition that clubs don't take seriously in the early stages," said Hylton.
"But we have and it shows the strength of our squad. We've rotated a bit in these games and it shows whoever plays is more than capable."


A cross-party groups of MLAs has warned that leaving the EU would damage the Northern Ireland economy.

Sinn FÃ©in, the SDLP, Ulster Unionists, Alliance and Green Party all spoke at the launch of the local campaign for the UK to remain in the EU.
The Stronger In campaign said Northern Ireland is a net beneficiary of EU funds.
It warned there are no guarantees the UK government would replace that money in the event of a Brexit.
The Leave campaign point out that the UK as a whole is a net contributor and claim that leaving would free up extra resources.
The referendum to decide whether the UK should leave or remain in the European Union  is being held on Thursday, 23 June.


Hull City striker Will Keane has been ruled out for 12 months with knee ligament damage.

Keane, 23, suffered the injury in the win over Southampton on 6 November and has now successfully undergone surgery.
He joined the Tigers from Manchester United on 30 August and has made six appearances for Mike Phelan's side.
"To lose a player of Will's quality and potential for such a long period of time is a big blow," Phelan told the club website.
"I'm sure his determination and mindset will see him through the tough journey ahead."
Keane previously spent a lengthy period on the sidelines in 2012 after suffering the same injury while playing for England Under-19s.
Hull are 18th in the Premier League, one point behind 17th-placed West Ham.


A German train controller has been arrested over the February rail crash that killed 11 people in Bavaria, as prosecutors suspect he was distracted by a computer game at the time.

According to prosecutors he was playing the computer game on his mobile phone and made a signalling error, then dialled the wrong emergency number.
He has admitted that version of events, German media report.
Two commuter trains collided on a single-track stretch near Bad Aibling.
Eighty-five passengers suffered injuries, some of them life-threatening.
The man could be charged with involuntary manslaughter and could face five years in jail.
The trains crashed head-on while both were travelling at about 100km/h (60mph) east of Bad Aibling, a spa town about 60km (37 miles) south-east of Munich.
Investigators quoted by German media said the timings of the computer game and the crash pointed to "the accused having been distracted from his management of rail traffic at the junction".
The stretch of line had an automatic signalling system designed to halt any train that passed a stop signal.
But reports in German media suggested that the system had been switched off to let the eastbound train, which was running late, go past.
The investigation ruled out technical faults with the trains or signalling system as being behind the crash.
All those killed in the crash were men aged between 24 and 59.
Train crash: Evidence of human error
In case signals fail, German railways are fitted with a final safety guard to prevent crashes.
Cab signalling known as PZB (Punktfoermige Zugbeeinflussung - or "intermittent train control") will set off an alarm in the driver's compartment when the train approaches a red light.
If the driver does not respond by pressing a button, the train will brake automatically.


Former captain Ricky Ponting will join Australia as an assistant coach for the Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka.

Ponting will work alongside interim head coach Justin Langer and assistant Jason Gillespie for the three-match series, which begins on 17 February.
The trio will stand in for the usual coaching staff led by Darren Lehmann, as the series clashes with the Australia Test squad's tour of India.
Ponting, 42, said he looked forward to working with some "incredible talent".
"I always said when I retired that I wanted to get back involved and what better way to do it than alongside a couple of my best mates in cricket, Justin Langer and Jason Gillespie," added Ponting.
Australia will face Sri Lanka in Melbourne on 17 February, Geelong on 20 February 20 and Adelaide on 22 February.


A young woman from Glasgow has travelled to Syria and has been promoting terrorism back home via her Twitter account, it is understood.

Aqsa Mahmood, 20, was reported missing by her family in November 2013.
A Twitter account under the name Umm Layth, believed to be Ms Mahmood, said: "Follow the examples of your brothers from Woolwich, Texas and Boston.
"If you cannot make it to the battlefield then bring the battlefield to yourself."
The post was made on the Twitter account in June. The account has now been deactivated.
Ms Mahmood's family have described her as a "studious and ambitious girl" and said they "cannot understand why she has travelled to Syria".
She was a pupil at Craigholme School and Shawlands Academy in Glasgow.
In a statement, issued by Police Scotland, her family said: "We had no knowledge of our daughter's plans to leave Scotland and immediately reported her as a missing person to the police.
"Aqsa is a studious and ambitious girl and we cannot understand why she has travelled to Syria.
"We are struggling to come to terms with the situation and we are working with the police."
A Police Scotland spokesman added: "A (then aged) 19-year-old female from Scotland was reported missing to Police Scotland by her family in November 2013.
"Inquiries are ongoing in relation to her whereabouts and we are supporting her family."


The Dalai Lama's director of information, Thubten Samphel, outlines the Tibetan government-in-exile's stance on the China-Tibet issue.

"It is beyond dispute at various periods of its long history that Tibet came under differing degrees of foreign influence: the Mongols, the Gurkhas of Nepal, the Manchu emperors of China and the British rulers of India all played their parts. At other periods in the plateau's history, it was Tibet which exercised power and influence over its neighbours - including China.
It would be hard to find any state in the world today that has not been subjected to foreign domination or influence at some era in its history. In Tibet's case the degree and duration of foreign influence and interference was relatively limited."
"Traditional Tibetan society - like most of its Asian contemporaries - was backward and badly in need of reforms. However, it is completely wrong to use the word "feudal" from the perspective of medieval Europe to describe traditional Tibetan society. Tibet before the invasion, in fact, was far more egalitarian than most Asian countries of that time. Hugh Richardson, who spent a total of nine years in Tibet as Britain's last and independent India's first representative, wrote: "Even communist writers have had to admit there was no great difference between rich and poor in [pre-1949] Tibet."
"An internal Chinese military document states that from 1952 to 1958, the People's Liberation Army crushed 996 rebellions and killed over 10,000 Tibetans in the north-eastern region of Kanlho. Golog, another Amdo area, saw its population halved from an estimated 140,000 in 1956 to about 70,000 in 1964.
Referring to this area, the late Panchen Lama [the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama] told Beijing's leaders: "If there was a film made on all the atrocities perpetrated in Qinghai Province, it would shock the viewers. In Golog area, many people were killed and their dead bodies rolled down the hill into a big ditch. The soldiers told the family members and relatives of the dead people that they should celebrate since the rebels had been wiped out. They were even forced to dance on the dead bodies."
"The '59 uprising against Chinese rule was a people's movement to resist all the changes the Chinese Communist Party were introducing in Tibet.
In the 17 Point Agreement signed between Tibet and China in 1951, the Chinese Communist Party promised that in return for Tibet coming to the fold of motherland, China would not change Tibet's traditional social system or tamper with the powers of the Dalai Lama. Both these promises were not kept, and the introduction of collectivisation and other aspects of the social system in Tibet forced the Tibetans to rise up."
"In the early 1980s, a liberal policy was introduced in Tibet. This policy dismantled collectivisation and there were plans to withdraw 85% of the Chinese cadres working in the Tibet Autonomous Region. This policy was aimed at letting Tibetans govern themselves.
However, in 1994, all these liberal measures were withdrawn and a new policy called "grasping with both hands" was implemented in Tibet. This policy continued Tibet's economic development while reimposing political repression targeted at undermining Tibetan culture and Tibetan Buddhism. The widespread protests in Tibet are Tibetans' resistance to this hardline policy."


Women who plan home births recover more rapidly from childbirth, but there is a higher risk of their child dying, an international study suggests.

US analysis of more than 500,000 births in North America and Europe found death rates for babies in planned home births were double that of those in planned hospital births.
But the risk was still low, at 0.2%.
UK doctors said the evidence needed to be taken into account, but a midwives' body questioned its relevance.
The research, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, examined studies on the relative safety of planned home and hospital births from around the world.
Researchers looked at data from nearly 350,000 planned home births and more than 200,000 planned hospital deliveries.
Crucially, it looked at where the woman had planned to give birth, rather than the actual birthplace.
The researchers argued that the safety of home births may have previously been overplayed by the fact that when there are complications and a woman is rushed to hospital, any adverse outcome is recorded as a hospital birth.
Rates of home birth vary across the developed world. In the Netherlands a third of women deliver at home, while in the US around one in 200 women do so.
The researchers described their findings of a doubling of the risk of neonatal mortality among those planning home birth as "striking", because it is often those with the lowest risk of complications who do not need to deliver in hospital. When researchers took out babies with congenital abnormalities, the risk was threefold.
When deaths occured among the home birth group, they were overwhelmingly attributed to respiratory problems during birth and failed attempts at rescusitation.
Overall these problems have been decreasing in recent decades, which is thought to be down to greater medical intervention, including more liberal use of ultrasound, electronic fetal heart monitoring, the induction of labour and Caesarean delivery.
But the lack of medical intervention may explain why the mothers who planned a home birth tended to end up with fewer tears or lacerations, fewer cases of postpartum haemorrhage and fewer infections.
But the researchers suggested these benefits did come at a cost.
"Women choosing home birth, particularly low-risk individuals who had given birth previously, are in large part successful in achieving their goal of delivering with less morbidity and medical intervention than experienced during hospital-based childbirth," said lead author Dr Joseph Wax from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Maine Medical Center.
"Of significant concern, these apparent benefits are associated with a doubling of the neonatal mortality rate overall and a near tripling among infants born without congenital defects."
In the UK, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said the fact that planned home births resulted in fewer interventions for the mother was something which specialists were already aware of.
"The finding that the consequences for the baby are more severe needs to be carefully considered by women, policy makers and care providers," said its president, Professor Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran.
"Certainly, the move towards offering women a choice in their place of birth in the UK needs to be weighed against such evidence."
But, he added, with a robust selection system which ensured high-risk pregnancies were excluded from homebirths and by making sure all midwives providing the services had good rescuscitation skills, risks to the baby could be reduced.
"With the above systems in place and provided women receive one-to-one midwifery care, planned home births for low-risk women are a viable option," said Prof Arulkumaran.
"However, birth can be unpredictable and these women should also have quick access to obstetric care if and when an emergency occurs."
Mervi Jokinen of the Royal College of Midwives, said the study was interesing, but questioned the validity of its findings for the UK.
"Comparison of the results is difficult because the study's authors are working with data collected differently in many countries.
"Here we have services delivered by midwives who are skilled and experienced at home births and resuscitating newborns.
"This is perhaps in contrast to many of the other countries this research covers."
A study is currently being carried out to establish the relative risks of home and hospital births in the UK.
The rates are low, with just under 3% of deliveries taking place at home, according to the most recent figures from the Office of National Statistics for England and Wales.
Mary Newburn of the National Childbirth Trust said the American study was an important one "that needs reviewing".
"NCT's own detailed review of home birth concluded that, although the quality of comparative evidence on safety of home birth is poor, there is no evidence that for women with a low risk of complications the likelihood of a baby dying during or shortly after labour is any higher if they plan for a home birth compared with planning a hospital birth."
A Department of Health spokesperson said:
"It is important for all women to be able to give birth in a safe, high quality environment that is best suited for them.
"In England, midwives discuss the various birth options available for mothers and any associated risks to help them make an informed choice.
"We have commissioned research that is comparing births planned at home, in birthing centres and in hospital. This report is expected to be published next year and we will look at the findings carefully."


Temba Bavuma made a century on his one-day international debut as Ireland lost to South Africa by 206 runs at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday.

Bavuma scored 113 in a total of 354-5 after South Africa were put in to bat, with Quinton de Kock contributing 82.
Ireland were bowled out for a 148 in reply, with Kevin O'Brien scoring 41 and Paul Stirling 40. JP Duminy was the pick of the bowlers with 4-16.
Ireland will face Australia at the same venue on Tuesday.
South Africa will then face the Australians in five one-day internationals, starting at Centurion on Friday.
Ireland were without experienced batsman Niall O'Brien, who slipped in his hotel bathroom on Sunday morning and suffered a head injury.
The South African team included three new caps. Bavuma, established as a middle-order batsman in the Test side, was given his chance as an opener in the absence of Hashim Amla.
All-rounders Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius were newcomers to international cricket.
Ireland captain William Porterfield's decision to put the South Africans in to bat did not pay off as Bavuma and de Kock put on an opening partnership of 159.
Bavuma, who was dropped on one when he edged Peter Chase to Kevin O'Brien at second slip, took advantage of the let-off with a composed innings, reaching his 50 off 54 balls and his century off 110 deliveries. He was out 13 balls later after hitting 13 fours and a six.
Later, JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien both hit rapid half-centuries to take South Africa to a total that always looked likely to be well beyond Ireland's reach.
On a slow pitch, South Africa struggled to increase their scoring rate in the middle overs. Duminy (52 not out) and Behardien (50) gave the innings impetus with a fifth-wicket stand of 87 off 40 balls. Their partnership ended when Behardien was caught on the boundary off the last ball of the innings.
Porterfield was out to Kagiso Rabada without scoring in the second ball of the Ireland innings and the visitors crumbled despite some stubborn resistance from O'Brien and Stirling.
Off-spinner Duminy completed a good all-round day by taking career best bowling figures.


Images taken by a Nasa spacecraft show that the American flags planted in the Moon's soil by Apollo astronauts are mostly still standing.

The photos from Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter (LRO) show the flags are still casting shadows - except the one planted during the Apollo 11 mission.
This matches Buzz Aldrin's account of the flag being knocked over by engine exhaust as Apollo 11 lifted off.
LRO was designed to produce the most detailed maps yet of the lunar surface.
Each of the Apollo missions that touched down on the Moon planted an American flag in the soil.
Scientists had previously examined photos of the landing sites for these flags, and had seen what looked like shadows cast by them on the lunar surface. But this was not considered conclusive.
Now, researchers have studied photos of the same areas taken at different points during the day and have observed shadows circling the points where the flags are thought to be.
Prof Mark Robinson, the chief scientist for the spacecraft's camera instrument, LROC, said in a blog entry: "From the LROC images it is now certain that the American flags are still standing and casting shadows at all of the sites, except Apollo 11."
The Arizona State University scientist added: "The most convincing way to see that the flags are still there, is to view a time series of LROC images taken at different times of day, and watch the shadow circle the flag."
"Personally I was a bit surprised that the flags survived the harsh ultraviolet light and temperatures of the lunar surface, but they did. What they look like is another question (badly faded?)"
LRO began its mission in lunar orbit in September 2009, to identify mineral and other resources on the Moon as well as scout promising landing sites for future missions.


A man with dwarfism and arthritis who had his benefits slashed and his car taken away has managed to overturn the government's decision at tribunal.

George Coppen, 19, who is 3ft 10ins (1.17m) tall, was told last year 75% of his payments would be stopped.
Mr Coppen, whose car was taken a week before his driving test, won his case at a hearing in his home city of Derby.
The government said decisions are often overturned "because claimants provide more evidence".
Updates on this story and more from Derbyshire
Mr Coppen, from Mickleover, was informed of the news by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) after he was reassessed for personal independence payments (PIPs) in November.
He fought his case with Disability Direct and has now joined the charity's board of trustees in the hope of helping other disabled people in similar situations.
"It was an absolute nightmare," he said. "I had my test a week later and I couldn't keep my car which was so annoying.
"I've got arthritis and metal rods in my back... it took away my independence."
Mr Coppen, who was able to use his instructor's car to pass his test, has urged similarly affected people to "carry on fighting".
Amo Raju, chief executive of Disability Direct in Derby, said he was "delighted" for Mr Coppen.
"He can be a massive inspiration in getting people to feel confident enough to take their cases on," Mr Raju said.
A DWP spokesman said: "Just because a new decision has been made at appeal stage, it does not mean the previous decision was incorrect.
"In the majority of appeal cases, decisions are overturned because claimants provide more evidence."
Nearly 14,000 disabled people who rely on a specialist motoring allowance have had their cars taken away following government welfare changes.
A row over PIPs sparked the resignation of former work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith earlier this month.


Italian police say they have seized more than €1.6 bn ($1.76 bn) in assets from five Sicilian siblings suspected of links to the mafia.

The five are thought to have been helped by the criminal group to secure public construction contracts.
Police in the regional capital Palermo say it is one of the largest raids they have ever carried out.
Analysts say Sicily's Cosa Nostra and other mafia groups have expanded their activities during Italy's recession.
Among the assets seized are bank accounts, property and furniture.
The five - three brothers and two sisters - are all in their 60s and 70s.
They worked as labourers in the early 1980s but went on to become billionaires, Italian media reported.


Turkey's prime minister has said he has exhausted all options to form a coalition government after talks with the nationalist MHP failed, pushing the country closer to fresh elections.

Ahmet Davutoglu handed the mandate back to the president on Tuesday evening.
The main opposition CHP says it should now be given the chance to form a new government.
The political uncertainty comes amid rising violence in Turkey and neighbouring Iraq and Syria.
If no government is formed by Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan must dissolve the caretaker cabinet and arrange an interim government ahead of a new election.
Mr Davutoglu's AK Party lost its 12-year majority rule in Turkey in elections in June largely because of the success of the pro-Kurdish HDP.
The AKP's coalition talks with the CHP failed last week.
Although Mr Davutoglu's AKP secured 41% in the 7 June election, it had to seek support from a rival party to form a coalition, but failed to find agreement with the CHP on foreign policy and education matters.
Correspondents say the CHP is unlikely to secure the support it needs from both the MHP and the HDP to form a coalition of its own, making fresh elections in November a more likely outcome.
Meanwhile HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas has reportedly called for a referendum, as part of any new vote on Mr Erdogan's ambitions to bolster the powers of the Turkish presidency.
The AKP's reduced share of the vote in June appeared to have scuppered Mr Erdogan's plan to turn the country into a presidential republic, but it is likely to become an issue again in any new election campaign.
President Erdogan, for many years Turkey's AKP prime minister, has accused the HDP of being the Kurdish rebels' political wing.
Turkey's uneasy two-year ceasefire with the PKK fell apart last month, after a suicide bomb blamed on IS killed 32 young activists in the largely Kurdish city of Suruc, close to the Syrian border.
In recent weeks Turkish forces have carried out attacks on militants from the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and have bombed Kurdish PKK camps mainly in northern Iraq.


Dover's Ricky Miller continued his assault on the scoring charts with another goal in his side's 2-0 win at Bromley.

Ross Lafayette fed the Whites' front man for his 15th of the season on 25 minutes.
Almost immediately, Rob Swaine made a hash of an attempted clearance in his own area and Lafayette netted from a tight angle to make it 2-0.
The Ravens were relieved in the second half to see Miller substituted after two missed chances, but it was perhaps a sign that Chris Kinnear's men had sewn up the game.
Bromley's miserable night was completed when Dan Johnson was shown his marching orders for picking up a second yellow card.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Bromley 0, Dover Athletic 2.
Second Half ends, Bromley 0, Dover Athletic 2.
Dave Martin (Bromley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Substitution, Bromley. Bradley Goldberg replaces Jamie Philpot.
Second yellow card to Daniel Johnson (Bromley) for a bad foul.
Substitution, Bromley. Connor Dymond replaces Jordan Higgs.
Sammy Moore (Dover Athletic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Substitution, Bromley. George Porter replaces Adam Cunnington.
Substitution, Dover Athletic. Mitchell Pinnock replaces Ricky Miller.
Ricky Miller (Dover Athletic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Second Half begins Bromley 0, Dover Athletic 2.
First Half ends, Bromley 0, Dover Athletic 2.
Goal!  Bromley 0, Dover Athletic 2. Ross Lafayette (Dover Athletic).
Goal!  Bromley 0, Dover Athletic 1. Ricky Miller (Dover Athletic).
Daniel Johnson (Bromley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


Two West Midlands police forces "require improvement" over how they record stop and search and support their staff, inspectors said.

West Mercia and Warwickshire were among five forces to be given the rating by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
Criticism included "too many records [of stop and search] did not contain sufficient reasonable grounds".
HMIC said both forces were, however, developing "an ethical culture".
The forces said they had made support for staff a "top priority for 2016" and they would be reviewing training on stop and search and working with Northamptonshire Police.
Inspectors did however, say the forces were "good" in their commitment to and engagement with their communities.
Warwickshire carried out 3,092 top and searches in the year to 31 March 2015, while West Mercia did 9,874.
A sample of 100 stop and search records from Warwickshire Police revealed 29 did not have reasonable grounds recorded, said HMIC. In West Mercia's case it was 21 out of 100.
While all chief constables had signed up to the Home Office and College of Police's Best Use of Stop and Search scheme, HMIC said it was "disappointed too many forces were not complying".
HMIC said it would revisit both forces in six months to check what changes had been made.
The two forces were also told to improve the way they dealt with staff complaints, with misconduct consistently assessed and free from any bias.
HMIC inspected all 43 forces in England and Wales, grading 37 as "good" while Kent Police were dubbed "outstanding". None was "inadequate".