Eurozone inflation could turn negative again this year, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi has warned, as the bank kept interest rates unchanged.

However, Mr Draghi said inflation should start rising before the year is out and pick up further in 2017.
Speaking at the bank's monthly press conference, Mr Draghi warned that risks to economic growth remain "tilted to the downside".
He called on European governments to act "more decisively" to boost growth.
"In order to reap the full benefits from our monetary policy measures, other policy areas must contribute much more decisively, both at the national and at the European levels," Mr Draghi said in Frankfurt.
The ECB chief also dismissed growing criticism in Germany of the bank's ultra-loose monetary policy: "We have a mandate to pursue price stability for the whole of the eurozone and not only for Germany alone. We obey the  law, not the politicians because we're independent."
No changes to rates had been expected this month after the ECB announced fresh stimulus measures in March.
The main interest rate was reduced from 0.05% to 0%, while the bank deposit rate was cut further from minus 0.3% to minus 0.4%.
The negative rate means that banks must pay the ECB to park cash - a move intended to encourage more lending to businesses.
The ECB's bond-buying programme was also expanded in March from â‚¬60bn a month to â‚¬80bn. As well as government debt, the bank will now be allowed to use its newly printed money to buy bonds issued by companies as well.
The ECB has been taking action to try to stimulate growth in the eurozone's economy and prevent deflation.
Inflation in the eurozone stood at zero last month - well below the ECB's target of close to 2%.


Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho says rival managers spoke out about the cost of Paul Pogba because their clubs are not big enough to do such a deal.

Midfielder Pogba, 23, rejoined United on Tuesday for a world-record £89m.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp were outspoken about his valuation.
"Sometimes in football, things happen and the club breaks the record, but this is only possible at clubs like Manchester United," Mourinho told MUTV.
"When I heard some of the comments and heard some of the managers criticising that, I don't think they ever have this problem because, to have this problem, you need to be at one of the top clubs in the world."
Speaking before the deal was confirmed, Wenger said Pogba's valuation was "completely crazy", while Klopp said he would not spend that much on a single player even if his funds were unlimited.
Mourinho said their comments were "not ethical".
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Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea says his side's Premiership season hinges on Saturday's clash with league leaders Saracens at Wembley.

Sixth-placed Quins are five points adrift of the play-off places, with three games of the regular season remaining.
"If we are going to be in the top four, we have to win this weekend, full stop," O'Shea told BBC Radio 5 live.
"This is do or die for us in the league."
Opponents Saracens won the Premiership last season and look certainties for a home-semi final, having also reached the latter stages of the European Rugby Champions Cup.
"The game against Saracens is won or lost in one way - and that's a physical battle," O'Shea continued.
"You have to be up for the physical battle and be prepared to go to war. It's as simple as that."
Last year's corresponding fixture attracted a world-record club crowd of over 84,000, with a similar attendance expected this year.
"Everyone wants to play this weekend," O'Shea said. "They just want to be around games like this."
After joining Harlequins in 2009 and guiding them to the European Challenge Cup in 2011 and the Premiership title in 2012, he will leave The Stoop at the end of this season to become the head coach of Italy's national team.
"I'm really excited by that but I'll think about it when it comes," the 45-year-old said.
"I just hope this group of players fulfil [their potential]. I've said to [captain] Danny [Care] many times this year that I just want to see him lift some silverware."
And the Irishman hopes his impending departure will not be a factor in how Quins finish the season, with the club in the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup as well as in Premiership contention.
"I love the place, it's been six years of my life," he added.
"But the game is never about coaches. The day the coaches believe it's about them, it's a sad day. This is about players, and it's the players who sacrifice so much.
"I've grown to admire some of these fellas so much. That I will miss, because they are very, very special people.
"Hopefully I've earned their respect, because they've certainly earned mine."


The X Factor will only end when the contestants get "boring", Simon Cowell has said.

"At the moment there are still a lot of people who want to turn up," he told Grimmy on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show.
It's already been on the air for a decade, and with Simon returning to the judging line-up, it seems like there's still some life in The X Factor yet.
But what about in another 10 years? Or 20? Or more?
Simon seems to think it could go on indefinitely, so long as they keep finding great contestants.
So basically it's down to you. If you want The X Factor to remain on our screens for the rest of our lives, then keep turning up to those auditions.
And if you don't? Then send your boring mates.
"You've got to find great people and if they're all boring then it will run out of steam and then you may have to rest it and then bring it back," he said in his BBC interview.
So actually there's no way of stopping the juggernaut, a break is the most you're going to get.
Simon's also got a bigger pool of people to choose from, now that younger teenagers are allowed to audition.
"A lot of the really great kids now are 14, 15 years old and they probably know a lot more than the older contestants," he said.
"It's case by case. If they're really nervous or you've got some horrible stage mum pushing them on to the show, forget it.
"I would have done it. I would have been in a band in a shot."
In his interview with Nick Grimshaw, Simon also shared his critique of recent television series.
He and his girlfriend Lauren Silverman are fans of House of Cards, which surprised him to begin with.
"Normally when everyone tells me about how it is great, it's usually terrible, like those weirdo Game of Throne things, which I couldn't be bothered with," he said.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


Full finishing order of the 2012 Grand National

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1. Neptune Collonges (Daryl Jacob) 33-1
2. Sunnyhillboy (Richie McLernon) 16-1
3. Seabass (Ms Katie Walsh) 8-1JF
4. Cappa Bleu (Paul Moloney) 16-1
5. In Compliance (Niall Madden) 100-1
6. Ballabriggs
7. Hello Bud
8. Tharawaat
9. Shakalakaboomboom
10. Swing Bill
11. The Midnight Club
12. Planet of Sound
13. Neptune Equester
14. Calgary Bay
15. Midnight Haze
Fence 1: Viking Blond (fell)
Fence 2: Junior (fell), West End Rocker (fell)
Fence 5: Chicago Grey (brought down), Rare Bob (brought down), State of Play (unseated)
Fence 6 (Becher's Brook): Synchronised (fell)
Fence 7 (Foinavon): Alfa Beat (fell)
Fence 8 (Canal Turn): Black Apalachi (fell), Tatenen (unseated), Organisedconfusion (unseated), Killyglen (unseated), Becauseicouldntsee (unseated)
Fence 10: Treacle (fell), Arbor Supreme (unseated)
Fence 11 (Open Ditch): Giles Cross (pulled up)
Fence 15 (The Chair): Always Right (unseated)
Fence 17: Quiscover Fontaine (fell)
Fence 19 (Open Ditch): Deep Purple (pulled up), Vic Venturi (refused)
Fence 22 (Becher's Brook): According to Pete (fell), On His Own (fell), Mon Mome (pulled up), Postmaster (pulled up)
Fench 27 (Open Ditch): Weird Al (fell)


A documentary about the Eagles of Death Metal has been pulled from the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam.

Screenings have been cancelled of The Redemption Of The Devil, which follows band frontman Jesse Hughes in the build up to the release of their new album.
Gunmen killed 89 people at the band's gig at the Bataclan concert hall in last Friday's Paris attacks.
The band escaped, but members of their crew and record company were killed.
The documentary, made by director Alex Hoffman, follows the band's charismatic, hard-living frontman as he hits 40, becomes ordained as a Catholic minister and ponders a future in politics.
The BBC understands it was pulled because the timing felt inappropriate.
Yesterday the band issued their first statement about the attack and said they were "bonded in grief with the victims, the fans... and all those affected by terrorism".
They said they were "horrified and still trying to come to terms with what happened in France" and all shows were on hold until further notice.
Meanwhile, new figures show ticket sales for concerts in Paris have fallen by around 80% since the series of attacks in the city.
Following the incident at the Bataclan, bands including U2 and Foo Fighters cancelled gigs.
A spokesman for Prodiss, the music industry producers group, said: "The attacks sent a shock wave that has hit our audiences hard."
The group is carrying out a full audit to see how many concerts have been cancelled, but fear the cost of extra security measures might lead to more shows being pulled.
"Producers are extremely worried about the future. They work on quite a narrow (profit) margin," the spokesman said, adding the Christmas period was crucial for the industry.
French Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin has promised a emergency fund of four million euros (Â£2.8m) to help get live entertainment up and running again and help with the cost of new security measures.
But Prodniss said double that was needed.
"We have to rebuild the public's confidence, make them feel happy and relaxed about going out to concerts again," it said.


A Londonderry theatre is to host the world's first play performed by both human actors and avatars - digitised versions of the cast - in the computer game, Minecraft.

Playcraft Live will be performed at the city's Playhouse Theatre on 14 October.
It will simultaneously be streamed to the world online via the theatre's website, Minecraft and Youtube.
Slipping between both stage and game world, the story will unfold across different locations and times.
Minecraft is the second-best-selling videogame of all time.
It allows players to build things using cubic blocks and take part in exploration, engineering, crafting and combat.
The game is hugely popular with children and young teenagers.
The production will see the dramatisation of a script, written specifically for Playcraft by Alex Scarrow, author of the teen science fiction series of novels, Time Riders.
The story is based between books one and two of his Time Riders series.
Online audiences will experience the production as a live-stream simulcast.
For those lucky enough to be part of the Playhouse audience, they will be able to see the physical actor on stage communicating the play to them.
They will also see a stream of the digital version of that actor, within the Minecraft world, projected onto a screen.
These avatars will be developed and built by Minecraft experts operating from an adjacent room.
Kieran Griffiths, creative director at the Playhouse Theatre, said he was excited to be introducing something "completely new to the world of theatre".
"The production is hugely ambitious and a definite step into the unknown, but a tremendous opportunity to allow two artistic worlds to come together and learn from each other," Mr Griffiths said.
The project will also involve renowned creative producer Adam Clarke and digital educators MakeMatic.
It has been commissioned by The Space, which is funded by the BBC and Arts Council England.
"I suppose the thorny rose in between is the technology," Mr Griffiths said.
"Over the coming months we have to remove the thorns and make sure that rose is passed gracefully.
"At the end of it, we hope to produce an educational asset whereby we will see online amateur societies creating their own world within Minecraft."
Throughout the summer, Minecraft fans will be invited to join in on the production, find out more about the play and contribute to the process along the way.


A £5 note engraved with a tiny portrait of Jane Austen and said to be worth up to £50,000 has been found in a Christmas card.

The second of four special £5 notes featuring art by specialist micro-engraver Graham Short turned up on Thursday in Scotland.
The first was found in change from a café in south Wales earlier this month.
Two more special £5 notes, spent in England and Northern Ireland, remain in general circulation.
See more stories from across Birmingham and the Black Country here
The two banknotes bear the serial numbers AM32 885552 and AM32 885554.
Anyone finding one of the notes has been advised to contact the Tony Huggins-Haig Gallery in Kelso, in the Scottish Borders, which launched the project.
Mr Huggins-Haig told BBC WM the recipient of the latest note, who had checked the note "on the off chance", wished to remain anonymous.
"When somebody opened their Christmas card from a loved one, it was contained in that Christmas card," he said.
"The person who put it in didn't necessarily know what they were doing.
"That's two down and there's still two out there. Keep checking your change."
The banknotes have the following serial numbers and quotes:
Mr Short, from Birmingham, came up with the idea of engraving a 5mm portrait of Jane Austen on the transparent part of the new plastic Bank of England £5 notes to mark the 200th anniversary of her death next year.
He has included a different quote around each one ensuring that each note is unique.
Both recipients have so far stated they intend to keep the notes rather than sell them.
Mr Short said: "I don't know whether I'm disappointed that they haven't wanted to sell them because I wanted them to have some money for Christmas, but the fact that they are so happy to keep them, that's nice as well."
And he admitted he is also checking his change and said he was "terrified" of finding one.
He said: "When someone gives me a £5 note in my change now I always check. Wouldn't it be awful if it came back to me? People would say it was a fix."


A man has been charged with murder following the death of a 41-year-old man at a house in Lancaster.

The body of John Houston was found at the property on Laburnum Grove at about 13:45 BST on Monday, Lancashire Police said.
A 43-year-old man, also of Laburnum Grove, was arrested and is in custody.
He is due to appear at Lancaster Magistrates' Court charged with Mr Houston's murder, a police spokesman said.


Victims of black cab rapist John Worboys should not receive damages from his insurer, a judge has ruled.

John Worboys, 54, was convicted in 2009 of drugging and sexually assaulting women while working as a licensed London taxi driver.
Ten victims had asked the High Court to rule on whether insurers were liable for damages because Worboys' crimes were committed in his insured taxi.
But Mr Justice Silber has ruled against the women.
He dismissed applications brought against Inceptum Insurance Company Limited on a preliminary issue of whether it was liable for compensation.
The judge expressed the "greatest sympathy" for the women "in the light of the horrifying experiences that they suffered at the hands of Worboys".
But he said his duty was to "follow the appropriate legal principles".
Edwin Glasgow QC, counsel for the women, had told the judge at a hearing in April: "The fundamental issue is whether personal injuries caused by a taxi driver's assaults on a passenger were 'caused by or arose out of the use of a vehicle on a road' for the purposes of compulsory insurance as required by the Road Traffic Act 1988.
"It is our submission that the use of the taxi and the part that it played in the attacks that occurred during the course of the journeys was essential and material.
"The taxi did not just happen to be at the place where the assaults occurred - it was the symbol of security which seduced these young women to believe they were safe."
In his ruling, Mr Justice Silber found that the bodily injuries suffered by the women did not arise out of the use of Worboys' vehicle on a road or other public place within the meaning of the 1988 Act.
He found that Worboys' use of the vehicle at the material times was not a use insured by the policy issued by the insurers.
Worboys was jailed indefinitely after he was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting 12 women.
The number of victims could be as high as 102, police have said.


Southampton boss Claude Puel says the club do not want to sell captain Virgil van Dijk.

The 25-year-old, who suffered an ankle injury in January which ruled him out for the remainder of the season, has been linked with a move away from St Mary's.
Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have all been reported to be interested in the Dutch international.
"He has a long contract and the directors want to keep him," Puel said.
"He has authority, the leadership of the team, he is a fantastic player.
"It's important for us, of course, to wait until the beginning of the season to see him on the pitch with Southampton."
Van Dijk joined the Saints from Celtic for £13m in 2013 and has made 55 appearances, scoring four times.


Wales flanker Sam Warburton says Six Nations rivals England are justifiably regarded as being the equal of world champions New Zealand.

Eddie Jones' side will arrive in Cardiff seeking a 16th successive win, three away from a world record.
The All Blacks and South Africa share the tier-one nations' 18-match winning run record.
"England are deservedly tagged as the best team in the northern hemisphere," said Warburton.
"It's a fair judgement to compare them to the All Blacks right now - that's how good they are.
"It is going to take a huge game out of us to get a win, and it will be one of the biggest games of the championship for sure."
Warburton also explained the reasons he believes fire up every opponent England meet in the Six Nations.
The ex-Wales captain insists it is down to England's recent successful record.
"Chatting to [different countries'] players, that's how they feel, they really prioritise that and everyone just wants to beat England," he said.
"That's due to the success in the past and the success they're going through now. It's always a big scalp."
International rugby began with Scotland and England meeting in 1879.
Four years later the Home Nations tournament began with Wales and Ireland taking on England and Scotland.
Since then, the Celtic nations have traditionally revelled in their rivalries with England.
England are unbeaten under Jones, who succeeded Stuart Lancaster after their group-stage exit from the 2015 World Cup.
Wales contributed to England's downfall in the tournament they hosted with a win at Twickenham, but lost twice to them in 2016.
"If you're Wales, the biggest game you play in in the Six Nations is England," said Warburton.
"If you're Scotland, it's England. If you're Ireland, it's England. Or if you're France or Italy, it's England," said Warburton, whose father was born in England.
"We know as players that's the one game the fans look forward to most and you sense that in the build-up. It's a huge occasion for everyone in Wales.
"But for me, I always cherish any win against any opposition in the Six Nations and in the last three years [since Wales' 2013 title win] I've realised how difficult it is to win a championship."
Cardiff Blues' Warburton predicts selection headaches if Bath number eight Taulupe Faletau has recovered from a knee injury for Saturday's match.
Gloucester's Ross Moriarty played at eight in the opening victory in Italy and could rival Warburton for the blind-side flanker's role if Faletau is risked for a starting place.
"The back-row competition is so fierce at the minute, I don't want to put pressure on him, but Toby [Faletau], when he's playing well, is one of the best players in the world. I think he's fantastic," Warburton added.
"If he did come back I'm sure there would be a few selection headaches in the back-row because Ross and Justin [Tipuric] went extremely well against Italy."


It's been a week which has seen another huge cyber-attack with worrying implications, a record fine imposed on Google by the European Commission - and a law passed in Germany to punish web firms who fail to remove extremist content.

On Tech Tent this week we reflect on the growing tensions between Europe and the United States over the regulation of tech giants - and mounting global anxiety over cyber-crime.
...or does it? When news broke this week that a new cyber-attack was under way, affecting businesses and government organisations around the world, it sounded very similar to the Wannacry ransomware which afflicted NHS hospitals in May.
But it is becoming clear that this was rather different. For one thing, the attack seems to have been focused on Ukrainian businesses and state organisations, and has spread rapidly within networks but not hopped from one to another so easily.
Experts are also pointing to the fact that the attacks seemed to destroy data rather than just locking it up - which means that it is unlikely to garner many ransom payments as victims will get nothing in return for paying up.
The show debated what conclusions we can draw about who was behind the attack - and whether it is more or less worrying than Wannacry.
Type anything you might buy into Google's search engine - say, leather shoes - and at the top of the results you will see a box with images of products and links to where you can order them. This is an advertising service called Google Shopping, and this week the European Commission decided it amounted to an abuse of the search giant's market power.
The European Commission slapped a record 2.4bn euro ($2.7bn; Â£2.1bn) fine on Google and ordered the company to change its ways and stop favouring its own services above rival shopping comparison services.
Depending on your point of view, this was either a long overdue move to trim the sails of an over powerful monopoly - or it was Europe throwing a hissy fit because it can't produce a company as innovative as Google.
The second view is expressed forcefully on our programme by the media academic Prof Jeff Jarvis, long an admirer of Google. He says there is little evidence of harm to consumers from Google's behaviour and sees this week's fine as sour grapes:
"I think Europe has constantly been in the position of feeling jealous that it doesn't have a Google," he tells us. "But you're not going to get there by regulating and passing protectionist legislation."
Of course the irony is that the EU ruling has been applauded by the likes of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and the British tabloid press, usually sceptical about regulation and anything else that comes out of Brussels.
But in the view of Prof Jarvis that is because they have watched impotently as the innovative web giant steals their advertising business - so they have decided that their enemy's enemy is their friend.
Another area where Europe and the United States see things differently is on where to draw the line between free expression and protecting people from racist and violent language.
The German parliament has just voted to approve a law which could see social media firms face big fines if they fail to remove illegal hate speech within 24 hours. A country where there are strict laws against anti-Semitic and other racial abuse has struggled to apply those rules online.
Now, according to Justice Minister Heiko Maas, Germany has acted to end "the internet law of the jungle".
The American social media giants had lobbied long and hard against what looks like the strictest law yet to be applied about online behaviour in a democratic country
And even some German organisations which monitor online hate speech and fake news are worried. Alexander Rabe from Eco, which was consulted about the drafting of the law, told us that it was difficult to define hate speech and he was concerned that repressive regimes might take inspiration for a crackdown on free expression..
So why did lawmakers vote it through?
Our correspondent in Germany, Joe Miller, tells us there is a simple answer - the idea of curbing hate speech and taking on what are seen as irresponsible American web firms is hugely popular.


A journalist has been called a liar by a man accused of an acid attack on him.

William Burns, 56, and Alexander Porter, 48, deny assaulting Russell Findlay to the danger of his life at his Glasgow home on 23 December 2015 by throwing sulphuric acid in his face.
At the High Court in Glasgow, Mr Burns told jurors: "Mr Findlay is incapable of telling the truth about anything."
In evidence, he said: "I went there, but I never threw acid in anyone's face."
Mr Burns told jurors that he had gone to Mr Findlay's home, posing as a postman, to "beat him up".
Burns denied going armed with a knife and a glass jar filled with sulphuric acid.
He said: "I've never used a knife. I've boxed all my life. I use my hands to fight."
At the time Mr Findlay was an investigations editor with the Scottish Sun.
Mr Burns said he had been angry after receiving a phone call from Mr Findlay the night before, during which he had threatened to show Mr Burn's wife a photo of him with another woman.
Mr Burns said: "He wanted to talk to me about Darryl Fitch who lived next door to me 25 years ago.
"The boy had been murdered and found in the River Gryffe in Bridge of Weir."
He told his defence counsel Thomas Ross that he refused to help and that was when Mr Findlay had mentioned a photograph.
Mr Ross asked: "Before this phone call had you any intention of visiting Mr Findlay" and Mr Burns replied: "No, no intention whatsoever."
Mr Burns said he knew what Mr Findlay looked like, had seen him driving in the West End of Glasgow and had memorised his registration number.
He said he had done this because he was annoyed about an article the journalist had written about him.
Mr Burns said he went to the West End to look for Mr Findlay's car and found it in the fourth street he walked along.
Mr Burns claimed he was attacked by the journalist and a mystery man in the hallway shortly after he knocked on the door and barged in.
He told the jurors he was knocked unconscious by the mystery man, and that he was also stabbed under the chin by Mr Findlay and needed four stitches.
Mr Findlay earlier claimed in evidence that Mr Burns told him: "Wee Jamie sends his regards" when asked who had sent him.
When asked about this, Mr Burns said: "I came from Ferguslie Park that's not words I would use."
Mr Burns added: "The worst mistake I ever made was telling that man I was coming to his door.
"I think they were waiting for me."
Mr Burns suggested that Mr Findlay may have put a corrosive substance on his face himself.
He denied that Porter was his getaway driver.
Earlier, both Mr Burns and Mr Porter were cleared of attempting to murder Ross Sherlock, 35, by shooting him outside St Helen's Primary School, Bishopbriggs, on 24 September 2015.
The trial before judge Lord Matthews continues.


A teenager who stamped on a man who was trying to break up a fight has been jailed.

The 17-year-old attacked Gordon Friel, 40, in Paisley last September, leaving him with a string of injuries including bleeding on the brain.
He had earlier pled guilty to assaulting Mr Friel to his severe injury and to danger of his life.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for three years and four months.
He was initially charged with attempted murder for what the judge described as a "savage assault".
Two girls - aged 17 and 16 - have also admitted a charge of assaulting the tannery worker.
The 17-year-old girl was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and the 16-year-old 100 hours. Neither of the girls can be identified.
The High Court in Glasgow heard the victim was set upon after he tried to act as a peacemaker when two teenagers began arguing.
Mr Friel had been standing in Paisley's High Street eating a takeaway when the row broke out.
He approached the pair and told the bigger of the two the smaller one did not want a fight.
Prosecutor David Taylor said: "At this point the 17-year-old girl became involved, dragging Gordon to the ground and punching and kicking him on the body.
"She was joined by the 16-year-old girl who shouted 'get him' and began punching him."
Mr Friel managed to get away before the 17-year-old boy arrived, the court was told.
The boy - who wrongly believed Mr Friel had attacked the older girl - and others then chased him to Forbes Place.
The group went on to stamp on the victim's head, leaving a "footwear mark" on his head.
He suffered bleeding in the brain, a liver injury and rib fractures, and needed three operations.
Mr Taylor said: "Before the incident Mr Friel weighed around 11 stone. On his discharge from hospital his weight was five-and-a-half stone.
"He was so weak he had to use a Zimmer frame to aid walking."
The court was told Mr Friel is now back at work and is expected to make a full recovery, although he has no memory of his ordeal.
The 17-year-old boy's lawyer, Billy Lavelle, said his client was now "ashamed of his actions".


Revellers, police and some protesters have converged on Canada's national capital on Saturday for a party that has been years in the planning.

Canada is marking its 150th anniversary as a country in towns, cities and at backyard barbecues nationwide.
But the biggest bash is at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, where organisers expect hundreds of thousands of people.
And by mid-morning, they had turned out in their droves - albeit huddled under umbrellas, trying to avoid the rain.
Some partygoers, like 24-year-old students Morgan Haines, Jon Salamati and Nima Sahebi, got to the hill before the sun had even risen.
Their early morning netted them a prime spot right next to the main stage, where they said they planned to stay until after the fireworks at midnight.
The three travelled from Vancouver, on Canada's west coast, to celebrate the day in the capital.
"One-fifty is only going to happen once," Mr Salamati said. "By the time we hit Canada 200, we might not be able to do this trip."
The celebrations included a concert by Canadian artists, a display from Canada's aerobatics squadron the Snowbirds, a citizenship ceremony for new Canadians, and a massive fireworks display.
Canadian theatre giants Cirque du Soleil performed, and Bono and The Edge from  rock band U2 serenaded the crowd with an acoustic set.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has made inclusiveness a political calling card, gave a speech celebrating that attribute.
"We don't care where you're from or what religion you practise, or whom you love - you are all welcome in Canada," he said to cheers from the crowd.
Mr Trudeau's speech was delivered in both English and French, a tradition in Canada, which recognises both as its official languages.
"This is as good a reason as any to reflect on our past, to cheer on today, and to recommit ourselves to the future," he said to the 25,000 partygoers who had waited hours to get past security and on to the parliament's lawn.
But he also took a moment to remember Canada's indigenous people, whom he said had been "the victims of oppression" since the first settlers arrived.
"As a society, we must acknowledge past mistakes," he said, telling the audience that there was still much work to be done in order to achieve reconciliation.
However, Canada, he said, was determined to see a reconciliation over the coming years and decades.
"It is a choice we make not because of what we did, or who we were, but because of who we are," Mr Trudeau said.
Why the world suddenly loves Canada
What does it mean to be Canadian today?
What's in store for Canada's next 150 years?
Indigenous culture is being represented in many ways across the festivities, and a number of indigenous performers are participating in Canada Day concerts in the capital region.
Some indigenous peoples refused to recognise Canada 150, saying it represented more than a hundred years of colonisation.
Sandwiched between security fences and to the west of the main stage on the parliament's lawn, a group of indigenous protesters have set up a teepee.
They have been allowed to stay on Parliament Hill after erecting the structure in the early hours of Thursday morning in what organisers called a "reoccupation".
Early on Saturday morning, some of the protesters held a sunrise ceremony, lighting a small fire after negotiating with security to bring firewood onto site.
Jess Bolduc, from the Anishinaabe First Nation, said she hoped the day would be one of "conversation and dialogue" when Canada Day revellers flood the lawn.
"In celebrating Canada 150, we're celebrating a half-truth," she said.
"We need to be thinking about the tens of thousands of years indigenous people have been, and continue to be, here."
Across the Ottawa river in Gatineau, Quebec, crowds also lined up to see Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall open a new hall at Canada's Museum of History.
Prince Charles' mother, the Queen, is Canada's head of state.
Rumela Kabir Booth, from an Indian dance school in Ottawa, helped entertain the crowd before their arrival.
"Canada is such a multicultural and inclusive society," she said. "It's great to highlight all the different cultures and aspects that come together."
Canada shelled out an estimated C$500m ($385m; Â£293m) on everything from festivities to security and infrastructure projects.
Canada Day, held on 1 July each year, marks the merging of four former British colonies into a single new country. It is a national holiday.
The country grew in size in the years that followed, and finally achieved complete autonomy from the UK in 1931. It was not until 1982, however, that the British parliament transferred final legal powers to Canada, including the power to amend its constitution.
Businesses have also been trying to capitalise. KFC has temporarily rebranded itself "K'ehFC", in reference to the Canadian slang, while coffee shop Tim Hortons is selling a poutine donut - although only at selected US outlets.
As Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary, BBC World News will explore this vast country throughout July - from discovering some of the most remote places in Canada on The Travel Show  to documentary-style programming in Canada Stories.
To mark this occasion, we are offering Canadian audiences the chance to watch BBC World News as a free channel preview. More details here.


UK Athletics has suggested world records should be reset to help achieve a "new era" of clean competition.

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The sport's governing body has made 14 proposals, among them longer bans for drug cheats and a public register of tested athletes.
It follows a number of doping and cover-up allegations.
UKA chairman Ed Warner said it was time for "radical reform", adding: "The integrity of athletics was challenged as never before in 2015."
The IAAF, which governs world athletics, said it welcomed UKA's contribution and would review its ideas.
The sport has been dogged by a string of damaging stories and revelations in recent months.
Russia was barred from international competition for alleged "state-sponsored doping".
Lamine Diack, the former boss of world governing body the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), was placed under criminal investigation over allegations he took payments for deferring sanctions against Russian drugs cheats. He denies wrongdoing.
And three IAAF figures - including Diack's son, Papa Massata Diack - were given lifetime bans after a report claimed they "conspired" to blackmail a Russian athlete in order to cover up her doping violations.
New IAAF president Lord Coe has pledged to double the anti-doping budget, establish a separate integrity unit for athletics before Rio 2016, and double the international testing pool of athletes to 1,000.
Warner says trust in the sport is at its "lowest point for decades", adding clean athletes and fans "have been let down".
"Greater transparency, tougher sanctions, longer bans - and even resetting the clock on world records for a new era - we should be open to do whatever it takes to restore credibility in the sport," he said.
Some of the key recommendations:
Warner says it is all about provoking a discussion and defended the UKA's decision to go it alone.
"We've surprised people by revealing this because we want to promote debate," Warner told BBC Radio 5 live.
"If we go to people in advance, they try to talk you out of publishing the ideas. These are 14 ideas to stimulate discussion."
Warner points out that London is hosting the World Championships next year and wants athletics to take steps to clean up its act before then.
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It may look that way to some, but Warner insists that is not the case.
"Of course I've got faith in him," he said.
"He is a great leader of the organisation, but he needs help and we are here to help him. This is one way we are trying to help."
He added that the IAAF was in a "beleaguered" state and said he would be meeting with Coe later on Monday to discuss the UKA's proposals.
In response to UKA's manifesto, the IAAF said it had already begun implementing its own proposals and would "look forward to reviewing" the UKA recommendations in full.
On Monday, UKA also published the recommendations of its review into the Oregon Project, run by Mo Farah's coach, Alberto Salazar.
The review was commissioned following allegations by BBC's Panorama that the coach had violated anti-doping rules.
UKA had already found that there was "no evidence of any impropriety" from Farah, Britain's multiple Olympic gold medallist, and no reason to "lack confidence" in his elite training programme.
But UKA has announced it will retain the Performance Oversight Committee (POC) as an independent watchdog of its practices.
Recommendations also include UKA carrying out due diligence whenever an athlete with British funding wishes to move to a foreign coach, or when UKA wants to have a working relationship with a coach or consultant.
Athletes in receipt of support from UKA should also be required to sign an agreement which outlines "moral and ethical" obligations.
It was a Wada independent commission report that threw the IAAF into crisis by disclosing "state-sponsored doping" in Russian athletics
On Thursday, part two of that damning report will be published.
At the time, Dick Pound, chairman of the independent commission, warned the public to expect further revelations.
Delayed to allow criminal investigations to progress, it is expected to focus on German TV documentary claims that the IAAF was allegedly complicit in covering up systematic doping and extortion in Russian athletics.
"This is a radical set of proposals by UKA, which is desperate to see progress on anti-doping amid the worst crisis the sport has known.
"It believes the IAAF, run by Lord Coe, is too preoccupied with salvaging its own credibility after recent corruption allegations.
"With time running out to restore public trust before the 2017 World Championships in London, it has taken it upon itself to lead a debate.
"Greater investment, tougher sanctions and more transparency will be welcomed by many in the sport.
"However, Ukad was surprised that it was not consulted on the manifesto and only found out about it on Saturday.
"It may also decide to raise concerns over the lengthening of bans given it feels the current four-year sanction is proportionate.
"The idea of a 'clean era' of records is likely to be controversial, too."


The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) decisive win in elections in India's politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh - it sends 80 MPs to the lower house of parliament, has produced nine prime ministers, and is located next door to the capital, Delhi - is clearly being seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Modi was the face of the campaign in the absence of any clear chief ministerial candidates.
Mixing rhetoric with promises of development, he campaigned hard against what looked like formidable opposition - a coalition of the ruling regional Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress, headed by the young satrap Akhilesh Yadav, and the powerful Bahujan Samaj Party, (BSP) led by Dalit leader Mayawati.
So what does this victory mean for his party?
For one, the balance of power in India has now decisively swung in favour of the BJP, and reinforces the party's position as the central pole in India's politics.
The win in Uttar Pradesh - and in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand - means the BJP now rules more than a dozen of India's 29 state legislatures.
Also, the party appears to have successfully forged a coalition of upper, middle-ranking and lower castes to be able to manipulate the social arithmetic of Indian elections. It has also avoided being seen as doling out reckless patronage to a caste or group - the bane of Mr Yadav's defeated party in Uttar Pradesh.
"He has managed to go beyond the caste arithmetic. On the ground, the BJP is not perceived as a casteist party," Bhanu Joshi, of the Centre of Policy Research, a Delhi-based think tank, told me.
Second, Mr Modi's party appears to have famously survived the jitters over his controversial currency ban, which inconvenienced many people and hurt the poor and small businesses.
Political scientist Milan Vaishnav believes the vote actually "represents a referendum on demonetisation".
"Whether voters were bothered by the implementation of the policy or not, they clearly have decided that the PM is a man of action. As the old saying goes, "you can't beat something with nothing", he told me.
Thirdly, midway through his first term, Mr Modi becomes the front-runner in the 2019 general elections for a second term in power.
This despite what critics say is a lukewarm economic record - the jury is out on whether he's an economic reformer or a believer in big state - and rising social tensions.
One reason is the state of opposition. The main opposition Congress party - despite its apparent win in Punjab - remains in a limbo, run by the dynastic Gandhi family, which holds the party together but is unable to win votes. "No state in India will now vote for a Gandhi," says political analyst Shekhar Gupta.
The defeats in Punjab and Goa are also a big setback for the national ambitions of the promising anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party, which holds power in its Delhi borough.
Fourthly, the win will mean a huge boost to Mr Modi's party in the upper house of parliament, and help it to push through key laws.
And finally, Mr Modi's connection with the masses remains undiminished.
"Modi is the single most popular politician in India today, bar none. His charisma, perceived personal incorruptibility, and credibility are unmatched right now in Indian politics," says Dr Vaishnav.
"As the opposition keeps railing against him, with very little to show for itself in the way of an affirmative vision, he will continue to gain strength."
That probably is the biggest problem with India's jaded and uninspiring opposition: their inability to take on Mr Modi with a new narrative of hope.
Many like Yogendra Yadav, founder of the Swaraj India party, believe that jolted by the defeat in Uttar Pradesh, the opposition will be pushed to cobble together a "grand anti-Modi alliance" to take on his party in 2019.
"This could be suicidal," says Mr Yadav, "as purely anti-Modi politics may not work."
But politics is also about the unforeseen and the unpredictable. Nobody predicted that former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, one of the BJP's most charismatic leaders, would lose the 2004 elections to a subdued Congress party-led coalition.
But in the summer of 2017, Mr Modi's ratings remain high.


Former World Touring Car champion Andy Priaulx is hoping he can win at the Le Mans 24-hour race for the first time.

The Guernseyman is part of the new Ford Chip Ganassi team, with Priaulx hoping to better his third-place result he achieved in his class in 2011.
"We led it for most of the race in 2011 and lost it in the final hours, so I hope we can do one better than that," he told BBC Radio Guernsey.
"But this is a very tough and demanding race on the cars, drivers and teams."
Priaulx will be racing a Ford GT alongside fellow Britons Harry Tincknell and Marino Franchitti.
"It would go amongst the big wins for me," said Priaulx, who won three successive World Touring Car titles between 2005 and 2007.
"I won the Nurburgring 24 hours in 2005 and Sebring 12 hours in 2011, so this - along with Daytona - would be two big races for me.
"I've finished second in Daytona and third here, so there's still some unfinished business.
"To win Le Mans in the Ford GT would be a massive career step for me, so I'm very motivated about it.
"I've been told that I'm starting the race and, for me, that's a massive honour.
"Obviously that's a pretty crucial part of the race, to get under way a 24-hour programme with the huge commitment of Ford, to be given that privilege is a great honour and I'm looking forward to doing that on Saturday."


The shockwave from the hail of bullets that murdered 12 French cartoonists and journalists at Charlie Hebdo in Paris in January continues to reverberate around the world.

They were not the first killings in the name of militant Islamism, nor the last.
That same day the next targets were Jewish shoppers at a Paris supermarket.
But it was the deaths of the French cartoonists and journalists that hit home in the western media, in a way that many thousands of other killings elsewhere in the name of violent Islamism have not.
The deaths at the magazine prompted waves of soul-searching about free speech, and whether cartoons that deliberately set out to offend are worth defending - especially when they sought to mock and satirize a religion and a figure that so many hold dear.
Even the Pope weighed in that month, as he flew from Sri Lanka to the Philippines.
On the plane travelling with him, we watched transfixed as he responded to a journalist's question about whether there were any limits to free speech.
Despite stating clearly and at some length that nobody should be murdered over what they thought or drew or wrote, Pope Francis had no doubt that there were limits.
Swinging his arm to demonstrate, he made clear that if his friend insulted what was most dear to him - his mother, for example - that friend could expect a punch.
It was not what many liberal fans of the Pontiff had expected.
And this week, the US has been finding out that it, too, has defenders of free speech who nonetheless believe that free speech has its limits, even before it veers into hate speech.
America may be a land built on the Bible and the gun - and a place that defends, vigorously, both freedom of religion for all, and freedom of speech.
But this has been a testing week for those who care passionately about that debate, creating strange bedfellows in defence of free speech - or rather, the right to offend.
It even united the initiator of the controversial "draw the Prophet Mohammed" cartoon contest in Texas, where two gunmen were shot dead after opening fire on a security guard, with the rather more left-wing supporters of PEN, an organization that campaigns for freedom of speech for authors, writers and cartoonists wherever they may live and work.
PEN decided to honour the dead at Charlie Hebdo for their courage in repeatedly satirizing Islam, despite an earlier firebombing and many threats to their lives.
Uncontroversial, you might think. But no.
Many signed a petition against the "Freedom of Expression Courage Award" being granted to the magazine.
They suggested it legitimized the content of the cartoons, which some saw as distasteful and unnecessarily, and repeatedly, provocative towards all Muslims.
Michael Ondaatje
Peter Carey
Rachel Kushner
Teju Cole
Taiye Selasi
Francine Prose
Garry Trudeau, creator of the Doonesbury cartoon strip, surprised many when he spoke out against the award.
In his criticism, he claimed that: "Traditionally, satire has comforted the afflicted while afflicting the comfortable."
"Satire punches up, against authority of all kinds, the little guy against the powerful.
"By punching downward, by attacking a powerless, disenfranchised minority with crude, vulgar drawings closer to graffiti than cartoons, Charlie wandered into the realm of hate speech," he added.
Others then hit back against the objectors.
Metaphorical punches were being swung both left and right within PEN, and in the pages of the New York Times and Washington Post.
Then the shootings began in Texas - an outcome the cartoon competition's organizer was all too aware could result when she backed the project.
Before the 9/11 attacks, it is hard to imagine Texas having a "draw the Prophet Mohammed" contest.
And while few in the US will have much sympathy with the would-be killers, many ordinary people - religious or not - will be looking on in despair.
Because what is becoming clear is that the fundamentalism of this new generation of radical Islamists risks provoking an extreme reaction from some of those espousing the cause of unlimited freedom and liberty.
The danger is that tolerance and respect for our differences - and for each other - could be the loser; the very principles that many came to America and Europe to enjoy and uphold.


The first new BMI flights between City of Derry Airport and London Stansted have taken off.

The airline will operate two return flights each day, except for Saturdays which will have one flight each way.
The service is the first air route in Northern Ireland to be backed by the government through a public service obligation.
Ryanair ended its service between Londonderry and London last year.
The Department for Transport provides funding for some air services to London that may otherwise be lost if the connection is "vital for the economic and social development" of a particular region.
John Kelpie, the chief executive of Derry City and Strabane District Council, said it was a great day for the city and north-west.
"This is part of a wider picture to grow businesses and sustain employment - this new flight will help to do that," he added.
"It provides business connectivity, which we have been lacking into London for quite some time."
Roy Devine, the chairman of City of Derry Airport, said that it was a "significant" day.


Flanker Sean O'Brien and full-back Rob Kearney are back in the Ireland team for Saturday's Six Nations match against France in Paris.

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Both missed last weekend's bruising 16-16 draw against Wales because of hamstring injuries.
Simon Zebo, who played full-back in that game, and winger Keith Earls are ruled out with injuries.
Earls received a blow to the head against Wales and his place goes to Dave Kearney.
Zebo had been receiving treatment for a knee injury.
O'Brien's return means Tommy O'Donnell loses his starting position and is on the replacements' bench at the Stade de France.
Podcast: Six Nations week two preview
Fly-half Johnny Sexton and winger Andrew Trimble have been passed fit, having  got over knocks.
Sexton suffered a heavy blow to the chest on Sunday while Trimble had a shoulder problem.
France have made six changes from their narrow opening win over Italy.
Props Jefferson Poirot and Uini Atonio, lock Alexandre Flanquart, flanker Yacouba Camara, centre Maxime Mermoz and winger Teddy Thomas come into the team.
Thomas, 22, makes his return after a year-long absence with an injury he picked up against Ireland in last year's Six Nations.
Ireland coach Joe Schmidt had been forced to delay his team announcement because of fitness doubts over a number of players.
"We were just trying to clarify the fitness of Simon Zebo and Keith Earls, both of whom we have left out of the squad," Schmidt said.
"They got through training and at the same time we just felt they weren't 100%  fit. We just felt it was a risk."
Fergus McFadden, who was overlooked for Ireland's initial Six Nations squad, has been summoned as a replacement for Saturday.
The 29-year-old was brought into Ireland's training ranks in midweek to cover Earls' absence with suspected concussion.
Scrum-half Eoin Reddan and hooker Richardt Strauss are also on the bench, taking the places of Kieran Marmion and Sean Cronin.
France: Maxime Medard, Teddy Thomas, Maxime Mermoz; Jonathan Danty, Virimi Vakatawa; Jules Plisson, Sebastien Bezy; Jefferson Poirot, Guilhem Guirado (capt), Uini Atonio, Alexandre Flanquart, Yoann Maestri, Wenceslas Lauret, Yacouba Camara, Damien Chouly.
Replacements: Camille Chat, Rabah Slimani, Eddy Ben Arous, Paul Jedresiak, Loann Goujon, Maxime Machenaud, Jean-Marc Doussain, Hugo Bonneval.
Ireland: Rob Kearney, Andrew Trimble, Jared Payne, Robbie Henshaw, Dave Kearney, Johnny Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack McGrath, Rory Best (capt), Nathan White, Mike McCarthy, Devin Toner, CJ Stander, Sean O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: Richardt Strauss, James Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Donnacha Ryan, Tommy O'Donnell, Eoin Reddan, Ian Madigan, Fergus McFadden.


Two people in England have developed tuberculosis after contact with a domestic cat, Public Health England has announced.

The two human cases are linked to nine cases of Mycobacterium bovis infection in cats in Berkshire and Hampshire last year.
Both people were responding to treatment, PHE said.
It said the risk of cat-to-human transmission of M. bovis remained "very low".
M. bovis is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis in cattle, known as bovine TB, and other species.
Transmission of M. bovis from infected animals to humans can occur by breathing in or ingesting bacteria shed by the animal or through contamination of unprotected cuts in the skin while handling infected animals or their carcasses.
The nine cases of M. bovis infection in cats in Berkshire and Hampshire were investigated by PHE and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) during 2013.
The findings of the investigation are published in the Veterinary Record on Thursday.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by a germ which usually affects the lungs.
Symptoms can take several months to appear and include
•Fever and night sweats
•Persistent cough
•Losing weight
•Blood in your phlegm or spit
Almost all forms of TB are treatable and curable, but delays in detection and treatment can be damaging.
TB caused by M. bovis is diagnosed in less than 40 people in the UK each year. The majority of these cases are in people over 65 years old.
Overall, human TB caused by M. bovis accounts for less than 1% of the 9,000 TB cases diagnosed in the UK every year.
Those working closely with livestock and/or regularly drinking unpasteurised (raw) milk have a greater risk of exposure.
Public Health England
Screening was offered to people who had had contact with the infected cats. Following further tests, a total of two cases of active TB were identified.
Molecular analysis showed that M. bovis taken from the infected cats matched the strain of TB found in the human cases, indicating that the bacterium was transmitted from an infected cat.
Two cases of latent TB were also identified, meaning they had been exposed to TB at some point, but they did not have the active disease.
PHE said it was not possible to confirm whether these were caused by M. bovis or something else.
No further cases of TB in cats have been reported in Berkshire or Hampshire since March 2013.
Dr Dilys Morgan, head of gastrointestinal, emerging and zoonotic diseases department at PHE, said: "It's important to remember that this was a very unusual cluster of TB in domestic cats.
"M. bovis is still uncommon in cats - it mainly affects livestock animals.
"These are the first documented cases of cat-to-human transmission, and so although PHE has assessed the risk of people catching this infection from infected cats as being very low, we are recommending that household and close contacts of cats with confirmed M. bovis infection should be assessed and receive public health advice."
Out of the nine cats infected, six died and three are currently undergoing treatment.
Prof Noel Smith, head of the bovine TB genotyping group at the AHVLA, said testing of nearby herds had revealed a small number of infected cattle with the same strain of M. bovis as the cats.
However, he said direct contact between the cats and these cattle was unlikely.
"The most likely source of infection is infected wildlife, but cat-to-cat transmission cannot be ruled out."
Cattle herds with confirmed cases of bovine TB in the area have all been placed under movement restrictions to prevent the spread of disease.
Prof Malcolm Bennett, professor of veterinary pathology at the University of Liverpool, said occasional cases of TB in pets have always been seen.
"There seems to be an increase in the number of cases of bovine TB diagnosed in cats in recent years, and the report emphasises both the wide host range of these bacteria and that sharing our lives with other animals, whatever the benefits, carries some small risk.
"However, human infection, feline infection and transmission between the two remain rare," Prof Bennett said.
Prof Bertie Squire, professor of clinical tropical medicine at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said it was important to put the two unusual cases in perspective.
"In 2012, there were 8,130 cases of human tuberculosis in England. In the same year there were only 26 notified cases of M. bovis in England, so M. bovis accounts for less than 0.5% of all human TB cases in the UK.
"The real problem of TB in the UK is caused by M. tuberculosis which arises in humans and is transmitted from person to person.  If we are to control human TB in the UK then we need to focus on identifying and curing the TB that occurs in humans, and we need to do this much better than we do at present.
"The real problem of human TB in the UK has nothing to do with M. bovis in cattle, badgers, or cats."


Sunderland have signed Craig Gardner from Birmingham City for an undisclosed fee believed to be about £6m.

The midfielder, 24, has penned a three-year deal at the Stadium of Light.
He was Blues' top scorer last season with 10 goals in all competitions, and helped the side win the Carling Cup in February before they were relegated to the Championship in May.
Gardner has joined Ji Dong-won, Connor Wickham, Seb Larsson and Keiren Westwood in moving to Wearside.
Gardner told SAFC TV: "It's unbelievable, to be honest. As soon as I found out Sunderland were interested, it was a no-brainer.
"Obviously, I have heard so much about [manager] Steve Bruce and his backroom staff and how good a chairman Niall Quinn is.
"It's such a massive club and their ambitions for this season meet my ambitions, and it was too good to turn down."
South Korea striker Dong-won completed his transfer from Chunnam Dragons to Sunderland for an undisclosed fee just hours before Gardner sealed his move on Thursday.
Dong-won, 20, is the second striker to join the Black Cats in as many days following 18-year-old Wickham's £8.1m switch from Championship outfit Ipswich.
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce signed goalkeeper Westwood and winger Larsson from Coventry and Birmingham respectively on free transfers.
Gardner believes the signings demonstrate the club's desire for success.
"It means that the club wants to go places," he added. "Obviously, we want to finish as high up the table as we can. We want to be in Europe next year and it's a great task to go and chase.
"It's a good goal for us. We can go and do it, and I am sure we will."


A report on female genital mutilation (FGM) in the North Caucasus has sparked a fierce debate in Russia, with some clerics defending the practice.

A civil society group found FGM to be common among Muslims in mountain villages in Dagestan. Girls' genitals were cut in primitive homes.
Regional Muslim leader Ismail Berdiyev suggested all women should undergo FGM but later withdrew the remark.
But a senior Orthodox Christian priest, Vsevolod Chaplin, had backed him.
In a Facebook post (in Russian), Archpriest Chaplin expressed "my sympathies for the mufti, and I hope he doesn't retreat from his position because of the howls and hysterics which will start now".
"We Orthodox Christians have different traditions - but that never stopped us respecting the traditions of neighbouring peoples," he wrote.
He said FGM was not necessary for Orthodox Christian women "because they're not promiscuous anyway". But he approved of the mufti's statement that God had created "woman so that she could give birth and bring up children".
"Feminism is a 20th-Century lie," he added.
Mr Berdiyev, the mufti of the North Caucasus, had said earlier that FGM was practised in some villages in Dagestan and that it was necessary to curb women's sexuality.
"It would be very good if this were applied to all women," the Islamic cleric said, adding, "It doesn't stop women giving birth and there would be less debauchery."
Speaking later to Russian media, he said his "joke" had been "twisted" by journalists to make it look like he advocated FGM.
Some Facebook users lambasted the priest's position on FGM. Arik Elman said "you don't have to sympathise with Islam in order to know that FGM is not a commonly accepted part of Muslim tradition, but has regional, tribal roots".
Igor Tetyuev said it was "not the role of a celibate monk" to "discuss women's bodies, childbirth and children".
Irina Gubernatorova said "burning heretics at the stake and drowning witches in sacks were also ancient and glorious Christian traditions - shall we go back to them?"
In its report (in Russian), the Russian Justice Initiative (RJI) said it had interviewed many women in Dagestan and discovered that FGM was widespread in mountain villages.
The mutilation - condemned by the United Nations as "child abuse" - was usually carried out in primitive conditions, without anaesthetic, on infant girls aged up to three.
Women quoted anonymously in the RJI report said they considered FGM to be a Muslim duty for their daughters.
Usually it involved removal, or part-removal, of the clitoris and/or labia. But the most extreme form of FGM - sewing up the vagina to leave a tiny hole - was not done.
Girls suffered psychological trauma, bleeding and painful scarring from FGM.
RJI said the subject was taboo in the mainly Muslim republic, home to many different ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Avars. FGM was largely ignored by Muslim community leaders, RJI said.
A senior mufti in Russia's Spiritual Administration of Muslims, Rushan Abbyasov, called FGM "alien to Islamic theology".
He said there was no clear Muslim instruction about FGM and no evidence that it "tames desire".
More than 200 million women and girls around the world have undergone FGM. The UN estimates a further three million are at risk of being mutilated.
FGM has been documented in 30 countries, mainly in Africa, but also in the Middle East and Asia.


It will be the greatest show off Earth - if the weather is kind.

Children on their way to school will stop and look upwards to watch. There are also concerns the spectacle could halt rush-hour traffic.
And as Professor Martin Hendry, of Glasgow University's School of Physics and Astronomy says, that is hardly new.
"Thousands of years ago people were fascinated by eclipses because they thought there was some terrible fate about to befall the sun," he said.
"Chinese culture had it that there was a dragon trying to swallow the sun and of course they would all bang gongs to make it go away.
"And it always worked...because the sun would come back again."
The principle behind a solar eclipse is simple enough: the Sun shines on the Earth but occasionally the Moon gets in the way. It casts a moving shadow on the surface of the planet.
Where the Moon completely obscures the disc of the Sun, that is a total eclipse. Night makes a brief return.
On Friday that tight, dark shadow will fall on the northern Atlantic, passing over the Faroe Islands and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
A much wider shadow will surround it. People on either side of the path will notice morning reverting to twilight.
The Sun's disc will not be obscured completely but large areas of Europe, North Africa and Asia should get a good view of a partial eclipse.
Scotland is particularly well situated. At least 90% of the face of the Sun will be obscured wherever you are. The further north and west you go, the greater the eclipse will be.
In Glasgow, almost 94% of the Sun's disc will be blocked by the Moon.
In Portree, Kirkwall and Lerwick more than 96%. And in the far west of Lewis just over 98%. The merest sliver of the Sun will remain.
The dragon will start to nibble the Sun at about 08:30.
The eclipse will be at its greatest just over an hour later. And - gong-bashing or not - the Moon will have passed on its way not long after 10:40.
If you're thinking of taking a squint at the eclipse the best advice is: do not.
Even with 98% of the Sun blacked out, the remaining 2% is enough to blind you. Screwing up your eyes will not help. Looking through binoculars or a telescope will only make it worse.
Only dedicated solar filters and viewers are safe. Home-made "solutions", such as looking through sunglasses, clouds or exposed photographic film will not protect you.
One counterintuitive method is to look the other way. Take two pieces of card and punch a small hole in one of them.
It need not be a pinprick - up to four or five millimetres across will still work.
Tilt the card with the hole towards the Sun and use it to project an image of the eclipse onto the other card.
Congratulations, you have just made a pinhole camera (the more egotistical among us may even like to make a series of holes spelling out our name. Then you should be able to see your name, if not in lights, then in a series of tiny eclipses).
Solar eclipses are reassuringly predictable. The next big partial eclipse in these parts will be in August 2026.
What is altogether less predictable - now and then - is Scottish weather.
At the time of writing, the forecast is less than promising for most parts of the country. Many of us may be left hoping for a break in the clouds, or at least for the rain to stop.
The internet means that when someone gets lucky we all get to share.
Images are likely to appear from vessels in mid-Atlantic, from aircraft above the clouds, and from the blacked-out Faroes and Svalbard.
Beyond our atmosphere, the European Space Agency's Proba-2 satellite is ready to send pictures.
And if all else fails, we may be able to listen to the eclipse. Radio enthusiasts are being asked to tune their sets to medium wave frequencies in the hope that stations, normally only received at night, may be heard during daytime because of the effect of the Moon's shadow on the ionosphere.
Should you be thwarted by the weather, think of the lengths some people are prepared to go to to ensure a clear view of an eclipse.
One intrepid group went far into the Sahara desert. No clouds, big sky.
It would have been perfect if a sandstorm had not blown up.


The company behind the failed mini-drone Zano has provided some details of how more than £2.3m in funding was allocated.

Torquing Group was criticised for a lack of communication over the Zano after the project folded last week.
An apology has been issued along with the new information.
The collapse of Zano caused embarrassment for Kickstarter when many disappointed backers questioned whether they would get their money back.
In the new update, which was published to the project's Kickstarter page, the firm detailed how its funding had been apportioned across the project.
The four largest areas to which more than £2.3m in donations had been distributed as follows:
Developing improvements to the Zano prototype had been one significant example of expenditure, the company said.
"Ultimately these upgrades coupled with delays caused by the creation of a bespoke and automatic testing rig had significant financial and timeline impacts upon the project," the statement added.
The firm also reiterated its intention to "co-operate fully" with Trading Standards within Pembrokeshire County Council.
In a closing comment, Torquing added an additional apology: "We would like to make a sincere apology for the understandable disappointment felt by all of those that have supported the project."
The BBC had also learned that Kickstarter had contacted Zano backers following the announcement of Zano's collapse last week.
"Like you, we're extremely frustrated by what's happened with this project," the message said.
It added that Kickstarter had asked Torquing to provide a more detailed update to backers by November 30 - or Kickstarter would pursue an inquiry into the Zano project.


Rediscovered photographs of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's expedition to the South Pole have gone on public display for the first time.

The photographs form part of an exhibition at the University of Cambridge's Polar Museum.
Curators said A Century On looks at Scott's legacy to science, exploration and art.
Scott and other team members died returning from the Pole in 1912 after being beaten to it by a Norwegian team.
The '"lost" photographs, thought to be missing for much of the 20th Century, were acquired by the Scott Polar Research Institute in the spring.
About 110 photographs, all taken by Scott, are being shown 10 at a time and changed fortnightly to avoid light damage.
The photographs give an insight into the team's Antarctic journey and portray the harsh conditions Scott's team faced.
Heather Lane, keeper of collections at the institute, said: "The staff of the Polar Museum wanted to end this centenary year by bringing Captain's Scott's story right up to date.
"We hope that the exhibition will let visitors get a real sense of Scott's impact on British culture and the ways in which his reputation has changed over the past century."
The exhibition runs from 17 October to 12 January 2013.


A contract to provide summer activities for children has been cancelled as staff did not have the proper criminal records checks, a council has said.

Several members of Sport Wednesbury staff running activities in the West Midlands town did not have appropriate checks in place, Sandwell Council said.
It said it had now arranged for its youth service to run activities.
Sport Wednesbury said every staff member used was currently in possession of an enhanced DBS check.
The Disclosure and Barring Service replaced the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) scheme in England and Wales.
Sport Wednesbury had won the contract to run classes for a second time this year.
But council cabinet member for leisure services Richard Marshall said: "It came to the council's attention that several members of Sport Wednesbury staff running summer holiday activities at Brunswick Park did not have the appropriate DBS checks in place.
"These are a safeguarding requirement when working with children and should have been arranged by the organisation running the activities in line with their own child protection policy."
Mr Marshall said the council had to make sure "all safeguarding rules are met" and it acted as soon as it "became aware of this issue".
He said: "We have now made arrangements for the council's youth service to continue running the activities for children to enjoy for the rest of the summer holidays."
Asked how many days staff without checks had worked and how many children they had come into contact with, the head of Sport Wednesbury, Richard McVittie, said he could not answer because he was in discussions with the council.
Mr McVittie said in his view it was not clear that any activity requiring a person with a DBS check had been carried out by someone without one.
He said every member of staff used, paid or unpaid, was currently in possession of an enhanced DBS check.


Plans for two new bridges near Glasgow have taken a step forward.

They are part of a scheme to regenerate part of the Clyde waterfront and improve the area around Glasgow Airport.
The project has been made possible through the City Deal covering the region around Glasgow.
The deal is a Â£1.3bn project funded by the UK and Scottish governments, with eight local authorities around the city involved.
Planning applications have now been submitted for two schemes led by Renfrewshire Council.
One aims to regenerate part of the waterfront - and includes a road bridge across the Clyde between Renfrew and Yoker.
The other includes work around Glasgow Airport  - with a new bridge over the White Cart Water.
If the schemes get planning permission, construction could be completed by 2020.
Bob Grant, chief executive of Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, said the City Deal projects would bring jobs and business benefits to the local area.
He said: "These projects offer tremendous benefits for local businesses and have the potential to transform how we do business in Renfrewshire.
"These major infrastructure investments will make it easier for employers to do business, easier for employees to get to and from their places of work and open up the potential for future investment.
"Around 1,400 jobs are expected during the construction period and a further 11,000 permanent jobs could be created through existing business expansion and new businesses being attracted to the area as a result of the City Deal infrastructure investment."
He added: "Improved connections will also benefit the public and local employers, with 59,000 jobs becoming more accessible to Renfrewshire residents.
"I am very excited at the potential of the Glasgow Airport Investment Area to bring highly-skilled jobs to the area. The signs are already there - the first minister recently announced that an Â£8.9m specialist centre to develop new manufacturing processes for lightweight materials for the aerospace and automotive industries will be established here in Renfrewshire.
"It has been encouraging to see the public are firmly behind these projects and I look forward to seeing the work get under way. These are key projects in the Glasgow City Region City Deal, which has the potential to unlock Â£3.3bn in private sector investment benefitting the whole region."


A man has been shot dead as he sat in a stationary car.

The man, who was a passenger in the car, was shot in the head in West Bromwich shortly after 14:30 GMT, West Midlands Police said.
The victim, who was in his 30s, died at the scene in Dartmouth Street and police have opened a murder investigation.
Police said the junction of High Street and Dartmouth Street was cordoned off while forensic inquiries took place.
A post-mortem examination is due to take place.
Det Insp Martin Slevin said: "The investigation is at an early stage, my officers are currently carrying out inquiries at the scene and house to house and CCTV. There will also be extra reassurance patrols in the local area."
He appealed for witnesses to come forward.


When Wayne Rooney starts planning his testimonial game for next summer he may want to heed a few lessons from previous benefit matches.

The testimonial, usually held to honour a player's long service at a club or to mark retirement, are supposed to be light-hearted, non-competitive affairs that raise millions of pounds for charity.
But that has not always been the case.
From celebrities and brawls to handsome pay-offs and injuries, BBC Sport takes a look at the dos and don'ts of hosting a testimonial.
Testimonials began as a way to set up a player for retirement, back when wages paled in comparison to those today, with money made from the game paid to the player.
Former Arsenal and England goalkeeper David Seaman made £600,000 tax free from his match in 2001.
The recent trend has been for a player to donate the proceeds to charity, which began with former Republic of Ireland and Sunderland striker Niall Quinn.
Quinn gave an estimated £1m raised at his benefit match to charity.
Rooney has followed suit and said proceeds from the game on 3 August will be split between the NSPCC, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Claire House Children's Hospice and Manchester United's own foundation.
Former Coventry defender David Busst suffered one of the worst injuries in football in 1996 against Manchester United, which forced him into retirement aged 29.
The Sky Blues granted Busst a testimonial match against United to benefit him and his family.
The match was memorable for being Eric Cantona's last game for United, the Frenchman retiring from football two days later.
Didier Drogba, retired Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher, Lothar Matthaeus, Andriy Shevchenko and Philipp Lahm all turned out for former Germany captain Michael Ballack's testimonial in 2013.
Cristiano Ronaldo could be returning to Old Trafford for Rooney's testimonial while the England striker made his return to Goodison Park for Duncan Ferguson's testimonial in August.
Then there were the stellar line-ups involved in Portugal legend Deco's benefit match in 2014 at the Estadio do Dragao.
The match was between Porto's 2004 Champions League winners and Barcelona's 2006 European champions, both teams that Deco had played for and players on show included Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o, and Edgar Davids.
But the stars are not always guaranteed to turn up.
George Best reportedly snubbed Manchester United team-mate Bobby Charlton's testimonial against Celtic in 1972 and spent the night drinking. The match at Old Trafford still attracted a crowd of 60,538, which was then a British record for a benefit match.
By August 2012, full-back Tony Hibbert had played 308 times for Everton, but had never scored for the Toffees.
He made amends in his testimonial, scoring a stunning free-kick in a 4-1 win over AEK Athens. And still after 15 seasons it remains his only goal for the club.
"The lads were saying to me in the changing room that it was like a fairytale," he said afterwards.
Former England striker Alan Shearer had injured his knee three weeks before his testimonial in 2006 so could not play a full role but he kicked the first and last ball of the match.
The Premier League's all-time top scorer came off the bench to score a penalty in injury-time to give Newcastle a 3-2 victory over Celtic.
Some managers must dread testimonials as much as they do the international break, crossing their fingers in the hope that their players come back in one piece.
Former England and Liverpool forward Peter Beardsley had just re-signed for Newcastle from Everton for £1.5m in 1993, when he took part in Ronnie Whelan's testimonial match at Anfield.
Beardsley sustained a triple fracture of his cheekbone in the second minute of the match after a collision with Neil Ruddock and was ruled out for six weeks.
And Manchester United great Denis Irwin lasted only 36 minutes of his own testimonial in 2000 against neighbours Manchester City when he hobbled off.
George Weah caught Irwin with a late tackle that left him with an ankle injury in a bad tempered affair.
Spare a thought for Walsall's stalwart midfielder Darren Wrack, whose testimonial against Wolves in 2008 attracted a crowd of only 1,330 to the Banks's Stadium, which has a capacity of 11,300.
Compare that to the game in September for Borussia Dortmund's Brazilian defender Dede to mark his 13 years at the club.
Dortmund's Westfalenstadion was filled with 81,359 fans, a record for a testimonial, and Dede marked the occasion by scoring a 40-yard lob.
Dennis Bergkamp chose the best time to hold his match as he bowed out of Arsenal after 11 years.
The Dutch legend's send-off coincided with the opening day of the Gunners' Emirates stadium in 2006 with a sell-out 60,000 crowd.
Paul Scholes marked his farewell from Manchester United with a trademark strike as the Reds beat  New York Cosmos 6-0 in 2011.
Except it proved not to be the midfielder's final appearance for United. The following year he was coaxed out of retirement by Sir Alex Ferguson and won an 11th league title before finally hanging up his boots.
Meanwhile, his manager had a very premature testimonial in 1999, half-way through his 27-year career at Old Trafford. He would eventually retire in 2013.
Southampton legend Claus Lundekvam had to pay a six-figure sum to returf the St Mary's pitch for his testimonial after 12 seasons with the Saints in 2008.
The reason... American rockers Bon Jovi.
Norway defender Lundekvam wanted to play Celtic but the only date the Scottish club could make meant there was not enough time after a Bon Jovi concert to reseed the St Mary's pitch.
So Lundekvam shelled out for a new pitch.
Just under 19,000 fans turned out to the match meaning the Norwegian was able to recoup all of the £250,000 he had forked out to stage the game.
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One Direction star Louis Tomlinson was left wincing in agony on the pitch after being clattered by Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor during a charity match at Celtic Park for former footballer Stiliyan Petrov.
The singer and Doncaster Rovers fan had to be substituted and was then physically sick on the sidelines following the rough treatment.
Agbonlahor later received abuse from One Direction fans on Twitter after the game for the tackle.
It was not the only testimonial game that Tomlinson has taken part in.
The singer was mobbed by hundreds of screaming girls as he played for his  hometown club in honour of long-serving Doncaster Rovers midfielder James Coppinger to mark 11 years at the club.
When Ajax organised a testimonial for their Dutch legend Johan Cruyff against Bayern Munich, the German team saw it as an opportunity to extract revenge for earlier defeats and hammered them 8-0.
It wasn't until 2006 that Bayern apologised for their behaviour. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who scored four in the game, and Gerd Muller both said they were not proud of the part they played. Goalkeeper Sepp Maier simply declared: "Sorry, Johan!"
Julian Dicks' testimonial in 2000 against Athletic Bilbao was anything but friendly - it erupted into a 17-man brawl.
The ugly scenes, which held up play for more than five minutes, came a minute before the break and happened when the former West Ham defender was not even on the pitch.
Some rash challenges from Nigel Winterburn on Joseba Etxeberria and then Igor Stimac on Ismael Urzaiz led to players from both sides pushing and shoving each other. The respective coaching staff also argued on the touchline before stewards and police rushed in to calm things down.
Referee Barry Knight ordered West Ham manager Harry Redknapp to substitute Paolo Di Canio while Bilbao coach Txetxu Rojo was told to take off Spanish international striker Etxeberria.
On the plus side, more than 14,000 fans turned up to pay tribute to Dicks for his 10 years' service - before his career was cut short by a knee injury that gave him a £200,000 pay day.
Australian footballer Brent Griffiths became the first man in history to be sent off for a last-ditch tackle on a giant barbecue sauce bottle.
Griffiths was taking part in a testimonial match for retiring Central Coast Mariners legend John Hutchinson.
The Hutch XI were leading 11-4 against the Mariners when the condiment-based mascot burst clear of the defence, only for Stoke-born Griffiths to commit the cynical foul and earn his marching orders.


US President Donald Trump made abandoning the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal a key part of his election campaign and on his first day in office, he has proved as good as his word.

But what was the TPP designed to do? And does it have any future without the US?
Twelve countries that border the Pacific Ocean signed up to the TPP in February 2016, representing roughly 40% of the world's economic output.
The pact aimed to deepen economic ties between these nations, slashing tariffs and fostering trade to boost growth. Members had also hoped to foster a closer relationship on economic policies and regulation.
The agreement was designed so that it could eventually create a new single market, something like that of the EU.
But all 12 nations needed to ratify it, before it could come into effect.
Once Donald Trump won last year's election, the writing was on the wall for the TPP.
US participation was the major linchpin for the deal. It may be possible for the other countries to forge a smaller scale pact in its place, but it can't go ahead in its current form.
Those other member states are: Japan - the only country to have already ratified the pact - Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru.
Former President Barack Obama treated trade deals as a priority during his tenure, and this particular deal would have bolstered America's position in the Asia-Pacific region, where China is growing in influence.
But US opponents have characterised the TPP as a secretive deal that favoured big business and other countries at the expense of American jobs and national sovereignty.
On the campaign trail Donald Trump called it a "horrible deal".
But it's not just Mr Trump who opposed the deal. Critics on the left also said it had cost US jobs and said the TPP would pave the way for companies to sue governments that change policy on, say, health and education to favour state-provided services. And it was also seen as intensifying competition between countries' labour forces.
Pretty big. The 12 countries involved have a collective population of about 800 million - almost double that of the European Union's single market. The 12-nation would-be bloc is already responsible for 40% of world trade.
The deal was seen as a remarkable achievement given the very different approaches and standards within the member countries, including environmental protection, workers' rights and regulatory coherence - not to mention the special protections that some countries have for certain industries.
The US pulling out will be seen as big blow for other nations that signed up.
To take effect, the deal would have had to be ratified by February 2018 by at least six countries that account for 85% of the group's economic output. The US would need to be on board to meet that last condition.
Some countries, including New Zealand, have suggested some sort of alternative deal may be possible without the US.
But Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said a TPP without the US - and its market of 250 million consumers - would be "meaningless".
Confusingly not.
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, now generally known as TTIP, is a deal to cut tariffs and regulatory barriers to trade between the US and member states of the EU. Negotiations here are at an earlier stage. But given President Trump's hostility towards trade deals in general it's unlikely to be plain sailing for that one either.
You can read more about TTIP here.
Most goods and services traded between the countries are named in the TPP, but not all tariffs - which are taxes on imports - were going to be removed and some would take longer than others. In all, some 18,000 tariffs were included.
For example, the signatories said they would either eliminate or reduce tariffs and other restrictive policies from agricultural products and industrial goods.
Under the agreement, tariffs on US manufactured goods and almost all US farm products would have gone almost immediately. But some "sensitive" products would have been exempt until a later agreed date.
The full text of the TPP agreement - which runs to 30 chapters - can be read here.
And you can find more on the specific industries involved here.
It began with the P4 trade agreement between just four nations - Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore - that came into effect in 2006.
That deal removed tariffs on most goods traded between the countries, promised to cut more and also to co-operate on wider issues such as employment practices, intellectual property and competition policies.
Signatories who want to forge ahead with the TPP may need to lower their sights back in line with the earlier incarnation.


A watchdog has said it was "concerned and disappointed" after a council refused to repay a foster care-leaver whose savings were not monitored.

The public services ombudsman for Wales asked Bridgend council to pay £3,310 to Rob Johnson, 18, after he said some of his money paid for trips, but the council said it raised national issues.
Nick Bennett warned of further action if the payment was not made.
The council said it took its role as corporate parents extremely seriously.
Mr Johnson, who was two when he was fostered, said he felt "let down" by the council.
"It would make me feel a lot much more relaxed, I would have something to fall back on if anything went wrong. It would make my life better," he said.
The ombudsman's report noted the council's monitoring of the savings was "intermittent and inadequate" and amounted to maladministration.
There was no criticism of the foster carers in his report, which only dealt with the council's actions.
The council failed to keep adequate records or retain his saving books at the end of his placement, meaning it was unclear why the amounts were as low as they were.
Mr Bennett said: "The only way in which we can see justice done and to really put things right for this young man, who has just come out of care, is to make sure that he receives this payment."
The ombudsman will meet Bridgend council officials on Wednesday.
Mr Bennett said he hoped he would be able to persuade them it would be "a very disappointing message to the people of Bridgend and further afield if they cannot see that they have a responsibility to put this wrong right".
If the council does not budge, Mr Bennett warned he would issue a further special report about the case - the cost of which would have to be borne by the authority.
He added: "It might well be that there is a resistance to implementing this specific recommendation because it sets some kind of precedent.
"My interest is not in that; my interest now is in ensuring that justice is done for the individual that came to see us."
Bridgend council said it would comply with all of the ombudsman's recommendations except making the payment.
A spokesman said: "The issue here is that councils are powerless to make carers save on behalf of looked-after children as there is no legal requirement or national policy in place requiring them to do so.
"As we cannot enforce this, we are limited to asking foster carers to either save themselves or encourage the children to start saving.
"As the ombudsman has recognised that this case raises issues at a national level, it is inappropriate to seek to deal with it on a local level."
Children's Commissioner Sally Holland said the case highlighted a "crack in the system," set against a background of hundreds of children leaving care and facing struggles to make ends meet.
She added: "The Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association need to be looking together at the consistency of how rights to savings and to pocket money are being applied right across Wales and to make sure that that's consistent and fair right across the board for all looked after children."


A majority in the European Parliament has approved former Luxembourg PM Jean-Claude Juncker to be President of the European Commission.

He got 422 votes out of the 729 total cast in the secret ballot, despite strong opposition earlier from Britain.
He told reporters in Strasbourg he was prepared to discuss repatriating some powers from Brussels to member states.
A firm believer in EU integration, he will succeed incumbent Jose Manuel Barroso of Portugal in November.
In a speech to MEPs, he pledged the Commission would be a "political body", not just Europe's civil service.
He got sustained applause when he said the euro "protects Europe".
By Gavin HewittEurope editor
Europe's Mr President
Mr Juncker was well over the 376 votes minimum that he needed. There were 250 votes against him, 47 abstentions and 10 spoilt ballots.
Mr Juncker, a veteran of Brussels deal-making, was lead candidate of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), which won May's European elections. He played a key role in the eurozone bailouts.
The presidency is the most powerful job in Brussels. The Commission drafts EU laws, oversees national budgets, enforces EU treaties and negotiates international trade deals.
On Wednesday EU leaders are expected to nominate a new EU foreign policy chief, to replace Baroness Ashton.
At his news conference, Mr Juncker reiterated previous comments that any repatriation of powers would be a matter for renegotiation with UK Prime Minister David Cameron and other heads of government of EU states.
But he said he would be prepared to make a "fair deal" with Britain.
As chair of the eurozone finance ministers, Mr Juncker steered the massive bailouts for Greece, Portugal and other struggling countries at the height of the euro crisis in 2010-2012.
He likened that role on Tuesday to "trying to keep a burning plane in the air while repairing it - you burn your fingers sometimes".
Elsewhere in his speech he said:
When he sought to argue that the euro represented monetary stability, UK Independence Party MEPs shouted "rubbish".
Last month, Mr Juncker won the backing of 26 out of 28 leaders of the EU.
Mr Cameron - supported by his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban - called the move "a serious mistake" because Mr Juncker, 59, was too much in favour of closer political union and might block EU reform. He pushed for - and lost - a vote on Mr Juncker, breaking with tradition.
In the past such appointments were made by the EU leaders - meeting in the European Council - by unanimity.
After the European Council vote Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said there would be a review of how the Commission president was nominated - but only after the new Commission team was in place.
Mr Juncker's supporters value his record of consensus-building and commitment to EU integration.
Under new EU treaty rules, the leaders have to take account of the European election result when nominating a Commission chief.
In the coming months, the other 27 new members of the Commission - one from each country - will be appointed. The EU will also appoint a new foreign policy chief and new president of the European Council.
Jean-Claude Juncker: A man for Europe?
Arguments for and against Juncker


At least 3,800 migrants have died or are missing in the Mediterranean Sea in 2016 - the deadliest year on record, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has said.

It said this was despite a significant drop in migrant crossings compared with 2015, when 3,771 deaths were reported.
Smugglers were now more often using flimsy boats and putting more people aboard, the UNHCR said.
The report came as 25 bodies were found in a partially flooded inflatable dinghy off Libya's coast on Wednesday.
More than 100 other migrants were rescued from the boat by Medecins Sans Frontieres, the aid agency said.
On Wednesday, the UNHCR tweeted: "Latest reports put the number of people dead and missing in the Mediterranean Sea this year at over 3800, the highest ever."
The agency said the most dangerous route had been between Libya and Italy, with one death in every 47 arrivals recorded.
By comparison, another - much shorter - route from Turkey to Greece had a ratio of 1 in 88.
Fewer migrants were using the latter route after Turkey and the European Union reached a deal on how to tackle the issue earlier this year, the UNHCR said.
It added that the death rate had risen because smugglers were now "often using lower-quality vessels - flimsy inflatable rafts that do not last the journey".
Nearly 330,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean Sea this year, compared with more than one million in 2015.
Some migrants are seeking economic opportunities in Europe - others are fleeing war, instability or authoritarian governments.
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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.